JP2003287543A - Biochemical analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten analysis time by efficiently reading analysis information containing items of measurement provided for dry type analytical elements and performing suction and dropping of specimens according to the information even in the case of dropping the same specimen to a plurality of the dry type analytical elements. <P>SOLUTION: A reading device 33 is provided with both a sample tray 2 for mounting the specimens and the dry type analytical elements 12 required for their measurement and a dropping device 6 for drawing the specimens mounted to the sample tray 2 by suction by a dropping nozzle 45 and dropping the specimens to the dry type analytical elements 12, and reads the analysis information containing the items of measurement provided for the dry type analytical elements 12. The reading device 33 is installed in such a way as to read the analysis information at the location of the dry type analytical element 12 to be used next when the specimens are at a suction location by the operation of the sample tray 2. The reading device 33 reads the analysis information of the following dry type analytical element 12 simultaneously with suction of the specimens from a specimen container 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention spots a sample such as blood or urine on a colorimetric type dry analytical element, an electrolyte type dry analytical element, etc. by a spotting device to determine a predetermined biochemical substance in the sample. The present invention relates to a biochemical analyzer for determining the substance concentration, ion activity, etc.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a colorimetric dry analytical element or a dry color analytical element capable of quantitatively analyzing a specific chemical component or a formed component contained in a sample by simply spot-feeding a small sample An electrolyte type dry analytical element capable of measuring the ion activity of a specific ion contained in a sample has been developed and put into practical use. A biochemical analyzer using these dry analytical elements can analyze a sample easily and quickly, and is therefore preferably used in medical institutions, laboratories and the like.

In the colorimetric measurement method using a colorimetric dry analytical element, a sample is spotted on the dry analytical element, and then this is kept at a constant temperature in an incubator for a predetermined time to cause a color reaction (dye formation reaction). Then, the optical density of the dry analytical element is measured by irradiating the dry analytical element with irradiation light for measurement containing a wavelength preselected by a combination of a predetermined biochemical substance in the sample and a reagent contained in the dry analytical element, From this optical density,
The concentration of the biochemical substance is obtained by using a calibration curve that shows the correspondence between the optical density and the substance concentration of the predetermined biochemical substance that have been obtained in advance.

On the other hand, in the potentiometric method using an electrolyte type dry analytical element, instead of measuring the above optical density, a specimen spotted on a pair of dry ion selective electrodes of the same kind is spotted. The activity of the specific ion contained in
It is determined by quantitative analysis by potentiometry using a reference solution.

In any of the above methods, a liquid sample is placed in a sample container (such as a blood collection tube) and set in the device, and a dry analysis element required for the measurement is mounted in the device.
While the dry analytical element is transported from the mounting position to the spotting unit and the incubator, the sample is supplied from the mounting position to the spotting unit by the spotting nozzle and spotted.

As described above, the type of dry analytical element and the method of spotting the dry analytical element differ depending on the measurement item, and the analytical information including the measurement item is recorded in each dry analytical element by a bar code recording method or the like. Has been granted. When this dry analytical element is mounted directly on the sample tray or by using a cartridge, take out the dry analytical element from this sample tray, read the information, and according to the read information, according to the measurement item of the dry analytical element. The sample is controlled to be sucked.

Further, a plurality of items are usually analyzed and measured for one sample, and a plurality of types of dry analysis elements corresponding to each sample are stacked and mounted on a sample tray, and sequentially. There are known devices that perform measurements. In this case, since one sample is sequentially spotted on a plurality of types of dry analysis elements, it is necessary to repeat reading of information and sample suction for each dry analysis element.

[0008]

By the way, the reading of the analysis information given to the above-mentioned machine dry type analysis element is performed by reading the information on the conveyance path during the conveyance of the dry analysis element taken out from the sample tray to the spotting position. It is a common practice to install a machine and read it along with the transport operation.

However, in this case, when there is an error in the front and back of the dry analytical element taken out to the transportation path or the transportation direction, accurate measurement cannot be performed and information cannot be read in some cases. Although a warning is issued by the reader, it is necessary to take out the dry analytical element already in the transport path, transport it again, and read the information again, which complicates the operation and increases the processing efficiency. It was causing a decline. Further, when there is a shortage of consumables, a mismatch between the sample and the measurement item, it is complicated to redo the measurement after correcting the measurement operation once.

