JP2010038578A - Automatic analyzing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To grasp dispensation accuracy of a dispensation mechanism reliably in a short time, and to perform highly-accurate analysis processing. <P>SOLUTION: An automatic analyzing apparatus 1 for dispensing a specimen and a reagent into a reaction container 24 by a specimen dispensation mechanism 12 and a first reagent dispensation mechanism 17, measuring an absorbance of reaction liquid reacted in the reaction container 24, and analyzing the specimen, includes a photometric part 22 for measuring each absorbance to the liquid in each reaction container 24, acquired by dispensing pigment liquid and dilution liquid into a prescribed number of reaction containers 24 by the specimen dispensation mechanism 12 and the first reagent dispensation mechanism 17 after removing clogging in a dispensation nozzle; a calculation part 34b for calculating the degree of dispersion of each absorbance measured by the photometric part 22; and a dispensation accuracy determination part 34c for determining that the dispensation accuracy of the specimen dispensation mechanism 12 is normal, when the degree of dispersion calculated by the calculation part 34b is within a set range. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer that analyzes a sample by dispensing a sample and a reagent into a reaction vessel and measuring the absorbance of a reaction solution generated in the reaction vessel.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an automatic analyzer that analyzes a sample by dispensing a sample and a reagent into a reaction container and measuring the absorbance of a reaction solution generated in the reaction container is known. This automatic analyzer includes a dispensing mechanism realized by a dispensing nozzle, a dispensing pump, or the like in order to dispense a sample or a reagent.

  In such a dispensing mechanism, a solid substance such as fibrin of the sample is clogged in the dispensing nozzle during the analysis, so that the sample may not be dispensed into the reaction container at a specified liquid amount. For this reason, this dispensing mechanism is provided with a pressure sensor between the dispensing nozzle and the dispensing pump, and based on the information detected by this pressure sensor, whether or not there is a nozzle clogging in the dispensing nozzle. Judgment means for judging is provided. When this determination means determines that the nozzle is clogged in the dispensing nozzle, in order to eliminate the nozzle clogging in the dispensing nozzle, the dispensing nozzle is temporarily stopped and the inside of the dispensing nozzle is washed. There is known an automatic analyzer equipped with a dispensing mechanism that eliminates nozzle clogging inside and then resumes dispensing (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-063240 A

  However, in the automatic analyzer described in Patent Document 1, when the nozzle is clogged, it is assumed that the nozzle clogging has been eliminated by washing the dispensing nozzle, and then the dispensing process is performed. Since it has not been confirmed whether clogging has been reliably eliminated, there are cases where nozzle clogging has not been completely eliminated. In the case where such nozzle clogging cannot be completely eliminated, there is a problem that the dispensing amount varies and a highly accurate analysis result cannot be obtained. On the other hand, if it is attempted to confirm whether or not nozzle clogging has been completely eliminated, an apparatus for that purpose is required, and there is a problem that it takes a lot of time and labor.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides an automatic analyzer capable of performing a highly accurate analysis process by reliably and quickly grasping a nozzle clogging state of a dispensing nozzle. With the goal.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention includes a dispensing mechanism that cleans the inside of the dispensing nozzle and eliminates the nozzle clogging when the nozzle is clogged. In the automatic analyzer that analyzes the sample by dispensing the sample and the reagent into the reaction container by the dispensing mechanism and measuring the absorbance of the reaction solution that reacts in the reaction container, after eliminating the nozzle clogging, Dispensing means for dispensing a dye solution and a diluent into a plurality of reaction containers using the dispensing mechanism, respectively, and measuring each absorbance for the liquid in the plurality of reaction containers dispensed by the dispensing means Measuring means, a calculating means for calculating the degree of dispersion of each absorbance measured by the measuring means, and when the degree of dispersion calculated by the calculating means is within a set range, the dispensing accuracy by the dispensing mechanism is normal. Judging that there is Characterized by comprising a means.

  Moreover, the automatic analyzer according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, a dye solution storage unit for storing the dye solution is provided on the movement locus of the dispensing mechanism.

  Moreover, the automatic analyzer according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, a diluent storage section for storing the diluent is provided on the movement locus of the dispensing mechanism.

