Automated sample analysis system and method for loading sample tube rack to system

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic sample analysis system, and relates to the field of medical instruments and information intelligent equipments.The top of the system is provided with an integrated operation part, an operation table is arranged below the integrated operation part, the operation table comprises a sample receiving area, and the sample receiving area comprises a plurality of sets of sample pipe frame receiving positions which are arranged side by side; the first information acquisition unit is matched with the sample receiving area, and the sample tube rack receiving position extends from the front end of the system to the rear end of the system along the depth direction of the system; the invention also discloses a method for loading the sample tube rack to the system, at least one group of sample tube racks loaded with sample tubes can be inserted into the sample tube rack receiving position along the depth direction of the system, and the first information acquisition unit can at least acquire the information of the sample tube rack in the insertion process and transmit the information to the control part; the system is further provided with a second information acquisition unit which is matched with the first information acquisition unit to acquire the sample information. The system is simple and efficient in loading, and information acquisition and identification with higher accuracy can be realized by matching with the arrangement of the dual identification unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the fields of medical devices and information intelligent devices, and particularly relates to an automated sample analysis system.

[0002] The present invention also relates to a method for loading a sample tube rack into an automated sample analysis system. Background Art

[0003] In vitro diagnosis usually takes in vitro tissues, secretions, and various swab fluids as analysis objects, and conducts qualitative or quantitative analysis on specific target substances. It is essential in the medical field, especially in clinical medicine and laboratory medicine. Due to its extremely wide range of analysis objects, it is divided into types such as immunoassay, biochemical assay, and molecular diagnosis. Moreover, with the increasing attention of humans to the health of themselves and pets, etc., more and more samples need to be efficiently and accurately processed by in vitro diagnostic devices. The traditional high-throughput sample processing relying on the cooperation of manpower and equipment no longer meets the current requirements of efficient and accurate diagnosis. Higher automation and integration of flow-type devices or similar devices are more popularly applied to the batch automated processing scenarios of biological samples. This design has also become the basic goal pursued by various enterprises at home and abroad.

[0004] The currently fastest-developing automated equipment is the chemiluminescence equipment for enzyme immunoassay. Companies both at home and abroad are developing their own automated detection systems. Representative foreign companies include Abbott, Roche, Siemens, etc., and domestic representative companies include Mindray, Mike, Kehua, etc. These manufacturers currently have mature products on the market. However, from the perspective of sample transfer and the operation logic of each detection and analysis module, the transfer control of each company varies greatly. Generally speaking, it requires relatively complex transfer control and transfer time; in the solution disclosed in US7407627B1, the sample tube loading area is separated from the areas for operations such as pipetting. The sample tube rack carrying the sample tubes can be transferred to a turntable-type relay section, and with the rotation of the relay section, the sample tube rack is sequentially sent into the pipetting operation area to perform operations such as sample liquid pipetting and transfer. This solution requires reallocation of the sample tube rack, with higher control difficulty and longer transfer time; US8043561B2 configures the sample tube rack transfer path in the front of the analysis unit and is configured as an open structure, adopting the design concept of basically distributing the bus transfer to each analysis module on the branch line. This solution is applicable to sample processing with specific low pollution risks; in the solution disclosed in US Patent Application US20240094235A1, functions such as sample tube rack loading, sample tube rack transfer, and sample tube rack buffering are integrated. This design requires reserving sufficient loading buffers and transfer spaces, which has certain advantages for large-scale pipeline equipment but is difficult to layout in scenarios where there are many equipment in the inspection department and limited space. Moreover, this design has very strict requirements for the loading direction of the sample tubes. If the sample tube barcode is partially blocked, the problem of inability to obtain sample tube information will occur, and in severe cases, the entire automated inspection process cannot run; US9222952B2 continues the design concept of an independent loading area, unloading area, and bus-type transfer path, and configures multiple analysis modules on the transfer path. Through the coordinated control of the control unit, the sample tubes can be transferred to the analysis module capable of performing detection in the shortest time and with the optimal path; US8945470B2 has relatively little optimization for the transfer of the sample tube rack, but optimizes the layout of the analysis modules. In the automated detection system, it identifies the detection requirements for more test items, and then matches one or several groups of inspection equipment with fewer detection requirements to achieve faster and more efficient multi-item inspections. One of the analysis modules only performs the detection of test items with high detection requirements, and the other analysis module can not only perform the detection of test items with high requirements but also perform the detection of other items with lower requirements. The controller can comprehensively adjust the sample tube rack transfer path based on the operating status of each analysis module and the samples to be analyzed; most of the above-disclosed patents are adapted to large-scale automated detection systems with sufficient space, and the transfer paths are generally relatively complex, with longer transfer time, lower reliability of the components involved, and relatively more complex control. At the same time, it is very important to obtain and identify information during the transfer process of various types of sample tube racks or sample tubes, which is also necessary for intelligent tracking and detection traceability.

