JP2004077197A - Test piece supply arrangement and urine examination device using it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To certainly extract one test piece with a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: The test piece supply arrangement is provided with a cylindrical test piece case 32 that stores a plurality of test pieces 3 and has an axially extending engaging groove 34 in the inner surface, a driving mechanism 33 for setting the test piece case 32 in a horizontal or tilting attitude and moving it in the horizontal or tilting attitude with the engaging groove 34 set downside to move the test pieces 3 to the engaging groove 34, and an extracting mechanism 4 that is moved to the engaging groove 34 and extracts the test piece 3 moved to the extracting position from the test piece case 32. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for removing one test piece from a case containing a plurality of test pieces and an apparatus for testing urine by bringing the test piece taken out of the case into contact with urine.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an apparatus for testing a specimen by bringing the specimen into contact with urine, it is necessary to take one specimen out of a large number of specimens in a case and bring the specimen into contact with urine. The test piece is in the form of an elongated sheet with a reagent attached to the tip. It is not easy to put many test pieces of this shape in a case and take out one. This is because the test specimens face various directions in the case.
[0003]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 5-133960 and 6-148201 describe a mechanism for taking out test specimens oriented in various directions in a specific direction and taking out one of them. The test piece take-out mechanism described in these publications includes a cylindrical container 70 for holding the test piece, as shown in FIG. The cylindrical container 70 is rotated, and a guide 71 is provided therein for taking out one test piece, and a through groove 72 penetrating the cylindrical container 70 is provided. The through groove 72 is open to a size that allows the test piece to pass through.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The apparatus described in the above publication can take out one test piece in a normal state. However, if the test piece forms a bridge between the guide and the inner surface of the cylindrical container, it cannot be reliably discharged. Furthermore, the trouble is that it becomes impossible to resolve this condition when it becomes a bridge. For this reason, once a bridge occurs, it is necessary to stop the device and inspect the inside to eliminate this condition. For this reason, there is a disadvantage that the device cannot be used stably without failure in a maintenance-free state. Furthermore, in order to reliably remove one test piece without failure, adjustment is extremely difficult and the structure is complicated.
[0005]
The present invention has been developed to solve this drawback. An important object of the present invention is to provide a test strip supply apparatus which can reliably take out one test piece without forming a bridge with a simple structure, and an inspection apparatus using the same.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The test piece supply device according to the first aspect of the present invention has a cylindrical shape in which a plurality of test pieces 3 are housed, and a fitting groove 34 for disposing the test pieces 3 at an extraction position is provided on the inner surface by extending in the axial direction. Of the test piece case 32 and the test piece case 32 by moving the test piece case 32 in a horizontal or inclined posture in which the central axis is horizontal or inclined and the inner surface provided with the fitting groove 34 is on the lower side. A drive mechanism 33 for moving the test piece 3 into the fitting groove 34; and a take-out mechanism 4 for taking out the test piece 3 moved from the fitting groove 34 to the take-out position from the test piece case 32.
[0007]
Further, in the test strip supply device according to the second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of test strips 3 are housed, and a fitting groove 34 for disposing the test strip 3 at the take-out position is provided on the inner surface by extending in the axial direction. The test piece case 32 and the test piece 3 are moved by moving the test piece case 32 in a horizontal or inclined position in which the central axis is horizontal or inclined and the inner surface provided with the fitting groove 34 is on the lower side. A drive mechanism 33 for moving the test piece 3 into the fitting groove 34, a suction mechanism 41 for sucking the test piece 3 guided by the fitting groove 34, and the test piece case 32 with the suction mechanism 41 sucking the test piece 3 in the vertical direction. A tilting mechanism 46 for moving the test piece 3 outside the fitting groove 34 and not adsorbing and dropping the test piece 3 so that the test piece 3 in the fitting groove 34 is located at a more protruding position than other test pieces 3; The test piece 3 in the position is removed from the test piece case 32. Ri give and a take-out mechanism 4.
[0008]
In the test strip supply device of the present invention, a front and back detection sensor 38 that detects the front and back of the test strip 3 disposed in the fitting groove 34 can be provided in the test strip case 32. The test piece case 32 is provided with a notch 35 at the upper end opening edge, and this notch 35 can be positioned at the upper end of the fitting groove 34. The drive mechanism 33 can reciprocate the test piece case 32 so as to move the fitting groove 34 in the horizontal direction, or can rotate the test piece case 32 in the normal or reverse direction so as to move the fitting groove 34 in the horizontal direction. Alternatively, the test piece case 32 can be vibrated.
[0009]
The urine testing apparatus according to claim 6 of the present invention comprises a test strip supply device 31 for taking out the test strip 3 from the test strip case 32 and bringing the same into contact with urine, and a color sensor for identifying the color of the test strip 3 in contact with the urine. 5 and a calculating means 6 for calculating a test item from an output signal of the color sensor 5. The test strip supply device 31 accommodates a plurality of test strips 3 and extends a fitting groove 34 for disposing the test strip 3 at a take-out position in the axial direction to provide a cylindrical test strip case 32. Then, the test piece case 32 is moved in a horizontal or inclined position in which the center axis is horizontal or inclined and the inner surface provided with the fitting groove 34 is on the lower side to move the test piece 3 into the fitting groove 34. And a take-out mechanism 4 for taking out the test piece 3 moved to the fitting groove 34 and moved to the take-out position from the test piece case 32.
