JP2009121819A - Agitation determination method and analyzing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an agitation determination method which enables the reliable and easy determination of the quality of agitation without having to add a new detection mechanism in an analyzing apparatus provided with an agitating device, and to provide the analyzing apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: In the agitation determination method of the analyzing apparatus for analyzing liquid samples by agitating the liquid samples held in a plurality of containers and measuring optical characteristics of a reacted reaction liquid, the agitation determination method includes a photometric process for agitating a diluent and a determination liquid for agitation determination in the containers and measuring optical characteristics of a diluted determination solution after agitation and a determination process for determining the quality of agitation by comparing a measurement value of measured optical characteristics on each container with a preset reference value. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a stirring determination method and an analysis apparatus.

  Conventionally, an analyzer for analyzing a biological sample such as blood or urine analyzes the component concentration of the biological sample by measuring the optical characteristics of the reaction solution obtained by reacting the specimen made of the biological sample with the reagent. . For this reason, in order for the analyzer to stir the sample and the reagent sufficiently, the sample and the reagent can be reacted in a non-contact manner using a stirrer that directly stirs the sample and the reagent using a stirrer or a sound wave. Various stirring devices such as a stirring device for stirring are used.

  However, a stirrer that directly stirs the specimen and reagent using a stir bar, for example, if the reagent viscosity is large, the stir bar does not reach the target rotational speed, or the stir bar contacts the reaction vessel. There has been a problem that the correct measurement result cannot be obtained due to insufficient agitation due to failure to reach the target rotational speed. For this reason, an automatic analyzer equipped with a system for detecting the quality of stirring by a stirring rod has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-57249 A

  Incidentally, the automatic analyzer disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a separate detection mechanism including a sensor that detects both the rotation speed of the stirring bar and the vertical movement of the stirring bar during stirring. There is a problem that the device configuration of the device becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and in an analyzer equipped with a stirring device, stirring that can reliably and easily determine the quality of stirring without adding a new detection mechanism An object is to provide a determination method and an analysis apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the stirring determination method of the present invention stirs a liquid sample held in a plurality of containers, and measures the optical properties of the reacted reaction liquid. A method for agitating judgment of an analyzer for analyzing a sample, wherein a diluting liquid and a judgment liquid for agitation judgment are agitated in the container, and a photometric step for measuring optical characteristics of the diluted judgment solution after stirring, and a measurement And a determination step of determining whether the stirring is good or not by comparing the measured value of the optical characteristic regarding each container with a preset reference value.

  In the stirring determination method of the present invention, in the above invention, the reference value is determined based on a standard deviation of measured values of the optical properties of the plurality of dilution determination solutions measured for each of the plurality of containers. It is characterized by being.

  In the stirring determination method of the present invention, in the above invention, the reference value is a measured value of an optical characteristic when stirring is appropriately performed for a dilution determination solution having a predetermined dilution rate. .

  In the stirring determination method of the present invention, in the above invention, in the photometry step, the optical measurement may be performed in at least two liquid amounts having different amounts of the dilution determination solution obtained by stirring the dilution liquid and the determination liquid for stirring determination. The determination step determines whether the stirring is good or not for each of the at least two liquid amounts.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the analyzer of the present invention includes a stirring means for stirring the liquid sample held in a plurality of containers, and a reaction solution obtained by stirring and reacting the liquid sample. An optical measuring means for measuring the optical characteristics of the diluted determination solution after stirring the diluted solution dispensed in each container and the determination solution for stirring determination Determining means for determining whether the stirring is good or not based on whether or not the measured value is within a predetermined range with respect to an average value regarding the measured values of the plurality of optical characteristics measured for each of the dilution determination solutions in the plurality of containers. It is characterized by that.

