JP2008292315A - Stirrer and auto-analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stirrer and an auto-analyzer capable of restraining a sample liquid from becoming thermally affected, by moving heat generated in a piezoelectric substrate or a container of an sound wave generation means caused by the interference of sound waves, to a position located at a distant from the container. <P>SOLUTION: This stirrer/auto-analyzer stirs the liquid held in the container by sound waves. The stirrer 20 is provided with a surface acoustic wave element 23, having the piezoelectric substrate 23b provided in the container 5 and an electrode 23b formed in the piezoelectric substrate, and for generating the sound waves for stirring the liquid, and a heat-conducting member 24 provided on the container or a discontinuous face 23e of an acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric substrate; and for making the heat generated by the interference of the sound waves emitted from the surface acoustic wave element with the sound waves reflected on the discontinuous face, move to a position at distant from the container. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a stirring device and an automatic analyzer.

  Conventionally, an automatic analyzer analyzes a component concentration and the like in a specimen by stirring and reacting a liquid sample containing the specimen and a reagent and measuring optical characteristics of the reaction liquid. At this time, a stirring device that stirs a liquid sample is known as a stirring device that performs non-contact stirring by irradiating a liquid sample containing a specimen and a reagent with a sound wave generated by a sound wave generating means so as to avoid so-called carryover. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). The sound wave generating means used in the stirring device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is formed by forming a vibrator composed of comb-like electrodes (IDT) on a piezoelectric substrate and using it attached to the wall surface of a container. generate.

JP 2006-90791 A

  By the way, the stirring device of Patent Document 1 generates heat of a liquid sample due to an acoustic flow generated by irradiating the liquid sample with sound waves generated by the sound wave generating means, and sound waves propagating in the piezoelectric substrate or the container wall of the sound wave generating means. The container generates heat due to interference between the piezoelectric substrate and the acoustic wave reflected from the acoustic impedance discontinuous surface of the container wall. In this case, the heat generation of the liquid sample due to the acoustic flow cannot be avoided, but the piezoelectric substrate and the wall of the container are in contact with the liquid sample to be agitated or are close to the liquid sample, so the thermal influence on the liquid sample Is big. Moreover, in recent years, it has been desired to reduce the amount of specimens and reagents in order to reduce the analysis cost and the burden on the subject. However, there is a problem that the temperature rise of the liquid sample increases because the heat capacity of the liquid sample decreases as the amount of the liquid sample decreases due to the minute amount of the specimen or reagent. In particular, since the biochemical analyzer analyzes a biological sample such as blood, the object to be stirred is denatured due to a rise in the temperature of the liquid sample, which may hinder accurate analysis of the specimen.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and the heat generated in the piezoelectric substrate or the container wall of the sound wave generating means due to the interference of the sound waves is moved to a position away from the container, to the liquid sample. It is an object of the present invention to provide a stirring device and an automatic analyzer that can suppress the thermal influence of the water.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the stirring device of the present invention is a stirring device that stirs a liquid held in a container by sound waves, and a piezoelectric substrate provided in the container and an electrode formed on the piezoelectric substrate. And a sound wave generating means for generating a sound wave for stirring the liquid, and a sound wave emitted from the sound wave generating means and reflected by the discontinuous surface, provided on a discontinuous surface of the acoustic impedance of the container or the piezoelectric substrate. And a heat conduction member that moves heat generated by the interference with the sound wave to a position away from the container.

  The stirrer of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the discontinuous surface of the acoustic impedance is an end surface of the piezoelectric substrate or an end surface of the container that intersects the propagation direction of the sound wave.

  In the stirring device according to the present invention, in the above invention, the container is provided with a guide portion that projects from the wall of the container and guides a sound wave propagating through the wall in a direction away from the container by an acoustic impedance boundary. The heat conducting member is provided on a discontinuous surface of acoustic impedance of the induction portion.

  The stirrer according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the sound wave generating means is a surface acoustic wave element or a thickness longitudinal vibrator.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the automatic analyzer of the present invention causes a plurality of different liquids to stir and react, measures the optical properties of the reaction liquid, and analyzes the reaction liquid. In this automatic analyzer, the sample and the reagent are stirred using the stirring device, and the reaction solution is optically analyzed.

  The automatic analyzer according to the present invention is characterized in that in the above invention, the automatic analyzer has a heat dissipating member that dissipates heat moved to a position away from the container by the heat conducting member.