[0010]
Furthermore, in the urine testing apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the test piece supply device 31 for taking out the test piece 3 from the test piece case 32 and contacting the urine and the color of the test piece 3 contacting the urine are identified. The color sensor 5 includes a color sensor 5 and a calculation unit 6 that calculates a test item from an output signal of the color sensor 5. A test piece supply device 31 accommodates a plurality of test pieces 3, and has a test piece case 32 in which a fitting groove 34 for disposing the test piece 3 at an extraction position is extended in the axial direction and provided on an inner surface. The test piece case 32 is moved in a horizontal or inclined position in which the center axis is horizontal or inclined and the inner surface provided with the fitting groove 34 is on the lower side, and the test piece 3 is moved to the fitting groove 34. The drive mechanism 33, the suction mechanism 41 that sucks the test piece 3 guided by the fitting groove 34, and the test piece case 32 that is vertically moved with the suction mechanism 41 sucking the test piece 3, The tilting mechanism 46 for dropping the test piece 3 which is outside and not adsorbed and placing the test piece 3 in the fitting groove 34 at a position more protruding than the other test pieces 3 and the test piece 3 at the protruding position A take-out mechanism 4 for taking out from the test piece case 32; Provided.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the following embodiment is an example of a test piece 3 supply device 31 and an inspection device for embodying the technical idea of the present invention. Not specific to
[0012]
Further, in this specification, in order to make it easy to understand the claims, the numbers corresponding to the members shown in the embodiments are referred to as "claims" and "means for solving the problem". Are added to the members indicated by "." However, the members described in the claims are not limited to the members of the embodiments.
[0013]
The test strip supply device shown in FIG. 2 includes a test strip case 32 for accommodating a plurality of test strips 3, a drive mechanism 33 for moving the test strip case 32 to guide the test strip 3 to an extraction position, An extraction mechanism 4 for extracting the test piece 3 from the test piece case 32 is provided.
[0014]
The test piece case 32 is cylindrical, and has a fitting groove 34 provided on the inner surface. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the test piece case 32, and FIG. In these figures, the test piece case 32 has a cylindrical shape, but the test piece case may have an elliptical cylindrical shape or a polygonal cylindrical shape. The insertion groove 34 provided on the inner surface is provided at the take-out position with the test piece 3 inserted therein as shown by a chain line in the figure, and is provided to extend in the axial direction of the test piece case 32. The width of the fitting groove 34 is slightly wider than the width of the test piece 3 so that one test piece 3 can be inserted. The fitting groove 34 is deeper than the thickness of the test piece 3, for example, 0.3 to 3 mm so that one test piece 3 can be guided. Since the test piece case 32 shown in the drawing absorbs the test piece 3 guided by the fitting groove 34 from the outside with air, the depth of the fitting groove 34 can be adjusted so that a plurality of test pieces 3 can be inserted. it can. This is because a plurality of test pieces 3 are inserted, the test pieces 3 are sucked from the outside, the test piece case 32 is moved to the vertical position, and the test pieces 3 that are not sucked can be discharged from the fitting groove 34 to the outside.
[0015]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the test piece case 32 is provided with a cutout portion 35 at the upper end opening edge so that the test piece 3 guided in the fitting groove 34 can be reliably taken out by the take-out mechanism 4. The notch 35 is provided so as to be located at the upper end of the fitting groove 34. In the test piece case 32, the holder 16 of the take-out mechanism 4 is inserted into the cutout portion 35, and the test piece 3 at the take-out position can be taken out without fail. The illustrated test piece case 32 has a stopper 36 provided at the lower end of the fitting groove 34. The stopper 36 accommodates the test piece 3 guided in the fitting groove 34 in the test piece case 32 so as to protrude from the other test pieces 3 not guided by the fitting groove 34. The test piece case 32 shown in the figure has a stopper 36 provided with a protruding portion so as to protrude from the inner surface. The stopper may be provided so that the fitting groove does not extend to the bottom of the test piece case.
[0016]
The test piece case 32 has an opening at the upper end closed with an upper lid 37 having a through hole 37A for taking out the test piece 3. The through hole 37 </ b> A is provided in the notch 35. The holder 16 of the extracting mechanism 4 for holding and discharging the test piece 3 at the extracting position is inserted into the through hole 37A.
[0017]
The test piece 3 has a reagent attached to one surface. For this reason, it is necessary to identify the front and back and carry it to a predetermined position. In order to detect the front and back of the test piece 3, the test piece case 32 shown in the figure is provided with a front and back detection sensor 38 for detecting the front and back of the test piece 3 disposed in the fitting groove 34. The front / back detection sensor 38 is provided with a through hole 39 so as to be connected to the fitting groove 34. The front and back detection sensor 38 irradiates the test piece 3 with light, receives the reflected light, and detects the front and back of the test piece 3. Since the light reflectance of the test piece 3 differs between the surface on which the reagent is attached and the back surface without the reagent, the front and back detection sensor 38 can detect the front and back from the light reflectance. The front / back detection sensor 38 transmits a front / back signal to the control circuit 13. The control circuit 13 determines whether or not to rotate the test piece case 32 by 180 degrees about the central axis based on the front and back signals of the test piece 3. For example, the control circuit 13 does not rotate the test piece case 32 when the test piece 3 is inserted into the fitting groove 34 face up, and uses the reversing motor 40 when the test piece 3 is put face down. By rotating the test piece case 32 by 180 degrees, all the test pieces 3 are oriented in a predetermined direction. The take-out mechanism 4 stores in advance a take-out position for taking out a test piece that faces forward and a take-out position for taking out a test piece that faces backward. The holder 16 is moved to the position where the test piece 3 is taken out based on the front and back signals. The take-out mechanism 4 holds the test piece 3 arranged in a predetermined direction with the holder 16, and transfers the test piece 3 to the test position in a predetermined posture.
