JP2008039552A - Specimen feed system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the treatment efficiency of the whole of a specimen feed system by shortening the non-operation time of the treatment unit of the specimen feed system by eliminating the stagnation of a specimen rack. <P>SOLUTION: The specimen feed system has a feed line for feeding the specimen rack on which a plurality of specimen containers can be placed, a pretreatment unit wherein various units are arranged along the feed line and a specimen charging part for charging the specimen rack in the feed line. This specimen feed system has a situation grasping function for grasping the present situation of the specimen rack including the presence or movement of the specimen rack in the pretreatment unit or the feed line and the charging of the specimen rack by the specimen charging part is controlled according to the present situation of the specimen rack due to the specimen charging part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sample transport system, and more particularly to a sample transport system suitable for automatically performing a sample test in the clinical laboratory field.

  Specimen transport system is equipped with samples such as blood and urine collected from patients and loaded into a sample rack suitable for the test contents and container shape, so as to centrifuge, open, dispense, classify, transport, analyze, etc. Is automatically performed.

  In particular, according to the requested items from LIS (Laboratory Information System, hereinafter abbreviated as LIS) and the specimen stop information for each rack set as a parameter in the controller in advance, centrifugation, opening, dispensing, A stop-off process is performed to a necessary pre-processing unit such as a classification, and a sample is automatically transported to an automatic analyzer.

  Further, the conventional sample transport system is composed of units that perform specific processing such as centrifugation, opening, dispensing, and sticking a barcode label to a child sample container.

  Since it is characterized by the sequential processing of these processing units, the processing load of any unit is increased, and the dispensing tip of the dispenser, the test tube cap of the stopper, etc. When a specific processing unit is temporarily stopped in order to replenish consumables, a sample rack that requires processing in the stopped processing unit may stagnate, and a sample rack waiting before that may also stagnate. Become.

  Then, even if the rack that waits before that does not require processing of the temporarily stopped processing unit, it waits until the temporarily stopped processing unit starts normal operation.

  Even if the flow information of a rack such as a centrifuge path rack is set, such a phenomenon cannot be used effectively during the time zone when many samples requiring centrifugation are input, and the entire sample transport system Led to a decrease in processing speed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-316238 JP-A-11-253014

  The rack transport method as described in Patent Document 1 is intended to equalize processing in a system configuration in which there are a plurality of units that perform the same processing.

  A sample transport system including a sample input unit, a centrifuge unit, an opening unit, a dispensing unit, a transfer line, and the like performs individual processing on the input sample. Cannot be applied to.

  In addition, a plurality of these individual units are rarely connected to the sample transport system. For this reason, when the load on a certain processing unit increases, the system waits for a sample rack that does not require processing of that processing unit, and the system processing capacity decreases.

  For example, if the processing load of only the centrifuge unit becomes high, the sample rack is stagnant up to the transfer line, and the sample that is not required to be centrifuged and processed only for dispensing is not processed in the sample transfer system. The rack stagnation time due to the above becomes the non-operating time of the dispensing unit, the entire system cannot be used effectively, and the processing efficiency of the entire system decreases.

  Moreover, there exists a proposal which bypasses an unnecessary process unit by making a conveyance line parallel like patent document 2. FIG.

  However, the centrifuge unit of the sample transport system often takes 300 seconds or more for a sample rack of eight sample racks, and during that time, the input processing is continued from the sample input unit to the sample input unit. It is assumed that the sample racks are stagnant, and the sample input unit is also in a state where the racks are stagnant, making it impossible to input sample racks one after another.

  Furthermore, the problem as described above leads to a problem that it is not possible to input a sample that rushes a measurement result in a laboratory represented by an urgent sample.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to eliminate the stagnation of the sample rack, shorten the downtime of the processing unit of the sample transport system, and improve the processing efficiency of the entire system.

  The present invention relates to a transport line for transporting a sample rack in which a plurality of sample containers can be loaded, a pretreatment unit in which various units are arranged along the transport line, and a sample loading unit for loading the sample rack into the transport line In a sample transport system having a sample rack, the sample rack presence status grasped by the status grasp function has a status grasp function for grasping the presence status of the sample rack including presence / absence and movement of the sample rack in the preprocessing unit and the transport line. According to the above, the loading of the sample rack by the sample loading unit is controlled.