  The stirring device of the present invention includes a piezoelectric substrate provided in a container and an electrode formed on the piezoelectric substrate, and is provided on a discontinuous surface of acoustic impedance of the container or the piezoelectric substrate, and a sound wave generating means for generating a sound wave for stirring the liquid. A heat conduction member that moves heat generated by interference between the sound wave emitted by the sound wave generation means and the sound wave reflected by the discontinuous surface to a position away from the container, and the automatic analyzer according to the present invention includes the stirrer Since the sample and reagent are stirred using optical analysis of the reaction solution, the heat generated in the piezoelectric substrate and the container wall of the sound wave generating means due to the interference of sound waves is moved away from the container. There is an effect that it is possible to suppress the thermal influence on the liquid sample held by the container.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 concerning the stirring apparatus and automatic analyzer of this invention is demonstrated in detail, referring drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an automatic analyzer according to Embodiment 1 including a stirring device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating configurations of the automatic analyzer and the agitation device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a surface acoustic wave element of the stirring device used in the automatic analyzer of Embodiment 1 and a reaction vessel equipped with the surface acoustic wave element. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a reaction vessel together with a power transmission body, to which a surface acoustic wave element is attached and used in the automatic analyzer according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic analyzer 1 includes reagent tables 2 and 3, a reaction table 4, a specimen container transfer mechanism 8, an analysis optical system 12, a cleaning mechanism 13, a control unit 15, and a stirring device 20. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the reagent tables 2 and 3 hold a plurality of reagent containers 2a and 3a arranged in the circumferential direction, respectively, and are rotated by a driving unit to convey the reagent containers 2a and 3a in the circumferential direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the reaction table 4 has a plurality of reaction containers 5 arranged in the circumferential direction, and is rotated forward or reverse by a driving means different from the driving means of the reagent tables 2 and 3 to 5 is conveyed. The reaction table 4 rotates, for example, clockwise in one cycle (1 turn-1 reaction vessel) / 4 turns and in 4 cycles (1 turn-1 reaction vessel).

  The reaction container 5 is a very small container having a capacity of several nL to several tens of μL, and is a transparent material that transmits 80% or more of the light contained in the analysis light emitted from the light emitting unit 12a of the analysis optical system 12, for example, Glasses including heat-resistant glass, synthetic resins such as cyclic olefin and polystyrene are used. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the reaction vessel 5 has a side wall 5a, 5b and a bottom wall to form a liquid holding portion having a quadrangular horizontal section for holding the liquid, and has an opening 5c at the top of the liquid holding portion. It is a square tube-shaped cuvette. The reaction vessel 5 constitutes a stirring device 20 together with the surface acoustic wave element 23 attached to the side wall 5a. The reaction container 5 is disposed on the reaction table 4 with the surface acoustic wave element 23 facing outward in the radial direction, and the reagent containers 2a of the reagent tables 2 and 3 are provided by the reagent dispensing mechanisms 6 and 7 provided in the vicinity of the reaction table 4. , 3a, the reagent is dispensed.

  Here, the reagent dispensing mechanisms 6 and 7 are respectively provided with probes 6b and 7b for dispensing reagents on arms 6a and 7a that rotate in the direction of the arrow in a horizontal plane, and wash the probes 6b and 7b with washing water. Has cleaning means.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sample container transfer mechanism 8 is a transfer unit that transfers a plurality of racks 10 arranged in the feeder 9 one by one along the arrow direction, and transfers the racks 10 while stepping. The rack 10 holds a plurality of sample containers 10a containing samples. Here, the sample container 10a is sampled by the sample dispensing mechanism 11 having the drive arm 11a and the probe 11b that rotate in the horizontal direction each time the step of the rack 10 transferred by the sample container transfer mechanism 8 stops. Is dispensed into each reaction vessel 5. For this reason, the specimen dispensing mechanism 11 has a cleaning means for cleaning the probe 11b with cleaning water.

  The analysis optical system 12 emits analysis light (340 to 800 nm) for analyzing the liquid in the reaction vessel 5 in which the reagent and the sample have reacted. As shown in FIG. 12b and a light receiving portion 12c. The analysis light emitted from the light emitting unit 12a passes through the liquid in the reaction vessel 5 and is received by the light receiving unit 12c provided at a position facing the spectroscopic unit 12b. The light receiving unit 12 c is connected to the control unit 15 and outputs a light amount signal of the received analysis light to the control unit 15.

  The cleaning mechanism 13 sucks and discharges the liquid in the reaction vessel 5 through the nozzle 13a, and then injects and sucks a cleaning liquid such as a detergent and cleaning water from the nozzle 13a, and repeats the suction operation a plurality of times, whereby the analysis optical system 12 The inside of the reaction vessel 5 in which the photometry is completed is washed.

  For example, a microcomputer or the like is used as the control unit 15 and is connected to each component of the automatic analyzer 1 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to control the operation thereof, and the amount of light emitted from the light emitting unit 12a. The component concentration of the specimen is analyzed based on the absorbance of the liquid in the reaction container 5 based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 12c. The control unit 15 executes the analysis operation while controlling the operation of each component of the automatic analyzer 1 based on the analysis command input from the input unit 16 such as a keyboard, and inputs the analysis result and warning information as well as the input Various information based on the display command input from the unit 16 is displayed on the display unit 17 such as a display panel.