[0018]
The drive mechanism 33 guides the test piece 3 into the fitting groove 34 by moving the test piece case 32. The drive mechanism 33 moves the test piece case 32 in a horizontal or inclined position in which the center axis of the test piece case 32 is horizontal or inclined so that the inner surface on which the fitting groove 34 is provided is on the lower side, and moves the test piece 3 into the fitting groove 34. Move to The inclination angle at which the drive mechanism 33 inclines the test piece case 32 is set to 0 to 60 degrees, preferably 0 to 30 degrees, more preferably 0 to 15 degrees, and optimally 2 to 5 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane. . The illustrated drive mechanism 33 moves the test piece case 32 in a horizontal posture, but can also move the test piece case 32 in an inclined posture to move the test piece 3 into the fitting groove 34. The drive mechanism 33 shown in FIG. 2 includes a reversing motor 40 fixed to the bottom of the test piece case 32. The reversing motor 40 is a stepping motor whose rotation angle is controlled by the control circuit 13. The drive mechanism 33, which is the reversing motor 40, rotates the test piece case 32 in the normal and reverse directions so as to move the fitting groove 34 in the lateral direction, and guides the test piece 3 into the fitting groove 34. A drive mechanism that vibrates the test piece case and guides the test piece into the fitting groove can also be used. Also, without rotating the test piece case, the test piece case may be horizontally or reciprocally moved in the horizontal direction so as to move the insertion groove in the horizontal direction, and the test piece may be guided to the insertion groove. it can.
[0019]
Further, the supply device 31 shown in the figure includes an adsorption mechanism 41 that adsorbs the test piece 3 in the fitting groove 34. The suction mechanism 41 includes a suction nozzle 42 provided in the test piece case 32, and a vacuum source 45 connected to the suction nozzle 42 via an open / close valve 43 and a hose 44. The suction nozzle 42 has an opening at the tip end provided in a suction port 50 opened at the bottom of the fitting groove 34. In the suction mechanism 41, when the on-off valve 43 is opened, the suction nozzle 42 sucks air, and suctions the test piece 3 in the fitting groove 34 to the suction nozzle 42.
[0020]
Further, the supply device may be provided with a suction mechanism 41 having a structure shown in FIG. 5 so that the test piece 3 can be sucked into the suction port 50 of the fitting groove 34. In the illustrated suction mechanism 41, a suction case 51 is provided along the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical test piece case 32. As shown in the cross-sectional perspective view of FIG. 6, the suction case 51 has a circular opening 51A along the outer shape of the test piece case 32, and the test piece case 32 is passed through the circular opening 51A. I have. The suction case 51 is in close contact with the test piece case 32 without any gap, but connects the test piece case 32 to be rotatable along the opening 51A. Further, the suction case 51 is provided with a ring groove 52 along the outer periphery of the test piece case 32 on the inner surface of the circular opening 51A. In the suction case 51, a suction duct 53 is formed by the ring groove 52 and the test piece case 32. The suction case 51 is disposed such that the ring groove 52 faces the rotation locus of the suction port 50 of the rotating test piece case 32. This is because the suction port 50 communicates with the suction duct 53 to suck air from the suction port 50 regardless of the position of the test piece case 32 that rotates relatively to the suction case 51. The suction duct 53 is connected to the suction nozzle 42, and the air in the suction duct 53 is sucked by the suction nozzle 42. The suction mechanism 41 sucks the test piece 3 in the fitting groove 34 by the suction nozzle 50 through the suction port 50 via the suction duct 53, and causes the suction port 50 to suck the test piece 3. As described above, the structure in which the suction is performed from the suction port 50 of the test piece case 32 through the suction case 51 allows the test piece case 32 to be rotated smoothly without entanglement of the hose 44 connected to the suction nozzle 42. There is a feature that can rotate. Further, when the test piece case 32 is rotated in the forward / reverse direction by the reversing motor 40, the test piece case 32 can be stably rotated using the suction case 51 as a guide.
[0021]
Further, the supply device 31 shown in the figure includes a tilting mechanism 46 that tilts the test piece case 32 to which the reversing motor 40 is fixed from a horizontal position to a vertical position or from a vertical position to a horizontal position. The tilting mechanism 46 includes a tilting motor 47 that rotates in the forward and reverse directions. The tilting motor 47 fixes the arm 48 to the rotating shaft, connects the arm 48 to the reversing motor 40, and tilts the reversing motor 40 and the test piece case 32 integrally. The tilt motor 47 is a motor whose rotation angle is controlled by the control circuit 13. The tilting mechanism 46 rotates the tilting motor 47 in the forward and reverse directions to tilt the test piece case 32 into a vertical, horizontal, and tilted posture.
