CN115932294A - Sample analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a sample analyzer, which comprises a liquid suction assembly, a driving assembly and a signal acquisition and analysis assembly, wherein the signal acquisition and analysis assembly is used for converting capacitance change on the liquid suction assembly into an electric signal; at the in-process that drive assembly drive imbibition subassembly moved down to the container, the signal acquisition analysis subassembly gathers and analyzes the signal of telecommunication, when the analysis goes out the change that the signal of telecommunication appears rising earlier the back descends, first tip information of output and/or do not send liquid level information in place, first tip information is used for the tip imbibition subassembly to contact the bubble. According to the liquid level detection method and device, whether the liquid suction needle is in contact with the air bubbles or the actual liquid level is identified according to the change trend of the electric signals after rising, and the reliability of liquid level detection under the surface air bubble scene is improved.

Description

Sample analyzer

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of medical equipment, in particular to a sample analyzer.

Background

When a sample analyzer performs In Vitro Diagnosis (IVD), air bubbles may adhere to the surface of a liquid such as a sample or a reagent In a container, and when the liquid level of the liquid In the container is detected by a capacitance detection method, a pipette needle may contact the air bubbles In advance before contacting the liquid level, thereby generating a sudden change In the characteristics of an electric signal, and the liquid level may be erroneously detected as the contact of the pipette needle with the liquid level.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a sample analyzer, and aims to solve the technical problem that the existing sample analyzer is easy to detect bubbles as liquid level by mistake when liquid level detection is carried out.

The embodiment of the application provides a sample analyzer, includes:

a wicking assembly for wicking liquid from the container;

the driving assembly is used for driving the liquid suction assembly to move;

the signal acquisition and analysis assembly is used for converting the capacitance change on the liquid suction assembly into an electric signal; the drive assembly drive imbibition subassembly to the in-process that the container moved down, the collection of signal acquisition analysis subassembly and analysis the signal of telecommunication, when the analysis goes out the signal of telecommunication appears rising earlier when the decline, first tip information of output and/or do not send the liquid level information that targets in place, first tip information is used for the suggestion the imbibition subassembly contacts the bubble.

The embodiment of the application provides a sample analyzer, which comprises a liquid suction assembly, a driving assembly and a signal acquisition and analysis assembly, wherein the signal acquisition and analysis assembly is used for converting capacitance change on the liquid suction assembly into an electric signal; in the process that drive assembly drive imbibition subassembly moved down to the container, the signal acquisition analysis subassembly gathers and analyzes the signal of telecommunication, when the signal of telecommunication appears rising earlier the decline after the analysis, output first tip information and/or do not send liquid level information in place, first tip information is used for the tip imbibition subassembly to contact the bubble. According to the liquid level detection method and device, whether the liquid suction needle is contacted with the air bubbles or the actual liquid level is identified according to the change trend of the electric signal after rising, and the reliability of liquid level detection under the surface air bubble scene is improved.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure of the embodiments of the application.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the description below are some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a sample analyzer provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a pipette needle contacting a bubble in one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an electrical signal when a pipette needle contacts a bubble in one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a sample analyzer in one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an electrical signal when a pipette needle contacts a bubble in another embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a timing diagram of a pipetting process in one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of collecting electrical signals in one embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a timing diagram of a pipetting process in another embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a timing diagram of a pipetting process in yet another embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an image capture device according to one embodiment;

fig. 11 is a schematic flowchart of a liquid suction control method of a sample analyzer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Description of reference numerals: 100. a sample analyzer; 110. a wicking assembly; 111. a liquid suction needle; 112. a liquid path; 113. a liquid path device; 120. a drive assembly; 121. a rocker arm; 122. a rocker; 123. a motor; 130. A signal acquisition and analysis component; 140. a control module; 151. a pressure sensor; 152. a pressure detection assembly; 161. an image acquisition device; 162. a light source; 163. background paper; 10. and (4) a sample rack.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

The flow diagrams depicted in the figures are merely illustrative and do not necessarily include all of the elements and operations/steps, nor do they necessarily have to be performed in the order depicted. For example, some operations/steps may be decomposed, combined or partially combined, so that the actual execution order may be changed according to the actual situation.

Some embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments and features of the embodiments described below can be combined with each other without conflict.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a sample analyzer 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Through the accuracy that improves the liquid level detection of liquid in the container, can guarantee that pipette needle 111 inserts the enough degree of depth of liquid, prevent that liquid suction or less suction from appearing, can prevent simultaneously that pipette needle 111 and the bottom of container from bumping.

In some embodiments, the sample analyzer 100 includes, but is not limited to, at least one of: biochemical analyzer, immunoassay analyzer, blood coagulation analyzer, urine analyzer.

In the liquid level detection technology in the current industry, in order to pursue the response speed of liquid level detection, liquid level in-place information is generally reported when a signal of capacitance characteristic conversion is detected to meet a threshold value, that is, detection and reporting are performed immediately. Specifically, when the capacitance of the liquid suction needle 111 changes, the liquid suction needle 111 is immediately determined to have contacted the liquid surface and to send the liquid surface position information. Although the sensitivity of liquid level detection is improved, in some situations, the pipette tip 111 may not contact the actual liquid level.