[0005] It is an urgent technical problem to design a sample tube rack loading and scanning system and method that can quickly load the sample tube rack without the operator frequently adjusting the sample tube loading position multiple times. At the same time, it is a hot design goal pursued by each manufacturer that the sample tube rack can be optimally arranged in a limited space without complex transfer and circulation. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is: aiming at the above problems, the present invention provides an automated sample analysis system. By configuring a first information acquisition unit that can move in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, it can cooperatively acquire sample tube rack information during the insertion process of the sample tube rack. A second information acquisition unit cooperating with the integrated operation unit is also configured in the system. It can not only perform supplementary sample tube scanning but also perform pipetting state monitoring, can efficiently and completely scan codes in a limited space, and at the same time, there is no need to pay special attention to the loading position when loading the sample tube, and the operation efficiency is higher.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0008] An automated sample analysis system, the system includes:

[0009] An operation table, including a sample receiving area provided on the operation table surface. The sample receiving area includes multiple groups of sample tube rack receiving positions arranged side by side, and the sample tube rack receiving positions are used to receive the sample tube rack;

[0010] A first information acquisition unit, the first information acquisition unit can cooperate with the sample receiving area to acquire sample tube rack information;

[0011] An integrated operation unit, the integrated operation unit is provided above the operation table. The integrated operation unit includes a first operation substrate and a second operation substrate. The first operation substrate includes a tube clamping unit, and the tube clamping unit clamps the sample tube in the sample tube rack and displaces it to a specified area. The second operation substrate includes a pipettor, and the pipettor performs pipetting operations in the specified area;

[0012] A second information acquisition unit, fixedly provided in the operation table above the operation table surface. The second information acquisition unit is used to scan at least part of the sample tubes to obtain their corresponding sample tube information, so as to cooperate with the first information acquisition unit to obtain complete sample information. The sample information includes sample tube rack information and sample tube information.

[0013] Further, the first information acquisition unit is slidably provided at the front end of the sample receiving area to change its focusing area, and the sliding direction of the first information acquisition unit is perpendicular to the direction in which the sample tube rack is inserted into the sample tube rack receiving position.

[0014] Further, a limiting member is provided at the front end of the operation table in the sample receiving area. The limiting member is used to limit the insertion and removal of the sample tube rack. An in-place detection member is also provided at the rear end of the operation table in the sample receiving area. The in-place detection member is used to detect whether the sample tube rack is correctly inserted.

[0015] Further, the second information acquisition unit is configured at a preset height above the operation table surface, and the preset height is configured to be 1.1 to 2.5 times the length dimension of the longest sample tube in the inserted sample tube rack.

[0016] Further, the integrated operation part includes two independently driven cross beams. Both ends of the cross beam are slidably arranged on the system and the cross beam is parallel to the operation table surface. The first operation substrate and the second operation substrate can respectively slide along the length direction of the corresponding cross beam.

[0017] Further, there are at least two tube clamping units provided on the first operation substrate, and at least two pipettes are provided on the second operation substrate. Both the tube clamping units and the pipettes are slidably arranged on the first operation substrate and the second operation substrate respectively along the direction of the operation table.

[0018] Further, the operation table further includes a pipetting operation area, a pipetting consumable loading area, an extraction consumable temporary storage area, an extraction processing area, and an amplification consumable lid opening and closing area;

[0019] The pipetting operation area includes at least two pipetting positions, and the pipetting positions are used to cooperate with the first operation substrate to place the sample tubes;

[0020] The pipetting consumable loading area includes at least two consumable drawer receiving positions, and the consumable drawer receiving positions are used to place the consumables required for pipetting;

[0021] The extraction consumable temporary storage area includes at least two temporary storage positions, and the temporary storage positions are used to store the transitional consumables;

[0022] The amplification consumable lid opening and closing area includes a lid opening and closing module that can perform multiple groups of amplification consumable lid opening and closing operations. The lid opening and closing module is used to open and close the consumable lid;

[0023] The extraction processing area includes at least two extraction modules, and the extraction modules are arranged side by side on one side of the operation table.

[0024] Further, the system further includes a control part. The control part is used to control the integrated operation part, the first information acquisition unit and the second information acquisition unit. The control part is used to receive the sample tube rack information acquired by the first information acquisition unit. The control part manipulates the integrated operation part to clamp the sample tube to the second information acquisition unit to perform supplementary sample tube information acquisition according to the received sample tube rack information.

[0025] Further, the second information acquisition unit is configured to acquire at least partial sample tube information that the first information acquisition unit fails to acquire, and transmit the acquired at least partial sample tube information to the control unit to complete the acquisition of all sample information.