[0022]
The removal mechanism 4 removes the test piece 3 arranged at the removal position of the test piece case 32 from the test piece case 32 and moves it to a test position where it comes into contact with urine. The take-out mechanism 4 includes a holder 16 for holding the upper end of the test piece 3 by holding or sucking the upper end thereof, and a moving mechanism 17 for moving the holder 16 to move the test piece 3 to the test position. And
[0023]
FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a urine testing apparatus provided with a test strip removing mechanism 4. The test apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a container holder 2 for holding a container 1 filled with urine, and a test piece taken out of a test piece case 32 into urine filled in the container 1 held by the container holder 2. 3 is provided with a test strip supply device 31 for bringing the test strip 3 into contact, a color sensor 5 for identifying the color of the test strip 3 in contact with urine, and a calculating means 6 for calculating a test item from an output signal of the color sensor 5.
[0024]
The container 1 is a cup that can be filled with urine, and for example, a paper cup or a plastic cup can be used. The container holder 2 makes the test piece 3 and the urine come into contact with each other with the container 1 inclined so that the tip of the test piece 3 can be in long contact with a small amount of urine. As shown in a plan view of FIG. 8, the container holder includes a pair of holding arms 7 for holding the container 1 from both sides and holding the container 1, and a rotating mechanism 8 for rotating the holding arm 7. The holding arm 7 has a container holding portion 9 which is curved at the tip end in a shape along the container 1.
[0025]
The rotating mechanism 8 moves the holding arms 7 in directions approaching each other to pinch the container 1, and moves the holding arms 7 in opposite directions to release the pinched state of the container 1. As shown in the schematic plan view of FIG. 9, the rotation mechanism 8 is equipped with a clamping cylinder 10 for reciprocating the pair of holding arms 7 in the clamping direction of the container 1 and in the opposite direction, and the cylinder is mounted. A tilt motor 12 for rotating the frame 11 to tilt the container 1, a control circuit 13 for controlling the rotation of the tilt motor 12, and an ascending cylinder (not shown) for moving the tilt motor 12 up and down are provided. I have. The tilt motor 12 is a stepping motor whose rotation angle is controlled by the control circuit 13.
[0026]
The rotating mechanism 8 shown in FIG. 9 uses a clamping cylinder 10 to reciprocate a pair of holding arms 7 in a direction in which the container 1 is clamped and in a direction opposite thereto. The control circuit 13 controls the rotation of the tilt motor 12 to tilt the container 1 held by the holding arm 7 at a predetermined angle as shown in FIG. The control circuit 13 stores a first inclination angle at which the container 1 filled with urine is inclined to discharge excess urine, and a second inclination angle closer to the vertical than the first inclination angle. The control circuit 13 first tilts the container 1 to the first tilt angle in a state where the container 1 filled with urine is clamped by the holding arm 7, discharges extra urine, and then discharges the second tilt. Tilt to the corner. The container holder 2 that tilts the container 1 in this state can prevent the urine from leaking from the container 1 at the second tilt angle by tilting the container 1 from the first tilt angle to the second tilt angle. The second inclination angle is preferably such that the angle of the container lower surface 1A with respect to the horizontal is 2 to 10 degrees. When the second inclination angle is closer to horizontal than 2 degrees, almost all urine is discharged from the container 1 and the urine volume is too small. Conversely, when the second inclination angle is greater than 10 degrees, the test piece 3 A considerable amount of urine is required to deposit urine on all test areas 23.
[0027]
The test piece supply device 31 moves the test piece 3 taken out of the test piece case 32 by the take-out mechanism 4 to the test position and makes it contact the urine in the container 1. In the illustrated device, the test piece 3 is inserted into the container 1 and brought into contact with urine, so that the test position of the test piece 3 is inside the container 1. The removal mechanism 4 inserts the test piece 3 into the container 1 with the container 1 inclined, or inserts the test piece 3 into the container with the container 1 standing, and then tilts the container 1, As shown in FIG. 10, the test piece 3 is brought into contact with urine. Furthermore, instead of inserting the test piece 3 into the container 1, the urine test apparatus of the present invention moves the test piece 3 to a specific test position and tilts the container 1 to the test piece 3 at the test position. The urine can be drained and contacted. Alternatively, urine in a container may be sucked into a test piece at the test position with a spike-like material, and urine from the spoid may be discharged to the test piece at the test position to bring the test piece into contact with urine.
[0028]
In the inspection device of FIG. 7, the removal mechanism 4 of the supply device 31 is provided with the moving mechanism 17 of the holder 16. The holder 16 is a chuck for holding the upper end of the test piece 3. The take-out mechanism 4 clamps the upper end of the test piece 3 at the take-out position of the test piece case 32, takes out the test piece case 32, and moves it to the test position. However, the holder can also hold the test piece by suction. The holder 16 makes the test piece 3 come into contact with urine, inspects it with the color sensor 5, and then moves to the disposal position to release the pinched state. The holder 16 shown in the figure is a chuck, which clamps the upper end of the test piece 3 arranged at the take-out position of the test piece case 32 and takes it out of the test piece case 32. Since the holder can also hold the upper end of the test piece by suction with air, the holder is not specified as a chuck for holding the test piece. The holder 16 moves the test piece 3 to the test position and makes it contact the urine, inspects it with the color sensor 5, and then moves to the disposal position to release the holding state.
