JP2004219218A - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the mountability of a calibrator liquid to a sample tray having a specimen mounting section, and to increase operability and space efficiency in the sample tray. <P>SOLUTION: An analyzer has the sample tray 2 for mounting the specimen and a dry type analysis element 12 required for measuring the specimen and spots the specimen to the dry type analysis element 12 for measuring the concentration of a constituent. In the analyzer, containers 55-57 for accommodating the calibrator liquid having known concentration are set to the sample tray 2 by using a calibrator rack 20 for measuring in the same manner and a calibration curve is calibrated based on the measured result. The calibrator rack 20 has a container placement section 20a for mounting a plurality of containers 55-57 that accommodate a calibration liquid. The sample tray 2 has a rack mounting section 32 for exclusively mounting the calibrator rack 20 at a position different from a specimen mounting section 23 and collectively mounts the calibrator rack 20, where the containers 55-57 are set. Preferably, lids 55a-57a are placed corresponding to the containers. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, a specimen such as blood or urine is spotted on a dry analytical element such as a colorimetric type dry analytical element or an electrolyte type, and a component such as a substance concentration or ion activity of a predetermined biochemical substance in the specimen In particular, the present invention relates to a mechanism for mounting a calibrator liquid for performing calibration.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a specific color component of a dry analytical element or sample that can quantitatively analyze a specific chemical component or formed component contained in this sample simply by spotting and supplying a small droplet of the sample An electrolyte type dry analytical element capable of measuring ion activity of ions has been developed and put into practical use. Biochemical analyzers using these dry analytical elements are suitable for use in medical institutions, laboratories and the like because they can easily and quickly analyze samples.
[0003]
In the colorimetric measurement method using a colorimetric type dry analytical element, after a sample is spotted on the dry analytical element, the sample is held at a constant temperature in an incubator for a color reaction (dye generation reaction), and then the sample The dry analytical element is irradiated with measurement irradiation light containing a wavelength selected in advance by a combination of a predetermined biochemical substance and a reagent contained in the dry analytical element, and the optical density is measured. The concentration of the biochemical substance is obtained using a calibration curve representing the correspondence between the optical density obtained in advance and the substance concentration of the predetermined biochemical substance.
[0004]
On the other hand, the potential difference measurement method using an electrolyte type dry analytical element is included in a sample spotted on an electrode pair consisting of two pairs of the same kind of dry ion selective electrodes instead of measuring the above optical density. The activity of specific ions is determined by quantitative analysis with potentiometry using a reference solution.
[0005]
In any of the above methods, a liquid sample is stored in a sample container (such as a blood collection tube) and set in the apparatus, and a dry analytical element necessary for the measurement is mounted on the apparatus, and the dry analytical element is mounted from the mounting position. While being transported to the landing part and the incubator, the specimen is supplied from the mounting position to the spotting part by the spotting nozzle of the spotting apparatus and spotted to the dry analytical element.
[0006]
In addition, the dry analytical element used in the above analysis has a calibrator containing a detection component with a known concentration from the viewpoint of ensuring measurement accuracy, for example, because the characteristics of the contained reagent change minutely if the production lot is different. The liquid is spotted on a dry analytical element and measured, and based on the measurement, the above-described calibration curve is corrected or newly created calibration is performed (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
[0007]
A plurality of types of calibrator liquids required for the calibration are usually used, and a container containing the calibrator liquid is mounted on the sample container mounting portion of the automatic analyzer instead of the sample. Is generally done. In a large analyzer, a part of the sample mounting part is exclusively used for the calibrator mounting part.
[0008]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-19784
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the case where the calibrator liquid is set in the sample mounting portion where the sample is set in the normal general measurement and is measured instead of the general sample as described above, in which position when a plurality of calibrator liquids are set. The calibration operation, such as which level (concentration) of the calibrator liquid to set, becomes complicated, and there is a risk of erroneous operation.
[0010]
In addition, when a part of the specimen mounting part is exclusively used for the calibrator solution, calibration is not an operation that is frequently performed. Therefore, the number of specimens that can be mounted is reduced, the measurement efficiency is lowered, and the apparatus is downsized. It becomes an obstacle.
