Automatic Coverslipper

Abstract

To provide an automatic encapsulation device significantly avoiding damage of a specimen even when there is a disturbance in power supply from a power system or a power source.SOLUTION: An automatic sealing device is configured to take out a specimen slide (4) from a specimen slide magazine (5), the specimen slide configured to be connected to a power system and having a specimen present thereon, perform encapsulation processing on each specimen slide (4) each time, and place the encapsulated specimen slide (4) in the specimen slide magazine (5) or in a further specimen slide magazine (29). An electronic control device (13) detects a disturbance in the electrical energy supply from the electrical system, when there is the disturbance, in order to switch to intake of electrical energy from an electrical energy accumulator (12), executes a safety routine at least including a safety step of placing the specimen slide (4) into the specimen slide magazine (5) or into the further specimen slide magazine (29), after completely mounting the specimen slide (4) to which an encapsulation medium (7) has been already applied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic coverslipping device adapted to be connected to an electric power system as a power consumer (or load) to receive a supply of electrical energy and adapted to remove specimen slides having samples thereon from a specimen slide magazine, to perform a coverslipping process on each specimen slide in turn by placing a coverslip and then a cover slip on each specimen slide, and to place (load) the coverslipped specimen slides into the specimen slide magazine or into a further specimen slide magazine. [Background technology]

[0002] In pathology laboratories, several devices are used for sample processing, here, inter alia, automated devices are used.

[0003] First, the biological sample is fixed, dehydrated and impregnated with paraffin. This is usually done using a so-called processor. During processing in the processor, the biological sample is usually present in a closed cassette with small openings for fluid exchange. Often several cassettes are placed together in a container and processed simultaneously. An example of a processor is depicted and described, for example, in US 7,722,811 B2. In this processor, the processing of the sample is performed in a retorte, into which various chemicals are pumped.

[0004] After impregnation of the sample with paraffin, the sample is embedded in a paraffin block, which can be performed in an automated embedding machine, as depicted and described, inter alia, in US 9,671,322 B2.

[0005] After embedding the specimen in the paraffin block, further processing is carried out with a microtome, by means of which the paraffin block together with the embedded specimen is cut to form thin slices, so-called "lamellae", which are individually placed on each specimen slide. An example of a microtome is depicted and described, for example, in US Pat. No. 7,273,000 B2. Usually, the paraffin block to be cut is clamped in a specimen holder of the microtome, which performs an up-down movement and guides the specimen over the microtome knife. In the process, slices of the specimen are formed, which are placed on each specimen slide and can then be processed further, usually in a staining (staining) device. An example of a staining device is known, for example, from US Pat. No. 6,821,072 B2. During the staining process, each specimen slide passes through several baths containing reagents.

[0006] After completion of the staining process, the stained slices present on the specimen slide are covered with a cover glass (cover slip). This can be carried out, inter alia, in an automatic coverslipper. An example of an automatic coverslipper is likewise depicted and described in US 6,821,072 B2. In the device known from US 6,821,072 B2, the two devices, the stainer and the automatic coverslipper, are connected to one another via a transfer station.

[0007] In an automated mounting device, a liquid mounting medium is first applied to the stained thin section by means of a hollow needle, and a cover glass is placed on top. Most often, an adhesive mounting medium is used, which in laboratory jargon is also called "glue" since it acts as an adhesive. The mounting medium must then be dried to prevent the cover glass from shifting on the specimen slide. The stained and mounted sample on the specimen slide is then observed using a microscope or a diagnostic microscope scanning device. An example of a scanning device is depicted and described in US 7,133,543 B2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] US 7,722,811 B2 [Patent Document 2] US 9,671,322 B2 [Patent Document 3] US 7,273,000 B2 [Patent Document 4] US 6,821,072 B2 [Patent Document 5] US 7,133,543 B2 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] During the above processes, multiple specimen slides are usually stored together, either stacked one on top of the other or side-by-side, in a transportable specimen slide magazine, also called a "rack." They then undergo the respective processes in various devices.

[0010] Particularly in an automatic coverslipper, in the event of a power failure (power outage), damage may occur to the sample or to the automatic coverslipper.

