JP2002340913A - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve such a problem that there is apprehension such that washing water is carried in a reagent and a specimen at the time of suction to bring about a change in concentration because washing water remains in a dispensing nozzle after washing and there is possibility exerting effect on analytical results later on from an aspect promoting the reduction of the reagent and the specimen in quantity for the future. SOLUTION: The dispensing nozzle is evacuated by a cylindrical vacuum drawing means in such a state that washing water remains on the outer wall thereof to remove the washing water in a non-contact state to dry the nozzle.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an analyzer for quantitatively analyzing the components of a sample by mixing a sample to be analyzed and a reagent and causing a chemical reaction, and is particularly used for dispensing the reagent and the sample. The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer having means for washing and drying a dispensing nozzle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional automatic analyzer, a serum, which is a sample obtained by separating blood by centrifugal separation, is dispensed into a reaction vessel by a sampling mechanism, and then a reagent corresponding to an inspection item is pipetted into the reaction vessel. After the reaction is promoted by mixing and stirring in a reaction vessel, a sample test is performed by measuring the absorbance of the reaction solution in the reaction vessel with a photometer. Among them, a dispensing nozzle repeatedly used for dispensing a reagent and a sample performs washing after dispensing the reagent and the sample into a reaction container and then washing off an outer wall of the dispensing nozzle using washing water. Although the washing water remains on the outer wall of the dispensing nozzle after the washing, the amount of the reagent or the sample discharged and the amount of the discharged reagent or the sample are much larger than the amount of the discharged reagent or the sample. There was no need to remove the remaining washing water and dry it.

[0003]

However, if the washing water remains in the dispensing nozzle after washing, the washing water may be brought into the reagent and the sample at the time of suction, causing a change in the concentration. In pursuing the reduction,
Eventually, it may affect the analysis results.

[0004] Under such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to establish a means for removing and drying the washing water remaining on the outer wall of the dispensing nozzle during washing.

[0005]

An object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing nozzle in which washing water remains on the outer wall of the dispensing nozzle after cleaning, vacuum-suctioning the cylindrical dispensing nozzle with a cylindrical vacuum suction means, and removing and drying the contactless nozzle. Is achieved by

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an automatic analyzer to which the present invention is applied.

This automatic analyzer mainly comprises a reaction disk 1, a reagent storage section 2, a sample storage section 3, a pipetting mechanism 4, a sampling mechanism 5, a photometer 6, a reaction tank 7, a cleaning mechanism 8, a nozzle cleaning and drying mechanism. 9, a control unit 10. A plurality of reaction vessels 11 for mixing and agitating the sample and the reagent are arranged on the reaction disk 1 via a holder 12, and the reaction vessel 11 is repeatedly transferred in a fixed cycle by the rotation and stop operations of the reaction disk drive unit 13. . In the reagent storage section 2, a plurality of reagent containers 14 containing reagents are arranged. A plurality of sample containers 15 each containing a sample are arranged in the sample storage unit 3. The pipetting mechanism 4
The reagent is rotated between the reaction disk 1 and the reagent storage unit 2, and the reagent is dispensed into the reaction container 11 by the dispensing nozzle 16. The sampling mechanism 5 rotates between the reaction disk 1 and the sample storage unit 3, and transfers the sample by the dispensing nozzle 16 to the reaction container 1.
Dispense into 1. The photometer 6 measures the absorbance of the stirred sample and the reagent, and analyzes the sample in a signal processing unit (not shown). The reaction tank 7 circulates reaction tank water at a constant temperature. The cleaning mechanism 8 cleans the inside of the reaction container 11 by dispensing the cleaning water 17 or the cleaning liquid into the reaction container 11 after the analysis and repeating suction and discharge. The nozzle cleaning / drying mechanism 9 is attached to the reaction tank 7 and the reaction vessel 1
After dispensing a reagent or a sample into 1, washing of the dispensing nozzle 16,
Perform drying.

