Automated blood analysis system

A method for automatically analyzing blood samples comprising:

• storing a supply of cassettes in a drawer assembly;
• depositing a multitude of cassettes in a first station, said first station having (i) a multitude of cassette holders for simultaneously holding a multitude of cassettes, (ii) a cassette receiving and discharging position, (iii) a fluid receiving position, and (iv) a cassette opening position, said depositing step including the steps of, for each of the multitude of cassettes,
• i) moving one of the cassette holders of the first station to the cassette receiving and discharging position,
• ii) depositing one of the cassettes into said one of the cassette holders,
• iii) moving the first station to move said one of the cassettes into the cassette opening position, and
• iv) forming an opening in said one of the cassettes;
• holding reagents and blood samples at a second station;
• transmitting data to a control unit identifying a batch of tests for the blood samples;
• supporting a pipette assembly for three-dimensional movement between the first and second stations;
• for each of the multitude of cassettes,
• i) moving the first station to move the cassette to the fluid receiving position,
• ii) the control unit operating the pipette assembly to draw reagent and a blood sample from the second station, and to dispense the drawn reagent and blood sample into the cassette to form a selected test solution therein when the cassette is in the fluid receiving position,
• iii) after the cassette has received reagent and the blood sample, moving the first station to move the cassette to the cassette receiving and discharging position, and
• iv) when the cassette is in the cassette receiving and discharging position, removing the cassette from the first station;
• positioning the removed cassettes in a centrifuge;
• centrifuging the cassettes in the centrifuge;
• positioning the cassettes in an auto reader station;
• analyzing the cassettes at the auto reader station to identify reactions in the cassettes;
• supporting a transport assembly for three dimensional movement between the drawer assembly, the first station, the centrifuge and the auto reader station;
• and
• the control unit operating the transport assembly to remove selected cassettes from the drawer assembly and to deposit the selected cassettes in the first station;
• the control unit further operating the transport assembly to transport the cassettes from the first station to the centrifuge after the selected test solutions have been formed in the cassettes, and to transport the cassettes from the centrifuge to the auto reader station.

A method of operating a station in a medical fluid analysis instrument, the station having a multitude of cassette holders for simultaneously holding a multitude of cassettes, a cassette receiving and discharging position, a cassette opening position, and a fluid receiving position, the method comprising:

• moving the cassette holders into the cassette receiving and discharging position;
• depositing a plurality of cassettes into the cassette holders:
• and
• for each of said plurality of cassettes,
• i) moving the station to move the cassette to the cassette opening position,
• ii) forming an opening in the cassette,
• iii) moving the station to move the cassette to the fluid receiving position,
• vi) dispensing fluids into the cassette when the cassette is in the fluid receiving position,
• v) after the cassette has received said fluids, moving the station to move the cassette to the cassette receiving and discharging position, and
• vi) when the cassette is in the cassette receiving and discharging position, removing the cassette from the station.