Referring to fig. 2, bubbles adhere to the surface of the liquid in the container, when the liquid level of the liquid in the container is detected by a capacitance detection method, the liquid suction needle 111 is likely to contact the bubbles in advance before contacting the liquid level, so that sudden changes of electrical signal characteristics are generated, the liquid suction needle 111 is likely to be falsely detected as contacting the liquid level, the bubbles are used as the liquid level, and the liquid suction needle 111 does not contact the actual liquid level when the liquid level in-place information is sent, so that empty suction or less suction may be caused, and thus a clinical result error may be caused.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, when the liquid suction needle 111 contacts the bubble at time T1, the positive plate corresponding to the capacitance is enlarged, the change in capacitance causes an increase in the amplitude of the electrical signal, and a rising change in the electrical signal can be detected from time T1 to time T2, but at a time after time T2, the bubble itself breaks or is punctured by the liquid suction needle 111, so that a falling change in the electrical signal occurs after the time, and as shown in fig. 3, the electrical signal falls within a predetermined range around the signal baseline between the time and time T3.

For example, when the pipette needle 111 contacts the actual liquid surface, i.e., the vacuum surface, at the time T3 as shown in fig. 2 and 3, the change of the electrical signal can be referred to as the electrical signal after the time T3 in fig. 3.

In the sample analyzer 100 according to the embodiment of the present application, in the process of moving the pipette assembly 110 downward toward the container, when a rising change in the electrical signal is detected, the electrical signal is continuously obtained without sending the information that the liquid level is in place, and whether the electrical signal falls after rising is determined to identify whether the pipette tip 111 contacts the bubble or the actual liquid level.

As shown in fig. 1, the sample analyzer 100 includes a pipetting assembly 110, a drive assembly 120, and a signal acquisition and analysis assembly 130. For example, the wicking assembly 110 includes a wicking needle 111. The pipette assembly 110 is used to aspirate a liquid such as a sample or a reagent in a container and also to discharge the liquid such as the sample or the reagent.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, pipetting assembly 110 further comprises a fluid path 112 and a fluid path device 113, wherein fluid path device 113 comprises at least one of a pump, a valve, a syringe. For example, a pump, a valve, a syringe and the pipette needle 111 are connected in sequence, for example, the syringe and the pipette needle 111 are connected through a fluid path 112, wherein the valve may be a solenoid valve. Illustratively, the solenoid valve is used to control the on/off between the pump and the syringe, when the solenoid valve is closed, the pump cannot suck the liquid in the container through the syringe, the liquid path 112 and the pipette needle 111, and when the solenoid valve is open, the pump can suck the liquid in the container through the syringe, the liquid path 112 and the pipette needle 111; of course, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, when the electromagnetic valve is closed, the liquid outputted by the pump, such as the reaction liquid of hemolytic agent, etc., cannot be injected into the pipette needle 111 through the syringe and the liquid path 112, and when the electromagnetic valve is opened, the liquid outputted by the pump can be injected into the pipette needle 111 through the syringe and the liquid path 112, so as to flush the pipette needle 111; for example, when the electromagnetic valve is closed, the cleaning liquid output by the pump cannot be injected into the pipette needle 111 through the syringe and the liquid path 112, and when the electromagnetic valve is opened, the cleaning liquid output by the pump can be injected into the pipette needle 111 through the syringe and the liquid path 112 to flush the pipette needle 111.

Illustratively, the driving assembly 120 is used to drive the pipette needle 111 to move, for example, to drive the pipette needle 111 to move downward to the container so that the tip of the pipette needle 111 is immersed in the liquid in the container, and also to drive the pipette needle 111 to move upward so that the pipette needle 111 is removed from the container, which may be referred to as raising a needle.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1 and 4, the driving assembly 120 includes a rocker arm 121, the rocker arm 121 is fixed on a rocker 122, the rocker 122 can move vertically and rotate, and the rocker arm 121 is driven by the rocker 122 to move vertically and rotate horizontally. The liquid suction needle 111 is arranged on the rocker arm 121 and can reach a target position under the driving of the rocker arm 121. Illustratively, the driving assembly 120 further includes a motor 123, such as a stepping motor, for driving the rocker 122 to move, but is not limited thereto. Optionally, the pipette tip 111 may be removably coupled to the drive assembly 120, or may be fixedly coupled thereto.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, the liquid sucking needle 111 is used for detecting a liquid level and generating a capacitance value that changes when contacting the liquid level. When the liquid suction needle 111 contacts the liquid surface, the equivalent capacitance value thereof changes.

The output of the pipette tip 111 is a capacitance, and in some embodiments, the signal acquisition and analysis component 130 can convert the capacitance change on the pipette tip 111 into an electrical signal, such as a voltage signal, a frequency signal, etc., by at least one of a phase-locked loop method, a bridge method, a direct method, a frequency method, etc., without being limited thereto. For example, the signal collection and analysis component 130 can convert the capacitance change on the pipette tip 111 into a voltage signal by using a direct conversion method or an indirect conversion method, for example, the capacitance is first converted into a current signal, and then the current signal is converted into a voltage signal.

