JP2013024746A - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic analyzer capable of rapidly and stably measuring a reaction liquid while changing multiple reaction containers without shading the circumference of the reaction container and using a lock-in amplifier to turn on/off a light source with respect to interior illumination such as a fluorescent lamp and disturbance light such as sunlight coming from a window concerning a device for measuring scattered light using a monochromatic light source.SOLUTION: A scattered light analyzer of an automatic analyzer includes at least two or more detectors including: a scattered light detector 106 for detecting light scattered in a measurement object liquid 104 inside a reaction cell 103; and a disturbance light detector 111 for detecting light other than the light of a light source lamp 101. A value obtained by subtracting an output value from the disturbance light detector 111 from an output value from the scattered light detector 106 is defined as the detection value of the light scattered in the measurement object liquid 104.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology of an automatic analyzer, and in particular, in an analyzer that irradiates light to a measurement object and measures scattered light scattered by the measurement object, the liquid to be measured in a reaction container that is the measurement object. The present invention relates to a technique that is effective when applied to an automatic analyzer that arranges a detector for detecting scattered light and measures the output of the detector.

  As a sample analyzer that analyzes the amount of components contained in a sample, light from a light source is irradiated to the sample or a reaction mixture in which the sample and the reagent are mixed, and the resulting transmitted light of a single or multiple wavelengths is obtained. 2. Description of the Related Art Automatic analyzers that measure and calculate absorbance and calculate the amount of components from the relationship between absorbance and concentration according to Lambert-Beer's law are widely used (for example, Patent Document 1). In these automatic analyzers, a large number of cells holding the reaction solution are arranged in a circle on the cell disk that repeats rotation and stop, and during rotation of the cell disk, a transmitted light measurement unit arranged in advance, The change in absorbance over time is measured at regular time intervals for about 10 minutes.

  In such a sample analyzer, for example, in an automatic analyzer that performs qualitative / quantitative analysis of a specific component in a biological sample such as blood or urine, a reagent that reacts with the specific component in the biological sample and changes color is used as the sample. It is common to add and measure the color change (absorbance change) of the sample.

  On the other hand, as a device for irradiating a measurement target with light and measuring the scattered light, for example, a technique relating to a device for measuring scattered light from an antigen-antibody sample in an immune reaction measurement test is disclosed in Patent Document 2. In addition to the analysis of transmitted light, the technique described in Patent Document 3 has a function of detecting scattered light around the reaction cell and a function of enabling measurement of immune items.

  In the automatic analyzer that measures the amount of transmitted light and calculates the absorbance, the white light illumination method (polychromator type) that irradiates the reaction liquid in the cell with the white light emitted from the light source is generally used. Light emitted from the light source passes through a lens or window, passes through one of the dedicated reaction vessels, passes through the slit, and then enters the concave diffraction grating. The light is split here and forms slit images on a plurality of silicon detectors arranged on a Roland circle. In this way, the reaction solution is irradiated with white light, and in the configuration in which the light is subsequently split, it is difficult to be affected by disturbance light other than the light from the light source, and measurement can be performed without shielding the periphery of the reaction vessel. Has been done.

  On the other hand, in the above-described apparatus for measuring scattered light, the light emitted from the light source is dispersed by a diffraction grating or an interference filter, or a monochromatic light source such as an LED is used, and monochromatic light only in a target wavelength region is used as a reaction container. There are many monochromatic illumination systems (monochromator type) that irradiate the reaction solution inside.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,433 JP-A-60-40937 JP 59-100822 A

  By the way, in the conventional apparatus for measuring scattered light including Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 described above, when a monochromatic light source often used in the apparatus for measuring scattered light is used, a fluorescent lamp other than the measurement wavelength is used. It is easily affected by ambient light such as room lighting and sunlight entering through the window, and the measurement is performed by shielding the periphery of the reaction vessel.

