TCR Carousel General Information

Overview

The TCRTarget capture reagent—An assay-specific reagent added as part of specimen pipetting. Carousel is a rotary mixer carousel that keeps the TCR magnetic particles in suspension. The TCR Carousel also has positions for Target Enhancer Reagent (TER) for the Ultrio Elite AssayProcedures required to prepare and perform a specific test. In the context of this document, assay refers exclusively to a Hologic test, such as Aptima Combo or Ultrio.. The TER bottles rotate with the carousel, but do not spin around like the TCR bottles. The TCR Carousel has a dedicated barcode reader that ensures correct bottle placement.

Interfacing Modules

The TCR Carousel interacts solely with the Sample Pipettor

Theory/Sequence of Operation

The TCR Carousel is an interface between the user and the system. It is intended to load TCR and TCR-M Reagents onto the system. The user places the TCR and TCR-M bottles of a reagent kit directly onto the TCR Carousel. The carousel is designed to keep the magnetic particles of the TCR Reagent in suspension by rotating the bottles on an elliptical curve. As part of the same carousel, the TCR-M Reagent bottles are rotated in a circular motion around the carousel axis. The bottles are located so that the TCR and TCR-M bottles of a single assay can be accessed by the pipettor without rotation of the carousel. Different adapters for different kit sizes (TCR bottle sizes) are available to make every bottle fit to its designated position. Kit size and assay information is read after bottle insertion by a barcode scanner. For accurate positioning for the user and pipettor access, a home sensor detects the carousel home position, as well as monitors the mixing frequency.