Optionally, the signal collecting and analyzing component 130 may be disposed in the cavity of the rocker arm 121, so as to protect the circuit and facilitate connection with the pipette needle 111, and the distance of the connection line between the pipette needle 111 and the signal collecting and analyzing component 130 is short, thereby avoiding unnecessary interference and distortion.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the sample analyzer 100 further comprises a control module 140, and the control module 140 may include one or more of a central computer, an upper computer, and a motor 123 control unit. Of course, the control module 140 may be integrated with the signal acquisition and analysis component 130.

Illustratively, the control module 140 includes one or more processors, which individually or collectively operate to perform the control steps of the sample analyzer 100. Illustratively, the signal acquisition and analysis component 130 further includes a memory, and the processor and the memory may be connected by a bus, such as an I2C (Inter-integrated Circuit) bus. The processor is used to run a computer program stored in the memory and to implement the control steps of the sample analyzer 100 when executing the computer program.

Illustratively, the driving assembly 120 is used for driving the pipette needle 111 in the pipetting assembly 110 to move down, and the signal acquisition and analysis assembly 130 is used for converting the capacitance change on the pipette needle 111 into an electrical signal and judging whether the pipette needle 111 contacts the liquid level according to the electrical signal. Illustratively, when the signal acquisition and analysis assembly 130 determines that the pipetting needle 111 contacts the liquid surface, the liquid surface position information is sent to the control module 140, so that the control module 140 controls the driving assembly 120 to drive the pipetting assembly 110 to decelerate or stop moving downwards according to the liquid surface position information, for example, the control unit of the motor 123 controls the vertical motor 123 and/or the horizontal motor 123 in the driving assembly 120 to rotate so as to decelerate or stop moving downwards the pipetting assembly 110; and certainly, the method is not limited to this, for example, when the signal acquisition and analysis assembly 130 determines that the pipette tip 111 contacts the liquid surface, the driving assembly 120 is controlled to drive the pipetting assembly 110 to touch the liquid surface, or when the signal acquisition and analysis assembly 130 determines that the pipette tip 111 contacts the liquid surface, the liquid surface position information is sent to the driving assembly 120, and the driving assembly 120 drives the pipetting assembly 110 to decelerate or stop moving downwards according to the liquid surface position information.

Specifically, in the sample analyzer 100 according to the embodiment of the present application, in the process that the driving assembly 120 drives the liquid suction assembly 110 to move down toward the container, the signal collecting and analyzing assembly 130 collects and analyzes the electrical signal, please refer to fig. 3 and 5, when it is analyzed that the electrical signal changes from rising first to falling second, first prompt information is output and/or liquid level in-place information is not sent, and the first prompt information is used for prompting that the liquid suction assembly 110 contacts with bubbles.

Illustratively, the signal acquisition and analysis component 130 includes a prompting device, such as a display, an indicator light, etc., which can output an indication. Or the control module 140 includes a prompting device, and the signal collection and analysis component 130 can output the indication information through the prompting device of the control module 140, but is not limited thereto.

For example, when a change of rising first and then falling occurs, it is determined that the liquid suction needle 111 is not in contact with the actual liquid level due to the electric signal generated by the bubble and the bubble breakage, and therefore, the liquid level in-place information is not transmitted, the first prompt information can be output to prompt that the liquid suction assembly 110 is in contact with the bubble instead of the liquid level, and the user can be prompted that the bubble exists in the container and the corresponding treatment is needed.

Illustratively, the signal collecting and analyzing component 130 is configured to send the liquid level position information when analyzing that the second electrical signal has no descending change. For example, when a change in which the electric signal continuously rises and does not fall is detected, it is determined that the liquid suction needle 111 has contacted the actual liquid surface, and the liquid surface position information can be transmitted.

Whether the liquid level is in contact with the actual liquid level or not is identified according to the change trend of the electric signal after rising, and the reliability of liquid level detection under the surface bubble scene is improved.

In some embodiments, the signal collecting and analyzing component 130 is configured to determine whether a second electrical signal subsequent to a first electrical signal has a decreasing change when it is analyzed that the increasing change of the first electrical signal satisfies a preset threshold condition; and when the second electric signal has descending change, outputting first prompt information and/or not sending liquid level in-place information.

Illustratively, the signal acquisition and analysis component 130 is configured to determine that the first electrical signal satisfies the threshold condition when the first electrical signal satisfies a preset threshold. Illustratively, the preset threshold is selected from: an amplitude change threshold, a slope threshold, a first amplitude threshold. Optionally, when the first electrical signal satisfies at least one of the following conditions, it is determined that the rising change of the first electrical signal satisfies the threshold condition: the relative signal amplitude variation of the first electrical signal in a preset time length is greater than or equal to a preset amplitude variation threshold, the slope of the first electrical signal in the preset time length is greater than or equal to a preset slope threshold, and the absolute amplitude of the first electrical signal is greater than or equal to a preset amplitude threshold.

