Method of operating a laboratory instrument
AssigneeRoche Molecular Systems, Inc.
InventorsEveline Bachmair, Andreas Gisler, Raphael Gut, Alejandro Hernandez, Alexander Meier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is a method and laboratory instrument aimed at reducing the loss of time of liquid level determination each time a liquid container is loaded into an instrument and at the same time reducing waste of liquid containers due to unforeseen changes in the liquid levels by combining a fast liquid level check at an expected liquid level with a liquid level search if no liquid level is found at the expected level, while also ensuring proper liquid aspiration as the liquid level is always verified (expected level is not blindly relied upon).
Claims6
A computer implemented method of operating a laboratory instrument comprising a pipettor and a computer-implemented control unit configured to control said pipettor, the method comprising:
- a) retrieving, by the control unit, an expected volume of a liquid within a liquid container from a datastore;
- b) retrieving, by the control unit, a container description of the liquid container from the datastore, the container description being indicative of a relationship between volume and height of a liquid within the liquid container;
- c) determining by the control unit, an expected liquid level (eL) based on the container description and the expected volume;
- d) performing a liquid level check at said expected liquid level (eL) by the pipettor, the liquid level check comprising displacing the pipettor vertically into an opening of the liquid container to a position corresponding to the expected liquid level and sensing if liquid is detected at the expected liquid level;
- e) if liquid is detected at the expected liquid level (eL), generating, by the control unit, a signal indicative of a verified liquid level (vL) equal to the expected liquid level (eL);
- f) if liquid is not detected at the expected liquid level (eL):
- f1) performing a liquid level search by the pipettor until liquid is detected, the liquid level search comprising displacing the pipettor vertically into an opening of the liquid container until liquid is detected;
- f2) updating the expected liquid level (eL) to a liquid level where liquid has been detected using the liquid level search;
- f3) repeating steps d) through f).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.