[0026] The second technical solution adopted by the present invention is a method for loading a sample tube rack into an automated sample analysis system. Using the automated sample analysis system, the method includes:

[0027] At least one group of sample tube racks loaded with sample tubes is inserted into the sample tube rack receiving position, and the in-place detection member detects whether the sample tube rack is correctly inserted, and the sample tube rack is limited and locked by the limiting member;

[0028] The first information acquisition unit acquires sample tube rack information during the insertion process of the sample tube rack and transmits it to the control unit;

[0029] The first information acquisition unit performs displacement adjustment in the vertical direction of the insertion direction of the sample tube rack according to the insertion position of the sample tube rack, and acquires sample tube rack information at different positions until all the sample tube racks to be loaded are completed and the sample tube rack information acquisition is fully executed;

[0030] The control unit makes a judgment according to the information obtained by the first information acquisition unit. If the first information acquisition unit acquires complete sample information, the control unit stores the corresponding information; if the first information acquisition unit does not acquire complete sample information, the control unit controls the integrated operation unit to clamp the sample tube with missing information at the second information acquisition unit to perform supplementary sample tube information acquisition.

[0031] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical solutions, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0032] 1. The operation console of the automated sample analysis system of the present invention is configured with a sample receiving area, and multiple groups of sample tube rack receiving positions are arranged in parallel in the sample receiving area. The sample tube rack can be inserted and loaded into the system. During the insertion and loading process, the first information acquisition unit can acquire at least sample tube rack information and transmit it to the control unit. The system is also configured with a second information acquisition unit integrating multiple functions, which can drive the unrecognized sample tube by the integrated operation unit to complete information acquisition at the second information acquisition unit according to the instruction of the control unit. In this way, the sample tubes in the sample tube rack can be quickly loaded without particularly paying attention to whether the identification label is blocked. The second information acquisition unit also has a pipetting state monitoring function, so that it will not be idle for a long time during use and can make the pipetting loading amount more accurate, which is beneficial to obtaining accurate detection results.

[0033] 2. In the present invention, the first information acquisition unit can be driven to move in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the sample tube rack, so that the sample tube racks inserted and loaded at different positions can always be efficiently focused by the first information acquisition unit. The control unit can establish the corresponding relationship between the sample tube rack information and the sample tube information carried based on the results obtained by the first information acquisition unit, and further supplement all the corresponding information through the second information acquisition unit. Without the operator's re-adjustment, all information acquisition can be efficiently and autonomously completed. The second information acquisition unit is fixedly arranged at a position higher than the operation tabletop, and two different focusing methods are utilized to achieve accurate and efficient acquisition of all sample information of the inserted sample tube rack information and sample tube information.

[0034] 3. In the present invention, two cross beams that can be driven to move independently are configured in the integrated operation unit. No less than two tube clamping units and no less than two pipettes are respectively configured on the two cross beams, so that the operations of sample tube transfer and sample liquid transfer can be performed more efficiently. At the same time, in cooperation with the second information acquisition unit, the pipetting volume can be made more accurate and the abnormal state in the pipetting operation can be detected in a timely manner. The second information acquisition unit is arranged at a preset height higher than the operation tabletop, enabling the monitoring and identification to operate accurately without interference.

[0035] 4. In the present invention, the cooperation between the in-place detection part and the limit part can accurately detect the loading state and also reliably and firmly limit the correctly loaded sample tube rack. During use, the sample tube rack does not need to be transferred. Only by cooperating with the tube clamping unit to transfer the sample tube to the pipetting operation area to complete pipetting, the sample tube rack that has completed the sample liquid transfer can be timely released from the limit and marked, and the operator can timely perceive it to achieve the continuous operation goal of unloading and replacement. The system is also configured with a pipetting operation area, a pipetting consumable loading area, an extraction consumable temporary storage area, an extraction processing area, and an amplification consumable switch cover area. In this way, all configurations of the amplification system can be completed, which is suitable for the automated configuration scenario of the amplification system in a limited space.

[0036] 5. The present invention also discloses a method for loading a sample tube rack into an automated sample analysis system. This method is simple and efficient in loading and can achieve higher-accuracy information acquisition and identification in cooperation with the arrangement of the dual recognition units. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an automated sample analysis system of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 is a process state diagram of loading a sample tube rack to a sample tube rack receiving position in an automated sample analysis system of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 is a state diagram after loading a sample tube rack to a sample tube rack receiving position in an automated sample analysis system of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing the status of adding a sample tube rack to another sample tube rack receiving position in an automated sample analysis system of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 It is a state diagram of an automated analysis system that completes the loading of a sample tube rack in an automated sample analysis system of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing the information acquisition operation performed by the tube clamping unit of the present invention when clamping a sample tube at the second information acquisition unit;

[0043] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing the monitoring of the pipetting state performed by the second information acquisition unit in an automated sample analysis system of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing the cooperation between different functional units of two independent cross beams and the second information acquisition unit in an automated sample analysis system of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 9 It is a state diagram showing the release of the restriction on the sample tube rack that has completed pipetting by the limiting member in an automated sample analysis system of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 10 It is a flow chart of the loading and unloading of the sample tube clamp executed by an automated sample analysis system of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 11 It is a flow chart of the cooperative operation of two information acquisition units in an automated sample analysis system of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 12 It is a schematic diagram showing the cooperation between two information acquisition units and the control unit in an automated sample analysis system of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 13 It is a result diagram showing the control unit establishing the correspondence between the sample tube rack information and the information of the sample tubes carried in an automated sample analysis system of the present invention.

