JP2008020360A - Autoanalyzer and reagent container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an autoanalyzer capable of eliminating the takeout work of a reagent container from a reagent storage part due to manual work to reduce the load of an operator, and the reagent container suitable for use in the autoanalyzer. <P>SOLUTION: The autoanalyzer 1 for reacting a specimen with the reagent dispensed from the reagent container 13 and measuring the characteristics of the reaction liquid to analyze the specimen and the reagent container 13 are disclosed. The autoanalyzer is provided with a feed device 20 equipped with a grasping feed part A having a grasping device for grasping the reagent container and a lift member 26 for supporting the grasping device so as to freely move the same in a predetermined direction, a transfer part B having a container support stand 42 and a guide 41 for guiding the transfer the container support stand between the vicinity of a reagent housing 12 and discarding position and a feed control part 15 for controlling the operations of both of the grasping feed part and the transfer part. The feed device grasps the reagent container from the reagent housing 12 to feed the same to the container support stand, which is transferred to the vicinity of the reagent housing, by the grasping feed part A and transfers the container support stand to the discarding position by the transfer part B. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer and a reagent container.

  Conventionally, automatic analyzers analyze a sample by reacting a sample such as blood or urine with a reagent and measuring the optical characteristics of the reaction solution. The reagent is stored in a reagent container and stored in a reagent cooler. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-201771 A

  By the way, in the conventional automatic analyzer, when the reagent in the reagent container is exhausted or the expiration date has passed, the operator manually confirms the lot number, expiration date, drug name, etc. of the new reagent container. Thus, the reagent container is taken out from the reagent storage unit such as a reagent cold storage and discarded, and a new reagent container is stored in the reagent storage unit. For this reason, the operator has to perform the troublesome work of taking out and storing the reagent container in addition to the analysis work.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an automatic analyzer capable of reducing the burden on the operator by eliminating the manual operation of removing the reagent container from the reagent storage unit, and the automatic analyzer An object of the present invention is to provide a reagent container suitable for use in the above.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the automatic analyzer according to claim 1 analyzes the sample by reacting the sample with the reagent dispensed from the reagent container and measuring the characteristics of the reaction solution. An automatic analyzer that includes a gripping device that grips the reagent container, a gripping and conveying unit that includes a vertically movable lifting member that supports the gripping device so as to be movable in a predetermined direction, and supports a plurality of reagent containers. A transfer unit having a container support member to be operated, a guide for guiding transfer of the container support member between the vicinity of the reagent storage and the disposal position, a conveyance control unit for controlling the operation of the gripping transfer unit and the transfer unit, The transport device is provided with the transport device, and the transport device grips the reagent container from the reagent storage by the grip transport unit, transports the reagent container to the vicinity of the reagent storage, and transports the reagent container. There characterized by transferring the transport containers the support member to the waste position by the transfer unit.

  In the automatic analyzer according to claim 2, in the above invention, the gripping device grips a reagent dispensing port provided at the same position with respect to a reference position, and the plurality of reagents having different contents It is characterized by holding the containers individually.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the reagent container according to claim 3 is a reagent container having different internal volumes used in the automatic analyzer, and the reagent dispensing port is a reference. It is provided in the same position with respect to a position.

  In the automatic analyzer of the present invention, the transport device takes out the reagent container from the reagent storage and transfers it to the disposal position. In the reagent container of the present invention, the dispensing port of the reagent held by the transport device is the same as the reference position. Since it is provided at the position, the removal operation of the reagent container from the reagent storage can be performed by the transport device, and the burden on the operator can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the automatic analyzer and the reagent container of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an automatic analyzer of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a reagent cool box and a transport device used in the automatic analyzer of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the reagent container of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic analyzer 1 includes a sample table 3, a sample dispensing mechanism 5, a reaction wheel 6, a photometric device 8, a washing device 9, a stirring device 10, a reagent dispensing mechanism 11, and a work table 2. A reagent cold box 12 is provided and includes a transfer device 20 disposed adjacent to the reagent cold box 12.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sample table 3 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow by the driving means, and a plurality of storage chambers 3 a are provided on the outer periphery at regular intervals along the circumferential direction. In each storage chamber 3a, a sample container 4 storing a sample is detachably stored.

