JP2013079924A - Automatic analyzer with test plate temporary storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic analyzer with a test plate temporary storage device capable of temporarily storing a test plate in which unused specimen objects still remain.SOLUTION: An analyzer employs test plates A in which a plurality of specimen objects are disposed, each specimen object retaining an inspection reagent part that is colored by reacting with a substance to be inspected in a specimen. The analyzer includes: a spot dispensing mechanism 40 that dispenses a spot of specimen on the reagent part of each specimen object on the test plate; optical measurement means 87 that optically measures color reaction of the reagent part to which the spot of the specimen has been dispensed; and conveying means that conveys the test plate to the spot dispensing position T6 to be dispensed by the spot dispensing mechanism and a measuring position T7 to be measured by the optical measurement means. The analyzer further includes a test plate temporary storage device 82 that dehumidifies and temporarily stores the test plates A all the specimen objects of which are not used up.

Description

  The present invention includes a temporary storage device for temporarily storing a test plate in which a plurality of test bodies each holding a test reagent portion that develops a color by reacting with a substance to be detected in a specimen are arranged on a single disk. Related to automatic analyzers.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in hospitals and the like, various components contained in urine are analyzed, and urine is collected from the patient and analyzed in order to determine the health condition of the patient from the analysis result.
There are three types of analysis of urine analysis: qualitative analysis, quantitative analysis and sedimentation analysis.
Qualitative analysis is an analysis to determine whether or not a specific component is present in urine. Prepare a test piece such as a test paper holding a plurality of test reagent parts on a strip-shaped support. After spotting urine on the reagent part of this specimen, the color reaction of each reagent part is analyzed using a dedicated qualitative analyzer configured to measure by an optical technique such as reflection photometry. Is done.
The quantitative analysis is an analysis for measuring the amount of characteristic components in urine, and the analysis is performed by a dedicated quantitative analysis device.
The sedimentation analysis is an analysis for measuring sediments in urine, and the analysis is performed with a dedicated sedimentation analyzer and a microscope.
As described above, since a dedicated device is used for each analysis, a test tube containing urine is required for each type of analysis, but urine is usually collected in a paper cup called a Harun cup. It is necessary to dispense urine from the Harun Cup into several tubes before.
In this regard, the applicant can perform a qualitative analysis without dispensing urine into the test tube, and at the same time dispense urine from the Harn Cup to the test tube for quantitative analysis or sedimentation analysis, if necessary. And the qualitative analysis apparatus provided with the automatic dispensing mechanism which can perform the automatic sticking of the patient identification label to a test tube was proposed (patent document 1).

JP 2006-275697 A Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-29846

The qualitative analyzer having the automatic dispensing mechanism described above accommodates a plurality of test papers provided with a plurality of reagent pads on an elongated support, and takes out the stored test papers one by one to a spotting position and a measurement position. In this way, a complicated transfer structure is required to sequentially take out and send independent test papers one by one. In addition, in the case of independent test papers one by one, the test paper is small, so the test paper may drop or shift during transfer, and the test paper is often wasted. In addition, as described above, if the test paper is taken out one by one and sent to the spotting position and the measurement position, the test paper needs to be sent in series, so the color reaction on the test paper should be observed over time. I can't. Furthermore, the individual test papers for each sheet have room for improvement, for example, when the specimens are spotted, there is a possibility that the specimens may drip from the test paper and stain the device.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the applicant has made a test in which a plurality of test specimens for one specimen having a plurality of reagent parts are arranged radially at intervals on a disposable disc body. A plate was proposed (Patent Document 2).
According to this test plate, since a plurality of inspection sections for one specimen are provided on one plate, all the conventional problems due to the use of independent test papers one by one are solved.
However, there is no problem when all the specimens on the test plate are used consecutively at one time. For example, when the number of specimens to be examined is smaller than the number of specimens provided on the test plate. However, there is a problem that the inspection object that is not used is wasted.
An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer equipped with a test plate temporary storage device capable of temporarily storing a test plate in which an unused test object remains, in view of the above-described problems. It is said.

In order to achieve the above-described object, an automatic analyzer equipped with a test plate temporary storage device according to the present invention includes a single test body having a test reagent section that develops color by reacting with a substance to be detected in a sample. The analyzer uses a plurality of test plates arranged on a disk of the test plate, and includes a spotting mechanism for spotting a specimen on the reagent part of each specimen on the test plate, and a reagent part on which the specimen is spotted. In an automatic analyzer comprising an optical measuring means for optically measuring a color reaction, and a transfer position for transferring the test plate to a spotting position by the spotting mechanism and a measurement position by the optical measuring means, all inspections A test plate temporary storage device is provided for temporarily dehumidifying and storing test plates that have not used up their bodies.
The test plate temporary storage device may have a housing provided with a moisture absorbing material therein, an opening is formed in the bottom surface of the housing, and the opening is hermetically closed with a lid that can be pushed up from below. Can be configured. The test plate temporary storage device configured in this way can be arranged in the transfer path of the transfer means, and after the test plate is transferred to the lower part of the lid by the transfer means, the test plate is raised, After the lid is pushed up by a part of the test plate and / or transfer means to open the opening, the test plate and / or a part of the transfer means can be configured to seal the opening hermetically. obtain.
Preferably, a means for drying a moisture absorbing material such as a water splitting device or a heating device may be provided inside the housing.
Further, the automatic analyzer is provided with a storage device that accommodates a plurality of test plates for analysis, an opening for taking out the test plate is provided below the storage device, and the opening is opened and closed by a shutter. And the transfer means is configured to take out the test plates one by one from the lower opening of the storage device and transfer the test plates to a spotting position and a measurement position, and the test plate temporary storage device is You may provide integrally with a shutter.