In this respect, it is preferable to read the analysis information before starting the transportation with the dry analytical element mounted on the sample tray. However, depending on the installation position of the reader, the analytical information may be read. It is necessary to move the sample tray to the reading position, then move it to the take-out position, and then move it to the sample suction position, which complicates the operation and sequence control of the sample tray, and it takes a long time to process. This is an obstacle to shortening the analysis time.

In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide a biochemical analyzer capable of efficiently reading analysis information provided to a dry analysis element and aspirating a sample.

[0012]

A biochemical analyzer according to the present invention comprises a sample tray on which a sample and a dry analytical element necessary for its measurement are mounted, and a sample mounted on the sample tray is sucked by a spotting nozzle to dry the sample. In a biochemical analyzer equipped with a spotting device for spotting an analytical element, the dry analytical element is provided with analytical information including measurement items, and a reader for reading the analytical information of the dry analytical element is the sample. When the sample is in the suction position by the operation of the tray, the analytical information of the dry analytical element is set to be readable at the position of the next dry analytical element used for measuring the sample. It is a thing.

The dry analysis element is one in which a number of sheets corresponding to the measurement items for one sample are stacked and mounted on the sample tray, and the samples are transported from the lower one to the spotting position in order to deposit the sample. It is preferable that the reader is installed in the lower part of the sample tray and reads the analysis information provided on the lower surface of the dry analysis element to be conveyed next.

The dry analytical element is set in an element cartridge, and the element cartridge is mounted on a sample tray. A window portion for reading information is formed in the lower portion of the element cartridge. In addition, it is preferable to mount a plurality of specimens on one sample tray in pairs with the dry analysis element.

A method can be adopted in which the sample tray is circular and moves to the element extraction position and the sample suction position by the rotation operation. Further, the movement of the sample tray may be performed by linear movement.

[0016]

According to the present invention as described above, analytical information including measurement items is given to the dry analytical element, and the reader for reading the analytical information is set to the suction position by operating the sample tray. At one point, by installing it at the position of the next dry analysis element used for that sample, when performing suction of the sample spotted on the dry analysis element at the spotting position, the next dry analysis by the reader is performed at the same time. The analysis information of the device can be read, the sample tray does not need to be moved for reading, sequence control can be simplified, and multiple items can be analyzed efficiently.

In the case where the reader is installed in the lower part of the sample tray, the information can be read before the dry analytical element is conveyed. Therefore, if there is a problem based on the read information, a warning is issued. Since the measurement operation is not substantially started for correction and the like accompanying it, it is possible to easily deal with a shortage of consumables, a mismatch between the sample and the measurement item, and the like.

Even when a sample tray and a plurality of sets of dry analytical elements are mounted on the sample tray, the information of the dry analytical elements can be sequentially read, the dry analytical elements can be taken out and conveyed, and the sample can be sucked and spotted efficiently, resulting in an overall analysis tact. Can be shortened.

[0019]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a schematic mechanism of a biochemical analysis device according to one embodiment, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part mechanism at an element transfer position of the biochemical analysis device, and FIG. 3 is a transfer path of a dry analysis device. It is a cross-sectional front view of a part. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a state where the sample tray is moved to the sample suction position and the reading position.

The biochemical analyzer 1 comprises a sample tray 2,
It includes a spotting unit 3, a first incubator 4, a second incubator 5, a spotting device 6, an element transport mechanism 7, a transfer mechanism 8, a chip disposal unit 9, an element disposal mechanism 10, and the like.

The sample tray 2 is circular and has a sample container 11 containing a sample and an unused dry analytical element 12 (colorimetric type dry analytical element and electrolyte type dry analytical element).
An element cartridge 13 containing the above, and consumables (nozzle tip 14, diluting liquid container 15, mixing cup 16, and reference liquid container 17) are mounted. The sample container 11 is mounted via a sample adapter 18, and a large number of nozzle chips 14 are mounted and mounted in a chip rack 19.

The spotting section 3 is arranged on an extension of the center line of the sample tray 2 and is used for spotting samples such as plasma, whole blood, serum and urine on the transported dry analysis element 12. The spotting device 6 spots a sample on the colorimetric measurement type dry analysis element 12, and spots the sample and the reference liquid on the electrolyte type dry analysis element 12. Following this spotting section 3, a tip discarding section 9 in which the nozzle tips 14 are discarded is arranged.