  The sample dispensing mechanism 5 is a means for dispensing a sample into a plurality of reaction containers 7 held by a reaction wheel 6, and sequentially reacts samples from a plurality of sample containers 4 in a sample table 3 as shown in FIG. Dispense into container 7.

  The reaction wheel 6 is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 1 by driving means different from the sample table 3, and a plurality of concave portions 6a are provided at equal intervals along the circumferential direction on the outer periphery. The reaction wheel 6 is formed with openings through which the measurement light passes on both radial sides of the recesses 6a. The reaction wheel 6 rotates clockwise (1 turn-1 reaction vessel) / 4 minutes in one cycle and rotates counterclockwise by one of the recesses 6a in four cycles.

  The reaction container 7 is a transparent material that transmits 80% or more of the light contained in the analysis light (340 to 800 nm) emitted from the light source of the photometric device 8, for example, glass containing heat-resistant glass, cyclic olefin, polystyrene, or the like. This is a very small cuvette having a capacity of several nL to several tens of μL formed into a square cylinder shape with resin.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the photometric device 8 is arranged on the outer periphery of the reaction wheel 6, and a light source that emits analysis light (340 to 800 nm) for analyzing the liquid held in the reaction vessel 7, and an analysis that transmits the liquid And a light receiver that splits and receives light. In the photometric device 8, the light source and the light receiver are disposed at positions facing each other in the radial direction with the recess 6 a of the reaction wheel 6 interposed therebetween.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning device 9 is disposed on the outer periphery of the reaction wheel 6, and includes a discharging unit that discharges the liquid and the cleaning liquid from the reaction vessel 7, and a cleaning liquid dispensing unit. The cleaning device 9 dispenses the cleaning liquid after discharging the liquid after photometry from the reaction container 7 after photometry. The cleaning device 9 cleans the inside of the reaction vessel 7 by repeating the operation of dispensing and discharging the cleaning liquid a plurality of times. The reaction container 7 washed in this way is used again for analysis of a new specimen.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the stirrer 10 is disposed on the outer periphery of the reaction wheel 6 and, for example, a stirring spatula is immersed in a mixed solution of a reagent and a specimen and stirred, or by a sound wave (surface acoustic wave). 7. Mix the reagent dispensed in 7 and the sample in a non-contact manner.

  The reagent dispensing mechanism 11 is a means for dispensing a reagent to a plurality of reaction containers 7 held on the reaction wheel 6, and as shown in FIG. 1, from a predetermined reagent container 13 stored in a reagent cool box 12. Reagents are sequentially dispensed into the reaction vessel 7.

  The reagent cooler 12 is a reagent storage that is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 by a driving means different from the sample table 3 and the reaction wheel 6, and deteriorates the reagent stored in the reagent container 13 by the introduced cool air. In order to suppress denaturation, it is kept at a predetermined temperature. In the reagent cooler 12, a plurality of storage sections 12a are formed along the circumferential direction in a sector shape by a detachable partition plate, and a plurality of reagent containers 13 having different contents are stored in each storage section 12a. As shown in FIG. 2, the reagent cooler 12 usually has a lid 12b attached to the upper portion, and a shutter 12d that opens and closes the opening 12c by sliding the lid 12b in the direction of the arrow along the lid surface direction by an actuator. It is attached. The shutter 12d is opened when the reagent container 13 is exchanged in addition to analyzing the specimen. Each of the plurality of reagent containers 13 is filled with a predetermined reagent corresponding to the inspection item, and an information record in which information such as the type, lot and expiration date of the reagent stored, and the set position in the reagent cooler 12 is recorded on the outer surface. A medium is provided.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of reagent containers 13 are provided with a cylindrical dispensing port 13a for dispensing the reagent at the top, and the dispensing port 13a is sealed with a sealing member 13b such as aluminum foil. ing. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, there are a plurality of types of reagent containers 13 such as a reagent container 13A having an internal volume of 120 mL, a reagent container 13B having an internal volume of 60 mL, and a reagent container 13C having an internal volume of 30 mL. Some are in quantity. For this reason, the reagent cool box 12 removes the partition plate when storing the large reagent container 13 to secure a large storage space.