[0011] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an automatic sealing device in which, in the event of a failure of the system power supply (the supply of power or electrical energy from a power system or power source), damage to the sample is at least largely prevented. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] This problem is solved by an automatic coverslipper of the type mentioned at the beginning: according to a first aspect of the invention, an automatic coverslipper is provided which is adapted to be connected to a power grid as a power consumer in order to receive a supply of electrical energy and which is adapted to remove specimen slides on which samples are present from a specimen slide magazine, to perform a coverslippery mounting process in each case by applying a mounting medium and then a cover slip to each specimen slide and to place the covered specimen slides in the specimen slide magazine or in a further specimen slide magazine. The automatic sealing device includes an electrical energy storage device and an electronic control device, the electronic control device being configured to detect a fault in the electrical energy supply from the power system (power supply) and, in the event of a fault, to switch to drawing electrical energy from the electrical energy storage device, and to execute a safety routine including at least a safety step for completely sealing a specimen slide on which a sealing medium has already been applied and then placing (loading) it into the specimen slide magazine or the further specimen slide magazine, the safety routine including switching off at least one energy consuming device of the automatic sealing device that is not necessary for executing the at least one safety step during the execution of the safety step (form 1). Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system including the automatic sealing device of the present invention and a further automatic device for processing or testing / inspecting a biological sample, the further automatic device being similarly configured to be connected to a power grid to receive a supply of electric energy as a power consuming device, and the automatic sealing device and the further automatic device form an electric connection or are configured to be able to form an electric connection such that electric energy can be transmitted from an electric energy storage device of the automatic sealing device to the further automatic device and / or electric energy can be transmitted from the further automatic device to the automatic sealing device (form 7). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] A preferred embodiment of the invention is now presented. (Mode 1) See the first aspect of the present invention above. (Form 2) In the automated mounting apparatus of Form 1, it is preferable that the safety routine includes, as a further safety step, transporting a specimen slide that has been removed from the specimen slide magazine but has not yet been coated with mounting medium back into the specimen slide magazine. (Feature 3) In the automatic encapsulation device of feature 1 or 2, it is preferable that the safety routine includes, as a further safety step, immersing a hollow needle serving to apply the encapsulating medium in a solvent bath. (Feature 4) In the automatic filling device of any of Features 1 to 3, it is preferable that the safety routine includes transitioning components of the automatic filling device to a state in which restart in normal operating mode is possible without causing damage. (Form 5) In the automatic filling device of any of Forms 1 to 4, it is preferable that after the safety routine is executed, the automatic filling device is configured to be able to switch back to the normal operating mode, and the control device is configured to enable switching back only if there is no longer an interruption to the supply of electric energy from the power system and / or if the electric energy storage device is in a preset or presettable minimum charge state. (Form 6) In any one of the automatic injection molding apparatuses according to forms 1 to 4, a. after execution of the safety routine, the control device is configured to automatically perform a switchback to a normal operating mode when it detects that an interruption in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid no longer exists; Or, b. after execution of the safety routine, the control device is configured to automatically perform a switchback to the normal operating mode if it detects that a disturbance in the supply of electric energy from the power grid is no longer present and if the electric energy store is in a preset or predefinable minimum charge state; is preferred. (Mode 7) See the second aspect of the present invention above. (Mode 8) In the system of Mode 7, said further automatic device comprising a further electrical energy store; It is preferred that the automated filling device and the further automated device form an electrical connection or are configured to be able to form an electrical connection such that electrical energy can be transmitted from the further electrical energy storage device to the automated filling device and / or such that electrical energy can be transmitted from the automated filling device to the further automated device. (Mode 9) In the system of Mode 8, The further automatic device comprises: a. configured to remove sample(s) from a magazine, perform a treatment process in which at least one treatment step is performed each time, and then place the treated sample(s) in said magazine or in a further magazine; And, b. having a further electrical energy storage; And, c. a further electronic control device, the further electronic control device being configured to detect a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from a power grid and, in the event of a disturbance, to switch to taking in electrical energy from said further electrical energy store and to execute a further safety routine comprising at least a safety step for transferring samples already subjected to said treatment process to a safe position after complete treatment, is preferred. (Form 10) In the system of Form 8, The further automatic device comprises: a. receiving samples arranged in magazines, carrying out a treatment process in which at least one treatment step is carried out on the samples arranged in one magazine each time, and then outputting a magazine containing the samples that have been treated together; And, b. having a further electrical energy storage; And, c. a further electronic control device, which is adapted to detect a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and, in the event of a disturbance, to switch to drawing electrical energy from said further electrical energy store and to execute a further safety routine comprising at least a safety step for transferring a magazine containing a number of samples and already subjected to said treatment process to a safety position after it has been completely treated, is preferred. (Form 11) In any one of the systems of forms 7 to 10, a. the control device or a further control device of the further automatic device is configured to create the electrical connection upon detecting a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from a power grid, or b. the control device is configured to create the electrical connection when it detects a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from a power grid and determines that the actual state of charge of the electrical energy storage device is likely to be insufficient to execute the safety routine, or c. the further control device of the further automatic device is adapted to form the electrical connection upon detecting a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and ascertaining that the actual charge state of the further electrical energy store is likely to be insufficient for executing the further safety routine; is preferred. (Form 12) In any of the systems of forms 7 to 11, a. the control device is configured to control the transmission of electrical energy from the automated inserting device to the further automated device and / or the transmission of electrical energy from the further automated device to the automated inserting device; or b. a further control device of the further automated device is configured to control the transmission of electrical energy from the automated inserting device to the further automated device and / or the transmission of electrical energy from the further automated device to the automated inserting device; is preferred. (Form 13)Form 7~ 11In any one of the systems, the control device and a further control device of the further automatic device Both , the transmission of electrical energy from the automated filling device to the further automated device and / or the transmission of electrical energy from the further automated device to the automated filling device. Control It is preferable that the control circuit is configured to control the (Form 14) In any one of the systems of forms 9 to 13, a. the control device is configured to transmit data relating to the state of charge of the electrical energy store and / or the remaining operating time of the electrical energy store and / or the expected energy demand for executing the safety routine of the automatic filling device to the further control device, or b. the further control device is adapted to transmit data to the control device relating to the state of charge of the further electrical energy store and / or the remaining operating time of the further electrical energy store and / or the expected energy demand for executing the safety routine of the further automatic device, is preferred. (Mode 15) In the system of any one of Modes 7 to 14, the further automatic device is preferably an automatic scanner, an automatic embedding device, an automatic microtome, an automatic staining device, an automatic processor, or a further automatic mounting device.

[0014] It has been recognized by the present invention that if an ongoing operation is suddenly interrupted (stopped) by a power failure, very serious damage may occur to the samples and / or to the automatic mounting device, inter alia because the mounting medium dries out completely on or in components of the automatic mounting device or on samples on which a cover slip has not yet been placed.

[0015] It was further recognized that damage may occur if the automatic coverslipper stops in a random and undefined operating state. This is especially true if restarting from this state is not possible, for example because parameter values ​​necessary for control or for the identification of individual samples are lost, especially within the control software, or if restarting is prevented for mechanical reasons. If a user attempts to access the sample being processed in order to remove it by removing parts of the automatic coverslipper that are stopped in an undefined operating state, damage may occur or the automatic coverslipper may reach a state where it cannot be restarted, which may be undesirable.