The first incubator 4 has a circular shape and is arranged at an extension position of the chip discarding unit 9 and accommodates a colorimetric type dry analysis element 12 and keeps it at a constant temperature for a predetermined time to perform colorimetric measurement. The second incubator 5 (see FIG. 2) has a spotting part 3
The electrolyte-type dry analytical element 12 is placed adjacent to each other in the lateral direction, and is kept at a constant temperature for a predetermined time to measure the potential difference.

Although not shown in detail, the element transfer mechanism 7 (see FIG. 3) is arranged inside the sample tray 2 and connects the center of the sample tray 2 with the center of the first incubator 4. The dry analytical element 12 is transported from the sample tray 2 to the spotting section 3 and further to the first incubator 4 along a linear element transporting route R (FIG. 2) passing through the spotting section 3 and the chip disposal section 9. Element transport member 71
(Transportation bar). The element transporting member 71 is slidably supported by a guide rod 38, and is reciprocally moved by a drive mechanism (not shown). The tip portion is inserted into a guide hole 34a of the vertical plate 34 and slides in the guide hole 34a.

The transfer mechanism 8 is installed also as the spotting section 3,
From the spotting part 3 to the second incubator 5, in the direction orthogonal to the element transport path R, an electrolyte type dry analysis element 12 is provided.
To transfer.

The spotting device 6 is arranged at the upper part, and the ascending / descending spotting nozzle 45 moves on the same straight line as the above-mentioned element transporting route R, spotting the sample and the reference liquid, and diluting the sample with a diluent Mix. The spotting nozzle 45 is equipped with the nozzle tip 14 at its tip, and sucks and discharges a sample, a reference liquid, etc. into the nozzle tip 14, and a syringe means (not shown) for performing the suction and discharge is attached, and after use Nozzle tip 1
4 is removed by the chip disposal unit 9 and dropped and discarded.

The element discarding mechanism 10 (see FIG. 2) is attached to the first incubator 4, and the colorimetric dry analytical element 12 after measurement is pushed out to the center of the first incubator 4 and dropped. It should be noted that the element transfer mechanism 7 can also be discarded. Further, the electrolyte-type dry analytical element 12 after being measured by the second incubator 5 is
The transfer mechanism 8 discards the waste in the disposal hole 69.

A blood filtration unit (not shown) for separating plasma from blood is installed near the sample tray 2.

Next, the structure of each part will be specifically described. First, the sample tray 2 has a disk-shaped rotating disk 21 that is rotationally driven in the forward rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction, and a disk-shaped non-rotating portion 22 at the center thereof.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating disk 21 has five sample mounting portions 23 of A to E for holding the sample containers 11 such as blood collection tubes containing the respective samples through the sample adapter 18, and An unused dry analytical element 12 which is usually required to be adjacent to a plurality of types corresponding to the measurement items of each sample
5 element mounting portions 24 for holding the element cartridges 13 housed in a stacked state, and a large number of nozzle chips 1
The two chip mounting parts 25 for holding the chip racks 19 accommodating 4 arranged in the holding holes, the diluting liquid mounting part 26 for holding the three diluting liquid containers 15 accommodating the diluting liquid, the diluting liquid and the sample A cup mounting portion 27 that holds a mixing cup 16 (a molded product in which a large number of cup-shaped concave portions are arranged) for mixing is arranged in an arc shape.

Further, the non-rotating portion 22 has an element transport path R.
The cylindrical reference liquid mounting portion 2 for holding the reference liquid container 17 containing the reference liquid in the moving range of the spotting nozzle 45 on the extension line of
8, the reference liquid container 28 is provided in the reference liquid mounting portion 28.
An evaporation prevention lid 35 (FIG. 1) that opens and closes the opening is installed.

The bottom end of the evaporation preventing lid 35 is held by a swinging member 37 which is swingably supported by the non-rotating portion 22, and is biased in the closing direction. The upper end locking portion 37a of the swinging member 37 can come into contact with the lower end corner portion 42a of the moving frame 42 of the spotting device 6, and the swinging member 37 is opened in the opening direction by the moving frame 42 that has moved closer when the reference liquid is sucked. The evaporation prevention lid 35 opens the reference liquid container 17 so that the spotting nozzle 45 can suck the reference liquid. In other states, the evaporation prevention lid 35 closes the opening of the reference liquid container 17 to prevent the reference liquid from evaporating, and prevents a decrease in measurement accuracy due to a change in the concentration.