  In the reagent containers 13A to 13C, the dispensing port 13a is provided at the same position with the outer wall 13c corresponding to the end surface on the dispensing port 13a side among the four outer walls as a reference position. In this case, it is more preferable that the reagent containers 13A to 13C have the same size of the dispensing port 13a because the gripping operation by the gripping device 30 can be uniformly unified. In addition, the reagent container 13A is provided with a knob 13d in addition to the dispensing port 13a. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, information such as the type, lot, and expiration date of the reagent recorded on the information recording medium provided in the reagent container 13 is read on the outer periphery of the reagent cooler 12, and the control unit 15. Is provided.

  The control unit 15 includes a sample table 3, a sample dispensing mechanism 5, a reaction wheel 6, a photometric device 8, a washing device 9, a stirring device 10, a reagent dispensing mechanism 11, a reagent cold storage 12, a reading device 14, an analysis unit 16, For example, a microcomputer or the like that is connected to the input unit 17, the display unit 18, the transfer device 20, and the like and has a storage function for storing analysis results is used. The control unit 15 controls the operation of each unit of the automatic analyzer 1, and stops the analysis work when the reagent lot or expiration date is out of the installation range based on the information read from the information recording medium. The automatic analyzer 1 is controlled or a warning is issued to the operator. Here, the control unit 15 also has a function as a conveyance control unit that controls the operation of the conveyance device 20.

  The analysis unit 16 is connected to the photometry device 8 via the control unit 15, analyzes the component concentration of the sample from the absorbance of the liquid in the reaction container 7 based on the amount of light received by the light receiver, and analyzes the analysis result to the control unit 15. Output to. The input unit 17 is a part that performs an operation of inputting an inspection item or the like to the control unit 15, and for example, a keyboard or a mouse is used. The display unit 18 displays analysis contents, alarms, and the like, and a display panel or the like is used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transport device 20 includes a grip transport unit A and a transfer unit B, and the operation is controlled by a control unit 15 serving as a transfer control unit.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the gripping conveyance unit A includes a support member 21, a lifting member 26 that moves up and down along the support member 21, and a gripping device 30 that grips the reagent container 13.

  The support member 21 is a member that holds the elevating member 26 horizontally and supports the elevating member 26 so as to be movable up and down. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the support member 21 is provided with a linear guide 22. The linear guide 22 includes a rail 22a attached to the support member 21 in the vertical direction, and a slider 22b attached near the support member 21 on the lower surface of the elevating member 26 and sliding along the rail 22a.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the support member 21 has a support base 21b attached to the upper side portion of the main body 21a. A pulse motor is attached to the lower surface of the support base 21b, and a pulley 23 attached to the drive shaft of the pulse motor is arranged on the upper surface. Here, the slider 22 b is engaged with the screw shaft 24, and the timing belt 25 is wound between the pulley 24 a attached to the upper portion and the pulley 23. The screw shaft 24 forms a ball screw together with the slider 22b. Accordingly, the elevating member 26 moves up or down as the slider 22b moves up and down by the rotation of the screw shaft 24 transmitted through the timing belt 25 when the motor operates.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the elevating member 26 has a pulse motor 27 attached to the lower surface in the vicinity of the support member 21, a pulley 27a attached to the drive shaft of the pulse motor 27, and a pulley 26a provided on the other end side. The timing belt 28 is wound between the two. As for the raising / lowering member 26, the rail 26b is provided in the upper surface along the longitudinal direction. The elevating member 26 has a timing belt 28 coupled to a slider slidably engaged with a rail 26b, and an upper portion of a bracket 32 of a gripping device 30 coupled to the slider. Therefore, when the rotation of the pulse motor 27 is transmitted to the timing belt 28 via the pulleys 26a and 27a, the gripping and conveying unit A slides along the rail 26b and the gripping device 30 is shown in FIG. It is moved in the direction of arrow X.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the elevating member 26 is provided with position detection sensors S1, S2 on the upper surface. The position detection sensors S1, S2 detect the detection piece Cp attached to the slider and regulate the movement stroke of the gripping device 30 along the arrow X direction. At this time, when the slider is at the position of the position detection sensor S1, the position detection sensors S1 and S2 are the dispensing ports 13a of the reagent containers 13 that are held in the reagent cooler 12 by the gripping blocks 33c and 34c (see FIG. 7). When the slider is at the position of the position detection sensor S2, the gripping blocks 33c and 34c are aligned with the position of the container support 42 moved to the vicinity of the reagent cooler 12 along the guide 41. And installed on the elevating member 26.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the gripping device 30 has a box-shaped storage portion 31 attached to a bracket 32, and includes chuck members 33 and 34 and a cover 35. The chuck members 33 and 34 include sliders 33a and 34a, support plates 33b and 34b, gripping blocks 33c and 34c (see FIG. 7), pressing plates 33d and 34d, and contact plates 33e and 34e. Is integrally provided with a restricting plate 33f for restricting rotation of the gripping reagent container. The sliders 33 a and 34 a are slidably engaged with a rail 36 disposed in the longitudinal direction on the bottom surface of the storage portion 31. As shown in FIG. 7, the gripping blocks 33 c and 34 c are formed in a concave shape at a portion that grips the dispensing port 13 a of the reagent container 13. Here, the gripping device 30 shown in FIG. 5 grips a small reagent container 13 </ b> C (internal volume 30 mL) as the reagent container 13.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, in the gripping device 30, a pressing spring 37 is disposed between the pressing plates 33d and 34d and the inner wall of the storage portion 31, and cam plates 38a and 38b are respectively provided on the contact plates 33e and 34e. Are in contact. A motor 38 is installed on the upper portion of the storage portion 31, and cam plates 38 a and 38 b are eccentrically attached to the drive shaft of the motor 38. In the gripping device 30, the energization to the motor 38 is normally stopped, and the chuck members 33 and 34 are urged in the direction in which the sliders 33 a and 34 a approach by the pressing force of the pressing spring 37. When the motor 38 is energized and the cam plates 38a and 38b rotate together with the drive shaft of the motor 38, the gripping device 30 moves in the direction in which the sliders 33a and 34a are pulled apart.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transfer unit B includes a guide 41 and a container support base 42, and the container support base 42 is guided by the guide 41 and an arrow between the disposal position and the vicinity of the reagent cooler 12. Move in the Y direction. At this time, the disposal position refers to a position where the container support 42 is stopped at one of the guides 41 shown in FIG. The vicinity of the reagent cooler 12 refers to a position where the container support 42 stops near the opening 12c provided in the lid 12b of the reagent cooler 12, as shown in FIG. At this time, the position of the container support 42 shown by the dotted line in FIG. 8 is the disposal position.