[0016] The invention avoids a sudden stop of the automatic coverslipper in case of failure of the energy supply from the power system (power supply) by implementing an intelligent safety routine which in this case includes at least the safety step of completely covering the specimen slides already coated with a covering medium before placing (loading) them in the specimen slide magazine or in a further specimen slide magazine and which may in particular include further safety steps such as, for example, temporarily switching off non-essential components or taking protective measures for the components of the automatic coverslipper, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0017] For example, the safety routine may include, as a further safety step, placing back into the specimen slide magazine any specimen slides that have been removed from the specimen slide magazine but that do not yet have a mounting medium applied thereto. In particular, it is preferred that the specimen slide magazine can then be transported to an output section, e.g., an output drawer, from which a user can remove the magazine, so that the user can manually mount the specimen slides, e.g., on which the sections have been placed.

[0018] The automatic mounting device can advantageously have a hollow needle which is attached to a storage container containing the mounting medium and which can apply a preset amount of mounting medium onto the specimen slide in each case, the hollow needle being moved relative to the specimen slide during application, preferably along the longitudinal extension axis of the specimen slide. In order to prevent the mounting medium from drying in the hollow needle and clogging it, the safety routine can advantageously comprise, as a further safety step, immersion of the hollow needle serving for applying the mounting medium into a solvent bath. The solvent can be, for example, xylene. As already mentioned, it is advantageous if the hollow needle is configured to be electrically movable (by a motor drive) in order to apply the mounting medium onto the specimen slide, so that it is advantageously easily realizable to configure the motorized control movement mechanism of the hollow needle in such a way that it can also be immersed in a solvent bath in addition.

[0019] As already mentioned, according to the invention, the specimen slides, on which the mounting medium has already been applied, are completely mounted and then placed (loaded) into the specimen slide magazine or into the further specimen slide magazine. This advantageously prevents the already applied mounting medium from drying out before the coverslip is placed. The safety routine can advantageously include, as a further safety step, the subsequent transfer of the further specimen slide magazine to the output, for example to an output drawer, for removal by the user. This has the particular advantage that the user can remove the completely mounted specimen slides from the automatic coverslipping device despite a power supply failure.

[0020] In particular, in order to protect the energy storage of the automatic sealing device, the safety routine can include switching off at least one energy consumer of the automatic sealing device during the execution of the safety step(s) that is not essential for the execution of at least one safety step. For example, during the execution of the safety routine, a display, a heating device, a pump or a transport device can be switched off until the end of the safety routine or for a shorter period (time section) during the execution of the safety routine, if these energy consumers are not necessarily required for the execution of the safety step of the safety routine or for the maintenance of important ambient parameters for the preservation of the sample. This advantageously achieves a longer energy storage operating time, while avoiding the need to design the energy storage to be excessively large in order to ensure that sufficient energy is available to ensure that the safety routine can be executed to completion even in the event of a power supply failure.

[0021] The control device is preferably configured to switch over to taking in electrical energy from the electrical energy store without interruption (shutdown) in the event of a fault in the supply of electrical energy from the grid. Such an embodiment has the very particular advantage that even very short stops in the operation of the automatic filling device are effectively avoided, since such stops could also cause damage, for example if a restart of the automatic filling device after such a short stop is not possible without further intervention.

[0022] The safety routine preferably includes placing the components of the automatic coverslipper in a state in which a restart in normal operating mode is possible without damage. In this case, it is advantageously possible for the processing parameters important for the processing of the samples and / or data for the identification of the individual specimen slides to be stored in a data storage device, in particular a non-volatile one, so that these data are accessible during the restart. In this case, the data for identifying the specimen slides can in particular relate to specimen slides that have already been coverslipped, in order to ensure that only uncovered specimen slides are coverslipped in the automatic coverslipper after a restart in normal operating mode.

[0023] In normal operating mode, the energy required to carry out the necessary steps for the encapsulation process is again taken from the power system to which the automated encapsulation device is connected in this case.

[0024] In a particular embodiment, the automatic filling device is configured to be able to switch back to the normal operating mode after the execution of the safety routine, where the control device is configured to only enable (allow) the switch back if there is no longer a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and / or if the electrical energy accumulator is in a preset or predefinable minimum charge state. In particular, the control device can be advantageously configured to automatically switch back to the normal operating mode when it detects that there is no longer a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid after the execution of the safety routine.

[0025] An embodiment of the automatic filling device according to the invention, which is designed so that a restart in normal operating mode is only possible if the electrical energy accumulator is in a preset or predefinable minimum charge state, is particularly safe and reliable, and has the particular advantage that a new execution of the safety routine is guaranteed in the event of a further interruption in the grid power supply.

[0026] An embodiment of the automatic filling device is particularly advantageous in that the control device is configured to automatically switch back to the normal operating mode if, after the execution of the safety routine, it detects that there is no longer a disturbance in the supply of electric energy from the power grid and the electric energy accumulator is in a preset or predefinable minimum charge state, which is preferably set in such a way that the safety routine can be reliably executed in the event of a new disturbance in the power grid supply.

[0027] In pathology laboratories, as mentioned at the beginning, a number of devices for processing and analyzing biological samples are usually used. In this context, a system including an automatic sealing device according to the invention and a further automatic device for processing or testing biological samples is very particularly advantageous. This further automatic device is likewise configured to be connected to a power grid as a power consumer in order to be supplied with electrical energy, and the automatic sealing device and the further automatic device form an electrical connection or are configured to be able to form an electrical connection so that electrical energy can be transferred from an energy store of the automatic sealing device to the further automatic device and / or so that electrical energy can be transferred from the further automatic device to the automatic sealing device.

[0028] Such a system has the very particular advantage that electrical energy can be transmitted to further automatic devices if necessary, so that, for example, safety routines can be executed in the further automatic devices.

