JP2001264337A - Blood clinical testing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a blood clinical testing device for performing blood coagulation test, biochemical test, or immune serum test capable of speedily heating specimens and reagents housed in reaction containers to a reaction temperature and further efficiently perfuming tests. SOLUTION: The blood clinical testing device is mainly constituted of both a transferring means (1) to transfer a large number of reaction containers (C) housing blood or blood components as specimens and reagents in a predetermined direction, and optical equipment (2) to measure the state of reaction between the specimens and reagents in the reaction containers (C) by the change of light. A heating means (3) to directly heat the specimens and reagents in the reaction containers (C) by irradiation with infrared rays is provided in the vicinity of the transferring means (1).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clinical test apparatus for blood, and more particularly, to performing a clinical test on blood, a specimen and a reagent contained in a reaction container can be quickly heated to a reaction temperature. The present invention relates to a blood clinical test apparatus capable of performing a test more efficiently.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a blood clinical test, three tests are usually performed: a blood coagulation test, a biochemical test, and an immune serum test. In the coagulation test, a coagulation reagent is injected into a reaction vessel containing plasma as a specimen, and a change in coagulation state is measured over time. In biochemical tests and immunoassays, a biochemical or latex reagent is injected into a reaction vessel containing plasma or serum, and changes in the coloration of the enzyme reagent in the biochemical reagent and changes in the formation of latex agglutinated components are caused. Is measured over time.

[0003] Reagents used for clinical examinations include
Although it is refrigerated at about 10 ° C in advance to prevent concentration changes and deterioration due to evaporation, when conducting clinical tests, the specimens and reagents injected into the reaction vessel are used to accelerate the reaction and perform testing efficiently. For example, it is preferable to heat to 37 ° C. Therefore, in a clinical test apparatus that performs a clinical test as described above, a probe (nozzle) for reagent dispensing having a built-in coil heater (resistance heater) at the tip is used to dispens the reagent when dispensing. The temperature is raised to some extent.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned clinical test apparatus, since the heating by the reagent using the dispensing probe depends on the outside air temperature and the dispensed amount, the liquid in the reaction vessel is dispensed. It is difficult to raise the temperature to a certain temperature,
In addition, in order to sufficiently heat, it is necessary to keep the reagent inside the nozzle for several seconds to 10 seconds, for example, and there is a fact that it is more difficult to speed up the inspection than at present. Of course, the analysis can be performed immediately without heating the inside of the reaction vessel. However, in that case, the reaction speed between the reagent and the sample is reduced, so that the efficiency of the test cannot be improved in any case.

Furthermore, in order to insert a probe having a built-in coil heater into the upper part of a reaction vessel in a conventional clinical test apparatus, the dispensing port of the clinical test apparatus must be largely opened according to the outer shape of the probe. Therefore, there is a problem that the amount of evaporation of the reagent increases during the injection. Moreover,
The probe having a structure heated by the coil heater also has a problem that the temperature of the refrigerated reagent before dispensing also increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a clinical test apparatus for performing a blood coagulation test, a biochemical test, or an immunoserum test, wherein a sample contained in a reaction container is provided. Another object of the present invention is to provide a blood clinical test apparatus capable of quickly heating a reagent to a reaction temperature and performing a test more efficiently.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a blood clinical test apparatus according to the present invention transports a large number of reaction vessels containing blood or blood components as samples and reagents in a predetermined direction. In a blood clinical test apparatus mainly composed of transport means for performing, and an optical instrument for measuring a reaction state of a sample and a reagent in a reaction container to be transported by a change in light, an infrared ray near the transport means is provided. A heating means for directly heating the specimen and the reagent in the reaction container by irradiation is provided.

