Automated integrated slide-processing system

摘要

The present invention relates to an integrated automated slide processing system, especially to stain, to cover and to digitize one or more microscope slides (49) in one turn. Said system comprises, as a single apparatus, at least one incubation drawer, an incubation drawer carrier (1), a manipulation tray (2), a manipulation arm (3), a reagent changing unit (4), a washing and rinsing unit, a drop removal unit, a staining/pipetting unit (13), a coverslipping unit (14), a preview image recording unit (15), a digitizing unit (16) and a control computer (18) electrically connected with and providing control over said units, wherein each of the one or more unstained and un-covered microscope slides with sample to be stained, covered and digitized is arranged in an incubation drawer having sidewalls defining a vertically constrained slide receiving space, and wherein the above listed units form a treating path along which said microscope slide (49) is converted into a stained, covered and, at least partially, digitized microscope slide when simultaneously guided over said treating path upon and in harmony with respective control signals provided by the control computer (18) to the respective units.

主权项

1. An integrated automated slide processing apparatus to process, especially to stain, cover and digitize, one or more microscope slides (49) with bottom and top surfaces, said top surface carrying a biological sample, the apparatus comprising at least one incubation drawer (48), an incubation drawer carrier (1), a manipulation tray (2), a manipulation arm (3), a reagent changing unit (4), a washing and rinsing unit, a drop removal unit, a staining/pipetting unit (13), a coverslipping unit (14), a preview image recording unit (15), a digitizing unit (16) and a control computer (18) electrically connected with and providing control over said units, wherein
the at least one incubation drawer comprises converging sidewalls defining a slide receiving space, said converging sidewalls are obliquely arranged such that even when the bottom of the microscope slide contacts the sidewall, the top surface of the microscope slide and said sidewall are apart from one another, and the above listed subunits together form a treating path within the apparatus, said treating path being configured to convert each of said microscope slides (49) into stained, covered and, at least partially, digitized microscope slides when the slides are guided over said treating path upon and in harmony with respective control signals provided by the control computer (18) to the respective subunits.