An automatic analyzer equipped with a test plate temporary storage device according to the present invention comprises a plurality of test bodies each holding a test reagent section that develops a color by reacting with a substance to be detected in a sample. An analyzer using a test plate, a spotting mechanism for spotting a specimen on a reagent part of each specimen on the test plate, and an optical for optically measuring a color reaction of the reagent part spotted on the specimen In an automatic analyzer comprising measuring means and a transfer means for transferring the test plate to a spotting position by the spotting mechanism and a measuring position by the optical measuring means, all test specimens that have not been used up are temporarily Since the test plate temporary storage device for dehumidification storage is provided, the test plate with the remaining test specimens that are not used is directly transferred to the test plate temporary storage device by the transfer means, and the test plate is stored. It is possible to store in a room kept at a low humidity state in the buffer store, the test plate is not wasted.
The temporary storage device may be configured so that the test plate can hermetically close the opening after the opening is opened by pushing up the lid with a part of the test plate and / or transfer means. Thus, the test plate can be automatically accommodated in the temporary storage device by the transfer means.
When means for drying the moisture absorbent material such as a water splitting device or a heating device is provided inside the housing, the moisture absorbent capacity of the moisture absorbent material can be automatically regenerated, so the moisture absorbent material in the temporary storage device Thus, it becomes possible to use a temporary storage device that eliminates the need for replacement.
Further, the automatic analyzer is provided with a storage device that accommodates a plurality of test plates for analysis, an opening for taking out the test plate is provided below the storage device, and the opening is opened and closed by a shutter. And the transfer means is configured to take out the test plates one by one from the lower opening of the storage device and transfer the test plates to a spotting position and a measurement position, and the test plate temporary storage device is By providing it integrally with the shutter, it is not necessary to prepare a separate space for placing the test plate temporary storage device, and the entire device becomes compact.

It is a schematic top view which shows the layout of each mechanism of the automatic analyzer with an automatic dispensing mechanism which has an analyzer provided with the test plate temporary storage apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic top view which shows the analyzer of the state which removed the test tube supply accommodation mechanism 20 for dispensing. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a Harun cup supply / accommodating mechanism 10. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a dispensing test tube supply / accommodating mechanism 20. It is a schematic perspective view of an automatic dispensing unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the rack 11 and the cup rotating means 18 when the first Harun cup 1 is at the reading position T. It is the elements on larger scale of Fig.6 (a). It is a figure which shows the state in which the Harun cup 1 is rotated by the cup rotation means 18 in the reading position T. It is the elements on larger scale of FIG.6 (c). (A)-(c) is a figure explaining operation | movement of a dispensing mechanism. (A)-(c) is a figure explaining operation | movement of a spotting mechanism. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an analyzer 80. FIG. In this figure, the optical measuring means is omitted. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a storage device 82. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a back portion of the storage device 82. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a test plate cutting unit 83. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a shutter unit 84. FIG. (A) And (b) is sectional drawing of the shutter 84a which comprises a temporary storage apparatus. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a turntable unit 85. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a shooter unit 86. FIG. It is a top view of a test plate. (A) is AA sectional drawing in FIG. 17, (b) is BB sectional drawing in FIG. 17A is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 17, FIG. 17B is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 17, and FIG. 17C is a sectional view taken along line EE in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an analyzer equipped with a test plate temporary storage device will be described with reference to an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view showing the layout of each component of an automatic analyzer with an automatic dispensing mechanism (hereinafter simply referred to as an automatic analyzer) having an analyzer equipped with a test plate temporary storage device according to the present invention. is there.
As shown in the drawing, the automatic analyzer includes a Harun cup supply / accommodation mechanism 10, a dispensing test tube supply / accommodation mechanism 20, a dispensing mechanism 30, a spotting mechanism 40, a reading mechanism 50, a label printing / pasting mechanism 60, and An analyzer 80 is provided.
The Harun cup supply / accommodation mechanism 10, the dispensing test tube supply / accommodation mechanism 20, the dispensing mechanism 30, the spotting mechanism 40, the reading mechanism 50, and the label printing / sticking mechanism 60 are configured as one automatic dispensing unit, and are analyzed. Separable from machine 80. The automatic dispensing unit can operate as an automatic dispensing machine independently while being separated from the analyzer 80.
Further, the analyzer 80 can operate as an independent analyzer by adding the spotting mechanism 40.
In the automatic dispensing unit, the Harun cup supply / accommodation mechanism 10 and the dispensing test tube supply / accommodation mechanism 20 are arranged one above the other. Specifically, the dispensing test tube supply / accommodating mechanism 20 is disposed above the Harun cup supply / accommodating mechanism 10.
Hereinafter, the configuration of each mechanism constituting the automatic analyzer will be described in detail.