[0029] Very generally and according to the original inventive concept, an automatic device for the processing or examination of biological samples, configured to be connected to a power system in order to receive a supply of electrical energy as a power consumer, configured to take sample(s) from a magazine, to perform a processing process in which at least one processing step is performed in each case and then to place (load) the processed sample(s) into said magazine or into a further magazine, comprises an electrical energy store and an electronic control device, which is configured to detect a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power system and, in the event of such a disturbance, to switch to drawing electrical energy from the electrical energy store and to execute a safety routine which at least comprises a safety step for completely processing and transferring the samples already subjected to the processing process to a safe position.

[0030] The transfer to the safety position can include, for example, placing (loading) a sample into a specimen slide magazine, in which case it is particularly advantageous if, within the framework of execution of the safety routine, the specimen slide magazine can then be configured to be transferred to an output section, for example an output drawer, for removal by a user.

[0031] An automated device for processing or examining biological samples can be configured, for example, as an automated staining device. In particular in the case of an automated staining device, the safety routine can advantageously be configured to include putting the transport system into a safe state. Alternatively or additionally, the safety routine in an automated staining device can include storing, in particular, parameters of the currently running staining program in a data storage device, in particular a non-volatile one. Thus, restart is facilitated, since the parameters can be accessed by reading out the data storage device. Furthermore, the safety routine can advantageously include safely abstaining a specimen slide magazine in the process of transport in order to avoid damage to the specimen slides and / or to the samples present thereon and / or to prevent them from coming into contact with the wrong staining solution.

[0032] For example, an automated device for processing or examining biological samples can be configured as an automated processor or as an automated embedding device or as an automated scanner or as an automated microtome, and in this case as well as in particular as an automated coverslipper or an automated stainer, respectively, can advantageously execute a safety routine which in a similar manner executes at least one of the safety steps exemplarily described herein for an automated coverslipper or an automated stainer.

[0033] The abovementioned automated devices each carry out several process steps, some of which are time-critical, since if the scheduled processing time is exceeded or not, the loss or damage of the respective sample may occur. For example, the drying of the sample in a processor or an automated stainer or the aforementioned drying of the mounting medium on the not yet cover slipped sample in an automated mounting device may lead to damage of the respective sample. Furthermore, there are also process steps in which predetermined ambient parameters, in particular temperature and / or pressure, must be maintained. In particular, there are also various process steps in which the sample must be treated under a certain pressure, in particular at a pressure below 1 bar, and / or at a minimum temperature, in particular at a temperature above 20° C. If the predetermined ambient parameters are not maintained, damage of the respective sample may occur.

[0034] In order to take these aspects into account and to avoid damage to the samples and the automated device, it is advantageously possible according to the invention for the respective safety routine of the automated device to carry out corresponding safety steps, which advantageously include that important parameters such as pressure and temperature are held at least until the end of the safety routine to such an extent that damage to the samples is precluded and / or important process data, in particular with regard to restart in normal operating mode, are temporarily stored.

[0035] For example, in an automatic coverslipper or an automatic scanner, the specimen slides placed in the specimen slide magazine are automatically removed individually and transported to a processing station. In this case, it is important that the assignment relationship between the specimen slide and the respective cassette compartment of the specimen slide magazine is not lost or the transport process is completed. In this connection, especially, temporary storage of the relevant data is particularly advantageous within the scope of the execution of safety routines.

[0036] Against this background, a system in which two automated devices for the processing or examination of biological samples are connected in such a way that electrical energy can be transferred as required from the energy storage of one automated device to the other automated device is particularly advantageous in a very general sense and according to the unique inventive concept. In this case, it is possible and particularly advantageous for at least one of these automated devices to be configured as an automated coverslipper, as indicated above. However, this is not necessarily essential for the realization of the unique inventive idea. Rather, the above-mentioned system can also have other further automated devices instead of an automated coverslipper. Such a connection (coupling) of two identical or different automated devices in one system is very generally advantageous. In this case, each of the automated devices can be configured as an automated scanner or as an automated device for embedding samples in paraffin blocks or as an automated stainer or as an automated processor or as an automated coverslipper. In so far as this, the following description of a particular embodiment relating to a system with a (single) automated coverslipper is equally applicable according to the invention to a system with a plurality of automated devices for the processing or examination of biological samples that does not include an automated coverslipper.

[0037] With regard to a system comprising an automatic sealing device according to the invention and at least one further automatic device for processing or testing biological samples, it is advantageously possible for the further automatic device to comprise an additional electrical energy store and for the automatic sealing device and the further automatic device to be electrically connected or to be so configured that electrical energy can be transferred from the additional energy store to the automatic sealing device and / or from the automatic sealing device to the further automatic device, in particular to the additional energy store. It is thus advantageously achieved that the further automatic device can also execute a safety routine as required, in which case the further automatic device can utilize energy from its own additional energy store or, in particular, can be supplied with electrical energy from the energy store of the automatic sealing device if this energy is not sufficient. Conversely, in such a configuration, if necessary, electrical energy can also be supplied to the automatic sealing device from the additional energy store of the further automatic device if the electrical energy of the energy store of the automatic sealing device is insufficient to execute the safety routine of the automatic sealing device.

[0038] In particular, with regard to the further automation device, it is quite generally advantageously possible for the further automation device to remove the samples from the magazine, perform a treatment process in each case in which at least one treatment step is performed and then place (load) the treated samples in the magazine or in the further magazine. In particular, it is particularly advantageous if the (further) automation device comprises a further electric energy store and a further electronic control device, which is configured to detect a disturbance in the supply of electric energy from the power system and, in the event of a disturbance, to switch to drawing electric energy from the further electric energy store and to execute a further safety routine which at least comprises a safety step for completely treating and transferring the samples already subjected to a treatment process to a safe position.

[0039] As already mentioned for the automated inserting device, for the further automated device as well, it is advantageously possible for the processing parameters important for the processing of the samples and / or the data for identifying the individual samples to be stored in a data storage device, in particular a non-volatile one, so that this data is accessible in the event of a restart, in which case the data for the identification of the samples can in particular relate to samples that have already been processed, in order to ensure that after a restart in normal operating mode, only unprocessed samples are processed.

