CN114441786A - Sample analyzer and sample processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a sample analyzer and a sample processing method, wherein the sample processing method comprises the steps of providing alternating current for a metal needle and detecting a value of a target parameter of the alternating current, wherein the equivalent voltage of the alternating current is zero volt; driving the metal needle to move along the target track, so that the first end passes through the liquid level from the upper part of the liquid level of the first sample to the lower part of the liquid level; and in the process that the metal needle moves along the target track, determining the target position in the first track according to the value of the target parameter, wherein the first end is in contact with the liquid level when the metal needle moves to the target position. By enabling the equivalent voltage on the metal needle to be zero volt, the total charge amount of positive charges or negative charges provided for the metal needle is 0 in any period of alternating current, and the metal needle or grounded metal is prevented from generating electrochemical reaction.

Description

Sample analyzer and sample processing method

The present application claims priority of the chinese patent application entitled "a sample analyzer and a liquid path system, liquid level detection method" filed by the chinese intellectual property office of china at 10/20/2020, application No. 202011126309.7, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of sample analysis, and in particular, to a sample analyzer and a sample processing method.

Background

A sample analyzer is used for performing in vitro analysis of body fluids (e.g., blood) of an organism to obtain a diagnostic result. The analysis process generally comprises: adding a sample, adding a reagent, reacting the sample and the reagent to obtain a reaction solution, testing the reaction solution, and calculating and analyzing a test result to obtain an analysis result. During the process of adding samples and adding reagents, some analyzers control needle aspiration or fluid discharge by driving the flow of fluid in a conduit in communication with the needle. Taking the added sample as an example, the specific process is as follows: the control needle is inserted below the liquid level of the sample in the sample container in a descending mode, the control needle sucks the sample according to a set amount after contacting the liquid level, the control needle ascends and moves to the position above the reaction container after sucking the sample, a certain amount of sample is discharged into the reaction container, and the sample and the added reagent react in the reaction container. In order to detect whether the needle contacts the liquid level after descending into the sample container, a liquid level detection technology is adopted in the sample analyzer, and the liquid level detection technology can be divided into capacitance detection, radio frequency detection, ultrasonic detection, pressure detection and the like according to the principle. The capacitance detection is the most widely used principle at present, and the liquid level can be subdivided into two directions by using the capacitance detection, namely, the probe material adopts two schemes of a conductive TIP head or a metal needle. Among them, the metal needle scheme has advantages of low cost and the like and is widely used.

Because the liquid in the pipeline generally contains conductive ions, the liquid is easy to interfere the liquid level detection result after contacting with the metal needle, and the accuracy of the liquid level detection is reduced. It is common to use a grounded metal in contact with the liquid in the pipeline to reduce the interference of the liquid with the level detection. However, in order to detect the liquid level, a certain voltage is usually applied to the metal needle, and conductive ions in the liquid move to the metal needle and/or the grounded metal under the action of an electric field between the metal needle and the grounded metal, which easily causes an electrochemical reaction (i.e., corrosion) of the metal needle and/or the grounded metal. Not only does the occurrence of the electrochemical reaction reduce the service life of the metal needle and/or the grounding metal, but also dissolution of the products of the electrochemical reaction into the liquid can contaminate the liquid path and can affect the accuracy of the liquid level detection.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a sample analyzer and a sample processing method, which are used for reducing the corrosion speed of a metal needle and/or a grounding metal.

In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a sample analyzer, which may include a metal needle, where the metal needle includes an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve made of a metal material, and an annular space between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve is communicated with an environment outside the metal needle through a first end of the metal needle; the needle moving mechanism is used for driving the metal needle to move along a target track, so that the first end passes through the liquid level of the first sample from the upper part to the lower part of the liquid level; the liquid level detection mechanism comprises a detection circuit and an oscillation circuit, the capacitance of the oscillation circuit comprises a first capacitance and a second capacitance which are connected in series, a node between the first capacitance and the second capacitance is used for connecting the outer sleeve, the detection circuit is used for detecting the value of a target parameter of alternating current in the oscillation circuit and determining a target position in the target track according to the value of the target parameter, and the first end contacts the liquid level when the metal needle moves to the target position; a pipeline, wherein the inner space of the pipeline is communicated with the inner space of the inner sleeve; a driving component for driving the grounded liquid to flow in the inner space of the pipeline according to the target position so that the metal needle sucks the first sample into the inner sleeve or discharges the second sample in the inner sleeve to the first sample.

In the embodiment of the application, by enabling the equivalent voltage on the metal needle to be close to zero volt, the continuous movement of conductive ions in the pipeline liquid to the surface of the metal needle and/or the grounded metal is favorably reduced, and the corrosion speed of the metal needle and/or the grounded metal is further reduced.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a sample processing method, which provides an alternating current to a metal needle and detects a value of a target parameter of the alternating current, wherein an equivalent voltage of the alternating current is zero volts, the metal needle includes an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve made of a metal material, and an annular space between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve is communicated with an environment outside the metal needle through a first end of the metal needle; driving the metal needle to move along a target track, so that the first end passes through the liquid level from the upper part of the liquid level of the first sample to the lower part of the liquid level; and in the process that the metal needle moves along the target track, determining a target position in the first track according to the value of the target parameter, wherein the first end contacts the liquid level when the metal needle moves to the target position.