(Description of Harun cup supply and accommodation mechanism 10)
2 is a schematic top view showing the automatic analyzer with the dispensing test tube supply / accommodating mechanism 20 removed, FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the Harun cup supply / accommodating mechanism 10, and FIG. 4 is a dispensing test tube supply / accommodating mechanism. FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the mechanism 20, and FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the automatic dispensing unit.
The Harun cup supply / accommodating mechanism 10 includes:
A pre-processing Harun cup 1 from which a patient's urine was collected is stored in a rack 11;
A post-treatment cup housing portion 13 that is arranged side by side with the pre-treatment cup housing portion 12 and collects and stores the Harun cup 1 after being subjected to processing such as dispensing and spotting in units of racks;
A rack transfer means 14 is provided along the pre-processing cup housing portion 12 and the post-processing cup housing portion 13 and transports the Hahn cup 1 from the pre-processing cup housing portion 12 to the post-processing cup housing portion 13 in units of racks. .
The pre-processing cup storage unit 12 is configured to store the above-described Harun cup racks 11 in a plurality of rows, and is configured to supply the stored racks 11 to the rack transfer means 14 one after another.
The rack transfer means 14
Along the pre-processing cup housing part 12 and the post-processing cup housing part 13, the reading position T1 for reading patient identification information from the Harun cup by the reading means and the suction for sucking urine from the Harun cup by the dispensing spotting mechanism 40 A transfer passage 15a passing through the position T2,
A clawless endless conveyor 15b that moves along the transfer passage 15a and moves the rack 11 supplied from the pre-processing cup housing portion 12 onto the passage 15 toward the post-processing cup housing portion 13 in units of Harun cups accommodated therein. And
Finally, the rack 11 is configured to be pushed out from the passage 15 to the post-processing cup accommodating portion 13.
The post-processing cup housing part 13 is configured to accommodate the above-described Harun cup racks 11 in a plurality of rows.
In the figure, reference numeral 17 denotes an emergency cup supply unit. This emergency cup supply unit supplies the Harun cup rack not accommodated in the pre-treatment cup accommodating portion 12 to the transfer passage 15 in an emergency. Used.

(Description of cup rotation mechanism)
The Harun cup supply / accommodating mechanism 10 includes cup rotating means 18 for rotating the Harn cup 1 in cooperation with the Harn cup rack 11 at the reading position T1.
6A is a view showing the relationship between the rack 11 and the cup rotating means 18 when the leading Harun cup 1 is at the reading position T, and FIG. 6B is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 6A. 6 (c) is a view showing a state where the Harun cup 1 is rotated by the cup rotating means 18 at the reading position T, and FIG. 6 (d) is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 6 (c).
As shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6, the rack 11 includes an upper plate 11a, a bottom plate 11b, a front plate 11c, and a rear plate 11d, and the side surfaces are open.
An opening 11e into which the Harun cup 1 can be inserted is formed in the upper plate 11a. The diameter of the opening 11 e is larger than the diameter of the bottom surface of the Harun cup 1 and smaller than the diameter of the upper surface of the Harun cup 1. Thereby, when the Harun cup 1 formed in a tapered shape is inserted from the opening 11e, the upper portion of the Harun cup 1 is held by the opening 11e.
In the bottom plate 11b, an opening 11f having a diameter smaller than that of the bottom surface of the Harun cup 1 is formed. Further, a regulating plate 11g is provided above the bottom plate 11b, and an opening 11h having a diameter larger than the bottom surface of the Harun cup 1 is formed in the regulating plate 11g.
Each opening 11f is provided with a rotating disk 11i. The rotating disk 11i includes an upper portion 11j on which the Harun cup 1 is placed and a lower portion 11k that is movably fitted to the bottom plate 11b. The dimension of the upper part 11j is a dimension in which the Harun cup 1 can be mounted and does not pass through the opening 11h provided in the regulating plate 11g. Specifically, for example, the upper portion 11j may have a diameter larger than that of the Harun cup 1 and a diameter portion larger than the opening 11h provided in the restriction plate 11g.
The diameter of the lower portion 11k of the rotating disk 11i is substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the diameter of the opening 11f formed in the bottom plate 11b.
Further, the thickness of the lower part 11k of the rotating disk 11i is set so that the lower part 11k does not come off the opening 11f of the bottom plate 11b even when the rotating disk 11i is lifted upward and restricted by the restricting plate 11g. Is set.
The cup rotating means 18 is provided at the reading position T1 of the transfer passage 15a.
The cup rotating means 18 is configured to rotate while rotating the rotating disk 11i of the rack 1 from below at the reading position T1.
In this way, by configuring the rotating disk 11i to rotate while being pushed up from below, a special structure for engaging the cup rotating means 18 with the rotating disk 11i, specifically, friction engagement, key Since a configuration for engaging or magnetically engaging is not required, the structures of the cup rotating means 18 and the rotating disk 11i can be simplified.
However, the configuration of the cup rotating means 18 is not limited to this embodiment, and the rotating disk 11i is configured to be frictionally engaged, key-engaged or magnetically engaged with the rotating disk 11i from below to push up the rotating disk 11i. Of course, you may comprise so that it may rotate.
In this embodiment, the rotating disk 11i is provided in the Harun cup rack 11, and the cup rotating means 18 is configured to rotate the Harn cup 1 through the rotating disk 11i. Without being limited to the embodiment, for example, the Harun cup 1 may be directly lifted and rotated without providing the rotating disk 11i. In this case, the regulation plate 11g is not always necessary.