In some embodiments, the downward movement distance of the pipette needle 111 may be determined according to the number of steps of the motor 123 driving the downward movement of the pipette needle 111. Referring to fig. 6, when the needle of the liquid sucking needle 111 reaches the predetermined distance of the container mouth at time T0, the liquid level detection starts, and the signal collecting and analyzing module 130 starts to collect and analyze the electrical signal and determine whether to send the liquid level in-place information according to the electrical signal. For example, referring to fig. 6 and 7, when the electrical signal starts to change at time T1, and when it can be analyzed that the electrical signal satisfies the threshold condition at time T2, the electrical signal before time T2 may be referred to as a first electrical signal, or the electrical signal from time T1 to time T2 may be referred to as a first electrical signal. Preferably, the comparison between the signal and the threshold condition is started only after the electrical signal changes at time T1, and the time T1 may also be referred to as contact detection; when the first electrical signal satisfies the threshold condition, T2 in this case, it may also be referred to as threshold detection.

For example, referring to fig. 6, when the needle head of the pipette needle 111 contacts the liquid surface at time T1, the capacitance change can be completed within a time of tens of microseconds, the specific value of the time is related to the type and volume of the liquid in the container, and the capacitance change and the electrical signal change can be converted within hundreds of microseconds or tens of milliseconds from time T1 to time T2, which is related to the response time of the circuit in the signal acquisition and analysis component 130. If the liquid level in-place information is sent only within the short time of tens of microseconds to a few milliseconds when the liquid suction needle 111 contacts the liquid level, the liquid suction needle 111 is judged to contact the liquid level, the judgment time is limited, interference electric signals generated by many abnormal scenes in the period of time, for example, electric signals generated by the liquid suction needle 111 contacting bubbles have the same characteristics as those of the electric signals contacting the real liquid level, for example, rising edges, the threshold condition can be judged to be met, and if the liquid level in-place information is sent at the moment, the liquid level in-place information is misreported, so that the liquid suction is abnormal.

In the embodiment of the present application, when it is analyzed that the first electrical signal satisfies the threshold condition, the electrical signal after the first electrical signal is further collected and analyzed, which may be referred to as a second electrical signal. When the second electric signal is analyzed to have a descending change, the electric signal generated by bubbles is judged, the liquid suction needle 111 does not actually contact the liquid level, and liquid level in-place information is not sent; when the second electric signal is analyzed to have no descending change, the liquid suction needle 111 is judged to be in contact with the liquid level and liquid level in-place information is sent.

In some embodiments, the signal collection and analysis component 130 is further configured to collect the first electrical signal again when the second electrical signal has a falling change, analyze whether the first electrical signal collected again has a rising change, and whether the rising change satisfies the threshold condition.

Referring to fig. 8, the first electrical signal from time T1 'to time T2' satisfies the threshold condition, but the second electrical signal thereafter has a decreasing change, so that it can be determined that the pipette tip 111 does not contact the real liquid surface. The first electrical signal can be collected and analyzed again, as shown in fig. 8, the pipette needle 111 contacts the real liquid level at time T1, the first electrical signal starts to change, and when it is analyzed that the first electrical signal satisfies the threshold condition at time T2.

Illustratively, the signal collection and analysis component 130 is further configured to send the liquid level in-place information when it is analyzed that the rising change of the reacquired first electrical signal satisfies the threshold condition. It can be understood that if it is determined whether the second electrical signal does not fall at different times for a plurality of times, the detection time is too long, and the liquid suction needle 111 continuously falls to contact the bottom of the container, the risk of contacting the bottom of the container may be limited to a preset number of times, for example, after it is determined that the second electrical signal falls, when it is detected that the first electrical signal collected again meets the threshold condition, the liquid level in-place information is sent, and it may be prevented that the liquid suction needle 111 falls too far to contact the bottom of the container.

Optionally, the signal collecting and analyzing component 130 is configured to collect the second electrical signal again when the first electrical signal collected again meets the threshold condition, and send the liquid level in-place information when the second electrical signal collected again does not have a descending change. By judging whether the second electric signal has descending change again, the accuracy of liquid level detection can be improved, and misjudgment caused by interference signals of multiple bubble breakage can be prevented.

In some embodiments, the signal collection and analysis component 130 is configured to transmit the liquid level in-place information at a preset time, where the preset time is not later than the latest reporting time of the liquid level in-place information.

For example, referring to fig. 6, the preset time T3 is the latest reporting time of the liquid level in-place information that can be accepted by the system timing disassembly, and the time is strongly related to the rotation speed of the motor 123, the mechanical precision, the circuit delay, the system speed measurement, and other factors, and if the liquid level in-place signal is sent after the time, the liquid suction needle 111 risks contacting the bottom of the container. The liquid level in-place information is sent at the latest time T3, so that the liquid suction needle 111 can be prevented from contacting the bottom of the container.