  In the container support 42, a slider of a linear guide device is attached to the guide 41, and the slider is connected to a timing belt. The container support 42 is moved along the guide 41 together with the slider by driving the timing belt with a stepping motor. The container support 42 is provided with a plurality of storage portions 42a for individually arranging a plurality of reagent containers 13 having different contents.

  Here, a support column 51 is provided in the vicinity of the guide 41 between the gripping conveyance unit A and the transfer unit B, and a seal break 54 is disposed on the support column 51. The seal break 54 opens the seal member 13b of the reagent container 13 stored in the reagent cool box 12, and a pin 54b is attached near the tip of the arm 54a. The base of the arm 54 a is attached to a timing belt 53 that spans between a motor 52 attached to the upper portion of the support column 51 and a pulley disposed at the lower portion of the support column 51. Moving. The pin 54b forms a hole through which the sealing member 13b is pierced and the dispensing nozzle of the reagent dispensing mechanism 11 is inserted when the arm 54a is lowered. At this time, in the case where the reagent container 13 has a structure in which a cap is screwed to the dispensing port 13a and sealed, an automatic removal mechanism for automatically removing the cap is provided in the support column 51 instead of the seal break 54.

  Further, the support column 51 is provided with a sensor 55 for confirming the presence / absence of the reagent container 13 in each storage portion 42a provided on the container support base 42 on one intermediate side surface. Further, the column 51 is provided with a reading device 56 on the other side surface facing the sensor 55. The reading device 56 reads the information recorded on the information recording medium provided in the reagent container 13 accommodated in the accommodating portion 42a of the container support 42 that moves along the guide 41 in the same manner as the reading device 14, and the control portion 15 is output. At this time, the reading device 56 reads the information recording medium of the reagent container 13 carried in or out by the container support base 42, but is attached to the column 51 so as to read from an oblique direction.

