Baxter Travenol Laboratories, Inc.

Baxter International Inc.

American Hospital Supply Corporation

Lawrence E Elbert

William A Stark

John C Mazza

Raymond L Hecker

Charles S Irwin

A unique method and apparatus for dispensing tablets having particular application in the clinical analysis of biological samples. A series of containers are advanced past a plurality of processing stations, one of which is a table dispenser in turn. The processing stations are selectively activated by a controller. A sensor is associated with the tablet dispenser and is arranged to detect whether a tablet has actually entered a container. The sensor is activated only when the tablet dispenser is activated. The controller is responsive to the sensor in dependence upon the condition sensed by the sensor.

Tablet dispensing

An improved and unique liquid light tube (guide) end cap assembly particularly useful in a system for the clinical analysis of liquid biological samples for directing wavelengths of light is described. The assembly comprises a light guide having projecting at one end portion thereof a quartz member and a housing for containing the end portion of the light guide and the quartz member, thereby forming an aperture between the quartz member and the housing, the aperture having a depth of between about 0.002 and 0.007 inches.

Liquid light tube end cap assembly

The actual resonant frequency of an ultrasonic horn is tracked actively while the horn is operating in a working environment, such as in a clinical analyzer where the horn is partly immersed in a liquid bath in which a series of liquid-filled cuvettes are passed near the horn to dissolve solid tablets in the cuvettes. The horn is driven initially by a signal of fixed amplitude but at a frequency which is varied between set limits about a nominal resonant frequency. Ultrasonic vibration waves of the horn are sensed and fed back for rectification and peak detection over the scan operation. The peak feed back level is held and a second scan is initiated with the drive signal at the same fixed amplitude. When the rectified feedback signal level substantially attains that of the held peak level, a comparison is determined and control logic acts to lock on the frequency at which the comparison was established for a given operating time period.

Ultrasonic horn driving apparatus and method with active frequency

An ultrasonic horn assembly, particularly suitable for dissolving reagent tablets in a liquid solution in a cuvette which is moved along a path next to the front end face of the horn, includes a generally cylindrical converter fixed to a rear end face of the horn body substantially medial of the length of the rear end face. A pair of elongate resonating members are each fixed at one end to a different side end region of the rear end face on the horn body, and extend perpendicularly from the rear end face. The resonating members cause acoustic waves to propagate from the front end face of the horn body at substantially uniform amplitude along the length of the front end face, so that objects such as cuvettes moving parallel to the front end face are continuously subjected to uniform acoustic waves to insure a thorough dissolving or mixing operation.

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Huntington Beach, CA, United States of America

Lawrence E Elbert