Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Gmbh

Steven Sparks

Kerry Lynn Miller

A loading apparatus and system is adapted to load unprocessed sample containers in a centrifuge and provide improved balance thereof. The apparatus has a staging platform containing at least two bucket inserts, a weight scale operable to determine a combined weight of each of the bucket inserts, a centrifuge configured to receive the bucket inserts as pairs, a robot operable to insert an unprocessed sample container into the bucket inserts, and a controller operable to command the robot to carry out placement of the unprocessed sample container into a highest priority empty receptacle of a lowest combined weight bucket insert. Methods of operating the system are provided.

Centrifuge loading apparatus, systems, and methods

A loading and unloading system loads/unloads a sample processor (e.g., a centrifuge). The system includes a staging area containing inserts, at least one being a common insert, the sample processor having locations receiving inserts containing unprocessed sample containers, one or more robots operable to move unprocessed and processed sample containers to and from the common insert as well as move the inserts between the staging area and the sample processor, and a controller commanding the one or more robots to carry out a sample container movement sequence to load and unload unprocessed and processed sample containers to and from the common insert at the staging area, wherein the common bucket insert contains both processed and unprocessed sample containers at a same time. Methods of operating the system are provided.

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Wilmington, DE, United States of America

Steven Sparks