Specimen smearing apparatus, specimen smearing method, smear sample preparing apparatus, and smear sample preparing method

Abstract

Disclosed is a specimen smearing apparatus including: a slide supplying section configured to supply a glass slide yet to be processed; a first processing section configured to perform a first process on the glass slide, the first processing section being disposed in a first direction with respect to the slide supplying section, the first direction being a far direction of an apparatus body of the specimen smearing apparatus; a second processing section configured to perform on the glass slide a second process which is different from the first process, the second processing section being disposed in a second direction with respect to the first processing section, the second direction being a left-right direction of the apparatus body and orthogonal to the first direction; and a first drying processing section disposed in a third direction with respect to the second processing section, the third direction being a near direction of the apparatus body and opposite to the first direction, the first drying processing section configured to dry a specimen on the glass slide on which the first process and the second process have been performed, wherein one of the first processing section and the second processing section is configured to perform a smearing process for smearing a specimen on the glass slide.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A smear preparing apparatus comprising:
 a smearing station configured to smear a sample on a glass slide;   a staining station configured to stain the smeared sample on the glass slide;   a transporter configured to transport a glass slide within the smear preparing apparatus;   a first outlet in which the glass slide that is smeared at the smearing station and stained at the staining station is located accessibly by a user for removal;   a second outlet in which the glass slide that is smeared at the smearing station and not stained at the staining station is located accessibly by a user for removal;   a controller operable in a first mode and a second mode, wherein   the controller is configured to control the transporter such that:   under the first mode, a glass slide is transported from the smearing station to the staining station and thereafter to the first outlet; and   under the second mode, a glass slide is transported from the smearing station to a second outlet without routing the staining station.   
     
     
         2 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the transporter sets the glass slide in a slide container that has a structure to accommodate a plurality of glass slides, and   the glass slide set in the slide container is located at the first and second outlets.   
     
     
         3 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein
 the first outlet is structured to accommodate a plurality of slide containers.   
     
     
         4 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein
 the second outlet comprises a cover that is provided to allow an access to the slide container in an opened state and to restrict the access in a closed state.   
     
     
         5 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein
 the second outlet further comprises a lock for locking the cover in the closed state while the smearing apparatus is working on the slide container.   
     
     
         6 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a display, and wherein
 the display shows a screen on which a plurality of modes including the first and second modes are presented in selectable manner.   
     
     
         7 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the mode further includes a third mode, and   the controller is configured to control the transporter such that, under the third mode, a glass slide is transported from the second outlet to the staining station and thereafter to the first outlet.   
     
     
         8 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a processing station configured to perform a process on a glass slide, wherein
 the mode further includes a fourth mode,   the controller is configured to control the transporter such that, under the fourth mode, a glass slide that is processed at the processing station and not smeared at the smearing station is transported to the second outlet.   
     
     
         9 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the processing station is configured to print on a glass slide. 
     
     
         10 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein
 the staining station comprises a staining bath in which a staining solution is pooled and a glass slide is immersed therein.   
     
     
         11 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein
 the staining bath comprises a structure to hold a plurality of glass slides in an upright orientation.   
     
     
         12 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the staining bath comprises a plurality of segments in which different types of staining solutions are pooled. 
     
     
         13 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the glass slide is transported in the staining station, under the first mode, from a first segment of the staining bath to a second segment of the staining bath such that the sample on the glass slide is immersed with at least two types of staining solutions. 
     
     
         14 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the transporter comprises a hand to pick a glass slide and set inside the staining bath. 
     
     
         15 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 14 , further comprising a drying station in which a glass slide that is stained at the staining station is dried. 
     
     
         16 . The smearing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the smearing station comprises an aspiration unit to aspirate a sample and apply onto the glass slide and a smearing member to smear the sample. 
     
     
         17 . A smear preparing apparatus comprising:
 a smearing station configured to smear a sample on a glass slide;   a staining station configured to stain the smeared sample on the glass slide;   a transporter configured to transport a glass slide within the smear preparing apparatus;   a first outlet in which the glass slide that is smeared at the smearing station and stained at the staining station is located accessibly by a user for removal; and   a second outlet in which the glass slide that is smeared at the smearing station and not stained at the staining station is located accessibly by a user for removal.   
     
     
         18 . The smear preparing apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein
 the first outlet is provided at a side of the smear preparing apparatus, and   the second outlet is provided at a front of the smear preparing apparatus.   
     
     
         19 . The smear preparing apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein
 the first outlet and the second outlet are configured to store a slide container carrying a plurality of glass slides, and   the first outlet has a capacity of storing slide containers larger than that of the second outlet.   
     
     
         20 . A smear preparing apparatus comprising:
 a slide supplying section configured to supply a first glass slide;   a smearing station configured to smear a sample on the first glass slide;   a slide setting section to receive a second glass slide loaded by user, the second glass slide is manually smeared with a sample by the user;   a staining station configured to stain the smeared sample on the first or second glass slide;   a transporter configured to transport a glass slide within the smear preparing apparatus; and   a controller controls the transporter such that the first glass slide that is smeared at the smearing station is transported to the staining station and the second glass slide loaded at the slide setting section is transported from the slide setting section to the staining station without routing the smearing station.