An outer peripheral portion of the rotary disk 21 is supported by a support roller 31, and a central portion thereof is rotatably held by a support shaft (not shown). Further, a timing belt (not shown) is wound around the outer circumference of the rotary disk 21 and is rotationally driven by the drive motor in the forward rotation direction or the reverse rotation direction. The non-rotating portion 22 is non-rotatably attached to the support shaft.

As shown in FIG. 3, the element cartridge 13 is usually inserted by stacking a plurality of unused dry analysis elements 12 in a mixed state. The element mounting part 2
4 is mounted on the bottom wall 24 of the element mounting portion 24.
The dry analytical element 12 at the lowermost end is held at the same height as the element carrying surface, and the opening 13a through which only one dry analytical element 12 can pass is formed on the front side of the lowermost end. An opening 13b through which the element carrying member 71 can be inserted is formed on the side.

On the lower surface of the dry analysis element 12, analysis information (measurement item, lot number, etc.) by a dot recording method, a bar code method or the like is given. So that this analysis information can be read from below the element cartridge 13,
A window portion 13c is formed on the bottom surface of the element cartridge 13, and a window portion 24b is also formed on the bottom wall 24a of the element mounting portion 24.

A reader 33 for reading analysis information is installed below the sample tray 2. In the reader 33, the rotary disk 21 is rotated from the element transporting position shown in FIG. 2 by the operation of the sample tray 2, and as shown in FIG.
When 3) moves to the suction position on the movement path (element transport path R) of the spotting nozzle 45, the element cartridge 13 containing the dry analysis element 12 used for measuring the sample.
The (element mounting portion 24) is installed below the moved position. That is, in the illustrated case, the reader 33 is installed at the rotational position of the element mounting portion 24 at a phase angle deviated from the element transport path R by the phase pitch between the sample mounting portion 23 and the element mounting portion 24. In addition, in FIG.
The reader 33 is partially cut away to show the reader 33, and the reader 33 is shown in FIG.
It is shown below 4.

The reader 33 is composed of a CCD camera for the dot recording system and a bar code reader for the bar code system. This reader 3
The reading of the analysis information of the dry analysis element 12 by 3 is performed prior to the sample suction from the corresponding sample container 11 and the transportation of the dry analysis element 12. And the dry analysis element 12
The analysis information, lot information, etc. can be obtained from the 6-digit or 4-digit number obtained by reading the information given to, and the front and back and the front-back direction can be recognized from the recording pattern. As a result, a set defect can be detected and a warning can be issued. Further, depending on the measurement item, the reference liquid and the diluting liquid may be required, the consumables 14 to 17 therefor are insufficient, or there is a mismatch between the type of sample and the analysis item of the dry analysis element 12. It is also possible to issue a warning.

Further, the sample adapter 18 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the sample container 11 is inserted from above. The sample adapter 18 has an identification unit (not shown), and information such as the type (processing information) of the sample and the type (size) of the sample container 11 is set, and the sample adapter 18 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the sample tray 2 at the initial point of measurement. The identification is read by the provided identification sensor 30 (FIG. 2), the presence / absence of dilution of the sample, the presence / absence of plasma filtration, etc. are determined, and the liquid level variation amount with the size of the sample container 11 is calculated, Processing control is performed accordingly. An adapter 18 is provided for the sample container 11 that requires plasma filtration.
In addition to inserting the sample container 11 in, a holder equipped with a filtration filter is mounted via a spacer (neither is shown).

The spotting part 3 and the transfer mechanism 8 are provided with a long support base 61 between the sample tray 2 and the first incubator 4 in a direction orthogonal to the element transfer path R, and slidably movable on the support base 61. A frame 62 is installed. This sliding frame 62
A main element retainer 63 and an auxiliary element retainer 64, each having a spotting opening 63a (FIG. 3) formed therein, are mounted adjacent to each other so as to be integrally movable. Main element retainer 63 (auxiliary element retainer 6
4 is also the same), on the bottom surface facing the support 61, the recess 63 through which the dry analytical element 12 passes along the element movement path R.
b. One end of the sliding frame 62 is guided by the guide bar 65, the long groove 62a on the other end side is engaged with the pin 66, and the rack gear 62b is meshed with the drive gear 67 of the drive motor 68 to move. To be done. The support 61 has
The second incubator 5 and the disposal hole 69 are installed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, when the main element retainer 63 is located in the spotting part 3, the colorimetric dry analytical element 12 after spotting is pushed out by the element transporting mechanism. 1 is transferred to the incubator 4. On the other hand, when spotting is performed on the electrolyte type dry analysis element 12, the sliding frame 62 is moved, and the dry analysis element 12 after spotting slides on the support base 61 while being held by the main element retainer 63. Like the second
Is transferred to the incubator 5 and the potential difference is measured. At that time, the auxiliary element retainer 64 moves to the spotting part 3 (spotting position), and spots the sample on the colorimetric dry analysis element 12 to be transported thereafter, and transports it to the first incubator 4. Is possible. Second incubator 5
When the measurement is completed, the sliding frame 62 is further moved, and the dry analytical element 12 after the measurement is transferred to the disposal hole 69 and dropped and discarded.

