KR20180077821A - Blood cell analysis apparatus, blood specimen and container detecting method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a blood cell analysis apparatus and a method of detecting a specimen and a specimen container of the blood cell analysis apparatus. The blood cell analysis apparatus includes: a rack in which a plurality of specimen containers accommodated therein with a specimen to be analyzed are installed; a sensing unit installed under each accommodation space provided in the rack to simultaneously sense accommodation states of the specimen and the specimen container; an analysis unit for analyzing blood cells contained in the specimen by sucking the specimen contained in the specimen container, mixing the specimen with a sheath solution, and moving the specimen; and a control unit for determining presence of the specimen and the specimen container based on a sensing result of the sensing unit, and controlling an operation of the analysis unit according to a determination result. Accordingly, the accommodation states of the specimen and the specimen container are simultaneously detected based on a touch sensing signal due to contact with the specimen container or a load sensing signal due to a load of the specimen container and the specimen obtained by the sensing unit installed under the rack.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a blood cell analyzer, a blood cell analyzer, a method of detecting the blood cell analyzer,

More particularly, the present invention relates to a hematology analyzer for detecting the acceptance of a specimen for blood cell analysis and a specimen container in which the specimen is accommodated, and a method for detecting the specimen and the specimen container ≪ / RTI >

In vitro diagnostic devices are devices that can diagnose diseases from outside the human body and can be inspected based on substances generated from the human body such as blood, saliva, and urine.

Among the test methods using in vitro diagnostic devices, the Complete Blood Cell Count (CBC) is a test that provides information on the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets present in the blood, ranging from diagnosis to diagnosis, It is one of the most basic blood tests with various clinical indications.

The general blood test can identify information on three types of cells (blood cells) present in the blood, that is, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets by using various parameters.

In this general blood test, an automatic blood cell analyzer is widely used to automatically measure the number of blood cells in a certain volume after appropriately diluting the blood to obtain numerical information of the blood cells.

 Since the automatic hematology analyzer can measure various indices other than numerical information, it is more widely used than a technique of measuring the number of cells through a microscope using a hemocytometer.

In recent years, by passing light through a thin tube, a laser beam is scattered by the light scattering generated by colliding with the cell and the luminescence of the fluorescent material is used to obtain various information about the cell such as cell size, intracellular composition information, Flow cytometry and flow cytometry, which simultaneously measure and sort only specific cells, have been widely used.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses a fluorescence activated biological cell sorting apparatus and a cell sorting method using a laser diode.

As in Patent Document 1, the conventional cell sorting method uses a laser light source such as a laser diode to irradiate cells with laser light, and a light scattering effect that is scattered by cell components such as nuclei as the light passes through the cells And the distribution of the scattered light is detected and the cells are classified according to the detected scattered light.

The following Patent Document 2 discloses a blood sample analyzer technique.

Patent Document 2 discloses a rack for supporting a plurality of blood collection tubes accommodating specimens, including a transport mechanism portion for transporting a rack having a bar code in which specific information for specifying a rack is recorded, a bar code reader for reading specific information from the bar code of the transported rack A sample dispensing arm including a pipette for drawing a sample in a blood collection tube, a control substrate for controlling the operation of the sample dispensing arm based on the specific information read by the bar code reader, and a control device for analyzing the sample including the aspirated sample The configuration of the blood sample analyzing apparatus is described.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0619256 (issued on August 31, 2006) Japanese Patent No. 4980671 (published on July 18, 2012)

On the other hand, Patent Document 2 detects the presence or absence of a specimen and a sample container by sensing a plug that is coupled to an upper portion of a specimen container containing the specimen using a transmission type sensor.

However, when the plug is detached from the sample container containing the sample, the plug is not connected, or the plug is connected to the sample container in which the sample is not received, malfunction may occur in the blood analysis process or the analysis result may be omitted May occur.

In order to solve such a problem, a method of installing a first sensor for detecting the sample container and a second sensor for detecting whether the sample is accommodated in the sample container is used, but a space for inspecting and inspecting each sensor is required The configuration of the sensing device becomes complicated, and the manufacturing cost increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a hematology analyzer that simultaneously detects the presence or absence of a sample container and the acceptability of a sample in a sample container using light and a method of detecting the sample and the sample container using light will be.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hematology analyzer capable of simplifying the configuration of a sensing device for sensing whether or not to receive a sample and a sample container, and improving the accuracy of the detection result, and a method of detecting a sample and a sample container.

In order to achieve the above object, a hematological analyzing apparatus according to the present invention includes a rack in which a plurality of sample containers accommodating therein a sample to be analyzed are installed, An analyzer for analyzing the blood cells contained in the specimen while sucking the specimen contained in the specimen container and mixing the specimen with the sheath fluid and analyzing the blood cells contained in the specimen; And controlling the driving of the analysis unit according to the determination result.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of detecting a sample and a sample container of a hematology analyzer, comprising the steps of: (a) (B) determining whether the sample and the sample container are accepted using the sensing signal sensed by the sensing unit in the control unit; and .