  According to the present invention, after eliminating the nozzle clogging of the dispensing nozzle, the respective absorbances for a plurality of reaction containers into which the dye solution and the diluent have been dispensed are measured, and the dispersion of each measured absorbance is calculated, and the calculated dispersion Is within the set range, it is determined that the dispensing accuracy of the dispensing mechanism is normal, so the dispensing accuracy of the dispensing mechanism can be grasped reliably and in a short time, and high-precision analysis processing can be performed. It can be carried out.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an automatic analyzer according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of an automatic analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic analyzer 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention dispenses a first reagent, a sample to be analyzed, and a second reagent into a reaction vessel 24, and these first reagent and sample. And the measurement mechanism 2 for reacting the second reagent in the reaction vessel 24 and measuring the absorbance of the reaction solution, and the entire automatic analyzer 1 including the measurement mechanism 2 is controlled and the measurement result in the measurement mechanism 2 is analyzed. And a control mechanism 3 for performing The automatic analyzer 1 automatically analyzes a plurality of specimens by the cooperation of these two mechanisms.

  First, the measurement mechanism 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the measurement mechanism 2 includes a sample transport mechanism 11 that sequentially transports a sample rack 11b holding a plurality of sample containers 11a containing a sample such as blood or urine, in the direction of the arrow in the figure. , A sample dispensing mechanism 12 that sucks a sample from the sample container 11a of the sample transfer mechanism 11 and discharges the sample into the reaction container 24 for dispensing, and dispensing, stirring, and photometry of the sample and the reagent into the reaction container 24 And a reaction table 13 for transferring the reaction container 24 to a predetermined position for cleaning, and a first reagent container 15 for storing a plurality of reagent containers 16 storing the first reagent dispensed in the reaction container 24; The first reagent dispensing mechanism 17 for aspirating the first reagent from the reagent container 16 in the first reagent container 15 and discharging the first reagent into the reaction container 24 to perform dispensing, and dispensing into the reaction container 24 A plurality of reagent containers 19 containing the second reagent to be stored A second reagent storage 18 that accommodates, and a second reagent dispensing mechanism 20 that sucks the second reagent from the reagent container 19 in the second reagent storage 18 and discharges the second reagent into the reaction container 24 to perform dispensing. The first stirring unit 14 and the second stirring unit 21 that stir the liquid dispensed into the reaction vessel 24, the photometric unit 22 that measures the absorbance of the liquid dispensed into the reaction vessel 24, and the measurement by the photometric unit 22 Of the reaction vessel 24 that has been completed, the dye solution storage unit 25 that is provided on the movement locus of the sample dispensing mechanism 12 and stores the dye solution, and the first reagent dispensing mechanism 17 And a diluent storage unit 26 provided on the movement locus and storing the diluent.

  As the dye solution, for example, acid red or the like is used, as long as it can be detected in the wavelength range (340 to 800 nm) of the analysis light by the photometry unit 22. Moreover, the density | concentration of a pigment solution should just enter into the measurable range by the photometry part 22 after considering the liquid volume of a dilution liquid. As the diluting solution, ion-exchanged water or distilled water is used, and this diluting solution is diluted so that the concentration of the dye solution is within the photometric range of the photometric unit 22.

  Next, the control mechanism 3 will be described. The control mechanism 3 includes a control unit 31, an input unit 32, an analysis unit 33, a self-diagnosis determination unit 34, a storage unit 35, an output unit 36, and a transmission / reception unit 37. These units included in the measurement mechanism 2 and the control mechanism 3 are connected to the control unit 31.

  The control unit 31 is realized by a CPU or the like, and controls processing and operation of each unit of the automatic analyzer 1. The control unit 31 performs predetermined input / output control on information input / output to / from each of these components, and performs predetermined information processing on this information.

  The input unit 32 is realized by a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel having an input / output function, and the like, and acquires various information necessary for analyzing a sample, instruction information for analysis operation, and the like from the outside. The input unit 32 acquires and transmits instruction information to the control unit 31 via a communication network (not shown).

  The analysis unit 33 performs component analysis of the specimen based on the measurement result of the absorbance measured by the photometry unit 22.

  The self-diagnosis determination unit 34 includes a clogging determination unit 34a, a calculation unit 34b, and a dispensing accuracy determination unit 34c. The clogging determination unit 34a determines whether there is a nozzle clogging in the dispensing nozzle 41 based on information detected by the pressure sensor 48. When there is nozzle clogging, the calculation unit 34b calculates the degree of dispersion of each absorbance of the mixture of the diluted solution and the dye solution dispensed in the plurality of reaction vessels 24. The dispensing accuracy determination unit 34c determines that the dispensing accuracy of the sample dispensing mechanism 12 is normal when the degree of dispersion calculated by the calculation unit 34b is within a predetermined range. The degree of dispersion is, for example, a coefficient of variation (CV) that is a percentage of a value obtained by dividing a standard deviation by an average value.

