Beckman Coulter, Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Frank M Tappen

Craig R Veiner

Roberto Del Valle

Richard A Marquis

Joseph H Koestner

Brian C O'Neill

George Anthony Caccoma

A specimen-transport module adapted for use with each of a plurality of specimen-processing instruments of a multi-instrument clinical workcell. Such module is adapted to transport individual racks of specimen-containers relative to a specimen-aspiration probe of an associated instrument in a workcell, as well as to transfer selected racks of specimen-containers to an adjacent and identical specimen-transport module associated with another clinical instrument of the workcell. Since the same transport system is used to both present specimens for aspiration and to transfer specimens between instruments, there is no need for two independent conveyances as is characteristic of the prior art. Preferably, the specimen-transport module includes a magnetic X/Y transport system that operates beneath a rack-supporting surface to advance racks in mutually perpendicular directions across a supporting surface via magnetic forces.

Specimen-transport module for multi-instrument clinical workcell

Specimen-transport module

Specimen-transport module for a multi-instrument clinical workcell

A magnetically-attractive specimen-container rack for use with a magnetic transport system for transporting racks of specimen-containers to or within an automated clinical instrument for analysis and/or processing. The specimen-container rack comprises a pair of U-shaped magnetically-attractive members mounted in the base section of the rack housing so that the distal ends of such members extend towards the base of the rack and terminate in a plane slightly short of the plane in which the rack is supported for movement atop a rack-supporting surface. Such members are adapted to cooperate with similarly-shaped permanent magnets carried by an X/Y-movable truck that underlies a non-magnetic rack-supporting plate. Other features of the rack include a pair of side-pockets formed in one side of the rack in the vicinity of the end walls of the rack housing, such pockets serving to receive a movably-mounted member associated with a linear drive mechanism by which the rack can be physically advanced edgewise along a linear path; and notch structure by which the rack can be releasably engaged by a movably-mounted plate which serves to lift and invert the rack to effect mixing of contained specimens.

Specimen-container rack for automated clinical instrument

A batch chip placement system for batch positioning semiconductor chips, or the like, upon a substrate containing an array of chip sites or footprints whose actual position on the substrate deviates from the theoretical or nominal position over successive substrates. The positioning is achieved by first sensing the X and Y offsets of a pair of alignment marks on the substrate from their theoretical or nominal position to determine the .DELTA.X and .DELTA.Y correction factors required to obtain the actual X,Y position of the alignment marks. The actual X,Y position of the alignment marks is used to determine actual X,Y chip position values, .theta. rotation and shrinkage factor corrections required to obtain proper orientation and positioning for batch chip placement.

Batch chip placement system

Growing community of inventors

Plantation, FL, United States of America

Frank M Tappen