(Description of the test tube supply / accommodation mechanism 20)
The test tube supply and storage mechanism 20
A pre-dispensing test tube storage unit 22 for storing a test tube rack 21 storing a plurality of empty test tubes 2 before the dispensing process;
A post-dispensing test tube housing portion 23 which is arranged side by side with the pre-dispensing test tube housing portion 22 and collects and stores the test tubes 2 after the dispensing in units of racks;
It is arranged along the pre-dispensing test tube housing part 22 and the post-dispensing test tube housing part 23, and the test tubes 2 are transferred from the pre-dispensing test tube housing part 22 to the post-dispensing test tube housing part 23 in rack units. Rack transfer means 24.
The pre-dispensing test tube storage unit 22 is configured to store the racks 21 in a plurality of rows, and is configured to push the stored racks 21 onto the transfer passage 25 of the rack transfer means 24.
The rack transfer means 24
It extends from the pre-dispensing test tube storage unit 22 to the post-dispensing test tube storage unit 23, and is applied by the label application / reading position T3 where the patient identification label is applied by the label printing / applying mechanism 60 and the dispensing spotting mechanism 40. A transfer passage 25 that passes through a dispensing position T4 for pouring is provided, and the rack 21 supplied onto the passage 25 from the pre-dispensing test tube storage portion 22 is divided in units of test tubes accommodated therein. It is configured to move toward the test tube housing part 23 after the injection, and finally to push the rack 21 from the passage 25 to the test tube housing part 23 after the dispensing.
The transfer passage 25 is arranged in parallel with the transfer passage 15 of the Harun cup housing and supplying mechanism 10.
The post-dispensing test tube housing part 23 is configured to accommodate a plurality of rows of test tubes after dispensing in rack units.
In the figure, reference numeral 27 denotes an emergency test tube supply unit, and this emergency test tube supply unit transfers a test tube rack rack that is not accommodated in the pre-dispensing test tube accommodation portion 12 in the event of an emergency. 25 is used to supply.

(Description of layout)
The dispensing test tube supply / accommodating mechanism 20 configured as described above has a pair of leg portions 26 on both sides thereof, and the leg portions 26 are mounted on the Harun cup supply / accommodating mechanism 10. The test tube supply / accommodating mechanism 20 is disposed in a state of being superimposed above the Harun cup supply / accommodating mechanism 10.
Further, the depth dimension of the dispensing test tube supply / accommodating mechanism 20 is made smaller than the depth dimension of the Harun cup supply / accommodating mechanism 10, and the Harun cup supply / accommodating mechanism 10 and the dispensing test tube supply / accommodating mechanism 20 are laid out in a platform shape. It is possible to use. By laying out the Harun cup supply / accommodation mechanism 10 and the dispensing test tube supply / accommodation mechanism 20 in the shape of a platform, the user can perform the additional operation and the removal operation of the Harun cup and / or the test tube from the same position. become.
Preferably, the Harun cup supply / accommodating mechanism 10 is slidably provided back and forth on a base (not indicated), and if necessary, the Harn cup supply mechanism 10 can be pulled out to perform maintenance. Can be configured to do so.

