CN113376388A

CN113376388A - Sample analysis system and sample analysis method

Info

Publication number: CN113376388A
Application number: CN202010164090.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张军伟; 郁琦
Original assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-03-10
Filing date: 2020-03-10
Publication date: 2021-09-10

Abstract

The present invention provides a sample analysis system and a sample analysis method, the sample analysis system including a first sample analyzer, a second sample analyzer, a sample transfer device, and a control device electrically connected to the sample transfer device and configured to control an operation of the sample transfer device, the control device being configured to: when sample racks needing to be unloaded simultaneously exist on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, determining the outermost sample rack on the first unloading buffer area or the second unloading buffer area as a first unloading sample rack according to a preset rule, and controlling a corresponding unloading mechanism to transfer the first unloading sample rack from the corresponding unloading buffer area to the transmission channel. The invention can improve the efficiency of the sample analysis system.

Description

Sample analysis system and sample analysis method

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of medical detection, in particular to a sample analysis system and a sample analysis method.

Background

In the field of medical diagnosis, with the increasing automation degree of a test laboratory, the demand for automatic detection is also increasing. The sample analyzer is used for detecting samples such as blood, the samples are generally arranged on a sample rack and are transported by rails, belts and the like, so that the streamlined automatic detection operation is realized. By associating a plurality of sample analysis instruments together through a pipeline, all samples can be uniformly managed and scheduled, and therefore the efficiency of sample analysis is improved.

In the existing in-line type sample analysis system, a variety of sample analyzers are generally included, such as a hemocyte analyzer and a specific protein analyzer, such as CRP (C-reactive protein), SAA (Serum amyloid a), PCT (Procalcitonin), and the like. Since the amount of detection required for the blood cell analysis is large and the amount of detection required for the analysis of a specific protein is small, at least two blood cell analyzers are generally arranged in a line.

One sample may need to be tested by both the blood cell analyzer and the specific protein analyzer, but the single sample testing time of the blood cell analyzer is short, and the single sample testing time of the specific protein analyzer is long. Generally, a test tube rack loaded with samples to be tested by a blood cell analyzer and a specific protein analyzer is firstly dispatched to the blood cell analyzer for routine blood tests, and according to different dispatching strategies, the test tube rack may be dispatched to a first blood cell analyzer firstly or a second blood cell analyzer firstly. The test tube rack waiting for the blood cell analyzer to finish the test can stay in the unloading area of the blood cell analyzer to wait for the next test. When there is a speed difference in multiple analyzers, it is possible that each unloading zone will have a test tube rack left, and even there will be a situation where multiple test tube racks have the same unloading zone. It may happen that the unloading zone of the blood meter is slowed down or stopped because it is not handled in time.

It can be seen that, in the prior art, the efficiency of the pipeline type sample analysis system is low due to the mismatch of the detection speeds of the blood cell analyzer and the specific protein analyzer.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above technical problem or at least partially solve the above technical problem, the present application provides a sample analysis system and a sample analysis method, which can improve the efficiency of the sample analysis system.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a sample analysis system comprising a first sample analyzer, a second sample analyzer, a sample transfer device, and a control device, wherein,

the sample transfer apparatus includes:

a transport mechanism having a transport path configured to transfer a sample rack in which a sample is placed in the transport path,

a first feed mechanism having a first feed channel and a second feed mechanism having a second feed channel, the first feed mechanism and the second feed mechanism being arranged along a transport direction of the transport channel and configured to correspondingly transfer sample racks from the transport channel to the first feed channel and the second feed channel, respectively,

a first unloading buffer between the first feeding channel and the transport channel and a second unloading buffer between the second feeding channel and the transport channel, each configured to store at least one inspected sample rack corresponding to unloading from the first feeding channel and the second feeding channel,

a first unloading mechanism and a second unloading mechanism respectively configured to transfer the sample rack on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area to the transfer passage,

the first sample analyzer and the second sample analyzer are respectively arranged corresponding to the first feeding mechanism and the second feeding mechanism, so that the detection areas of the first sample analyzer and the second sample analyzer are respectively correspondingly positioned in the first feeding channel and the second feeding channel, and the first sample analyzer and the second sample analyzer can correspondingly detect the samples on the sample racks transferred to the first feeding channel and the second feeding channel;

the control device is electrically connected to the sample transfer device and controls the motion of the sample transfer device, and is configured to: when sample racks needing to be unloaded simultaneously exist on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, determining the outermost sample rack on the first unloading buffer area or the second unloading buffer area as a first unloading sample rack according to a preset rule, and controlling a corresponding unloading mechanism to transfer the first unloading sample rack from the corresponding unloading buffer area to the transmission channel, wherein the outermost sample rack is the sample rack closest to the transmission channel on the corresponding unloading buffer area.

In a second aspect, there is provided a sample analyzer method comprising:

the conveying mechanism transfers the plurality of sample racks with the samples in the conveying channel to the positions corresponding to the first feeding mechanism or the second feeding mechanism;

the first feeding mechanism and the second feeding mechanism respectively transfer the corresponding sample racks to the first feeding channel and the second feeding channel, so that the first sample analyzer and the second sample analyzer which are arranged corresponding to the first feeding channel and the second feeding channel detect samples on the corresponding sample racks;

a first unloading buffer corresponding to the first sample analyzer receives the inspected sample rack from the first feed channel, and a second unloading buffer corresponding to the second sample analyzer receives the inspected sample rack from the first feed channel;

when sample racks needing to be unloaded simultaneously exist on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, determining the outermost sample rack on the first unloading buffer area or the second unloading buffer area as a first unloading sample rack according to a preset rule and controlling a corresponding unloading mechanism to transfer the first unloading sample rack from the corresponding unloading buffer area to the transmission channel;

and the outermost sample rack is the sample rack closest to the transmission channel on the corresponding unloading buffer area.