  The stirring device 20 stirs the liquid held in the reaction vessel 5 by sound waves generated by driving the surface acoustic wave element 23. In addition to the reaction vessel 5, as shown in FIGS. It has a body 21 and a surface acoustic wave element 23.

  The power transmission body 21 is disposed in a position facing the reaction vessel 5 in a horizontal direction at positions facing each other on the outer periphery of the reaction table 4, and power supplied from a high frequency AC power source of about several MHz to several hundred MHz is supplied to the surface acoustic wave element 23. Power to. The power transmission body 21 includes a drive circuit and a controller, and has a brush-like contactor 21a that abuts against an electrical terminal 23d of the surface acoustic wave element 23 as shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the power transmission body 21 is supported by the arrangement determining member 22, and transmits power from the contactor 21 a to the electrical terminal 23 d when the reaction table 4 stops rotating.

  The arrangement determining member 22 moves the power transmission body 21 during power transmission to transmit power from the power transmission body 21 to the electric terminal 23d, and thereby arranges the relative arrangement in the circumferential direction and the radial direction of the reaction table 4 between the power transmission body 21 and the electric terminal 23d. For example, a two-axis stage is used. Specifically, the arrangement determining member 22 stops its operation when the reaction table 4 rotates and power is not transmitted from the power transmission body 21 to the electrical terminal 23d, and the operation is stopped between the power transmission body 21 and the electrical terminal 23d. The distance is kept at a certain distance.

  Then, when the reaction table 4 stops rotating, the arrangement determining member 22 moves the power transmission body 21 under the control of the control unit 15, and the circumference of the reaction table 4 is set so that the power transmission body 21 and the electrical terminal 23d face each other. Adjust the position along the direction and determine the relative placement. Thus, when the reaction table 4 stops rotating, the power transmitting body 21 contacts the electrical terminal 23d with the contact 21a, and transmits power from the contact 21a to the electrical terminal 23d.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the surface acoustic wave element 23 includes, for example, a vibrator 23b made of a plurality of comb-like electrodes (IDT) on one surface of a piezoelectric substrate 23a made of lithium niobate (LiNbO3) or the like. And a sound wave generating means in which an electric terminal 23d as a power receiving means is provided at the end of the bus bar 23c. The vibrator 23 b generates sound waves by the power transmitted from the power transmission body 21. The surface acoustic wave element 23 is attached to the side wall 5a of the reaction vessel 5 through an acoustic matching layer such as an epoxy resin or an ultraviolet curable resin with the vibrator 23b and the electric terminal 23d facing outward.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the surface acoustic wave element 23 is provided with a heat conducting member 24 on the end face 23e of the piezoelectric substrate 23a. Here, the end surface 23e is a discontinuous surface of acoustic impedance in the propagation direction of the sound wave propagating in the piezoelectric substrate 23a.

  The heat conducting member 24 is a member that moves the heat generated by the interference between the sound wave emitted from the surface acoustic wave element 23 and the sound wave reflected by the end face 23e to a position away from the reaction vessel 5, for example, mixed with metal fine particles The synthetic resin used is used. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the end portion of the heat conducting member 24 that is away from the reaction vessel 5 is connected to a machine body constituting the automatic analyzer 1, for example, a bracket 4 a formed on the reaction table 4. . The bracket 4 a is a heat radiating member that radiates heat moved to a position away from the reaction vessel 5 by the heat conducting member 24.

  The automatic analyzer 1 configured as described above operates under the control of the control unit 15, and the reagent dispensing mechanism 6 is supplied to the plurality of reaction containers 5 conveyed along the circumferential direction by the rotating reaction table 4. , 7 sequentially dispenses the reagents from the reagent containers 2a, 3a. In the reaction container 5 into which the reagent has been dispensed, the specimen is dispensed sequentially from the plurality of specimen containers 10 a held in the rack 10 by the specimen dispensing mechanism 11.

  Then, each time the reaction table 4 stops, the reaction container 5 into which the reagent and the sample have been dispensed is sequentially stirred by the stirring device 20 so that the reagent and the sample react, and the reaction table 4 rotates again. Pass through system 12. At this time, the reaction solution in the reaction vessel 5 is photometrically measured by the light receiving unit 12c, and the concentration of the component is analyzed by the control unit 15. Then, after the photometry of the reaction liquid is completed, the reaction container 5 is washed by the washing mechanism 13 and then used again for analyzing the specimen.

  At this time, when the stirring device 20 transmits power from the power transmission body 21 and drives the surface acoustic wave element 23, as shown in FIG. 6, the sound wave (bulk wave) generated by the vibrator 23b is transmitted to the piezoelectric substrate 23a and the side wall. The liquid sample Ls propagates through 5a and enters the liquid sample Ls held in the reaction vessel 5, and an acoustic stream is generated in the liquid sample Ls to stir the liquid sample Ls.

