JP2004101292A - Automatic analytical instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small automatic analytical instrument dispensing with input operation of a specimen mounting position, having the simple constitution without complicating a device, simplifying operation, and making an automatic analysis even when an analytical frequency is few. <P>SOLUTION: This automatic analytical instrument 1 analyzes a specimen component by measuring a coloration change by mixing a reagent and a specimen liquid in a disposable cuvette 11, and has a sample tray for mounting a specimen vessel 12 and the cuvette 11 for housing the specimen liquid multiply as a set and a light measuring part 5 for transmitting and measuring the coloration change in the reagent and the specimen liquid in the cuvette 11, and automatically analyzes a specimen in a position mounted with this cuvette 11 by detecting the cuvette 11 mounted on the sample tray 3 by light measurement of this light measuring part 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a small automatic analyzer that can perform fecal occult blood analysis and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a large-sized analyzer that automatically performs fecal occult blood analysis from a sample collected by a mass examination or the like is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
This large analyzer sets a large number of cuvettes (mixing containers) to be disposable or washed and reused, and transports the cuvettes in a straight line while transferring sample liquid from a sample collection container to an empty cuvette and liquid from a reagent bottle. Reagents are respectively dispensed, and photometry of the degree of coloration is performed.
[0004]
The sample collection container is used for dissolving and storing a stool sample collected in a stick-shaped collection rod by immersing it in the storage solution in the container. The sample liquid is injected into the cuvette by cutting the part.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-35969
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The conventional automatic analyzer as described above is large and suitable for analyzing a large number of samples. When the number of samples is small and the frequency of measurement is low, it is expensive and unsuitable, and operation and management are difficult. Have the problem of being complex.
[0007]
In other words, a large number of cuvettes are mounted and transported in advance on the analyzer, while a large number of sample collection containers are mounted on a stocker, and sample liquids and reagents are sequentially supplied to the transported cuvettes and photometry is performed. For the measurement object, sample identification and measurement management are performed by attaching a barcode to the sample collection container and making a measurement request.Discontinuous sample analysis is wasteful and efficient analysis cannot be performed. It is assumed that the analysis is performed in a state where a large amount of samples are collected.
[0008]
It is also known that an analyzer has a plurality of sample mounting portions, and a sample container is mounted on the mounting portion to perform analysis.In this case, a sample mounting position is input to a control unit to perform measurement. Requests are generally made, but the input operation is complicated. It is also conceivable to perform measurement by recognizing a sample mounting portion, but a sample sensor for that purpose is separately required, and the apparatus becomes complicated.
[0009]
In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized automatic analyzer that can perform automatic analysis with a simple operation without inputting a mounting position even when the number of analyzes is small. is there.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The automatic analyzer of the present invention is an automatic analyzer that mixes a reagent and a sample liquid in a disposable cuvette, and analyzes a sample component by measuring a color change thereof,
A sample container containing the sample liquid and a sample tray capable of mounting a plurality of the cuvettes as a set, and a light meter that transmits and measures the color change of the reagent and the sample liquid in the cuvette,
The cuvette mounted on the sample tray is detected by the photometry of the photometric unit, and the sample analysis at the position where the cuvette is mounted is automatically performed.
[0011]
The sample tray includes a rotary table on which the cuvette is mounted concentrically, the photometric unit is installed at a position where the cuvette mounted on the rotary table passes, and the cuvette is detected with the rotation operation of the rotary table. It is preferable to provide them as described above.
[0012]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention as described above, a cuvette mounted on a sample tray is detected by photometry of a photometric unit, and a sample container and a disposable cuvette are used to automatically perform sample analysis at a position where the cuvette is mounted. By automatically setting only the loaded sample by setting the sample tray on the sample tray and performing the measurement start operation, it is not necessary to enter the mounting position, and it can be mounted at any position. Can be simplified.