[0050] Markings in the figure: 1 - First information acquisition unit,

[0051] 10 - First cross beam, 101 - Common guide rail, 102 - First connecting block, 103 - Common guide rod, 104 - Second connecting block;

[0052] 100 - Sample tube, 110 - Tube clamping unit;

[0053] 2 - Second information acquisition unit,

[0054] 200 - Sample tube rack;

[0055] 30 - Operating table, 31 - Sample receiving area, 32 - Pipetting consumable loading area, 33 - Extraction consumable temporary storage area, 34 - Pipetting operation area, 35 - Amplification consumable lid opening / closing area, 36 - Extraction processing area, 37 - Transfer channel

[0056] 311 - Limiting member, 312 - In - place detection member Detailed implementation mode

[0057] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings

[0058] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention

[0059] Under the development requirements of current precision medicine and intelligent medicine, efficient detection of sample traceability is an important part of the development of automated detection equipment. In the prior art, most of the designed solutions are modular designs that integrate multiple functions such as sample tube rack loading, barcode scanning and identification, and circulation, which occupy a relatively large space. To a certain extent, they can achieve the design goal of automated circulation and traceability. However, it is difficult to apply to the application scenarios with limited space in the inspection department. Moreover, its corresponding circulation path is complex, and complex timing scheduling needs to be designed to solve the conflicts in the circulation process. At the same time, most systems have relatively strict requirements for operators to load samples, and it is also a major problem of many systems that they are difficult to identify or require operators to reload repeatedly

[0060] The present invention provides an automated sample analysis system to solve the above problems, as shown in the following embodiments

[0061] Embodiment 1

[0062] Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3This is a process diagram of the first information acquisition unit cooperating to acquire information during the process of inserting and loading the sample tube rack of this embodiment into the sample tube receiving position of the system; in this embodiment, the automated sample analysis system can be an enzyme immunoassay diagnostic device, a chemiluminescence diagnostic device, or a molecular diagnostic device, etc. Here, it is shown as an automated system for cooperating to realize the preparation of the amplification system for molecular diagnosis. An integrated operation unit is arranged above the system. In this embodiment, the integrated operation unit can include two or more cross beams that can be driven to move independently. A console 30 is arranged below the integrated operation unit. The integrated operation unit can be driven to move to different positions of the console 30 to perform various functions; the console 30 includes a sample receiving area 31. The sample receiving area 31 includes multiple groups of sample tube rack receiving positions. To improve the processing speed of the system, the number of sample tube rack receiving positions is not less than 5 groups. To accurately constrain the loaded sample tube rack 200, the sample tube rack receiving position includes multiple pairs of arranged clamping members. The multiple pairs of clamping members are arranged at intervals along the extending direction of the sample tube rack receiving position. The paired clamping members can clamp the bottom of the sample tube rack 200 to constrain the inserted sample tube rack 200. The sample tube rack receiving position extends from the front end of the system along the depth direction of the system to the rear end of the system; the sample tube rack 200 can include 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, etc. sample tube receiving holes. The sample tube 100 is preferably a columnar tube structure, and different types of biological samples such as blood, tissue fluid, secretion, and swab mixture can be added therein. Before the experiment, the operator can randomly insert and load the sample tube 100 into the sample tube rack. The sample tube 100 can be randomly loaded without deliberately constraining the loading direction of the sample tube, making the operation more efficient. The sample tube rack 200 loaded with the sample tube 100 can be inserted into the sample receiving area 31 manually or by a robotic arm; a first information acquisition unit 1 is also arranged in cooperation with the sample receiving area 31. The first information acquisition unit 1 acquires the information of the sample tube rack 200 and transmits it to the control unit during the process of at least one group of sample tube racks 200 loaded with sample tubes 100 being inserted into the sample tube rack receiving position along the depth direction of the system; at the front end of the sample tube rack receiving position, there is a limiting member 311, and a position detection member 312 is arranged at the rear end of the sample tube rack receiving position. The position detection member 312 can acquire whether the sample tube rack is correctly inserted information. The limiting member 311 can limit the correct way of inserting the sample tube rack 200 and can release the restriction after the sample liquid pipetting is completed. The limiting member 311 in each sample tube rack receiving position can be independently driven to rise and fall, so that independent constraint and restriction of the sample tube rack 200 in multiple groups of sample tube rack receiving positions can be realized. The position detection member 312 can be of types such as a magnetic sensor or an optoelectronic sensor;The sample tube rack information includes the tube rack information corresponding to the entire sample tube rack 200 and the hole position information corresponding to each sample tube receiving hole. For example, different receiving holes of different sample tube racks can be identified by the sample tube rack barcode and the hole position barcode corresponding to each receiving hole. During the process of inserting and loading the sample tube rack, the first information acquisition unit 1 at least identifies the sample tube rack barcode and all the hole position barcode information and forms the sample tube rack information, and then feeds it back to the control unit.

