Estimating fluidic properties and using them to improve the precision/accuracy of metered fluids and to improve the sensitivity/specificity in detecting failure modes

1. A method for improving the accuracy or precision of a metered fluid, comprising:

estimating a fluidic property of the fluid being metered by monitoring a physical event during the metering operation to collect sensed data;

extracting features from the sensed data; and

using the features to estimate fluid properties; and

adjusting one or more control parameters based on the estimated property to improve the accuracy or precision of a metered fluid, wherein the estimated fluidic property is viscosity and the sensed data is a pressure profile during a fluid aspiration.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the viscosity is estimated.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control parameter adjusted is the distance a piston of a piston pump travels.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the viscosity is used to provide a bubble size determination during a fluid aspiration.

5. A method as claim in claim 4 , wherein the bubble size is used to estimate the aspirated fluid volume.

6. A method as claim in claim 5 , wherein the bubble size is used to determine if enough fluid is present for further testing, or whether a new fluid must be aspirated.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the fluid is a bodily fluid sample used in a diagnostic analyzer.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a diagnostic analyzer which includes a metering probe having a hard probe or a probe having a disposable tip and wherein the fluid is a body fluid sample.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the analyzer further comprises a media for receiving sample from the disposable tip and further comprising estimating the fluidic property of the surface tension of the sample.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the estimation of the surface tension comprises, establishing a fluid column between the disposable tip and the media for receiving sample, lifting the tip away from the media while measuring the physical event of the pressure profile, tracking how long the fluid column is stretched based on the pressure profile and estimating surface tension based on how long the fluid column is stretched.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein calibration curves of pressure profiles for fluids having known surface tensions are compared to the pressure profile of the fluid being measured.

12. A method for improving the detection of a failure mode,

comprising:

estimating a fluidic property of the fluid being metered; and

adjusting one or more control parameters or thresholds that determine when an error is flagged based on the estimated property to improve the detection of the failure.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the estimating the fluidic property of the fluid being metered comprises:

monitoring a physical event during the metering operation to collect sensed data;

extracting features from the sensed data; and

using the features to estimate fluidic properties.

14. A method as claim in claim 13 , wherein the estimated fluidic property is viscosity and the sensed data is a pressure profile during a fluid aspiration.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the error is perfusion and the viscosity is used to determine if a perfusion error has occurred.

16. A method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the fluidic property is surface tension and the sensed data is a pressure profile during a fluid column separation from a work piece.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the surface tension pressure profile is threshold adjusted to sense the entrance of bubbles into a metering tip during aspiration.