  In the automatic analyzer 1 configured as described above, the reagent dispensing mechanism 11 sequentially dispenses the reagent from the reagent container 13 to the plurality of reaction containers 7 conveyed along the circumferential direction by the rotating reaction wheel 6. . The reaction container 7 into which the reagent has been dispensed is conveyed along the circumferential direction by the reaction wheel 6, and the specimen is sequentially dispensed from the plurality of specimen containers 4 held on the specimen table 3 by the specimen dispensing mechanism 5. Then, the reaction container 7 into which the specimen has been dispensed is conveyed to the stirring device 10 by the reaction wheel 6, and the dispensed reagent and the specimen are sequentially stirred and reacted.

  The reaction solution in which the sample and the reagent have reacted in this way passes through the photometric device 8 when the reaction wheel 6 rotates again, and the analysis light emitted from the light source is transmitted. At this time, the reaction solution of the reagent and the sample in the reaction container 7 is measured by the light receiving unit, and the component concentration and the like are analyzed by the control unit 15. After the analysis is completed, the reaction vessel 7 is washed by the washing device 9 and then used again for analyzing the specimen.

  At this time, the automatic analyzer 1 confirms information such as the remaining amount of reagent, the expiration date, the number of samples and the number of test items before starting the analysis, and determines whether or not reagent replacement is necessary based on the number of samples scheduled for analysis and the number of test items to be analyzed. Although it is confirmed, there may be cases where the reagent runs out during analysis due to the addition of specimens or addition of test items. In such a case, the automatic analyzer 1 temporarily suspends the analysis, specifies the position of the reagent container 13 to be exchanged from the information acquired by the control unit 15, and uses the control unit 15 to store the reagent cooler 12. Rotate. In this way, the automatic analyzer 1 moves the reagent container 13 to be replaced to the position of the opening 12c of the reagent cooler 12, and the container support base 42 is shown in FIG. It moves to the reagent cool box 12 vicinity. Then, under the control of the control unit 15, the automatic analyzer 1 replaces the reagent container 13 with the transport device 20 as follows.

  First, the transport device 20 drives the grip transport unit A, and moves the grip device 30 to the upper part of the opening 12c of the reagent cool box 12. Next, the transport device 20 moves the slider 22 b by a pulse motor and lowers the elevating member 26 along the support member 21. During this time, the conveying device 20 drives the gripping device 30, energizes the motor 38 to rotate the cam plates 38a, 38b, and pulls the contact plates 33e, 34e apart in the left-right direction as shown in FIG. As a result, in the gripping device 30, the sliders 33a and 34a are separated from each other in the left-right direction along the rail 36, and the gripping blocks 33c and 34c are separated by a distance capable of gripping the dispensing port 13a.

  Next, when the descent of the elevating member 26 stops, the transport device 20 reverses the motor 38 of the gripping device 30 to release the pressing of the contact plates 33e and 34e by the cam plates 38a and 38b. As a result, in the gripping device 30, the chuck members 33 and 34 are biased in the direction in which the sliders 33a and 34a approach by the pressing force of the pressing spring 37, and the dispensing port 13a of the reagent container 13 is gripped by the gripping blocks 33c and 34c. Is done.

  When grasping the dispensing port 13a, the grasping device 30 restricts the rotation of the reagent container 13 because the restricting plate 33f of the chuck member 33 contacts the outer wall 13c of the reagent container 13. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the gripping device 30 is similar to the case of gripping the reagent container 13 </ b> C illustrated in FIG. 5 even when gripping a large (120 mL internal capacity) reagent container 13 </ b> A. The regulating plate 33f abuts on the outer wall 13c of the reagent container 13 and regulates the rotation of the reagent container 13 to be gripped. Accordingly, the reagent container 13 is always gripped by the gripping device 30 in the same posture even when the sizes are different due to different contents, so that the reagent container 13 is placed on the container support base 42 or stored in the reagent cooler 12. Will not be disturbed. The reagent container 13 has a dispensing port 13a at the same position with the outer wall 13c as a reference position. For this reason, even if the sizes of the reagent containers 13 are different due to the different contents of the reagent containers 13, the gripping device 30 can always grip the dispensing port 13a by the same chucking operation. Have.

  Thereafter, the transport device 20 raises the elevating member 26 along the support member 21. Next, the transport device 20 drives the pulse motor 27 to slide the slider along the rail 26b, and moves the gripping device 30 to the support member 21 side. As a result, the transport device 20 moves the reagent container 13 gripped by the gripping device 30 directly above the container support 42.