  The stirring determination method of the present invention includes a photometric step in which a diluent and a determination liquid for stirring determination are stirred in a container, and the optical characteristics of the diluted determination solution after stirring are measured, and the optical characteristics of each measured container A determination step of determining whether the stirring is good or not by determining whether the measured value is within a predetermined range with respect to an average value regarding the measured values of the plurality of optical characteristics measured for each of the diluted dye solutions in the plurality of containers, In the analyzer of the present invention, the measured value of the optical property of the dilution determination solution after stirring the diluted solution dispensed in each container and the determination solution for stirring determination is obtained for each of the dilution determination solutions in a plurality of containers. Since there is a judgment means for judging whether the stirring is good or not based on whether or not it is within a predetermined range with respect to the average value regarding the measured values of the plurality of optical characteristics measured for the stirring, without adding a new detection mechanism Surely pass and fail An effect that can be determined in easy.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the stirring determination method and the analysis apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an automatic analyzer equipped with a non-contact stirring type stirring device as an analyzing device of the present invention, and is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a biochemical automatic analyzer that executes the stirring determination method of the present invention. . FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the contact of the power transmission body is brought into contact with the electric terminal of the surface acoustic wave element attached to the cuvette. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the side surface of the cuvette of FIG. 2 together with the surface acoustic wave element. Here, in the embodiment described below, a case where a dye solution is used as a determination solution and the quality of stirring is determined based on the absorbance when the dye solution is diluted with dilution water will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic analyzer 1 includes a rack supply device 2, a reaction unit 4, a first reagent cold storage 7 and a second reagent cold storage 8, an optical measurement unit 14, a control unit 16, and a first stirring device 21. And a second stirring device 25. In the automatic analyzer 1, the sample dispensing device 3 is provided between the rack supply device 2 and the reaction unit 4, and the first reagent dispensing device 5 is disposed between the reaction unit 4 and the first reagent cooler 7. However, a second reagent dispensing device 6 is provided between the reaction unit 4 and the second reagent cold storage 8 respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the rack supply device 2 has a plurality of racks 2a arranged therein, and a sample cup 2b holding a sample is mounted on each rack 2a. The rack supply device 2 sequentially transports the rack 2a along the path indicated by the arrow, and the sample held in each sample cup 2b by the probe 3a of the sample dispensing device 3 is distributed to the cuvette (container) C of the reaction unit 4. Noted.

  Here, an STAT table (not shown) for an emergency sample is arranged in the vicinity of the sample dispensing apparatus 3, and a dye container holding a dye solution is set on the STAT table. Accordingly, the dye solution is dispensed from the dye container to the cuvette (container) C of the reaction unit 4 by the probe 3 a of the sample dispensing device 3. For example, when using a dye solution as a determination solution used for stirring determination, the diluent is an acid solvent obtained by diluting hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, or the like with ion-exchanged water using the dye solution used, or ion-exchanged water. In some cases, the alkaline solvent diluted in (1) is used as a diluent, and the hydrogen ion concentration (pH) of the diluent is selected according to the dye solution to be used.

  Further, the amount of the dye solution dispensed by the sample dispensing device 3 when executing the stirring determination method of the present invention is arbitrary, but the first reagent dispensing device 5 and the second reagent dispensing device 6 dispense. The amount of dilution water to be used is that the total amount of the dye solution and the dilution water dispensed by the first reagent dispensing device 5 is close to the minimum amount of photometry that can be measured (diluted dye solution has the highest concentration), and further the second reagent amount. The total amount of the diluted water dispensed by the pouring device 6 is set so as to be the photometric maximum test volume (diluted dye solution has the lowest concentration). For example, when the amount of the photometric solution in the cuvette C is 150 to 400 μL, the amount of the dye solution dispensed by the sample dispensing device 3 is 1 μL, and the amount of the diluted water dispensed by the first reagent dispensing device 5 is 150 μL. The amount of dilution water dispensed by the second reagent dispensing device 6 is set to 240 μL.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the reaction unit 4 has a heat retaining member 4a and a cuvette wheel 4b. The heat retaining member 4a is disposed inside and outside the cuvette wheel 4b in the radial direction, and a photometric opening 4c is formed at a position corresponding to the optical measuring unit 14. The cuvette wheel 4b rotates while holding a plurality of cuvettes C at a temperature about the body temperature, for example, rotates in one cycle clockwise (1 turn-1 cuvette) / 4 minutes, and in 4 cycles, 1 cuvette rotates clockwise. Rotate minutes.