  When measuring without shading, a single-color light source is turned on and off at a constant frequency, and a lock-in amplifier that detects and amplifies a signal of a specific frequency affects the ambient light noise. There is also a method of extracting only the signal that you want to detect without receiving it, but in the automatic analyzer, you need to turn on and off the light source in a short time to measure the reaction liquid at high speed while changing multiple reaction vessels, Using a lock-in amplifier is not a realistic method. Furthermore, an analysis apparatus using a lock-in amplifier needs to stop the reaction container for each measurement, and cannot improve the processing capacity.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a typical purpose thereof is an apparatus for measuring scattered light using a monochromatic light source, and is inserted from indoor lighting such as a fluorescent lamp or a window. High-speed and stable reaction solution while changing multiple reaction vessels without shading around the reaction vessel against ambient light such as sunlight and without using a lock-in amplifier that turns on and off the light source This is to realize an automatic analyzer that performs the measurement.

  The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

  Of the inventions disclosed in the present application, the outline of typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  That is, a typical automatic analyzer is a device that measures scattered light using a monochromatic light source, a reaction container that stores a liquid to be measured, a light source unit that irradiates light to the reaction container, and the reaction A first detector for detecting light scattered by the liquid to be measured in a container; a second detector for detecting light other than the light source; and a first detection circuit for measuring an output of the first detector. A second detection circuit unit that measures the output of the second detector, a first signal processing unit that processes the output from the first detection circuit unit, and an output from the second detection circuit unit A second signal processing unit that performs signal processing; an arithmetic unit that processes output from the first signal processing unit and the second signal processing unit; and a storage area that stores a result of the arithmetic unit. In particular, it has at least two or more detectors including the first detector and the second detector.

  More preferably, a value obtained by subtracting the output value from the second detector from the output value from the first detector is set as a detection value of the light scattered by the liquid to be measured. Includes a filter that absorbs a wavelength range of light emitted from the light source unit, corrects a detection sensitivity ratio between the first detector and the second detector, and the first detector. In addition to the second detector, a third detector for detecting light transmitted through the liquid to be measured in the reaction container is provided.

  Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, effects obtained by typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  That is, a typical effect is that, in an apparatus for measuring scattered light using a monochromatic light source, the surroundings of the reaction vessel are shielded against room lighting such as a fluorescent lamp and disturbance light such as sunlight inserted from a window. It is possible to realize an automatic analyzer that can measure a stable reaction solution at a high speed while changing a plurality of reaction vessels without using a lock-in amplifier that turns on and off the light source.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the whole structure of the automatic analyzer which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the scattered light analyzer contained in the automatic analyzer which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. In the scattered light analyzer included in the automatic analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is a characteristic diagram showing an example of the relative light emission intensity and filter transmittance of the light source. It is a characteristic view which shows an example of the scattered light detection signal when measuring the to-be-measured liquid in the reaction cell in the scattered light analyzer contained in the automatic analyzer which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement flow of the scattered light analyzer contained in the automatic analyzer which concerns on one embodiment of this invention.

  In the following embodiments, when it is necessary for the sake of convenience, the description will be divided into a plurality of embodiments or sections. However, unless otherwise specified, they are not irrelevant and one is the other. There are some or all of the modifications, details, supplementary explanations, and the like. Further, in the following embodiments, when referring to the number of elements (including the number, numerical value, quantity, range, etc.), especially when clearly indicated and when clearly limited to a specific number in principle, etc. Except, it is not limited to the specific number, and may be more or less than the specific number.

  Further, in the following embodiments, the constituent elements (including element steps and the like) are not necessarily indispensable unless otherwise specified and apparently essential in principle. Needless to say. Similarly, in the following embodiments, when referring to the shapes, positional relationships, etc. of the components, etc., the shapes are substantially the same unless otherwise specified, or otherwise apparent in principle. And the like are included. The same applies to the above numerical values and ranges.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiment, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

<Outline of Embodiment of the Present Invention>
An automatic analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention (as an example, a corresponding component in FIG. 2 is added in parentheses) includes a reaction container (reaction cell 103) for storing a liquid to be measured and a reaction A light source unit (light source lamp 101) for irradiating light to the container, a first detector (scattered light detector 106) for detecting light scattered by the liquid to be measured in the reaction container, and detecting light other than the light source unit A second detector (disturbance light detector 111), a first detection circuit unit (scattered light detection circuit unit 107) that measures the output of the first detector, and a second detection that measures the output of the second detector A circuit unit (disturbance light detection circuit unit 112), a first signal processing unit (scattered light AD conversion unit 108) that performs signal processing on an output from the first detection circuit unit, and an output from the second detection circuit unit A second signal processing unit (disturbance light AD conversion unit 113), a first signal processing unit, A calculation unit for processing the output from the second signal processing section (arithmetic unit 114), and a storage area for storing the result of the arithmetic unit (storage unit 115). In particular, it has at least two or more detectors including a first detector and a second detector.

