With the continuous changes of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic, medical personnel have higher requirements for the speed, throughput and safety of virus detection and identification. However, in the process of sample processing, automated operations have not yet been fully popularized, and there are still many medical staff who use manual operations. This not only makes the sample extraction process time-consuming and relatively cumbersome, but more importantly, medical staff will increase the risk of virus infection during frequent sample contact.
Under normal circumstances, the laboratory has to complete thousands or even tens of thousands of sample analyses every day; and under special circumstances such as the epidemic, the amount of test samples will increase dramatically. Automation technology provides strong support and guarantee for sample detection and diagnostic identification, and high-performance micro-drive devices play a key role in automation applications. They have high efficiency, large torque, reliable performance, compact structure and low power consumption. Advantage.
What functions does the automated sample distribution system need?
The use of automation technology to liberate staff from a single job and avoid sources of manual errors is an inevitable trend in the development of modern laboratories. An ideal automated sample delivery system can send samples directly to the corresponding analysis system and undertake other tasks, such as planning and optimizing its movement path in the laboratory based on the identification information of the sample. This requires consideration of many parameters, such as container type, preparation, liquid level, and the sequence of the various analysis steps.
During the analysis and evaluation, the samples that are being processed need to be taken at any time, so hundreds of samples are best in the distribution system at the same time, so that you can quickly repeat the operation or do supplementary analysis, and complete other necessary evaluations at the same time. After the analysis is over, the sample needs to be automatically removed, usually cleared after a few days of storage or stored in a suitable container for long-term archiving.
Therefore, the automated sample distribution system needs to meet a series of high requirements. In addition to higher capacity and reliability, it also needs to have higher flexibility, including the distribution system needs to deal with changing tasks and processes, and at the same time It also has to be easy to expand, such as retrofitting new equipment or other analytical equipment.
Highly flexible automated sample distribution system: each sample is transported separately, only in this way can flexible, individual and optimal sample management be realized
Today, the fully automatic sample distribution system lab.sms® developed by GLPSystems can meet the above requirements. It can transport each sample independently. Only in this way can it achieve flexible, individual and optimal sample management.
Highly flexible delivery and distribution system
The sample distribution system developed by GLPSystems can coordinate the sample information and mobile sample carrier information that enter the system at the assembly point. Therefore, the distribution system can identify the sample and know the location of the transported sample and the analysis it has done.
The steering gear is adjusted by the superior control system, and each steering gear can complete 4,500 sorting operations per hour on average
Even if the subsequent process changes, it will not have any impact, because it can grab samples at random. During transportation, the identification point will constantly check the position of the sample and the relationship between the sample and the trolley. The trolley can automatically transport blood samples to each analysis station through the plastic track, and the upper-level control system will adjust the diverter during the transportation process accordingly.
Each diverter performs an average of 4500 classification operations per hour, that is, it can identify 4500 samples per hour and lead them in the correct direction. Since all the steering gears can work at the same time, when the system includes 50 steering gears, it can achieve 225,000 sorting operations per hour, or more than 60 times per second.
This capability is necessary because many samples are waiting before and after analysis, and they will frequently pass through the diverter. The powerful classification ability of the diverter lays a good foundation for the flexibility of the laboratory. In addition, the “trolleys” used to carry samples also play a key role in the transportation process, and they need to operate quickly and reliably.
Compact drive system ensures fast and reliable transportation
The trolley used in this system, the “Sample Taxi”, has a very compact structure. Its built-in components include driving device, battery, electronics and proximity switch, which can ensure that the “taxi” accurately completes the acceleration, deceleration and stop operations, such as stopping in front of the analysis station. The driving device adopts Faulhaber DC brushless geared motor, which is specially designed for high reliability and long service life. It can run easily in the automatic distribution system and is not easy to wear.
In most cases, blood samples are transported openly, so the motor needs to run smoothly and without gaps. In addition, the noise generated by the drive device during operation is also very low, and the rare earth magnets and ironless windings on the rotor can ensure high power and high dynamic performance in a small volume.
The drive device has a diameter of about 15mm and a length of 15mm. It can provide a power of about 0.3W and a torque of up to 6mNm. It can drive the rollers of the “sample taxi” at the ideal operating point through a straight gear reducer with matching diameter (transmission ratio 1:10).
Due to its compact structure, easy integration and installation, low power consumption, its battery life is relatively long. In order to keep the car always in a usable state, the built-in electronic device can continuously monitor the battery power to ensure that the car is charged in time before stopping. The electronic device can also take on other tasks, such as saving the identification number of the “taxi” and analyzing the proximity switch signal. The electronic devices on the motor can adjust the speed of the brushless DC motor accordingly, such as decelerating or stopping.
Convey by “sample taxi”: the cart with the sample runs automatically through the plastic track to each analysis station