  Since the first reagent cool box 7 and the second reagent cool box 8 have the same configuration, the first reagent cool box 7 will be described, and the second reagent cool box 8 will be described in detail with reference numerals corresponding to the corresponding components. The detailed explanation is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first reagent cool box 7 is provided with a plurality of reagent bottles 7a holding the first reagent and a dilution water bottle 7b holding dilution water composed of ion-exchanged water. A predetermined reagent or dilution water is dispensed into the cuvette C by the probe 5 a of the apparatus 5. Each of the plurality of reagent bottles 7a is filled with a predetermined reagent corresponding to an inspection item, and an information recording medium (not shown) such as a barcode label for displaying information on the stored reagent is attached to the outer surface. At this time, an information recording medium (not shown) is also attached to the outer surface of the dilution water bottle 7b. In the cuvette C into which the first reagent has been dispensed, the sample and the first reagent are stirred by the first stirring device 21. A reading device 9 that reads information from the information recording medium affixed to each reagent bottle 7 a and dilution water bottle 7 b and outputs the information to the control unit 16 is installed on the outer periphery of the first reagent cooler 7. The reading device 10 reads information from the information recording medium attached to each reagent bottle 8a and dilution water bottle 8b in the second reagent cooler 8.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the optical measurement unit 14 includes a light source 14a and a photometric sensor 14b. The light source 14a emits analysis light for analyzing the reaction solution in the cuvette C in which the reagent and the sample have reacted. The photometric sensor 14b measures the luminous flux emitted from the light source 14a and transmitted through the opening 4c and the reaction solution or diluted dye solution in the cuvette C. The cuvette C in which the reaction solution and the diluted dye solution are photometrically measured in this manner is discarded by the cleaning / drying unit 15 with the reaction solution and the diluted dye solution being sucked therein, and the wash water supplied from the wash water tank. After the inside is cleaned by the above, it is dried by blowing pressurized air. In the cuvette C, a new sample is again dispensed by the probe 3a of the sample dispensing device 3 and used for analysis.

  As the control unit 16, for example, a microcomputer having a storage function for storing the analysis result is used, and the photometric sensor 14b, the bar code label readers 9 and 10, the analysis unit 16a, the input unit 17, the display unit 18, the first The first stirrer 21 and the second stirrer 25 are connected. The control unit 16 controls the operation of each unit of the automatic analyzer 1 and regulates 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. More specifically, the control unit 16 includes an analysis unit 16a and a determination unit 16b.

  The analysis unit 16a analyzes and stores the component concentration of the specimen from the absorbance (optical characteristics) of the reaction liquid of the specimen and the reagent in the cuvette C based on the light quantity signal measured by the photometric sensor 14b. The determination unit 16b determines the quality of stirring based on the absorbance measured for the diluted dye solution in the cuvette C.

  The input unit 17 is a part that performs an operation of inputting the number of samples, examination items, and the like to the control unit 16, and for example, a keyboard or a mouse is used. The display unit 18 displays an analysis content including the analysis result, an alarm including the quality of stirring, and a display panel or the like is used.

  The first stirrer 21 and the second stirrer 25 stir the sample and reagent dispensed in the cuvette C in a non-contact manner by means of sound waves, react them, and dispense them to the cuvette C when judging the quality of the agitation. Stir the dye solution and / or diluted water. In order to perform this non-contact stirring, the heat retaining member 4 a of the reaction unit 4 is open at a portion facing the first stirring device 21 and the second stirring device 25. The cuvette C is set on the cuvette wheel 4b with the surface acoustic wave element 24 attached to the side wall facing outward.

  The operation of the first stirring device 21 and the second stirring device 25 is controlled by the control unit 16 and the configuration is the same, so the first stirring device 21 will be described, and the second stirring device 25 has the same reference numerals for the same components. The description is omitted by attaching.

