Specimen testing system, rack transportation system, rack transportation control device, and rack transportation method

1 . A specimen testing system comprising:

a blood cell counting unit configured to count blood cells in a blood specimen in a specimen container held in a first rack, the first rack being capable of holding a plurality of specimen containers;

a specimen rearrangement unit configured to transfer at least one but not all of the specimen containers held in the first rack to a second rack which is empty, whereby the first rack holds the remaining specimen containers having not been transferred to the second rack and the second rack holds the at least one specimen container having been transferred from the first rack;

a smear sample preparation unit configured to prepare a smear sample of the blood specimen in the remaining specimen containers held in the first rack or the blood specimen in the at least one specimen container held in the second rack;

a specimen storage unit comprising:

a tray movable between inside the specimen storage unit and outside the specimen storage unit, and on which an archive rack having holes is detachably set, the archive rack being capable of holding the specimen containers in the holes, and

a container transfer device configured to transfer the remaining specimen containers from the first rack and the at least one specimen container from the second rack to the archive rack on the tray positioned inside the specimen storage unit;

a transportation unit configured to transport the racks among the specimen rearrangement unit, the smear sample preparation unit, the blood cell counting unit, and the specimen storage unit; and

a transportation control unit programmed to control the transportation unit, wherein

the transportation control unit is programmed to control bidirectional transportation of the first and second racks between the specimen rearrangement unit and the specimen storage unit, and wherein

the transportation control unit is programmed to perform control so as to

transport the first rack holding the remaining specimen containers and the second rack holding the at least one specimen container from the specimen rearrangement unit to the specimen storage unit, during which one of the first rack and the second rack stops at the smear sample preparation unit to provide the blood specimen to the smear sample preparation unit and the other of the first rack and the second rack passes through the smear sample preparation unit, and

transport, from the specimen storage unit to the specimen rearrangement unit, the first rack that has become empty after the specimen storage unit has transferred all of the remaining specimen containers on the first rack to the archive rack on the tray and the second rack that has become empty after the specimen storage unit has transferred all of the at least one specimen container on the second rack to the archive rack on the tray.

2 . The specimen testing system of claim 1 , wherein the transportation control unit is programmed to receive setting of arrangement of the specimen rearrangement unit, the smear sample preparation unit, and the specimen storage unit, generate arrangement information according to the received arrangement, and control transportation of the first and second racks based on the arrangement information.

3 . The specimen testing system of claim 1 , wherein the transportation control unit is programmed to be able to communicate with the specimen rearrangement unit and the specimen storage unit, and control bidirectional transportation of the first and second racks between the specimen rearrangement unit and the specimen storage unit according to information received from the specimen rearrangement unit and the specimen storage unit.

4 . The specimen testing system of claim 1 , wherein the transportation control unit is programmed to perform control so as to transport the first and second racks that have become empty in the specimen storage unit, to the specimen rearrangement unit, according to a number of empty racks stored in the specimen rearrangement unit.

5 . The specimen testing system of claim 4 , wherein

the specimen rearrangement unit transmits, to the transportation control unit, a transportation request for transporting empty racks when the number of the empty racks stored is less than a predetermined number, and

the transportation control unit is programmed to perform control so as to transport, to the specimen rearrangement unit, the first and second racks that have become empty in the specimen storage unit, based on the transportation request received from the specimen rearrangement unit.

6 . The specimen testing system of claim 1 , further comprising an empty rack collection unit configured to collect the first and second racks that have become empty in the specimen storage unit, wherein

the transportation control unit is programmed to perform control so as to transport the first and second racks that have become empty in the specimen storage unit from the specimen storage unit to the empty rack collection unit, and transport the empty first and second racks from the empty rack collection unit to the specimen rearrangement unit.

7 . The specimen testing system of claim 6 , wherein the transportation control unit is programmed to perform control so as to transport the first and second racks that have become empty in the specimen storage unit, from the empty rack collection unit through the specimen storage unit to the specimen rearrangement unit.

8 . The specimen testing system of claim 6 , wherein the transportation control unit is programmed to perform control so as to transport the first and second racks that have become empty in the specimen storage unit, from the empty rack collection unit, to the specimen rearrangement unit, without causing the empty first and second racks to pass through the specimen storage unit.