[0029]
The moving mechanism 17 in FIG. 7 moves the holder 16 up, down, left, and right to move the test piece 3 from the extraction position to the test position. Thereafter, the test piece 3 is moved to the suction holder 18 in front of the color sensor 5, and after the inspection, is moved from the suction holder 18 to the disposal position. The moving mechanism 17 includes a cylinder and an electric actuator (not shown) for moving the holder 16 up and down and right and left, and a control means (not shown) for controlling these. The control means controls the cylinder, the electric actuator, and the like to move the holder 16 to a predetermined position.
[0030]
Further, the moving mechanism 17 may have a structure shown in FIGS. The moving mechanism 17 shown in these figures includes an arm 54 that rotates in a horizontal plane, a driving mechanism 55 that rotates the arm 54, and a vertical mechanism that is provided at the tip of the arm 54 and moves the holder 16 up and down. And a moving mechanism 56. The arm 54 is disposed horizontally, and has a holder 16 disposed at a distal end thereof via a vertical movement mechanism 56. The drive mechanism 55 includes a motor 57 for rotating the arm 54 forward and backward in a horizontal plane, and a rear end of the arm 54 is connected to a rotation shaft of the motor 57. The vertical movement mechanism 56 includes a vertically arranged pole 58 and a driving unit 59 that moves the pole 58 up and down, and the holder 16 is fixed to a lower end of the pole 58. The up-down movement mechanism 56 moves the pawl 58 up and down by the driving unit 59 to move the holder 16 up and down. A screw rod and a nut member, a rack and a pinion, and the like can be used for the pole and the drive unit. Further, a cylinder, an electric actuator, or the like can be used as the up-down movement mechanism.
[0031]
The moving mechanism 17 rotates the arm 54 by a motor 57 which is a driving mechanism 55 to move a vertical moving mechanism 56 provided at the tip of the arm 54 in a horizontal plane. Is moved up and down to move the holder 16 up and down and left and right. Therefore, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 12, this device includes the supply device 31 and the container 1 held by the container holder 2 on the movement trajectory of the holder 16 disposed at the tip of the arm 54. A suction holder 18 is provided. This device has a feature that the supply device 31, the container holder 2, and the suction holder 18 are disposed within a rotation range specified by the length and the rotation angle of the arm 54, and these can be stored compactly.
[0032]
The test piece 3 inserted into the container 1 at the test position and brought into contact with the urine is transferred by the take-out mechanism 4 to the suction holder 18 disposed in front of the color sensor 5. The adsorption holder 18 adsorbs the test piece 3 to which urine has adhered and holds it at a fixed position. The suction holder 18 sucks and holds the test piece 3 in a vertical posture, and sucks and removes excess urine attached to the test piece 3.
[0033]
The suction holder 18 is shown in FIGS. The suction holder 18 shown in these figures has a vertical groove 19 for mounting the test piece 3 as shown in the horizontal sectional view of FIG. The longitudinal grooves 19 have tapered surfaces whose both sides are gradually widened so that the test piece 3 can be smoothly mounted at a fixed position. Further, the vertical groove 19 has a plurality of suction passages 21 opened at the bottom for sucking the test piece 3 and sucking excess urine. The vertical groove 19 shown in the figure has an intake passage 21 opened on the bottom surface and both side surfaces, respectively. As shown in a partially enlarged view of FIG. 14, the suction passage 21 on the bottom surface is located at the center of the bottom surface and at the center of the test area 23 and is open. The suction passages 21 on both sides are open at the four corners of the test area 23 at the boundary with the bottom surface. The test piece suction path 21 is connected to an air suction pump (not shown), sucks air from the bottom of the vertical groove 19, adsorbs the test piece 3 to the bottom surface of the vertical groove 19, and vertically holds the test piece 3. At the same time, excess urine adhering to the test piece 3 is sucked out and removed. The suction holder 18 having this structure can hold the test piece 3 by vertically sucking it with air, and also can remove excess urine to perform an accurate test. If excess urine adheres to the test piece 3, it flows down along the test piece 3, and the test accuracy is reduced. This is because the test piece 3 is vertically divided into a plurality of test areas 23 so that a plurality of test items can be processed by one sheet.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 13, the test piece 3 held in the vertical groove 19 of the suction holder 18 is moved up and down by the take-out mechanism 4 in a vertical posture, and the color of the plurality of test areas 23 is changed by the color sensor 5. Is detected by This device has a feature that the device can be simplified because the take-out mechanism 4 can be used in combination with the mechanism for moving the test piece 3 up and down. However, without moving the test piece held by the suction holder, the color sensor can be moved up and down to detect the colors of a plurality of test areas. Further, the apparatus of the present invention can use any other mechanism that relatively changes the position of the color sensor and the test piece, and can read the test area of the test piece in order and output it as a color signal over time. it can.