In the embodiment of the present application, by making the equivalent voltage on the metal pin be zero volts, which is equivalent to that in any cycle of the alternating current, the total amount of the charges of the positive charges or the negative charges provided to the metal pin is 0, that is, the total amount of the cations or the anions accumulated by the conductive ions of the liquid to the metal pin or the grounded metal surface of the liquid is 0, which is beneficial to avoiding causing the electrochemical reaction of the metal pin or the grounded metal.

Drawings

FIG. 1 illustrates one possible configuration of a sample analyzer of the present application;

fig. 2 schematically shows one possible configuration of the metal needle 1 in the sample analyzer corresponding to fig. 1;

fig. 3 and 4 each schematically illustrate one possible configuration of the liquid level detection circuit 3 in the sample analyzer corresponding to fig. 1;

fig. 5 is a view schematically showing one possible configuration of the oscillation circuit 32 in the liquid level detection circuit 3 shown in fig. 3;

fig. 6 illustrates waveforms of voltage signals on the metal pins 1 in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 5;

fig. 7 schematically shows another possible configuration of the oscillation circuit 32 in the liquid level detection circuit 3 shown in fig. 3;

fig. 8 and 9 respectively illustrate waveforms of voltage signals on the metal needle 1 in the corresponding embodiment of fig. 7;

FIG. 10 is an exemplary illustration of one possible configuration of a sample analysis device of the present application;

FIG. 11 illustrates a component layout of the sample analysis device corresponding to FIG. 10;

fig. 12 illustrates a possible flow of the sample processing method of the present application.

Detailed Description

The embodiment of the application provides a sample analyzer and a sample processing method. Embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows one possible configuration of a sample analyzer. Referring to fig. 1, the sample analyzer includes a metal needle 1, a needle moving mechanism 2, a liquid level detection mechanism 3, a tube 4, and a driving part (not shown in fig. 1). In one possible implementation, the sample analyzer may be used for in vitro analysis of a body fluid (e.g., blood) or the like of an organism to arrive at a diagnostic result. Reference to a sample in the context of the present application may refer to a sample or a reagent.

Referring to the possible structure diagram of the metal needle 1 shown in fig. 2, the metal needle 1 may include an inner sleeve 11 and an outer sleeve 12 made of metal, and an annular space 112 between the inner sleeve 11 and the outer sleeve 12 is communicated with an environment outside the metal needle 1 through a first end of the metal needle 1. Fig. 2 is only a possible schematic view of the metal needle 1, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific shape of the metal needle 1, nor the central axis of the inner sleeve 11 and the central axis of the outer sleeve 12 to coincide.

With continued reference to fig. 1, when the first end of the metal needle 1 is above the liquid level of the sample S1, since the environment outside the metal needle 1 is air, the annular space 112 is filled with air, and at this time, the electrical characteristic of the metal needle 1 can be equivalent to capacitance (referred to as needle capacitance, denoted as C)₀) The inner sleeve 11 and the outer sleeve 12 correspond to the two plates of the needle capacitor, respectively, and the air in the annular space 112 corresponds to the medium of the needle capacitor. When the first end of the metal needle 1 contacts the first sample S1, since the environment of the metal needle 1 outside the first end is the sample S1, a part of the sample S1 enters the annular space 112, and although the electrical characteristics of the metal needle 1 are still equivalent to capacitance, the capacitance value of the needle capacitance changes due to the change of the medium in the annular space 112. For convenience of description, the position of the metal needle 1 in the target trajectory when the first end contacts the first specimen S1 is referred to as a target position. That is, when the first end of the metal needle 1 contacts the first sample S1 during the movement along the target track, the capacitance value of the needle capacitor will change.

With continued reference to fig. 1, the needle moving mechanism 2 may be used to drive the metal needle 1 to move along the target trajectory such that the first end passes through the liquid surface from above to below the liquid surface of the first specimen S1. The target trajectory refers to a moving trajectory of the metal needle 1 in a process that the first end passes through the liquid level from the upper side of the liquid level of the first sample S1 to the lower side of the liquid level, and optionally, the target trajectory may be preset or determined according to the position of the first sample S1 in a working process.