[0011]
In view of this point, the present invention has an object to provide an automatic analyzer that improves the mountability of a calibrator liquid on a sample tray, improves operability, and increases the space efficiency of the sample tray. is there.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The automatic analyzer of the present invention includes a sample tray on which a specimen and a dry analytical element necessary for the measurement are mounted, and the specimen loaded on the sample tray is spotted on the dry analytical element to measure the component concentration, and the known concentration In the automatic analyzer that calibrates the calibration curve based on the measurement result, the container containing the calibrator liquid is set in the sample tray and measured in the same manner.
It comprises a calibrator rack for mounting a plurality of containers containing the calibrator liquid, and the sample tray is provided with a rack mounting portion for mounting the calibrator rack exclusively at a position different from the sample mounting portion. Is.
[0013]
The calibrator rack preferably has a mounting portion for a lid removed from a plurality of containers containing calibrator liquids.
[0014]
Preferably, the rack mounting portion of the sample tray has an engaging portion by a protrusion or a groove, and the calibrator rack has an engaged portion by a groove or a protrusion that engages with the engaging portion, and is positioned.
[0015]
It is preferable to perform measurement by setting a plurality of dry analysis elements necessary for calibration in one element mounting part in the vicinity of the rack mounting part.
[0016]
The container mounting portion of the calibrator rack is preferably arranged in an arc shape at an equal distance from the rotation center of the sample tray in a state where the rack is set on the sample tray.
[0017]
The rack mounting portion of the sample tray is preferably disposed on the inner peripheral side of the sample mounting portion.
[0018]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention as described above, when calibration is performed, a plurality of containers containing calibrator liquids are mounted on the calibrator rack, and the calibrator rack is dedicated to a position different from the sample mounting portion of the sample tray. By mounting it on the rack mounting part installed in, it is possible to clarify the setting position of multiple levels of containers, and it is possible to set it on the apparatus in a lump, improving the mountability of calibrator liquid on the sample tray In addition, operability can be improved.
[0019]
In addition, by mounting the calibrator solution separately from the sample mounting unit that sets the sample for normal general measurement, it does not occupy space during normal measurement, ensuring space efficiency and ensuring the number of samples that can be mounted. Measurement efficiency is improved and the apparatus can be miniaturized.
[0020]
If the calibrator rack has a mounting part for the lid removed from the container, the container and its lid can be placed in correspondence with each other, and it is possible to prevent the lid from being misplaced and attached. Can prevent contamination and maintain calibration accuracy.
[0021]
The rack mounting part of the sample tray has an engaging part by a protrusion or groove and is positioned by being engaged with the engaged part by the groove or protrusion of the calibrator rack. Suction operation can be performed without any problem, and it is excellent in mountability.
[0022]
If a plurality of dry analytical elements required for calibration are set in one element mounting part in the vicinity of the rack mounting part, even if there are a plurality of calibrator solutions, there is only one type of dry analytical element for measurement. Therefore, the mounting property is excellent and the operability can be simplified.
[0023]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, it is an example of the automatic analyzer by a biochemical analyzer, FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a schematic mechanism of the biochemical analyzer of one embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional front view of the transport path portion of the dry analytical element. 4 is a perspective view of a main part showing a sample tray in a state where the calibrator rack is not mounted, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a calibrator rack in which a container containing calibrator liquid is set, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an empty calibrator rack, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part in a state where a calibrator rack is mounted on the sample tray of FIG. 4.
[0024]
The overall configuration of the biochemical analyzer 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The biochemical analyzer 1 includes a sample tray 2, 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 discarding unit 9, and an element. The disposal mechanism 10 is provided.
[0025]
The sample tray 2 has a circular shape, a sample container 11 containing a sample, an element cartridge 13 containing unused dry analysis elements 12 (colorimetric type dry analysis elements and electrolyte type dry analysis elements), and consumables (nozzle tips). 14. Mount the diluent container 15, the mixing cup 16 and the reference liquid container 17). The sample container 11 is mounted via a sample adapter 18, and a large number of nozzle chips 14 are stored and mounted in a chip rack 19.
