Measuring apparatus for a laboratory appliance for measuring an article, article for said measuring apparatus and measuring method

{
  "publication_number": "US2020408788A1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A1",
  "title": "Measuring apparatus for a laboratory appliance for measuring an article, article for said measuring apparatus and measuring method",
  "abstract": "The invention relates to a measuring apparatus for detecting the relative position of an end portion of a pipetting container by an interaction between a measurement support section of the pipetting container and the measuring apparatus. The invention relates to an automatic laboratory, which comprises this measuring apparatus and to a corresponding measuring method.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A measuring apparatus (1) for a laboratory automat for detecting the relative position of an end portion of an object (50; 50 ′) automatically movable by the laboratory automat, comprising a holding device (2) for holding a movable object (50; 50 ′), comprising an object body (55; 55 ′) having a first end portion (51; 51 ′) and a second end portion (52; 52 ′), wherein the first end portion is adapted for connecting the object to the holding device and comprises a measurement support section (54; 54 ′), and wherein the second end portion comprises an end region (56; 56 ′), an electronic control device (3) having data storage device (5) for storing data, characterized in that the measuring apparatus comprises a first measuring device (10; 60) which is arranged to measure a position, in particular a rotational position, of the measuring support section of the object on the holding device, and a second measuring device (20; 120; 120 ′) adapted to measure the position of the end region of the object, and the measuring apparatus is configured to determine the position of the end region as a function of the position of the measurement support section as relative position data in the data storage device, so that subsequently the position of the end region of the object can be determined by measuring the position of the measurement support section and from the relative position data. 2. Measuring apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a base (6; 110) on which the second measuring device (20; 120) is placed, wherein the first measuring device is a component of the holding device (2), which is movably supported on the base. 3. Measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first measuring device and the second measuring device are attached to the holding device (2) which is movably supported on a base (6; 110) of the measuring apparatus. 4. Measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second measuring device (20; 120; 120 ′) comprises a measuring space, at least one light source and at least one light sensor for measuring the position of the end region (56; 56 ′) of the object arranged in the measuring space. 5. Measuring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the light sensor is a line sensor. 6. Measuring apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the light sensor is arranged for a spatially resolved measurement, in order to detect spatially resolvedly the shadowing of the light sensor, which arises when the object in the measuring space is introduced into the light path between the light source and the light sensor. 7. Measuring apparatus according to any of the foregoing claims, wherein the first measuring device (10) is adapted to measure a rotational position of the measuring support section of the object on the holding device. 8. Automatic laboratory apparatus for program-controlled treatment of at least one fluid laboratory sample (10), comprising the measuring apparatus according to one of the preceding claims. 9. Method (200) for detecting the relative position of an end region (56; 56 ′) of an object (50; 50 ′) comprising an object body (55; 55 ′) having a first (51; 51 ′) and a second (52; 52 ′) end portion, wherein the first end portion is adapted to connect the object to a holding device (2; 102; 102 ′) and comprises a measurement support section (54; 54 ′), wherein the second end portion comprises the end region (56; 56 ′), comprising the steps of Measuring a position, in particular a rotational position, of the measuring support section of the object arranged on a holding device by means of a first measuring device; (201) Measuring the position of the end region of the object placed on the holding device by means of a second measuring device; (202) Saving the position of the end region as a function of the position of the measurement support section as relative position data in a data storage device, so that subsequently the position of the mouth region of the measured object can be determined by measuring the position of its measurement support section and from the relative position data. (203) 10. Method according to claim 9 comprising the steps: Placing the measured object (50; 50 ′) in a storage position; (204) Grasping the measured object (50; 50 ′) again from the storage position and connecting the object to the holding device in a current position which deviates from the position of the object when it was measured, so that the position of the end region also deviates from the position when it was measured; (205) Measuring the current position of the measured object (50; 50 ′) by measuring the position of its measuring support section (54; 54 ′) relative to the holding device (206) Determining the position of the end region of the measured object from the current position of its measurement support section and from the stored relative position data (207)."
  ],
  "cpc": [
    "G01N 35/1011",
    "B01L 2200/025",
    "B01L 2200/148",
    "B01L 2300/0627",
    "B01L 3/021",
    "B01L 9/54",
    "G01N 2035/00811",
    "G01N 2035/0093",
    "G01N 2035/0494",
    "G01N 2035/1013",
    "G01N 2035/1048",
    "G01N 35/0099",
    "G05B 2219/50133"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "EPPENDORF AG"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2019-02-27",
  "publication_date": "2020-12-31",
  "priority_date": "2018-02-27",
  "application_number": "US-201916971658-A",
  "family_id": "65516666",
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}