The sample analyzer may also include a level detection mechanism 3 such as that shown in fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a possible structure of the liquid level detection mechanism 3. Referring to fig. 3, the liquid level detection mechanism 3 may include a detection circuit 31 and an oscillation circuit 32. Wherein the oscillation circuit 32 is used for connecting the metal needle 1 (specifically, for example, connecting the outer sleeve 12 of the metal needle 1) to supply an alternating current to the metal needle 1, and when the metal needle 1 is connected to the oscillation circuit 32, as a load of the oscillation circuit 32, a change in the capacitance value of the needle capacitor will affect a change in one or more parameters of the alternating current in the oscillation circuit 32. The embodiments of the present application refer to the one or more parameters as target parameters, which may, for example, include at least one of frequency, period, and amplitude of the alternating current. The detection circuit 32 is connected to the oscillation circuit 32 for detecting the value of the target parameter of the alternating current in the oscillation circuit 32. As described above, when the first end contacts the first sample S during the movement of the metal needle 1 along the target track, the capacitance value of the needle capacitor will change. Thus, the detection circuit 31 may determine the target position in the target trajectory from the value of the target parameter. For example, when the variation amount of the value of the target parameter exceeds the threshold value, the detection circuit 31 may determine that the first end of the metal needle 1 contacts the liquid surface of the first sample S1.

In one possible implementation, the oscillation circuit 32 may be a voltage controlled oscillator. In one possible implementation, referring to fig. 4, the liquid level detection mechanism 3 may include a phase-locked loop, which may include a voltage-controlled oscillator, a phase comparator (e.g., a phase detector), a filter, a processor, and the like, and the oscillation circuit 32 may be embodied as a voltage-controlled oscillator in the phase-locked loop. The voltage-controlled oscillator can be used for connecting the metal pin 1 (specifically, for example, the outer sleeve 12 of the metal pin 1), when the pin capacitance changes, the frequency of alternating current in the voltage-controlled oscillator changes, the phase discriminator can convert the change of the frequency into a voltage change, and then the voltage change is transmitted to the processor, so that the processor outputs a liquid level signal, and the liquid level signal is used for indicating a target position. The working principle of the phase-locked loop can refer to the prior art, and is not described herein again.

The sample analyzer may also include a conduit 4 such as that shown in fig. 1. The inner space of the conduit 4 communicates with the inner space 111 of the inner cannula 11 via the second end of the metal needle 1. A liquid (e.g., a cleaning fluid) may be injected into the tubing 4 before the sample analyzer performs a sample analysis task. For example, as shown in fig. 1, the tube 4 may be inserted into the liquid 51 in the reservoir 5.

The sample analyzer may further comprise a driving means (not shown in fig. 1), which may be connected to the detection circuit 31, for driving the liquid 51 to flow in the inner space of the conduit 4 according to the target position determined by the detection circuit 31, so that the metal needle 1 sucks the first sample S1 into the inner space 111 of the inner cannula (i.e. liquid extraction), or discharges the second sample S2 in the inner space 111 into the first sample S1 (i.e. liquid discharge).

Optionally, the detection circuit 31 may be further connected to the needle moving mechanism 2, for example, to output a liquid level signal to the needle moving mechanism 2, so as to control the needle moving mechanism 2 to pause moving the metal needle 1 when the first end reaches a target distance below the liquid level, so as to facilitate liquid taking or discharging from the metal needle 1.

It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application is not limited to the result that the detection circuit 31 always outputs the target position, and the sub-needle moving machine 2 may suspend moving the metal needle 1 and/or the sub-driving unit may drive the metal needle 1 to take or discharge the liquid if the detection circuit 31 can reach a distance (referred to as a target distance) below the liquid level of the first sample S1 at the first end.

For example, when the detection circuit 31 determines that the first end contacts the liquid surface of the first sample S1, it may transmit a liquid surface signal to the needle moving mechanism 2, and after the needle moving mechanism 2 receives the control signal, control the needle 1 to continue moving along the target trajectory for the target distance, and then stop moving the needle 1. For example, assuming that the moving speed of the metal needle 1 along the target track is fixed, the detection circuit 31 may start a timer when the first end is determined to contact the liquid level of the first sample S1, and after the timer expires, the detection circuit 31 may control the driving unit to drive the metal needle 1 to take or discharge liquid. Alternatively, for example, still assuming that the moving speed of the metal needle 1 along the target trajectory is fixed, when the detection circuit 31 determines that the first end contacts the liquid surface of the first sample S1, the detection circuit may send a liquid surface signal to the driving unit, and after the driving unit receives the liquid surface signal, the driving unit may start a timer, and after the timer expires, the driving unit may control the driving unit to drive the metal needle 1 to take or discharge liquid.

Since the liquid 51 in the pipeline 4 generally contains conductive ions, the liquid 51 is likely to interfere with the result of the liquid level detection after contacting the metal needle 1, and the accuracy of the liquid level detection is reduced. Therefore, the liquid 51 can be grounded through a conductor (referred to as a grounding metal). Optionally, a grounding metal may be provided in the reservoir 5 to ground the liquid 51. Alternatively, for example, as shown in fig. 1, a grounding metal 6 may be provided in the pipe 4, the grounding metal 6 may be grounded, for example, by the needle moving mechanism 2, and the grounding of the liquid 51 may be achieved by contact with the liquid 51 in the pipe 4. The material and position of the grounding metal are not limited in the embodiment of the present application, as long as the liquid 51 can be grounded. For convenience of description, the position of the grounding metal as shown in fig. 1 is described as an example hereinafter.