The spotting device 6 (FIG. 1) includes a fixed frame 40.
The horizontal guide rail 41 is provided with a moving frame 42 held so as to be movable in the lateral direction, and two spotting nozzles 45 are installed on the moving frame 42 so as to be movable up and down. A vertical guide rail 43 is fixed to the center of the moving frame 42, and two nozzle fixing bases 44 are slidably held on both sides of the vertical guide rail 43. An upper end portion of a spotting nozzle 45 is fixed to a lower portion of the nozzle fixing base 44, and a shaft member extending upward is inserted into a drive transmission member 47 at an upper portion. The fitting force of the nozzle tip 14 is obtained by the compression spring interposed between the nozzle fixing base 44 and the drive transmission member 47. The nozzle fixing base 44 is vertically movable integrally with the drive transmission member 47, and when the nozzle tip 14 is fitted to the tip of the spotting nozzle 45, it is driven by the compression spring by the compression spring. The transmission member 47 can move downward.

The drive transmission member 47 is composed of the upper and lower pulleys 4.
It is fixed to a belt 50 stretched over 9, and moves up and down according to the running of the belt 50 by a motor (not shown). The balance weight 51 is provided on the outer side of the belt 50.
Is attached, and the downward movement of the spotting nozzle 45 when not driven is prevented.

The moving frame 42 is laterally driven by a belt driving mechanism (not shown), and the two nozzle fixing bases 44 are controlled so that their horizontal movement and vertical movement are independently performed so that the two nozzle fixed bases 44 move vertically. The landing nozzle 45 is horizontally moved integrally and is also vertically moved independently. For example, one spotting nozzle 45 is for the sample, and the other spotting nozzle 45 is for the diluting liquid and the reference liquid.

Each of the spotting nozzles 45 is formed in a rod shape, an air passage extending in the axial direction is provided inside, and a pipette-shaped nozzle tip 14 is fitted in a sealed state at the lower end. An air tube connected to a syringe pump or the like (not shown) is connected to each of the spotting nozzles 45 to supply suction / discharge pressure. In addition, the liquid level of the sample or the like can be detected based on the change in the suction pressure.

The chip discarding unit 9 is provided by vertically intersecting the transport surface of the dry analytical element 12 and has an upper member 81 and a lower member 82. The support base 61 of the chip discarding unit 9 is provided with a drop opening 83 having an oval shape. The upper member 81 is fixed to the upper surface of the support base 61, an engaging notch 84 is provided at a position directly above the drop opening 83, and the lower member 82 is cylindrical in the lower surface of the support base 61 so as to surround the lower side of the drop opening 83. Nozzle tip 1 that is formed on and drops
It is designed to guide 4.

Then, the spotting nozzle 45, to which the nozzle tip 14 is attached, is lowered into the upper member 81 and then moved in the lateral direction, and the nozzle tip 1 is fitted into the engaging notch 84.
After engaging the upper ends of the nozzles 4, the spotting nozzle 45 is moved upward to extract the nozzle tip 14, and the detached nozzle tip 14 is dropped and discarded through the drop port 83.