  The 1st stirring apparatus 21 has the power transmission body 22, the positioning member 23, and the surface acoustic wave element 24, as shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the power transmission body 22 is disposed in a position facing the cuvette C in the horizontal direction at positions facing each other on the outer periphery of the reaction unit 4, and is supplied from a high-frequency AC power source of several MHz to several hundred MHz Is transmitted to the surface acoustic wave element 24. The power transmission body 22 includes a drive circuit and a controller, and has a brush-like contact 22a that abuts on the electrical terminal 24c of the surface acoustic wave element 24 as shown in FIG. And as shown in FIG. 1, the power transmission body 22 is supported by the positioning member 23, and transmits electric power from the contact 22a to the electrical terminal 24c when the rotation of the cuvette wheel 4b is stopped.

  The operation of the positioning member 23 is controlled by the control unit 16, and during power transmission in which power is transmitted from the power transmission body 22 to the electrical terminal 24c, the power transmission body 22 is moved to move around the reaction unit 4 between the power transmission body 22 and the electrical terminal 24c. For adjusting the relative arrangement in the direction and the radial direction, for example, a two-axis stage is used. Specifically, the positioning member 23 stops its operation while the reaction unit 4 rotates, and holds the power transmission body 22 and the electric terminal 24c at a constant distance. And when the reaction table 4 stops, the positioning member 23 will operate | move under control of the control part 16, will move the power transmission body 22, and will adjust a position so that the power transmission body 22 and the electrical terminal 24c may oppose. At the same time, the positioning member 23 transmits power from the power transmitting body 22 to the electric terminal 24c by driving the surface acoustic wave element 24 by bringing the contact 22a and the electric terminal 24c into contact with each other under the control of the control unit 16. To do.

  The surface acoustic wave element 24 is attached to the side wall of the cuvette C, and as shown in FIG. 3, a vibrator 24b made of a comb electrode (IDT) is provided on the surface of the substrate 24a. The vibrator 24b is a sound wave generating unit that converts electric power transmitted from the power transmitting body 22 into surface acoustic waves (ultrasonic waves). The vibrator 24b is connected to an electrical terminal 24c serving as a power receiving means by a conductor circuit 24d. The surface acoustic wave element 24 is attached to the side wall of the cuvette C via the acoustic matching layer with the vibrator 24b, the electric terminal 24c, and the conductor circuit 24d facing outward.

  The automatic analyzer 1 configured as described above operates under the control of the control unit 16 and distributes the first reagent to each of the plurality of cuvettes C conveyed along the circumferential direction by the rotating cuvette wheel 4b. After the first reagent is sequentially dispensed by the injection device 5, the sample is sequentially dispensed from the plurality of sample containers 2 b held in the rack 2 a by the sample dispensing device 3. The second reagent is sequentially dispensed from the reagent container 3a by the second reagent dispensing device 6 into the cuvette C into which the specimen has been dispensed.

  During this time, the cuvette C into which the reagent or sample has been dispensed is used when the reagent or sample is stirred by the first stirrer 21 or the second stirrer 25 each time the cuvette wheel 4b stops and the cuvette wheel 4b rotates again. It passes through the optical measurement unit 14. At this time, the reaction liquid in which the reagent in the cuvette C has reacted with the sample is measured for optical characteristics by the optical measurement unit 14, and the component concentration is determined by the control unit 16 based on the optical signal input from the optical measurement unit 14. Etc. are analyzed. Then, the cuvette C for which the measurement of the reaction solution has been completed is transferred to the washing unit 15 and washed, and then used again for analyzing the specimen.

  At this time, the automatic analyzer 1 determines the quality of stirring for each cuvette, for example, by executing the stirring determination method of the present invention before starting the analysis. Hereinafter, a procedure for adjusting two types of diluted dye solutions by diluting a dye solution as a determination solution for stirring determination with dilution water will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, when execution of agitation determination is input from the input unit 17 to the control unit 16, the control unit 16 firstly dispenses a predetermined amount (for example, 150 μL) of dilution water from the dilution water bottle 7b to the cuvette C. A command signal is output to one reagent dispensing device 5. As a result, the probe 5a dispenses a predetermined amount of dilution water W into the cuvette C as shown in FIG.