The embodiment of the invention provides a sample analysis system and a corresponding sample analyzer method, which can avoid the accumulation of sample frames/samples in the sample analysis system, avoid the reduction of the detection speed of the sample analyzer or avoid the forced stop of the sample analyzer due to busy, fully utilize the detection capability of the sample analyzer and improve the efficiency of the sample analysis system.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without inventive exercise.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a sample analysis system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sample analysis system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a sample analysis system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a sample analysis method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

The embodiment of the invention provides a sample analysis system. Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a sample analysis system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 1, the sample analysis system includes a first sample analyzer 110, a second sample analyzer 120, a sample transfer device, and a control device (not shown in fig. 1).

The sample transfer apparatus 130 includes: a transport mechanism having a transport path 130 configured to transfer a sample rack in which a sample is placed in the transport path; a first feeding mechanism having a first feeding channel 140 and a second feeding mechanism having a second feeding channel 150, the first feeding mechanism and the second feeding mechanism being arranged along a transport direction of the transport channel 130 and configured to correspondingly transfer a sample rack from the transport channel 130 to the first feeding channel 140 and the second feeding channel 150, respectively; a first unloading buffer 210 located between the first feeding channel 140 and the transport channel 130 and a second unloading buffer 220 located between the second feeding channel 150 and the transport channel 130, respectively configured for storing at least one inspected specimen rack corresponding to unloading from the first feeding channel 140 and the second feeding channel 150; a first unloading mechanism and a second unloading mechanism, which are respectively configured to transfer the sample rack on the first unloading buffer area 210 and the second unloading buffer area 220 to the transport channel 130.

The first sample analyzer 110 and the second sample analyzer 120 are respectively disposed corresponding to the first feeding mechanism and the second feeding mechanism, so that the detection areas of the first sample analyzer 110 and the second sample analyzer 120 are respectively located corresponding to the first feeding channel 140 and the second feeding channel 150, so that the first sample analyzer 110 and the second sample analyzer 120 can respectively detect the samples transferred to the sample racks of the first feeding channel 140 and the second feeding channel 150.

The control device is electrically connected to the sample transfer device and controls the motion of the sample transfer device, and is configured to: when sample racks to be unloaded simultaneously exist on the first unloading buffer area 210 and the second unloading buffer area 220, determining the outermost sample rack on the first unloading buffer area 210 or the second unloading buffer area 220 as a first unloading sample rack according to a preset rule, and controlling a corresponding unloading mechanism to transfer the first unloading sample rack from the corresponding unloading buffer area to the transmission channel 130; and the outermost sample rack is the sample rack closest to the transmission channel on the corresponding unloading buffer area.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first loading buffer and/or the second loading buffer are configured to store a plurality of sample racks.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first sample analyzer and the second sample analyzer are the same sample analyzer, such as a blood cell analyzer for routine blood detection or a specific protein analyzer for specific protein detection or an analyzer integrating routine blood detection and specific protein detection.

In a sample analysis system, a plurality of sample analyzers exist, each sample analyzer can perform one or more kinds of tests on samples, the time for each sample analyzer to test the samples can be different, the sample shelf/sample holding capacity in the sample analysis system is limited, and if the sample shelf/sample enters a transmission channel from an unloading buffer area of the sample analyzer in an unordered manner, a large amount of samples can be accumulated at the transmission channel or a certain sample analyzer with a long test time, so that the samples in the sample analysis system are too much, and some sample analyzers have to stop testing. In the embodiment of the invention, the sample rack entering the transmission channel from the unloading buffer area of the sample analyzer is planned, and particularly when sample racks needing to be unloaded exist on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area at the same time, the sample rack is determined to be unloaded firstly according to the preset rule, and the sample rack unloaded firstly is transferred to the transmission channel, so that the accumulation of the sample rack/sample in the sample analysis system can be avoided, the forced stop of the sample analyzer is avoided, the detection capability of the sample analyzer can be fully utilized, and the efficiency of the sample analysis system is improved.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the preset rule is independent of the time when the sample rack enters the corresponding unloading buffer.

In the conventional sample analysis system, after a sample analyzer detects a sample, a sample rack enters an unloading buffer area, and then sequentially enters a transmission channel according to the time of the sample rack entering the unloading buffer area.

Various implementations of the present invention in which the control device determines to unload the sample rack first according to the preset rules will be described in detail below.

In one embodiment of the invention, the preset rules relate to the number of sample racks or samples stored on the unloading area of the sample analyzer. For example, the control device is configured to, upon determining to unload the sample rack first according to a preset rule: respectively acquiring the number of sample racks or samples stored in the first unloading buffer area 210 and the second unloading buffer area 220; the outermost sample rack on the unloading buffer area where more sample racks or samples are stored is determined as the first to unload sample rack. That is, when more sample racks or samples are stored in the first unloading buffer area 210, the sample racks in the first unloading buffer area 210 are unloaded first; when more sample racks or samples are stored in the second unloading buffer area 220, the sample racks in the second unloading buffer area 220 are unloaded first.

In a sample analysis system, the sample racks are usually moved in and out of the unloading buffer area in a first-in first-out order, that is, the sample rack first enters the unloading buffer area from the sample analyzer and first leaves the unloading buffer area to enter the transfer passage. And the sample rack entering the unloading buffer area firstly is closer to the transmission channel than the sample rack entering the unloading buffer area secondly. The sample rack closest to the transport channel is the outermost sample rack.

