A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING AMPOULES
A system for opening ampoules, the system comprising a beam comprising at least one opening for receiving part of an ampoule and an ampoule carrier for holding one or more ampoules. The system is configured to rotate the beam relative to the carrier, such that the rotation causes opposite sides of said opening to apply pressure to said received ampoule held by the carrier, to thereby break off said part of the ampoule received by the opening.
1 . A system for opening ampoules, the system comprising:
a beam comprising at least one opening for receiving part of an ampoule; and
an ampoule carrier for holding one or more ampoules,
wherein the system is configured to rotate the beam relative to the carrier, the rotation to cause opposite sides of said opening to apply pressure to said received ampoule held by the carrier, to thereby break off said part of the ampoule received by the opening.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the ampoule carrier and/or beam are configured to align one or more said ampoules held by the carrier with respective openings of a snapper.
3 . The system of claim 1 , comprising a bottom plate configured to support the ampoule carrier during the rotation of the beam.
4 . The system of claim 1 configured to, after breaking off said part of the one or more ampoules, rotate the beam to deposit said part of the ampoule into a collection area.
5 . The system of claim 1 comprising a photosensor, wherein the photosensor is configured to determine if contents of the one or more ampoules held by the ampoule carrier have thawed, and
wherein the system is configured to halt or delay a process for progressing the opening of or processing the contents of at least the one or more ampoules that are determined to have thawed.
6 . The system of claim 1 , comprising a water bath configured to receive one or more ampoules held by the ampoule carrier and thaw contents of at least one of the ampoules.
7 . The system of claim 6 , comprising an Infra-Red (IR) thermometer for detecting a temperature of one or more ampoules held by the ampoule carrier, wherein the IR thermometer is configured to determine whether the contents of one or more ampoules held by the ampoule carrier have thawed.
8 . The system of claim 6 , comprising a syringe assembly, the syringe assembly comprising one or more syringes for removing a liquid from one or more ampoules.
9 . The system of claim 8 configured to, during the removal of the liquid from the one or more ampoules, rotate the carrier by between about 5 degrees to about 10 degrees.
10 . The system of claim 8 , comprising a diluent bag holder for holding one or more diluent bags, wherein the one or more syringes are configured to insert the removed liquid into one or more diluent bags held by the diluent bag holder.
11 . The system of claim 10 , comprising rollers configured to mix the liquid in the diluent bags.
12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the rollers comprise a first roller and a second roller, and wherein the first and second rollers are configured to contact opposite sides of the one or more diluent bags.
13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the first and second rollers comprise spring loaded wheels.
14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the rollers are configured to contact one or more diluent bags held by the diluent bag holder during the insertion of the liquid by the one or more syringes into the one or more diluent bags.
15 . The system of claim 10 , comprising a dye injector configured to inject a dye into the one or more diluent bags.
16 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the carrier is configured to, after the removal of the liquid, deposit the one or more ampoules in a collection area.
17 . (canceled)
18 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the ampoule carrier is movable relative to a housing.
19 . The system of claim 1 , comprising an ampoule receiver for inserting the one or more ampoules into the ampoule carrier, wherein the ampoule receiver comprises a first opening for receiving an ampoule and a second opening for depositing the ampoule into the ampoule carrier, and wherein the first opening has a greater area than the second opening.
20 . The system of claim 1 , comprising a controller configured to control movement of the ampoule carrier and/or beam relative to one another to perform the ampoule insertion.
21 . (canceled)
22 . A method for opening ampoules, comprising:
a beam comprising at least one opening for receiving part of an ampoule; and
an ampoule carrier for holding one or more ampoules,
wherein the method comprises the steps of:
rotating the beam relative to the carrier, the rotation to cause opposite sides of said opening to apply pressure to said received ampoule held by the carrier; and
breaking off said part of the ampoule received by the opening.