That is, in the above-described clinical test apparatus, while the transport means transports a large number of reaction vessels, the sample and the reagent are dispensed into the reaction vessel, and the reaction between the sample and the reagent in the reaction vessel is measured by an optical instrument. Is done. The specific heating means provided in the vicinity of the transporting means promotes the reaction in the reaction vessel by directly heating the specimen and the reagent in the reaction vessel by irradiating infrared rays.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a blood clinical test apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a main configuration of a blood clinical test apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view mainly showing an example of the structure of the heating means taken along the line II-II in FIG. FIG.
6 is a graph of an experimental example showing a heating effect by a heating unit. In the description of the embodiment, the clinical test device for blood is abbreviated as “clinical test device”.

[0010] The clinical test apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus for performing a biochemical test, an immune serum test or a coagulation test. As is well known, a coagulation test is a test for analyzing items related to blood coagulation / fibrinolysis.A biochemical test and an immune serum test are biochemical items, serum tumor markers, infectious diseases, thyroid gland, endocrine, This test analyzes items related to plasma proteins / lipids, TDM, etc.

In a coagulation test, after a coagulation reagent and plasma are injected into a reaction vessel, light having a wavelength of usually 540 nm is irradiated, and changes in transmitted light or scattered light due to generation of coagulation components, that is, changes in turbidity, are observed. The measurement is performed for 3 to 7 minutes at a photometric interval of 0.1 to 2 seconds. On the other hand, in a biochemical test or immunological test, after injecting a biochemical reagent or latex reagent and plasma or serum into a reaction vessel, usually 340
Irradiation with light having a wavelength of 950 nm is performed, and the change in absorbance due to the color development of the enzyme reagent in the biochemical reagent and the change in absorbance or change in scattered light due to the formation of latex agglutinated components are measured at a photometric interval of 2 to 20 seconds for 3 to 20 minutes. .

As reagents for coagulation tests, PT, APT
T, Fib, T, H, extrinsic factors, intrinsic factors, and the like. Regarding biochemical and immunological tests, reagents related to biochemical items include electrolyte items, GTO, GTP,
Examples include reagents for detecting cholesterol, uric acid, urea nitrogen, blood sugar, and the like. AFP, CEA, and CA1 were used as the reagents for the immunization item,
9-9, PSA and the like. In addition, various reagents for infectious disease items, thyroid items, endocrine items, plasma protein / lipid-related items, TDM items, and the like can be mentioned.

At the time of performing each of the above-mentioned tests, blood components such as blood, plasma, and serum as well as reagents and reagents are stored in a reaction container indicated by reference numeral (C) in the figure for each test item. The reaction container (C) is a so-called cuvette, sample container,
This is a container referred to as a sample container, and such a container is generally formed in a substantially bottomed square cylindrical shape using a transparent resin material.
At the upper end of the reaction vessel (C), a flange (not shown) for mounting on a transport means (turntable) (1), which will be described later, of the clinical test apparatus protrudes, and the reaction vessel (C) holds the turntable. A structure is provided in which the flange is supported by the periphery of the holding hole when inserted into the hole.

As shown in FIG. 1, the clinical test apparatus of the present invention comprises a transport means (1) for transporting a large number of reaction vessels (C) containing samples and reagents in a predetermined direction, and a transport means (1). Instrument (2) that measures the reaction between the sample and the reagent in the reaction container (C) conveyed by the light by a change in light
It is mainly composed of A heating means (3) for directly heating the sample and the reagent in the reaction vessel (C) by irradiating infrared rays is provided near the transport means (1).

The transfer means (1) is constituted by a turntable for moving the reaction vessel (C) in an annular shape in order to reduce the size of the apparatus. )). The turntable (1) is a flat plate-like table having a large number of holes formed along the circumferential direction capable of holding the reaction vessel (C), and as shown in FIG. When the reaction container (C) is loaded, the upper end portion (the flange portion) of the reaction container (C) is exposed on the upper surface, and the reaction container (C) is hung with the body of the reaction container (C) opened on the lower surface.