[0026]
The spotting unit 3 is disposed on an extension of the center line of the sample tray 2 and is used to spot a sample such as plasma, whole blood, serum, urine, etc. on the transported dry analysis element 12. 6, the sample is applied to the colorimetric dry analysis element 12 and the sample and the reference liquid are applied to the electrolyte type dry analysis element 12. Subsequent to the spotting part 3, a tip discarding part 9 in which the nozzle tip 14 is discarded is arranged.
[0027]
The first incubator 4 has a circular shape and is disposed at an extended position of the chip discarding unit 9. The first incubator 4 accommodates a colorimetric type dry analytical element 12 and keeps the temperature constant for a predetermined time to perform colorimetric measurement. The second incubator 5 (see FIG. 2) is disposed at an adjacent position on the side of the spotting portion 3, accommodates the electrolyte-type dry analysis element 12, maintains a constant temperature for a predetermined time, and performs a potential difference measurement.
[0028]
The element transport mechanism 7 (see FIG. 3), which is not shown in detail, is disposed inside the sample tray 2 and connects the center of the sample tray 2 and the center of the first incubator 4 to the spotted portion. 3 and the chip discarding section 9 along the linear element transport path R (FIG. 2), the dry analytical element 12 is taken out from the element cartridge 13 of the sample tray 2 to the spotting section 3 and further to the first incubator 4. An element conveying member 71 (conveying bar) is provided. The element conveying member 71 is slidably supported by a guide rod 38, and is reciprocated by a drive mechanism (not shown). The tip end portion is inserted into the guide hole 34a of the vertical plate 34, and slides in the guide hole 34a.
[0029]
The transfer mechanism 8 is also installed as the spotting unit 3, and transfers the electrolyte type dry analytical element 12 from the spotting unit 3 to the second incubator 5 in a direction orthogonal to the element transport path R.
[0030]
The spotting device 6 is disposed in the upper part, and a spotting nozzle 45 that moves up and down moves on the same straight line as the above-described element transport path R, spotting the specimen and the reference liquid, and diluting and mixing the specimen with the diluent. . The spotting nozzle 45 has a nozzle tip 14 attached to the tip, and sucks and discharges a sample, a reference liquid, and the like in the nozzle tip 14, and is provided with a syringe means (not shown) for performing the suction and discharge. The nozzle tip 14 is removed by the tip discarding unit 9 and discarded.
[0031]
The element discarding mechanism 10 (see FIG. 2) is attached to the first incubator 4 and pushes the colorimetric dry analytical element 12 after measurement to the center of the first incubator 4 to drop and discard. The element transport mechanism 7 can also be discarded. Further, the electrolyte type dry analytical element 12 after being measured by the second incubator 5 is discarded into the disposal hole 69 by the transfer mechanism 8.
[0032]
In addition, a blood filtration unit (not shown) that separates plasma from blood is installed in the vicinity of the sample tray 2.
[0033]
The mechanism 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 direction and the reverse direction, and a disk-shaped non-rotating part 22 at the center.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating disk 21 is adjacent to five sample mounting portions 23 of A to E for holding a sample container 11 such as a blood collection tube containing each sample via a sample adapter 18. The five element mounting portions 24 for holding the element cartridges 13 accommodated in a state in which unused dry analysis elements 12 that normally require a plurality of types corresponding to the measurement items of each specimen are stacked, and a number of nozzles Two chip mounting portions 25 that hold a chip rack 19 that stores the chips 14 side by side in a holding hole, a diluent mounting portion 26 that holds three diluent containers 15 that store a diluent, a diluent and a sample And a cup mounting portion 27 for holding a mixing cup 16 (a molded product in which a large number of cup-shaped recesses are arranged) are arranged in an arc shape.
[0035]
Further, a rack mounting portion 32 for mounting a calibrator rack 20 described later is provided on the inner peripheral portion of the rotating disk 21.
[0036]
Further, the non-rotating part 22 includes a cylindrical reference liquid mounting part 28 for holding the reference liquid container 17 containing the reference liquid in the movement range of the spotting nozzle 45 on the extension line of the element transport path R. The reference liquid mounting unit 28 is provided with an evaporation prevention lid 35 (FIG. 1) that opens and closes the opening of the reference liquid container 17.