  The embodiment based on the outline of the embodiment of the present invention described above will be specifically described below. The embodiment described below is an example using the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

<Embodiment>
<< Overall configuration and operation of automatic analyzer >>
The overall configuration and operation of the automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the automatic analyzer. Here, a biochemical automatic analyzer will be described as an example.

  In FIG. 1, 1 is a sample disk, 2 is a reagent disk, 3 is a reaction disk, 4 is a reaction tank, 5 is a sampling mechanism, 6 is a pipetting mechanism, 7 is a stirring mechanism, 8 is a photometric mechanism, 9 is a cleaning mechanism, 10 is a computer (PC), 12 is a storage device, 13 is a control unit, 14 is a piezoelectric element driver, 15 is a stirring mechanism controller, 16 is a sample container, 17 is a circular sample disk, 18 is a reagent bottle, 19 is a circular reagent disk , 20 is a cool box, 21 is a reaction vessel, 22 is a reaction vessel holder, 23 is a drive mechanism, 24 is a sample probe, 25 is a sample probe support shaft, 26 is a sample probe arm, 27 is a reagent probe, 28 is a reagent probe support A shaft, 29 is a reagent probe arm, 31 is a fixing portion, 33 is a nozzle, and 34 is a vertical drive mechanism.

  The automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment mainly includes a sample disk 1 on which a plurality of sample containers 16 are placed, a reagent disk 2 on which a plurality of reagent bottles 18 are placed, and a plurality of reaction containers 21. A reaction disk 3 to be placed, a sampling mechanism 5 installed in the vicinity of the sample disk 1 and the reaction disk 3, a pipetting mechanism 6 installed in the vicinity of the reagent disk 2 and the reaction disk 3, and a reaction disk 3 is provided with a stirring mechanism 7, a photometric mechanism 8, a cleaning mechanism 9 and the like installed in the vicinity.

  In the sample disk 1, a plurality of sample containers 16 for storing samples to be analyzed (also referred to as samples, specimens, etc.) are placed on a circular sample disk 17 side by side on the circumference. A sampling mechanism 5 is installed in the vicinity of the sample disk 1. The sampling mechanism 5 is attached to a sample probe arm 26 fixed to a sample probe support shaft 25, in which a sample probe 24 sucks a sample from the corresponding sample container 16 and discharges the sample to the corresponding reaction container 21. .

  In the reagent disk 2, a plurality of reagent bottles 18 for storing reagents are placed side by side on a circle on a circular reagent disk 19. The reagent disk 2 is provided with a cool box 20. A pipetting mechanism 6 is installed in the vicinity of the reagent disk 2. The pipetting mechanism 6 has a reagent probe 27 that sucks a reagent from a corresponding reagent bottle 18 and discharges the reagent to a corresponding reaction container 21 and is attached to a reagent probe arm 29 fixed to a reagent probe support shaft 28. Yes.

  A plurality of reaction vessel holders 22 holding a plurality of reaction vessels 21 are placed side by side on the circumference of the reaction disk 3. A reaction tank 4 is installed on the reaction disk 3. The reaction disk 3 can be intermittently rotated by the drive mechanism 23. In the vicinity of the reaction disk 3, a stirring mechanism 7, a photometric mechanism 8, a cleaning mechanism 9 and the like are installed.

  The stirring mechanism 7 is a mechanism for stirring the contents (sample and reagent) in the reaction vessel 21, and includes a piezoelectric element driver 14, a stirring mechanism controller 15, and the like. The photometric mechanism 8 is a mechanism for measuring transmitted light that has passed through the contents in the reaction vessel 21 and scattered light that has been scattered by the contents, and includes a light source, a detector, and the like, which will be described later with reference to FIG. The cleaning mechanism 9 is a mechanism for cleaning the inside of the reaction vessel 21 and includes a nozzle 33, a vertical drive mechanism 34, and the like.