As can be seen from the above description of the liquid level detection circuit 3, the liquid level detection circuit 3 provides an alternating current to the metal needle 1 during the operation of the sample analyzer. When the voltage of the metal needle 1 is greater than zero volts, the anions in the liquid 51 will move towards the metal needle 1 under the action of the electric field between the metal needle 1 and the grounding metal 6, causing the metal needle 1 to generate electrochemical reaction, i.e. to be corroded. When the voltage of the metal pin 1 is less than zero volts, anions in the liquid 51 will move to the grounding metal 6 under the action of the electric field between the metal pin 1 and the grounding metal 6, causing the grounding metal 6 to generate electrochemical reaction, i.e. to be corroded. Not only does the occurrence of the electrochemical reaction reduce the service life of the metal needle 1 and/or the grounding metal 6, but also dissolution of the products of the electrochemical reaction into the liquid 5 contaminates the liquid path and may affect the accuracy of the liquid level detection.

The following provides a number of possible configurations of the oscillator circuit 32 to find a solution that is advantageous for reducing corrosion of the metal pin 1 and the grounding metal 6.

The oscillator circuit 32 may be a capacitive-Resistive (RC) type oscillator or a capacitive-inductive (RL) type oscillator. For convenience of description, in the embodiments of the present application, the capacitance in the oscillation circuit 32 is referred to as an oscillation capacitance (denoted as C)₁) A circuit other than the oscillation capacitor in the oscillation circuit 32 is referred to as a charging circuit. With continued reference to fig. 3, the two terminals of the oscillating capacitor 321 are connected to the charging circuit 322 via the node a and the node B, respectively. It should be noted that, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the oscillation capacitor to include only one capacitor structure, for example, one or two or more capacitor structures may be included, and when the oscillation capacitor includes two or more capacitor structures, the present application provides the following advantagesThe claimed embodiments do not limit the series-parallel relationship between two or more capacitors.

Fig. 5 illustrates one possible configuration of the oscillation circuit 32. Referring to fig. 5, the oscillation circuit 32 may include a charging circuit 321 and an oscillation capacitor C₁. The charging circuit 321 is used for charging the oscillating capacitor C₁By supplying an alternating current, or alternatively by oscillating a capacitor C alternately through node A and node B₁And while one of the two nodes is acting as an input, the other input node is typically grounded (e.g., through node D shown in fig. 5). In the embodiment corresponding to fig. 5, the node a or the node B in the oscillating circuit 32 is used for connecting the metal needle 1 (specifically, for example, the outer sleeve 12 of the metal needle 1). For convenience of description, the corresponding embodiment of fig. 5 is described below by taking the node a as an example for connecting the metal pins 1. Fig. 5 shows an exemplary pin capacitance C of the metal pin 1₀。

After analysis, due to the capacitance characteristic of the metal pin 1, the oscillation circuit 32 is connected to the oscillation capacitor C through the node a₁In the charging process (referred to as a first charging process), an equivalent circuit between the node a and ground (referred to as a first equivalent circuit) includes an oscillating capacitor C₁And pin capacitance C₀In parallel with each other, and an oscillating capacitor C is coupled to the oscillating circuit 32 through a node B₁In the charging process (called as a second charging process), an equivalent circuit between the node A and the ground (called as a second equivalent circuit) comprises an oscillating capacitor C₁In series with an RC circuit in which the capacitance comprises the pin capacitance C₀The resistance in the RC circuit includes the resistance between node a and node D. The existence of the RC circuit will introduce continuous oscillation to the second charging signal, resulting in a large difference in the waveforms of the electrical signals at the node a in the first charging process and the second charging process, and thus causing the equivalent voltage on the metal pin 1 to deviate from zero volts, causing the conductive ions of the liquid 51 in the pipeline 4 to continuously move to the surface of the metal pin 1 or the grounding metal 6, which is likely to cause severe corrosion of the metal pin 1 or the grounding metal 6.

The liquid level detection circuit 3 corresponding to fig. 5 is constructed in the structure shown in fig. 4, that is, the oscillation circuit 32 is a capacitor in a voltage-controlled oscillator, and the node a (that is, gold) is measuredNeedle) is shown in fig. 6. Oscillating capacitor C through node B in charging circuit 321₁During charging, the equivalent circuit between the node a and ground (referred to as the second equivalent circuit) includes an oscillating capacitor C₁And an RC circuit, the existence of which introduces an oscillating waveform such as shown in fig. 6 into the waveform of the voltage signal, resulting in a large difference in the waveforms of the electrical signals at the node a in the first charging process and the second charging process, thereby resulting in that the equivalent voltage on the metal pin 1 deviates far from zero volts, causing the conductive ions of the liquid 51 in the pipeline 4 to continuously move to the surface of the metal pin 1 or the grounded metal 6, easily resulting in severe corrosion of the metal pin 1 or the grounded metal 6.

