Hitachi High-tech Corporation

Hitachi-high-technologies Corporation

Toshiki Yamagata

Kenichi Takahashi

Shigeki Yamaguchi

Masashi Shibahara

Hiroki Ihara

Katsuhiro Kambara

Takahiro Sasaki

Nobutaka Kumazaki

Yoshihiro Nagaoka

Shigeru Yano

Junpei Hokari

Kazuma Tamura

Daisuke Hara

Shugo Okabe

Hayato Shimizu

Kohei Kinugawa

Yoko Makino

The present invention determines whether or not a mounted tip and a dispensing amount match with each other in order to prevent contamination in a dispensing device. The present invention is provided with a pipette mechanismthat performs suction and discharge, a motorthat drives the pipette mechanism, and a pressure sensorthat detects a pressure of the pipette mechanism. A dispensing tipis mounted to the pipette mechanism. A control computercontrols the motor, drives the pipette mechanism in a suction or discharge direction, and determines a type of the dispensing tipon the basis of a difference in pressure waveform detected by the pressure sensor

Dispensing device and method

Clinical analyzer

Provided is a dispensing device that can dispense at a high speed and with high precision and that can be miniaturized. This dispensing device suctions a liquid sample into a disposable tip and discharges the suctioned liquid sample, the dispensing device being provided with: a piston receiving part into which a piston is inserted; a tip detachment part that detaches the disposable tip mounted on the front end of the piston receiving part by pressing down the disposable tip; and a force action part that works in tandem with the tip detachment part and moves in the direction opposite to the movement direction of the tip detachment part.

Dispensing device, tip mounting method, and tip removing method

A thermal cycler includes: a support block configured to support a reaction vessel; a Peltier element thermally connected to the support block and configured to adjust a temperature of a sample solution stored in the reaction vessel by heating/cooling the support block; a temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the support block; and a temperature adjusting unit configured to control a current and a voltage supplied to the Peltier element based on the temperature of the support block measured by the temperature sensor. As the reaction vessel, a reaction vessel including a conical portion which opens at an upper portion and tapers toward a lower portion is used, and the Peltier element is arranged so as to be parallel to a conical generatrix portion of the reaction vessel.

Thermal cycler and real-time PCR device including same

A specimen inspection automation system includes holder orientation adjustment mechanisms that adjust the orientations of specimen container holders that each holds one specimen container. The holder orientation adjustment mechanisms each includes: a stopper mechanism that is disposed above a conveyance line that conveys a specimen container holder and restricts the downstream movement of the specimen container holder by abutting, at the same height as a notched part provided on one side of a base of the specimen container holder, an outer circumferential part other than the notched part in the circumferential direction of the base; and a holder rotation mechanism that restricts the movement of the specimen container holder away from the stopper mechanism and rotates the specimen container holder in the circumferential direction. As a result, it is possible to appropriately adjust the orientation of a specimen container in which a specimen is accommodated and reduce work complexity.

Specimen inspection automation system

Plug-closing processing units are provided with: a first plug chuck parts that grasp plugs; and a second plug chuck part located above the first plug chuck parts, wherein the first plug chuck parts each include at least two first supports that grasp the plugs from more than one direction, and the second plug chuck part is provided with a plug-closing mechanism that includes a second support disposed in the radial direction of plugs and having an inclined lower end surface. Thus, provided are a plug processing device capable of stable plug-opening processing and plug-closing processing on a conveyor line for a specimen container, and a specimen test automation system including the plug processing device.

Plug processing device and specimen test automation system including same

This specimen inspection automation system is provided with: a processing unit which processes a specimen; a conveying line which conveys carriers; a control device which controls the conveying of the carriers; and external connection modules which deliver the carriers to and from external devices. The control device controls the number of carriers in the specimen inspection automation system within a fixed range on the basis of the number of carriers conveyed into and out of the system by the external connection modules.