[0063] In this embodiment, a pipetting operation area 34, a pipetting consumable loading area 32, an extraction consumable temporary storage area 33, an extraction processing area 36, and an amplification consumable lid opening / closing area 35 are also provided on the operation table 30. The pipetting operation area 34 includes at least two pipetting positions. To ensure that the pipetting positions can reliably hold the sample tube 100 and cooperate with the lid opening / closing operation, each pipetting position includes an independent clamping member. The pipetting consumable loading area 32 includes at least two consumable drawer receiving positions. Each consumable drawer can include pipetting consumables with different pipetting volumes and precisions. To achieve efficient and centralized loading of pipetting consumables, the pipetting consumables can be loaded in a whole plate in each consumable drawer, and the edge of the pipetting consumable rack plate can be pressed by a clamping block to make it reliably fixed. The extraction consumable temporary storage area 33 includes at least two temporary storage positions. Multiple cylindrical clamping columns are included around each temporary storage position, which can reliably limit the extraction consumables within the temporary storage position. The amplification consumable lid opening / closing area 35 includes a lid opening / closing module that can perform multiple groups of amplification consumable lid opening / closing operations. The switch module adopts a consumable lid opening / closing structure of an existing solution and is used to complete the lid opening / closing operation of the consumables. The extraction processing area 36 includes at least two extraction modules arranged in parallel. Here, the number of extraction modules can be configured as 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. And multiple extraction modules are arranged in parallel in the area near the rear end of the system. Optimally, they are arranged in a straight line at the rear end of the system. In this way, each extraction module can basically discharge the air in the extraction module without interference, and the discharged air flow also has less interference on the internal environment of the automated system. One side of the operation table 30 also includes a transfer channel 37 that can transfer extraction consumables or amplification consumables into the system. The top of the transfer channel 37 is configured with a consumable loading port, and an openable transfer door is provided on the side connected to the system.

[0064] Such as Figure 4As shown, in this embodiment, the first information acquisition unit 1 is configured to be able to move in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the sample tube rack. To accurately constrain the movement trajectory of the first information acquisition unit 1, an extended chute is provided on the operation table 30 perpendicular to the insertion direction of the sample tube rack. Here, the extended length of the chute can be configured to be 0.6 - 0.9 times the width of the sample receiving area 31, so that the movement stroke of the first information acquisition unit 1 is not too long to perform accurate and efficient information recognition operations. The first information acquisition unit 1 can be changed in its fixed position at least twice, so that its focusing area changes, and then the result of accurate code scanning to obtain information with less interference is achieved. At the same time, the first information acquisition unit 1 that can move and change the focusing area is configured to meet the low-cost code scanning requirement. A smaller focusing area also has the advantages of strong anti-interference ability and higher resolution. To accurately and efficiently perform multiple functions such as pipetting state monitoring and sample tube information acquisition, the second information acquisition unit 2 is fixedly configured at a preset height from the operation table surface, and can cooperate with the rotation function of the tube clamping unit to perform accurate code scanning, and the fixed configuration makes the background fixed, which can more simply and accurately eliminate background interference. Here, to ensure the minimum short transfer path and the lowest interference problem during the transfer process, the preset height can be configured to be between 1.1 - 2.5 times the length dimension of the longest sample tube in the sample tube rack to be inserted. An overly low configured height requires the tube clamping unit to readjust its position multiple times to adapt to the focal length range of the second information acquisition unit 2, while an overly high configured height will have problems such as too large an operation space, worse interference risk, slower reaction speed, and lower control accuracy.

[0065] As Figure 5 shown, sample tube rack receiving positions at different locations can be successively inserted and loaded with multiple sample tube racks 200 carrying sample tubes 100. During the insertion process, the first information acquisition unit 1 can automatically adaptively change its fixed position at least twice to efficiently and automatically obtain all sample tube rack information. The in-place detection piece 312 and the limiting piece 311 cooperate to limit all the inserted and loaded sample tube racks 200. After loading, the sample tube racks 200 will not rotate as a whole and are reliably limited within the sample tube rack receiving positions. The integrated operation part can pick up the sample tube from the loaded sample receiving area and transfer the sample tube. To transfer the sample liquid more efficiently, the integrated operation part optimally transfers the sample tubes one by one in a direction parallel to the sample tube rack insertion direction and forms a Z-shaped transfer path.