In the above embodiment of the present invention, the sample rack is determined to be unloaded first according to the number of the sample racks or the samples stored in the unloading buffer area. Because the sample rack or sample that can be stored in the unloading buffer area of the sample analyzer is limited, if the sample rack or sample in the unloading buffer area reaches an upper limit, other sample racks that have been tested by the sample analyzer cannot enter the unloading buffer area of the sample analyzer. The sample racks which can be accommodated in the feeding channel corresponding to each sample analyzer are limited, usually one or two sample racks are available, if only one sample rack can be accommodated, that is, only one sample rack can be detected, then the sample on the sample rack cannot enter the unloading buffer area after the detection is finished, other sample racks cannot enter the sample analyzer for analysis, and the sample analyzer can only stop to wait for the sample rack in the unloading area to be unloaded, that is, the sample analyzer is forced to stop. If the sample analyzer is forced to stop, other sample racks waiting to enter the sample analyzer can only stay on the transmission channel, so that the transmission channel can not convey other sample racks or samples any more, and the whole sample analysis system is down.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sample analysis system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the sample analysis system includes a first sample analyzer 110, a first unloading buffer 210, a second sample analyzer 120, and a second unloading buffer 220, the first unloading buffer 210 receiving sample racks inspected by the first sample analyzer 110 from the feed path 140, the second unloading buffer 220 receiving sample racks inspected by the second sample analyzer 120 from the feed path 150. Typically, the width of the transport path of a sample analysis system can only accommodate one sample rack at a time. If the amount of buffering in the first unloading buffer 210 reaches an upper limit after the sample rack 2001 enters the first unloading buffer 210, since the number of sample racks that can be accommodated by the feeding path is limited, usually one or two, if the feeding path 140 of the sample analyzer can accommodate only one sample rack, the sample rack 2002 detected by the first analyzer 110 cannot enter the first unloading buffer 210, and the sample rack 2003 cannot enter the sample analyzer for analysis, so that the sample analyzer 110 is forced to stop, and the sample rack 2003 can only stay on the transmission path, which may cause a downtime of the entire sample analysis system.

In the embodiment of the invention, the outermost sample rack on the unloading buffer area where more sample racks or samples are stored is taken as the first unloading sample rack, so that the sample analyzer can be prevented from being forced to stop due to the fact that the sample racks or samples on the unloading buffer area reach the upper storage limit, and the breakdown of a sample analysis system can be avoided.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the preset rule relates to the remaining detection pattern information of the samples of the respective sample racks stored on the unloading area of the sample analyzer. The sample has a remaining test pattern indicating that the sample needs to be tested further, for example, by being transported to a third sample analyzer of the sample analysis system.

In this case, the control device is configured, for example, to, when it is determined according to preset rules that the sample rack is unloaded first: respectively obtaining the remaining detection mode information of at least one sample rack stored in the first unloading buffer area 210 and the second unloading buffer area 220, especially the samples on the outermost sample rack, where the remaining detection mode information includes at least one of the number of remaining detection modes, the priority of the remaining detection modes, and the test duration of the remaining detection modes; determining to unload the sample rack first according to the remaining detection mode information of the first unloading buffer 210 and the second unloading buffer 220.

In one embodiment, the control device is configured to, when it is determined from the remaining detection pattern information of the first unloading buffer and the second unloading buffer that a sample rack is unloaded first: taking the unloading buffer areas with a larger number of the residual detection modes of the samples of the sample racks stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, or with a higher priority, or with a longer test duration as the first unloading buffer area; and after determining the first unloading buffer zone, taking the outermost sample rack as the first unloading sample rack.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the residual detection mode includes at least one of a blood routine retest, a C-reactive protein detection, a serum amyloid a detection, a slide, a glycation detection, and a blood sedimentation detection with priorities from high to low, that is, the residual detection mode is an item to be detected for the sample.

Generally, all samples need blood routine detection, but only part of the samples need specific protein, saccharification, blood sedimentation and the like for detection, and when the detection results of the blood routine, the saccharification and the like and the normal range have large deviation, the samples also need a push sheet for manual reinspection of medical staff. Since only a portion of the sample is required for subsequent tests, other sample analyzers may be idle for a period of time.

The remaining detection mode information includes the number of remaining detection modes, the priorities of the remaining detection modes, and the test durations of the remaining detection modes, and the priorities of the remaining detection modes include a plurality of priorities from high to low.

The number of the remaining detection patterns may be the number of items to be detected, the number of the remaining detection patterns of the samples on the sample rack may be the number of items to be detected of all the samples on each sample rack, for example, two sample racks, sample a1 on sample rack a still needs to detect 1 item, sample a2 still needs to detect 2 items, and sample B1 on sample rack B still needs to detect 1 item, so the number of the remaining detection patterns of sample rack a is 3, and the number of the remaining detection patterns of sample rack B is 1.

The more the number of the remaining detection modes of the sample rack is, the more items which are not detected by the sample rack are indicated, so that the unloading buffer area where the sample rack with more remaining detection modes is located is used as the unloading buffer area, the outermost sample rack of the unloading buffer area is made to go to the next sample analyzer through the transmission channel, the sample rack with more remaining detection modes can be made to go to the next sample analyzer as soon as possible, the time of the sample rack staying in the sample analysis system is reduced, the total number of the sample racks or samples in the sample analysis system is reduced, and the efficiency of the sample analysis system is improved.

The items to be tested may be different for each sample, and the test duration consumed for each test item may be different.

The unloading buffer zone where the sample rack with longer test duration of the remaining detection mode is located is used as a first unloading buffer zone, so that the outermost sample rack of the first unloading buffer zone is sent to the next sample analyzer through the transmission channel, the time of the sample rack staying in the sample analysis system is reduced, the total number of the sample racks or samples in the sample analysis system is reduced, the efficiency of the sample analysis system is improved, and meanwhile, a detection report of the samples on the sample racks is facilitated to be sent out as soon as possible.

