Patents by Inventor Kazunori Yamazawa
Kazunori Yamazawa has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11860179Abstract: To provide a high-throughput automatic analysis apparatus at a lower cost. The automatic analysis apparatus includes an incubator which accommodates a plurality of reaction vessels; a specimen dispensing mechanism which dispenses a specimen into each of the plurality of reaction vessels; a mounting unit which mounts a dispensing tip on the specimen dispensing mechanism; a suction unit which sucks a specimen from a specimen vessel containing the specimen by means of the specimen dispensing mechanism having the dispensing mounted thereon; a discharging unit which is provided in the incubator and discharges the specimen from the specimen dispensing mechanism to the reaction vessel; a disposal unit which discards the dispensing tip; a sensor which detects whether the dispensing tip is mounted to the specimen dispensing mechanism; and a control unit which controls the specimen dispensing mechanism.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 2022Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech CorporationInventors: Ayaka Hashimoto, Kazunori Yamazawa, Takenorì Okusa
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Publication number: 20230095937Abstract: To provide a high-throughput automatic analysis apparatus at a lower cost. The automatic analysis apparatus includes an incubator which accommodates a plurality of reaction vessels; a specimen dispensing mechanism which dispenses a specimen into each of the plurality of reaction vessels; a mounting unit which mounts a dispensing tip on the specimen dispensing mechanism; a suction unit which sucks a specimen from a specimen vessel containing the specimen by means of the specimen dispensing mechanism having the dispensing mounted thereon; a discharging unit which is provided in the incubator and discharges the specimen from the specimen dispensing mechanism to the reaction vessel; a disposal unit which discards the dispensing tip; a sensor which detects whether the dispensing tip is mounted to the specimen dispensing mechanism; and a control unit which controls the specimen dispensing mechanism.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 6, 2022Publication date: March 30, 2023Inventors: Ayaka Hashimoto, Kazunori Yamazawa, Takenori Okusa
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Patent number: 11555824Abstract: To provide a high-throughput automatic analysis apparatus at a lower cost. The automatic analysis apparatus includes an incubator which accommodates a plurality of reaction vessels; a specimen dispensing mechanism which dispenses a specimen into each of the plurality of reaction vessels; a mounting unit which mounts a dispensing tip on the specimen dispensing mechanism; a suction unit which sucks a specimen from a specimen vessel containing the specimen by means of the specimen dispensing mechanism having the dispensing mounted thereon; a discharging unit which is provided in the incubator and discharges the specimen from the specimen dispensing mechanism to the reaction vessel; a disposal unit which discards the dispensing tip; a sensor which detects whether the dispensing tip is mounted to the specimen dispensing mechanism; and a control unit which controls the specimen dispensing mechanism.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2018Date of Patent: January 17, 2023Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech CorporationInventors: Ayaka Hashimoto, Kazunori Yamazawa, Takenori Okusa
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Publication number: 20220011326Abstract: In a case where plural measurement items that require different incubation times are simultaneously measured in an automatic analyzer, deterioration of the turnaround time of the measurement is minimized. The automatic analyzer receives a request of a sample, obtains a ratio of a short measurement item among examination items of the received analysis request, and a determines an empty cycle based on the ratio of the short measurement item and the number of schedules. When an empty cycle is necessary, the empty cycle is scheduled in a schedule of a sample that is requested to be measured first, for example, an empty cycle in a short measurement for making an incubator empty. As a result, this position can be used for a measurement of a short measurement item such that the wait time of the start of the measurement can be short.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 3, 2019Publication date: January 13, 2022Inventors: Takaaki HAGIWARA, Teruhiro YAMANO, Kazunori YAMAZAWA, Taku SAKAZUME
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Publication number: 20200233001Abstract: To provide a high-throughput automatic analysis apparatus at a lower cost. The automatic analysis apparatus includes an incubator which accommodates a plurality of reaction vessels; a specimen dispensing mechanism which dispenses a specimen into each of the plurality of reaction vessels; a mounting unit which mounts a dispensing tip on the specimen dispensing mechanism; a suction unit which sucks a specimen from a specimen vessel containing the specimen by means of the specimen dispensing mechanism having the dispensing mounted thereon; a discharging unit which is provided in the incubator and discharges the specimen from the specimen dispensing mechanism to the reaction vessel; a disposal unit which discards the dispensing tip; a sensor which detects whether the dispensing tip is mounted to the specimen dispensing mechanism; and a control unit which controls the specimen dispensing mechanism.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 14, 2018Publication date: July 23, 2020Inventors: Ayaka HASHIMOTO, Kazunori YAMAZAWA, Takenori OKUSA
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Patent number: 9958468Abstract: The present invention provides an automatic analyzer capable of reducing the time necessary for analysis processing by making various operations pertaining to the analysis processing more efficient. More specifically, the present invention is characterized in that, from among a plurality of ending operation items set as analysis ending operations to perform at the end of analysis operations for analyzing a sample under analysis, one or more ending operation items to be performed are selected, and on the basis of monitoring results of monitoring the status of an automatic analyzer during the period from the end of the analysis ending operations to the start of analysis preparation operations for preparing for the analysis operations, one or more preparation operation items to be performed are selected from among a plurality of preparation operation items set as analysis preparation operations.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2014Date of Patent: May 1, 2018Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Yoshihiro Yamashita, Toshiharu Suzuki, Takaaki Hagiwara, Kazunori Yamazawa