[0013]
In addition, since the cuvette is detected using a photometric unit for measuring the degree of coloration, the sample mounting position can be recognized without separately installing a sample sensor, and the size can be reduced without complicating the apparatus. The operation can be simplified.
[0014]
In particular, the sample tray is provided with a rotary table on which a cuvette is mounted concentrically, a photometric unit is installed at a position where the cuvette passes, and provided so as to detect the cuvette along with the rotation operation of the rotary table, so that it is compact. This is advantageous in that it can be configured and reduced in size.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic mechanism of an example of an automatic analyzer, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sample tray, FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a sample tray in an analysis state, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cuvette, a sample container and a nozzle chip. FIG. 5 and FIG. 5 are cross-sectional views showing the opened state of the cuvette by the opening mechanism.
[0016]
The automatic analyzer 1 includes a disposable cuvette 11 as a mixing container in which a dry reagent R is sealed as shown in FIG. 4A, a sample container 12 containing a sample liquid as shown in FIG. The disposable nozzle tip 13 attached to the tip of a suction nozzle 41 described later for sucking and discharging the liquid as shown in FIG.
[0017]
The cuvette 11 is formed of a translucent resin into a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape, the lower wall surface is particularly configured as a measuring portion 11a through which the measuring light is transmitted, and the upper outer periphery projects outward and is locked in the mounting hole. In the case of fecal occult blood analysis, a lyophilized reagent R made of a colloidal gold reagent is accommodated therein, and a seal 11c made of a metal foil is welded to the upper end opening to enclose the reagent R. The reagent R is dissolved by injecting a solution during analysis. Further, the sample container 12 has a flange portion 12a which protrudes outward on the upper outer periphery and is locked in the mounting hole, and into which a sample liquid obtained by dissolving and storing a stool sample collected from a sample collection container (not shown) is injected. You. Further, the nozzle tip 13 is formed in a pipette shape, and the tip of a suction nozzle 41 is fitted and mounted on the upper end opening. The liquid is suction-contained inside by introduction of suction pressure, and is discharged to the cuvette 11 by introduction of discharge pressure. I do.
[0018]
The automatic analyzer 1 includes a circular sample tray 3 in which a plurality of (for example, 10) sets of the cuvette 11, the sample container 12, and the nozzle chip 13 can be mounted on the front flat portion of the apparatus main body 2, and a vertically moving and rotating movement. A dispenser 4 having a suction nozzle 41 for performing the measurement, a photometric unit 5 (see FIG. 3) which is installed inside the sample tray 3 and which transmits and measures the change in color of the reagent R and the sample liquid in the cuvette 11 (see FIG. 3). A light-shielding cover 6 for covering the sample tray 3 above the photometric unit 5; an opening mechanism 7 (see FIG. 5) installed on the light-shielding cover 6 for perforating and opening the seal 11c of the cuvette 11; It comprises a disposed chip disposal section 8, a bottle mounting section 9 on which a solution bottle 14 containing a solution of the reagent R is mounted, and the like.
[0019]
The apparatus main body 2 includes an operation unit 21 installed at an upper part, a front cover 22 that covers an analysis mechanism such as a sample tray 3 and a dispenser 4, and a chip disposal box 23 installed at a lower part so as to be able to be pulled out. .
[0020]
The basic operation of fecal occult blood analysis is as follows. First, when a sample container 12 containing a sample liquid, a cuvette 11 and a nozzle chip 13 are assembled and mounted on a sample tray 3, the sample tray 3 is rotated and started. The mounting of the cuvette 11 is detected by the photometric unit 5, and the sample analysis at the mounting position is automatically started. Then, first, after opening the seal 11 c of the cuvette 11, the dissolving solution is dispensed from the dissolving solution bottle 14 by the dispenser 4 to dissolve the reagent R, and thereafter, a predetermined amount of the sample solution is dispensed from the sample container 12. Is dispensed into the cuvette 11 and stirred. Next, each time the light passes through the measurement position, the color change is measured by the light measuring unit 5, and fecal occult blood is obtained from the initial value and the color degree after a predetermined time.
