公开(公告)号：US20240201208A1

公开(公告)日：2024-06-20

申请号：US18527954

申请日：2023-12-04

Applicant: Tecan Trading AG

Inventor： Michael Keller ,  Thomas Geiges ,  Volfgang Vilaj

IPC: G01N35/00 ,  G01N35/04

CPC classification number: G01N35/00584 ,  G01N35/04 ,  G01N2035/0434

Abstract: A method for determining physical parameters of an unknown liquid to be aspirated and/or dispensed by a laboratory automation device comprises: determining physical parameters of a pipette, the physical parameters including geometric parameters of the pipette, which at least include a tip radius of an orifice of the pipette; aspirating and/or dispensing the unknown liquid with a pipette of the laboratory automation device and measuring a measured pressure curve in the pipette during aspirating and/or dispensing; determining the physical parameters of the unknown liquid by minimizing an objective function depending on a difference between a simulated pressure curve and the measured pressure curve, wherein the simulated pressure curve simulates a pressure in the pipette during aspirating and/or dispensing and is calculated based on a physical model of the laboratory automation device including the physical parameters of the pipette.

公开(公告)号：US20240193769A1

公开(公告)日：2024-06-13

申请号：US18535589

申请日：2023-12-11

Applicant: Tecan Trading AG

Inventor： Volfgang VILAJ ,  Simon STRASSEN ,  Philipp OTT

IPC: G06T7/00 ,  G06T7/12 ,  G06T7/64 ,  G06T11/20

CPC classification number: G06T7/0012 ,  G06T7/12 ,  G06T7/64 ,  G06T11/203 ,  G06T2207/20081 ,  G06T2207/20084 ,  G06T2207/30088

Abstract: Some embodiments are directed to completing incomplete area of interest markings. An area of interest marking indicates an area of interest on an image of a tissue section. The method may include detecting in the image endpoints of the one or more contours, and drawing in the image a segment connecting the matching endpoints in a selected pair.

公开(公告)号：US20240192097A1

公开(公告)日：2024-06-13

申请号：US18537280

申请日：2023-12-12

Applicant: Tecan Trading AG

Inventor： Simon STRASSEN ,  Volfgang VILAJ

IPC: G01N1/30 ,  G01N1/40 ,  G06T7/168 ,  G06T7/194

CPC classification number: G01N1/30 ,  G01N1/4044 ,  G06T7/168 ,  G06T7/194 ,  G06T2207/30024

Abstract: Some embodiments are directed to planning treatment of an area of interest on a tissue section with a motorized treatment tip. The planning may include computing for each pixel in the area of interest a distance to the nearest pixel in the tissue section outside the area of interest or in the background, and selecting a position for a treatment area from the result of the distance transform.

公开(公告)号：US20240149270A1

公开(公告)日：2024-05-09

申请号：US18384563

申请日：2023-10-27

Applicant: TECAN TRADING AG

Inventor： Matthias DZUNG ,  Adrian SAGER ,  Sven PFLUMM ,  Philipp OTT

IPC: B01L9/00

CPC classification number: B01L9/543 ,  B01L2200/025

Abstract: A storage device for storing one or more pipettor consumables contains a storage plate having an upper side and a lower side, and, on the upper side, a number of accommodation seats arranged in an array. Each accommodation seat is configured to receive a pipettor consumable in an upside-down orientation. The storage device has one or more positioning elements for positioning the storage device in relation to a carrier, and/or one or more stacking elements for stacking the storage device with another storage device.

公开(公告)号：US11931731B2

公开(公告)日：2024-03-19

申请号：US17312162

申请日：2019-12-20

Applicant: TECAN TRADING AG

Inventor： Adrian Sager ,  Philipp Ott ,  Sara Ferdi

IPC: B01L3/02 ,  B03C1/01 ,  B03C1/32 ,  G01N35/10

CPC classification number: B01L3/0275 ,  B01L3/0279 ,  B03C1/01 ,  B03C1/32 ,  G01N35/10 ,  B01L3/0217 ,  B01L2200/023 ,  B01L2200/025 ,  B01L2200/026 ,  B01L2300/0832 ,  B01L2300/0858 ,  B01L2300/18 ,  B01L2400/0478 ,  G01N2035/103

Abstract: A pipette tip extension attachable to a pipette tip is disclosed. The pipette tip extension has a proximal end, a distal end, and an exterior wall extending between the proximal end and the distal end. The exterior wall has an outer side and an inner side and forms at the proximal end a reception aperture for inserting a pipette tip. The pipette tip extension further has a bottom at the distal end, an inner cavity enclosed by the inner side of the exterior wall and the bottom, one or more distance elements arranged at the inner side of the exterior wall and protruding into the inner cavity, and a coating for interacting with a fluid present in a fluid uptake area.

公开(公告)号：US20230408540A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-21

申请号：US18207424

申请日：2023-06-08

Applicant: TECAN TRADING AG

Inventor： Francois UEBELHART ,  Marianne ANGST-HELBLING ,  Werner HÄLG

IPC: G01N35/10 ,  B01L3/02

CPC classification number: G01N35/1011 ,  G01N35/1016 ,  B01L3/0237 ,  G01N35/1079 ,  G01N2035/102 ,  G01N2035/103

Abstract: A method is described of operating a pipetting system (10) that has a worktable (12), at least one manipulator arm (18), and first and second Z-rods (20′,20″) arranged on the at least one manipulator arm (18). The method involves receiving by the second Z-rod (20″) a tool (24) via an adapter attached to the second Z-rod (20″), wherein the tool (24) has a central axis and a working area, the working area being defined by a circle which center is located on the central axis of the tool (24) and which radius being a distance between the central axis and a largest extension of an outline of the tool (24) in a projection.