  Next, the transport device 20 lowers the elevating member 26 along the support member 21, and stores the reagent container 13 gripped by the gripping device 30 in the storage portion 42 a of the container support base 42. At this time, the transport device 20 confirms the presence or absence of the reagent container 13 in the storage unit 42a based on the output from the sensor 55, and stores the reagent container 13 in the empty storage unit 42a. Thereafter, the transport device 20 drives the gripping device 30 and energizes the motor 38. As a result, in the gripping device 30, the cam plates 38a and 38b rotate to separate the contact plates 33e and 34e in the left-right direction, and the gripping of the dispensing port 13a by the gripping blocks 33c and 34c is released.

  After releasing the dispensing port 13a in this way, the conveying device 20 raises the elevating member 26 along the support member 21 and causes the grasping device 30 to wait. Next, the transport device 20 moves the container support 42 in the vicinity of the reagent cooler 12 to the disposal position along the guide 41. As a result, the operator replaces the reagent container 13 on the container support base 42 with a new reagent container 13.

  Next, the transfer device 20 moves the container support 42 on which the new reagent container 13 is placed along the guide 41 to the vicinity of the reagent cold storage 12 (see FIG. 8). At this time, in the new reagent container 13 on the container support base 42, the pasted information recording medium is read by the reading device 56, and the recorded information is output to the control unit 15. For this reason, when the new reagent container 13 exchanged by the operator is the wrong reagent container 13, the display unit 18 displays an alarm indicating that the reagent container 13 is erroneous by a control signal input from the control unit 15. To do.

  Thereafter, the conveying device 20 drives the gripping device 30 while lowering the elevating member 26 along the support member 21, energizes the motor 38 to rotate the cam plates 38 a and 38 b, and the gripping blocks 33 c and 34 c The dispensing port 13a is pulled away by a distance that can be gripped. At this time, the transport device 20 confirms in advance the presence or absence of the reagent container 13 in the storage unit 42a based on the output from the sensor 55, and arranges the gripping device 30 directly above the storage unit 42a where the reagent container 13 exists. .

  In this way, when the descending of the elevating member 26 stops, the conveying device 20 reverses the motor 38 of the gripping device 30 to release the pressing of the contact plates 33e, 34e by the cam plates 38a, 38b. Thus, in the gripping device 30, the chuck members 33 and 34 are biased by the pressing force of the pressing spring 37, and the dispensing port 13a of the reagent container 13 is gripped by the gripping blocks 33c and 34c.

  Next, after raising the elevating member 26 along the support member 21, the transport device 20 drives the pulse motor 27 to move the gripping device 30 to the upper part of the opening 12 c of the reagent cooler 12. Next, the transport device 20 lowers the elevating member 26 along the support member 21, and then releases the grip of the dispensing port 13 a of the reagent container 13 by the grip blocks 33 c and 34 c of the grip device 30. As a result, a new reagent container 13 is stored in the reagent cool box 12.

  When the new reagent container 13 is stored in the reagent cool box 12 and the replacement of the reagent container 13 is completed in this way, the transport device 20 raises the elevating member 26 along the support member 21 and waits for the gripping device 30. Let Then, under the control of the control unit 15, the automatic analyzer 1 releases the temporary analysis interruption and restarts the analysis.

  As described above, in the automatic analyzer 1, when replacing the reagent container 13, the transport device 20 takes out the reagent container 13 from the reagent cool box 12, places it on the container support base 42, and transports it to the disposal position. For this reason, the operator only needs to replace the reagent container 13 on the container support 42 that has been transported to the disposal position with a new reagent container 13. The burden is reduced compared with the case where the reagent container 13 is stored. In addition, since the reagent container 13 is provided with the dispensing port 13a at the same position with the outer wall 13c as a reference position, even if the containers have different sizes due to different internal volumes, the gripping device 30 is always provided. The dispensing port 13a can be gripped by the same chucking operation. For this reason, the reagent container 13 is suitable for use in an automatic analyzer.

  In addition, when the reagent container 13 is replaced, the automatic analyzer 1 of the present invention reads information on an information recording medium provided in the reagent container 13 by the reading device 56 and confirms whether the reagent container 13 is appropriate. For this reason, the automatic analyzer 1 can avoid the occurrence of a human error of taking out the wrong reagent container 13 from the reagent cold storage box 12, and the reliability is improved.