  Next, the control unit 16 outputs a command signal to the first stirring device 21 to stir (MIX0) the dilution water W dispensed in the cuvette C, and then outputs a command signal to the optical measurement unit 14. As shown in FIG. 4, the absorbance A0 (background) of the cuvette C holding the dilution water W is measured. Next, the control unit 16 outputs a command signal to the sample dispensing device 3 so as to dispense a predetermined amount (for example, 1 μL) of the dye solution from the dye container of the STAT table to the cuvette C. As a result, the probe 3a dispenses a predetermined amount of the dye liquid Lp into the cuvette C as shown in FIG. Here, as the dye solution, an orange G solution (manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) having an absorbance of about 200 diluted with water was used.

  Thereafter, the control unit 16 outputs a command signal to the first stirring device 21 to stir (MIX1) the diluted water W and the dye solution Lp dispensed in the cuvette C, and dilute as shown in FIG. The dye solution is Lp1. Thereafter, the control unit 16 outputs a command signal to the optical measurement unit 14 to measure the absorbance A1 of the cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp1. Next, the control unit 16 outputs a command signal to the second reagent dispensing device 6 so as to dispense a predetermined amount (for example, 240 μL) of diluted water from the diluted water bottle 8b to the cuvette C. As a result, the probe 6a dispenses a predetermined amount of dilution water W into the cuvette C as shown in FIG.

  Next, the control unit 16 outputs a command signal to the second stirrer 25 to stir (MIX2) the diluted water W and the diluted dye solution Lp1 dispensed in the cuvette C, and dilute as shown in FIG. The dye solution is Lp2. Thereafter, the control unit 16 outputs a command signal to the optical measurement unit 14 to measure the absorbance A2 of the cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp2. After measuring the absorbances A0 to A2 in this way, the controller 16 subtracts the absorbance A0 as the background from the measured absorbances A1 and A2 of the cuvette C to obtain only the diluted dye solutions Lp1 and Lp2 having different concentrations. The value is the corrected absorbance. This calculation is performed by the determination unit 16b.

  At this time, in the automatic analyzer 1, the cuvette wheel 4b rotates while holding the plurality of cuvettes C, for example, while rotating clockwise (1 turn-1 cuvette) / 4 minutes in one cycle, the plurality of cuvettes. The absorbance measurements described above for C are performed in parallel. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the absorbance is measured at a total of 28 photometric points (P0 to P27) over time per cuvette C including the photometry of the absorbance A0. At this time, when the cuvette C to be used is clean and ion exchange water or pure water is used as dilution water, the absorption of the analysis light is very small, and the measurement of optical characteristics can be omitted. It is not always necessary to perform the photometry. However, when the above-mentioned acid solvent or alkaline solvent is used as the diluent, the analysis light is absorbed by the diluted water. Therefore, in order to accurately measure the optical characteristics and judge the quality of the stirring, the absorbance A0 is used. It is preferable to perform photometry.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of measurement of absorbance when the diluted water dispensed in the cuvette C and the dye solution (orange G solution) are well stirred and the judgment unit 16b judges that the stirring is good. Show. In FIG. 5, TM1 indicates the timing when the diluted water W and the dye solution Lp dispensed in the cuvette C are stirred (MIX1) to obtain the diluted dye solution Lp1, and TM2 is re-dispensed with the stirred diluted dye solution Lp1. The timing at which the diluted water W is stirred (MIX2) to obtain a diluted dye solution Lp2 is shown.