The priorities are also different in the plurality of remaining detection modes. All samples are usually subjected to routine blood tests, and if the routine blood tests result too much from the normal value, the samples are subjected to routine blood retesting. The priority of blood routine retesting is usually highest. For example, when the sample rack of the first unloading zone, especially the outermost sample rack, has the remaining measurement pattern of the blood routine retest, while the sample rack of the second unloading zone, especially the outermost sample rack, has no remaining measurement pattern of the blood routine retest, and only has other remaining measurement patterns with lower priority, the sample rack on the first unloading zone is unloaded to the transport path first.

The priorities of the remaining detection modes can be adjusted according to the specific type of the sample analyzer in the sample analysis system or the items to be detected of the sample, and are not described herein again.

The unloading buffer zone where the sample rack with the higher priority of the rest detection modes is located is used as the unloading buffer zone, the outermost sample rack of the unloading buffer zone is made to go to the next sample analyzer through the transmission channel, so that the sample rack with the rest detection modes with the higher priority can also go to the next sample analyzer as soon as possible, the detection capability of the subsequent sample analyzers is fully utilized, the time of the sample rack staying in the sample analysis system is reduced, the total number of the sample racks or samples in the sample analysis system is reduced, and the efficiency of the sample analysis system is improved.

The sample analysis system can determine to unload the sample rack first according to at least one of the number of the remaining detection modes, the test duration of the remaining detection modes, and the priority of the remaining detection modes, so that the efficiency of the sample analysis system can be improved.

In this embodiment of the present invention, if the control device determines to unload the sample rack first according to the number of the remaining detection modes of the samples of the sample rack in the unloading buffer, and the number of the remaining detection modes of the samples stored in the sample rack in the first unloading buffer is the same as that in the second unloading buffer, then:

the unloading buffer area with higher priority of the rest detection modes of the stored samples on the sample rack is taken as the first unloading buffer area, or

The unloading buffer area with longer test time of the rest detection mode of the stored samples on the sample rack is taken as the unloading buffer area first, or

And taking the unloading buffer zone with the largest number of the residual detection modes of the samples stored on the outermost sample rack as a first unloading buffer zone.

And after determining the first unloading buffer zone, taking the outermost sample rack as the first unloading sample rack.

That is, if the first unloading sample rack is determined according to the number of the remaining detection modes of the samples of the sample rack in the unloading buffer, and the number of the remaining detection modes of the samples stored in the sample rack in the first unloading buffer is the same as that in the second unloading buffer, the first unloading buffer may be determined according to the priority of the remaining detection modes or the measurement duration of the remaining detection modes, so as to determine the first unloading sample rack. Or the first unloading of the sample rack may be determined according to the number, priority or test duration of the remaining test patterns of the samples on the outermost sample rack.

In this embodiment of the present invention, if the control device determines to unload the sample rack first according to the priorities of the remaining detection modes of the samples of the sample rack in the unloading buffer, and the highest priorities of the remaining detection modes of the samples on the sample rack stored in the first unloading buffer and the sample rack stored in the second unloading buffer are the same, then:

the unloading buffer area with the larger number of the residual detection modes of the stored samples on the sample rack is used as the unloading buffer area first, or

The unloading buffer area with longer measurement time of the rest detection mode of the stored samples on the sample rack is used as the unloading buffer area first, or

And taking the unloading buffer zone with higher priority of the rest detection modes of the stored samples on the outermost sample rack as a first unloading buffer zone.

In this embodiment of the present invention, if the control device determines to unload the sample rack first according to the test duration of the remaining test pattern of the sample rack in the unloading buffer, and the maximum values of the test durations of the remaining test patterns of the samples on the sample rack stored in the first unloading buffer and the second unloading buffer are the same, then:

And taking the unloading buffer zone with higher priority of the rest detection modes of the stored samples on the sample rack as a first unloading buffer zone.

In practical applications, the number of remaining detection modes, the highest priority of the priorities, and the maximum value of the test duration of the samples of the sample racks in different unloading buffers may be the same. For convenience of description, the number of the remaining detection modes, the highest priority of the priorities, and the maximum value of the test duration may be collectively referred to as the judgment factors, and then, under the condition that one of the judgment factors is the same, the judgment may be performed according to the other two judgment factors to confirm that the sample rack is unloaded first.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the preset rule relates to the remaining detection pattern information of the samples on the outermost sample racks stored on the unloading area of the sample analyzer. Accordingly, the control device is configured to, upon determining to unload the sample rack first according to the preset rules: respectively obtaining the residual detection mode information of the samples on the outermost sample racks respectively stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, wherein the residual detection mode information comprises at least one of the number of the residual detection modes, the priority of the residual detection modes and the test duration of the residual detection modes; and determining to unload the sample rack first according to the residual detection mode information of the outermost sample rack of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area.

Further, the control device is configured to, when determining to unload the sample rack first according to the remaining detection mode information of the outermost sample rack of the first unloading buffer and the second unloading buffer: determining the outermost sample rack with more remaining detection modes or with the remaining detection modes with higher priority or with the remaining detection modes with longer test duration in the outermost sample racks of the first unloading buffer zone and the second unloading buffer zone as the first unloading sample rack.

The sample analysis system can determine to unload the sample rack first according to any one of the number of the remaining detection modes of the sample of the outermost sample rack, the test duration of the remaining detection modes, and the priority of the remaining detection modes, and can improve the efficiency of the sample analysis system.

In this embodiment of the present invention, if the control device determines to unload the sample rack first according to the number of the remaining detection modes of the sample on the outermost sample rack of the unloading buffer, and the number of the remaining detection modes of the sample on the outermost sample rack of the first unloading buffer is the same as that on the outermost sample rack of the second unloading buffer, then:

the unloading buffer zone with higher priority of the rest detection modes of the samples stored on the outermost sample rack is taken as the unloading-first buffer zone, or

And taking the unloading buffer zone with longer measurement time of the rest detection modes of the stored samples on the outermost sample rack as the unloading buffer zone.