  According to the present invention, the downtime of the processing unit of the sample transport system is shortened, and the processing efficiency of the entire system is improved.

  Since the present invention grasps the presence / absence of the sample rack in the preprocessing unit and the transport line and the presence status of the sample rack including the movement, and inputs the sample rack from the sample loading section in consideration of the presence status of the sample rack. Are processed without stagnation, and the processing efficiency of the entire system can be improved.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a sample transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sample transport system includes a transport line for transporting a sample rack capable of loading a plurality of sample containers, a pretreatment unit in which various units are arranged along the transport line, and transports the sample rack. It has a sample input unit for input to the line.

  The pretreatment unit includes a sample loading unit 1 (sample loading unit), a centrifuge unit 3, an opening unit 4, a dispensing unit 5, a barcode pasting unit 6, a closing unit 7, a sample classification unit 8, and a sample storage unit 9. Have

  The sample loading unit 1 includes two sample loading trays 1a and a sample loading tray 1b.

  The sample input tray 1a is constructed with a sample rack loaded with sample containers that need to be centrifuged to separate the whole blood sample into serum and clot, and the sample input tray 1b is loaded with sample containers that do not require centrifugation. Loaded sample racks.

  The two sample loading trays 1a and 1b are allocated according to the type of sample rack to be loaded.

  Further, a centrifuge unit 3 that performs the centrifuge is located downstream of the specimen input unit 1.

  Furthermore, the sample insertion unit 1, the transport line 2, and the centrifuge unit 3 are connected by an internal communication line, and the transport line 2 has a rack on its own line as status information (information on the sample rack presence status). Whether or not it is present is notified to the specimen loading unit 1. The centrifuge unit 3 notifies the sample input unit 1 of the number of sample racks held on the rack standby buffer 3a as status information via the internal communication line.

  The sample loading unit 1 loads the sample rack loaded on the sample loading tray 1a or the sample loading tray 1b only when there is no sample rack in the sample rack presence / absence information notified from the transport line 2 (sample rack presence status). It becomes possible to do.

  Then, by pressing the loading start button 1c provided in the sample loading unit 1, loading of the sample rack is started from the sample loading tray 1a or the sample loading tray 1b, and loading is started by the processing 101 shown in FIG. To decide.

  In the processing 101 to 107 shown in FIG. 3, the number of racks held in the buffer from the centrifuge unit 3 is referred to, and if it is less than 8 sample racks, which is the maximum number of buffers held in the centrifuge unit 2, the sample input tray 1a The loaded sample rack is loaded into the transport line 2.

  However, if the number of racks held in the rack standby buffer 3a of the centrifuge unit 3 is eight sample racks, the sample racks loaded on the sample loading tray 1b are loaded into the transport line 2.

  The loaded sample rack is pasted on the sample barcode, which is a sample identification code pasted on the sample container loaded on the sample rack by the ID reading unit (reading unit) of the sample loading unit 1, and the sample rack. A rack bar code, which is a rack identification code, is read.

  Information (sample rack presence status) indicating which sample is loaded in which position of the sample rack is registered in the controller 10.

  Based on the registered information (specimen rack presence status), the controller 10 instructs the sample input unit 1 which unit the sample rack should process, in other words, the unit where the sample rack should stop.

  Furthermore, in FIG. 1, when the operator mounts a sample rack loaded with a sample that needs to be processed by the centrifuge unit 3 on the sample input tray 1 b of the sample input unit 1, The rack is unloaded to the error rack unloading section 1d of the sample loading section 1.

  The sample loading unit 1 has an error rack carry-out means (not shown). By this error rack carrying-out means, the sample rack is carried out and taken out.

  In FIG. 4, the sample loading unit 1 transfers the sample rack loaded from the sample loading tray 1a or the sample loading tray 1b from the sample loading unit 1 to the controller 10 by the sample ID reading means of the sample loading unit 1. Queries what processing unit the sample rack requires.