  The determination unit 16b calculates the corrected absorbances XH and XL of the photometric points P2 and P13 for each cuvette C based on the absorbances of all the cuvettes C thus measured. The corrected absorbance XH at the photometric point P2 is obtained by subtracting the absorbance (A0) at the photometric point P0 as the background from the absorbance (A2) at the photometric point P2, and the corrected absorbance XL at the photometric point P13 is obtained in the same manner. Then, the determination unit 16b calculates the average value MH, standard deviation SDH, and photometric point P13 of the corrected absorbance (XH) of the photometric point P3 for all the cuvettes C based on the corrected absorbances XH and XL calculated for each cuvette C. The average value ML and standard deviation SDL of the corrected absorbance (XL) are calculated. As a result, an example of calculation results for 160 cuvettes C is shown in Table 1.

  Based on the average values MH and ML and the standard deviations SDH and SDL calculated as described above, the determination unit 16b compares the measured value with a predetermined reference value to determine the quality of the stirring. That is, the determination unit 16b determines whether the corrected absorbance (XH) of the cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp1 is within a predetermined reference value (= MH ± 2SDH) of the average value MH, or the cuvette holding the diluted dye solution Lp2. When the corrected absorbance (XL) of C is within the predetermined reference value (= ML ± 2SDL) of the average value ML, it was determined that the stirring was good and exceeded the predetermined reference value (= MH ± 2SDH, ML ± 2SDL) In this case, it is determined that the stirring is poor. This predetermined range is shown in Table 2.

  Here, the dilution dispensed in the cuvette C is not performed when the stirring of the dilution water W and the dye liquid Lp dispensed in the cuvette C (MIX1) and the stirring of the dilution water W and the dye solution Lp1 (MIX2) are not performed. An example of the measurement of absorbance when the water W and the dye liquid Lp are stirred (MIX1) but not the diluted water W and the diluted dye solution Lp1 (MIX2) is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows an example of absorbance measurement in the case of MIX2). Further, among the measurement examples of absorbance shown in FIG. 6, an enlarged measurement example of absorbance at photometric points P0 to P11 is shown in FIG. 7, and an enlarged measurement example of absorbance at photometric points P12 to P27 is shown in FIG. Shown in

  As is apparent from the results shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when the measurement is performed at the next photometry points P2 and P13 with one photometry point P1 and P12 immediately after the agitation (MIX1, MIX2), the case where the agitation is good and poor It can be seen that the difference in absorbance due to the difference in the case is expressed, and it is preferable to measure the absorbance immediately after stirring.

  At this time, the determination procedure performed by the determination unit 16b for all the cuvettes C (total 160) will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Here, out of a total of 160 cuvettes C, the corrected absorbance of each cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp1 is XHn, and the corrected absorbance of the cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp2 is XLn (n = 1 to 160). Natural number).

  The determination unit 16b first determines whether or not the corrected absorbance XHn is within a predetermined reference value (= MH ± 2SDH) of the average value MH for each cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp1, that is, XHn ≦ | MH ± 2SDH | Is determined (step S100). When the determination result is negative (step S100, No), the cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp1 has a corrected absorbance XHn that exceeds the allowable range, and the stirring is poor. Therefore, the determination unit 16b outputs a command signal to the display unit 18 so that the identification number of the cuvette C is displayed as an error (step S102).

  On the other hand, when the determination result is affirmative (step S100, Yes), the cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp1 has the corrected absorbance XHn within the allowable range and is well stirred. Therefore, the determination unit 16b determines whether or not the corrected absorbance XLn is within a predetermined reference value (ML ± 2SDL) for each cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp2, that is, whether XLn ≦ | ML ± 2SDL | Determination is made (step S104).

  If the determination result is negative (No at Step S104), the corrected absorbance XLn of the cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp2 exceeds the allowable range, and the stirring is poor. Therefore, the determination unit 16b outputs a command signal to the display unit 18 so that the identification number of the cuvette C is displayed as an error (step S102).

  On the other hand, when the determination result is affirmative (step S104, Yes), the cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp2 has a corrected absorbance XLn within an allowable range and is well stirred. The determination unit 16b determines whether or not the corrected absorbances XHn and XLn (n = 1 to 160) are within the allowable range for all the cuvettes C in this way, and then ends the determination.