Optionally, the signal collecting and analyzing component 130 is configured to send the liquid level in-place information at a preset time when the first electrical signal collected again meets the threshold condition. Referring to fig. 8, after the first electrical signal is analyzed at time T2 to satisfy the threshold condition, the liquid level in-place signal is not sent first, so that the liquid suction needle 111 is prevented from still not contacting the real liquid level at this time, but the liquid level in-place information can be sent at preset time T3, and at this time, a higher probability is provided to ensure that the liquid suction needle 111 has contacted the real liquid level. Optionally, the preset time is not later than the latest reporting time of the liquid level in-place information, and by judging whether the second electrical signal from at least the time T2 to the time T3 does not have a descending change, the capacitance change information of the liquid suction needle 111 indicated by the electrical signal can be fully utilized, the real liquid level can be identified more accurately, and misjudgment caused in an interference scene of an abnormal scene can be prevented.

Illustratively, the duration of the second voltage signal is at least three times the duration of the first voltage signal. For example, the time period from the time T2 to the time T3 is usually several milliseconds, which is much longer than several hundred microseconds from the time T1 to the time T2, and the real liquid level can be identified more accurately by continuously analyzing whether the electrical signal satisfies the corresponding condition.

It should be noted that it is also not limited that the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal are divided by whether the electrical signal is preset with a threshold, and the acquisition of the second electrical signal is not limited to be performed after the first electrical signal meets the threshold condition.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, the pipetting process of the pipetting needle 111 (e.g., a sample needle or a reagent needle) can be divided into several nodes T0-T7 along the time axis. If the second electric signal is not analyzed to have descending change at the time of T3, liquid level in-place information can be sent, and the liquid level is reported to enable the liquid suction needle 111 to decelerate or stop. For example, after receiving the liquid level in-place information sent by the signal acquisition and analysis component 130, the control module 140 issues a series of mechanical instructions, so that the driving component 120 drives the liquid suction needle 111 to decelerate, and completely stop after the liquid suction needle 111 starts decelerating from time T3 to time T4, where the liquid suction needle 111 descends by a height H millimeter (mm), the time may be more than five times of the time period from time T2 to time T3, and after the liquid suction needle 111 stops descending at time T4, liquid suction continues to start at time T5, liquid suction is closed at time T6, and the driving component 120 drives the liquid suction needle 111 to ascend at time T7, that is, a series of actions such as needle lifting are performed.

In some embodiments, the signal acquisition and analysis assembly 130 is further configured to acquire and analyze a third electrical signal after transmitting the level-in-place information and at least prior to pipetting by the pipetting assembly 110.

In some detection scenarios, referring to fig. 9, when the liquid level in-place signal is sent, the liquid sucking needle 111 may not contact the actual liquid level yet. The interfering electrical signal generated by the bubble collapse generally lasts longer, and the high level of the generated signal is maintained for a longer time, possibly after a preset time. Depending on the second electrical signal before the predetermined time, it is sometimes not sufficient to evaluate whether a falling change has occurred. However, in order to prevent the liquid suction needle 111 from contacting the bottom of the container, the liquid level in-place signal is also sent out at a preset time, and the liquid suction needle 111 may not contact the actual liquid level. By collecting and analyzing the third electrical signal after the liquid level in-place information is transmitted, it is possible to realize post-monitoring and determine whether the liquid suction needle 111 contacts the actual liquid level when the liquid level in-place information is transmitted.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 6, the signal collection and analysis component 130 is configured to collect the electrical signal of at least one of the following time periods as the third electrical signal: the electric signal when the liquid level position information is transmitted from the time T3 to the time T4 when the liquid absorbing member 110 stops moving downward, and the electric signal when the liquid absorbing member 110 starts absorbing liquid from the time T4 when the liquid absorbing member 110 stops moving downward to the time T5 are not limited to these. For example, the third electrical signal of which time period is collected and analyzed can be determined according to the performance of the sampling analysis component and the abnormal scene to be identified, so as to be suitable for accurately realizing post-event monitoring in different abnormal scenes. .

Illustratively, the signal collecting and analyzing component 130 is further configured to output a second prompt message when analyzing that the third electrical signal has a decreasing change, where the second prompt message is used to prompt the fluid-imbibing abnormality at this time and/or the fluid-imbibing component 110 causes a bubble to break, resulting in the fluid-imbibing abnormality at this time.

For example, when the third electrical signal has a falling change, it may be determined that the first electrical signal that satisfies the threshold condition and the second electrical signal that also falls within a preset range near the signal baseline are also abnormal interference signals, and it may be determined that the pipette needle 111 does not actually contact the liquid level when the liquid level in-place information is transmitted at a preset time. In this case, the height of the liquid suction needle 111 that is lowered is lower than the height that needs to be lowered, resulting in less suction or even suction, and the detection result of the sample analyzer 100 is not accurate enough to prompt a follow-up measurement.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 9, if it is determined that the third electrical signal has a decreasing change after the liquid level position information is sent at the preset time, the operation of the pipette needle 111 may not be interfered, and the user may be prompted by an instruction message, for example, the second prompt message may be output when the pipette needle 111 moves upwards at time T7. It should be noted that, since the liquid suction needle 111 starts to decelerate at time T3, if the detected "liquid level" is found to be a false liquid level, and the needle is to be accelerated, it is obviously not easy to operate by ignoring the detected signal, which not only delays the system timing, but also challenges the speed of the motor 123, the mechanical precision, and the like. Therefore, the liquid suction needle 111 starts to decelerate at the time T3, and then the detected electric signal is found to be an abnormal signal, so that a series of actions of the liquid suction needle 111 are finished, and then a prompt message is reported to prompt the user that the test is abnormal at this time and to request for additional test, so as to avoid causing clinical result deviation. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in some cases where the requirement is not high, the control action of this sample sucking may be changed when the third signal identifies an abnormality.