  On the other hand, the controller 10 calculates the processing required by the sample rack from the request information and attribute information received from the LIS 11, and transmits the processing to the sample input unit 1 as sample rack stop information (sample rack presence status information).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the sample rack approach information is obtained by assigning individual CPU numbers to processing units such as the sample loading unit, the centrifuge unit 3 and the capping unit 4 so that the CPU numbers of the units to be processed can be obtained. As the position of the sample rack stop information, “1” is set to stop the processing unit, and the presence or absence of the stop is instructed to all the processing units configured.

  In FIG. 6, the drop-in information of the sample rack to be processed by the centrifuge unit 3 and the capping unit 4 is that the CPU number of the centrifuge unit 3 is “1” and the cpu unit number of the capping unit 4 is “2”. For this reason, the first and second from the top of the sample rack stop-off information are “1”, and are created as “11000000”.

  Then, the sample loading unit 1 determines whether or not loading is possible according to the processing 201 shown in FIG.

  The processing 202 in FIG. 6 extracts the sample rack approach information received from the controller 10 received by the sample insertion unit 1, identifies the processing unit for checking the number of racks held in the buffer of the processing unit in processing 203, Take out the presence or absence of the unit.

  This is a process of extracting the presence or absence of a stoppage to the centrifuge unit 3 in FIG. If the sample rack has stopped by the processing unit in the process 204, the process 205 is performed. If the sample rack has not stopped by the process unit in the process 204, the sample rack is removed from the controller 10 by the process 207. It is transported to a downstream processing unit according to the received stop information.

  On the other hand, in the process 205, the specimen input tray 1b in which the rack on which the specimen that does not require the centrifugation in FIG. Therefore, the rack is unloaded to the error rack unloading section 1d of the sample loading section 1.

  This is because when a rack that requires centrifugation is loaded into the specimen loading tray 1b that does not require centrifugation in FIG. 1, and when the information on the approach to the centrifuge unit 3 extracted from the information on the approach of the controller 10 is true. The rack is unloaded to the error rack unloading section 1d (process 206).

  By this processing, the sample loading unit 1 can load a rack from either the sample loading tray 1a or the sample loading tray 1b.

  In addition, the sample loading unit 1 includes the emergency sample loading unit 1e in FIG. 1, and the loading process of the emergency sample loading unit 1e executes the loading process with priority over the sample loading tray 1a and the sample loading tray 1b. When a sample manually centrifuged is loaded on a rack and loaded from the emergency sample loading unit 1e, the rack can be loaded regardless of the state of the centrifuge unit 3, and the downstream processing unit performs preprocessing. Can do.

  As described above, the sample transport system has a state in which the sample rack is loaded from the sample loading unit 1 including the sample loading tray 1a and the sample loading tray 1b to the transport line 2 and the sample rack is unloaded to the error rack unloading unit 1d. Control is performed according to the grasped presence status of the sample rack by the grasping function (a function for grasping the presence status of the sample rack including the presence or movement of the sample rack in the preprocessing unit and the transport line).

  This state grasping function is constructed including a function for grasping the existence status of the sample racks provided in the preprocessing unit in which various units are arranged along the controller 10, the LSI 11, and the transport line 2.

  In this way, since the loading of the sample rack from the sample loading unit 1 to the transport line 2 is controlled according to the presence state of the sample rack grasped by the state grasping function, the stagnation of the sample rack in the transport line 2 is eliminated. The For this reason, the downtime of the processing unit of the sample transport system is shortened, and the processing efficiency of the entire system is improved.

  In the sample transport system in which the capping unit 4 is located downstream of the sample loading unit 1 as shown in FIG. 2, a rack loaded with a sample that requires a capping process is installed on the sample loading tray 1a and the sample is loaded. An operation is performed in which a rack on which a sample that does not need to be opened is loaded on the input tray 1b.

  At this time, the unplugging unit 4 notifies the sample loading unit 1 of the number of racks held by the buffer of the unplugging unit 4 as status information (sample rack presence status information) of the unplugging unit 4. Similar to Example 1, the sample loading unit 1 can determine whether to perform loading processing from the sample loading tray 1a or from the sample loading tray 1b.