[0035]
The color sensor 5 is fixed at a fixed position in front of the suction holder 18. The color sensor 5 is a color television camera having a built-in CCD, and focuses the lens on the test area 23 of the test piece 3 so that a single test area 23 is displayed as one screen. However, the color sensor 5 can simultaneously project a plurality of test areas as one screen. The color sensor 5 sequentially converts the color of each test area 23 into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal. The color sensor 5, which is a color television camera, has a feature that the color of the test area 23 can be easily detected. However, the color sensor is not necessarily a color television camera, and although not shown, a light source that irradiates the test area of the test piece with light and a sensor that detects light reflected by the test area or light transmitted through the test area. It can also be configured with a unit. This color sensor irradiates a test area with light from a light source, and detects reflected light or transmitted light from a sensor unit. The sensor unit can identify the color of the test area by detecting the wavelength of the light.
[0036]
The color sensor 5 outputs, for example, a color signal of one test area 23 provided on the test piece 3, and then the test piece 3 is moved upward by the moving mechanism 17, and outputs the color signal of the test area 23 provided below. Outputs color signals. That is, the color sensor 5 sequentially outputs color signals of the respective test areas 23 provided on the test piece 3 as color signals over time.
[0037]
The calculation means 6 calculates the inspection result from the color signal input from the color sensor 5 using the color of each test area 23. The test areas 23 provided on the test piece 3 have different colors depending on the inspection items. Therefore, the calculating means 6 specifies which test item the color signal of the color sensor 5 is, and calculates the inspection result from the color signal. That is, the calculating means 6 calculates the inspection result of each test item from both the signal specifying the position of the color sensor 5 and the color signal.
[0038]
The inspection result of each inspection item calculated by the calculating means 6 is printed and displayed on a printer, stored in a storage circuit, or transmitted to a host computer or the like.
[0039]
The automatic urine test apparatus described above is used as follows to test urine.
(1) The patient collects urine in the container 1. The container 1 has a bar code or magnetic card for identifying a patient attached thereto.
(2) Set the container 1 containing urine in the automatic inspection device. The automatic inspection apparatus has a barcode or magnetic card reading mechanism, and reads a barcode or a magnetic card to identify a patient. However, the container 1 does not necessarily need to have a barcode or a magnetic card attached thereto, and the automatic inspection device does not necessarily need to include these reading mechanisms.
Further, preferably, the automatic testing device is provided with a level sensor for testing the minimum level of urine in the container 1. The level sensor irradiates the inside of the container 1 mounted at a fixed position with light from top to bottom to detect the level of urine. If the amount of urine in the container 1 is smaller than the minimum level, for example, a voice message “urine is insufficient” is generated. If the urine volume is insufficient, the patient refills and sets the urine in place.
[0040]
(3) The supply device 31 transfers one test piece 3 to the extraction position, and transfers the test piece 3 at the extraction position by the extraction mechanism 4 from the extraction position to the test position. The supply device 31 transfers the test piece 3 to the test position in the following steps as shown in FIGS.
(1) As shown in FIG. 2, the test piece case 32 is set up vertically. All the test pieces 3 are stored in a posture standing almost vertically at the bottom of the test piece case 32. The test piece case 32 has a center tube 49 fixed at the center in order to set the test piece 3 in a nearly vertical posture. The test piece 3 is accommodated between the center tube 49 and the test piece case 32 in a nearly vertical posture.
{Circle around (2)} The tilting motor 47 of the tilting mechanism 46 tilts the test piece case 32 to bring it to a substantially horizontal posture. At this time, the reversing motor 40 of the driving mechanism 33 is rotated to bring the test piece case 32 into a posture in which the fitting groove 34 is located at the upper part. In this posture, the reversing motor 40 is rotated in the normal and reverse directions, and the test piece case 32 is rotated at a predetermined angle. In this state, the test pieces 3 housed in the test piece case 32 can be aligned substantially in parallel.
{Circle around (3)} Further, the tilting motor 47 tilts the test piece case 32 so that the upper end of the test piece case 32, that is, the end provided with the cutout portion 35 from which the test piece 3 is taken out, faces downward. And a slightly more inclined posture. In this posture, the test piece case 32 is inclined, for example, by 5 to 40 degrees with respect to the horizontal. Even in this state, the test piece case 32 is in a posture in which the fitting groove 34 is located at the upper part. In this posture, the reversing motor 40 rotates the test piece case 32 by rotating the test piece case 32 forward and backward by a predetermined angle. Due to the vibration of the test piece case 32, all the stored test pieces 3 slide down on the inner surface of the test tube case 32 to a position where it comes into contact with the upper lid 37. That is, the tips of the test pieces 3 are aligned. The test piece 3 at this position is guided by the fitting groove 34 and is disposed above the stopper 36 of the test piece case 32.
{Circle around (4)} The reversing motor 40 of the driving mechanism 33 rotates the test piece case 32 so that the fitting groove 34 is disposed on the lower side as shown in FIG. 3, and the tilting motor 47 of the tilting mechanism 46 performs the test. The one case 32 is tilted to a horizontal posture. In this posture, the reversing motor 40 of the driving mechanism 33 rotates the test tube case 32 in the forward and reverse directions by a predetermined angle to vibrate. When the reversing motor 40 rotates the test piece case 32 in the normal and reverse directions to vibrate, the test piece case 32 reciprocates in the lateral direction of the fitting groove 34 and vibrates. As a result of this movement, any test piece 3 housed in the test piece case 32 is put into the fitting groove 34.