As shown in FIG. 2, the turntable (1) is attached to a rotating shaft (6) erected at the center of a circular base (5), and is attached to a base end of the rotating shaft (6). It is driven by a motor or servomotor (not shown) controlled by a rotary encoder via the wound belt (8). Further, in order to reduce the evaporation of the reagent in the reaction vessel (C), the outer periphery of the turntable (1) is surrounded by a peripheral wall (side wall) (5f) of the base (5) arranged in a ring shape, Further, the upper surface of the turntable (1) is covered with a cover (not shown) except for an opening for dispensing a sample or a reagent.

Further, a temperature adjusting mechanism (6) such as an electric heater is provided inside the apparatus. That is, at least the transfer path of the reaction vessel (C) has a structure substantially shielded from the outside as described above, and is configured to be able to be maintained at a constant temperature by the internal temperature adjusting mechanism (6). This allows
During the measurement, the liquid component in the reaction vessel (C) can be kept constant.

The optical device (2) is provided at a predetermined position near the turntable (1) as shown in FIG. As the optical device (2), various optical units can be used as long as light having the wavelength and intensity required for each measurement can be generated and received and analyzed, but in the measurement of biochemical and immunological reactions, In addition, a plurality of lights having different wavelengths are required, and in the measurement of the coagulation reaction, analysis is performed using light of one wavelength. Therefore, for example, when the biochemical / immune reaction and the coagulation reaction are measured simultaneously in one test apparatus, it is preferable to use an optical unit having a different light source for each reaction from the viewpoint of reducing the apparatus cost. preferable.

For example, in the case of a coagulation test, the optical device (2) depends on a semiconductor light source (device outside the turntable (1) in FIG. 1) such as an LED or a semiconductor laser of the above-described wavelength, and the light receiving intensity. And a light receiving unit (a device inside the turntable (1) in FIG. 1) having a converter such as an optical array for converting the light into an electric signal. In the case of a biochemical test or an immune serum test, the light source of the optical device (2) is composed of a white light source such as a halogen / tungsten lamp because light from a single light source is applied to samples having different analysis wavelengths. The light receiving unit includes a light receiving element that receives the irradiated light, a spectroscope that splits the light into a predetermined wavelength, and a converter such as an optical array that converts the split light into an electric signal according to the intensity.

In the clinical test apparatus of the present invention, in order to increase the reaction speed between the reagent and the sample, the liquid in the reaction container (C), that is, the liquid in the reaction container (C) is irradiated near the turntable (1) as a transporting means by infrared irradiation. And a heating means (3) for directly heating the sample and the reagent. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the heating means (3) includes a case (30) attached to the peripheral wall of the gantry (5) and an infrared lamp (32) housed in the case. You.

As the infrared lamp (32), various types of lamps can be used as long as an irradiation amount capable of heating the liquid in the reaction vessel (C) can be obtained. In order to heat to a required reaction temperature in a short time, a lamp capable of irradiating infrared light having a peak wavelength of 1.3 μm or more is preferable. Further, such an infrared lamp (32)
May be a halogen lamp containing many wavelengths of 1.3 μm or more.

A path along which the reaction vessel (C) is transported;
That is, the inside of the apparatus is configured to be maintained at a constant temperature by the above-described structure.
In order to enhance the heat retaining effect of the reaction vessel (C) at the position (3)), the heating means (3) is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the turntable and the outer peripheral wall of the turntable (the outer peripheral side of the gantry (5)). It is preferable to irradiate infrared rays through a transparent window (3p) formed in the side wall (5f).

Although not shown, the heating means (3)
It can be arranged on the inner circumference side of the turntable. Further, in that case, the above-described shielding structure is provided with the outer peripheral wall (5).
In addition to f), a structure in which an inner peripheral wall (partition wall) separating the inside of the apparatus and the transport path may be provided on the inner peripheral side of the transport path (the inner peripheral side of the lower surface of the turntable), and in such an embodiment, The heating means (3) may emit infrared rays through a transparent window formed on the inner peripheral wall of the turntable in the same manner as described above.