(Description of dispensing mechanism 30 and spotting mechanism 40)
The dispensing mechanism 30 and the spotting mechanism 40 are disposed along the Harun cup supply / accommodating mechanism 10 and the dispensing test tube supply / accommodating mechanism 20.
The dispensing mechanism 30 includes a shaft 31 that can be moved up and down, a nozzle member 32 having one end fixed to the shaft 31 and rotatable about the shaft 31, and a cleaning pot 33 for the nozzle member 32.
When dispensing is necessary, after the nozzle member 32 sucks urine from the Harun cup 1 at the suction position T2 (see FIG. 7A), the nozzle member 32 is further lifted from the Harun cup 1 by the shaft 31 and then further upward. The urine that has been raised to the test tube supply / accommodating mechanism 20 and dispensed into the test tube 2 at the dispensing position T4 (see FIG. 7B) is then washed in the washing pot 33 (FIG. 7). (See (c)).
The spotting mechanism 40 includes a shaft 41 that can be moved up and down, a nozzle member 42 having one end fixed to the shaft 41 and rotatable about the shaft 41, and a cleaning pot 43 for the nozzle member 42.
When spotting is required, the nozzle member 42 sucks urine from the Harn cup 1 at the suction position T2 (see FIG. 8A), and then is lifted from the Harn cup 1 by the shaft 41, and the spot measurement of the analysis mechanism 80 is performed. Urine is spotted on the test plate A at the position T5 (see FIG. 8B). At this time, spotting by the nozzle member 42 is performed on all the reagent parts A11 of the inspection part A9 at the spotting start position T6 in cooperation with 85a described later. After the spotting is completed, the nozzle member 42 is cleaned in the cleaning pot 43 (see FIG. 8C).

(Description of reading mechanism 50)
Next, the reading mechanism 50 will be described.
The reading mechanism 50 includes a Harun cup reading mechanism 51 and a test tube reading mechanism 52.
The Harun cup reading mechanism 51 is provided at a position corresponding to the reading position T <b> 1 in the Harun cup supply and accommodation mechanism 10. A label on which identification information capable of identifying a patient corresponding to urine collected in the Harun cup 1 is printed in bar code is attached to the Harun cup 1 in advance.
The reading mechanism 51 is configured to read a barcode attached to the horn cup 1 while the horn cup 1 is rotated by the cup rotating means 18 at the reading position T1.
The test tube reading mechanism 52 is provided at a position corresponding to the labeling and reading position T3 in the dispensing test tube supply / accommodating mechanism 20. The test tube reading mechanism 52 is configured to read a barcode of a label attached to the test tube 2 while rotating the test tube 2, and a label printing / sticking means described later while the test tube 2 is rotating. A label printed with patient information in the form of a barcode (and characters) is attached to the test tube 2 by 60, and at the same time, the information on the label attached to the test tube 2 is read.

(Description of label printing / sticking mechanism 60)
A label printing / pasting mechanism 60 is provided between the pre-dispensing test tube housing portion 22 and the post-dispensing test tube housing portion 23 in the test tube supply / housing mechanism 20.
The label printing / pasting mechanism 60 prints the patient identification information on the label in the form of a barcode (and characters) based on the patient identification information read from the barcode of the Harun Cup 1 by the Harun Cup reading mechanism 51. After that, the label affixed and the printed label is affixed to the surface of the test tube 2 at the reading position T3.

(Description of analyzer 80)
The analyzer 80 is an analyzer provided with the test plate temporary storage device according to the present invention, and is configured as a unit separate from the automatic dispensing unit, and is used by being arranged in the automatic dispensing unit.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 9, the analyzer 80 has a storage device 82, a test plate cutting unit 83, a shutter unit 84, a turntable unit 85, a shooter unit 86, and optical measuring means on a frame unit 81. 87 is arranged.
FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of the storage device 82. As shown in the drawing, the storage device 82 includes a housing 82a that forms a sealed chamber configured to be capable of storing a plurality of test plates A in a stack, and the front surface of the housing 82a is filled with the test plate A. There is a door 82b for use, and an opening 82c for discharging the test plate A is formed on the bottom surface thereof.
A dehumidifying unit 82d is provided on the back surface of the housing 82a.
FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the back surface portion of the housing 82a including the dehumidifying unit 82d.
As shown in the drawing, the dehumidifying unit 82d includes a hygroscopic material 82e made of, for example, silica gel, and a dehumidifying device 82f disposed adjacent to the hygroscopic material 82e.
The dehumidifying device 82f comprises a solid polymer electrolyte membrane 82g, and a porous electrode (anode) 82h and a porous electrode (cathode) 82i disposed so as to sandwich the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 82g. By applying a DC voltage to the (anode) 82h and the porous electrode (cathode) 82i, the moisture on the hygroscopic material 82e side (ie, the sealed chamber) is decomposed into hydrogen ions and oxygen by the porous electrode (anode) 82h. The decomposed hydrogen ions move in the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 82g, react with oxygen in the air outside the sealed chamber at the porous electrode (cathode) 82i, and are released as water molecules.
When the door 82b or the shutter unit 84 is opened to take out or replenish the test plate A and the humidity in the sealed chamber of the storage device 82 rises, first, moisture is rapidly absorbed by the moisture absorbent 82e, and the humidity in the sealed chamber is rapidly increased. Thereafter, the dehumidifying device 82f hydrolyzes the moisture of the hygroscopic material 82e and releases it to the outside of the sealed chamber. As a result, the hygroscopic material 82e is dried and the hygroscopic ability is regenerated. Therefore, even if the door 82b or the shutter unit 84 is repeatedly opened and the humidity in the sealed chamber of the storage device 82 increases, the hygroscopic material 82e rapidly Moisture absorption is performed, and the sealed room is always kept in a low humidity state.
By the way, when heating a hygroscopic material in order to regenerate the hygroscopic material, high humidity air is generated by the heating of the hygroscopic material, which must be exhausted to the outside. For this reason, conventionally, a room with a hygroscopic material and a room with low humidity are partitioned, and when dehumidifying a room with low humidity, the room with the hygroscopic material and the room with low humidity are opened to reduce the humidity. It was necessary to circulate the air in the whole sealed room with a fan or the like in order to actively take in the air in the room to keep the humidity into the room with the hygroscopic material, but it reacts with the detected substance in the sample like the test plate A. When storing items containing test specimens such as test paper that holds the test reagent part that develops color, the time during which high-humidity air is in contact with the reagent part due to air circulation increases. It is not desirable to circulate indoor air because it causes deterioration of the part.
On the other hand, the dehumidifier 82f releases moisture to the outside by the movement of hydrogen ions from the electrode 82h to the electrode 82i through the solid polymer electrolyte membrane 82g. Therefore, when the moisture absorbent 82e is regenerated, the moisture absorbent High humidity air is not generated around 82e. Therefore, in the storage device 82 of the present embodiment, it is possible to keep the sealed chamber at a low humidity while regenerating the hygroscopic material 82e without circulating the air in the sealed chamber with a fan or the like. It becomes possible to store the test plate A without any other.