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Patent number: 9709587Abstract: An automatic analyzer is capable of performing a preparation process on a reagent used to measure a highly urgent test item even during analysis operation, and is configured as follows. If there is no parameter for the analysis item regarding a new reagent, the parameters are downloaded. If the priority of reagent preparation is “high,” a sample pipetting scheduling process is temporarily stopped. If the priority of reagent preparation is not “high,” it is determined whether a waiting time limit has been exceeded, and if it has, the sample pipetting scheduling process is stopped temporarily, reagent preparation scheduling is performed, and the sample pipetting scheduling process is resumed. If it is determined that the waiting time limit has not been exceeded, if the priority of reagent preparation is “medium,” and if the reagent preparation mechanism is found available, then reagent preparation scheduling is performed.Type: GrantFiled: December 26, 2012Date of Patent: July 18, 2017Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Takaaki Hagiwara, Kazunori Yamazawa, Hiroki Fujita
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Patent number: 9494611Abstract: An automatic analyzer comprises selection means for selecting whether a preparatory operation, specified from a plurality of analysis preparation processes of the automatic analyzer, should be executed in an initial process at the powering on of the analyzer or after the start of the actual analysis (i.e., in parallel with the sample analysis operation). For example, the automatic analyzer is equipped with means which allows the analyzer to execute a “system liquid replacement operation”, a “sample nozzle pressure sensor checking operation”, a “reaction vessel discarding operation” and a “pre-cleaning liquid replacement operation” which among various operations that are executed in the preparation process in conventional immunological analyzing apparatus in processes other than the preparation process.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2015Date of Patent: November 15, 2016Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies CorporationInventors: Takaaki Hagiwara, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Kazunori Yamazawa
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Publication number: 20160154016Abstract: The present invention provides an automatic analyzer capable of reducing the time necessary for analysis processing by making various operations pertaining to the analysis processing more efficient. More specifically, the present invention is characterized in that, from among a plurality of ending operation items set as analysis ending operations to perform at the end of analysis operations for analyzing a sample under analysis, one or more ending operation items to be performed are selected, and on the basis of monitoring results of monitoring the status of an automatic analyzer during the period from the end of the analysis ending operations to the start of analysis preparation operations for preparing for the analysis operations, one or more preparation operation items to be performed are selected from among a plurality of preparation operation items set as analysis preparation operations.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 25, 2014Publication date: June 2, 2016Inventors: Yoshihiro YAMASHITA, Toshiharu SUZUKI, Takaaki HAGIWARA, Kazunori YAMAZAWA
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Publication number: 20150212102Abstract: An automatic analyzer comprises selection means for selecting whether a preparatory operation, specified from a plurality of analysis preparation processes of the automatic analyzer, should be executed in an initial process at the powering on of the analyzer or after the start of the actual analysis (i.e., in parallel with the sample analysis operation). For example, the automatic analyzer is equipped with means which allows the analyzer to execute a “system liquid replacement operation”, a “sample nozzle pressure sensor checking operation”, a “reaction vessel discarding operation” and a “pre-cleaning liquid replacement operation” which among various operations that are executed in the preparation process in conventional immunological analyzing apparatus in processes other than the preparation process.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 3, 2015Publication date: July 30, 2015Inventors: Takaaki HAGIWARA, Yoshiyuki TANAKA, Kazunori YAMAZAWA
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Publication number: 20140356233Abstract: An automatic analyzer is capable of performing a preparation process on a reagent used to measure a highly urgent test item even during analysis operation, and is configured as follows. If there is no parameter for the analysis item regarding a new reagent, the parameters are downloaded. If the priority of reagent preparation is “high,” a sample pipetting scheduling process is temporarily stopped. If the priority of reagent preparation is not “high,” it is determined whether a waiting time limit has been exceeded, and if it has, the sample pipetting scheduling process is stopped temporarily, reagent preparation scheduling is performed, and the sample pipetting scheduling process is resumed. If it is determined that the waiting time limit has not been exceeded, if the priority of reagent preparation is “medium,” and if the reagent preparation mechanism is found available, then reagent preparation scheduling is performed.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 26, 2012Publication date: December 4, 2014Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATIONInventors: Takaaki Hagiwara, Kazunori Yamazawa, Hiroki Fujita
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Publication number: 20120251391Abstract: An automatic analyzer comprises selection means for selecting whether a preparatory operation, specified from a plurality of analysis preparation processes of the automatic analyzer, should be executed in an initial process at the powering on of the analyzer or after the start of the actual analysis (i.e., in parallel with the sample analysis operation). For example, the automatic analyzer is equipped with means which allows the analyzer to execute a “system liquid replacement operation”, a “sample nozzle pressure sensor checking operation”, a “reaction vessel discarding operation” and a “pre-cleaning liquid replacement operation” which among various operations that are executed in the preparation process in conventional immunological analyzing apparatus in processes other than the preparation process.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2010Publication date: October 4, 2012Applicant: HITACHI HIGH-TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATIONInventors: Takaaki Hagiwara, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Kazunori Yamazawa
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Publication number: 20110293477Abstract: Disclosed is an automatic analyzer that is capable of executing a plurality of different measurement sequences in a sequential, parallel manner, has a check function for avoiding simultaneous mechanical equipment use and interference between the mechanical equipment, incorporates a plurality of different transport mechanism operation schemes for transporting a reaction vessel to the mechanical equipment, and minimizes a decrease in the throughput by choosing an appropriate transport mechanism operation scheme as needed. Before initiating a measurement sequence for a requested analytical test, the automatic analyzer checks for simultaneous use of the mechanical equipment. If it is judged that simultaneous mechanical equipment use would result, the automatic analyzer postpones the start of the requested analytical test. This makes it possible to avoid simultaneous mechanical equipment use and make a proper analysis.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 4, 2009Publication date: December 1, 2011Inventors: Kazunori Yamazawa, Yoshiyuki Tanaka, Taku Sakazume