Patent ID: 8858718

Claim:
A plate washing system, comprising: at least one manifold having a plurality of pipes configured to be provided within wells of a plate in order to wash the wells when the plate is in a washing position, wherein the plurality of pipes includes a plurality of dispense pipes; a tank that is capable of being filled with a fluid; an ultrasonic transducer mounted to the tank; a liquid level sensor including at least one probe; and a control system configured: to move the plate between the washing position and a sensing position, wherein the liquid lever sensor is aligned with the plate; to relatively move the at least one probe and the plate to sense a liquid level in one or more wells to determine, based on the sensed liquid level, whether a volumetric function of the dispense pipes has been impaired; to position the plurality of pipes within the tank; and to activate the ultrasonic transducer in order to vibrate the fluid within the tank when tips of the plurality of pipes are positioned within the tank and when the volumetric function of the dispense pipes has been impaired.