  These sample disk 1, reagent disk 2, reaction disk 3, sampling mechanism 5, pipetting mechanism 6, stirring mechanism 7, photometric mechanism 8, and cleaning mechanism 9 are each connected to the control unit 13 and further connected to the computer 10. Thus, each operation is controlled. The control unit 13 is connected to the storage device 12.

  The computer 10 includes, for example, a main body including an arithmetic processing function and a storage function, an input unit such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a display unit such as a liquid crystal display and a CRT. The computer 10 stores measurement sample information, measurement item registration, analysis parameters, and the like. Set. The storage device 12 stores analysis parameters, the number of times each reagent bottle can be analyzed, the maximum number of times that analysis can be performed, a calibration result, an analysis result, a determination process for evaluating a dispensing operation, and data necessary for a determination to be held in advance. Is retained. The information stored and held in the storage device 12 may be stored in a storage medium attached to the computer 10, or may exist alone as the storage device 12 as an individual storage database.

  In the automatic analyzer configured as described above, the analysis of the sample is performed in the order of data processing such as sampling, reagent dispensing, stirring, photometry, reaction vessel cleaning, concentration conversion and the like as follows.

  The sample disk 1, reagent disk 2, reaction disk 3, sampling mechanism 5, pipetting mechanism 6, stirring mechanism 7, photometric mechanism 8, and cleaning mechanism 9 are controlled by the control unit 13 via the computer 10.

  First, a plurality of sample containers 16 containing samples to be analyzed are installed on the sample disk 1 side by side on the circumference. Under the sample probe 24 of the sampling mechanism 5 according to the order of the samples to be analyzed. Move up. A specimen as a sample in the sample container 16 is dispensed into the reaction container 21 on the reaction disk 3 by a sample pump (not shown) connected to the sampling mechanism 5.

  Furthermore, the reaction container 21 into which the sample has been dispensed moves through the reaction tank 4 to the first reagent addition position. A predetermined amount of reagent sucked from the reagent bottle 18 on the reagent disk 2 is added to the moved reaction container 21 by a reagent pump (not shown) connected to the reagent probe 27 of the pipetting mechanism 6. The reaction vessel 21 after the addition of the first reagent moves to the position of the stirring mechanism 7 and the first stirring is performed. Such addition (dispensing) -stirring of the reagent is performed on the first to fourth reagents, for example.

  Subsequently, the reaction vessel 21 in which the contents are agitated passes through the light beam emitted from the light source in the photometric mechanism 8, and the transmitted light that has passed through the liquid to be measured in the reaction vessel 21 at this time, or the liquid to be measured. Scattered light scattered at is detected. The detected transmitted light or scattered light signal enters the control unit 13 and is converted into the concentration of the specimen. Further, the control unit 13 determines abnormality at the same time.

  The density-converted data is stored in the storage device 12 and displayed on a display device attached to the computer 10. After completion of photometry, the reaction vessel 21 moves to the position of the cleaning mechanism 9, is cleaned, and is used for the next analysis.

  As described above, in the automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment, sample processing is performed by sequentially performing data processing such as sampling, reagent dispensing, stirring, photometry, washing of the reaction container, and concentration conversion. be able to.

<< Configuration and operation of scattered light analyzer >>
The configuration and operation of the scattered light analysis device (the portion of the device that measures and analyzes the scattered light scattered by the liquid to be measured) included in the automatic analyzer described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the scattered light analyzer.

  In FIG. 2, 101 is a light source lamp, 102 is monochromatic light, 103 is a reaction cell, 104 is a liquid to be measured, 105 is scattered light, 106 is scattered light detector, 106 is a scattered light detector, 107 is a scattered light detection circuit unit (AMP1), 108 is Scattered light AD conversion unit (ADC1), 109 is disturbance light, 110 is a dichroic filter, 111 is disturbance light detector, 112 is disturbance light detection circuit unit (AMP2), 113 is disturbance light AD conversion unit (ADC2), 114 is An arithmetic unit, 115 is a storage unit, 116 is a control unit, and 117 is a display unit.