Illustratively, the signal acquisition and analysis component 130 is configured to analyze whether a drop change occurs in the third electrical signal according to the second electrical signal before the third electrical signal and the third electrical signal.

In some embodiments, the liquid suction needle 111 contacts the bubble at time T1 to cause an increase in the amplitude of the electrical signal, the first electrical signal is detected to satisfy the threshold condition from time T1 to time T2, the bubble ruptures itself, is punctured by the liquid suction needle 111, is ruptured by the liquid suction needle 111, or ruptures when the liquid suction needle 111 lifts the needle after time T2, there is a decreasing change to the signal baseline in the second or third electrical signal after the bubble ruptures, the electrical signal does not yet fall within a preset range around the signal baseline with a certain probability at time T3, a liquid level in-place signal may be sent at time T3, and the third electrical signal is collected and analyzed after time T3; when the third electrical signal after time T3 falls within a preset range around the baseline of the signal, it can be determined that there is a falling change in the third electrical signal.

In some embodiments, when the analysis reaches a predetermined range around the baseline of the signal, it can be determined that there is a higher probability that the bubble collapse results in a pipetting anomaly.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 10, the sample analyzer 100 further comprises an image capture device 161, wherein the image capture device 161 is configured to capture an image of the container. Illustratively, the containers are placed on the sample rack 10, and the field of view of the image capturing device 161 may cover the sample rack 10. Optionally, as shown in fig. 10, the sample analyzer 100 further includes a light source 162 for supplementing light, such as a top light source and/or an oblique light source, which may improve the quality of image acquisition, so as to more accurately identify the state of bubbles and the like according to the image. Alternatively, as shown in fig. 10, a background paper 163 may be further provided behind the container to more accurately recognize the state of bubbles or the like from the image.

Illustratively, the signal collecting and analyzing component 130 is further configured to output a second prompt message when it is analyzed that there is a bubble in the container according to the image after the liquid level in-place information is sent, where the second prompt message is used to prompt the fluid suction abnormality and/or the fluid suction component 110 breaks the bubble to cause the fluid suction abnormality.

For example, when the pipette needle 111 contacts the bubble, the bubble is not broken, and there is no drop change in the electrical signal, for example, the side of the pipette needle 111 is tangent to the bubble, or the bubble is not broken when it is inserted into the bubble, or there are several layers of continuous bubbles above the liquid surface, and although the upper layer of bubbles is broken, the lower layer of bubbles is not broken. After the liquid level in-place information is sent, whether bubbles exist above the liquid level is identified according to the image, and when bubbles exist, the liquid suction needle 111 does not contact the actual liquid level with a certain probability when the liquid level in-place information is sent, so that second prompt information can be output.

Illustratively, the signal collecting and analyzing component 130 is configured to output the first prompt message when analyzing that the electrical signal has a first-rising and then-falling change and analyzing that there is a bubble in the container according to the image. By combining the judgment result according to the electric signal and the result of the image analysis, whether the electric signal is caused by the bubbles can be judged more accurately, and if so, the first prompt information is output.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4, the sample analyzer 100 further includes a pressure sensor 151, wherein the pressure sensor 151 is located on the liquid path 112 connected to the liquid suction needle 111 and is used for detecting a pressure value on the liquid path 112.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 4, a pressure sensor 151 is disposed on the liquid path 112, and the sample analyzer 100 further includes a pressure detection assembly 152, where the pressure detection assembly 152 is configured to determine a pressure value of the liquid path 112 according to a signal output by the pressure sensor 151.

In some embodiments, the signal acquisition and analysis assembly 130 is further configured to determine whether a pressure value on the fluid path 112 is below a predetermined pressure threshold while the pipetting assembly 110 is pipetting; and when the pressure value on the liquid path 112 is lower than the pressure threshold value, outputting third prompt information, wherein the third prompt information is used for prompting that the suction phenomenon or the suction shortage phenomenon exists in the liquid suction at this time.

When the pressure sensor 151 is connected in series to the liquid path 112, and a sample needle or a reagent needle aspirates liquid, a change in pressure value in the pressure sensor 151 is caused by the gravity of the liquid and the damping effect of the tube wall on the liquid. If the parameters of the pressure sensor 151, the structure and the size of the pipeline, the structure and the size of the needle tube and the hardware parameters are reasonably designed, when the needle does not suck liquid or sucks too little liquid (suction and less suction), the pressure value is lower than the pressure value during normal liquid suction, and suction and less suction alarms can be generated through threshold value comparison. It can be understood that the suction is empty or less can be found by detecting the pressure change, an alarm is generated, and for example, a third prompt message can be output to the control module 140, so that the control module 140 can know that the sample suction is abnormal this time. For example, no matter whether the bubble is broken or not, as long as the needle tip caused by the bubble is suspended above the liquid surface or is inserted into the liquid surface to be too shallow to cause suction or lack of suction, the suction phenomenon or lack of suction phenomenon can be accurately identified by detecting the pressure change.