  A test plate cutting unit 83 is provided inside the storage device 82 configured as described above. FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view of the test plate cutout unit 83. As shown in the drawing, the test plate cutout unit 83 holds the test plate A by engaging with the flange A3 of the test plate A accommodated in a stacked manner. A pair of claws 83a is provided, and in conjunction with a shutter unit 86, which will be described later, the claw 83a is used to discharge the stacked test plates A one by one downward from the bottom. In the figure, reference numeral 83b indicates a sensor for detecting the test plate at the lowest position, and reference numeral 83c indicates a sensor for detecting the test plate immediately before the lowermost position.

The shutter unit 84 is disposed below the storage device 82 and includes a shutter 84a that opens and closes an opening 82c of the storage device 82 (see FIG. 13).
The shutter 84a in the shutter unit 84 also constitutes a test plate temporary storage device according to the present invention.
FIG. 14A shows a cross-sectional view of the shutter 84a.
As shown in the drawing, the shutter 84a includes a housing 84b in which a sealed space is formed. The inside of the housing 84b is partitioned into two upper and lower rooms by an intermediate wall 84c, and the upper lid 84d of the upper chamber is removable, and functions as a shutter that opens and closes the opening 82c of the storage device 82 when mounted.
A dehumidifying device 84e having the same configuration as the dehumidifying device 82f described above is disposed on the intermediate wall 84c, and a hygroscopic material 84f is disposed inside the lower chamber. Thereby, the moisture inside the lower chamber is absorbed by the hygroscopic material 84f, and the moisture of the hygroscopic material 84f is released into the upper chamber by the dehumidifying device 84e, so that the lower chamber is always kept in a low humidity state. The upper chamber is ventilated by periodically removing the upper lid 84d.
On the bottom surface of the lower chamber, by pressing the test plate A from the lower side, an opening 84g having a dimension capable of fitting a disc main body A2 of the test plate A, which will be described in detail later, is formed. A bottom lid 84h is placed from the inside so as to be hermetically closed. A flange 84i extending downward is provided on the back surface of the bottom lid 84h.
In the figure, reference numerals 84j and 84k are O-rings provided so as to surround the opening 84g.
According to the shutter 84a constituting the temporary storage device configured as described above, the bottom lid 84h normally closes the opening 84g, and the lower chamber in the housing 84b is sealed, and the chamber is sealed with the hygroscopic material 84f and the dehumidifier. A low humidity state is maintained by the device 84e.
When a turntable 85a, which will be described later, is transferred to the lower side of the shutter 84a with the test plate A on which the test paper (inspection body) that is not used remains on the test plate A, the test table A is lifted and then raised. The plate A abuts against the flange 84i of the bottom lid 84h to push up the bottom lid 84h, the disc body A2 of the test plate A is fitted into the opening 84g, and the lower side of the housing 84b by the flange A3 of the test plate A and the O-ring 84k. Is sealed (FIG. 13B). In this state, the disc main body A2 of the test plate A is located in the lower chamber of the sealed housing 84b. In the lower chamber of the housing 84b, the humidity increases due to the opening 84g being temporarily opened and the disk main body A2 entering, but the moisture is absorbed rapidly by the hygroscopic material 84f, and the room has a low humidity. Kept in a state. In this embodiment, since the dehumidifying device 84e is provided, the hygroscopic material 84f is dried by the action of the dehumidifying device 84e and becomes reusable as time passes.
As described above, by providing the temporary storage device in the shutter unit 84 that constitutes the shutter of the storage device 82, the test plate A in which the unused test paper (inspection object) remains is temporarily in a low humidity state. Therefore, the test plate A can be used efficiently.
In this embodiment, the dehumidifying device 84e is also provided in the temporary storage device, but the temporary storage device is only for temporarily storing the test plate A and does not store the test plate A. The dehumidifying device 84e is not necessarily essential because it can be ventilated by opening in time. Further, as described above, since the temporary storage device has a time during which the test plate A is not stored, for example, a dehumidifying device including a heating unit is provided so that the moisture absorbent 84f is heated and dried to be regenerated. Also good.
Further, in this embodiment, the bottom lid 84h is pushed up by the test plate A, the disk main body A2 of the test plate A is fitted into the opening 84g, and the lower chamber in the housing 84b is formed by the flange A3 of the test plate A and the O-ring 84k. However, this configuration is not limited to the present embodiment. For example, the bottom lid 84h is pushed up by the turntable unit 85 or the like, and the opening 84g is hermetically closed. May be.