  In this case, the sound wave (bulk wave) generated by the vibrator 23b includes a sound wave WbA that propagates in the piezoelectric substrate 23a while being reflected, a sound wave WbB that propagates in the side wall 5a while being reflected, and a sound wave that enters the liquid sample Ls. There is WbC. Of these sound waves, only the sound wave WbC contributes to the stirring of the liquid sample Ls, and the sound waves WbA and WbB are attenuated by propagating through the piezoelectric substrate 23a and the side wall 5a while being subjected to multiple reflections. 6 omits an acoustic matching layer disposed between the piezoelectric substrate 23a and the side wall 5a, and omits the acoustic matching layer in other drawings used in the following description. ing.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the sound wave WbA propagating in the piezoelectric substrate 23a while being reflected among the sound waves (bulk waves) generated by the vibrator 23b is reflected by the end face 23e serving as a discontinuous surface of the acoustic impedance. . For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, as a result of interference between the sound wave WbA that propagates while reflecting in the piezoelectric substrate 23a and the reflected sound wave WbAR reflected by the end face 24e, the piezoelectric substrate 23a on the propagation path of the sound waves WbA and WbAR. The area Ai generates heat.

  However, in the stirring device 20 of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the heat conducting member 24 is provided on the upper and lower end surfaces 23 e of the piezoelectric substrate 23 a. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, the agitator 20 generates heat in the region Ai close to the upper end face 23e as shown in FIG. It moves to the reaction table 4 through 4a, and does not move to the reaction vessel 5 side. This is the same when the region near the lower end face 23e generates heat.

  As a result, since the automatic analyzer 1 can suppress the thermal influence on the liquid sample Ls held in the reaction vessel 5 by using the stirring device 20, the denaturation of the liquid sample Ls accompanying the temperature rise. Can be avoided, and the analysis accuracy of the specimen is improved.

(Modification 1)
Here, the stirring device 20 can stir the liquid sample even when the surface acoustic wave element 23 is attached to the bottom wall of the reaction vessel 5. In this case, the heat conducting member 24 is provided on the end faces 23e on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the piezoelectric substrate 23a as shown in FIG.

  Even in this case, the stirring device 20 is located at a position away from the reaction vessel 5 by the heat conducting member 24 due to the interference between the sound wave WbA propagating in the piezoelectric substrate 23a and the sound wave reflected by the end face 23e. The thermal influence on the liquid sample Ls held by the reaction vessel 5 can be suppressed.

  Here, if the piezoelectric substrate 23a is processed into an irregular reflection surface by subjecting the end surface 23e, which is a discontinuous surface of acoustic impedance, to chemical treatment with chemicals or physical treatment such as sandblasting in advance, the sound wave that propagates. The heat generation region due to the interference between the sound wave and the irregularly reflected sound wave is closer to the end surface 23e, and it becomes easier to suppress the movement of heat by the heat conducting member 24 and hence the thermal influence on the liquid sample. This also applies to the side wall 5a and the end surface of the bottom wall, which are discontinuous surfaces of the acoustic impedance in the reaction vessel 5, and the same applies to each embodiment described below.

  Moreover, the stirring apparatus of Embodiment 1 demonstrated the case where a bulk wave was used as a sound wave which the surface acoustic wave element 23 radiate | emits. However, the stirring device attaches the surface acoustic wave element 23 to the reaction vessel 5 with the vibrator 23b facing the side wall 5a, stirs the liquid sample Ls held in the reaction vessel 5 by surface acoustic waves (SAW), and conducts heat. The member 24 may move the heat caused by the sound wave interference to suppress the thermal influence on the liquid sample Ls held by the reaction vessel 5.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the stirring device and the automatic analyzer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the stirring device of the first embodiment, the heat conduction member is provided in the surface acoustic wave element, but in the stirring device of the second embodiment, the heat conduction member is provided on the outer wall of the reaction vessel. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a surface acoustic wave device, a reaction vessel equipped with the surface acoustic wave device, and a heat conducting member of the stirring device used in the automatic analyzer according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a main part for explaining the heat transfer by the heat conducting member provided in the reaction vessel shown in FIG. Here, since the automatic analyzer and the stirrer of each embodiment described below use the same basic configuration as the automatic analyzer 1 and the stirrer 20 of the first embodiment, the same components are used. The same reference numerals are used, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the stirrer 25 used in the automatic analyzer of the second embodiment is provided with the surface acoustic wave element 23 on the side wall 5a of the reaction vessel 5, and from the bottom of the side wall 5a to the bottom wall. The heat conducting member 24 is provided in a range extending over. As shown in FIG. 10, the heat conducting member 24 is connected to a heat radiating bracket 4 a formed on the reaction table 4 at the end away from the reaction vessel 5, for example.