As described above, according to the hematological analyzer and the method for detecting a sample and a sample container of the present invention, the sensing part is provided at the lower part of the rack, and the touch sensing signal due to the contact with the sample container or the load of the sample container and the sample It is possible to simultaneously check whether or not the sample container and the sample are received based on the load detection signal by the sensor.

According to the present invention, the accuracy of the test result can be improved by checking whether the sample container and the sample are received using the touch sensing signal or the load sensing signal by the sample container and the sample.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the inconvenience of installing a plurality of sensors in the prior art, simplify the configuration for detecting whether the sample container and the sample are accommodated, and minimize the number of components, .

1 is a block diagram of a hematology analyzer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the hematology analyzing apparatus shown in FIG. 1,
3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the rack and the sensing unit,
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps of a sample and sample container detection method of a hematology analyzer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a hematology analyzer and its sample and sample container sensing method according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a hematology analyzer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the hematology analyzer shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, terms indicating directions such as 'left', 'right', 'forward', 'rearward', 'upward' and 'downward' are defined as indicating respective directions based on the states shown in the respective drawings do.

1 and 2, a blood cell analyzer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a rack 20 in which a plurality of sample containers accommodating blood (hereinafter, referred to as a "sample") to be analyzed are installed, An analyzing unit 40 for analyzing blood cells contained in the specimen while moving the specimen contained in the specimen container by mixing the specimen with the sheath fluid, And a control unit (50) for judging acceptance of the sample and the sample container based on the detection result of the analyzer (40) and controlling the operation of the analyzer (40) according to the determination result.

The hematology analyzer 10 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a transfer unit 60 for transferring the rack 20 to a previously set sucking position and an input for inputting an operation command of an administrator and displaying an operation state of each device, And may further include a display unit 70.

3 is a block diagram of the rack and the sensing unit.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sample container 23 is formed into a cylindrical shape having an upper surface opened to receive a sample collected at a hospital or the like. On the opened upper surface of the sample container 23, A stopper 24 for preventing the loss of foreign matter and preventing the entry of foreign substances such as dust or viruses may be combined.

The stopper 24 is provided with a sample container 23 and a transfer hole (not shown) for transmitting the light transmitted through the specimen to the optical sensing module 32 or the stopper 24 itself can be transparent Or may be made of a material of the same material.

The sample container 23 may be provided with a barcode containing information on the contained sample, information on the patient who has taken the sample, and the like.

The rack 20 is provided with a plurality of accommodating spaces 21 for accommodating a plurality of sample containers 23 and a sensing unit 30 to be described below may be provided below the rack 20.

The sensing unit 30 includes a plurality of touch sensors 31 disposed under each receiving space 21 of the rack 20 and sensing whether the sample container 23 is in contact with the sample container 23 when the sample container 23 is received .

The touch sensor 31 is provided with various contact type sensors such as a toggle switch, a piezoelectric element, and a pressure sensor for detecting a change in pressure touched by the contact between the sample container 23 and the sample container 23 and the load of the sample .

Or the sensing unit 30 may include a sample container 23 and a load sensing sensor 32 for sensing the load of the sample so as to detect whether the sample is accommodated in the sample container 23 and the sample container 23 have.

Accordingly, the present invention can accurately detect the acceptance of the sample and the sample container by using the touch method using the touch sensor or the load of the sample container and the sample.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the analyzer 40 includes a laser generator for generating a laser beam, which is installed in the vicinity of a movement path of a blood sample to be analyzed, included in a specimen, A plurality of photodetectors for detecting laser light as a result of the detection of the laser light, and an analysis device for analyzing the blood cells to be analyzed using the laser light detected by the photodetector.

The control unit 50 can determine whether the sample container 23 and the sample are accepted based on the touch detection signal of the touch sensor 31 or the load detection signal of the load sensor 32 provided in the sensing unit 30 .

For this, the control unit 50 includes a memory 51 for storing reference information according to acceptance of the sample container 23 and acceptance of the sample, a touch sensing signal or a load sensing signal sensed by the sensing unit 30, A determination unit 53 for determining whether the sample container 23 and the sample are accepted or not based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 52; And a signal generating unit 54 for generating a control signal for controlling the driving of the analyzing unit 40 based on the signal.

In the memory 51, the reference information according to the acceptance of the sample container 23 and the acceptability of the sample can be stored.

The comparing unit 52 compares the reference information with the sensed touch sensing signal or the load sensing signal, and the determining unit 53 determines whether the sample container is in a non-receiving state, a sample container receiving state, And a sample acceptance state.

The signal generating unit 54 can generate a control signal for controlling the driving of the analyzing unit 40 to analyze and analyze the specimen contained in the specimen container 23 when both the specimen container 23 and the specimen are accommodated.

On the other hand, when the sample container 23 is in the unsealed state or the sample container 23 is in the accommodated state and the sample container 23 is not yet accommodated in the sample container 23, A control signal can be generated to skip the operation.

As described above, according to the present invention, the sensing part is provided in the lower part of the rack, and simultaneous inspection of the acceptance of the sample container and the sample based on the touch sensing signal due to contact with the sample container or the load sensing signal by the load of the sample container and the sample can do.