Fig. 7 illustrates another possible configuration of the oscillation circuit 32. Referring to fig. 7, the oscillation circuit 32 may include a charging circuit 321 and an oscillation capacitor C₁. Similar to the embodiment of fig. 5, the charging circuit 321 is used to charge the oscillating capacitor C₁By alternating current, or alternatively by oscillating a capacitor C alternately through node A and node B₁And while one of the two nodes is acting as an input, the other input node is typically grounded (e.g., through node D shown in fig. 7). Unlike the embodiment corresponding to fig. 5, in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 7, the oscillating capacitor C₁Includes a first capacitor (denoted as C)_1a) And a second capacitance (denoted as C)_1b) And, a node (denoted as node E) between the first capacitor and the second capacitor is used for connecting the metal pin 1. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, it is not limited that the first capacitor or the second capacitor only includes one capacitor structure, for example, the first capacitor or the second capacitor may include one or two or more capacitor structures, and when the first capacitor or the second capacitor includes two or more capacitor structures, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the series-parallel relationship between the two or more capacitors.

After analysis, due to the capacitance characteristic of the metal pin 1, the oscillation circuit 32 is connected to the oscillation capacitor C through the node a₁During the charging process (i.e. the first charging process), the equivalent circuit between node E and ground (i.e. the first equivalent circuit) comprises a pin capacitor C connected in parallel₀And a second capacitor C_1bAnd an oscillating capacitor C is coupled to the oscillating circuit 32 via a node B₁In the charging process (i.e. the second charging process), the equivalent circuit between the node E and the ground (i.e. the second equivalent circuit) comprises pin capacitors C connected in parallel₀And a second capacitor C_1a. Because the first equivalent circuit and the second equivalent circuit do not comprise RC circuits, the difference between the waveforms of the electric signals of the node A in the first charging process and the second charging process is favorably reduced, so that the node E, namely the equivalent voltage on the metal needle 1 is favorably close to zero volt, the movement of the conductive ions of the liquid 51 in the pipeline 4 to the surface of the metal needle 1 or the grounding metal 6 is reduced, and the corrosion of the metal needle 1 or the grounding metal 6 is reduced.

In one possible implementation, the difference between the capacitance value of the first capacitance (referred to as the first capacitance value) and the capacitance value of the second capacitance (referred to as the second capacitance value) is less than the threshold capacitance. Therefore, the difference between the first equivalent circuit and the second equivalent circuit is further reduced, the difference between the electric signal waveforms of the node A in the first charging process and the second charging process is reduced, the node E, namely the equivalent voltage on the metal needle 1 is close to zero volt, the movement of the conductive ions of the liquid 51 in the pipeline 4 to the surface of the metal needle 1 or the grounding metal 6 is reduced, and the corrosion of the metal needle 1 or the grounding metal 6 is reduced. In one possible implementation, the ratio between the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value is less than or equal to 2 and greater than or equal to 0.5.

Optionally, the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value may be equal, at this time, the first equivalent circuit and the second equivalent circuit are the same, waveforms of the electrical signals at the node a in the first charging process and the second charging process are symmetrical with respect to a value of 0, the node E, that is, the equivalent voltage on the metal pin 1, is zero volts, and is equivalent to the pin capacitor C in any period of the alternating current₀The total charge of the positive or negative charges provided is 0.

The liquid level detection circuit 3 corresponding to fig. 7 is constructed in the structure shown in fig. 4, that is, the oscillation circuit 32 is a capacitor in the voltage-controlled oscillator, the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value are equal, and the waveform of the voltage signal at the node E is shown in fig. 8 or fig. 9. Fig. 8 is a waveform diagram of a voltage signal of the node E when the phase-locked loop is supplied with a negative voltage, and fig. 9 is a waveform diagram of a voltage signal of the node E when the phase-locked loop is supplied with a positive voltage. It can be easily seen from observing fig. 8 or fig. 9 that the voltage waveform at the node E (i.e. the metal needle 1) is symmetrical about zero volt, and the equivalent voltage at the metal needle 1 is zero volt, which is equivalent to that the total amount of the charges of the positive charges or the negative charges provided to the metal needle is 0 in any one period of the alternating current, i.e. the total amount of the cations or the anions accumulated by the conductive ions of the liquid 51 in the pipeline 4 to the surface of the metal needle 1 or the grounded metal 6 is 0, which is favorable for avoiding causing the electrochemical reaction of the metal needle 1 or the grounded metal 6.

Referring to fig. 10, the present embodiment also provides a sample analysis apparatus, which may include a sample part 10, a reagent part 20, an assay part 30, and a control and data processing module 40; in some embodiments, the sample analyzer may further include a display unit 50, a signal processing circuit 60, and a fluid path system 70. This will be explained in detail below.