  The storage unit 35 is realized by using a hard disk that magnetically stores information and a memory that electrically loads various programs related to the process from the hard disk when the automatic analyzer 1 executes the process. Various information including the analysis result of the specimen is stored. The storage unit 35 may include an auxiliary storage device that can read information stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a PC card.

  The output unit 36 is realized by a display, a printer, a speaker, and the like, and outputs various information including the analysis result of the sample. When the self-diagnosis determination unit 34 determines that nozzle clogging has occurred in the dispensing nozzle 41 of the sample dispensing mechanism 12, the output unit 36 notifies the sample dispensing mechanism 12 that an abnormality has occurred. In addition, when the self-diagnosis determination unit 34 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the dispensing accuracy of the sample dispensing mechanism 12, the output unit 36 notifies the sample dispensing mechanism 12 that an abnormality has occurred.

  The transmission / reception unit 37 has a function as an interface for transmitting / receiving information according to a predetermined format via a communication network (not shown).

  In the automatic analyzer 1 configured as described above, after the first reagent dispensing mechanism 17 dispenses the reagent in the reagent container 16 to the plurality of reaction containers 24 that are sequentially transported in a row, The dispensing mechanism 12 dispenses the sample in the sample container 11a, and the second reagent dispensing mechanism 20 dispenses the reagent in the reagent container 19. Further, the photometry unit 22 measures the absorbance of the reaction solution in a state where the first reagent, the sample, and the second reagent are reacted, and the analysis unit 33 analyzes the measurement result, so that the component analysis of the sample is automatically performed. To be done. In addition, the cleaning unit 23 cleans the reaction container 24 that is transported after the measurement by the photometry unit 22 is completed, and reuses the reaction container 24. While reusing the reaction container 24, the above-described series of analysis operations are repeated.

  Next, the sample dispensing mechanism 12 shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the specimen dispensing mechanism 12 used in the embodiment of the present invention. The sample dispensing mechanism 12 includes a dispensing nozzle 41, a dispensing pump 46, a pressure sensor 48, and a washing water pump 50, as shown in FIG.

  The dispensing nozzle 41 is made of a rod-like tube made of stainless steel or the like, and is attached to the arm 42. The arm 42 is operated by the drive of the drive unit 43, and is centered on the vertical axis O passing through the connecting unit 44 through the connecting unit 44 that connects the arm 42 and the driving unit 43. Rotate freely.

  The dispensing pump 46 is realized by a syringe pump, and is connected to a dispensing nozzle 41, a pressure sensor 48 for detecting the pressure in the piping 45, and an electromagnetic valve 49 for adjusting the flow rate of the washing water Wa via the piping 45. Has been. The dispensing pump 46 aspirates the sample into the dispensing nozzle 41 by the reciprocating movement of the plunger 46 a by the plunger driving unit 47 and discharges the sample sucked into the reaction container 24 to perform dispensing. The plunger drive unit 47 limits the amount of movement of the plunger 46 a under the control of the control unit 31. Another pipe 52 is connected to the electromagnetic valve 49, and the other end of the pipe 52 is connected to a cleaning water pump 50 that supplies the cleaning water Wa. Further, another pipe 53 is connected to the cleaning water pump 50, and the other end of the pipe 53 reaches a cleaning water tank 51 that stores the cleaning water Wa. The pressure sensor 48 detects the pressure in the pipe 45 and outputs the detected information to the control unit 31.

  The washing water pump 50 sucks up the washing water Wa stored in the washing water tank 51 and supplies the washing water Wa into the pipe 45 through an electromagnetic valve 49 provided between the washing water pump 51 and the pressure sensor 48. Here, the electromagnetic valve 49 is opened when the suctioned wash water Wa is supplied into the pipe 45 under the control of the control unit 31, and the dispensing nozzle 41 sucks or discharges the sample by the dispensing pump 46. If you do, it will be closed. The washing water Wa is an incompressible fluid such as deionized ion exchange water or distilled water.

  The first reagent dispensing mechanism 17 and the second reagent dispensing mechanism 20 have the same configuration as the sample dispensing mechanism 12, operate under the control of the control unit 31, and operate with the first reagent and the second reagent. Dispensing reagent aspirate or dispense.