  For this reason, in the stirring device 25, heat generated by the interference between the sound wave WbB propagating in the side wall 5a of the reaction vessel 5 and the sound wave reflected by the end face of the lower side wall 5a is shown in FIG. As indicated by an arrow, the reaction table 4 is moved through the bracket 4a. As a result, since the automatic analyzer 1 can suppress the thermal influence on the liquid sample Ls held in the reaction vessel 5 by using the stirring device 25, the denaturation of the liquid sample Ls accompanying the temperature rise. Can be avoided, and the analysis accuracy of the specimen is improved.

  Here, the stirring device 25 can stir the liquid sample even when the surface acoustic wave element 23 is attached to the bottom wall of the reaction vessel 5. In this case, the heat conducting member 24 is provided on the surface extending from the bottom wall located on both sides of the vibrator 23b in the arrangement direction to the lower portion of the side wall 5a.

(Modification 1)
Here, as shown in FIG.11 and FIG.12, the stirring apparatus 25 may provide the heat conductive member 24 in the upper part of the side wall 5a which provided the piezoelectric substrate 23a. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, the heat conducting member 24 connects the end portion away from the reaction vessel 5 to the heat radiating bracket 4a.

  At this time, among the sound waves emitted from the surface acoustic wave element 23, the stirring device 25 reflects the sound wave WbB propagating upward in the side wall 5a while being reflected by the upper end surface of the side wall 5a, as shown in FIG. The reflected sound wave interferes with the sound wave WbB propagating upward, and the vicinity of the upper end surface of the side wall 5a generates heat. However, since the heat conduction member 24 is provided in the upper part of the side wall 5a, the stirring device 25 moves the generated heat to the reaction table 4 via the bracket 4a as indicated by an arrow. As a result, the automatic analyzer 1 can suppress the thermal influence on the liquid sample Ls held in the reaction vessel 5 by using the stirring device 25.

(Modification 2)
Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the stirring device 25 has a liquid sample held in the reaction vessel 5 by surface acoustic waves (SAW) by attaching the surface acoustic wave element 23 to the reaction vessel 5 with the vibrator 23b facing the side wall 5a. Ls may be stirred. In this case, the stirring device 25 is provided with the heat conducting member 24 at the upper and lower portions of the side wall 5a of the reaction vessel 5, and the end of the heat conducting member 24 is connected to the heat radiating bracket 4a.

  At this time, when the agitating device 25 agitates the liquid sample Ls by surface acoustic waves (SAW), the sound wave WaB propagating through the side wall 5a while being reflected interferes with the sound wave reflected by the upper and lower end surfaces of the side wall 5a. The side wall 5a generates heat near the upper and lower end faces. However, since the stirring device 25 is provided with the heat conducting member 24 at the upper and lower portions of the side wall 5a, the heat conducting member 24 moves the generated heat to the reaction table 4 via the bracket 4a. As a result, the automatic analyzer 1 can suppress the thermal influence on the liquid sample Ls held in the reaction vessel 5 by using the stirring device 25.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, a third embodiment of the stirring device and the automatic analyzer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the stirring device of the second embodiment, the heat conduction member is directly provided in the reaction vessel, but in the stirring device of the third embodiment, the heat conduction member is provided in the induction portion formed in the reaction vessel. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a surface acoustic wave element, a reaction vessel to which the surface acoustic wave element is attached, and a heat conduction member of the stirring device used in the automatic analyzer according to the third embodiment.

  The stirring device 30 used in the automatic analyzer of the third embodiment uses a reaction vessel 5A shown in FIG. The reaction vessel 5A is provided with a rim-shaped guiding portion 5e protruding outward from the side wall 5a at the lower portion of the side wall 5a to which the surface acoustic wave element 23 is attached, and a heat conducting member 24 is provided on the outer surface of the guiding portion 5e. Yes. The heat conducting member 24 is connected to the heat radiating bracket 4a at the end away from the reaction vessel 5A. Further, the bottom wall of the reaction vessel 5 </ b> A is formed by the bottom surface member 51.

  Here, the guiding portion 5e is a protruding portion that guides the sound wave WbB (see FIG. 15) propagating in the side wall 5a in a direction away from the reaction vessel 5A, and is formed from the same material as the side wall 5a. The bottom surface member 51 is a quadrangular plate member having an inclined surface that is lowered outward, and is bonded to the lower portion of the side wall 5a by an adhesive layer 52.

  At this time, the reaction vessel 5A has acoustic impedances Z1, Z2, and Z3 of the guiding portion 5e, the bottom member 51, and the adhesive layer 52, λ is the wavelength of the sound wave, and L is the thickness of the adhesive layer 52. Impedances Z1, Z2, and Z3 are set so as to satisfy the following relationship.