[0021]
Next, the structure of each part will be specifically described. First, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sample tray 3 includes a disk-shaped rotary table 31 that is driven to rotate in the normal rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction, a temperature control block 32 that does not rotate, and a heat shield cover below. 33 is provided.
[0022]
The rotary table 31 has a plurality of circular mounting holes 34 concentrically holding the sample container 12 on the outer peripheral side, a plurality of rectangular mounting holes 35 concentrically holding the cuvette 11 on the inner peripheral side, and a circular mounting hole 34. And ten sets of cylindrical mounting portions 36 for holding the nozzle tips 13 on the outer peripheral side adjacent to the peripheral portion are provided with the circumference equally divided. A support shaft 37 is provided at the center of the lower surface of the turntable 31 and penetrates the center of the temperature control block 32 and is pivotably supported. A gear 38 is fixed to the lower end of the support shaft 37, and is rotated by a drive motor with a timing belt (not shown).
[0023]
The temperature control block 32 is made of a metal such as aluminum and has a large and large heat capacity. A heater 39 is provided at the bottom to adjust the temperature to a predetermined temperature, and the lower portion of the cuvette 11 mounted on the rotary table 31 moves to the upper surface. The cuvette 11 is heated to a predetermined temperature by heating the air in the concave portion 32a. The bottom surface and the outer periphery of the temperature control block 32 are covered with a heat shielding cover 33 made of resin to obtain a heat retaining effect of the temperature control block 32 and to accommodate the sample container 12 and the nozzle chip 13 in an annular space 33 a formed in the outer peripheral portion. The lower part passes along with the rotation of the turntable 31.
[0024]
Further, a photometric section 5 is provided inside the temperature control block 32. The photometric unit 5 is provided between the inner and outer peripheries of the concave portion 32a so as to sandwich the measuring portion 11a of the cuvette 11 moving in the concave portion 32a. And a light-receiving element 52 installed in the device. Photometry of a predetermined wavelength (color) by the light emitting element 51 is applied to the light receiving element 52, and a signal corresponding to the amount of received light is output. In fecal occult blood analysis, photometry is performed at two wavelengths, a main wavelength and a sub-wavelength, and two sets of the light emitting element 51 and the light receiving element 52 are provided. The two sets of LEDs of the light emitting elements 51 have different emission wavelengths, and are installed in accordance with the pitch of the mounting intervals of the cuvettes 11 (opening intervals of the rectangular mounting holes 35) of the rotary table 31, so that two different sets of cuvettes 11 are simultaneously set. Photometry can be performed between the light emitting element 51 and the light receiving element 52, and the degree of coloration is sequentially measured each time.
[0025]
The light-shielding cover 6 that covers the photometric unit 5 and blocks the influence of external light is installed so as to be able to undulate above the sample tray 3 in a range where the photometric unit 5 is installed. The outer peripheral portion is rotatably supported by a horizontal shaft, and a portion covering the center of the sample tray 3 is lifted.
[0026]
The opening mechanism 7 provided on the light-shielding cover 6 includes an opening pin 71 that is vertically movably disposed at the intersection of the rotation path of the cuvette 11 and the rotation path of the suction nozzle 41. Is installed in a pin installation portion 61 arranged in a protruding manner on the light shielding cover 6 as shown in FIG. The opening pin 71 has a shaft portion in the shape of a round bar, while a tip portion 71a is formed in a multifaceted taper shape, for example, a four-sided pyramid shape, and opens the seal 11c of the cuvette 11 by making a hole. The opening pin 71 is urged upward by a spring 72, and the opening operation is performed by pushing down the suction nozzle 41 of the dispenser 4.