[0040] Alternatively, it is also quite generally advantageously possible for the further automation device to receive the samples arranged in the magazine, to carry out a processing step in which at least one processing step is carried out for each sample arranged in the magazine, and then to output the magazine containing the samples processed together. In this case, all samples arranged in the magazine are preferably processed simultaneously during the processing process. The further automation device also has, in this embodiment, a further electric energy store and a further electronic control device, which is advantageously configured to detect a failure in the supply of electric energy from the power system and, in the event of a failure, to switch to drawing electric energy from the further electric energy store and to carry out a further safety routine, which at least includes a safety step for completely processing and transferring to a safety position a magazine containing a plurality of samples and which has already been subjected to a processing step.

[0041] For such further automatic devices too, it is particularly advantageous if the processing parameters important for the processing of the magazines and / or the samples contained therein and / or the data for the identification of the individual magazines and / or the individual samples are stored in a data storage device, in particular a non-volatile one, and are accessible on restart, where the identification data can in particular relate to magazines which have already been processed, in order to ensure that after a restart in normal operating mode, only unprocessed magazines are processed.

[0042] For example, such a further automatic device can advantageously be an automatic staining device in which the magazines together with the samples contained therein are successively immersed in various baths, in particular baths containing dye reagents. In this case, it is possible for all magazines to pass through the baths of the same process flow. However, it is also advantageously possible for different magazines to pass through different combinations of baths, so that the samples arranged in one magazine undergo a different staining process than the samples arranged in another magazine. In particular in this case, it is important that the process parameters important for the processing of the magazines and / or the samples contained therein and / or the data for the identification of the individual magazines and / or the individual samples are stored in a data storage device, especially non-volatile, in case of failure of the system power supply, in order to avoid problems, in particular during restarts.

[0043] A possible embodiment of the system according to the invention having an automatic coverslipper and a further automatic device configured as an automatic stainer is particularly advantageous, in which case the automatic coverslipper and the automatic stainer can be coupled in such a way that the automatic coverslipper can automatically transfer a specimen slide magazine containing the specimens for which the coverslipper has already completed the coverslippery process to the automatic stainer, which then performs a staining process on the specimens arranged (contained) in the specimen slide magazine.

[0044] In this case, it is particularly advantageously possible for the control device of the automatic filling device or the further control device of the further automatic device to establish the electrical connection, in particular automatically, upon detecting a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power system.

[0045] An embodiment is very particularly advantageous in which the control device forms the electrical connection, in particular automatically, when it detects a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and determines the likelihood that the actual state of charge of the energy accumulator is insufficient for executing the safety routine.Alternatively or additionally, the further control device of the further automatic device can also form the electrical connection, in particular automatically, when it detects a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and determines the likelihood that the actual state of charge of the further energy accumulator is insufficient for executing the further safety routine.

[0046] In an advantageous embodiment, the control device controls the transmission of electrical energy from the automated filling device to the further automated device and / or from the further automated device to the automated filling device, in particular in a demand-adaptive manner. Alternatively, the further control device of the further automated device can also control the transmission of electrical energy from the automated filling device to the further automated device and / or from the further automated device to the automated filling device, in particular in a demand-adaptive manner.

[0047] In a very particularly advantageous embodiment of the system, the control device and the further control device of the further automatic device jointly (cooperatively or cooperatively) control the transmission of electrical energy from the automatic filling device to the further automatic device and / or from the further automatic device to the automatic filling device, in particular in a demand-adaptive manner. In particular in this case, it is advantageously possible for the control device to transmit data on the state of charge and / or the expected remaining operating time (life) of the energy accumulator to the further control device and / or for the further control device to transmit data on the state of charge of the further energy accumulator and / or the expected remaining operating time of the further energy accumulator to the control device.

[0048] The further automated device may for example be an automatic scanner or an automatic device for embedding samples in paraffin blocks or an automatic staining device or an automatic processor or a further automatic coverslipper.

[0049] The subject matter of the invention is exemplarily and diagrammatically illustrated in the drawings and will be described below with reference to which elements which are identical or have the same function are generally provided with the same drawing reference numbers in the different embodiments. It should be noted that the reference numerals used in the claims are intended solely to aid in understanding the invention and are not intended to limit the invention to the illustrated embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0050] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an automated inserting device according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a system including an automated inserting device and further automated devices. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a system including an automated inserting device and a number of additional automated devices; EXAMPLES

[0051] 1 shows very diagrammatically an embodiment of an automatic coverslipper 1 according to the invention. The automatic coverslipper 1 has a power plug 2 and a connector cable 3 for enabling connection to a power system (not shown). The automatic coverslipper 1 is arranged to take specimen slides 4 on which samples are mounted from a specimen slide magazine 5 and to subject them to a mounting process in which a mounting medium 7 is applied (placed) on each specimen slide 4 by means of a hollow needle 6 and then a cover slip 8 is applied (placed).

[0052] The hollow needle 6 can be moved electrically (by means of a motor-driven control) by a manipulator 9 inside a housing 10 of the automatic coverslipping device 1. In particular, the hollow needle 6 is arranged to move relative to the specimen slide 4 which is to be respectively just covered, so as to dispense the covering medium 7 onto the specimen slide 4 when applying the covering medium 7.

[0053] The cover slips 8 to be applied (placed) are individually removed from a container (not shown) by a further manipulator 11 and transferred to the currently processed specimen slide 4. After application of the cover slip (placement), the respective just-processed mounted specimen slide 4 is placed (loaded) into a further specimen slide magazine 29.

[0054] In normal operating mode, the energy required to carry out the steps required for the encapsulation process is taken (supplied) from a power system (power supply) to which the automated encapsulation device 1 is connected via a power plug 2 and a connector cable 3 .