That is, if the outermost sample racks on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area have the remaining detection modes and the number of the remaining detection modes is the same, the outermost sample rack having the remaining detection mode with the higher priority or the remaining detection mode with the longer waiting time among the outermost sample racks of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area is determined as the first unloading sample rack.

In this embodiment of the present invention, if the control device determines to unload the sample rack first according to the priority of the remaining detection patterns of the samples on the outermost sample rack of the unloading buffer, and the priorities of the remaining detection patterns of the samples on the outermost sample rack of the first unloading buffer and the outermost sample rack of the second unloading buffer are the same, then:

the unloading buffer area with the larger number of the residual detection modes of the samples stored on the outermost sample rack is used as the unloading buffer area firstly, or

And taking the unloading buffer zone with longer test time of the rest detection modes of the stored samples on the outermost sample rack as the unloading buffer zone.

That is, if the outermost sample racks on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area have the remaining detection patterns with the highest priority, the outermost sample rack with more remaining detection patterns or more remaining detection patterns with the highest priority or the remaining detection patterns with longer waiting time among the outermost sample racks of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area is determined as the first unloading sample rack. For example, when the outermost sample rack of the first unloading buffer zone has two samples requiring blood routine retesting and one sample requiring CRP measurement, and the outermost sample rack of the second unloading buffer zone has three samples requiring blood routine retesting, i.e., the outermost sample racks on both unloading buffers have samples requiring blood routine retesting, the outermost sample rack of the second unloading buffer zone is preferentially unloaded because there are more blood routine retesting samples on the outermost sample rack of the second unloading buffer zone.

In this embodiment of the present invention, if the control device determines to unload the sample rack first according to the test duration of the remaining test pattern of the sample on the outermost sample rack in the unloading buffer, and the test durations of the remaining test patterns of the samples on the outermost sample rack in the first unloading buffer and the outermost sample rack in the second unloading buffer are the same, then:

the unloading buffer area with a large number of residual detection modes of the stored samples on the outermost sample rack is used as the unloading buffer area first, or

That is, if the outermost sample racks on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area have the remaining detection modes with the same longest waiting time, the outermost sample rack with more remaining detection modes or the remaining detection modes with higher priority in the outermost sample racks of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area is determined as the first unloading sample rack.

In practical applications, the number, priority, and test duration of the remaining test patterns of the samples of the outermost sample racks in different unloading buffers may be the same. For convenience of description, the number, priority, and test duration of the remaining test patterns may be collectively referred to as the judgment factors, and then, under the condition that one of the judgment factors is the same, the judgment may be performed according to the other two judgment factors to confirm that the sample rack is unloaded first.

In the embodiment of the invention, when the outermost sample rack has no residual pattern, the scheduling is performed according to the inner sample rack. That is, if the outermost sample racks on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area do not have the remaining detection mode, respectively obtaining the remaining detection mode information of the samples on the inner sample racks stored on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, where the inner sample rack is a sample rack between the corresponding outermost sample rack and the corresponding feeding channel on the corresponding unloading buffer area; and determining to unload the sample rack first according to the residual detection mode information of the inner sample rack on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area. The specific determination method is similar to the above, and is not described herein again.

As can be seen from the above, the first unloading of a sample rack can be determined by the remaining measurement pattern information of the samples of at least one sample rack on each unloading zone. For example, the first-to-unload sample rack may be determined by the sample remaining measurement pattern information of all sample racks on the unloading zone, or the first-to-unload sample rack may be determined by the sample remaining measurement pattern information of the outermost sample rack on the unloading zone, or the first-to-unload sample rack may be determined by combining the sample remaining measurement pattern information of the outermost sample rack on the unloading zone with the sample remaining measurement pattern information of the inner sample rack.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the preset rules relate to the number of sample racks or samples stored on the unloading area of the sample analyzer and the remaining measurement patterns of the samples. For example, when the control device determines to unload the sample rack first according to the preset rule: respectively obtaining the residual detection mode information of at least one sample rack stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, especially the samples on the outermost sample rack, wherein the residual detection mode information comprises at least one of the number of residual detection modes, the priority of the residual detection modes and the test duration of the residual detection modes, and the residual detection modes indicate that the samples need to be further detected; and if the number of the sample racks or the samples stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area is the same, determining to unload the sample racks firstly according to the residual detection mode information of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area. The specific method for determining to unload the sample rack first according to the remaining detection mode information may refer to the above description, and will not be described herein again.

The number of the sample racks or the samples in the unloading buffer area and the remaining detection modes of the samples of the sample racks, particularly the remaining detection modes of the samples of the outermost sample rack, are comprehensively considered to determine the unloading buffer area first and then determine the unloading sample rack first, so that the detection capability of a subsequent sample analyzer is fully utilized, the time of the sample rack staying in the sample analysis system is reduced, the total number of the sample racks or the samples in the sample analysis system is reduced, and the efficiency of the sample analysis system is improved.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, the preset rule is related to an operation state of the unloading destination of the outermost sample rack on the unloading zone. For example, the control device is configured to, upon determining to unload the sample rack first according to a preset rule:

respectively acquiring the residual detection mode information of the samples on the outermost sample racks stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area;

respectively acquiring unloading destinations of the outermost sample racks on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area according to the residual detection mode information, and acquiring the running states of the unloading destinations;

and determining to unload the sample rack firstly according to the running state of the unloading destination.

