Sample Tube Archiving via LED-Guided Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional biological sample tracking and identification in laboratory settings are time-consuming and prone to patient misidentification, especially in manual workflows and Total Lab Automation (TLA) systems without automatic storage, due to the reliance on human intervention and lack of confirmation methods for sample retrieval.
Innovation Solution
An archiving and retrieving method using a computing system to record and update sample-tube-storage-data, including sample tube and tube rack data, which facilitates automated tracking and reduces human error by visually indicating the correct receptacle and storage location through a scanning apparatus with light emitting diodes, ensuring accurate sample placement and retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual archiving and retrieval methods are used, then staff can perform sample management tasks, but the process is time-consuming and prone to patient misidentification
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides visual feedback through LED indicators that illuminate to confirm correct sample placement and retrieval. The computing system receives confirmation signals when samples are properly archived, creating a closed-loop feedback mechanism that eliminates uncertainty and ensures accurate sample-tracking without time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual visual searching and physical sample tracking with an automated computing system that uses RFID or barcode scanning technology. This substitution eliminates the time-consuming manual processes while maintaining reliability through automated identification and tracking systems.
2Reliability
If visual search methods are used to locate samples, then staff can find samples in tube racks, but there is no confirmation that the right sample was picked
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses color-changing LED indicators to provide immediate visual confirmation of correct sample retrieval. When a sample is successfully retrieved and confirmed, the corresponding LED changes color or illuminates, providing intuitive feedback without adding complex verification procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The tube rack system performs self-confirmation through integrated sensors and RFID readers that automatically verify sample presence and identity. The system self-detects and confirms sample retrieval without requiring additional manual verification steps, maintaining simplicity while ensuring reliability.
3Reliability
If automated tracking systems are implemented, then sample identification accuracy improves, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The computing system serves multiple functions: it tracks samples, provides visual confirmation through LED indicators, receives confirmation signals, and manages archiving records. This multi-functional approach consolidates complexity into a single universal system rather than requiring separate specialized devices for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a computing system as an intermediary between the physical sample rack and the staff performing archiving tasks. This intermediary handles all complex tracking and verification operations, presenting a simplified interface to users while maintaining high reliability in patient-sample association.
4Reliability
If manual sample tracking processes are used, then no additional equipment is needed, but errors in associating samples with patients occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides immediate feedback through illuminated LEDs that confirm correct sample-patient association. This feedback mechanism guides staff through the archiving process, ensuring accuracy while maintaining operational simplicity through intuitive visual cues rather than complex procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces error-prone manual tracking with automated scanning technology that reads RFID tags or barcodes on sample tubes. This substitution maintains ease of operation through simple scan-and-store procedures while dramatically improving sample association accuracy through automated identification.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method significantly reduces the time and risk of sample misidentification, enhancing the reliability of sample tracking and retrieval processes by providing clear guidance for staff and robotic systems, thereby minimizing errors in patient-sample association.
Implementation Method 1
visually indicating the correct receptacle and storage location through a scanning apparatus with light emitting diodes
Data Source
AI summary
An aspect of the present invention relates to an archiving method for archiving in a storage, in particular in a cold storage, at least one sample tube containing a biological sample using at least one tube rack, the method comprising the following steps: receiving, by a computing system, a request for archiving the at least one sample tube, placing the at least one sample tube in at least one receptacle of the at least one tube rack to receive the at least one sample tube, recording and/or updating, in a memory unit of the computing system, sample-tube-storage-data including sample tube data and/or tube rack data and/or storage data, storing the at least one tube rack in the storage. Further aspects relate to a retrieving method and a tube rack.