Next, the first incubator 4 for colorimetric measurement is provided with an annular rotating member 87 on its outer peripheral portion, and this rotating member 87 has a tilted rotary cylinder 88 fixed to the inner peripheral lower portion and a lower bearing. It is supported by 89 and is rotatable. An upper member 90 is integrally rotatably arranged on the upper part of the rotating member 87. The bottom surface of the upper member 90 is flat, and a plurality of (13 in the case of FIG. 1) recesses are formed on the circumference of the upper surface of the rotating member 87 at predetermined intervals to form a slit-shaped space between the two members 87 and 90. The element chamber 91 is formed, and the element chamber 9 is formed.
The height of the bottom surface of 1 is the same as the height of the conveying surface. The inner hole of the inclined rotary cylinder 88 is formed in the disposal hole 92 of the dry analysis element 12 after the measurement, and the dry analysis element 12 in the element chamber 91 is moved to the center side as it is and dropped and discarded.

The upper member 90 is provided with heating means, and the temperature of the dry analysis element 12 in the element chamber 91 is kept constant by adjusting the temperature of the heating means. In addition, the upper member 90 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
A pressing member 93 is provided which presses the mount from above to prevent evaporation of the sample. A heat insulating cover 94 is provided on the upper surface of the upper member 90, while the entire first incubator 4 is covered with a light shielding cover 95. Further, an opening 91a for photometry is formed in the center of the bottom surface of each element chamber 91 of the rotating member 87, and the opening 91a is formed through the opening 91a.
The reflection optical density of the dry analytical element 12 is measured by the photometric head 96 arranged at the position shown in FIG. The first incubator 4 is rotationally driven by a belt mechanism (not shown) and is reciprocally rotationally driven.

The disposal mechanism 10 includes a disposal bar 101 that moves back and forth in the element chamber 91 from the outer peripheral side toward the center. The waste bar 101 is fixed at its rear end to a belt 102 that runs in the horizontal direction, and the dry analytical element 12 after measurement is pushed out from the element chamber 91 according to the running of the belt 102 driven by a drive motor 103 and discarded. To do. A collection box for collecting the dry analytical element 12 after measurement is disposed below the disposal hole 92.

Further, in the second incubator 5 for measuring the ion activity, the main element retainer 63 of the sliding frame 62 described above serves as an upper member, and the recessed portion at the bottom of the second incubator 5 forms a single gap between the main body and the upper surface of the measurement main body 97. An element chamber is formed. The second incubator 5 is provided with a heating means (not shown),
By adjusting the temperature, the portion of the dry analytical element 12 for measuring the ion activity is heated to a predetermined temperature. Furthermore, three pairs of potential measuring probes 98 for measuring the ion activity are provided on the sides of the measuring main body 97 so as to come in and out so as to come into contact with the ion selective electrode of the dry analysis element 12.

The plasma filtration unit (not shown) is a holder (not shown) having a filter made of glass fiber inserted into the inside of the sample container 11 (blood collection tube) held in the sample tray 2 and attached to the upper end opening. The plasma is separated and sucked from the blood via the, and the filtered plasma is held in the cup portion at the upper end of the holder.

Next, the operation of the biochemical analyzer 1 as described above will be described. First, before performing the analysis, each mounting portion 23 to 28 of the sample tray 2 has a sample container 11 containing each sample, an element cartridge 13 loaded with a dry analysis element 12, a chip rack 19 containing a nozzle tip 14, The mixing cup 16, the diluting liquid container 15 and the reference liquid container 17 are mounted to prepare for measurement.

After that, the analysis process is started. First,
In the case of a sample requiring plasma filtration, the blood filtering unit filters the whole blood in the sample container 11 to obtain a plasma component.

Next, the rotary disk 21 is rotated to stop the element cartridge 13 of the sample to be measured at the reading position (the position in FIG. 4) corresponding to the reader 33, and the dry analytical element 12 at the bottom of the element cartridge 13 is stopped. Read the analysis information attached to. Then, the rotating disk 21
Is rotated to stop the element cartridge 13 at the element take-out position (the position shown in FIG. 2) corresponding to the spotting portion 3, and the dry analytical element 12 from which information has been read is transferred to the element transport member 7
1 is taken out from the element cartridge 13 and conveyed to the spotting section 3.

When the read analysis information is the colorimetric measurement, the sample tray 2 is rotated and the spotting nozzle 45 is rotated.
The nozzle tip 14 of the tip rack 19 is moved downward, and the spotting nozzle 45 is moved downward as described above, and the nozzle tip 14 is fitted and attached to the tip end and raised.

Subsequently, the sample tray 2 is further rotated to move the sample container 11 to the suction position (position in FIG. 4), and the spotting nozzle 45 is lowered to suck the sample into the nozzle tip 14. Subsequently, the spotting nozzle 45 is moved to the spotting section 3 to spot the sample on the dry analytical element 12. At the time of this sample suction, the element cartridge 13 corresponding to the sample container 11 is at the reading position, and at the same time, the analysis information of the dry analysis element 12 used for the next measurement at the bottom is read.