  Here, the self-diagnosis determination processing procedure of the sample dispensing mechanism 12 by the self-diagnosis determination unit 34 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the clogging determination unit 34a determines whether or not the dispensing nozzle 41 is clogged based on information detected by the pressure sensor 48 when the sample dispensing mechanism 12 dispenses (step S101). ). When it is determined that there is no nozzle clogging in the dispensing nozzle 41 (step S101: No), the process proceeds to step S101, and this determination process is repeated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the dispensing nozzle 41 is clogged (step S101: Yes), a cleaning process for the dispensing nozzle 41 is executed via the control unit 31 (step S102). In the cleaning process of the dispensing nozzle 41, a predetermined amount of the cleaning water Wa filled in the dispensing flow path in which the dispensing nozzle 41 and the dispensing pump 46 are connected by the pipe 45 is discharged from the dispensing nozzle 41. Executed by. Due to the washing process of the dispensing nozzle 41, the dispensing nozzle 41 is clogged, for example, solid matter such as fibrin of the specimen is discharged together with the washing water Wa.

  Thereafter, the clogging determination unit 34a determines again whether or not the dispensing nozzle 41 is clogged (step S103). If it is determined that the dispensing nozzle 41 is clogged (step S103: Yes), since the dispensing nozzle 41 has already been cleaned, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the sample dispensing mechanism 12 itself. Then, an abnormality is notified from the output unit 36 that an abnormality has occurred in the sample dispensing mechanism 12 (step S112), and the process proceeds to step S113.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no nozzle clogging in the dispensing nozzle 41 (step S103: No), the self-diagnosis determination unit 34 determines whether or not the dispensing accuracy determination process to be performed when nozzle clogging has been set. Determination is made (step S104). When the dispensing accuracy determination process is not set (step S104: No), the process proceeds to step S113. On the other hand, when the dispensing accuracy determination process is set (step S104: Yes), the self-diagnosis determination unit 34 acquires a setting item from the storage unit 35 (step S105). In this setting item, the amount of dispensing performed by the sample dispensing mechanism 12 during the dispensing accuracy determination process, the number of times of dispensing, and the range of dispersion as a determination criterion are set in advance. Specifically, the dispensing amount is set to 1 μl, the number of dispensings is 10 times, and the dispersity is set to a range of 2.0%.

  Thereafter, the self-diagnosis determination unit 34 sucks the dye solution stored in the dye solution storage unit 25 by the sample dispensing mechanism 12 via the control unit 31 based on the acquired setting item, and this sucked dye The liquid is dispensed into the reaction vessel 24 (step S106). Further, the self-diagnosis determination unit 34 sucks the diluent stored in the diluent storage unit 26 by the first reagent dispensing mechanism 17 via the control unit 31 based on the acquired setting item. The sucked diluted solution is dispensed into the reaction container 24 into which the dye solution has been dispensed (step S107). Thereafter, the self-diagnosis determination unit 34 causes the photometry unit 22 to perform photometry processing on the reaction container 24 into which the dye solution and the diluent have been dispensed via the control unit 31 (step S108). Determines whether or not the number of dispensing is equal to or greater than the set number set in the setting item (step S109). If the number of times of dispensing is not equal to or greater than the set number of times (step S109: No), the process proceeds to step S106, and the processes of dispensing and photometry in steps S106 to S108 described above are repeated.

  On the other hand, when the number of times of dispensing is equal to or greater than the set number of times (step S109: Yes), the calculation unit 34b acquires the absorbance of each reaction container 24 into which the dye solution and the diluent have been dispensed from the storage unit 35, The degree of dispersion is calculated on the basis of each acquired absorbance (step S110).

  Thereafter, the dispensing accuracy determination unit 34c determines whether or not the degree of dispersion calculated by the calculation unit 34b is within the set range (step S111). When it is within the setting range (step S111: Yes), the process proceeds to step S113. On the other hand, when it is not within the set range (step S111: No), the control unit 31 is caused to notify the output unit 36 that the dispensing nozzle 41 is abnormal (step S112).

  Thereafter, the self-diagnosis determination unit 34 determines whether or not an analysis end instruction has been received from the control unit 31 (step S113). If no analysis end instruction has been received (step S113: No), the process proceeds to step S101. When the above-described process is repeated and an instruction to end the analysis is received (step S113: Yes), this process ends.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, after eliminating the nozzle clogging of the dispensing nozzle 41, each absorbance is measured with respect to a predetermined number of reaction vessels 24 into which the dye solution and the diluent are dispensed, and the degree of dispersion of each absorbance is measured. Since the dispensing accuracy of the sample dispensing mechanism 12 is determined by calculating, the dispensing accuracy of the dispensing mechanism can be grasped reliably and in a short time, and a highly accurate analysis process can be performed. .