公开(公告)号：US20230393550A1

公开(公告)日：2023-12-07

申请号：US18328952

申请日：2023-06-05

Applicant: TECAN TRADING AG

Inventor： Chiara Marie ZOK ,  Georg HINKEL

IPC: G05B19/4063

CPC classification number: G05B19/4063 ,  G05B2219/31392

Abstract: A method for determining states of a laboratory automation device includes: receiving a log file from the laboratory automation device, the log file including entries of events that occurred during a procedure performed by the laboratory automation device, wherein the events have been created by components of the laboratory automation device and each entry includes at least an event time and an event type; providing a state machine of the laboratory automation device, the state machine encoding states of the laboratory automation device and transitions between the states, wherein each transition is starting at a state and points to another state and wherein each transition is associated with an entry scheme in the log file, the entry scheme including at least an event type; setting a current state of the laboratory automation device to a beginning state; moving through the entries of the log file along increasing event time and associating the entries with the current state; during the moving, when an entry scheme associated with a transition starting at the current state is identified in the log file, changing the current state to the state to which the transition (60) is pointing.

公开(公告)号：US20230256619A1

公开(公告)日：2023-08-17

申请号：US18014976

申请日：2020-07-10

Applicant: Patrick KINNEY ,  Tecan Trading AG

Inventor： Patrick KINNEY

IPC: B25J15/00 ,  B25J9/00 ,  B25J9/16 ,  B25J9/02

CPC classification number: B25J15/0019 ,  B25J9/0096 ,  B25J9/1679 ,  B25J9/026 ,  B25J9/1664

Abstract: A robotic sample handling system (100) may be provided for performing sample handling tasks in a laboratory environment. The system may comprise at least one robotic arm (140), (142) which is controllable to be positioned in a plane parallel to a work area and along a Z-axis perpendicular to the work area, and a controller (180) configured to control the robotic arm to position and operate the robotic arm as part of a sample handling task. The work area may comprise a module (204) for use with one or more of the samples, wherein the module comprises a mechanism which is actuatable by downward force, and wherein the controller is configured to control the robotic arm to actuate the mechanism by pushing downward in Z-direction. For example, the module may be a stand (204) for a sample container which comprise a push-push mechanism which may be operated by the robotic arm to bring the sample in the sample container in a vicinity of an effector, such as a magnet or a heat source.

公开(公告)号：US20230256444A1

公开(公告)日：2023-08-17

申请号：US18138911

申请日：2023-04-25

Applicant: TECAN TRADING AG

Inventor： Patrick Kinney ,  Sujata Iyer ,  Tin Ngo ,  Jennifer Ji ,  Marta Matvienko ,  Tiffany Ding (Lay)

IPC: B01L3/00

CPC classification number: B01L3/502761 ,  B01L3/502792 ,  B01L2300/123 ,  B01L2400/0427

Abstract: A cartridge, in particular a disposable cartridge, for use in an electrowetting sample processing system. The cartridge contains an internal gap with at least one hydrophobic surface for enabling an electrowetting induced movement of a microfluidic droplet that has magnetic beads and further has a bead accumulation zone, into which the microfluidic droplet is transferable by electrowetting force and the magnetic beads are exposable to a magnetic force of a bead manipulation magnet. The internal gap has a bead extraction opening adjacent to the bead accumulation zone. The bead extraction opening provides a passage from the gap to an exterior space of the cartridge and is configured to removably receive the bead manipulation magnet for enabling an extraction of the magnetic beads from the microfluidic droplet by a removal of the bead manipulation magnet.

公开(公告)号：US20230241600A1

公开(公告)日：2023-08-03

申请号：US18086362

申请日：2022-12-21

Applicant: Tecan Trading AG

Inventor： Lukas FRITSCHI ,  Andrea MARENDING

IPC: B01L3/02

CPC classification number: B01L3/0279 ,  B01L2200/04 ,  B01L2200/023 ,  B01L2200/0689 ,  B01L2300/0829

Abstract: The invention relates to a multi-channel head (100) of a liquid handling apparatus for aspirating and dispensing a metered amount of liquid, comprising:

an array of connectors (130) for picking up an array of disposable tips, whereby a peripheral end of each connector is provided with an elastomeric seal (140);
an alignment plate (150) that is moveable in a z-direction and has a plurality of openings through which the connectors (130) extend,
a linear displacement mechanism (170b, 175), driven by a motor (180), for moving the alignment plate (150) in z-direction relative to the connectors, and a controller for controlling the motor.

The multi-channel head is configured to attach the array of disposable tips in a pick-up action, in which the multi-channel head (100) is lowered relative to the disposable tips so as to insert each connector into an internal passageway of a corresponding disposable tip by an amount sufficient to bring an upper collar of the disposable tips into contact with an underside (150s) of the alignment plate. This insertion deforms the elastomeric seal against the tip internal passageway so as to form a sealing contact therewith. The controller of the multi-channel head (100) is programmed such that once the pick-up action is complete, an alignment action is performed in which the alignment plate (150) is moved relative to connectors (130) by an amount sufficient to close any gap between the underside (150s) of the alignment plate and the upper surface of the tip collars that arises due to e.g. relaxation of the deformed seals (140).