The turntable unit 85 can move the turntable 85a, which can be rotated with the test plate A mounted thereon, and the turntable 85a from the lower position of the storage device 82 to the spot measurement position T5 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in the horizontal direction. A horizontal feed mechanism 85b and a lift mechanism 85c capable of moving the turntable 85a up and down (see FIG. 15).
As shown in FIG. 16, the shooter unit 86 has a pair of conveyors 86a arranged in a width that allows the test plate A to be mounted.
The optical measuring means 87 is disposed above the spotting measurement position T5 and optically measures the color reaction of the test plate A on which urine is spotted.

Here, the structure of the test plate A used in the analyzer 80 will be briefly described.
17 is a top view of one embodiment of the test plate, FIG. 18A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 17, and FIG. 18B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 19A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 17, FIG. 19B is an end view taken along the line DD in FIG. 17, and FIG. 19C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE in FIG. Yes.
As shown in these drawings, the test plate A has a disk-shaped disc main body A2 in which an outer peripheral wall A1 extending downward is formed around the test plate A. A flange A3 extending radially outward is formed at the lower end of the outer peripheral wall A1.
At the center of the test plate A, a locking portion A4 that locks to the turntable 85a of the automatic analyzer is formed, and a donut-shaped groove A5 is formed so as to surround the locking portion A4. A donut-shaped projection A6 is formed around the groove A5.

On the upper surface of the disk main body A2 of the test plate A, a plurality of inspection portions A9 made of elongated concave portions extending in the radial direction are formed at intervals from each other (22 in this embodiment). A plurality of protrusions A10 are formed on the side walls of the recesses forming the inspection portions A9 so as to accommodate and hold the test paper inside.
Each test section A9 is provided with a test paper A12 having a plurality of test reagent sections A11 carrying a reagent that reacts with the substance to be detected in the sample and develops a color on the strip, and each test section A1. Functions as an inspection unit for one specimen. In FIG. 19, the test paper A12 is omitted, but basically, the test paper A12 is attached to all the inspection sections A9.
Further, a label A13 on which an individual identifier converted into an electronic code is printed in the form of a barcode or the like is attached to the disk main body A2 of the test plate A. Further, a color sample serving as an internal standard for optical measurement can be printed on the label A13. In the individual identifier, in addition to the identification information that can identify the individual disposable test plate A, in the case where a color sample is printed, color information relating to the color sample (color sample serving as an internal standard for optical measurement). Can be included. Specifically, the color information of the color sample may be, for example, an RGB value and a light / dark value.
In this embodiment, the label A13 on which the individual identifier and the color sample are printed is affixed to the disc main body A2. However, the individual identifier and the color sample may be directly printed on the disc main body A2, or the individual identifier. May be configured with a tag or the like.

The test plate A has a locking portion between its central portion and its outer peripheral portion.
On the side wall of the doughnut-shaped groove A5 provided in the center portion of the test plate A, inner locking portions A7 projecting radially inward are formed at four positions with unreasonable intervals (see FIGS. 17 and 18). ). As shown in FIG. 18, these inner locking portions A7 are formed so as to extend substantially vertically along the height direction of the side wall from the intermediate position in the height direction of the side wall of the groove A5 to the lower end.
Further, on the outer peripheral wall A1 of the test plate A, groove-shaped outer locking portions A8 that are recessed inward in the radial direction are formed at twelve locations at an inappropriate interval. These outer locking portions A8 are formed so as to extend from the upper end to the lower end of the outer peripheral wall A1 along the height direction of the outer peripheral wall A1 (see FIGS. 17 and 19). In these outer locking portions A8, the intervals between the adjacent outer locking portions A8 are unequal as described above.

  In this embodiment, the test plate A configured as described above and a second test plate (not shown) in which the test plate A is different from the inner locking portion A7 and the outer locking portion A8 are used. Alternately stacked assemblies are accommodated in the storage device 82 and used.