A connection unit connects one end of each of two processing systems and includes a processing unit for carrying out necessary processing on a specimen in a specimen container held by a specimen holding rack. The first and second processing systems each have an opening and closing part that can be opened and closed to expose an access surface for an operator. The connection unit is configured so as to connect the first and second processing systems in such a way that a distance along a horizontal plane from the access surface of the first processing system to the one end of the second processing system is longer than a distance by which the opening and closing part of the first processing system moves when opening and closing. Thus, various layouts resulting from the structure are possible within an inspection room without diminishing the ease of operation.

Specimen conveyance device and specimen processing system

When a specimen transport system transfers a specimen container to a transport rack, the specimen container located at a position adjacent to a transfer position thereof is inclined on the rack, and there is a possibility that the one specimen container may collide with the other specimen container when the one specimen container is transferred. Where the transferred specimen container is inclined after being transferred, and a specimen container transfer mechanism is raised from the location, there is also a possibility that the one specimen container and the other specimen container adjacent thereto may collide with each other. Consequently, an inclination angle of a transferred specimen container and a specimen container adjacent thereto is corrected by loading a specimen container inclination correction mechanism including two inclination correction units at a specimen container transfer position. In this manner, a contact risk is suppressed and a stable transfer process is made possible.

Specimen container inclination correction mechanism, and method for controlling same

The present invention is such a plug application and removal device that mist which is generated upon plug removal of a sample container or a reagent container is not peripherally scattered, or is such a sample processing device that mist which is generated upon dispensing of a sample or a reagent into a container is not mixed to another container. A plug application and removal device has a container holding mechanism that holds a container housing liquid inside and applied with a plug, and has a plug application and removal mechanism that removes or applies the plug from/to the container. The plug application and removal device has: a control mechanism for controlling movement of liquid or mist spilled out of the container upon a process of removal or application of the plug by the plug application and removal mechanism.

Plug application and removal device and sample processing device

There is provided an automatic analysis system that dispenses samples and reagents into a plurality of reaction vessels to cause reaction and to measure the liquid resulting from the reaction. The system implements a method of handling capped sample containers such as vacuum blood collection tubes along transfer routes. A sample container opening/closing mechanism is provided which removes the caps of the sample containers prior to sample dispensing and which closes the sample containers following sample dispensing using the same corresponding caps as before the dispensing. Also provided is an opening/closing mechanism that retains and manages the caps removed from the sample containers, as well as a transport unit capable of selecting one of the transport routes which fits the identified sample containers so as to close them with the fit caps. This invention thus provides a container opening/closing system that improves throughput of the sample collection process in conjunction with the automatic analysis system performing the sample container opening/closing process.

Automatic analysis system

An automatic analyzer of the present invention includes: a cap opening and closing mechanism including a plurality of types of support bodies, each being adaptable to a specific type of cap; an information control mechanism for sample containers; a cap opening and closing mechanism that performs uncapping and capping operations based on a sample container identifying process; and an uncapping/capping monitoring mechanism that determines an uncapping or capping operation. The cap opening and closing mechanism is thus configured so as to be capable of performing the uncapping and capping processes for different types of caps. This provides a cap opening and closing mechanism that enables the single cap opening and closing mechanism to perform the uncapping process and the capping process for different types of caps on a transfer path of sample containers in the automatic analyzer.

Cap opening and closing mechanism and automatic analyzer including the same

The automatic analysis system is equipped with a mechanism to transport a sample container having a stopper body, the system comprising: a sample dispensing mechanism that dispenses a predetermined amount of sample accommodated in the sample container; a stopper body removing/mounting mechanism that removes the stopper body from the sample container; a control unit that stores therein association between the sample container and the stopper body of the sample container; the stopper body removing/mounting mechanism that in accordance with the association stored into the control unit, mounts the stopper body back on the sample container containing the sample dispensed by the sample dispensing mechanism; and a stopper body transport mechanism that transports the sample that the stopper body removing/mounting mechanism has removed at a stopper removing position to a stopper mounting position.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Toshiki Yamagata