[0037]
The evaporation preventing lid 35 is held by a support member 37 pivotally supported by the non-rotating portion 22 at the lower end, and is urged in the closing direction. The upper end locking portion 37a of the support 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 supporting member 37 is swung in the opening direction by the moving frame 42 that has moved close when the reference liquid is sucked. As a result, the evaporation prevention lid 35 opens the reference liquid container 17 so that the reference liquid can be sucked by the spotting nozzle 45. 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 concentration.
[0038]
The rotating disk 21 has an outer peripheral portion supported by a support roller 31 and a central portion rotatably held on a support shaft (not shown). Further, a timing belt (not shown) is wound around the outer periphery of the rotary disk 21 and is driven to rotate in the forward direction or the reverse direction by a drive motor. The non-rotating part 22 is non-rotatably attached to the support shaft.
[0039]
As shown in FIG. 4, the element cartridge 13 is normally inserted with a plurality of unused dry analysis elements 12 in a mixed state from above, with the upper part of a rectangular cylindrical box open. An element outlet 13a is opened at the front of the lower end.
[0040]
When the element cartridge 13 is loaded in the element mounting portion 24, the lower end portion is held on the bottom wall 24a of the element mounting portion 24 as shown in FIG. The dry analytical element 12 at the lowermost end is positioned at the bottom. The element outlet 13a through which only one dry analytical element 12 can pass is opened at the front side of the lowermost end of the element cartridge 13, and the opening 13b through which the element carrying member 71 can be inserted is formed at the rear side. ing. A window portion is formed on the bottom surface so that a barcode attached to the lower surface of the dry analytical element 12, a lot number such as a dot, etc. can be read from below the element cartridge 13.
[0041]
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 of sample (processing information) and the type (size) of the sample container 11 is set. The identification sensor 30 (FIG. 2) provided for the identification reads the identification, and the presence / absence of dilution of the specimen, the presence / absence of plasma filtration, and the like are determined, and the amount of liquid level fluctuation accompanying the size of the specimen container 11 is calculated. Processing control is performed accordingly. For the sample container 11 that requires plasma filtration, the sample container 11 is inserted into the adapter 18, and a holder (not shown) including a filtration filter is mounted via the spacer 53.
[0042]
The spotting unit 3 and the transfer mechanism 8 include a support 61 that is long between the sample tray 2 and the first incubator 4 in a direction perpendicular to the element transport path R, and a sliding frame 62 that is movable on the support base 61. is set up. A first element presser 63 and a second element presser 64 in which a spot wearing opening 63a (FIG. 3) is formed are attached to the sliding frame 62 so as to be movable integrally with each other. The first element holder 63 (the same applies to the second element holder 64) has a recess 63b on the bottom surface facing the support base 61 through which the dry analysis element 12 passes along the element movement path R. The sliding frame 62 is guided at one end by the guide bar 65, the pin 66 is engaged with the long groove 62a at the other end, and the drive gear 67 of the drive motor 68 is engaged with the rack gear 62b. Is done. The support base 61 is provided with a second incubator 5 and a disposal hole 69.
[0043]
As shown in FIG. 2, when the first element presser 63 is positioned at the spotting portion 3, the colorimetric dry analytical element 12 after spotting is moved by the element transporting member 71 of the element transporting mechanism 7. Extruded and transferred to the first incubator 4. On the other hand, when spotting is performed on the electrolyte type dry analytical element 12, the sliding frame 62 is moved, and the dry analytical element 12 after spotting is held on the support base 61 while being held by the first element presser 63. It is transferred to the second incubator 5 so as to slide, and a potential difference measurement is performed. At that time, the second element presser 64 moves to the spotting unit 3 (spotting position), and then the specimen is spotted on the colorimetric dry analytical element 12 and then transported to the first incubator 4. Can be transported. When the measurement in the second incubator 5 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 to be dropped and discarded.
[0044]
When the colorimetric type dry analytical element 12 is transported, the second element presser 64 is moved to the spotting section 3 and only when the electrolyte type dry analytical element 12 is transported. You may make it move 63 to the spotting part 3. FIG.