  As is clear from the above description, according to the stirring determination method and the automatic analyzer 1 of the present invention, the quality of stirring is determined based on whether or not the measured absorbance value is within a predetermined reference value. For this reason, the stirring determination method and the automatic analyzer 1 according to the present invention can use the optical measurement unit 14 that is inherently mounted on the automatic analyzer 1, so that stirring is not performed without adding a new detection mechanism. Can be reliably and easily determined.

  In the above-described embodiment, the automatic analyzer equipped with the non-contact stirring type stirring device has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the stirring determination method and the analysis device of the present invention use a stirring bar. The present invention can also be applied to the automatic analyzer 20 equipped with a stirring type stirring device.

  In the automatic analyzer 20, a first stirring device 11 and a second stirring device 12 of a contact stirring method are arranged instead of the first stirring device 21 and the second stirring device 25. Here, the stirring device 11 is normally used for stirring the first reagent and the specimen, and the stirring device 12 is used for stirring when the second reagent is further dispensed. That is, the first stirrer 11 and the second stirrer 12 stir the specimen or reagent dispensed in the cuvette C with the stirring bars 11a and 11b or the stirring bar 12a. When determining the quality of stirring, the stirring bar 11a is used for stirring the dilution water (MIX0), and the stirring bar 11b is used for stirring the cleaning water and the dye solution (MIX1). The stirring rod 12a is used for stirring the cleaning water and the diluted dye solution (MIX2).

  Here, the cuvette C has a surface acoustic wave element 24 attached to each cuvette. For this reason, the stirring performance of the first stirring device 21 and the second stirring device 25 of the non-contact stirring method differs for each cuvette C. For this reason, the automatic analyzer 1 equipped with the first stirrer 21 and the second stirrer 25 needs to determine the quality of stirring for all the cuvettes C.

  On the other hand, since the 1st stirring apparatus 11 and the 2nd stirring apparatus 12 are mechanical stirring apparatuses using a stirring rod, even if cuvette C differs, stirring performance does not change a lot. For this reason, the automatic analyzer 20 equipped with the first stirrer 11 and the second stirrer 12 measures the optical characteristics of the diluted determination solution after stirring for some cuvettes C, for example, five cuvettes. Then, these measured values are compared with a reference value which is a measured value of optical characteristics when the dye solution having a predetermined dilution ratio previously stored in the control unit 16 as reference data is appropriately stirred. Thus, the quality of stirring is determined.

  However, the automatic analyzer 1 equipped with the non-contact stirring type first stirring device 21 and the second stirring device 25 applies the stirring determination method of the present invention, without taking out the cuvette C from the cuvette wheel 4b. With the cuvette C set to 4b, there is an advantage that the quality of stirring can be easily determined as part of the analysis work for each cuvette C.

  In the above stirring determination method, the quality of stirring was determined based on the measured absorbance when the diluted dye solutions Lp1 and Lp2 having different concentrations were measured. When either one of the diluted dye solutions was measured, The quality of the stirring may be determined based on the measured value of the absorbance. In addition, if it is possible to dilute with dilution water and the optical characteristics can be measured, the determination liquid for stirring determination may be replaced with a dye liquid, and a calibrator or the like corresponding to the sample may be used. Good.

  In the above-described stirring determination method, twice the standard deviation (2SD) is used in the determination of the quality of stirring. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the standard deviation is three times (3SD) or the standard deviation. The constants set in and may be used. For example, the determination unit 16b determines that the difference (XH−XL) between the corrected absorbance (XH) of the cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp1 and the corrected absorbance (XL) of the cuvette C holding the diluted dye solution Lp2 is all. When the average value M (HL) of the difference (XH-XL) of cuvettes C (total 160) is within the range of (M (HL) ± K) (K is a constant), the stirring is judged to be good. , (MH-L ± K) may be determined to be poor stirring when the range is exceeded. Here, K is a constant set based on the standard deviation.