In one embodiment, the sample analyzer system further comprises a third sample analyzer, the control device is electrically connected to the third sample analyzer, the third sample analyzer is configured to detect samples with corresponding remaining detection modes, and the control device determines to unload the sample rack first according to a preset rule, including:

acquiring the running state of the third sample analyzer, wherein the running state of the third sample analyzer comprises receiving scheduling and not receiving scheduling;

obtaining residual detection mode information of samples of the outermost sample rack stored in the unloading buffer area, wherein the residual detection mode information comprises residual equipment to be detected;

and if the residual equipment to be detected of the sample of the outermost sample rack of one unloading buffer area is the third sample analyzer and the running state of the third sample analyzer is not receiving scheduling, taking the outermost sample rack of the other unloading buffer area as the first unloading sample rack.

Some devices in the sample analysis system may not receive more sample racks and samples within a certain time period because the time length for detecting a single sample is long, and at this time, the operation state of the device is "no-receiving scheduling"; or when the equipment fails, the running state is also 'not receiving scheduling'. When the device can accept a sample rack or sample, the state of the device can change to "accept schedule".

For example, a device can only detect one sample rack at a time, and the loading buffer area can temporarily store four sample racks at most. When there is one sample rack inside the apparatus and there are four sample racks in the loading buffer, the apparatus state is "no schedule received".

For devices that "do not accept scheduling", if more sample racks or samples are sent, these samples can only accumulate on the transport path, causing a "jam" on the transport path.

In order to avoid the situation, if the residual equipment to be detected of the samples of the outermost sample rack in the unloading buffer area of the sample analyzer is the equipment which is not subjected to scheduling, the sample racks in other unloading buffer areas enter the transmission channel, so that the blockage of the transmission channel is avoided, and the efficiency of the sample analysis system is improved.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the preset rules relate to the sample racks to be tested of the first and second sample analyzers.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a sample analysis system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In fig. 3, functional units having the same reference numerals as those in fig. 1 and 2 have the same and similar functions. The first feeding mechanism further comprises a first loading buffer 310 located between the first feeding channel 140 and the transport channel 130, the first loading buffer being configured to store at least one sample rack to be tested, and a first loading mechanism (not shown) configured to move a sample rack stored on the first loading buffer to the first feeding channel 140. The second feeding mechanism further comprises a second loading buffer 320 located between the second feeding channel 150 and the transport channel 130, and a second loading mechanism (not shown), the second loading buffer being configured to store at least one sample rack to be tested, the second loading mechanism being configured to move the sample rack stored in the second loading buffer 320 to the second feeding channel 150.

The control equipment determines to unload the sample racks firstly according to a preset rule, and comprises the steps of respectively obtaining the number of the sample racks or samples on the first loading buffer area and/or the first transmission channel and the number of the sample racks or samples on the second unloading buffer area and/or the second transmission channel; the outermost sample rack of the unloading buffers corresponding to the loading buffers and/or the feed lanes with more sample racks or samples is taken as the first unloading sample rack.

In this embodiment, the number of sample racks/samples loaded into the buffer or/and the feed path is counted, and represents the down-weighting due to instrument stoppage. When the unloading areas of the plurality of sample analyzers all have sample racks to be unloaded, the sample racks in the unloading areas with larger weights are preferentially dispatched compared with the deceleration weights before analysis.

In one embodiment, the first and/or second unloading buffer is configured to store a plurality of sample racks.

In an embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, a schematic structural diagram of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided. The control device 30 comprises at least: processing component 31, RAM112, ROM113, communication interface 34, memory 36, and I/O interface 35, where processing component 31, RAM32, ROM33, communication interface 34, memory 36, and I/O interface 35 communicate over bus 37.

The processing component may be a CPU, GPU or other chip with computing capabilities.

The memory 36 stores therein various computer programs such as an operating system and an application program to be executed by the processor unit 31, and data necessary for executing the computer programs. In addition, data stored locally during the sample testing process, if desired, may be stored in memory 36.

The I/O interface 35 is constituted by a serial interface such as USB, IEEE1394, or RS-232C, a parallel interface such as SCSI, IDE, or IEEE1284, and an analog signal interface composed of a D/a converter and an a/D converter. The I/O interface 35 is connected to an input device comprising a keyboard, mouse, touch screen or other control buttons, and a user can directly input data to the control device 30 using the input device. In addition, a display having a display function, such as: liquid crystal screen, touch screen, LED display screen, etc., the control device 30 may output the processed data as image display data to a display for display, for example: analytical data, instrument operating parameters, etc.

The communication interface 34 is an interface that may be any communication protocol known today. The communication interface 34 communicates with the outside through a network. The control device 30 may communicate data with any of the devices connected through the network via the communication interface 34 in a communication protocol.

Corresponding to the sample analysis system, the embodiment of the invention also provides a sample analysis method. Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a sample analysis method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and as shown in fig. 5, the method includes:

step 410, the conveying mechanism transfers a plurality of sample racks with samples in the conveying channel to the positions corresponding to the first feeding mechanism or the second feeding mechanism;

step 420, the first feeding mechanism and the second feeding mechanism respectively transfer the corresponding sample racks to a first feeding channel and a second feeding channel, so that the first sample analyzer and the second sample analyzer which are arranged corresponding to the first feeding channel and the second feeding channel detect the samples on the corresponding sample racks;

step 430, a first unloading buffer corresponding to the first sample analyzer receives the detected sample rack from the first feeding channel, and a second unloading buffer corresponding to the second sample analyzer receives the detected sample rack from the first feeding channel;

step 440, when sample racks to be unloaded simultaneously exist on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, determining that the sample racks to be unloaded are unloaded first according to a preset rule and controlling the corresponding unloading mechanisms to transfer the sample racks to the transmission channel from the corresponding unloading buffer areas, that is, determining the outermost sample rack on the first unloading buffer area or the second unloading buffer area as the sample rack to be unloaded first according to the preset rule and controlling the corresponding unloading mechanisms to transfer the sample rack to be unloaded first from the corresponding unloading buffer areas to the transmission channel, wherein the outermost sample rack is the sample rack closest to the transmission channel on the corresponding unloading buffer area.