Further, in a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a heating means is used for heating the sample and the reagent in the reaction vessel (C) to a uniform liquid temperature while stirring. (3) is arranged at a stirring position (S3) described below for stirring the sample and the reagent in the reaction container (C). An infrared sensor (S4) for detecting a heated state in the reaction vessel (C) is provided near the transport means (1), for example, at a sample position (S2) described later shown in FIG.

Further, in the clinical test apparatus of the present invention,
In addition to the optical device (2) being arranged corresponding to the photometry position (S5), a sample dispensing device, a reagent dispensing device or a stirrer (not shown) is used for supplying / discharging the container shown in FIG. It is arranged around the turntable (1) corresponding to the reagent dispensing position (S1, S6), the sample dispensing position (S2), and the stirring position (S3, S7).

Specifically, a container supply / discharge device is provided at the container supply / discharge / reagent dispensing position (S1). The container supply / discharge device is configured such that a finger is attached to the tip of a movable arm, and the reaction container (C) gripped by the finger is loaded into a hole of the turntable (1).
It has a function of holding the reaction vessel (C) on the turntable (1) and carrying it out of the transport path.

Further, the container supply / discharge / reagent dispensing position (S
In 1), a reagent nozzle for dispensing a required reagent is provided. The reagent nozzle has a structure in which an injection pipe projects downward from the tip of a movable arm.For example, a predetermined amount of a reagent on a reagent table is sucked from the injection pipe by reciprocation of an internal syringe pump. Then, the sucked reagent is injected into the reaction vessel (C) of the turntable (1). Further, a second reagent nozzle similar to the above nozzle is provided at the container supply / discharge / reagent dispensing position (S1). If you need additional reagents,
A third reagent nozzle may be provided adjacent to each of the reagent nozzles described above.

At the sample dispensing position (S2), a sample injection nozzle for dispensing a sample to be analyzed is provided. The sample injection nozzle has substantially the same pump structure as the above-described reagent nozzle, sucks a predetermined amount of a sample (sample) on the sample table from the injection tube at the tip, and transfers the sucked sample to the reaction container (C). ) Is injected in a fixed amount.

At the stirring position (S3), a stirrer for stirring the reagent and the sample in the reaction vessel (C) is provided together with the heating means (3). The stirrer has, for example, a structure in which a small propeller is rotatably hung at the tip of a movable arm, and the inside of the container is moved by a propeller inserted into a reaction container (C) on a turntable (1). It has the function of stirring and promoting the reaction.

In the above-mentioned clinical test apparatus, the operation for each reaction container (C) is managed by a computer using a unique container code given in advance by a bar code or the like. The computer controls the turntable (1), the optical device (2), the above-described reagent nozzle, and the like, and further analyzes data of each sample obtained through the optical device (2). I have. An example of a test procedure by the clinical test device of the present invention is as follows. The following operation example is
It is an example of a biochemical / immune serum test.

Operation I : First, while turning the turntable (1) frame by frame, at the container supply / discharge / reagent dispensing position (S1) shown in FIG. 1, the reaction container (C) is turned by the container supply / discharge device. The table (1) is sequentially loaded. Then, a predetermined reagent (first reagent) is dispensed into the loaded reaction container (C) by a reagent nozzle.

Operation II : Next, the turntable (1) is turned clockwise in FIG. 1, and the reaction container (C) into which the first reagent has been dispensed is transported to the sample dispensing position (S2).
Plasma or serum as a sample is dispensed by a sample injection nozzle. Then, the liquid temperature in the reaction vessel (C) is measured by the infrared sensor (4).

Operation III : After dispensing the first reagent and the sample, the turntable (1) is turned counterclockwise to
The reaction vessel (C) is moved to the stirring position (S3). Then, the first reagent and the sample in the reaction container (C) are stirred by the stirrer. Further, while the inside of the reaction vessel (C) is being stirred, the first reagent and the sample are heated to about 37 ° C. by irradiating the reaction vessel (C) with infrared rays by the heating means (3).
And wait 3 to 10 minutes to allow the first reaction to proceed. At this time, the applied voltage or irradiation time of the infrared lamp (32) is controlled based on the liquid temperature measured in the operation II.