[0055] The automatic coverslipping device 1 comprises an electrical energy store 12 and an electronic control device 13. The electronic control device 13 is arranged to detect, by means of a sensor 14, any interruption in the supply of electrical energy from the power system to which the automatic coverslipping device 1 is connected. In case of an interruption, the control device 13 switches to taking in electrical energy from the electrical energy store 12 and executes a safety routine which at least includes the safety step of completely covering the specimen slide 4 already applied with the covering medium 7, i.e. depositing the cover glass 8, and then properly positioning it in the further specimen slide magazine 29.

[0056] The safety routine further includes, as an additional safety step, immersing the hollow needle 6 in a solvent bath 15 containing a solvent to prevent drying of the encapsulation medium 7 within the hollow needle 6 .

[0057] 2 shows an example of a system including an embodiment of an automatic insertion device 1 according to the invention. The automatic insertion device 1 is only incompletely and diagrammatically described and, for better visibility, only the power plug 2, the connector cable 3, the energy accumulator 12 and the control device 13 with the sensor 14 are shown, while the remaining components of the automatic insertion device 1 are not shown.

[0058] The system further comprises a further automation device 16, which can be configured, for example, as a processor 24, an automatic embedding device 25, an automatic microtome 26, an automatic stainer 27 or an automatic scanner 28. The further automation device 16 comprises a further energy accumulator 18 and a further control device 19 with a further sensor 17. The further automation device 16, like the automatic coverslipper 1, is configured to be connected to a power system (power supply) in order to be supplied with electrical energy as an energy consumer (load) and, for this purpose, comprises a further power plug 20 and a further connector cable 21.

[0059] The further automation 16 can be configured in particular to remove samples (not shown) from a magazine (not shown) and to respectively (in each case) perform a treatment process in which at least one treatment step is performed and then to place (load) the treated samples in the magazine or in a further magazine (not shown). The further automation 16 is also configured to detect disturbances in the supply of electrical energy from the power system and, in the event of a disturbance, to switch to drawing electrical energy from the further energy store 18 and to execute a safety routine. The safety routine can advantageously include, inter alia, the complete treatment of samples already subjected to a treatment step and then transporting them to a safe position.

[0060] The automatic filling device 1 and the further automatic device 16 form an electrical connection via a supply line 22 so that electrical energy can be transmitted from the energy storage device 12 of the automatic filling device 1 to the further automatic device 16 and / or so that electrical energy can be transmitted from the further automatic device 16, i.e. from its energy storage device 18 to the energy storage device 12 of the automatic filling device 1.

[0061] Furthermore, there is also a data connection 23 through which the control device 13 and the further control device 19 exchange data relating to the actual charge state and / or to the pre-calculated remaining operating time. These data are used for a demand-adaptive distribution of the currently available energy of the energy store 12 and the further energy store 18, so that in case of a failure of the grid power supply, the automatic sealing device 1 and the further automatic device 16 can respectively execute their safety routines in order to prevent damage to the samples or the devices.

[0062] 3 shows another embodiment of a system including an automatic coverslipper 1 and further automatic devices. The further automatic devices are configured as a processor 24, an automatic embedding device 25, an automatic microtome 26, an automatic stainer 27 and an automatic scanner 28. These automatic devices each comprise a further energy store 18 and a further control device 19, the energy store 12 and the further energy stores 18 being interconnected via the control device 13 or the further control device 19 and the supply line 22 in order to be able to distribute the available electrical energy between the automatic devices 1, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 in a demand-adaptive manner in the event of a grid power supply failure. Advantageously, data on the state of charge and the expected energy demand (amount) for executing the respective safety routines are exchanged between the automatic devices 1, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 in order to distribute the available electrical energy of the energy store 12 and the further energy store 18 in a demand-adaptive manner so that each automatic device 1, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 can fully execute its respective safety routine.

