Patent ID: 8874399

Claim:
Method for detecting pipetting errors comprising the steps of: aspirating or dispensing a predetermined volume of a fluid using a pipetting device; during the aspirating or dispensing, measuring pressure in a tip of the pipetting device and determining an earlier rate of change of pressure in the tip using pressure measurements previously obtained during the same respective aspirating or dispensing; based on the earlier rate of pressure change and a pressure p i that was previously measured during the respective aspirating or dispensing, determining, during the respective aspirating or dispensing, (i) an expectation range for a pressure p i+1 in the tip at a further moment in time t i+1 and/or (ii) an expectation range for a rate of pressure change δ i+1 based on the pressure p i+1 in the tip at the further moment in time t 1+1 ; at the further moment in time t i+1 during the course of the respective aspirating or dispensing, measuring the pressure p i+1 in the tip; and determining, using a processor, occurrence of a pipetting error by comparing the measured pressure p i+1 at the further moment in time t i+1 during the respective aspirating or dispensing and/or a rate of pressure change δ i+1 calculated on the basis of the pressure p i+1 at the further moment t i+1 in time during the respective aspirating or dispensing, with the determined expectation range for the pressure p i+1 and/or the determined expectation range for the rate of pressure change δ i+1 , respectively.