The present invention can improve the accuracy of a test result by checking whether a sample container and a sample are received using a touch sensing signal or a load sensing signal by the sample container and the sample.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, a method of detecting a sample and a sample container of a blood cell analyzer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps of a sample and sample container sensing method of a hematology analyzer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In step S10 of FIG. 4, when power is supplied to the blood cell analyzer 10, the control unit 50 initializes each device and prepares it for performing a sample analysis operation.

The touch sensor 31 or the load sensor 32 of the sensing unit 30 provided at the lower portion of the rack 20 in which the sample and the sample container 23 are accommodated is contacted with the sample container 23 And generates a touch sensing signal or a load sensing signal by a load.

At this time, the touch sensing signal or the load sensing signal sensed by the sensing unit 23 is transmitted to the controller 50.

In step S14, the comparing unit 52 of the controller 50 compares the reference information stored in the memory 51 with the sensed touch sensing signal or the load sensing signal.

If the determination unit 53 determines that the sample container 23 and the specimen are all accommodated, the signal generating unit 54 extracts the specimen contained in the specimen container 23 and analyzes the specimen contained in the specimen container 23, And generates a control signal for controlling the driving of the motor 40 (S16).

On the other hand, when the sample container 23 is in the unsealed state or the sample container 23 is in the accommodated state and the sample container 23 is not yet accommodated in the sample container 23, And generates a control signal to skip the operation.

In step S18, the control unit 50 checks whether or not the sample container 23 and the acceptance of the sample are detected and the analysis work of all the samples is completed for each accommodation space 21 provided in the rack 20, And controls the steps S12 to S18 to be repeated until the operation is completed.

If the analysis of all the specimens is completed at step S18, the control unit 50 stops driving each device and ends the process.

According to the above-mentioned process, the present invention provides a sensing unit in a lower portion of a rack, and a sensing unit for sensing the position of a sample container and a specimen on the basis of a touch sensing signal due to contact with the sample container, It can be checked simultaneously whether or not it is acceptable.

The present invention can improve the accuracy of a test result by checking whether a sample container and a sample are received using a touch sensing signal or a load sensing signal by the sample container and the sample.

Although the invention made by the present inventors has been described concretely with reference to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a blood cell analysis method and a blood cell analysis method in which a sensing part is provided in a lower part of a rack and a test sample or a sample is inspected based on a touch sensing signal or a load sensing signal, Applies to device technology.

10: Hematology analyzer
20: rack 21: accommodation space
23: sample container 24: stopper
30: sensing unit 31: touch sensor
32: load sensing sensor 40:
50: control unit 51: memory
52: comparison unit 53:
54: signal generator 60:
70: input and display section

Claims (8)

A rack in which a plurality of sample containers accommodating a sample to be analyzed are installed,
A sensing unit installed under each accommodation space provided in the rack and simultaneously sensing whether the specimen and the specimen container are accommodated;
An analyzing unit for analyzing the blood cells contained in the specimen while sucking the specimen contained in the specimen vessel and mixing the specimen with the sheath fluid and moving the specimen;
And a control unit for determining the presence or absence of a sample and a sample container on the basis of the detection result of the detection unit, and controlling the driving of the analysis unit according to the determination result. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensing unit includes a plurality of touch sensors provided below each storage space of the rack and sensing whether the sample container is in contact with the sample container when the sample container is received,
Wherein the touch sensor is provided by any one of a toggle switch, a piezoelectric element, and a pressure sensor for sensing a change in pressure touched by the contact between the sample container and the specimen container and the load of the specimen container. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sensing unit comprises a sample container and a load sensor for sensing the load of the sample container and the sample to detect whether the sample is received in the sample container. 4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit
A memory for storing reference information according to acceptance of the sample container and acceptance of the sample,
A comparing unit comparing the sensing information detected by the sensing unit with the reference information,
A determination unit for determining whether the sample container and the sample are accepted based on the comparison result of the comparison unit;
And a signal generator for generating a control signal for controlling the operation of the analyzer based on the determination result of the determination unit. (a) simultaneously detecting whether or not the sample container and the sample are accommodated in a sensing section provided at a lower portion of a rack containing a plurality of sample containers accommodating the sample to be analyzed;
(b) determining whether the sample and the sample container are accepted using the sensing signal sensed by the sensing unit in the control unit. 6. The method of claim 5,
In the step (a), the sensing unit senses a pressure change due to contact between the sample container and the sample using a plurality of touch sensors provided below the storage space of the rack, and a load of the sample container and the sample And detecting a sample and a sample container of the blood cell analyzer. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the sensing unit senses the load of the sample container and the sample using a plurality of load sensors provided under the respective storage spaces of the rack in the step (a) . The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
(c) controlling the operation of the analysis unit to analyze the blood cells contained in each sample based on the determination result of the acceptance of the sample container and the sample by the control unit,
Wherein the step (b) includes the steps of: (b1) comparing the reference information stored in the memory with the sensing signal sensed by the sensing unit,
(b2) judging whether or not the sample container and the sample are accepted based on the comparison result of the comparison unit in the judgment unit of the control unit.

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