[0027]
Further, a cuvette retainer 62 at the time of opening is provided on the lower surface of the light-shielding cover 6 to prevent the opening pin 71 after opening from engaging with the opening hole of the seal 11 c to lift the cuvette 11. A cuvette holder 63 (see FIG. 2) for stirring is provided on the side. The cuvette retainer 62 at the time of unsealing is constituted by the tip of a cylindrical portion through which the unsealing pin 71 is inserted below the pin setting portion 61, and the lower end thereof can contact the upper surface edge of the cuvette 11. Also serves as a guide for the opening pin 71. The cuvette presser 63 during stirring is for preventing the tip of the nozzle tip 13 from being inserted deep into the cuvette 11 from the opening hole and engaging with the opening hole of the seal 11c to prevent the cuvette 11 from being lifted. 6 is formed in a plate shape so as to protrude above the edge of the cuvette 11 below.
[0028]
The dispenser 4 (FIG. 1) is provided with a rod-shaped suction nozzle 41 extending downward at the lower end of the turning arm 42, and performs dispensing of the sample liquid and the dissolving liquid and stirring and mixing of both liquids. The swing arm 42 is supported so as to be able to move up and down along a guide rod (not shown), and a rotary plate holding the guide rod is driven to rotate by a timing belt wound by a drive motor. As a result, the turning arm 42 is driven to rotate, and a feed screw (not shown) provided at the center of rotation is screwed into the turning arm 42, and the rotation of the feed screw causes the turning arm 42 to move up and down. I have.
[0029]
The above-described pipette-shaped nozzle tip 13 is attached to the tip of the suction nozzle 41 by the downward movement of the swivel arm 42, and the sample liquid and the lysing solution are sucked and discharged into the nozzle tip 13. After use, with the upper end of the nozzle tip 13 engaged with the engagement groove of the tip discarding portion 8, the swivel arm 42 is moved upward to disengage and fall into the lower discard box 23. And discard it. The chip disposal section 8 is arranged on the turning locus of the suction nozzle 41.
[0030]
The suction nozzle 41 has an air passage (not shown) opened at the tip, and an air pipe from a syringe pump (not shown) installed in the apparatus main body 2 is connected to the air passage. The syringe pump is an air pump having a syringe-like piston, and a negative pressure or a positive pressure (suction / discharge pressure) generated by driving the syringe is introduced into the suction nozzle 41.
[0031]
The automatic analyzer 1 has a built-in control unit (not shown) linked to the operation unit 21 in the apparatus main body 2. This control unit controls the operation of the sample tray 3 and the dispenser 4, calculates the analysis result based on the photometry of the photometric unit 5, and uses the light emitting element 51 and the light receiving element 52 of the photometric unit 5 at the start of the analysis. The presence or absence of the cuvette 11 is detected by photometry, the mounting position of the cuvette 11 mounted on the turntable 31 of the sample tray 3 in a pair with the sample container 12 is obtained, and the analysis of the sample container 12 at this mounting position is automatically performed. Is set to do.
[0032]
Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. First, before performing the analysis, the sample container 12 containing each sample solution is mounted on the sample tray 3, the cuvette 11 and the nozzle tip 13 are mounted at a position corresponding to the sample container 12, and the lysis solution bottle 14 is further mounted. Set and prepare for measurement.
[0033]
Thereafter, the start button of the operation unit 21 is operated to start the analysis processing. At the initial time, the rotary table 31 of the sample tray 3 is rotated once, the cuvette 11 is detected by the photometric unit 5 as described above, and the sample analysis of the mounted position is started in order. The sample container 12 can be set together with the cuvette 11 at an arbitrary circumferential position on the turntable 31.