  In this way, by referring to the number of racks held by the buffer of the processing unit referred to by the sample input unit 1 in accordance with the configuration of the sample transport system and the operation of the delivery destination, the sample transport system is independent of the specific processing unit. The overall processing capacity can be improved.

  In the first embodiment, the state information (sample rack presence status information) notified from the centrifuge unit 3 to the sample input unit 1 is based on the number of racks as the number of racks held by the buffer of the centrifuge unit 3. Thus, the sample loading unit 1 loads a rack from the sample loading tray 1a or the sample loading tray 1b.

  Here, in addition to the number of racks held by the buffer of the centrifuge unit 3, information on the apparatus operation status (sample rack presence status information) such as operation, stop, and offline of the centrifuge unit 3 is also sent to the sample input unit 1 You can be notified.

  Then, in the situation where the centrifuge unit 3 cannot operate, such as when the centrifuge unit 3 is stopped or offline, as in the situation where the buffer held in the centrifuge unit 3 is full and processing is impossible in the first embodiment, the sample is loaded. The unit 1 can load a rack from a sample loading tray 1b on which a rack loaded with a sample that does not require centrifugation is installed. Even if the buffer of the centrifuge unit 3 is not full, it is the same as in the first embodiment. In addition, the processing capacity of the entire sample transport system can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the processing flow of FIG. 3 used in the first embodiment is processing 101 ′ of FIG.

  Here, the sample input unit 1 refers to the operation status of the apparatus notified from the centrifuge unit 3, determines whether the centrifuge unit 3 is in a processable state in the processes 102 to 107 shown in FIG. It is determined whether to perform the loading process from the tray 1a or the loading process from the sample loading tray 1b.

  Further, as described in the second embodiment, in accordance with the configuration of the sample transport system and the operation of the delivery destination, the processing unit apparatus is used as the processing unit status information (sample rack presence status information) referred to by the sample loading unit 1. By referring to the operation status, the effect of improving the processing capability of the entire sample transport system can be obtained regardless of the specific processing unit as in the second embodiment.

  In FIG. 1, the sample transport system dispenses a sample loaded from the sample loading unit 1 into a test tube or cup loaded on the rack by the dispensing unit 5.

  The test tubes and cups dispensed in this way are called child samples, and the rack on which the child samples are loaded is called a child rack. In FIG. 1, the child rack is transported to a barcode processing unit 6, a capping unit 7, a sample classification unit 8, and a sample storage unit 9 which are downstream processing units.

  That is, the dispensing unit 5 performs a process of dispensing the sample input from the sample input unit 1 to the child sample, and a rack on which the child sample is loaded as in the sample input unit 1 of the first embodiment is a sub rack. It can also be considered that the child rack is input from the dispensing unit 5.

  Then, the dispensing unit 5 notifies the dispensing unit 5 of the status information of the barcode pasting unit 6 (information on the presence status of the sample rack) through the barcode pasting unit 6 and the communication line inside the system, and the dispensing unit 5 With reference to the state information (information on the sample rack presence status), when the child sample processing in the barcode attaching unit 6 is impossible, the dispensing unit 5 stops the dispensed child rack at the barcode attaching unit 5. Then, the sample is further transported to the capping unit 7, the sample classification unit 8, and the sample storage unit 9 further downstream.

  Here, the status information (sample rack presence status information) notified by the barcode pasting unit 6 indicates that the child specimen processing is impossible, and the situation where the processing load is high and several tens of minutes are required to complete the processing. When the buffer provided in the unit 6 is full, and when the sample is transported while the barcode attaching unit 6 is stopped or offline, the barcode attaching unit 6 does not require processing in the barcode attaching unit 6 and the sample This refers to a situation in which the processing of the rack input from the input unit 1 and the transport of the rack are stagnant.

  The dispensing unit 5 is equipped with the same processing as the sample insertion unit 1 and the dispensing unit 5 is not limited to the barcode pasting unit 6 but the dispensing unit 5 such as the capping unit 7 and the sample classification unit 8. By referring to the state information (sample rack presence status information) of the processing unit located downstream, the dispensing unit 5 changes the stop of the child rack generated from the dispensing unit 5 and enters the sample transport system. The sample rack can be transported without stagnation, and not only the input sample from the sample input unit 1 but also the unit capable of processing the child rack generated from the dispensing unit 5 can be effectively operated. Become.