In the embodiment of the invention, the preset rule is irrelevant to the time for the sample rack to enter the corresponding unloading buffer area.

In step 440, in the embodiment of the present invention, determining to unload the sample rack first according to a preset rule includes:

respectively acquiring the number of sample racks or samples stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area;

the outermost sample rack on the unloading buffer area where more sample racks or samples are stored is taken as the first unloading sample rack.

In step 440, in the embodiment of the present invention, determining to unload the sample rack first according to a preset rule includes: respectively obtaining the remaining detection mode information of at least one sample rack stored in the first unloading buffer area 210 and the second unloading buffer area 220, especially the samples on the outermost sample rack, where the remaining detection mode information includes at least one of the number of remaining detection modes, the priority of the remaining detection modes, and the test duration of the remaining detection modes; determining to unload the sample rack first according to the remaining detection mode information of the first unloading buffer 210 and the second unloading buffer 220.

In this embodiment of the present invention, if the control device determines to unload the sample rack first according to the number of the remaining detection modes of the samples of the sample rack in the unloading buffer, and the maximum values of the number of the remaining detection modes of the samples stored in the first unloading buffer and the second unloading buffer are the same, then:

And taking the unloading buffer zone with a large number of the residual detection modes of the stored samples on the outermost sample rack as a first unloading buffer zone.

In this embodiment of the present invention, if the control device determines to unload the sample rack first according to the total duration of the remaining detection modes of the samples of the sample rack in the unloading buffer, and the maximum values of the test durations of the remaining detection modes of the samples on the sample rack stored in the first unloading buffer and the second unloading buffer are the same, then:

the unloading buffer zone with the largest number of the remaining detection modes of the stored samples on the sample rack is used as the first unloading buffer zone, or

The unloading buffer zone with the highest priority of the rest detection modes of the stored samples on the sample rack is taken as the first unloading buffer zone, or

respectively obtaining the residual detection mode information of the samples on the outermost sample racks respectively stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, wherein the residual detection mode information comprises at least one of the number of the residual detection modes, the priority of the residual detection modes and the test duration of the residual detection modes; and determining to unload the sample rack first according to the residual detection mode information of the outermost sample rack of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area.

Further, when determining to unload the sample rack first according to the remaining detection mode information of the outermost sample rack of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area: determining the outermost sample rack with more remaining detection modes or with the remaining detection modes with higher priority or with the remaining detection modes with longer test duration in the outermost sample racks of the first unloading buffer zone and the second unloading buffer zone as the first unloading sample rack.

Further, if the outermost sample racks on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area have the remaining detection modes and the number of the remaining detection modes is the same, determining the outermost sample rack with the remaining detection mode with higher priority or the outermost sample rack with the remaining detection mode with longer waiting time in the outermost sample racks of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area as the first unloading sample rack; or

If the outermost sample racks on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area have the remaining detection modes with the same highest priority, determining the outermost sample rack with more remaining detection modes or more remaining detection modes with the same highest priority or the remaining detection modes with longer waiting time among the outermost sample racks of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area as a first unloading sample rack; or

And if the outermost sample racks on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area have the remaining detection modes with the same longest waiting time, determining the outermost sample rack with more remaining detection modes or the remaining detection modes with higher priority in the outermost sample racks of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area as a first unloading sample rack.

acquiring the number of the sample racks or the samples respectively stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, and the residual detection mode information of the samples respectively stored in at least one sample rack, especially the outermost sample rack;

if the number of the sample racks or the number of the samples stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area are the same, determining to unload the sample racks first according to the residual detection mode information of the samples on the sample racks;

the remaining detection mode information includes at least one of the number of remaining detection modes, the priority of the remaining detection modes, and the test duration of the remaining detection modes, and the priority of the remaining detection modes includes a plurality of priorities from high to low.

respectively obtaining the residual detection mode information of the samples on the outermost sample racks stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, wherein the residual detection mode indicates that the samples need to be further detected;

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first feeding mechanism and the second feeding mechanism respectively transfer the corresponding sample rack to the first feeding channel and the second feeding channel, and the method includes:

a first loading mechanism of the first feeding mechanism moves the sample rack moved from the transport channel onto a first loading buffer of the first feeding mechanism to the first feeding channel;

a second loading mechanism of the second feeding mechanism moves the sample rack moved from the transport channel onto a second loading buffer of the second feeding mechanism to the second feeding channel;

correspondingly, in step 440, determining to unload the sample rack first according to the preset rule includes:

obtaining the number of sample racks or samples on the first load buffer and/or the first transport lane and the number of sample racks or samples on the second unload buffer and/or the second transport lane,

the outermost sample rack of the unloading buffers corresponding to the loading buffers and/or the feed lanes with more sample racks or samples is taken as the first unloading sample rack.

For other expanded embodiments of the method according to the embodiment of the present invention, reference may be made to the above description of the system according to the embodiment of the present invention, and details are not described herein again.

The method provided by the embodiment of the invention can improve the efficiency of the sample analysis system.

The embodiment of the invention provides a sample analysis system and a sample analysis method, wherein the sample analysis system comprises: comprising a first sample analyzer, a second sample analyzer, a sample transfer device, and a control device electrically connected to and controlling the action of the sample transfer device and configured to: when sample racks needing to be unloaded simultaneously exist on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, determining to unload the sample racks firstly according to a preset rule and controlling the corresponding unloading mechanism to transfer the sample racks firstly to the transmission channel from the corresponding unloading buffer areas. The sample analysis system can avoid the accumulation of the sample rack/sample in the sample analysis system, avoid the forced stop of the sample analyzer, fully utilize the detection capability of the sample analyzer and improve the efficiency of the sample analysis system.