  The scattered light analyzer in the present embodiment includes a light source lamp 101, a reaction cell 103, a scattered light detector 106, a scattered light detection circuit unit 107, a scattered light AD conversion unit 108, and a disturbance light detector 111. The disturbance light detection circuit unit 112, the disturbance light AD conversion unit 113, the calculator 114, the storage unit 115, the control unit 116, and the display unit 117 are configured.

  In this scattered light analyzer, for example, the reaction cell 103 corresponds to the reaction vessel 21 shown in FIG. Furthermore, the light source lamp 101, the scattered light detector 106, the scattered light detection circuit unit 107, the scattered light AD conversion unit 108, the disturbance light detector 111, the disturbance light detection circuit unit 112, and the disturbance are not limited thereto. The optical AD conversion unit 113 and the like are included in the photometry mechanism 8 shown in FIG. 1, and the calculator 114, the storage unit 115, the display unit 117 and the like correspond to the part of the computer 10 shown in FIG. Reference numeral 116 corresponds to the control unit 13 shown in FIG.

  The light source lamp 101 is a light source unit that irradiates the reaction cell 103 with monochromatic light 102. The reaction cell 103 is a reaction container for storing the liquid 104 to be measured.

  The scattered light detector 106 is a first detector that detects the scattered light 105 scattered by the liquid under measurement 104 in the reaction cell 103. The scattered light detection circuit unit 107 is a first detection circuit unit that measures the output of the scattered light detector 106 and amplifies the measured value. The scattered light AD conversion unit 108 is a first signal processing unit that performs signal processing on the output from the scattered light detection circuit unit 107 and converts an analog signal into a digital signal.

  The disturbance light detector 111 is a second detector that detects disturbance light 109 other than the light source lamp 101, and is installed at a position adjacent to the scattered light detector 106. The disturbance light detector 111 is provided with a dichroic filter 110 that absorbs the wavelength range of the monochromatic light 102 emitted from the light source lamp 101. The disturbance light detection circuit unit 112 is a second detection circuit unit that measures the output of the disturbance light detector 111 and amplifies the measured value. The disturbance light AD conversion unit 113 is a second signal processing unit that performs signal processing on the output from the disturbance light detection circuit unit 112 and converts an analog signal into a digital signal.

  The computing unit 114 is a computing unit that processes the outputs from the scattered light AD conversion unit 108 and the disturbance light AD conversion unit 113. The storage unit 115 is a storage area for storing the result of the calculator 114. The control unit 116 is a control unit that outputs the result held in the storage unit 115. The display unit 117 is a display unit that outputs the result held in the storage unit 115.

  In the scattered light analyzer configured as described above, this operation is as follows. First, the monochromatic light 102 emitted from the light source lamp 101 is irradiated to the liquid 104 to be measured placed in the reaction cell 103. The scattered light 105 scattered from the liquid 104 to be measured is applied to the scattered light detector 106 and converted into an electrical signal. At this time, the scattered light detector 106 is also irradiated with disturbance light 109 different from the scattered light 105, and the scattered light 105 and the disturbance light 109 are added to be converted into an electric signal. Then, the added light converted into the electrical signal is amplified by the scattered light detection circuit unit 107 and further converted into a digital signal by the scattered light AD conversion unit 108.

  On the other hand, a dichroic filter 110 that absorbs the wavelength range of the monochromatic light 102 is attached to the light receiving portion of the disturbance light detector 111 installed at a position adjacent to the scattered light detector 106, and the disturbance light 109 passes through the dichroic filter 110. The ambient light detector 111 is irradiated. At this time, the disturbance light detector 111 is also irradiated with the scattered light 105, but is absorbed by the dichroic filter 110, so that only the disturbance light 109 is irradiated to the disturbance light detector 111 and converted into an electrical signal. The disturbance light converted into the electrical signal is amplified by the disturbance light detection circuit unit 112 and further converted into a digital signal by the disturbance light AD conversion unit 113.

  Subsequently, in the calculator 114, the scattered light converted into the digital signal and the change in disturbance light are subtracted and stored in the storage unit 115. In the calculation in the calculator 114, a value obtained by subtracting the output value from the disturbance light detector 111 from the output value from the scattered light detector 106 is set as a true detection value of the light scattered by the liquid 104 to be measured. The detection sensitivity ratio between the scattered light detector 106 and the ambient light detector 111 is corrected. Then, the calculation result stored in the storage unit 115 is displayed on the display unit 117 by the control unit 116, whereby the result can be reported to the operator.