  Also in the present embodiment, as described in the second embodiment, the dispensing unit 5 refers to the processing unit status information (sample rack presence status information) according to the configuration of the sample transport system and the operation of the delivery destination. Thus, the effect of improving the processing capability of the entire sample transport system can be obtained regardless of the specific processing unit as in the second embodiment.

  The present invention relates to a method for automatically transporting a blood or urine sample in a clinical test, and a sample transport system including a device having the function.

The conceptual diagram of the sample conveyance system concerning the Example of this invention. The conceptual diagram of another sample conveyance system concerning the Example of this invention. FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the operation of the sample input tray is determined based on the number of racks held by the processing units. The communication flowchart of the sample insertion part and a controller concerning the Example of this invention. The figure which concerns on the Example of this invention and shows the numbering example of CPU number. The processing flow figure of the consistency check of rack stop information and a loading location concerning the Example of this invention. FIG. 4 is a process flow diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention for determining the operation of the sample input tray according to the state of the processing unit.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sample input part, 1a ... Sample input tray for exclusive use of specific processing unit, 1b ... Sample input tray for exclusive use of specific processing unit, 1c ... Input start button, 1d ... Error rack carry-out part, 1e ... Emergency sample input part, 2 ... Conveying line, 3 ... Centrifuge unit, 3a ... Rack standby buffer of centrifuge unit, 4 ... Opening unit, 5 ... Dispensing unit, 6 ... Bar code attaching unit, 7 ... Capping unit, 8 ... Sample classification unit, 9 ... Sample storage unit, 10 ... Controller, 11 ... LIS-Laboratory Information System.

Claims (4)

Sample transport having a transport line for transporting a sample rack capable of loading a plurality of sample containers, a pre-processing unit in which various units are arranged along the transport line, and a sample loading unit for loading the sample rack into the transport line In the system,
Having a status grasp function for grasping the presence status of the sample rack including the presence or movement of the sample rack in the preprocessing unit or the transport line;
The sample transport system, wherein the sample rack loading by the sample loading unit is controlled in accordance with the sample rack presence status grasped by the situation grasping function. A transport line for transporting a sample rack capable of loading a plurality of sample containers;
A pre-processing unit in which various units are arranged along the transfer line;
A sample loading unit for loading the sample rack into the transport line;
Having a status grasp function for grasping the presence status of the sample rack including the presence or movement of the sample rack in the preprocessing unit or the transport line;
The sample loading unit has at least two sample loading trays loaded with the sample racks, and the two sample loading trays are assigned according to the type of the sample racks,
The sample transport system, wherein the loading operation of the two sample loading trays is controlled according to the sample rack presence status grasped by the situation grasping function. A pretreatment unit in which various units including a centrifuge unit, an opening unit, a dispensing unit, a barcode pasting unit, a closing unit, a sample classification unit, a sample collection unit are arranged,
A transport line that transports a sample rack that extends along the pre-processing unit and can load a plurality of sample containers;
A sample loading unit for loading the sample rack into the transport line;
Having a status grasp function for grasping the presence status of the sample rack including the presence or movement of the sample rack in the preprocessing unit or the transport line;
The sample loading unit has at least two sample loading trays in which the sample rack is loaded,
One sample input tray is loaded with the sample rack that needs to be centrifuged by the centrifuge unit, and the other sample input tray has the sample rack that does not need to be centrifuged by the centrifuge unit. Charged
The sample transport system, wherein the loading operation of the two sample loading trays is controlled according to the sample rack presence status grasped by the situation grasping function. The specimen transport system according to claim 2,
The sample loading unit includes a reading unit that reads the identification code of the sample container or the sample rack, an error rack unloading unit that unloads the sample rack, and an error rack unloading unit.
Sample transport, wherein when the sample racks other than the types assigned to the two sample input trays are loaded, the reading means detects the sample racks, and the error rack unloading means moves to the error rack unloading section. system.

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