[0045]
The spotting device 6 (FIG. 1) includes a moving frame 42 held on a horizontal guide rail 41 of a fixed frame 40 so as to be movable in the lateral direction, and two spotting nozzles that can be moved up and down on the moving frame 42. 45 is installed. 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 the lower portion of the nozzle fixing base 44, and a shaft-like member extending upward is inserted into the drive transmission member 47. A fitting force of the nozzle tip 14 is obtained by a compression spring interposed between the nozzle fixing base 44 and the drive transmission member 47. The nozzle fixing base 44 can move up and down integrally with the drive transmission member 47, and is driven relative to the nozzle fixing base 44 by compression of a compression spring when the nozzle tip 14 is fitted to the tip of the spotting nozzle 45. The transmission member 47 can move downward. The drive transmission member 47 is fixed to a belt 50 stretched between upper and lower pulleys 49 and moves up and down in accordance with the travel of the belt 50 by a motor (not shown). A balance weight 51 is attached to the outer portion of the belt 50 to prevent the spotting nozzle 45 from moving down when not driven.
[0046]
The moving frame 42 is driven in the horizontal direction by a belt drive mechanism (not shown), and the horizontal movement and the vertical movement are controlled so that the two nozzle fixing bases 44 independently move up and down. Moves side by side and moves up and down independently. For example, one spotting nozzle 45 is for a specimen, and the other spotting nozzle 45 is for a diluting liquid and a reference liquid.
[0047]
Both the spotting nozzles 45 are formed in a rod shape, an air passage extending in the axial direction is provided inside, and a pipette nozzle tip 14 is fitted in a sealed state at the lower end. The spotting nozzle 45 is connected to an air tube connected to a syringe pump (not shown), and supplied with suction / discharge pressure. Further, the liquid level of the specimen or the like can be detected based on the change in the suction pressure.
[0048]
The chip discarding unit 9 is provided so as to intersect the transport path R in the vertical direction, and includes an upper member 81 and a lower member 82. The support base 61 in the chip discarding unit 9 is formed with a drop port 83 that is opened in an elliptical shape. The upper member 81 is fixed to the upper surface of the support base 61, an engagement notch 84 is provided immediately above the drop port 83, and the lower member 82 is cylindrical so as to surround the lower surface of the drop port 83 on the lower surface of the support base 61. The nozzle tip 14 is formed to guide the falling nozzle tip 14.
[0049]
Then, the spotting nozzle 45 to which the nozzle tip 14 is mounted is moved down in the upper member 81 and then moved in the lateral direction, and the upper end of the nozzle tip 14 is engaged with the engagement notch 84. The nozzle tip 14 is extracted by moving the landing nozzle 45 upward, and the detached nozzle tip 14 is dropped and discarded through the drop port 83.
[0050]
Next, the first incubator 4 that performs colorimetric measurement includes an annular rotating member 87 on the outer peripheral portion, and the rotating member 87 is supported by a lower bearing 89 by an inclined rotating cylinder 88 fixed to the inner peripheral lower portion. It is free to rotate. An upper member 90 is disposed on an upper portion of the rotating member 87 so as to be integrally rotatable. The upper surface of the upper member 90 is flat, and a plurality of recesses (13 in the case of FIG. 1) are formed on the upper surface of the rotating member 87 at predetermined intervals on the circumference. An element chamber 91 is formed, and the height of the bottom surface of the element chamber 91 is the same as the height of the transport surface. Further, the inner hole of the inclined rotating 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.
[0051]
The upper member 90 is provided with a heating means (not shown), and the temperature of the dry analysis element 12 in the element chamber 91 is kept constant at a predetermined temperature. In addition, the upper member 90 is provided with a pressing member 93 corresponding to the element chamber 91 to press the mount of the dry analysis element 12 from above to prevent evaporation of the specimen. A heat retaining cover 94 is disposed on the upper surface of the upper member 90, while the first incubator 4 is entirely covered with a light shielding cover 95. Further, an opening 91a for photometry is formed at the center of the bottom surface of each element chamber 91 of the rotating member 87, and the reflection optical density of the dry analysis element 12 by the photometry head 96 disposed at the position shown in FIG. Is measured. The first incubator 4 is rotationally driven by a belt mechanism (not shown) and driven to reciprocate.