Then, the colorimetric type dry analysis element 12 on which the sample is spotted is inserted into the first incubator 4. Next, after the temperature is kept constant for a predetermined time, the element chamber 91 is rotated to sequentially move the inserted dry analytical element 12 to the position of the photometric head 96, and the reflection optical density of the dry analytical element 12 is measured. . After the measurement is completed, the dry analytical element 12 that has been measured is pushed to the center side and discarded. The measurement result is output, and the used nozzle tip 14 is removed from the spotting nozzle 45 by the tip discarding unit 9 and dropped and discarded, and the processing ends.

After the sampler tray 2 sucks the sample and finish spotting, the rotary disk 21 is rotated again to stop the element cartridge 13 at the element take-out position corresponding to the spotting section 3, The dry analytical element 12 which has been read is taken out from the element cartridge 13 by the element conveying member 71 and conveyed to the spotting section 3. Then, the sample tray 2 is further rotated to move the sample container 11 to the suction position, and the spotting nozzle 45 is lowered to suck the sample into the nozzle tip 14. Subsequently, the spotting nozzle 45 is moved to the spotting section 3 to spot the sample on the dry analytical element 12. At the time of this sample suction, the element cartridge 13 corresponding to the sample container 11 is at the reading position, and at the same time, the analysis information of the next dry analysis element 12 at the bottom is read. The above operation is repeated for the number of dry analytical elements 12.

When a sample in a new sample container 11 is measured, the reading of the analysis information of the first dry analytical element 12 is performed by the corresponding element cartridge 13
To the reading position (position in FIG. 4), and then to the transport position (position in FIG. 2) to take out and transport the dry analysis element 12, and then to transport the sample container 11 in the same manner as above. The operation of moving to the suction position (the position in FIG. 4) and simultaneously reading the information of the next dry analysis element 12 at the same time as the suction spotting of the sample is repeated.

Then, when the read analysis information is a request for dilution, for example, when the blood concentration is too high to perform an accurate test, the dry analysis element 12 is transported to the spotting position. The nozzle tip 14 is attached to the spotting nozzle 45, and the spotting nozzle 45 is lowered to suck the sample into the nozzle tip 14. At that time, the next dry analytical element 12
Simultaneously read information. Then, after the aspirated sample is dispensed from the nozzle tip 14 into the mixing cup 16, the used nozzle tip 14 is removed. Next, the new nozzle tip 14 is attached to the spotting nozzle 45, and the diluent container 1
The diluent is sucked from 5 into the nozzle tip 14. The sucked diluent is discharged from the nozzle tip 14 into the mixing cup 16. Then, the nozzle tip 14 is inserted into the mixing cup 16, and suction and discharge are repeated to perform stirring. After stirring, the diluted sample is sucked into the nozzle tip 14, the spotting nozzle 45 is moved to the spotting part 3, and the sample is spotted on the dry analysis element 12. Similarly, in the same way, photometry, element abolition,
The result is output and the chips are discarded, and the process ends.

Next, when the read analysis information is the measurement of ion activity, this electrolyte type dry analysis element 12 is used.
Of the one spotting nozzle 45
The nozzle tip 14 is attached to and the sample is sucked. At this time, the next reading of information from the dry analytical element 12 is performed simultaneously. Next, the nozzle tip 14 is attached to the other spotting nozzle 45, and the reference liquid is sucked from the reference liquid container 17. Next, one of the spotting nozzles 45 is used to analyze the sample with the dry analysis element 1
No. 2 is applied to one of the liquid supply holes, and the other of the application nozzles 45 is used to apply the reference liquid to the other liquid supply hole of the dry analysis element 12.

Then, the dry analytical element 12 on which the sample and the reference liquid are spotted is transferred from the spotting part 3 to the second incubator 5 by the movement of the sliding frame 62, and the ion activity is measured by the potential difference measuring probe 98. Is measured. After the measurement is completed, the dry analytical element 12 after the measurement is transferred to the disposal hole 69 by the movement of the sliding frame 62 and discarded. Then, the measurement result is output, both used nozzle tips 14 are removed from both the spotting nozzles 45 and discarded, and the processing is ended.