  Although the automatic analyzer 1 has been described with respect to the case where there is one reagent cool box 12, two may be arranged separately for the reagent cool box for the first reagent and the reagent cool box for the second reagent. . Moreover, the automatic analyzer of this invention is good also as a structure which combined multiple units by making the automatic analyzer 1 into 1 unit.

  Further, the automatic analyzer 1 has been described with respect to the case where the reagent container 13 is replaced during the analysis. However, the automatic analyzer 1 uses the information such as the reagent remaining amount, the expiration date, the number of samples, and the number of test items before starting the analysis. As a result of the confirmation, the reagent container 13 may need to be replaced due to the expiration of the expiration date, the reagent running out, or the like. In such a case, the reagent container 13 is replaced under the above-described procedure before the analysis is started.

  Here, when the reagent container 13 to be replaced is empty, the automatic analyzer 1 is configured to discard the reagent container 13 transported to the disposal position by the container support base 42 by the disposal means provided near the disposal position. May be. Further, the automatic analyzer 1 moves the gripping device 30 of the gripping and conveying unit A in the direction of the arrow X along the lifting member 26, moves the container support 42 of the transfer unit A along the guide 41, and seals The timing belts 28 and 53 are used to move the break 54 along the support column 51. However, if the purpose of use described in the embodiment is achieved, other known devices such as a feed screw made of a ball screw or the like are used. The following means may be used.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the automatic analyzer of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the reagent cold storage and the conveying apparatus used with the automatic analyzer of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the reagent container of this invention. It is the perspective view which expanded the holding | grip conveyance part of the conveying apparatus used with the automatic analyzer of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the holding | grip apparatus of the conveying apparatus used with the automatic analyzer of this invention hold | gripped the small reagent container. It is a perspective view which shows the state which covered from the holding | grip apparatus of the conveying apparatus used with the automatic analyzer of this invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the holding | gripping apparatus shown in FIG. 6 from the lower side. It is a perspective view which shows the state which transferred the container support stand to the reagent cold storage vicinity by the transfer part of the conveying apparatus. It is a perspective view which shows the state which pulled apart the chuck | zipper member of the holding | gripping apparatus in the left-right direction, respectively. It is a perspective view which shows the state which the holding | grip apparatus of the conveying apparatus used with the automatic analyzer of this invention hold | gripped the large reagent container.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic analyzer 2 Work table 3 Specimen table 4 Specimen container 5 Specimen dispensing mechanism 6 Reaction wheel 7 Reaction container 8 Photometric device 9 Washing device 10 Stirrer 11 Reagent dispensing mechanism 12 Reagent cooler 13 Reagent container 13A-13C Reagent container DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Reading apparatus 15 Control part 16 Analysis part 17 Input part 18 Display part 20 Conveyance apparatus 21 Support member 22 Linear guide 23 Pulley 24 Screw shaft 25 Timing belt 26 Lifting member 27 Pulse motor 28 Timing belt 30 Gripping device 31 Storage part 32 Bracket 33 , 34 Chuck member 35 Cover 36 Rail 37 Push spring 38 Motor 41 Guide 42 Container support 51 Column 52 Motor 53 Timing belt 54 Seal break 55 Sensor 56 Reader A Holding gripping section B Transfer section

Claims (3)

An automatic analyzer that analyzes a sample by reacting a sample with a reagent dispensed from a reagent container and measuring a characteristic of a reaction solution,
A gripping and conveying unit having a gripping device for gripping the reagent container, and a vertically movable member that supports the gripping device movably in a predetermined direction;
A transfer unit having a container support member for supporting a plurality of reagent containers, and a guide for guiding the transfer of the container support member between the vicinity of the reagent storage and the disposal position;
A conveyance control unit for controlling the operation of the gripping conveyance unit and the transfer unit;
Is provided with a transport device,
The transport device grips the reagent container from the reagent storage by the grip transport unit and transports the reagent container to the container support member transferred to the vicinity of the reagent storage, and transports the container support member to which the reagent container has been transported to the transport unit. The automatic analyzer is transported to the disposal position by the above.   The said holding | gripping apparatus hold | maintains the reagent dispensing port provided in the same position with respect to a reference | standard position, and hold | grips each of these reagent containers from which content is different individually. Automatic analyzer.   A reagent container having different internal volumes for use in an automatic analyzer, wherein the reagent dispensing port is provided at the same position with respect to a reference position.

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