[0066] As Figure 6As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the integrated operation unit includes two cross beams that can be driven to move independently. One end of the first cross beam 10 is fitted and connected to the common guide rail 101 arranged in the system through the first connection block 102. A first driving motor is provided in the first connection block 102, and a roller that cooperates with the common guide rail is connected to the output shaft of the first driving motor. The first cross beam 10 can be driven by the first driving motor to slide along the extending direction of the common guide rail 101. A first operation substrate is slidably connected in the extending direction of the first cross beam 10. In order to execute various operations more efficiently, a tube clamping unit 110 and a first consumable clamping unit 111 are arranged on the first operation substrate. In this embodiment, the number of tube clamping units 110 is not less than two, and each tube clamping unit 110 can be independently driven to move up and down along the first operation substrate, that is, move up and down towards the operation table 30. The other end of the first cross beam 10 is connected to the common guide rod 103 through a relay block and a roller in a rolling manner. The common guide rod 103 is arranged parallel to the common guide rail 101. In this way, by driving the tube clamping unit 110, the sample tube can be transferred to any position within the set space. During the transfer process, the tube clamping unit 110 can determine to perform an information acquisition operation near the second information acquisition unit according to the instruction information of the control unit. The sample tube that requires this step can be driven to rotate near the focal length of the second information acquisition unit to perform the barcode scanning of the sample tube itself, thereby supplementing and perfecting the sample tube information not acquired by the first information acquisition unit 1. The first information acquisition unit in this embodiment can be of the same type as the second information acquisition unit, both being of the image sensor type, or they can be different. Among them, the first information acquisition unit can be of the barcode reader type, while the second information acquisition unit is of the image sensor type.

[0067] As Figure 7As shown, one end of the second cross beam 20 is fittingly connected to the common guide rail 101 through the second connection block 104. The second connection block 104 is arranged in the same way as the first connection block 102. The second drive motor can drive the second cross beam 20 to slide along the common guide rail 101. The other end of the second cross beam 20 is connected to the common guide rod 103 in a rolling manner through a relay block and rollers, similar to the first cross beam 10. The second cross beam 20 is slidably connected to the second operation substrate in the extending direction. A pipettor 210 capable of lifting movement is arranged on the second operation substrate. The pipettor 210 performs lifting movement along the operation table 30. A second consumable clamping unit 211 capable of being driven to lift is also arranged on the second operation substrate. In order to perform efficient and reliable pipetting operations, the number of pipettors 210 is not less than two. The not less than two pipettors 210 can share a liquid receiving tray, so that the risk of pipetting contamination is lower and the control accuracy is higher. The second information acquisition unit 2 is of the image sensor type. The pipettor 210 can be driven to acquire pipetting status information within the focal range of the second information acquisition unit, including whether the pipetting consumables are correctly assembled and detecting whether the pipetting liquid volume is sufficient when the pipetting consumables are made of transparent material, etc. The second information acquisition unit 2 is configured in this way to also make the system function integration degree higher and the system timing scheduling more reasonable and compact.

[0068] As Figure 8 shown, in order to enable the two independent cross beams of the integrated operation unit to operate with the least interference, all functional units of the two cross beams are arranged on the same side in the width direction of the cross beam. In this way, there is no need to set too much obstacle avoidance space during the operation of each functional unit, nor is it necessary to set a too complex obstacle avoidance control program. The two cross beams can be configured with overlapping time sequences in at least part of the time period, making pipetting, consumable transfer or sample tube transfer more efficient. The second information acquisition unit can cooperate to perform multiple functions of precise pipetting and supplementary acquisition of sample tube information.

[0069] As Figure 9 shown, during the actual operation of the automated detection system, it is very necessary to load the sample tube rack in a timely manner for continuous operation. A limiting member 311 capable of being independently driven to lift is arranged at the front end of the sample tube rack receiving position in this embodiment. When the sample tubes are re-placed in the sample tube rack after the transfer of the sample liquid in one or several sample tube racks is completed, the controller can track and acquire this type of signal and generate a control instruction to lower the limiting member 311. As shown in the figure, the limiting member 311 at the front end of the sample tube rack 200 descends below the operation table plane. At this time, the sample tube rack 200 is released from the restricted state. The control unit can output a mark of the sample tube rack for which pipetting has been completed, and finally it is unloaded automatically or manually and a new detection sample tube rack is added, having the high-efficiency processing performance of continuous loading.