[0063] Hereinafter, possible embodiments of the present invention will be described. [Appendix 1] An automated coverslipping device configured to be connected to an electrical power system as a power consuming device to receive a supply of electrical energy, and configured to remove specimen slides having samples thereon from a specimen slide magazine, perform a coverslipping process on each specimen slide in turn by placing a mounting medium and then a cover glass on each specimen slide, and place the covered specimen slides in the specimen slide magazine or a further specimen slide magazine. The automated encapsulation device includes an electrical energy storage device and an electronic controller. The electronic control device is configured to detect a fault in the electrical energy supply from the power system and, in the event of a fault, to switch to drawing electrical energy from the electrical energy accumulator and to execute a safety routine which includes at least a safety step for placing a specimen slide, on which a mounting medium has already been applied, into the specimen slide magazine or the further specimen slide magazine after a complete mounting process. [Appendix 2] In the above-mentioned automatic coverslipping device, the safety routine includes, as a further safety step, transporting specimen slides that have been removed from the specimen slide magazine but have not yet been coated with a mounting medium back into the specimen slide magazine. [Appendix 3] In the above-mentioned automatic encapsulation device, the safety routine includes, as a further safety step, immersing a hollow needle serving to apply the encapsulation medium in a solvent bath. [Appendix 4] In the above-mentioned automatic coverslipping device, the safety routine includes, as a further safety step, transporting the specimen slide magazine and / or the further specimen slide magazine to an output section for removal by a user. [Appendix 5] In the above-mentioned automatic filling device, the safety routine includes switching off at least one energy consuming device of the automatic filling device that is not necessary for performing at least one safety step during the performance of the safety step. [Supplementary Note 6] In the above-mentioned automatic encapsulation device, the safety routine includes transitioning components of the automatic encapsulation device to a state in which restart in normal operating mode is possible without causing damage. [Appendix 7] In the above-mentioned automatic filling device, after the safety routine is executed, the automatic filling device is configured to be able to switch back to the normal operating mode, and the control device is configured to enable the switch back only if there is no longer an interruption in the supply of electric energy from the power system and / or if the electric energy accumulator is in a preset or predefinable minimum charge state. [Appendix 8] In the above-mentioned automatic inserting device, a. After execution of the safety routine, the control device is configured to automatically perform a switchback to a normal operating mode when it detects that an interruption to the supply of electrical energy from the power grid is no longer present. b. After execution of the safety routine, the control device is configured to automatically perform a switchback to the normal operating mode if it detects that an interruption in the supply of electric energy from the power grid is no longer present and the electric energy storage device is in a preset or predefinable minimum charge state. [Appendix 9] A system comprising the above-mentioned automated sealing device and further automated devices for processing or testing / examination of biological samples. The further automatic device is likewise adapted to be connected to the power grid in order to be supplied with electrical energy as a power consumer. The automated filling device and the further automated device form an electrical connection or are configured to be able to form an electrical connection such that electrical energy can be transmitted from an electrical energy storage device of the automated filling device to the further automated device and / or such that electrical energy can be transmitted from the further automated device to the automated filling device. [Appendix 10] In the above system, The further automatic device comprises a further electrical energy store. The automated filling device and the further automated device form an electrical connection or are configured to be able to form an electrical connection such that electrical energy can be transmitted from the further electrical energy storage device to the automated filling device and / or such that electrical energy can be transmitted from the automated filling device to the further automated device. [Supplementary Note 11] In the above system, the further automatic device a. configured to remove sample(s) from a magazine, perform a treatment process in which at least one treatment step is performed each time, and then place the treated sample(s) in said magazine or in a further magazine; b. having a further electrical energy storage; c. having a further electronic control device, the further electronic control device being configured to detect a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and, in the event of a disturbance, to switch to drawing electrical energy from said further electrical energy store and to execute a further safety routine comprising at least a safety step for transferring samples already subjected to said treatment process to a safe position after complete treatment. [Supplementary Note 12] In the above system, the further automatic device a. receiving samples arranged in magazines, performing a processing process in which at least one processing step is performed on the samples arranged in one magazine each time, and then outputting a magazine containing the samples that have been processed together; b. having a further electrical energy storage; c. a further electronic control device, which is configured to detect a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power system and, in the event of a disturbance, to switch to drawing electrical energy from said further electrical energy store and to execute a further safety routine including at least a safety step for transferring a magazine containing a plurality of samples and already subjected to said treatment process to a safe position after it has been completely treated. [Appendix 13] In the above system, a. the control device or a further control device of the further automatic device is configured to form the electrical connection, in particular automatically, upon detection of a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid, or b. the control device is configured to create the electrical connection, in particular automatically, when it detects a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and determines that the actual state of charge of the electrical energy store is likely to be insufficient for executing the safety routine, or c. The further control device of the further automatic device is configured to form the electrical connection, in particular automatically, when it detects a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and determines that the actual charge state of the further electrical energy storage device is likely to be insufficient for executing the further safety routine. [Appendix 14] In the above system, a. the control device is configured to control, in particular in a demand-adaptive manner, the transmission of electrical energy from the automated filling device to the further automated device and / or the transmission of electrical energy from the further automated device to the automated filling device, or b. A further control device of the further automatic device is configured to control, in particular in a demand-adaptive manner, the transmission of electrical energy from the automatic filling device to the further automatic device and / or the transmission of electrical energy from the further automatic device to the automatic filling device. [Appendix 15] In the above system, the control device and the further control device of the further automatic device are configured to jointly control, in particular in a demand-adaptive manner, the transmission of electrical energy from the automatic filling device to the further automatic device and / or the transmission of electrical energy from the further automatic device to the automatic filling device. [Appendix 16] In the above system, a. the control device is configured to transmit data relating to the state of charge of the electrical energy store and / or the remaining operating time of the electrical energy store and / or the expected energy demand for executing the safety routine of the automatic filling device to the further control device, or b. The further control device is configured to transmit data to the control device relating to the state of charge of the further electrical energy storage device and / or the remaining operating time of the further electrical energy storage device and / or the expected energy demand for executing the safety routine of the further automatic device. [Supplementary Note 17] In the above system, the further automatic device is an automatic scanner or an automatic embedding device or an automatic microtome or an automatic staining device or an automatic processor or a further automatic coverslipping device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1 Automatic coverslipper 2 Power plug 3 Connector Cable 4. Specimen slides 5. Specimen Slide Magazine 6 Hollow Needle 7 Enclosed Media 8. Coverslip 9 Manipulators 10. Housing 11 Further Manipulators 12 Energy Storage Unit 13 Control device 14 Sensors 15 Solvent bath (tank) 16 Further Automation 17 More Sensors 18 Further energy storage 19 Further Control Devices 20 More Power Plugs 21 More Connector Cables 22 Supply Line 23 Data connection 24 processors 25 Automatic embedding device 26 Automatic Microtome 27 Automatic staining equipment 28 Automatic Scanner 29 More Specimen Slide Magazines

Claims

1. 1. An automatic mounting device adapted to be connected to an electrical power system as a power consumer in order to receive a supply of electrical energy, and adapted to take specimen slides (4) on which samples are present from a specimen slide magazine (5), to carry out a mounting process in each case in which a mounting medium (7) and then a cover slip (8) are placed on each specimen slide (4), and to place the mounted specimen slides (4) in the specimen slide magazine (5) or in a further specimen slide magazine (29), The automatic encapsulation device (1) comprises an electrical energy storage device (12) and an electronic control device (13); the electronic control device (13) is adapted to detect a fault in the electrical energy supply from the power grid and, in the event of a fault, to switch to drawing electrical energy from the electrical energy store (12) and to execute a safety routine which comprises at least a safety step for completely mounting a specimen slide (4) already applied with a mounting medium (7) before placing it in the specimen slide magazine (5) or in the further specimen slide magazine (29), - the safety routine comprises switching off at least one energy consuming device of the automatic inserting device (1) that is not necessary for performing at least one safety step during the performance of said safety step, An automatic inserting device comprising:

