CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a National Stage Entry of PCT/FR2018/050111, filed Jan. 17, 2018, which claims priority to French Patent Application No. 1750430 filed on Jan. 19, 2017, the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

The invention relates to the field of biological analysis and the automation thereof.

In a biological analysis laboratory, optimal management of the flow of specimens has become a crucial factor. This is because the larger a laboratory, the more complicated and necessary it becomes to optimize the management of the flow of biological samples being analyzed. There are two criteria that are particularly important to consider: the specimen treatment time, and the workload that each action imposes on the laboratory staff.

In order to improve performance according to these criteria, biological analysis systems have been developed which are based on the principle of placing a number of biological-analysis devices in communication with one another via a means for transporting racks that hold tubes of specimens. Combining several devices via the transport means allows better management of breakdowns, problematic situations, and allows certain flow management strategies to be implemented.

These systems generally comprise an inlet for the holding racks, a transport means which distributes the racks at the inlet to one of the devices connected to it, and an outlet for the racks that have been analyzed. Certain systems may comprise a buffer zone at the inlet and/or at the outlet, and may employ flow management algorithms.

However, these systems can be improved both in terms of their flow management and in terms of the bulk that characterizes them.

The invention seeks to improve the situation. To that end, the invention proposes a biological analysis system comprising at least two biological analysis devices connected to one another by a conveyor defining a closed circuit, each biological analysis device comprising at least one inlet and one outlet for racks of tubes, and at least one exchange region for exchanging racks of tubes with the conveyor, which exchange region is distinct from the inlet and from the outlet.

The inlet of at least two biological analysis devices each form an inlet of the biological analysis system for racks of tubes, and the outlet of at least two biological analysis devices each form an outlet of the biological analysis system for racks of tubes, the biological analysis system further comprising a controller designed to command the transfer of a rack of tubes received in the biological analysis system via the conveyor to another biological analysis device according to the operations to be performed on the tubes in that rack and/or according to a respective workload status of the biological analysis devices.

This biological analysis system is particularly advantageous because it allows gains to be made in terms of compactness, the inlets and outlets of the system being embodied by the inlets and outlets of the devices of which it is composed. In addition, having several inlets and several outlets for the system makes it possible to implement flow management strategies that allow the workload of the laboratory staff to be optimized and that make it possible to obtain a smart distribution of the racks. Further, the multiple inlets and/or outlets make it possible to obtain a device that can be modified and customized. Specifically, the user can elect to load one or more inlets with racks containing tubes.

According to various alternative forms, the accessory according to the invention may exhibit one or more of the following features:the controller is designed to command the biological analysis system to output a given rack of tubes via a chosen outlet of the biological analysis device which is chosen according to a workload status of the outlets of the biological analysis device,the controller is designed to command the biological analysis system to output a given rack of tubes via a chosen outlet of the biological analysis system which is chosen according to an event associated with the analysis of the tubes of the given rack of tubes and/or according to subsequent analyses scheduled for one or more of the tubes of that rack of tubes,the controller is designed to command the biological analysis system to output a given rack of tubes via an outlet which is such that a given outlet is chosen exclusively according to the results of the analyses of the tubes of the given rack of tubes or according to a workload status of the outlets of the biological analysis device,the controller is designed to transfer a given rack of tubes from a first biological analysis device to a second biological analysis device when the following conditions are met:the workload status of the first biological analysis device indicates an overload,the workload status of the second biological analysis device does not indicate an overload,the second biological analysis device is capable of performing at least some of the analyses scheduled for the tubes held in the given rack of tubes,the controller is designed to command that one or more tubes of a given rack of tubes be treated/processed by a biological analysis device comprising the inlet via which the given rack of tubes was introduced into the biological analysis system when the following conditions are met:the workload status of the biological analysis device does not indicate an overload,the biological analysis device is capable of performing at least some of the analyses scheduled for the tubes held in the given rack of tubes, andthe controller is designed to command that a given rack of tubes be output from the biological analysis system via the outlet of that biological analysis device that comprises the inlet via which the given rack of tubes was introduced into the biological analysis system.

The invention also relates to a biological analysis system comprising at least one inlet and at least two outlets which are connected to at least two biological analysis devices which are connected to one another by a conveyor defining a closed circuit, each biological analysis device comprising at least one exchange region for exchanging racks of tubes with the conveyor, which exchange region is distinct from the at least one inlet and from the at least two outlets, the biological analysis system further comprising a controller designed to command the transfer of a rack of tubes received in the biological analysis system via the conveyor to another biological analysis device according to the operations to be performed on the tubes in that rack and/or according to a respective workload status of the biological analysis devices.

The invention also relates to a biological analysis method involving introducing a plurality of racks of tubes into a biological analysis system according to the invention, and transferring a rack of tubes that is received in the biological analysis system via the conveyor to another biological analysis device according to an event associated with the analysis of the tubes of the given rack of tubes and/or according to subsequent operations scheduled for one or more of the tubes in that rack of tubes and/or according to a respective workload status of the biological analysis devices.