[0070] Embodiment 2

[0071] This embodiment provides a control method for the automated detection system in conjunction with Embodiment 1. As Figure 10 shown, the automated sample processing system can be an enzyme immunoassay detection, chemical detection, and molecular detection device, etc. After the system completes self-check, it becomes operable, allowing the operator to manually or through an intelligent robotic arm to load the sample tube rack. The sample receiving area in the system can include multiple groups of juxtaposed sample tube rack receiving positions. The sample tube rack can be inserted from the front end of the system and pushed backward to load the sample tube rack. During the insertion and loading process, the first information acquisition unit cooperating with the sample receiving area can acquire at least the sample tube rack information within its focal range. The control unit can cooperatively determine whether the first information acquisition unit has completed acquiring the sample tube rack information. When the determination result is no, it means that the tube rack information of the sample tube rack or at least one of the hole position information in the sample tube rack has not been accurately acquired. The control unit can generate an error instruction, and then the insertion and loading action needs to be repeated. If it still cannot be recognized after repeated attempts, an error alarm message is generated. After correct recognition, the in-place detection component arranged at the rear end of the sample tube rack receiving position can acquire whether the sample tube rack is correctly inserted, whether it is inserted to the same end position. In the correct insertion state, the limiting component 311 at the front end of the sample tube rack receiving position can limit the correctly inserted sample tube rack. During this process, due to the flexible loading characteristics of the sample tubes in the sample tube rack, the control unit does not need to identify and store all the sample tube information, nor does it need to perform more additional operations due to the lack of sample tube information. After the sample tube rack is loaded, it does not need to be transferred through a long path driven by multiple drives. The integrated operation unit can clamp the sample tubes in the sample tube rack and, according to the instructions output by the control unit, perform a barcode scanning operation or a transfer operation at the second information acquisition unit. Here, if the first information acquisition unit has acquired the sample tube information during the insertion and loading process, the barcode scanning operation at the second information acquisition unit is not performed, and the sample tube is directly transferred. During the specific sample liquid aspiration and transfer process, the second information acquisition unit can cooperate with the pipette in the integrated operation unit to determine multiple functions such as whether the liquid transfer is normal and whether the liquid transfer volume is sufficient, or it can also only perform one of the determinations of whether the liquid transfer is normal or whether the liquid transfer volume is sufficient. After the sample liquid transfer is completed, the control unit can release the restriction of the limiting component on the sample tube rack, and the sample tube rack is marked as an unloadable state. The operator can timely perceive and realize the continuous loading and replacement of the sample tube rack, and can also prevent misoperation of pulling out the sample tube rack that has not been transferred completely during use.

[0072] As Figure 11As shown, in specific implementation, first, a sample tube rack loaded with sample tubes is inserted into the multiple groups of juxtaposed sample tube rack receiving positions of the sample automation processing system. During the insertion process, the first information acquisition unit can acquire the sample tube rack information and transmit it to the control unit. Since the position where the sample tubes are loaded onto the sample tube rack is not restricted, during high-speed loading, the barcodes on some sample tube bodies may be partially blocked and unrecognizable, or the barcodes may be affixed obliquely and cannot be scanned in a passing manner to obtain the sample tube information during the insertion process. The control unit can store the information obtained by the first information acquisition unit, and it can configure the reaction system to schedule subsequent inspection items based on the obtained information. It can also establish the correspondence between the sample tube rack information and the sample tube information carried and output the processing result. This correspondence can achieve intelligent operations such as the precise transfer of sample tubes and the traceable verification of inspection results. Based on the processing result of the correspondence, the control unit generates a command to clamp the sample tube to determine whether to execute the barcode scanning operation in the second information acquisition unit.

[0073] As Figure 12 and Figure 13 shown, the first information acquisition unit 1 of this embodiment cooperates with the sample receiving area. The sample tube rack 100 loaded with the sample tubes 200 is inserted and loaded into the sample receiving area. The first information acquisition unit 1 can obtain at least the sample tube rack information through passing scanning and transmit it to the control unit. The control unit can establish the correspondence between the sample tube rack information and the sample tube information carried based on this information. Figure 12 The sample tubes marked with a cross in [] are the sample tubes for which the first information acquisition unit 1 fails to obtain information. The control unit can rotate the unsuccessfully recognized sample tubes 100 clamped by the tube clamping unit within the focal range of the second information acquisition unit 2 to perform a more precise rotary barcode scanning and recognition operation. The cooperation of the two different types of information acquisition units makes the information acquisition more efficient and accurate. Figure 13 [] shows the correspondence between the sample tube rack information and the sample tube information. During the insertion of the sample tube rack, the first information acquisition unit 1 can read the sample tube rack information, and thus can distinguish different sample tube racks. Different types of sample tube racks can be marked as A, B, C, etc. The first information acquisition unit 1 can also read the hole position information corresponding to all the sample tube receiving holes of the sample tube rack. Different hole positions can be marked as 01, 02, 03, etc. Finally, the first information acquisition unit 1 can also obtain at least part of the sample tube information, marked as 101, 102, 103, etc. here. These information can include sample type information, sample tube size information, inspection item information, etc. The sample tubes not acquired by the first information acquisition unit are marked as the "\ " vacant type. Subsequently, the tube clamping unit can cooperate with the second information acquisition unit to supplement all the vacant information, which will not be elaborated here.

[0074] Certainly, in a specific scenario, the second information acquisition unit can also cooperate with the tube clamping unit to transfer the sample tube after pipetting into the focal length of the second information acquisition unit, and cooperate with operations such as rotation to obtain an image of the remaining liquid volume in the sample tube. The control unit can also determine whether the pipetting volume of the sample liquid is normal based on parameters such as the liquid level height difference in the sample tube before and after pipetting.

[0075] In this article, specific embodiments are used to elaborate on the principles and implementation manners of the present invention. The descriptions of the above embodiments are only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present invention, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

[0076] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "vertical", "horizontal", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of the present invention is usually placed during use. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention.