<< Relative emission intensity of light source and filter transmittance >>
The relative light emission intensity and filter transmittance of the light source in the light source lamp 101 and the dichroic filter 110 described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing an example of relative light emission intensity and filter transmittance of this light source. In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis represents the peak emission wavelength (nm), and the vertical axis represents the relative light emission intensity (%) / filter transmittance (%) of the light source.

  In the scattered light analysis apparatus according to the present embodiment, as a dichroic filter 110 for the light source lamp 101, a filter transmittance 201 that absorbs the emission wavelength width of the relative emission intensity characteristic 200 of the monochromatic light 102 emitted from the light source lamp 101 is used. This is realized by selecting the characteristic dichroic filter 110. In this example, the peak emission wavelength λp of the light source lamp 101 is 550 nm.

<< scattered light detection signal when measuring the liquid to be measured in the reaction cell >>
The scattered light detection signal when the liquid under measurement 104 in the reaction cell 103 described above is measured will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing an example of the scattered light detection signal. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis indicates time (s), and the vertical axis indicates the detection voltage (V).

  Originally, the reaction tilt signal of the liquid 104 to be measured should be a signal as shown by 300 (scattered light reaction tilt signal in a normal state). However, when the disturbance light signal 301 is added, the actual reaction tilt signal is 302. As shown in (scattered light reaction tilt signal to which disturbance light is added), the disturbance light signal 301 is added and output. When the reaction slope connecting two points on the reaction slope signal is calculated, it may be determined that the reaction slope is 303 (scattered light reaction slope signal at the time of abnormality), and the original reaction slope signal is normal. The scattered light reaction slope signal 300 of FIG.

  Therefore, according to the scattered light analysis apparatus in the present embodiment, first, using the dichroic filter 110 having the characteristics shown in FIG. 3 described above, the actual reaction gradient signal is scattered light to which disturbance light is added. By subtracting the disturbance light signal 301 from the reaction gradient signal 302, a normal scattered light reaction gradient signal 300 that is an original reaction gradient signal is obtained.

  However, as shown in FIG. 3 described above, the transmittance of the absorption wavelength of the dichroic filter 110 is not 100%, and it is difficult to accurately match the characteristics of the relative emission intensity characteristic 200 and the absorbed filter transmittance 201. That is, in an actual scattered light analyzer, it is necessary to correct the sensitivity ratio of the scattered light detector 106 and the disturbance light detector 111 to disturbance light.

  Therefore, in the scattered light analysis apparatus according to the present embodiment, second, by correcting the sensitivity ratio of the scattered light detector 106 and the disturbance light detector 111 to disturbance light, the scattered light reaction gradient signal 300 at normal time is obtained. Can be obtained. The operation including the correction of the sensitivity ratio to the disturbance light will be described later with reference to FIG.

<< Operation flow of scattered light analyzer >>
The operation flow of the scattered light analyzer described above will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation flow of the scattered light analyzer.

  First, in the data acquisition of the light source OFF in step S1, the scattered light measurement data (scattered light data) and the disturbance light measurement data (disturbance light data) are measured 10 times each with the light source lamp 101 not turned on, and the average value thereof. Is stored in the storage unit 115. Further, in the calculation of disturbance light correction data in step S2, the ratio of the scattered light measurement data stored in the storage unit 115 to the disturbance light measurement data is calculated, and the correction coefficient K is calculated. That is, the correction coefficient K = scattered light measurement data / disturbance light measurement data.

  Next, in step S3, when the light source is turned on, the light source lamp 101 is turned on, and the process waits until a time for the light source light amount to stabilize has elapsed. Further, in the measurement of the reaction liquid data in step S4, after the light source light quantity is stabilized, the scattered light of the liquid 104 to be measured placed in the reaction cell 103 disposed on the optical axis of the scattering photometer is measured and simultaneously disturbing light. Measurement is performed and the result is stored in the storage unit 115.

