Patent ID: 7618589
Filing Date: 2009-11-17
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. An automatic dispenser comprising: a dispensing head on which a plurality of dispensing tips is mountable; a transporter that moves the dispensing head within an XYZ space defined by X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis; a controller that controls movement of the dispensing head by the transporter; and a sensor that detects the dispensing tips which move with the dispensing head from a detection starting point to a detecting ending point and generates a detection signal indicative of presence and absence of the dispensing tips, wherein the controller comprises a storage unit that stores X and Y coordinate values of the detection starting point and the detection ending point, a waveform converting unit that produces a detected waveform from the detection signal of the sensor, wherein the detected waveform has a horizontal axis which shows elapsed time that the dispensing head moves from the detection starting point to the detection ending point and a vertical axis which shows an ON/OFF signal indicative of presence and absence of the dispensing tips, and a calibrating unit that calculates an offset between the center of the detected waveform of each dispensing tip and a predetermined reference position and calibrates the X and Y coordinate values stored in the storage unit.