Patent ID: 9684007
Date: 2017-06-20
CPC Classifications: B01L,B65G,G01N,Y10T

Claim:
1. An automated system for processing vessels containing biological samples, the automated system comprising: a plurality of vessel holders for the vessels containing biological samples; a transport medium for transporting the vessel holders within the automated system; a work cell for processing the vessels containing biological samples; a cylinder-shaped silo storage module for empty members of the plurality of vessel holders, wherein the cylinder-shaped silo storage module is connected to the transport medium via an empty vessel holder transfer unit, which comprises a vertical and lateral moving shuttle system, and is configured for retrieving empty vessel holders from the transport medium and introducing them into the cylinder-shaped silo storage module, or retrieving empty vessel holders from the cylinder-shaped silo storage module and placing them in or on the transport medium; a robotic manipulator for engaging and/or disengaging the vessels containing biological samples with the empty members of the plurality of vessel holders; a control unit for controlling the automated system; and an empty vessel holder detection unit configured for detecting empty vessel holders in or on the transport medium, the empty vessel holder detection unit comprising an empty vessel holder detector for discriminating between filled and empty vessel holders, and a transfer initiator configured to initiate the introduction or re-introduction of an empty vessel holder detected in or on the transport medium into the cylinder-shaped silo storage module by the empty vessel holder transfer unit.