Operation IV : The turntable (1) is further turned counterclockwise to move the heated reaction vessel (C) to the photometric position (S5). Then, the optical device (2) measures the change in the absorbance or the scattered light of the light of the predetermined wavelength in the light irradiated on the reaction vessel (C), for example, at a photometric interval of 2 to 20 seconds for 3 to 20 minutes.

Operation V : Next, the turntable (1) is turned clockwise or counterclockwise to move the reaction vessel (C) after the measurement of the operation IV to the container supply / discharge / reagent dispensing position (S6). Let it. Such a position is the same as the first container supply / discharge / reagent dispensing position (S1). Then, a predetermined reagent (second reagent) is further dispensed by the second reagent nozzle. Then, similarly to the operation II, the liquid temperature in the reaction vessel (C) is measured by the infrared sensor (4).

Operation VI : The turntable (1) is turned counterclockwise again, and the reaction vessel (C) into which the second reagent has been dispensed is placed in the same stirring position (S7) as the stirring position (S3) in operation III. Move up to In such a position
Similarly to III, while further stirring the inside of the reaction vessel (C) with a stirrer, the mixture is heated again to 37 ° C. by irradiating infrared rays by the heating means (3), and is further waited for 3 to 10 minutes to form a second vessel. Allow the reaction to proceed. When irradiating infrared rays,
Infrared lamp (32) based on the liquid temperature measured in operation V
Control of the applied voltage or irradiation time.

Operation VII : After stirring and heating, the reaction vessel (C) is moved to the photometry position (S5) by turning the turntable (1), and then the optical equipment (2), as in operation IV. The change in the absorbance or the scattered light of light of a predetermined wavelength in the reaction vessel (C) is measured at a photometric interval of, for example, 2 to 20 seconds for 3 to 20 minutes.

Operation VIII : The turntable (1) is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise, and the reaction vessel (C) for which measurement has been completed is placed in the first vessel supply / discharge / reagent dispensing position (S1).
Move to Then, the reaction container (C) is removed from the turntable (1) by the container supply / discharge device. Also,
When the measurement of the operation VII is completed, data obtained by the first measurement of the operation IV and the measurement of the operation VII are analyzed based on a predetermined analysis method, and are output as inspection information.

The above operations I to VIII are described as follows.
Although attention is focused on one reaction vessel (C), during the moving operation, the stop position of the reaction vessel (C) is shifted to frame feed by controlling the turntable (1), so that each reaction vessel (C) is Inspection is performed by the same operation.

As described above, in the clinical test apparatus of the present invention, the specimen and the reagent are dispensed into the reaction container (C) while the turntable (1) carries the reaction container (C), and the reaction container (C) is dispensed. The reaction between the sample and the reagent in C) is measured by the optical instrument (2). When the sample and the reagent are dispensed into the reaction vessel (C), the heating means (3) directly heats the sample and the reagent in the reaction vessel (C) by irradiating the infrared rays, whereby the reaction vessel ( Promote the reaction in C).

Therefore, in the clinical test apparatus of the present invention, the temperature of the sample and the reagent injected into the reaction vessel (C) is quickly raised to, for example, 37 ° C. without being influenced by the outside air temperature or the dispensed amount of the reagent. Since the reaction speed can be increased, the photometric operation can be performed faster, and the inspection can be performed more efficiently. In particular, the transfer path of the reaction vessel (C) is configured to be able to be maintained at a constant temperature, and the heating means (3) is provided with a transparent window (5f) formed on the outer peripheral wall (5f) of the turntable (1). 3p), a clinical test apparatus configured to irradiate infrared rays via the 3p) can enhance the effect of keeping the temperature of the reaction vessel (C) warm when heating. The temperature can be quickly raised to the reaction temperature.