  In the disturbance light correction in step S5, the scattered light measurement data is corrected with the disturbance light measurement data and the correction coefficient K based on the measurement data thus obtained. That is, disturbance light correction is as follows: scattered light measurement data−disturbance light measurement data × correction coefficient K. Furthermore, in the scattered light data storage in step S6, the scattered light measurement data after disturbance light correction and the measurement elapsed time are also stored in the storage unit 115.

  Next, in the determination of “= 10 minutes?” In step S7, it is determined whether or not the processing from the measurement of the reaction solution data in step S4 to the storage of the scattered light data in step S6 has been performed for 10 minutes. As a result of this determination, when 10 minutes have elapsed (YES), the reaction inclination amount per elapsed time is calculated in the calculation of the reaction inclination amount in step S8. Finally, in the data output of step S9, data of the calculated result of the calculated reaction gradient amount is output. This completes the measurement.

<< Effects of Embodiment >>
According to the scattered light analyzer included in the automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment described above, the scattered light detector 106 that detects the scattered light 105 and the disturbance light detector 111 that detects the disturbance light 109 are provided. Then, the output from the scattered light detector 106 and the disturbance light detector 111 is amplified by the scattered light detection circuit unit 107 and the disturbance light detection circuit unit 112 corresponding to each detector, and further the scattered light AD conversion unit 108 and the disturbance By converting it into a digital signal by the optical AD conversion unit 113 and performing arithmetic processing by the arithmetic unit 114, observing changes in the scattered light 105 and the disturbance light 109 and storing them in the storage unit 115 at regular intervals, The following effects can be obtained.

  (1) Using a lock-in amplifier that shields the periphery of the reaction cell 103 and turns the light source on and off by measuring the scattered light 105 and simultaneously measuring the disturbance light 109 in the same liquid 104 to be measured. Therefore, it is possible to measure scattered light without being affected by ambient light such as room lighting or sunlight.

  (2) In the arithmetic unit 114, the value obtained by subtracting the output value from the disturbance light detector 111 from the output value from the scattered light detector 106 is used as the true scattered light detection value, so that the original reaction gradient signal is obtained. Since it is possible to obtain a scattered light reaction tilt signal 300 at a normal time, it is possible to more accurately measure the reaction tilt of the liquid 104 to be measured.

  (3) A dichroic filter 110 that absorbs the wavelength range of the monochromatic light 102 and does not transmit it is attached in front of the disturbance light detector 111, and the disturbance light signal 301 is subtracted from the scattered light reaction gradient signal 302 to which the disturbance light 109 is added. Thus, in order to more accurately measure the reaction tilt of the liquid 104 to be measured with respect to the above (2), it is possible to obtain a normal scattered light reaction tilt signal 300 in consideration of the relative light emission intensity of the light source and the filter transmittance. it can.

  (4) By correcting the detection sensitivity ratio between the scattered light detector 106 and the ambient light detector 111 in the computing unit 114, the reaction tilt measurement of the liquid 104 to be measured can be performed more accurately than in the above (3). In addition, it is possible to obtain a normal scattered light reaction gradient signal 300 in which the sensitivity ratio of the scattered light detector 106 and the ambient light detector 111 to the ambient light 109 is corrected.

  (5) According to the above (1) to (4), in the scattered light analyzer, the surroundings of the reaction cell 103 can be shielded against ambient light such as indoor lighting such as a fluorescent lamp and sunlight inserted from a window, Without using a lock-in amplifier that turns on and off the light source, it is possible to measure a stable reaction solution at high speed while changing the reaction cell 103.

<< Modification of Embodiment >>
In the scattered light analyzer or the automatic analyzer included in the automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment, the following modifications can be considered.

  (1) Although the case where each of the scattered light detector 106 that detects the scattered light 105 and the disturbance light detector 111 that detects the disturbance light 109 is provided has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto, and there are three detectors. It is also possible to have the above configuration. For example, when two or more scattered light detectors 106 are provided, a case where two or more disturbance light detectors 111 are provided is conceivable. In such a case, the reaction inclination measurement of the liquid 104 to be measured can be made even more accurate by using the average value of the plurality of detectors as the measurement value.