The sample unit 10 is used for carrying a sample to be tested, and the sample is sucked and supplied to the measurement unit 30. Referring to fig. 11, in some embodiments the sample assembly 10 may include a sample carrier assembly 101 and a sample dispensing mechanism 102. The sample carrier 101 is used to carry a sample. In some examples, the Sample carrier 101 may include a Sample Dispensing Module (SDM) and a front end Sample injection track, through which the Sample tube is transported to a predetermined position (Sample position) for the Sample dispensing mechanism 102 to aspirate a Sample; in other examples (e.g., the embodiment shown in fig. 11), the sample carrier 101 may also be a sample tray, the sample tray includes a plurality of sample sites for placing samples, such as sample tubes, and the sample tray can dispatch the samples to predetermined positions by rotating the tray structure, such as positions for the sample dispensing mechanism 102 to aspirate the samples. The sample dispensing mechanism 102 is used to aspirate and discharge a sample into a reaction vessel (e.g., a movable reaction cup or an immovable reaction cell) to be loaded. The sample dispensing mechanism 102 may include a sample needle that performs a two-dimensional or three-dimensional motion in space by a two-dimensional or three-dimensional needle moving mechanism, so that the sample needle can be moved to aspirate a sample carried by the sample carrying member 101 and to a position where a reaction vessel to be loaded is located, and discharge the sample into the reaction vessel.

Alternatively, the sample dispensing mechanism 102 may include the metal needle 1 and the needle moving mechanism 2 in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 1.

The reagent unit 20 is used for carrying a reagent, and supplies the reagent to the measurement unit 30 after the reagent is aspirated. The reagent component 20 may in some embodiments comprise a reagent carrier component 103 and a reagent dispensing mechanism 104. The reagent bearing member 103 is for bearing a reagent. In one embodiment, the reagent carrier 103 may be a reagent disk, the reagent disk is configured in a disk-shaped structure and has a plurality of positions for carrying reagent containers, and the reagent carrier 103 can rotate and drive the reagent containers carried by the reagent carrier to rotate for rotating the reagent containers to a specific position, for example, a position for sucking reagent by the reagent dispensing mechanism 104. The number of the reagent bearing members 103 may be one or more. The reagent dispensing mechanism 104 is used for sucking a reagent and discharging the reagent into a reaction cuvette to be filled with the reagent. In one embodiment, the reagent dispensing mechanism 104 may include a reagent needle and a needle moving mechanism, and the reagent needle performs a two-dimensional or three-dimensional motion in space by the two-dimensional or three-dimensional needle moving mechanism, so that the reagent needle can move to aspirate a reagent carried by the reagent carrying member 103 and to a cuvette to which the reagent is to be added and discharge the reagent to the cuvette. In another embodiment, the reagent dispensing mechanism 104 does not add the reagent by means of a reagent needle, but adds the reagent in the reagent tube to the reaction cell through a dedicated line. In such an embodiment, there is only a sample needle and no reagent needle.

Alternatively, the reagent dispensing mechanism 104 may include the metal needle 1 and the needle moving mechanism 2 in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 1.

The measuring unit 30 is used for performing a project test on the sample to obtain test data of the project. In some embodiments, assay component 30 can include a reaction mechanism 105 and an assay mechanism 106. The reaction mechanism 105 has at least one placing position for placing a reaction cup and incubating a reaction solution in the reaction cup. For example, the reaction mechanism 105 may be a reaction tray, such as shown in fig. 11, which is configured in a disc-shaped structure and has one or more placing positions for placing reaction cups, and the reaction tray can rotate and drive the reaction cups in the placing positions to rotate for scheduling the reaction cups in the reaction tray and incubating reaction solutions in the reaction cups. In other embodiments, the reaction mechanism may be a fixed reaction cup placement position where the reaction cup is placed for a predetermined time to complete incubation and/or other operations (e.g., mixing). The measurement unit 106 is configured to measure the reaction solution after the incubation is completed, and obtain reaction data of the sample. For example, in one embodiment, the measuring unit 106 may be a light measuring unit, which detects the light signal acted on the reaction solution to be measured, and the control and data processing module 40 calculates the kind and/or concentration of the component to be measured in the sample according to the collected light signal. In one embodiment, the photometric component 106 is separately disposed outside the reaction component 105. In further embodiments, the measurement mechanism 106 may also be an electrical measurement mechanism (e.g., an impedance measurement mechanism) or a measurement mechanism of other principles (e.g., an imaging measurement mechanism).

According to different body fluids to be detected and different detection items, the sample and the reagent are added in different modes, for example, the sample and the reagent can be added by adopting a sampling needle, or only the sample can be added by adopting the sampling needle, and the reagent is added by adopting other modes. When the sample is added by using the sampling needle method, in order to prevent the sampling needle from being sucked or touching the bottom of the sample tube/reagent tube, it is common to control the sampling needle to start sucking liquid (the liquid may be a sample or a reagent) when the sampling needle contacts the liquid surface. In order to detect whether the sampling needle contacts the liquid surface, in the embodiment of the present invention, the sampling needle is, for example, a metal needle 1 shown in fig. 2.