[0077] In the description of the present invention, it should also be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connect", and "couple" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the internal communication of two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

Claims

1. An automated sample analysis system, characterized in that: The system comprises: An operating table, comprising a sample receiving area arranged on the operating table, wherein the sample receiving area comprises a plurality of groups of sample tube rack receiving positions arranged in parallel, and the sample tube rack receiving positions are used to receive the sample tube racks; A first information acquisition unit, the first information acquisition unit can cooperate with the sample receiving area to acquire sample tube rack information; An integrated operation unit, which is disposed above the operation table and includes a first operation substrate and a second operation substrate, wherein the first operation substrate includes a tube clamping unit, which clamps the sample tube in the sample tube rack and moves it to a designated area, and the second operation substrate includes a pipette, which performs a pipetting operation in the designated area; The second information acquisition unit is fixedly arranged in the operating table at a position higher than the operating table surface. The second information acquisition unit is used to scan at least part of the sample tubes to obtain their corresponding sample tube information, so as to cooperate with the first information acquisition unit to obtain complete sample information, and the sample information includes sample tube rack information and sample tube information.

2. An automated sample analysis system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first information acquisition unit is slidably disposed at the front end of the sample receiving area to change its focus area, and the sliding direction of the first information acquisition unit is perpendicular to the direction in which the sample tube rack is inserted into the sample tube rack receiving position.

3. The automated sample analysis system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The operating table is also provided with a limiter at the front end of the sample receiving area, and the limiter is used to limit the insertion and removal of the sample tube rack. The operating table is also provided with an in-place detection member at the rear end of the sample receiving area, and the in-place detection member is used to detect whether the sample tube rack is correctly inserted.

4. The automated sample analysis system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second information acquisition unit is arranged at a preset height higher than the operating table, and the preset height is arranged to be 1.1 to 2.5 times the length of the longest sample tube inserted into the sample tube rack.

5. The automated sample analysis system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The integrated operating part includes two independently driven cross beams, both ends of which are slidably arranged on the system and the cross beams are parallel to the operating table surface, and the first operating substrate and the second operating substrate can slide along the length direction of the corresponding cross beams respectively.

6. An automated sample analysis system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first operating substrate is provided with at least two tube clamping units, the second operating substrate is provided with at least two pipettes, and the tube clamping units and the pipettes are respectively slidably arranged on the first operating substrate and the second operating substrate along the direction of the operating table.

7. The automated sample analysis system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The operating table also includes a pipetting operation area, a pipetting consumables loading area, an extraction consumables temporary storage area, an extraction processing area, and an amplification consumables cover opening and closing area; The pipetting operation area includes at least two pipetting positions, and the pipetting positions are used to cooperate with the first operation substrate to place the sample tube; The pipetting consumables loading area includes no less than two consumables drawer receiving positions, and the consumables drawer receiving positions are used to place consumables required for pipetting; The temporary storage area for extracting consumables includes no less than two temporary storage locations, and the temporary storage locations are used to store transition consumables; The amplification consumables cover opening and closing area includes a cover opening and closing module capable of performing multiple sets of amplification consumables cover opening and closing operations, and the cover opening and closing module is used to open and remove the consumables cover; The extraction processing area includes no less than two extraction modules, and the extraction modules are arranged side by side on one side of the operating table.

8. The automated sample analysis system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The system also includes a control unit, which is used to control the integrated operating unit, the first information acquisition unit and the second information acquisition unit. The control unit is used to receive the sample tube rack information acquired by the first information acquisition unit, and the control unit controls the integrated operating unit to clamp the sample tube to the second information acquisition unit to perform supplementary sample tube information acquisition based on the received sample tube rack information.

9. The automated sample analysis system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second information acquisition unit is used to acquire at least part of the sample tube information not acquired by the first information acquisition unit, and transmit the acquired at least part of the sample tube information to the control unit to complete the acquisition of all sample information.

10. A method for loading a sample tube rack into an automated sample analysis system, using an automated sample analysis system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The method comprises: At least one group of sample tube racks loaded with sample tubes are inserted into the sample tube rack receiving position, and the in-place detection member detects whether the sample tube rack is correctly inserted, and the sample tube rack is limited and locked by the limiting member; The first information acquisition unit acquires the sample tube rack information during the sample tube rack insertion process and transmits it to the control unit; The first information acquisition unit performs displacement adjustment along the vertical direction of the sample tube rack insertion direction according to the insertion position of the sample tube rack, and acquires information of sample tube racks at different positions until all sample tube racks to be loaded are loaded and the sample tube rack information acquisition is completely executed; The control unit makes a judgment based on the information obtained by the first information acquisition unit. If the first information acquisition unit obtains complete sample information, the control unit stores the corresponding information. If the first information acquisition unit does not obtain complete sample information, the control unit controls the integrated operating unit to clamp the sample tube that has not obtained information based on the corresponding missing information and perform supplementary sample tube information acquisition at the second information acquisition unit.

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