It is noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second," and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Also, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising an … …" does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

The features mentioned above in the description, the drawing and the claims can be combined with one another in any desired manner, provided they are meaningful and not mutually inconsistent within the context of the invention. The features and advantages described for the sample analysis system according to an embodiment of the invention apply in a corresponding manner to the sample analysis method according to an embodiment of the invention and vice versa.

The foregoing are merely exemplary embodiments of the present invention, which enable those skilled in the art to understand or practice the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A sample analysis system comprising a first sample analyzer, a second sample analyzer, a sample transfer device, and a control device, wherein,

the sample transfer apparatus includes:

a first unloading mechanism and a second unloading mechanism which are respectively configured to transfer the sample racks on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area to the transmission channel;

the control device is electrically connected to the sample transfer device and controls the motion of the sample transfer device, and is configured to: when sample racks needing to be unloaded simultaneously exist on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, determining the outermost sample rack on the first unloading buffer area or the second unloading buffer area as a first unloading sample rack according to a preset rule and controlling a corresponding unloading mechanism to transfer the first unloading sample rack from the corresponding unloading buffer area to the transmission channel;

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined rule is independent of a time at which a sample rack enters a corresponding unload buffer.

3. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device is configured to, upon determining to unload the sample rack first according to a preset rule:

respectively acquiring the number of the sample racks or the samples stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area;

the outermost sample rack on the unloading buffer area where more sample racks or samples are stored is determined as the first to unload sample rack.

4. The system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device is configured to, upon determining to unload the sample rack first according to a preset rule:

respectively obtaining the residual detection mode information of at least one sample rack stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, especially the samples on the outermost sample rack, wherein the residual detection mode information comprises at least one of the number of residual detection modes, the priority of the residual detection modes and the test duration of the residual detection modes, and the residual detection modes indicate that the samples need to be further detected;

determining to unload the sample rack first according to the remaining detection mode information of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the control device is configured to, upon determining to unload a sample rack first based on the remaining detection pattern information of the first and second unload buffers:

determining the outermost sample rack with more remaining detection modes or with the remaining detection modes with higher priority or with the remaining detection modes with longer test duration in the outermost sample racks of the first unloading buffer zone and the second unloading buffer zone as the first unloading sample rack.

6. The system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the control device is configured to, when determining to unload a sample rack first from the remaining detection pattern information of the first and second unloading buffers:

if the outermost sample racks on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area have residual detection modes and the number of the residual detection modes is the same, determining the outermost sample rack with the residual detection mode with higher priority or the residual detection mode with longer waiting time in the outermost sample racks of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area as a first unloading sample rack; or

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the control device is configured to, upon determining to unload a sample rack first based on the remaining detection pattern information of the first and second unload buffers:

if the outermost sample racks on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area do not have the residual detection modes, respectively obtaining the residual detection mode information of the samples on the inner sample racks stored on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area, wherein the inner sample racks are sample racks between the corresponding outermost sample racks and the corresponding feeding channels on the corresponding unloading buffer areas;

and determining to unload the sample rack first according to the residual detection mode information of the inner sample rack on the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the control device is further configured to, upon determining to unload the sample rack first according to a preset rule:

and if the number of the sample racks or the samples stored in the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area is the same, determining to unload the sample racks firstly according to the residual detection mode information of the first unloading buffer area and the second unloading buffer area.

9. The system of any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the residual assay format comprises at least one of a high-to-low priority blood routine retest, a C-reactive protein assay, a serum amyloid A assay, a push-to-sheet, a glycation assay, a blood sedimentation assay.

10. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the control device is configured to, upon determining to unload the sample rack first according to a preset rule:

11. The system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first feed mechanism further comprises a first loading buffer located between the first feed lane and the transport lane, the first loading buffer configured to store at least one sample rack to be tested, and a first loading mechanism configured to move a sample rack stored on the first loading buffer to the first feed lane;

the second feeding mechanism further comprises a second loading buffer area and a second loading mechanism, wherein the second loading buffer area is located between the second feeding channel and the transmission channel and is configured to store at least one sample rack to be detected, and the second loading mechanism is configured to transfer the sample rack stored in the second loading buffer area to the second feeding channel;

wherein the control device is configured to, when it is determined according to a preset rule that the sample rack is unloaded first:

obtaining the number of sample racks or samples on the first loading buffer area and/or the first transport path and the number of sample racks or samples on the second unloading buffer area and/or the second transport path, respectively,

the outermost sample rack of the unloading buffers corresponding to the loading buffers and/or the feed lanes with more sample racks or samples is determined to be the first to unload sample racks.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first load buffer and/or the second load buffer are configured to store a plurality of sample racks.

13. The system of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the first and/or second unload buffer is configured to store a plurality of sample racks.

14. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the first and second sample analyzers are the same sample analyzer, such as both a hematology analyzer for routine testing of blood or a specific protein analyzer for specific protein testing or an analyzer integrating routine testing of blood and specific protein testing.

15. A sample analyzer method, comprising:

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined rule is independent of a time at which a sample rack enters a corresponding unload buffer.

17. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein determining to unload the sample rack first according to a predetermined rule comprises:

18. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein determining to unload the sample rack first according to a predetermined rule comprises:

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining to unload a sample rack first based on the remaining detection mode information for the first unload buffer and the second unload buffer comprises:

20. The method of claim 17, wherein determining to unload the sample rack first according to a predetermined rule comprises:

21. The method of any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein determining to unload the sample rack first according to a preset rule comprises:

22. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein the first and second feed mechanisms move respective sample racks to first and second feed channels, respectively, comprising:

determining to unload the sample rack first according to a preset rule, comprising: