Patent ID: 11965824
Assignee: INPECO SA
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 10:
11. A process for screening of a biological sample contained in a container which is housed by a transport device and which has at least one label attached to a surface thereof, said process comprising the steps of:
providing an automated transport line comprising an automatic conveyor configured to move forward said transport device housing said container through an analysis station,
irradiating said container n said analysis station with a radiation emitted by a radiation source and collecting through an optical detector said radiation after it has irradiated the container,
providing an electronic controller to process signals emitted by said optical detector to perform the screening of the biological sample contained in the container,
selecting at least two radiations with different wavelengths, including a reference radiation and an absorption radiation, filtering the radiation emitted by said radiation source by means of at least two filters carried by a filter holder device located downstream of said radiation source,
by means of said optical detector of the analysis station in the form of a camera or video camera, collect radiation reflected by a volume of the sample in the container and by said at least one label attached to the container, when the at least one label is on a side of the container opposite to that from which the radiation emitted by said radiation source originates,
detect and send to said electronic controller intensity values of components of said reference radiation and of said absorption radiation which have not been absorbed by said biological sample, respectively by means of a first sensor and a second sensor included in said camera or video camera,
process by means of said electronic controller a ratio between the intensity value of the components of absorption radiation not absorbed by said biological sample and the intensity value of the components of reference radiation not absorbed by said biological sample, in any order,
preliminarily to an analysis of the biological sample contained in the container, perform an optical detection of the container, making use of a backlight panel and a front illuminator placed one in front of the other and configured to illuminate said container, in order to allow said camera or video camera to acquire at least one image of said container, and send to said electronic controller information on the basis of said at least one acquired image,
rotate said container around a vertical axis, on a basis of the information received from said camera or video camera to position said container so that, during an analysis phase of the biological sample contained in the container:
a) said at least one label attached to the surface of said container is arranged on the opposite side with respect to that from which the radiation directed towards the container originates, and
b) the emitted radiation irradiates said volume of the sample at a predetermined inspection window.