  Further, in the case of displaying an error, in the case of the automatic analyzer 1, the determination unit 16b sets the use stop so that the cuvette C having the identification number displayed as an error is not used in the subsequent analysis work, or the error display is performed. At the same time, an indication that the cuvette C should be replaced may be displayed. On the other hand, in the case of the automatic analyzer 20, the determination unit 16b displays that the stirrer of the first stirrer 11 or the second stirrer 12 that has failed to stir should be replaced.

  In addition, the measurement value and threshold value of the optical characteristics when the stirring is appropriately performed for the dye solution having a predetermined dilution rate are stored in advance as reference data in the control unit, and the determination liquid and the dilution liquid for stirring determination are stored. The measured value of the optical characteristic obtained by stirring may be compared with reference data, and the quality of stirring may be determined based on the threshold value.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the automatic analyzer which mounts the stirring apparatus of a non-contact stirring system as an analyzer of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the state which contacted the electrical contact of the surface acoustic wave element with which the contactor of the power transmission body was attached to the cuvette. It is a side view which shows the side surface of the cuvette of FIG. 2 with a surface acoustic wave element. It is a figure explaining the procedure which adjusts two types of dilution determination solutions by diluting the determination liquid for stirring determination with dilution water. It is a figure which shows an example of the measurement example of the light absorbency when stirring with the dilution water and the pigment | dye solution dispensed to the cuvette is performed favorably, and it determines with a determination part being good. It is a figure which shows the measurement example of the light absorbency when not stirring with the measurement example of the light absorbency when stirring shown in FIG. It is the figure which expanded the measurement example of the light absorbency of photometry point P0-P11 among the measurement examples of the light absorbency shown in FIG. It is the figure which expanded the measurement example of the light absorbency of the photometry point P12-P27 among the measurement examples of the light absorbency shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the determination procedure which a determination part performs. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a biochemical automatic analyzer that performs an agitation determination method according to the present invention, which is an automatic analyzer equipped with a contact agitation type agitation device using a stirring rod as an analyzer of the present invention. .

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic analyzer 2 Rack supply device 3 Sample dispensing device 4 Reaction part 5 First reagent dispensing device 6 Second reagent dispensing device 7 First reagent cold storage 8 Second reagent cold storage 9,10 Reader 11 First Stirrer 12 Second stirrer 14 Optical measurement unit 15 Cleaning / drying unit 16 Control unit 16b Determination unit 17 Input unit 18 Display unit 20 Automatic analyzer 21, 25 Stirrer 22 Power transmission unit 23 Positioning member 24 Surface acoustic wave device C Cuvette

Claims (5)

A stirring determination method for an analyzer that stirs a liquid sample held in a plurality of containers and analyzes the liquid sample by measuring optical characteristics of the reacted reaction solution,
A photometric step of stirring the dilution liquid and the determination liquid for stirring determination in the container, and measuring the optical characteristics of the diluted determination solution after stirring;
A determination step of determining the quality of stirring by comparing the measured value of the optical property for each measured container with a preset reference value;
The stirring determination method characterized by including.   2. The stirring determination according to claim 1, wherein the reference value is determined based on a standard deviation of measured values of the optical characteristics of a plurality of dilution determination solutions measured for each of the plurality of containers. Method.   The stirring determination method according to claim 1, wherein the reference value is a measured value of optical characteristics when stirring is appropriately performed for a dilution determination solution having a predetermined dilution rate. In the photometric step, the optical characteristics are measured in at least two liquid amounts different in the amount of the dilution determination solution obtained by stirring the dilution liquid and the determination liquid for stirring determination.
The stirring determination method according to claim 1, wherein the determination step determines whether the stirring is good or not for each of the at least two liquid amounts. An analyzer comprising: stirring means for stirring liquid samples held in a plurality of containers; and optical measuring means for measuring optical characteristics of a reaction liquid that has been stirred and reacted with the liquid samples,
Judgment to determine the quality of stirring by comparing the measured value of the optical property of the dilution determination solution after stirring the dilution solution dispensed in each container and the determination liquid for stirring determination with a preset reference value An analyzer characterized by comprising means.

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