Specimen processing system
Provided is a specimen processing system which can contribute to space saving. The specimen processing system includes a put-in module which puts a specimen on a put-in tray in a holder, a housing module which houses the specimen from the holder in a housing tray, and a stock module which stocks the holder, in which an empty holder which is generated because the specimen is housed is directly conveyed to the put-in module without being conveyed to the stock module and is used for putting a new specimen therein.
1. A specimen processing system comprising:
a chuck mechanism;
a housing module that houses a specimen as a housed specimen, and transfers, via the chuck mechanism, the housed specimen from a holder to a housing tray within the housing module thereby generating an empty holder;
a put-in module that transfers, via the chuck mechanism, a different specimen from a put-in tray in the put-in module to the empty holder on a condition that the different specimen is present in the put-in module,
wherein the housed specimen and the different specimen each have a unique barcode containing identifying information;
a stock module that houses the empty holder;
a conveyor that connects the housing module, the stock module, and the put-in module;
a tray sensor that senses the put-in tray in the put-in module; and
a processor that is communicatively coupled to the chuck mechanism, the housing module, and the put-in module, wherein the processor:
controls the housing module, the put-in module, the stock module, and the conveyor, and
determines, via at least one signal from the tray sensor, whether the different specimen is present in the put-in module,
on the condition that the different specimen is present in the put-in module, the processor
controls the empty holder via the conveyor, such that the empty holder is directly conveyed from the housing module to the put-in module without being stocked in the stock module and the empty holder is used for putting the different specimen therein,
controls the put-in module to transfer, via the chuck mechanism, the different specimen that is present in the put-in module to the empty holder, generating a mounted holder, and
receives the identifying information from the unique barcode of the different specimen in the mounted holder and creates a processing path for the different specimen in the mounted holder based on the identifying information, and
on a condition that the different specimen is not present in the put-in module, the processor controls the empty holder via a collection path on the conveyor, and stocks the empty holder in the stock module,
wherein the processing path and the collection path are different, and
wherein the stock module is arranged in between and physically separates the housing module from the put-in module, such that in a processing order the empty holder moves from the housing module, through the stock module, and then to the put-in module.
2. The specimen processing system according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor controls the stock module such that
on a condition that the different specimen is present in the put-in module at the time of generation of the empty holder, the stock module conveys, via the conveyor, the empty holder to the put-in module, and
on a condition that the different specimen is not present in the put-in module at the time of generation of the empty holder, the stock module collects and holds the empty holder.
3. The specimen processing system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an empty holder dedicated path on the conveyor that connects between the put-in module and the stock module, and is adapted to convey the empty holder, and
wherein the processing path, the collection path, and the empty holder dedicated path are each different.
4. The specimen processing system according to claim 2 , wherein
on the condition that the different specimen is present in the put-in module at the time of generation of the empty holder, the stock module supplies the empty holder, which is stocked in the housing module, to the put-in module.
5. The specimen processing system according to claim 1 , wherein
on the condition that the different specimen is present in the put-in module at the time of generation of the empty holder, the stock module supplies the empty holder, which is stocked in the housing module, to the put-in module.
6. The specimen processing system according to claim 3 , wherein
on the condition that the different specimen is present in the put-in module at the time of generation of the empty holder, the stock module supplies the empty holder, which is stocked in the housing module, to the put-in module.
7. A specimen processing system comprising:
a chuck mechanism;
a specimen;
a holder;
an empty holder being the holder without the specimen;
a housing module including a housing tray that houses the specimen as a housed specimen, and transfers, via the chuck mechanism, the housed specimen from the holder to the housing tray thereby generating the empty holder;
a put-in module including a put-in tray and a tray sensor that senses the put-in tray, and transfers, via the chuck mechanism, a different specimen from the put-in tray to the empty holder on a condition that the different specimen is present in the put-in module,
wherein the housed specimen and the different specimen each have a unique barcode containing identifying information;
a stock module that houses the empty holder;
a conveyor that connects the housing module, the stock module, and the put-in module; and
a processor that is communicatively coupled to the chuck mechanism, the housing module, and the put-in module, wherein the processor:
controls the housing module, the put-in module, the stock module, and the conveyor, and
determines, via at least one signal from the tray sensor, whether the different specimen is present in the put-in module,
on the condition that the different specimen is present in the put-in module, the processor
controls the empty holder via the conveyor, such that the empty holder is directly conveyed from the housing module to the put-in module without being stocked in the stock module and the empty holder is used for putting the different specimen therein,
controls the put-in module to transfer, via the chuck mechanism, the different specimen that is present in the put-in module to the empty holder, generating a mounted holder, and
receives the identifying information from the unique barcode of the different specimen in the mounted holder and creates a processing path for the different specimen in the mounted holder based on the identifying information, and
on a condition that the different specimen is not present in the put-in module, the processor controls the empty holder via a collection path on the conveyor, and stocks the empty holder in the stock module,
wherein the processing path and the collection path are different, and
wherein the stock module is arranged in between and physically separates the housing module from the put-in module, such that in a processing order the empty holder moves from the housing module, through the stock module, and then to the put-in module.
8. A specimen processing method comprising:
housing, in a housing module, a housing tray that includes a specimen as a housed specimen,
transferring, via a chuck mechanism, the housed specimen from a holder to the housing tray thereby generating an empty holder;
housing the empty holder, in a stock module;
transferring, via the chuck mechanism, a different specimen from a put-in tray in a put-in module to the empty holder on a condition that the different specimen is present in the put-in module,
wherein the housed specimen and the different specimen each have a unique barcode containing identifying information,
wherein the housing module, the stock module, and the put-in module are connected via a conveyor;
sensing, via a tray sensor, the put-in tray in the put-in module;
determining, via at least one signal from the tray sensor, whether the different specimen is present in the put-in module,
on the condition that the different specimen is present in the put-in module,
controlling the empty holder via the conveyor, such that the empty holder is directly conveyed from the housing module to the put-in module without being stocked in the stock module and the empty holder is used for putting the different specimen therein,
transferring, via the chuck mechanism, the different specimen present in the put-in module to the empty holder, and generating a mounted holder,
receiving the identifying information from the unique barcode of the different specimen in the mounted holder, and
creating a processing path for the different specimen in the mounted holder based on the identifying information, and
on a condition that the different specimen is not present in the put-in module,
controlling the empty holder via a collection path on the conveyor, and
stocking the empty holder in the stock module,
wherein the processing path and the collection path are different, and
wherein the stock module is arranged in between and physically separates the housing module from the put-in module, such that in a processing order the empty holder moves from the housing module, through the stock module, and then to the put-in module.