2. 2. The automatic inserting apparatus according to claim 1, the safety routine includes, as a further safety step, transferring any specimen slide (4) that has been removed from the specimen slide magazine (5) but that has not yet been coated with a mounting medium (7) back into the specimen slide magazine (5); An automatic inserting device comprising:

3. 3. The automatic inserting apparatus according to claim 1, said safety routine including, as a further safety step, the immersion of a hollow needle (6) serving to apply the encapsulation medium (7) in a solvent bath (15); An automatic inserting device comprising:

4. In the automatic inserting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the safety routine includes putting the components of the automatic inserting device (1) into a state in which a restart in normal operating mode is possible without causing damage; An automatic inserting device comprising:

5. In the automatic inserting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, after the execution of the safety routine, the automatic filling device (1) is configured to be able to switch back to a normal operating mode, the control device (13) being configured to enable the switch back only if there are no more disturbances in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and / or if the electrical energy accumulator (12) is in a preset or predefinable minimum charge state, An automatic inserting device comprising:

6. In the automatic inserting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a. after execution of the safety routine, the control device (13) is configured to automatically perform a switchback to a normal operating mode when it detects that an interruption in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid is no longer present, or b) after execution of the safety routine, the control device (13) is configured to automatically perform a switchback to the normal operating mode if the control device (13) detects that a disturbance in the supply of electric energy from the power grid is no longer present and the electric energy accumulator (12) is in a preset or predefinable minimum charge state, An automatic inserting device comprising:

7. A system comprising an automated device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and a further automated device (16) for the processing or testing of biological samples, the further automatic device (16) is likewise adapted to be connected to a power grid as a power consumer in order to receive a supply of electrical energy, the automated filling device (1) and the further automated device (16) form an electrical connection or are configured to be able to form an electrical connection such that electrical energy can be transferred from an electrical energy accumulator (12) of the automated filling device (1) to the further automated device (16) and / or such that electrical energy can be transferred from the further automated device (16) to the automated filling device (1), system.

8. 8. The system of claim 7, said further automatic device (16) comprising a further electrical energy store (18); the automated filling device (1) and the further automated device (16) form an electrical connection or are configured to be able to form an electrical connection such that electrical energy can be transferred from the further electrical energy store (18) to the automated filling device (1) and / or such that electrical energy can be transferred from the automated filling device (1) to the further automated device (16); A system characterized by.

9. 9. The system of claim 8, The further automatic device comprises: a. configured to remove sample(s) from a magazine, perform a processing process in which at least one processing step is performed each time, and then place the processed sample(s) in said magazine or in a further magazine; and b. having a further electrical energy store (18); and c) having a further electronic control device (19) configured to detect a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and, in the event of a disturbance, to switch to taking in electrical energy from said further electrical energy store (18) and to execute a further safety routine comprising at least a safety step for transferring samples already subjected to said treatment process to a safe position after complete treatment; A system characterized by.

10. 9. The system of claim 8, The further automatic device comprises: a. receiving samples arranged in magazines, carrying out a processing process in which at least one processing step is carried out on the samples arranged in one magazine each time, and then outputting a magazine containing the samples that have been processed together; b. having a further electrical energy store (18); and c) having a further electronic control device (19) configured to detect a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and, in the event of a disturbance, to switch to drawing electrical energy from said further electrical energy store (18) and to execute a further safety routine comprising at least a safety step for transferring a magazine containing a number of samples and already subjected to said treatment process to a safety position after it has been completely treated, A system characterized by.

11. In the system according to any one of claims 7 to 10, a. the control device (13) or a further control device (19) of the further automatic device (16) is configured to create the electrical connection upon detecting a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid, or b) the control device (13) is configured to create the electrical connection when it detects a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and when it ascertains that the actual state of charge of the electrical energy store (12) is likely to be insufficient to execute the safety routine, or c) the further control device (19) of the further automatic device (16) is configured to create the electrical connection when it detects a disturbance in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and when it ascertains that the actual charge state of the further electrical energy store (18) is likely to be insufficient for executing the further safety routine; A system characterized by.

12. In the system according to any one of claims 7 to 11, the control device (13) is configured to control the transmission of electrical energy from the automated filling device (1) to the further automated device (16) and / or the transmission of electrical energy from the further automated device (16) to the automated filling device (1), or b) a further control device (19) of said further automation device is configured to control the transmission of electrical energy from said automated filling device (1) to said further automation device (16) and / or the transmission of electrical energy from said further automation device (16) to said automated filling device (1); A system characterized by.

13. In the system according to any one of claims 7 to 11, - both the control device (13) and a further control device (19) of the further automatic device (16) are configured to control the transmission of electrical energy from the automatic filling device (1) to the further automatic device (16) and / or the transmission of electrical energy from the further automatic device (16) to the automatic filling device (1), A system characterized by.

14. In the system according to any one of claims 9 to 13, the control device (13) is configured to transmit data relating to the state of charge of the electrical energy store (12) and / or the remaining operating time of the electrical energy store (12) and / or the expected energy demand for executing the safety routine of the automatic filling device (1) to the further control device (19), or b) the further control device (19) is adapted to transmit data to the control device (13) relating to the state of charge of the further electrical energy store (18) and / or the remaining operating time of the further electrical energy store (18) and / or the expected energy demand for executing the safety routine of the further automatic device, A system characterized by.

15. In the system according to any one of claims 7 to 14, said further automated device (16) being an automated scanner (28) or an automated embedding device (25) or an automated microtome (26) or an automated staining device (27) or an automated processor (24) or a further automated coverslipping device; A system characterized by.

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