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EP-4022320-B1 - PHOTOMETER OPTICAL COUPLING FOR A DUAL INCUBATION RING USING A PERISCOPE DESIGN

EP4022320B1EP 4022320 B1EP4022320 B1EP 4022320B1EP-4022320-B1

Inventors

  • MIZZER, JOHN P.
  • WOOD, DONALD

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20200827

Claims (7)

  1. A system (100) for coupling photometers to an incubation ring for use in in vitro diagnostics, the system (100) comprising: one or more light sources; an incubation ring assembly (1020) comprising an internal trough (105B), which is closer to the center point of the incubation ring assembly and an external trough (105A), which is farthest to the center point of the incubation rind assembly, wherein each trough (105A, 105B) comprises (a) an internal wall, which is closer to the center point of the incubation ring assembly comprising an internal aperture and (b) an external wall, which is farthest to the center point of the incubation ring assembly comprising an external aperture; a first photometer positioned with respect to the internal trough (105B), wherein the first photometer comprises: a first optics housing (110) directing light from the light sources through the external aperture of the internal trough (105B), and a first detector (115) positioned to receive the light through the internal aperture of the internal trough (105B); and a second photometer mounted positioned with respect to the external trough (105A), wherein the second photometer comprises: a second optics housing (110) directing the light from the light sources through the internal aperture of the external trough (105A), and a second detector (115) positioned to receive the light through the external aperture of the external trough (105A), wherein the incubation ring assembly (1020) comprises an upper surface (130A) defined by open sections of the internal trough (105B) and the external trough (105A) and a lower surface (130B) located opposite to the upper surface (130A), and the system (100) further comprises: a base plate (125) positioned below the lower surface (130B) of the incubation ring assembly (1020), wherein the first photometer and the second photometer are each mounted to the base plate (125), wherein the one or more light sources are positioned below the base plate (125) with respect to the incubation ring assembly (1020), and wherein the first detector (115) and the second detector (115) are each positioned below the base plate (125) with respect to the incubation ring assembly (1020).
  2. The system (100) of claim 1, further comprising: one or more fiber optic cables (1015A) transmitting the light from the light sources to the first optics housing (110) and the second optics housing (110).
  3. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the first optics housing (110) comprises: a vertical channel (110A) for receiving a fiber optic cable (120) transmitting the light from the light sources, a horizontal channel (110B) connected to the external aperture of the internal trough (105B), and one or more reflecting surfaces (110C) for redirecting the light from the vertical channel (110A) to the horizontal channel (110B) and through the external aperture of the internal trough (105B).
  4. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the second optics housing (110) comprises: a vertical channel (110A) for receiving a fiber optic cable (120) transmitting the light from the light sources, a horizontal channel (110B) connected to the internal aperture of the external trough (105A), and one or more reflecting surfaces for redirecting the light from the vertical channel (110A) to the horizontal channel (110B) and through the internal aperture of the external trough (105A).
  5. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the light sources comprise (a) a first light source (910) connected to the first optics housing (110) via a first fiber optic cable (120) and (b) a second light source (910) connected to the second optics housing (110) via a second fiber optic cable (120).
  6. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the one or more light sources comprise a single light source (910) connected to the first optics housing (110) and the second optics housing (110) via a second fiber optic cable (120) via a bifurcated fiber optic cable (120) bundle.
  7. A method of testing a sample in an in vitro diagnostics system (100) according to claim 1, the method comprising: receiving a light signal from a fiber optic cable (120) in a vertical channel (110A) of an optics housing (110); directing the light signal onto a reflecting surface (110C) of the optics housing (110) such that the light signal is reflected at an angle and through a first aperture (105C) of a trough (105B) of an incubation ring assembly (1020); receiving the light signal by a detector (115) through a second aperture (105C) of the trough (105B) of the incubation ring assembly (1020); processing the light signal to determine one or more photometric measurements.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates generally to systems, methods, and apparatuses for coupling photometers to an incubation ring for use in automated clinical chemistry analyzers in vitro diagnostics applications. BACKGROUND In vitro diagnostics (IVD) allows labs to assist in the diagnosis of disease based on assays performed on patient fluid samples. IVD includes various types of analytical tests and assays related to patient diagnosis and therapy that can be performed by analysis of a liquid sample taken from a patient's bodily fluids, or abscesses. These assays are typically conducted with automated clinical chemistry analyzers (analyzers) onto which fluid containers, such as tubes or vials, containing patient samples, have been loaded. The analyzer extracts a liquid sample from the vial and combines the sample with various reagents in special reaction cuvettes or tubes (referred to, generally, as reaction vessels). A modular approach is often used for analyzers. Some larger systems include a lab automation system that can shuttle patient samples between one sample processing module and another module. These modules include one or more stations, including sample handling stations and testing stations. Testing stations are units that specialize in certain types of assays and provide predefined testing services to samples in the analyzer. Exemplary testing stations include immunoassay (IA) and clinical chemistry (CC) stations. In some laboratories, typically including smaller labs, these testing stations can be provided as independent/standalone analyzers or testing modules, allowing an operator to manually load and unload individual samples or trays of samples for CC or IA testing at each station in the lab. At the heart of a typical CC analyzer/module is an incubation ring assembly. To perform the above-described assays, the reactions need to take place at a well-controlled temperature range, typically coinciding with the nominal temperature of the human body samples. The incubator ring rotates relative to a fixed base, typically driven by a motor affixed to the base that drives a gear ring or belt on the moving ring. This allows assays of varying length to be performed in parallel, allowing some cuvettes to receive analytes/reagents, some receive sample aliquots, some to be analyzed, some to be washed, etc., simultaneously. One assay of particular relevance to the present application is photometric analysis. This analysis is performed using photometers coupled to the ring that pass light through sample tubes as they move on the ring. DE 3500639 A1 discloses a photometric analyzer for chemical analyses comprises a turntable on which along its circumference a number of reaction vessels is arranged. The reaction vessels can be can be rotated intermittently by a plurality of divisions. The analyzer further comprises a sample dispenser which dispenses the respective sample into a multiplicity of reaction vessels (2), and a reagent dispenser which dispenses different reagents, corresponding to different test objectives, into a multiplicity of reaction vessels. JP S57 147760 U discloses an analyzer which measures reaction lines constituted of two rows of inner and outer peripheries. The device comprises two light sources, wherein the light sources direct light through the external windows of the internal and external trough. In some systems, to regulate temperature, the base is commonly heated with a conventional heating element driven by a controller that receives thermal feedback from a temperature sensor in thermal contact with the base. The thermally controlled base heats the air gap between the base and the incubator ring, which heats the cuvette. An enclosure is provided to help insulate the entire volume of air inside. By residing in the thermally regulated air, the ring maintains the set temperature when in a steady state condition. In other systems, to regulate temperature, the dual reaction rings are filled with water, which is heated by an enclosed heater element driven by a controller that receives thermal feedback from a temperature sensor in contact with the water. This heats the water bath to the desired reaction temperature. The reaction cuvettes are in direct contact with the water bath, and move in a constant motion to maintain the set point in a steady state condition. Recently, a dual incubation ring design has been developed to increase the throughput of the CC modules. In contrast to a conventional single ring design, a dual incubation ring has two rings: an inner ring and a larger, outer ring. Each ring is capable of transporting samples through different assays independently. However, current dual incubation ring designs do not allow for the use of a direct optical coupling of the photometer light source, and light detector components due to space constraints. SUMMARY Embodiments of the present invention address and overcome one or more of the above shortcomings and drawbacks