The signal processing circuit 60 is electrically connected to the sampling needle (for example, as shown in fig. 2) and the measuring unit 30, and is configured to perform processing such as conversion, amplification, and filtering on various electric signals, and output the processed signals to the control and data processing module 40. The signal processing circuit 60 includes a liquid level detection circuit corresponding to fig. 1 or 3 or fig. 4, for example. The sampling needle is mounted on a needle moving mechanism (e.g., the needle moving mechanism 2 shown in fig. 1), which may be an X-Y-Z three-dimensional motion mechanism, that effects movement of the sampling needle in up-down, left-right, and front-back directions. The needle moving mechanism can also be a rocker arm mechanism capable of lifting up and down, so that the sampling needle can move up and down and rotate on a horizontal plane. The needle moving mechanism drives the sampling needle to move, so that the sampling needle can reach a sample sucking position and a sample arranging position, and sample sucking and sample arranging are realized. When the sampling needle reaches the sample sucking position, the needle moving mechanism drives the sampling needle to downwards extend into a container filled with liquid, and when the head of the sampling needle contacts the liquid level, the equivalent capacitance of the sampling needle changes. The liquid surface detection circuit (for example, the liquid surface detection circuit 3 shown in fig. 1) determines whether or not the head of the sampling needle contacts the liquid surface based on the change in the equivalent capacitance. When the head of the sampling needle contacts the liquid surface, the liquid surface detection circuit outputs a level signal to the control and data processing module 40, and the control and data processing module 40 controls the liquid path system 70 to act, so as to control the sampling needle to start to suck a predetermined amount of liquid.

The control and data processing module 40 is used to control the sample unit 10/reagent unit 20 to collect and discharge the sample/reagent according to a set time sequence, and on the other hand, the control and data processing module 40 is used to convert, count, analyze and/or calculate the signal or data output by the measurement unit 30, and finally obtain the detection result related to the predetermined detection item, which may be a visual numerical value or various graphs, tables, waveforms, etc. To prevent cross-contamination between different samples, the control and data control module 40 also controls the fluid path system 70 to provide a cleaning fluid to clean the sample/reagent contacted tubing and containers according to a set timing sequence.

The display unit 50 is used for displaying various detection results, and the display unit may include one display or a plurality of displays, without limiting the number of displays. In addition, the display can display the pictures and texts and provide a graphical interface for human-computer interaction for a user.

The liquid path system 70 includes a driving component and a pipeline, the pipeline is used for communicating the sampling needle and the cleaning liquid container, and when the embodiment includes a fixed reaction tank, the pipeline is also communicated with the reaction tank, and is used for conveying the cleaning liquid to the sampling needle and/or the reaction tank, so as to realize suction and discharge operation of the sampling needle and cleaning of the sampling needle and/or cleaning of the reaction tank. The drive member is used to provide power to change the flow direction of a fluid (e.g., cleaning fluid) in the conduit. In some embodiments, the wash solution also serves as a diluent to dilute the sample.

It should be noted that in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 1 and the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10, functions of components of the same type may be referred to each other, for example, the pipeline 4 in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 1 may be understood by referring to the pipeline in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10, and the pipeline in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 10 may be understood by referring to the pipeline 4 in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 1.

The device according to the embodiment of the present application is introduced above, and the embodiment of the present application further provides a sample processing method. Referring to fig. 10, the sample processing method may include steps S1201 to S1203.

S1201, providing alternating current for the metal needle and detecting a value of a target parameter of the alternating current;

the embodiment of the application can be applied to the process of sucking or discharging a sample by using metal. The metal needle can comprise an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve which are made of metal materials, and an annular space between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve is communicated with the environment outside the metal needle through the first end of the metal needle. During the process of sucking the first sample with the metal needle or discharging the second sample into the first sample, it may be necessary to determine a target position of the metal needle when the first end contacts the liquid level of the first sample.

In the embodiment of the application, an alternating current can be provided for the metal needle and the value of the target parameter of the alternating current is detected, wherein the equivalent voltage of the alternating current is zero volt.

S1202, driving the metal needle to move along the target track, so that the first end starts to penetrate through the liquid level from the upper part of the liquid level of the first sample to the lower part of the liquid level;

after step S1201, the metal needle may be driven to move along the target trajectory such that the first end passes through the liquid level from above to below the liquid level of the first sample.

S1203, in the process that the metal needle moves along the target track, determining a target position in the first track according to the value of the target parameter;

and in the process that the metal needle moves along the target track, determining the target position in the first track according to the value of the target parameter, wherein the first end is in contact with the liquid level when the metal needle moves to the target position.

Since the metal needle generally needs to be in contact with a liquid containing conductive ions, electrochemical reactions easily occur. In the method provided by the embodiment of the application, since the equivalent voltage on the metal needle is zero volts, which is equivalent to that in any period of alternating current, the total charge amount of positive charges or negative charges provided for the metal needle is 0, which is beneficial to avoiding the occurrence of electrochemical reaction on the metal needle.

In one possible implementation, the alternating current is periodically changed with time, and the changing frequency of the alternating current is not less than 1 Hz. In one possible implementation, the target parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: frequency, period and amplitude of the alternating current.