Z3 ≠ (Z1 + Z2) / 2
Z1 <Z2 <Z3, or Z3 <Z1 <Z2, or Z2 <Z1 <Z3, or Z3 <Z2 <Z1
L ≠ (λ / 2) · n (n is a natural number)

  However, since the induction | guidance | derivation part 5e and the bottom face member 51 may be the same raw material, the acoustic impedances Z1, Z2, and Z3 should just satisfy | fill the following formula | equation.

Z1 = Z2 <Z3, or Z3 <Z1 = Z2

  When the acoustic impedances Z1, Z2, and Z3 are set as described above, the adhesive layer 52 becomes a boundary portion of the acoustic impedance where the acoustic impedance becomes discontinuous between the guiding portion 5e and the bottom surface member 51, and propagates in the side wall 5a. The reflected sound wave WbB can be reflected and guided to the guiding portion 5e moving away from the reaction vessel 5A.

  Therefore, in the stirring device 30 using the reaction vessel 5A, among the sound waves emitted from the surface acoustic wave element 23, the sound wave WbB propagating in the side wall 5a while reflecting is different in acoustic impedance as shown in FIG. Is reflected on the surface of the adhesive layer 52 and propagates to the guiding portion 5e moving away from the reaction vessel 5A. The sound wave WbB propagated to the guiding part 5e in this way is reflected when reaching the end face of the guiding part 5e, and interferes with the sound wave WbB propagating to the guiding part 5e. Thereby, as for reaction container 5A, the end surface vicinity in the guidance | induction part 5e heat | fever-generates.

  However, the stirring device 30 is provided with the heat conducting member 24 on the outer surface of the guiding portion 5e. For this reason, in the stirring device 30, the heat conduction member 24 moves the generated heat to the reaction table 4 via the bracket 4a. As a result, the automatic analyzer 1 can suppress the thermal influence on the liquid sample Ls held in the reaction vessel 5 by using the stirring device 30.

(Modification 1)
Here, the reaction vessel used in the stirring device 30 is located on the side of the side wall 5a where the guiding portion 53 is provided below the two side walls 5a and the surface acoustic wave element 23 is provided, as in the reaction vessel 5B shown in FIG. The heat conducting member 24 may be provided on the outer surface of the guiding portion 53 to be performed. At this time, the end portion of the heat conducting member 24 away from the reaction vessel 5B is connected to the heat radiating bracket 4a. The guiding portion 53 is a member that guides the sound wave WbB (see FIG. 17) propagating in the side wall 5a in a direction away from the reaction vessel 5B, and has an adhesive surface 53a cut obliquely on one side. In addition, the reaction vessel 5B is formed with an inclined surface 5f inclined on the side surface of the bottom wall 5d corresponding to the bonding surface 53a. In the reaction vessel 5B, the inclined surface 5f and the bonding surface 53a are bonded by the bonding layer 54.

  At this time, the reaction container 5B has acoustic impedances when the acoustic impedances of the side wall 5a, the guiding portion 53, and the adhesive layer 54 are Z1, Z4, and Z3, the wavelength of the sound wave is λ, and the thickness of the adhesive layer 54 is L, respectively. Z1, Z2, and Z3 are set so as to satisfy the following relationship.

Z3 = (Z1 + Z4) / 2
L = (λ / 2) · n (n is a natural number)

  When the acoustic impedances Z1, Z2, and Z3 are set as described above, the adhesive layer 54 becomes a boundary portion of the acoustic impedance where the acoustic impedance is discontinuous between the side wall 5a and the guiding portion 53, and propagates in the side wall 5a. The sound wave WbB can be transmitted and guided away from the reaction vessel 5B.

  By setting as described above, in the stirring device 30 using the reaction vessel 5B, among the sound waves emitted from the surface acoustic wave element 23, as shown in FIG. 17, the sound waves propagating in the side wall 5a while being reflected. WbB passes through the adhesive layer 54 due to the difference in acoustic impedance, and propagates to the guiding portion 53 that moves away from the reaction vessel 5B. The sound wave WbB propagated to the guiding part 53 in this way is reflected when reaching the outer surface of the guiding part 53 and interferes with the sound wave WbB propagating to the guiding part 53. Thereby, as for reaction container 5B, the end surface vicinity in the induction | guidance | derivation part 53 heat | fever-generates.

  However, the stirring device 30 using the reaction vessel 5 </ b> B is provided with the heat conducting member 24 on the outer surface of the guiding portion 53. For this reason, in the stirring device 30, the heat conduction member 24 moves the generated heat to the reaction table 4 via the bracket 4a. As a result, the automatic analyzer 1 can suppress the thermal influence on the liquid sample Ls held in the reaction vessel 5B by using the stirring device 30.