[0052]
The disposal mechanism 10 includes a disposal bar 101 that moves forward and backward in the element chamber 91 in the center direction from the outer peripheral side. The disposal bar 101 is fixed to a belt 102 whose rear end travels in a horizontal direction, and the measured dry analytical element 12 is pushed out from the element chamber 91 in accordance with the traveling of the belt 102 driven by the drive motor 103 and discarded. To do. A recovery box for recovering the dry analytical element 12 after measurement is disposed below the disposal hole 92.
[0053]
Further, in the second incubator 5 for measuring the ion activity, the first element press 63 of the sliding frame 62 serves as an upper member, and one element chamber is provided between the upper surface of the measurement main body 97 by the concave portion at the bottom. Is formed. The second incubator 5 is provided with a heating means (not shown), and the temperature measurement of the portion of the dry analytical element 12 where the ion activity is measured is heated to a predetermined temperature. Further, three pairs of potential measuring probes 98 for measuring the ion activity are provided on the side of the measurement main body 97 so as to come into contact with the ion selective electrode of the dry analytical element 12.
[0054]
A plasma filtration unit (not shown) is inserted through a holder (not shown) having a filter made of glass fiber inserted into the sample container 11 (collecting blood vessel) held in the sample tray 2 and attached to the upper end opening. Plasma is separated and sucked from the blood, and the filtered plasma is held in the cup at the upper end of the holder.
[0055]
Next, the mounting mechanism of the calibrator liquid used when calibrating the sample tray 2 of the biochemical analyzer 1 as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, three types of calibrator liquids having different concentrations (levels) are used, and these calibrator liquids are respectively stored in containers 55 to 57 and mounted on the sample tray 2 by the calibrator rack 20 (FIG. 7). reference). The openings of the containers 55 to 57 are sealed with lids 55a to 57a when not in use.
[0056]
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the calibrator rack 20 has a plurality of (three) concave container placement portions 20a on which the containers 55 to 57 are placed in an arc shape and is outside the containers 55 to 57. The plurality of (three) concave lid placement portions 20b on which the lids 55a to 57a are placed are provided in an arc shape corresponding to the inner circumference side of the container placement portion 20a on a one-to-one basis.
[0057]
Further, a plurality of containers 55 to 57 containing calibrator liquids having different concentrations are displayed with a level display corresponding to the calibrator concentration (level), and a plurality of container placement units of the calibrator rack 20 are correspondingly displayed. A display 20c corresponding to the above level display is given to 20a, and containers 55 to 57 of a predetermined level are set on a predetermined container mounting portion 20a.
[0058]
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the calibrator rack 20 is dedicatedly mounted on the inner peripheral portion of the rotating disk 21 of the sample tray 2 adjacent to the specimen mounting portion 23 and the element mounting portion 24 at position A in FIG. A rack mounting portion 32 is installed. The rack mounting portion 32 has an engaging portion 32a formed by a rib-like protrusion, and a bottom portion of the calibrator rack 20 has an engaged portion (not shown) formed by a groove that engages with the engaging portion 32a. The calibrator rack 20 is positioned on the sample tray 2 by the engagement between the two.
[0059]
Conversely, the rack mounting portion 32 of the sample tray 2 may be provided with an engaging portion by a groove, and the calibrator rack 20 may be provided with an engaged portion by a protrusion. In addition, the design of these shapes can be changed as appropriate, such as pin-shaped protrusions.
[0060]
As shown in FIG. 7, in a state where the calibrator rack 20 is mounted on the rack mounting portion 32, the container mounting portion 20 a of the calibrator rack 20 is arranged in an arc shape at an equal distance from the rotation center of the sample tray 2. Is set to be. That is, as the rotary disk 21 rotates, the plurality of containers 55 to 57 are always stopped at a fixed position in the element transport path R, and the calibrator liquid is sequentially supplied from the containers 55 to 57 by the spotting nozzle 45. Sucked.