(5) The tilting motor 47 of the tilting mechanism 46 tilts the test piece case 32 to change from the horizontal position to the vertical position. At this time, the test piece 3 is sucked by the suction mechanism 41 into the fitting groove 34 so that the test piece 3 guided by the fitting groove 34 does not come out of the fitting groove 34. Further, when the tilting motor 47 tilts the test piece case 32 from the horizontal position to the vertical position, the reversing motor 40 of the driving mechanism 33 rotates the test piece case 32 in the normal and reverse directions by a predetermined angle, and enters the fitting groove 34. The two or more test pieces 3 are discharged out of the fitting groove 34. When the test piece case 32 is set up in a vertical position with the suction mechanism 41 sucking the test piece 3, one test piece 3 is disposed in the fitting groove 34. The test piece 3 is sucked by the suction mechanism 41 and is prevented from dropping by the stopper 36, so that the test piece 3 is accurately arranged at the removal position.
[0041]
In the above steps (1) to (5), one test piece 3 is arranged at the take-out position almost without exception. However, if the test piece 3 cannot be placed at the removal position for some reason, the steps (1) to (5) are repeated to place the test piece 3 at the removal position. Whether or not the test piece 3 is located at the removal position can be confirmed by arranging a confirmation sensor in the test piece case 32.
[0042]
When the test piece 3 is placed at the removal position, the holder 16 of the removal mechanism 4 is inserted into the through hole 37A of the upper lid 37, and the upper end of the test piece 3 is sucked or held by a method such as suction. It is taken out of the case 32 and transferred to the test position.
[0043]
In the above apparatus, the test piece 3 in the fitting groove 34 is sucked by the suction mechanism 41 and is held at a fixed position. For this reason, there is a feature that one test piece 3 can be securely held at the extraction position. However, the test piece supply device of the present invention does not necessarily require the suction mechanism 41 to suck the test piece 3 in the fitting groove 34. That is, in the above-mentioned step (5), the test piece case 32 is inclined with the through hole 37A facing upward while the test piece 3 is guided in the fitting groove 34, and the test piece case 32 is driven in this posture. This is because the extra test piece 3 can be discharged from the fitting groove 34 by rotating the motor 33 in the forward and reverse directions by the reversing motor 40 of the mechanism 33, and one test piece 3 can be disposed at the removal position. The insertion groove 34 has a depth at which the extra test piece 3 is discharged when the insertion motor 34 is rotated in the normal or reverse direction by the reversing motor 40.
[0044]
(5) The test piece 3 is transferred to the test position, and the urine contacts the test area 23 of the test piece 3.
(6) Thereafter, the take-out mechanism 4 holds the test piece 3 with the holder 16 and transfers the test piece 3 from the test position to the suction holder 18. The test piece 3 transferred to the suction holder 18 is adsorbed to the suction holder 18 by air, and excess urine is removed.
[0045]
(7) The color sensor 5 sequentially identifies the color of each test area 23 of the test piece 3 sandwiched between the suction holders 18 and outputs a color signal of each test area 23 to the calculating means 6. . The calculating means 6 calculates the test result of the test item of each test area 23 from the signal specifying the test area 23 and the color signal. The calculated test result of each test item is output by a printer or transmitted to a host computer.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
The apparatus of the present invention has a feature that one test piece can be reliably taken out while preventing the test piece from being clogged with a simple structure. That is, the apparatus of the present invention is provided with a fitting groove on the inner surface extending in the axial direction in a test piece case for accommodating a plurality of test pieces, and this test piece case is horizontally or horizontally with the fitting groove on the lower side. This is because the test piece is moved to the fitting groove by being moved in an inclined posture, one test piece is moved to the removal position of the test piece case, and the test piece at the removal position is taken out by the removal mechanism. In particular, the present invention moves the cylindrical test piece case in a horizontal or inclined posture and guides the test piece to the fitting groove provided on the inner surface, so that the test piece can be prevented from becoming a bridge and clogging. It has the feature that it can be taken out reliably.
[0047]
Further, in the apparatus according to claims 2 and 7 of the present invention, the test piece placed in the fitting groove of the test piece case is sucked by the suction mechanism, and the test piece case is vertically moved in a state of sucking the test piece. Move to drop the extra state from the fitting groove. For this reason, there is a feature that one test piece can be reliably transferred to the takeout position and taken out.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional test piece take-out mechanism.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a test piece supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a state where a test piece case of the test piece supply device shown in FIG. 2 is in a horizontal posture;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a test piece case shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a test piece supply device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a sectional perspective view of a suction case of the test piece supply device shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a urine testing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a plan view of a container holder of the urine testing apparatus shown in FIG.
9 is a schematic plan view of the container holder shown in FIG.
10 is a vertical sectional view showing a state where the container holder shown in FIG. 8 tilts the container.
FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a urine testing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a plan view of the urine testing apparatus shown in FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the suction holder.
14 is a partially enlarged front view of the suction holder shown in FIG.