In some embodiments, the signal collection and analysis component 130 is further configured to collect electrical signals of the pipetting assembly 110 before and after discharging the liquid into the container, and determine the discharge amount of the liquid according to the variation of the amplitude of the electrical signals before and after discharging the liquid; and outputting fourth prompt information when the liquid discharge amount is judged to be empty or less, wherein the fourth prompt information is used for prompting that the liquid discharge amount is empty or less.

When the sample needle or the reagent needle enters the liquid discharge position from the liquid suction position, the liquid volume and the surface area determine the amplitude of the electric signal according to the capacitance detection principle. The volume of the discharged liquid can be judged according to the variation of the signal amplitude before and after liquid discharge, if the discharged liquid is discharged in an empty state or in a few states, an alarm is generated through the fourth prompt message, the third prompt message can be output to the control module 140, and the control module 140 can know that the sample discharge is abnormal.

In some embodiments, the rate at which the signal acquisition and analysis assembly 130 acquires the electrical signal is at least 8 times faster than the rate of capacitance jump when the wicking assembly 110 contacts the surface of the liquid. In other words, the sampling period of the signal acquisition and analysis assembly 130 is less than or equal to one-eighth of the capacitance transition time when the sampling assembly contacts the surface. Illustratively, the acquisition rate of the analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) in the signal acquisition analysis component 130 is at least ten times faster than the rate of capacitive signal transitions. The first electric signal, the second electric signal and the third electric signal can be collected and analyzed more quickly and accurately to obtain corresponding analysis results. For example, whether the electrical signal satisfies the corresponding condition can be determined more quickly. Moreover, the signal acquisition and analysis component 130 has a high acquisition rate, and can also more fully identify the signal change and better identify whether the abnormal features occur.

The sample analyzer 100 provided by the embodiment of the present application includes a pipetting assembly 110, a driving assembly 120, and a signal collecting and analyzing assembly 130, where the signal collecting and analyzing assembly 130 is configured to convert capacitance variation on the pipetting assembly 110 into an electrical signal; in the process that the driving assembly 120 drives the liquid absorbing assembly 110 to move downwards towards the container, the signal acquisition and analysis assembly 130 acquires and analyzes an electric signal, when the electric signal is analyzed to change from ascending to descending, first prompt information is output and/or liquid level in-place information is not sent, and the first prompt information is used for prompting the liquid absorbing assembly 110 to contact with bubbles. According to the liquid level detection method and device, whether the liquid sucking needle 111 is in contact with the air bubbles or the actual liquid level is identified according to the change trend of the electric signals after rising, and the reliability of liquid level detection under the surface air bubble scene is improved.

In some embodiments, for a scene where the bubble is not broken, detection may be performed by means of visual recognition, pressure detection, amplitude threshold, and the like; for the scene of bubble rupture, the characteristic difference between the change characteristic of the electric signal of bubble rupture which rises first and then falls and the normal liquid level signal can be detected and distinguished, and the purpose of improving the liquid level detection reliability of the sample needle or the reagent needle is achieved.

Illustratively, the characteristic difference between the signal generated by bubble collapse and the signal of the true liquid level is that after the bubble collapse, the pipette needle 111 is disconnected with the bubble film and the liquid instantaneously, the area of the positive plate of the capacitor becomes small, and the capacitor becomes small, so that the electric signal falls. Depending on the size of the bubble and the length of time the bubble remains, the tip may not contact the liquid surface during the buffering process after the bubble collapse (as shown in FIG. 5) or may contact the liquid surface (as shown in FIG. 3).

Taking the example that the bubble is broken and contacts the real liquid level, the characteristic difference between the bubble signal and the real liquid level signal shows that the real liquid level signal does not fall after rising until the needle is lifted off the liquid level, and the signal amplitude of the bubble signal falls back when the bubble is broken.

In some embodiments, the purpose of improving the reliability of liquid level detection of the sample needle or the reagent needle is achieved by subdividing the bubble scenes, refining the signal characteristics in each scene, and identifying and detecting the air suction and the less suction generated by the bubbles or the bubbles by means of visual AI identification, pressure detection, threshold detection, liquid level signal characteristic identification and the like in a multi-level manner.

Referring to fig. 11 in conjunction with the foregoing embodiments, fig. 11 is a schematic flowchart of a liquid suction control method of a sample analyzer according to an embodiment of the present application. The control method can be applied to a sample analyzer or a control device of the sample analyzer and is used for judging whether the liquid suction needle contacts the liquid level or not according to the capacitance change of the liquid suction needle.

As shown in fig. 11, the liquid-suction control method of the sample analyzer of the embodiment of the present application includes steps S110 to S120.

S110, acquiring an electric signal acquired by the signal acquisition assembly in the process that the driving assembly drives the liquid suction assembly to move downwards towards the container;

s120, when the change that the electric signal rises first and then falls is analyzed, first prompt information is output and/or liquid level in-place information is not sent, and the first prompt information is used for prompting that the liquid suction assembly contacts bubbles.