[0061]
In addition, the dry analytical element 12 necessary for calibration is set in the element mounting portion 24 at one location (A position in the figure) in the vicinity of the rack mounting portion 32 with the element cartridge 13 containing the required number of sheets.
[0062]
In the calibration operation, the three types of containers 55 to 57 containing the calibrator liquid and the calibrator rack 20 in which the lids 55a to 57a are set as described above are collectively mounted on the rack mounting portion 32 of the sample tray 2. At the same time, after mounting the element cartridge 13 containing the dry analytical element 12, calibration is automatically started by operating a calibration key on an operation panel (not shown). At that time, the level value of the calibrator liquid to be measured, the number of levels (number), and the N number to be measured at one level are registered in advance.
[0063]
First, the dry analytical element 12 is transported to the spotting unit 3, and then the nozzle tip 14 is attached to the spotting nozzle 45, and then moved onto the container 55 of the calibrator rack 20 to suck the calibrator liquid. The sample is spotted on the dry analytical element 12 of the landing part 3 and measured in the same manner as in normal sample measurement. Subsequently, the next dry analytical element 12 is transported to the spotting unit 3, the sample tray 2 is rotated to move the next container 56 to the suction position, and the calibrator liquid is spotted in the same manner for measurement. This is also performed for the third container 57, and calibration for correcting or creating a calibration curve is automatically performed based on the measurement results of these calibrator liquids having known concentrations.
[0064]
When calibration is completed, the calibrator rack 20 is removed from the sample tray 2 and the containers 55 to 57 are removed.
Are closed with the corresponding lids 55a to 57a and stored until the next calibration.
[0065]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where three types of calibrator liquids are used has been described, but the quantity varies depending on the calibration method. The mounting position of the calibrator rack 20 is not particularly limited as long as it is other than the sample mounting portion 23 of the sample tray 2. However, when the movement of the sample tray 2 and the spotting nozzle 45 in the calibration measurement operation is taken into consideration, the illustrated inner peripheral portion is Is preferred. Further, the design of the calibrator rack 20 can be changed as appropriate. However, in the circular sample tray 2, an arc shape is suitable in terms of space.
[Brief description of the 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 the main part mechanism of FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional front view of a transport path portion of the dry analytical element of FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part showing a sample tray in a state where a calibrator rack is not mounted.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a calibrator rack in which a container containing calibrator liquid is set.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an empty calibrator rack.
7 is a perspective view of a main part in a state where a calibrator rack is mounted on the sample tray of FIG. 4;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Biochemical analyzer
2 Sample tray
3 point landing
7 Element transport mechanism
11 Sample container
12 Dry analytical element
13 element cartridge
20 Calibrator rack
20a Container placement part
20b Lid placement part
20c display
21 Rotating disc
23 Sample mounting section
24 element mounting part
32 Rack mounting part
32a engaging part
55-57 containers
55a-57a lid

Claims (6)

A sample tray equipped with a specimen and a dry analytical element necessary for the measurement is provided. The specimen loaded in the sample tray is spotted on the dry analytical element to measure the component concentration, and a container containing a calibrator solution of a known concentration is provided. In the automatic analyzer for setting the sample tray and measuring in the same manner, and calibrating the calibration curve based on the measurement result,
A calibrator rack for mounting a plurality of containers containing the calibrator liquid is provided, and the sample tray is provided with a rack mounting portion for mounting the calibrator rack exclusively at a position different from the sample mounting portion. Automatic analyzer. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the calibrator rack includes a mounting portion for a lid removed from the container. The rack mounting portion of the sample tray has an engaging portion by a protrusion or a groove, and the calibrator rack has an engaged portion by a groove or a protrusion that engages with the engaging portion, and is positioned. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 or 2. The automatic analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of the dry analytical elements necessary for calibration are set in one element mounting portion in the vicinity of the rack mounting portion. . 5. The container mounting portion of the calibrator rack is arranged in an arc shape at an equal distance from the rotation center of the sample tray in a state where the rack is set on the sample tray. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1. The automatic analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the rack mounting portion of the sample tray is disposed on an inner peripheral side of the sample mounting portion.

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