(Modification 2)
Moreover, the reaction container used with the stirring apparatus 30 may provide the recessed part 5g which consists of a semicircular groove | channel between the guidance | induction part 5e and the bottom wall 5d like reaction container 5C shown in FIG. In the reaction vessel 5C, the concave portion 5g serves as an acoustic impedance boundary, and the reflected sound wave WbB (see FIG. 19) propagating in the side wall 5a is reflected and guided to the guiding portion 5e moving away from the reaction vessel 5C.

  Therefore, in the stirring device 30 using the reaction vessel 5C, among the sound waves emitted from the surface acoustic wave element 23, the sound wave WbB propagating in the side wall 5a while reflecting is different in acoustic impedance as shown in FIG. Is reflected by the concave portion 5g and propagates to the guiding portion 5e moving away from the reaction vessel 5C. The sound wave WbB propagated to the guiding part 5e in this way is reflected when reaching the outer surface of the guiding part 5e, and interferes with the sound wave WbB propagating to the guiding part 5e. Thereby, as for reaction container 5A, the end surface vicinity in the guidance | induction part 5e heat | fever-generates.

  However, the stirring device 30 is provided with the heat conducting member 24 on the outer surface of the guiding portion 5e. For this reason, in the stirring device 30, the heat conduction member 24 moves the generated heat to the reaction table 4 via the bracket 4a. As a result, the automatic analyzer 1 can suppress the thermal influence on the liquid sample Ls held in the reaction vessel 5C by using the stirring device 30.

  Here, if the reaction vessel 5C becomes a reflection end face of the sound wave as a boundary portion of the acoustic impedance, the reaction vessel 5C is replaced with a concave portion 5g made of a semicircular groove, as shown in FIG. 20, between the guiding portion 5e and the bottom wall 5d. You may provide the recessed part 5h which consists of a groove | channel of a cross-sectional shape triangle between them. In this case, the sound wave WbB reflected by the inclined surface of the recess 5h and propagated to the guiding part 5e moving away from the reaction vessel 5C is reflected when reaching the outer surface of the guiding part 5e and interferes with the sound wave WbB propagating to the guiding part 5e. . Thereby, as for reaction container 5A, the end surface vicinity in the guidance | induction part 5e heat | fever-generates.

  However, this heat is transferred to the reaction table 4 via the bracket 4a by the heat conducting member 24 provided on the outer surface of the guiding portion 5e. As a result, the automatic analyzer 1 can suppress the thermal influence on the liquid sample Ls held in the reaction vessel 5C by using the stirring device 30.

  Moreover, although the stirring apparatus of Embodiment 3 demonstrated the case where a bulk wave was used as the sound wave which the surface acoustic wave element 23 radiate | emits, the surface acoustic wave element 23 is made the reaction container 5 toward the side wall 5a. The liquid sample Ls held by the reaction vessel 5 is agitated by surface acoustic waves (SAW), and the heat conduction member 24 absorbs the sound wave to suppress the heat generation due to the sound wave interference of the reaction vessel 5C. .

(Embodiment 4)
Next, a fourth embodiment of the stirring device and the automatic analyzer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Although the stirrers of Embodiments 1 to 3 use surface acoustic wave elements as sound wave generating means, the stirrer of Embodiment 4 uses a thickness longitudinal vibrator as sound wave generating means. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing a thickness vertical vibrator, a reaction vessel to which the thickness vertical vibrator is attached, and a heat conduction member of the stirring device used in the automatic analyzer according to the fourth embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the stirring device 40 used in the automatic analyzer of the fourth embodiment uses the same reaction vessel 5 as in the first embodiment, and is provided with a heat conducting member 24 on the upper portion of the side wall 5a. Instead of the surface acoustic wave element 23, a thickness longitudinal vibrator 42 is disposed under the side wall 5 a via a wedge 41. At this time, the heat conducting member 24 is connected to the heat radiating bracket 4 a at the end away from the reaction vessel 5.

  Therefore, in the stirring device 40, among the sound waves emitted from the thickness longitudinal vibrator 42, the sound wave W propagating in the side wall 5a while reflecting is reflected on the upper end surface when reaching the upper part of the side wall 5a as shown in the figure. Interfering with the propagating sound wave W. Thereby, the reaction container 5 generates heat near the upper end surface of the side wall 5a.

  However, this heat is transferred to the reaction table 4 through the bracket 4a by the heat conducting member 24 provided on the upper portion of the side wall 5a. As a result, the automatic analyzer 1 can suppress the thermal influence on the liquid sample Ls held in the reaction vessel 5 by using the stirring device 40.

  In addition, you may use the reaction container used with the stirring apparatus of this invention combining each aspect demonstrated in Embodiment 1-4 suitably.