[0034]
Next, the rotating table 31 is rotated to stop the cuvette 11 corresponding to the sample container 12 to be analyzed at the opening position, and the opening pin 71 is pushed down by the suction nozzle 41 to open the seal 11c. Next, the rotary table 31 is rotated to move the nozzle chip 13 below the turning position of the suction nozzle 41, and the nozzle chip 13 is mounted on the suction nozzle 41. Subsequently, the cuvette 11 is positioned below the swirling position of the suction nozzle 41, and the suction nozzle 41 is swirled to the position of the solution bottle 14 to suck a predetermined amount of the solution into the nozzle tip 13. After moving upward, the dissolving solution is injected into the cuvette 11 from the opening hole to dissolve the reagent R.
[0035]
Next, the rotating table 31 is rotated to move the sample container 12 below the turning position of the suction nozzle 41 to suck a predetermined amount of the sample liquid into the nozzle chip 13, and then move onto the cuvette 11 to move the sample liquid into the cuvette 11. The sample liquid is dispensed into the cuvette 11, the nozzle chip 13 is further inserted into the cuvette 11, and the liquid in the cuvette 11 is repeatedly sucked and discharged into the nozzle chip 13 to stir and mix the reagent liquid and the sample liquid. . The used nozzle tip 13 is detached from the suction nozzle 41 by the tip discarding unit 8 and dropped downward to be discarded.
[0036]
The cuvette 11 in which the reagent solution and the sample solution are mixed is adjusted to a predetermined temperature by the temperature adjustment block 32, and is sequentially moved to the photometric unit 5 by rotating the rotary table 31, so that the photometric transmission optical density is measured each time. Done. While continuing the above measurement, a series of analysis operations following the opening of the next cuvette 11 are performed simultaneously. The analysis result based on the photometry is output, and the process ends.
[0037]
In the embodiment as described above, on the assumption that the disposable cuvette 11 is mounted on the sample tray 3 at the same time as the sample container 12, the mounting position of the sample container 12 is obtained by detecting the cuvette 11 by the photometric unit 5, and The sample analysis is performed in order. The user only needs to operate the start button of the operation unit 21 after mounting the cuvette 11, the sample container 12, and the nozzle chip 13 in an arbitrary position on the sample tray 3 as a set. Thus, the automatic analysis can be performed by a simple operation that does not require the input of the mounting position, and is suitable for a small analytical instrument with a small number of samples.
[0038]
The reagent to be sealed in the cuvette 11 is preferably a freeze-dried one, a powdery one, a granular one, a dry one such as a tablet, but a liquid reagent can also be sealed. Although the reagent is sealed in the cuvette in advance, an empty cuvette may be mounted and the reagent may be dispensed into the cuvette instead of the dissolving solution. Further, the design can be changed to perform analysis of urine components (eg, urine protein) in addition to fecal occult blood analysis.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an automatic analyzer according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sample tray of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a sample tray in an analysis state. 4 is a perspective view of a cuvette, a sample container, and a nozzle tip. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an opened state of a cuvette by an opening mechanism.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 automatic analyzer 2 apparatus main body 3 sample tray 4 dispenser 5 photometric unit 6 light-shielding cover 7 opening mechanism 8 chip disposal unit 9 bottle mounting unit 11 cuvette R reagent 12 sample container 13 nozzle tip 21 operation unit 31 rotating table 41 suction Nozzle 42 Swivel arm 51 Light emitting element (LED)
52 light receiving element

Claims (2)

An automatic analyzer that mixes a reagent and a sample liquid in a disposable cuvette, and analyzes a sample component by measuring the color change thereof,
A sample container containing the sample liquid and a sample tray capable of mounting a plurality of the cuvettes as a set, and a light meter that transmits and measures the color change of the reagent and the sample liquid in the cuvette,
An automatic analyzer that detects a cuvette mounted on the sample tray by photometry of the photometric unit and automatically performs a sample analysis at a position where the cuvette is mounted. The sample tray includes a rotary table on which the cuvette is mounted concentrically, the photometric unit is installed at a position where the cuvette mounted on the rotary table passes, and the cuvette is detected along with the rotation of the rotary table. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein:

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