In the above-described embodiment, the analysis information is transferred to the lower part of the sampler tray 2 before the dry analysis element 12 is conveyed from the element cartridge 13 to the spotting position in response to the rotation operation of the sampler tray 2. In order to perform spotting of the sample corresponding to the measurement item based on the information read by the reader 33 installed at the dry analytical element 12 to be spotted next while sucking the sample from the sample container 11 at the same time. In order to read the information, the movement for reading needs to be performed only the first time, and thereafter the reading movement is not required, so that sequence control can be simplified and analysis time can be shortened.

Further, since the information of the dry analytical element 12 is read before taking out the dry analytical element 12 from the element cartridge 13, it is possible to detect the erroneous setting state on the front and back sides and the front and back based on the read information. Can be easily handled by removing the element cartridge 13 from the sampler tray 2 and inserting the dry analysis element 12 again.
Further, from the read information, it is possible to detect a shortage of consumables used for the corresponding measurement, a mismatch between the items of the dry analysis element 12 and the sample type, and a warning display can be given to the operator to deal with them.

FIG. 5 is a layout view of the essential parts of a biochemical analyzer equipped with a sample tray of another embodiment. In the sampler tray 20 of this embodiment, the sample mounting section 23 for mounting the sample container 11 and the element mounting section 24 for mounting the element cartridge 13 containing the dry analytical element 12 required for the measurement are on the same center line. Are disposed on the inner peripheral portion and the outer peripheral portion. And a reader 33 for reading the analysis information
Is installed below the sample tray 2 at the rotational position of the element mounting portion 24 in the element transport path R. Others are configured in the same manner as the above-mentioned embodiment, and the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

In this embodiment, the element transporting position and the sample suctioning position in the rotating operation of the rotary disk 21 of the sampler tray 2 are set to coincide with each other. Therefore, in the case where the same sample is continuously analyzed, particularly when the colorimetric measurement is performed, the reading of analysis information, the conveyance of the dry analysis element 12, the sample suction, and the spotting operation are performed by the rotating disk 2.
Since it can be performed without 1 rotation operation, the time loss is small and the analysis efficiency can be improved.

Although the sample tray is configured to rotate and move in a circular shape, the sample tray may be configured to have a rack shape that moves linearly. The reader 33 is arranged so that the analysis information of the dry analysis element 12 conveyed to the landing position can be read.

Further, the reader 33 does not have to be installed below the element cartridge 13 (element mounting portion 24) and may be located at a remote place if the analysis information of the dry analysis element 12 at this position can be read. Good.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a schematic configuration of a biochemical analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part mechanism of the biochemical analysis device of FIG. 1 excluding a spotting device at an element transfer position

FIG. 3 is a sectional front view of a transport path portion of the dry analysis element.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a state where the sample tray is moved to a reading position.

FIG. 5 is a layout view of main parts of a biochemical analyzer including a sampler tray according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Biochemical analyzer 2,20 sample tray 3 points 6 spotting device 7 element transport mechanism 11 Sample container 12 Dry analysis element 13 element cartridge 14 nozzle tip 17 Reference liquid container 19 chip rack 21 rotating disc 23-28 mounting part 33 reader 45 point nozzle

Continued front page    F term (reference) 2G045 AA13 AA16 CA25 CA26 CB03                       FB11 FB17 GC12 JA11                 2G058 BB02 BB09 BB15 CB04 CC08                       CD04 CF04 CF09 CF28 EA02                       EA07 EA11 ED35 GA01 GC06                       GC09 GE02 GE03

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A sample tray equipped with a sample and a dry analysis element necessary for the measurement, and a spotting device for sucking the sample mounted on the sample tray with a spotting nozzle and spotting the sample on the dry analysis element. In the biochemical analyzer, when the dry analytical element is provided with analytical information including measurement items, and a reader for reading the analytical information of the dry analytical element is operated by the sample tray, the sample is at the suction position. A biochemical analyzer characterized in that the analytical information of the dry analytical element can be read at the position of the next dry analytical element used for measuring the sample. 2. The dry analytical elements are stacked in a number corresponding to the measurement item for one sample and mounted on the sample tray, and are transported from the lower one to the spotting position in order to deposit the sample. And the reader is
The biochemical analysis device according to claim 1, wherein the analysis information provided on the lower surface of the dry analysis element that is installed below the sample tray and that is conveyed next is read.