Automatic Analyzer Reagent Scheduling to Avoid Empty Cycles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automatic analyzers face issues with unnecessary empty cycles during analysis due to the need to replace multiple consumables, particularly in high-throughput systems, leading to a shortage of consumables and reduced efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The automatic analyzer employs a control unit to coordinate the operation of reagent dispensing mechanisms, allowing simultaneous access to the reagent disk by multiple mechanisms and scheduling reagent loading and unloading operations to minimize interference, thereby reducing the number of empty cycles required for consumable replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If a single cycle is used to load a reagent to the reagent disk, then the reagent loading operation is completed efficiently, but when multiple consumables need to be replaced, unnecessary empty cycles occur reducing overall productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The reagent loading operation is divided into multiple independent stages: (1) stopping the first reagent dispensing mechanism, (2) loading the first reagent, (3) stopping the second reagent dispensing mechanism, (4) loading the second reagent. This segmentation allows each loading operation to be performed during naturally occurring stop periods without creating unnecessary empty cycles, thereby maintaining analysis throughput while completing multiple consumable replacements.
2Reliability
If the first reagent dispensing mechanism is stopped to load a reagent, then the reagent can be replaced without interference, but the second reagent dispensing mechanism must also be stopped creating additional empty cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The system proactively stops the first reagent dispensing mechanism before loading the first reagent, and subsequently stops the second reagent dispensing mechanism before loading the second reagent. By performing these stop actions in advance during the loading sequence, the system ensures reliable reagent replacement without interference, while utilizing the natural stop periods to avoid creating additional empty cycles that would reduce productivity.
Data Source
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AI summary
When the consumable is to be conveyed by a reagent gripping mechanism 110 and a reagent conveyance mechanism 111 during analysis of the sample, a control unit operates such that an operation of a device to access the storage unit is stopped, and makes a plan of operation of the reagent gripping mechanism 110 and a reagent conveyance mechanism 111 such that the consumable is conveyed also at a timing at which an operation of the device is stopped, the timing inevitably occurring after the former stop. Accordingly, an automatic analyzer is provided in which occurrence of an unnecessary empty cycle caused when plural consumables are replaced during analysis can be suppressed compared to a prior art.