  In the stirring device of the present invention, the heat generated in the container and the piezoelectric substrate due to the interference of sound waves is moved to the heat radiation bracket 4a formed on the reaction table 4 by the heat conducting member. If it is a machine body, it is not restricted to bracket 4a, For example, you may move to reagent cold storage, a housing, etc., such as reagent tables 2 and 3.

  Furthermore, although the automatic analyzer of the present invention has been described as having two reagent tables 2 and 3, the number of reagent tables may be one. Furthermore, the automatic analyzer of the present invention may include a single automatic analyzer as a unit.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the automatic analyzer of Embodiment 1 provided with the stirring apparatus of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the automatic analyzer of Embodiment 1, and a stirring apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a surface acoustic wave element of a stirring device used in the automatic analyzer of Embodiment 1 and a reaction vessel equipped with the surface acoustic wave element. It is a perspective view which shows the reaction container with which a surface acoustic wave element is attached and is used with the automatic analyzer of Embodiment 1 with a power transmission body. It is a front view which shows the reaction container with which a surface acoustic wave element and a heat conductive member are attached, and is used with the automatic analyzer of Embodiment 1 with the bracket for thermal radiation. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the principal part explaining the movement by the heat conductive member of the heat which generate | occur | produced by interference of the sound wave which the surface acoustic wave element radiate | emitted. It is the A section enlarged view of FIG. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the principal part regarding the modification 1 of the stirring apparatus of Embodiment 1. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the reaction container and heat conduction member which attached the surface acoustic wave element of the stirring apparatus used with the automatic analyzer of Embodiment 2, and the surface acoustic wave element. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the principal part explaining the movement of the heat | fever by the heat conductive member provided in the reaction container shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a front view of a reaction vessel related to Modification 1 of the stirring device according to Embodiment 2. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the principal part of FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a reaction vessel related to Modification 2 of the stirring device according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a surface acoustic wave element, a reaction vessel equipped with a surface acoustic wave element, and a heat conduction member of a stirring device used in the automatic analyzer of Embodiment 3. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the principal part of FIG. 14 explaining the movement by the heat conductive member of the heat | fever generated by interference of the sound wave which the surface acoustic wave element radiate | emitted. It is sectional drawing of the modification 1 of the stirring apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the principal part of FIG. 16 explaining the movement by the heat conductive member of the heat which generate | occur | produced by interference of the sound wave which the surface acoustic wave element radiate | emitted. It is sectional drawing of the modification 2 of the stirring apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which expands and shows the principal part of FIG. 18 explaining the movement by the heat conductive member of the heat | fever produced | generated by the interference of the sound wave which the surface acoustic wave element radiate | emitted. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of Modification 2. FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a thickness longitudinal vibrator, a reaction vessel equipped with a thickness longitudinal vibrator, and a heat conduction member of a stirring device used in the automatic analyzer according to the fourth embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic analyzer 2,3 Reagent table 4 Reaction table 5 Reaction container 5e Guide part 6,7 Reagent dispensing mechanism 8 Specimen container transfer mechanism 9 Feeder 10 Rack 11 Specimen dispensing mechanism 12 Analysis optical system 13 Washing mechanism 15 Control part 16 Input unit 17 Display unit 20 Stirring device 21 Power transmission body 22 Arrangement determining member 23 Surface acoustic wave element 24 Thermal conduction member 25, 30 Stirring device 40 Stirring device 41 Wedge 42 Thickness longitudinal vibrator 51 Bottom surface member 52 Adhesive layer 53 Inducing portion 54 Adhesion layer

Claims (6)

In a stirrer that stirs the liquid held in the container by sound waves,
A sound wave generating means that has a piezoelectric substrate provided in the container and an electrode formed on the piezoelectric substrate, and generates a sound wave for stirring the liquid;
The heat generated by the interference between the sound wave emitted by the sound wave generating means and the sound wave reflected by the discontinuous surface is moved to a position away from the container. A heat conducting member
A stirrer comprising:   The stirrer according to claim 1, wherein the discontinuous surface of the acoustic impedance is an end surface of the piezoelectric substrate or an end surface of the container that intersects a propagation direction of the sound wave. The container is provided with a guiding portion that protrudes from a wall of the container and guides a sound wave propagating through the wall in a direction away from the container by an acoustic impedance boundary,
The stirrer according to claim 1, wherein the heat conducting member is provided on a discontinuous surface of acoustic impedance of the induction unit.   The stirring device according to claim 1, wherein the sound wave generating means is a surface acoustic wave element or a thickness longitudinal vibrator.   An automatic analyzer that analyzes a reaction liquid by stirring a plurality of different liquids and measuring optical characteristics of the reaction liquid, wherein the stirring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is used. An automatic analyzer characterized by using a sample and a reagent to stir and optically analyzing a reaction solution.   The automatic analyzer according to claim 5, further comprising a heat radiating member that radiates heat moved to a position away from the container by the heat conducting member.

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