Cuvette Dispenser Mechanism for Automated Analyzer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated clinical sample analyzers require operator intervention for component malfunctions and consumable replacements, such as reagents and sample holders, which hampers efficiency, accuracy, and throughput.
Innovation Solution
A cuvette dispenser system that automatically manages the distribution of sample holders by releasing individual cuvettes from a stack, using a cuvette loading module and release members with threaded mechanisms to reduce operator intervention and enhance system reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated sample analyzers are used to reduce operator intervention, then efficiency and throughput are improved, but the system still requires operator intervention for consumable replacements and malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser system automatically monitors cuvette levels using sensors and dispenses cuvettes from stacks without operator intervention. The system self-manages the entire process from storage to delivery at the analysis station, eliminating the need for operators to manually replace consumables.
Solution Approach 2:
Cuvettes are pre-loaded into stacks and stored in the dispenser system before needed. The system prepares consumables in advance by organizing them in stacks that can be automatically dispensed one at a time, eliminating the need for operators to prepare or replace them during operation.
2Productivity
If manual replacement of sample holders is performed, then system complexity is reduced, but efficiency and accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser system is divided into independent functional modules: cuvette stacks for storage, sensors for monitoring levels, release mechanisms for dispensing, and conveyors for transport. This modular segmentation makes the complex system easier to manufacture, maintain, and repair.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser system is designed to accommodate different types of cuvettes and sample holders using universal stacking and dispensing mechanisms. The same basic structure can handle various consumable types, reducing the need for multiple specialized systems.
3Loss of time
If operator intervention is required for consumable replacement, then device complexity is reduced, but loss of time and accuracy increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser system operates continuously without interruption to the analysis process. Sensors continuously monitor cuvette levels, and the system automatically replenishes cuvettes at the analysis station as needed, ensuring uninterrupted operation and eliminating time losses associated with manual replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
Sensors provide continuous feedback on cuvette levels and system status to the control system. This feedback mechanism enables the system to automatically detect when cuvettes need to be dispensed and to monitor the dispensing process, ensuring accurate and timely replenishment without operator intervention.
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus and methods for dispensing sample holders for use in an automated sample analyzer is disclosed herein. The apparatus for dispensing sample holders includes a rotating carousel for housing stack of sample holders. Stacks of sample holders from the rotating carousel are fed into a chute where sample holders contact a set of rotating members having helical threads thereon. The helically threaded rotating members engage the sample containers and separate each sample holder from the remaining sample holders in the stack by rotation of the helically threaded rotating members. The sample holder can then be transferred for use in an automated sample analyzer.