FIG. 15 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of the suction holder shown in FIG. 13;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 ... container 1A ... container bottom
2. Container holder
3 ... Test piece
4: Removal mechanism
5 ... Color sensor
6 ... Calculation means
7 ... Holding arm
8. Rotating mechanism
9 ... Container holding part
10 ... Nail cylinder
11… Frame
12 ... Tilt motor
13. Control circuit
16 ... Holder
17. Moving mechanism
18 ... Suction holder
19 ... flute
21 ... Inhalation channel
23 ... Test area
31 ... Supply device
32 ... Test piece case
33 ... Drive mechanism
34 ... fitting groove
35 ... Notch
36 ... Stopper
37: Upper lid 37A: Through hole
38 ... Front and back detection sensor
39 ... Through-hole
40 ... Reversing motor
41… Suction mechanism
42 ... Suction nozzle
43 ... On-off valve
44… Hose
45 ... Vacuum source
46 ... Tilt mechanism
47 ... Tilt motor
48… arm
49 ... Center tube
50 ... Suction port
51: suction case 51A: opening
52 ... Ring groove
53 ... Suction duct
54 ... arm
55 ... Drive mechanism
56 Vertical movement mechanism
57 ... motor
58 ... Paul
59 ... Drive unit
70… Container
71… Guide
72 ... through groove

Claims (7)

A cylindrical test piece case (32) that accommodates a plurality of test pieces (3) and has an insertion groove (34) that is provided at the take-out position and extends in the axial direction and is provided on the inner surface. Then, the test piece case (32) is moved in a horizontal or inclined position in which the center axis is horizontal or inclined and the inner surface provided with the fitting groove (34) is on the lower side. 3) a drive mechanism (33) for moving the fitting groove (34), and a removing mechanism (3) for removing the test piece (3) moved to the removing position by being moved to the fitting groove (34) from the test piece case (32). 4) A test piece supply device comprising: A test piece case (32) which accommodates a plurality of test pieces (3), and has an insertion groove (34) for extending the test piece (3) at an extraction position and extending in the axial direction and provided on an inner surface; The test specimen (3) is moved by moving the test specimen case (32) in a posture in which the central axis is horizontal or inclined and the inner surface provided with the fitting groove (34) is in a horizontal or inclined posture. A drive mechanism (33) for moving the fitting groove (34), a suction mechanism (41) for sucking the test piece (3) guided by the fitting groove (34), and a test piece (3) using the suction mechanism (41). The test piece case (32) is moved in the vertical direction in a state in which the test piece (3) outside the fitting groove (34) and not sucked is dropped, and the test of the fitting groove (34) is performed. A tilting mechanism (46) for arranging the piece (3) at a position more protruding than other test pieces; That takeout mechanism for taking out test piece (3) from the specimen case (32) (4) and test strip supply apparatus including a. The test strip supply according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a front and back detection sensor (38) for detecting front and back of the test strip (3) disposed in the fitting groove (34) is provided in the test strip case (32). apparatus. The test piece supply device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the test piece case (32) has a notch (35) at an upper end opening edge, and the notch (35) is located at an upper end of the fitting groove (34). . The driving mechanism (33) reciprocates the test piece case (32) so as to move the fitting groove (34) in the lateral direction, or the driving mechanism (33) moves the fitting groove (34) in the lateral direction. 3. The test strip supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the test strip case (32) is rotated forward and backward, or the test strip case (32) is vibrated. A test piece (3) supply device (31) for removing the test piece (3) from the test piece case (32) and contacting the urine, and a color sensor (5) for identifying the color of the test piece (3) contacting the urine. And a calculating means (6) for calculating a test item from an output signal of the color sensor (5).
A test piece (3) supply device (31) accommodates a plurality of test pieces (3) and extends an insertion groove (34) for disposing the test piece (3) at a take-out position in the axial direction. The test piece case (32) provided on the inner surface of the test piece case (32) is positioned such that the central axis is horizontal or inclined, and the inner surface provided with the fitting groove (34) is the lower side. A drive mechanism (33) for moving the test piece (3) into the fitting groove (34) by moving the test piece (3) into a fitting groove (34), and a test piece (3) moved to the removal position by moving to the fitting groove (34). ) From the test piece case (32). A test piece (3) supply device (31) for removing the test piece (3) from the test piece case (32) and contacting the urine, and a color sensor (5) for identifying the color of the test piece (3) contacting the urine. And a calculating means (6) for calculating a test item from an output signal of the color sensor (5).
A test piece (3) supply device (31) accommodates a plurality of test pieces (3) and extends an insertion groove (34) for disposing the test piece (3) at a take-out position in the axial direction. And a test piece case (32) provided with the fitting groove (34) in a horizontal or inclined position with the central axis being horizontal or inclined. A drive mechanism (33) for moving the test piece (3) into the fitting groove (34) by moving in an inclined posture, and a suction mechanism (41) for sucking the test piece (3) guided by the fitting groove (34). The test piece case (32) is moved vertically in a state where the test piece (3) is sucked by the suction mechanism (41), and the test piece (3) that is outside the fitting groove (34) and is not sucked is drawn. ) Is dropped, and the test piece (3) of the fitting groove (34) is arranged at a protruding position more than other test pieces. That tilting mechanism (46), the inspection apparatus of urine and a takeout mechanism for taking out the test piece in the projecting position (3) from the specimen case (32) (4).

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