The automatic analyzer configured as described above is
The analysis is performed according to the following procedure. The reaction disk 1 in which a plurality of reaction vessels 11 are arranged is rotated to a predetermined position by the rotation of the reaction disk drive unit 13, and the sample and the reagent are transferred to the reaction vessel 11 by the pipetting mechanism 4 and the dispensing nozzle 16 of the sampling mechanism 5. Dispense aliquots. After the dispensing, the dispensing nozzle 16 is transferred to the nozzle washing / drying mechanism 9 by the rotation of the pipetting mechanism 4 and the sampling mechanism 5, and is washed and dried. The reaction container 11 into which the sample and the reagent have been dispensed is transferred to a stirring mechanism (not shown) by the reaction disk drive unit 13 and mixed and stirred. The stirred sample and reagent become a reaction solution, and after being transferred to the photometer 6, the absorbance is measured and the sample is analyzed. After the analysis, the reaction vessel 11 is transferred to the washing mechanism 8, where the inner surface is washed, and a new sample and reagent are dispensed. This series of actions
This is repeated for each reaction vessel 11. The automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment has a pump, a syringe, and the like as constituent components in addition to the above-described parts, and the control unit 9 controls all operations.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view around the nozzle cleaning / drying mechanism to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram around the nozzle cleaning / drying mechanism.

The nozzle washing and drying mechanism 9 includes a nozzle washing tank 18 for washing the dispensing nozzle 16 with washing water 17 and an overflow tank 1 for preventing overflow of the washing water 17.
9. There is a nozzle drying tank 20 for removing and drying the washing water 17 remaining in the dispensing nozzle 16 after washing, and has a structure in which these are integrated. In the cleaning performed by the nozzle cleaning / drying mechanism 9, the reagent and the sample sucked at the suction position 21 are discharged to the reaction vessel 11 at the discharge position 22, and then the pipetting mechanism 4,
The dispensing nozzle 16 is transferred to the nozzle cleaning tank 18 by the up-and-down operation after transferring the cleaning water 17 to the nozzle cleaning tank 18 by opening and closing the water supply valve 24 to open and close the water supply valve 24 by the rotation operation of the sampling mechanism 5, Washing is performed by washing the outer wall of the dispensing nozzle 16 with the supplied washing water 17. The used washing water 17 is discharged by natural fall from below.
Drying is performed by moving the dispensing nozzle 16 after washing to a drying position 25 by vertical and rotational operations, feeding the nozzle to the nozzle drying tank 20 by vertical operation, and opening and closing the suction valve 26 to open and close the cylindrical nozzle drying tank. 20 is suctioned in vacuum and dispensing nozzle 1
The cleaning water 17 remaining on the outer wall of No. 6 is removed and dried without contact. In addition, the nozzle cleaning / drying mechanism 9 can efficiently perform suction, discharge cleaning and drying operations by being arranged on the trajectory of the pipetting mechanism 4 and the sampling mechanism 5.

In this embodiment, the description has been given of the case where the nozzle cleaning / drying mechanism is fixed because the sampling mechanism 5 having the dispensing nozzle 16 rotates and moves up and down. Alternatively, removal and drying may be performed.

[0012]

According to the present invention described above, since the washing water remaining on the outer wall of the dispensing nozzle during washing can be removed and dried, it is possible to provide an automatic analyzer capable of coping with a small amount of reagents and samples. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an automatic analyzer to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view around a nozzle cleaning / drying mechanism to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram around a nozzle cleaning / drying mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... reaction disk, 2 ... reagent storage unit, 3 ... sample storage unit,
4 pipetting mechanism 5 sampling mechanism 6
Photometer, 7: reaction tank, 8: cleaning mechanism, 9: nozzle cleaning / drying mechanism, 10: control unit, 11: reaction container, 12: holder, 13: reaction disk drive unit, 14: reagent container, 15
... sample container, 16 ... dispensing nozzle, 17 ... washing water, 18
... Nozzle washing tank, 19 ... Overflow tank, 20 ... Nozzle drying tank, 21 ... Suction position of reagent or specimen, 22 ... Discharge position of reagent or specimen, 23 ... Washing position of dispensing nozzle, 24 ... Water supply valve, 25 ... Drying position of dispensing nozzle, 26 ... Suction valve.

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Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A dispensing nozzle for dispensing a reagent or a sample to be analyzed into a reaction vessel, and a washing means for washing the dispensing nozzle for repeated use, wherein a chemical reaction is performed in the reaction vessel. In an automatic analyzer that performs component analysis by measuring the absorbance of the reacted reaction solution, the washing water remaining on the outer wall of the dispensing nozzle after the washing is suctioned under vacuum, and the washing water can be removed and dried without contact. A featured automatic analyzer. 2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing nozzle is fed into a cylindrical vacuum suction means, and vacuum suction is performed to remove the washing water remaining on the dispensing nozzle and dry. An automatic analyzer characterized by being able to perform. 3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein said removing and drying means is provided on an operating track of said dispensing nozzle and integrated with a washing tank for washing said dispensing nozzle. A featured automatic analyzer.