Laboratory automation system for conveying test tubes

Abstract

A laboratory automation system ( 12 ) for conveying biological samples or reactants contained in test tubes ( 13 ), and automatically routing said plates ( 4 ) towards processing modules ( 18 ) of said biological material, wherein a platform ( 1 ) interposed between said laboratory automation system ( 12 ) and a handling system ( 14 ) of consumable products ( 4, 42, 100 ), which includes a horizontal crosspiece ( 6 ) whereon a first robot ( 7 ) and a second robot ( 8 ) are sliding mounted, the first robot ( 7 ) being provided with gripping means ( 9 ) of pipettes ( 10 ) adapted to collect and release the biological material or the reactant, and a second robot ( 8 ) being provided with gripping means ( 11 ) of consumable products ( 4, 42, 100 ).

1 . Plant comprising
 a laboratory automation system for conveying a plurality of single test tubes containing biological material and a plurality of single test tubes containing reactants,   a handling system for moving plates with wells with biological material to be tested,   a platform interposed between the laboratory automation system and the handling system, said platform housing plates and containers containing a plurality of new pipettes, and comprising a horizontal crosspiece whereon a first robot and a second robot are slidingly mounted,   whereby the laboratory automation system comprises a main lane and a secondary lane for conveying the plurality of single test tubes, a stop gate for blocking the plurality of single test tubes, and means for diverting the plurality of single test tubes containing biological material to be tested or reactants for said biological material to be tested, from the main lane to the secondary lane of said laboratory automation system,   and whereby the handling system comprises means for moving the plates with wells to testing modules,   said first robot, gripping a linear sequence of new pipettes from a container by a linear sequence of fingers for gripping pipettes, moving said linear sequence of pipettes over said test tubes linearly queued at the stop gate of the laboratory automation system, collecting biological material or reactant from said test tubes after lowering said fingers into said test tubes, conveying the collected biological material or reactant over wells of a plate included in a housing of the platform, releasing the collected biological material or reactant into said wells of a plate, and releasing the used pipettes into a basket of the platform,   said second robot, gripping plates with wells filled with biological material to be tested and moving them to said handling system, gripping plates with empty wells from the handling system and move them to housings of the platform, gripping containers containing a plurality of new pipettes from the handling system and moving them to housings of the platform,   said platform being also provided with a control board mutually communicating with a control board of the laboratory automation system, so that the number of the pipettes to be gripped by the fingers of the first robot is equal to the number of test tubes linearly queued at the stop gate of the laboratory automation system, the maximum number of pipettes being equal to the number of pipettes accommodated on the same row of the container.   
     
     
         2 . The plant according to  claim 1 , wherein the automation system comprises a further secondary lane which accommodates further test tubes, and a further stop gate for blocking said further test tubes. 
     
     
         3 . The plant according to  claim 2 , further including an ultrasound sensor able to discriminate the level of biological material contained in each of said further test tubes.