Patent ID: 6290907
Filing Date: 2001-09-18
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
A sample handling system including: a transportation line for transporting a sample rack which holds samples; a rack loading device for supplying said sample rack to said transportation line; a rack storage device for storing said sample rack transported by said transportation line; and a plurality of handling units disposed along said transportation line for applying a treatment on the samples held on said sample rack, or on containers containing said samples, said sample handling system further comprising:an identification (ID) information reader for reading an ID information of a sample rack to be transported;a central controller which monitors operational status of each handling unit and determines for each sample rack at which handling unit to stopover on the basis of the read-out ID information thereof,a centrifuge unit and an aliquoter unit provided as part of said plurality of handling units;a partitive line unit for said centrifuge unit and a partitive line unit for said aliquoter unit each being a part of said transportation line; andunit controllers contained in said partitive line units, respectively, each of said unit controllers controlling operation of a respective partitive line unit and mediating information between a related handling unit and said central controller.