  (2) In addition to the scattered light detector 106 for detecting the scattered light 105 and the disturbed light detector 111 for detecting the disturbed light 109, a transmitted light detector for detecting light transmitted through the liquid 104 to be measured is provided. In addition, it is possible to employ a configuration including a circuit unit for processing the output from each detector, an AD conversion unit, and the like. Thus, in the case of the configuration in which the scattered light detection and the transmitted light detection are combined, an automatic analyzer capable of analyzing the liquid to be measured by measuring the transmitted light as well as the scattered light can be realized.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say.

  The automatic analyzer according to the present invention has a detector for detecting light scattered by a liquid to be measured in a reaction vessel as a measurement target, particularly in an apparatus for measuring scattered light using a monochromatic light source. It is effective when applied to an automatic analyzer that measures the output of the instrument. Furthermore, the present invention can be used for an automatic analyzer combined with a device for measuring light transmitted through a liquid to be measured.

1: sample disk, 2: reagent disk, 3: reaction disk, 4: reaction tank, 5: sampling mechanism, 6: pipetting mechanism, 7: stirring mechanism, 8: photometric mechanism, 9: washing mechanism, 10: computer, 12: storage device, 13: control unit, 14: piezoelectric element driver, 15: stirring mechanism controller, 16: sample container, 17: circular sample disk, 18: reagent bottle, 19: circular reagent disk, 20: cool box, 21 : Reaction container, 22: Reaction container holder, 23: Drive mechanism, 24: Sample probe, 25: Sample probe support shaft, 26: Sample probe arm, 27: Reagent probe, 28: Reagent probe support shaft, 29: Reagent probe arm , 31: fixed part, 33: nozzle, 34: vertical drive mechanism,
101: light source lamp, 102: monochromatic light, 103: reaction cell, 104: liquid to be measured, 105: scattered light, 106: scattered light detector, 107: scattered light detection circuit unit, 108: scattered light AD conversion unit, 109 : Disturbance light, 110: dichroic filter, 111: disturbance light detector, 112: disturbance light detection circuit unit, 113: disturbance light AD conversion unit, 114: computing unit, 115: storage unit, 116: control unit, 117: display Part,
200: Relative emission intensity characteristic of monochromatic light, 201: Dichroic filter transmittance,
300: Scattered light reaction tilt signal when normal, 301: Disturbed light signal, 302: Scattered light reaction tilt signal with disturbance light added, 303: Scattered light reaction tilt signal when abnormal.

Claims (5)

A reaction vessel for storing a liquid to be measured;
A light source unit for irradiating light to the reaction vessel;
A first detector for detecting light scattered by the liquid to be measured in the reaction container;
A second detector for detecting light other than the light source unit;
A first detection circuit unit for measuring an output of the first detector;
A second detection circuit unit for measuring the output of the second detector;
A first signal processing unit that performs signal processing on an output from the first detection circuit unit;
A second signal processing unit that performs signal processing on an output from the second detection circuit unit;
An arithmetic unit that processes outputs from the first signal processing unit and the second signal processing unit;
A storage area for storing the result of the arithmetic unit;
An automatic analyzer having at least two or more detectors including the first detector and the second detector. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein
The calculation unit outputs an output signal obtained by processing an output value from the first detector via the first detection circuit unit and the first signal processing unit, and an output value from the second detector as the second value. A value obtained by subtracting the output value from the second detector from the output value from the first detector, based on an output signal processed through the detection circuit unit and the second signal processing unit. An automatic analyzer characterized by having a detection value of light scattered by a measurement liquid. The automatic analyzer according to claim 2,
A filter for absorbing a wavelength range of light emitted from the light source unit is attached to the second detector. The automatic analyzer according to claim 2 or 3,
The calculation unit outputs an output signal obtained by processing an output value from the first detector through the first detection circuit unit and the first signal processing unit, and an output value from the second detector as the second detection. The first detector and the second detector when calculating the detection value of the light scattered by the liquid to be measured based on the output signal processed through the circuit unit and the second signal processing unit. An automatic analyzer characterized by correcting the detection sensitivity ratio. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein
In addition to the first detector and the second detector, an automatic analyzer further comprising a third detector for detecting light transmitted through the liquid to be measured in the reaction container.

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