Further, in a clinical test apparatus provided with an infrared sensor (4) capable of detecting the temperature of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container (C), the amount of liquid in the reaction container (C) and the amount of liquid after dispensing are measured. Irrespective of the difference in liquid temperature, the temperature can be raised to a predetermined reaction temperature with higher accuracy. Further, in the clinical test apparatus of the present invention, it is not necessary to use a conventional probe (dispensing nozzle) having a built-in coil heater, and the dispensing port can be formed smaller, thereby further reducing the amount of evaporation of the reagent. The temperature of the reagent before dispensing can be maintained in a refrigerated state.

In the clinical test apparatus of the present invention,
As the infrared lamp (32) of the heating means (2),
Using a 15 W halogen lamp, 300 μl of 10 μl injected into the reaction vessel (C) instead of the sample and reagent
When distilled water was heated to about 5.degree. C., as shown in FIG.
The temperature could be raised to about 37 ° C. in 4 seconds (about 5 ° C./second heating rate). On the other hand, when heating was performed only by the temperature adjustment mechanism inside the apparatus, it took about 3 minutes to raise the temperature to about 37 ° C.

[0044]

According to the blood clinical test apparatus of the present invention, the specimen and the reagent in the reaction vessel (C) are directly heated by the heating means (3), thereby dispensing the outside air temperature and the reagent. Irrespective of the amount, the sample and the reagent injected into the reaction vessel (C) can be quickly heated to a predetermined reaction temperature and the reaction speed can be increased, so that the photometric operation can be performed more quickly. Inspection can be performed more efficiently.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a main configuration of a blood clinical test apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view mainly showing an example of a structure of a heating means taken along a line II-II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a graph of an experimental example showing a heating effect by a heating unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Conveying means 2: Optical equipment 3: Heating means 32: Infrared lamp 3p: Window 4: Infrared sensor 5f: Outer peripheral wall 6: Temperature adjusting mechanism C: Reaction vessels S1, S6: Container supply / discharge / reagent dispensing position S2 : Sample dispensing position S3, S7: Stirring position S5: Photometric position

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2G045 AA01 BB50 CA25 FA11 JA08 2G058 AA09 AA10 BB02 BB09 BB23 BB27 CD04 CD23 CF02 CF12 CF21 EA02 EA04 EB01 FA02 GA03 GB10 GC02 GC05 HA01

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A transport means (1) for transporting a large number of reaction vessels (C) containing blood or blood components as samples and reagents in a predetermined direction, and a reaction vessel (C) to be transported.
In a blood clinical test apparatus mainly composed of an optical device (2) for measuring a reaction state of a sample and a reagent in the blood vessel by a change in light, a reaction vessel ( C) A blood clinical test apparatus, which is provided with a heating means (3) for directly heating a sample and a reagent in C). 2. The heating means (3) comprises an infrared lamp (3).
2. The blood clinical test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured as described in (2). 3. The transfer means (1) is constituted by a turntable for holding and rotating a large number of reaction vessels (C) on the outer peripheral side, and at least a transportation path of the reaction vessels (C) is substantially shielded from the outside. The heating means (3) is arranged on the outer peripheral side of the turntable, and the outer peripheral wall (2) of the turntable is provided with a temperature adjusting mechanism (6). 5f) The clinical blood test apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein infrared light is irradiated through the formed transparent window (3p). 4. The transfer means (1) is constituted by a turntable for holding and rotating a large number of reaction vessels (C) on the outer peripheral side, and at least a transport path of the reaction vessels (C) is substantially shielded from the outside. The heating device (3) is provided on the inner peripheral side of the turntable, wherein the heating device (3) is configured to be able to be maintained at a constant temperature by the temperature adjusting mechanism (6). The blood clinical test device according to the above. 5. The blood clinical system according to claim 1, wherein the heating means (3) is arranged at a stirring position (S3) for stirring the sample and the reagent in the reaction vessel (C). Inspection equipment. 6. The blood according to claim 1, wherein an infrared sensor (4) for detecting a heated state in the reaction vessel (C) is provided near the transport means (1). Clinical laboratory equipment.