  In the above-described embodiment, it is not necessary to react the sample and the reagent as in the normal accuracy check process using the standard sample. Therefore, the sample and the reagent can be saved and the cost can be reduced. It is possible to easily check the accuracy of the injection.

  In the above-described embodiment, the determination of the analysis accuracy of the sample dispensing mechanism 12 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first reagent dispensing mechanism 17 and the second reagent dispensing mechanism 20 are described above. By performing the self-diagnosis determination process, the dispensing accuracy of the first reagent dispensing mechanism 17 and the second reagent dispensing mechanism 20 can be confirmed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the dispensing accuracy of one set dispensing amount performed by the sample dispensing mechanism 12 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of set dispensing amounts are set, and this set dispensing amount is set. The dispensing accuracy may be determined every time. Thereby, the dispensing accuracy of the sample dispensing mechanism 12 can be grasped more accurately, and a highly accurate analysis result can be obtained.

  In the above-described embodiment, the diluent is stored in the diluent storage unit 26. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the diluent may be stored in the reagent container 16 of the first reagent storage 15. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide the diluent storage unit 26 separately, so that the automatic analyzer 1 can be made compact.

  In the above-described embodiment, the washing water Wa in the specimen dispensing mechanism 12 may be used instead of the diluent. In short, it is only necessary to dilute the dye solution dispensed in the reaction container 24, and the washing water Wa may be discharged to the reaction container 24 together with the dye solution sucked by the sample dispensing mechanism 12. Thereby, since the dispensing operation of the dye solution and the diluent can be performed at a time, the determination process of the dispensing accuracy of the sample dispensing mechanism 12 can be further simplified, and the diluent container 26 is not provided. Therefore, downsizing of the automatic analyzer 1 can be promoted.

It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of an automatic analyzer. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a sample dispensing mechanism. It is a flowchart which shows the self-diagnosis determination processing procedure by a self-diagnosis determination part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic analyzer 2 Measurement mechanism 3 Control mechanism 11 Specimen transfer mechanism 11a Specimen container 11b Specimen rack 12 Specimen dispensing mechanism 13 Reaction table 14 1st stirring part 15 1st reagent storage 16, 19 Reagent container 17 1st reagent dispensing mechanism 18 Second reagent storage 19 Reagent container 20 Second reagent dispensing mechanism 21 Second stirring unit 22 Photometric unit 23 Washing unit 24 Reaction vessel 25 Dye solution storage unit 26 Diluent solution storage unit 31 Control unit 32 Input unit 33 Analysis unit 34 Self Diagnosis determination section 34a Clogging determination section 34b Calculation section 34c Dispensing accuracy determination section 35 Storage section 36 Output section 37 Transmission / reception section 41 Dispensing nozzle 42 Arm 43 Drive section 44 Connecting section 45, 52, 53 Piping 46 Dispensing pump 46a Plunger 47 Plunger drive part 48 Pressure sensor 49 Solenoid valve 50 Washing water pump 51 Washing water tank Wa Washing Water

Claims (3)

When nozzle clogging occurs in the dispensing nozzle, the dispensing nozzle is provided with a dispensing mechanism for cleaning the inside of the dispensing nozzle to eliminate nozzle clogging, and dispensing the sample and the reagent into the reaction container by the dispensing mechanism, In an automatic analyzer that analyzes the sample by measuring the absorbance of the reaction solution that reacts in the reaction vessel,
Dispensing means for dispensing the dye solution and the diluted solution into a plurality of reaction containers, respectively, using the dispensing mechanism after eliminating the nozzle clogging;
Measuring means for measuring the absorbance of the liquid in the plurality of reaction vessels dispensed by the dispensing means;
Calculating means for calculating the degree of dispersion of each absorbance measured by the measuring means;
When the degree of dispersion calculated by the calculation unit is within a setting range, a determination unit that determines that the dispensing accuracy by the dispensing mechanism is normal;
An automatic analyzer characterized by comprising:   The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein a dye solution storage unit for storing the dye solution is provided on a movement trajectory of the dispensing mechanism.   3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein a diluent storage unit that stores the diluent is provided on a movement trajectory of the dispensing mechanism. 4.

Images