In one possible implementation, the method may further include step S1204.

And S1204, driving the grounded liquid to flow in the inner space of the pipeline according to the target position, so that the metal needle sucks the first sample into the inner sleeve or discharges the second sample in the inner sleeve to the first sample.

Although the conductive ions in the liquid are easy to move under the electric field between the metal needle and the grounding metal, since the effective voltage of the alternating current on the metal needle is zero, which is equivalent to that in any one cycle of the alternating current, the total amount of the charges of the positive charges or the negative charges provided for the metal needle is 0, that is, the total amount of the cations or the anions accumulated by the conductive ions of the liquid to the surface of the metal needle or the grounding metal is 0, which is beneficial to avoiding causing the electrochemical reaction of the metal needle or the grounding metal.

It should be noted that the method shown in fig. 12 can be regarded as a method performed by the sample analyzer corresponding to fig. 1 or the sample analyzing apparatus corresponding to fig. 10, and therefore, reference may be made to the related description in the embodiment corresponding to fig. 1 or fig. 10 for implementation and technical effects that are not described in detail in the method shown in fig. 11.

In the embodiments of the present application, a plurality means two or more, and the present application is not limited thereto. In the embodiments of the present application, "/" may indicate a relationship in which the objects associated before and after are "or", for example, a/B may indicate a or B; "and/or" may be used to describe that there are three relationships for the associated object, e.g., A and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, wherein A and B can be singular or plural. For convenience in describing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to distinguish technical features having the same or similar functions. The terms "first", "second", and the like do not necessarily limit the number and execution order, and the terms "first", "second", and the like do not necessarily differ. In the embodiments of the present application, the words "exemplary" or "such as" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or illustrations, and any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "e.g.," should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. The use of the terms "exemplary" or "such as" are intended to present relevant concepts in a concrete fashion for ease of understanding.

The embodiments in the present specification are described in a progressive manner, and the same and similar parts among the embodiments are referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from the other embodiments. In particular, for the system embodiment, since it is substantially similar to the method embodiment, the description is simple, and for the relevant points, reference may be made to the partial description of the method embodiment.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, to the extent that such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims, it is intended that the present invention encompass such modifications and variations as well.

Claims (11)

1. A sample analyzer, comprising:

the metal needle comprises an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve which are made of metal materials, and an annular space between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve is communicated with the environment outside the metal needle through a first end of the metal needle;

the needle moving mechanism is used for driving the metal needle to move along a target track, so that the first end passes through the liquid level of the first sample from the upper part to the lower part of the liquid level;

the liquid level detection mechanism comprises a detection circuit and an oscillation circuit, an oscillation capacitor of the oscillation circuit comprises a first capacitor and a second capacitor which are connected in series, a node between the first capacitor and the second capacitor is used for being connected with the outer sleeve, the detection circuit is used for detecting a value of a target parameter of alternating current in the oscillation circuit and determining a target position in the target track according to the value of the target parameter, and the first end contacts the liquid level when the metal needle moves to the target position;

a pipeline, wherein the inner space of the pipeline is communicated with the inner space of the inner sleeve;

a driving component for driving the grounded liquid to flow in the inner space of the pipeline according to the target position so that the metal needle sucks the first sample into the inner sleeve or discharges the second sample in the inner sleeve to the first sample.

2. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein a difference between a first capacitance value of the first capacitance and a second capacitance value of the second capacitance is less than a threshold value.

3. The sample analyzer of claim 2, wherein a ratio between the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value is less than or equal to 2 and greater than or equal to 0.5.

4. The sample analyzer of claim 3, wherein the first capacitance value is equal to the second capacitance value.

5. The sample analyzer of any of claims 1-4, wherein the target parameter comprises at least one of: the frequency, period and amplitude of the alternating current.

6. The sample analyzer of any of claims 1-5 wherein the oscillating circuit is a voltage controlled oscillator.

7. The sample analyzer of any of claims 1-6 further comprising a conductor for grounding and for contacting liquid in the conduit.

8. A method of sample processing, comprising:

providing alternating current for a metal needle and detecting a value of a target parameter of the alternating current, wherein an equivalent voltage of the alternating current is zero volts, the metal needle comprises an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve which are made of metal, and an annular space between the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve is communicated with an environment outside the metal needle through a first end of the metal needle;

driving the metal needle to move along a target track, so that the first end passes through the liquid level from the upper part of the liquid level of the first sample to the lower part of the liquid level;

and in the process that the metal needle moves along the target track, determining a target position in the first track according to the value of the target parameter, wherein the first end contacts the liquid level when the metal needle moves to the target position.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the alternating current is periodically varied over time and the alternating current is varied at a frequency of not less than 1 hertz.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the target parameter comprises at least one of: the frequency, period and amplitude of the alternating current.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising:

and driving the grounded liquid to flow in the inner space of the pipeline according to the target position so that the metal needle sucks the first sample into the inner sleeve or discharges the second sample in the inner sleeve to the first sample.

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