Specimen Processing Apparatus Position Verification During Reagent Replacement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing automatic analyzing apparatuses for specimens like blood and urine face the risk of malfunction during reagent container replacement due to user contact with movable sections, potentially causing errors in measurement operations.

Innovation Solution

A specimen processing apparatus with a movable section that includes a detector for tracking displacement and a controller to determine if the section was moved during a stop, allowing for controlled preparation and restart of operations without malfunctions, ensuring the movable section returns to a precise original position.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the movable section is stopped during reagent container replacement, then user safety and replacement ease are improved, but the risk of user contact-induced movement and subsequent malfunction increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereagent container replacementVSAvoidmeasurement operation
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by saving the stop position information before the movable section is stopped and preparing operations are executed. This allows the system to restore the movable section to its correct position after user intervention, preventing malfunction while maintaining ease of replacement operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The detector provides feedback about the movable section's position during and after the stop period. The controller uses this feedback information to determine whether the movable section was moved by user contact, and accordingly adjusts the preparing operations to ensure proper positioning before restarting the measurement operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Device complexity

If the movable section position is not verified after stop, then system complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and operation reliability deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveposition verification systemVSAvoidspecimen processing
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary position verification by comparing the stop position information with the actual position after the stop period. This preliminary check ensures that the movable section is at the correct position before starting the measurement operation, maintaining measurement precision without requiring continuous complex monitoring.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If preparing operations are performed regardless of movement, then operation speed is maintained, but malfunction risk increases due to incorrect position assumptions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperation speedVSAvoidspecimen processing operation
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts the preparing operations based on the determination result. When the movable section is detected to be at the correct position, standard preparing operations are performed. When movement is detected, the system modifies the preparing operations to first restore the correct position, ensuring reliability while minimizing impact on operation speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2278336B1Specimen processing apparatus and control method for the same
Publication Date: 2019.06.19 SYSMEX CORP
  • EP2278336B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2278336B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2278336B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

A specimen processing apparatus comprising: a specimen processing section which includes a movable section and processes a specimen by moving the movable section; and a controller for determining whether the movable section was moved while a specimen processing operation by the specimen processing section was stopped, and controlling the specimen processing section to perform a preparing operation for starting the specimen processing operation based on the determination result, is disclosed. A control method for a specimen processing apparatus is also disclosed.