The specific principle and implementation manner of the liquid suction control method of the sample analyzer provided in the embodiment of the present application are similar to those of the sample analyzer in the foregoing embodiment, and are not described here again.

The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the processor is enabled to implement the steps of the above-mentioned liquid suction control method for a sample analyzer.

The computer-readable storage medium may be an internal storage unit of the sample analyzer according to any of the foregoing embodiments, for example, a hard disk or a memory of the sample analyzer. The computer readable storage medium may also be an external storage device of the sample analyzer, such as a plug-in hard disk, a Smart Media Card (SMC), a Secure Digital (SD) Card, a Flash memory Card (Flash Card), etc. provided on the sample analyzer.

It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application.

It should also be understood that the term "and/or" as used in this application and the appended claims refers to any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items and includes such combinations.

While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, the scope of the invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can easily conceive various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope of the invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (13)

1. A sample analyzer, comprising:

a wicking assembly for wicking liquid from the container;

the driving assembly is used for driving the liquid suction assembly to move;

the signal acquisition and analysis assembly is used for converting the capacitance change on the liquid suction assembly into an electric signal; the drive assembly drive imbibition subassembly to the in-process that the container moved down, signal acquisition analysis subassembly is gathered and is analyzed the signal of telecommunication, work as analysis play the signal of telecommunication appears rising earlier when descending the change, output first tip information and/or do not send the liquid level information that targets in place, first tip information is used for the suggestion imbibition subassembly contacts the bubble.

2. The sample analyzer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal collecting and analyzing component is configured to determine whether a second electrical signal after the first electrical signal has a decreasing change when it is determined that the increasing change of the first electrical signal satisfies a threshold condition; and when the second electric signal has descending change, outputting first prompt information and/or not sending liquid level in-place information.

3. The sample analyzer as claimed in claim 2, wherein the signal acquisition and analysis assembly is configured to send the liquid level in-place information when analyzing that there is no descending change in the second electrical signal.

4. The sample analyzer of claim 2, wherein the signal acquisition and analysis component is further configured to reacquire the first electrical signal when a decreasing change in the second electrical signal occurs, analyze whether an increasing change occurs in the reacquired first electrical signal, and whether the increasing change satisfies the threshold condition.

5. The sample analyzer of claim 4, wherein the signal collection and analysis component is further configured to send the liquid level in-place information when analyzing that the rising change of the reacquired first electrical signal satisfies the threshold condition.

6. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein the signal collection and analysis component is configured to send the liquid level in-place information at a predetermined time that is no later than a latest reporting time of the liquid level in-place information.

7. The sample analyzer of any of claims 1-6 wherein the signal acquisition and analysis assembly is further configured to acquire and analyze a third electrical signal after the transmission of the fluid level in-place information and at least prior to pipetting by the pipetting assembly.

8. The sample analyzer as claimed in claim 7, wherein the signal acquisition and analysis component is further configured to output a second prompt message when analyzing that the third electrical signal has a decreasing change, wherein the second prompt message is used to prompt the fluid-imbibing abnormality and/or the fluid-imbibing component causes the bubble to break, resulting in the fluid-imbibing abnormality.

9. The sample analyzer of claim 8, wherein the signal acquisition and analysis assembly is configured to analyze whether a declining change in the third electrical signal occurs based on the second electrical signal preceding the third electrical signal and the third electrical signal.

10. The sample analyzer of any of claims 1-9, further comprising an image capture device for obtaining an image of the container;

the signal acquisition and analysis assembly is further used for outputting second prompt information when bubbles exist in the container according to the image analysis after the liquid level in-place information is sent, and the second prompt information is used for prompting that the liquid suction is abnormal and/or the liquid suction assembly enables the bubbles to break so as to cause the liquid suction to be abnormal.

11. The sample analyzer of any of claims 1-9, further comprising an image capture device for obtaining an image of the container;

the signal acquisition and analysis assembly is used for analyzing the change of the electric signal which rises first and then falls, and outputting the first prompt information when the bubbles exist in the container according to the image analysis.

12. The sample analyzer of any one of claims 1-9, further comprising a pressure sensor located on a fluid path connecting the pipette tip for detecting a pressure value on the fluid path:

the signal acquisition and analysis assembly is also used for judging whether the pressure value on the liquid path is lower than a preset pressure threshold value or not when the liquid absorption assembly absorbs liquid; and when the pressure value on the liquid path is lower than the pressure threshold value, outputting third prompt information, wherein the third prompt information is used for prompting that the suction phenomenon or the suction lack phenomenon exists in the liquid suction at this time.

13. The sample analyzer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the signal acquisition and analysis assembly is further configured to acquire electrical signals from the pipetting assembly before and after the liquid is discharged into the container, and determine the liquid discharge amount of the current liquid discharge according to the variation of the amplitude of the electrical signals before and after the liquid discharge; and outputting fourth prompt information when the liquid discharge amount is judged to be empty or less, wherein the fourth prompt information is used for prompting that the liquid discharge amount is empty or less.

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