As described above, by providing the locking portions A7 and A8, when the test plate A is stacked, the bottom surface of the groove A5 of the upper test plate A is placed on the inner locking portion A7 of the lower test plate A. The outer locking portion A8 of the upper test plate A is placed on the disc body A2 of the lower test plate A, and the upper and lower test plates A are not completely fitted.
In addition, since two types of test plates A with the locking portions A7 and A8 provided at unequal intervals are alternately stacked, the position of the locking portion A8 of the upper test plate A and the lower test are used. There is no possibility that the positions of the locking portions A8 of the plate A all match, so even if a force is applied from above or below to the test plate assembly in which a plurality of test plates are stacked, the upper and lower test plates They do not fit each other.
Even if the same type of test plates A are continuously stacked for some reason, the locking portions A7 and A8 are provided at unequal intervals, so the position of the locking portion A8 of the upper test plate A Then, the possibility that the positions of the locking portions A8 of the lower test plate A all match is extremely low.
Further, all the inner locking portions A7 are formed so as to extend substantially vertically along the height direction of the side wall from the intermediate position in the height direction of the side wall of the groove A5 to the lower end, and the outer locking portion A8 is formed on the outer peripheral wall A1. Since it is formed so as to extend from the upper end to the lower end along the height direction, the locking portion is not caught by the mold at the time of molding, so that the releasability becomes good and mass production becomes possible.

The operation of the analyzer 80 configured as described above will be briefly described.
In the dry box 82, a plurality of test plates A are stacked and accommodated in advance.
At this time, the turntable 85a is positioned below the storage device 82, the shutter 84a of the shutter unit 84 is closed, and the claw 83a of the test plate cutting unit 83 is engaged with the test plate A at the lowest position. It has stopped.
When the apparatus is activated, the claw 83a of the test plate cutting unit 83 releases the test plate A at the lowest position. As a result, the stacked test plates A fall as a whole, and the lowermost test plate A is placed on the shutter 84 a of the shutter unit 84. In this state, the claw 83a of the test plate cutout unit 83 is locked to the test plate that is one before the lowest position, and the test plate A is held.
At the same time, the lifting mechanism 85c of the turntable unit 85 raises the turntable 85a to above the conveyor 86a of the shooter unit 86.
In this state, the shutter unit 84 opens the shutter 84a, and the test plate at the lowest position held on the shutter 84a is dropped onto the turntable 85a.
When the test plate A is placed on the turntable 85a, the shutter unit 84 closes the shutter 84a, and the lateral feed mechanism 85b of the turntable unit 85 moves the turntable 85a to the spotting measurement position T5. Although the humidity in the storage device 82 temporarily rises due to the opening / closing operation of the shutter 84a, rapid moisture absorption is performed by the moisture absorbing material 82e, and the sealed chamber of the storage device 82 is always kept in a low humidity state. Further, the hygroscopic material 82e is dried with the passage of time by the action of the dehumidifying device 82f and is regenerated into a state capable of absorbing moisture.
When the test plate A is set at the spotting measurement position T5, the turntable unit 85 rotates the test plate A before spotting is performed. The optical measuring means 87 reads the information of the individual identifier of the test plate A, stores the identification information of the test plate A, optically measures the color of each reagent part A11 of each inspection part A9, and cannot be used due to deterioration. The presence or absence of a proper inspection unit A9 is confirmed. When the unusable inspection part A9 is found, the turntable unit 85 and the spotting mechanism 40 are operated so as to perform spotting measurement by skipping the unusable inspection part A9, or unusable inspection. The part A9 is displayed to the user on a monitor (not shown) and the user is prompted to replace the test paper A12 of the inspection part A9. In addition, when the test plate A is provided with a color sample serving as an internal standard for optical measurement, the optical measurement means 87 obtains color information of the color sample included in the color sample of the test plate A and the individual identifier. Read and calibrate based on the read information.
After the preliminary check of the test plate A is completed, the spotting mechanism 40 and the turntable unit 85 are moved together to spot one sample on the reagent part A11 of the test part A8 at the spotting position T6. Is called.
The turntable unit 85 rotates the reagent plate A when the spotting on the reagent part A11 in one inspection part A8 is completed. And when inspection part A8 passes measurement position T7 by optical measurement means 87, optical measurement means 87 optically measures the color reaction of each reagent part A11 of inspection part A8 using CCD etc., for example.
The turntable unit 85 rotates the reagent plate A once, and then stops the inspection unit A8 next to the inspection unit A8 previously spotted at the spotting position T6.
Thereafter, the spotting mechanism 40 and the turntable unit 85 are moved together to start spotting the next specimen. When spotting of the specimen is completed, the turntable unit 85 rotates the test plate A again. . During this rotation, both the inspection unit A8 that has been spotted before and the inspection unit A8 that has been spotted next pass through the measurement position T7. The optical measuring means 87 optically measures the color reaction of each reagent part A11 of both inspection parts A8 that pass through the measurement position T7. Thereby, the optical measuring means 87 measures the color reaction of the reagent part A11 of the same inspection part A8 a plurality of times over time with a predetermined time interval.
As described above, the turntable unit 85 may be configured to rotate the test plate A every time the spotting of each inspection unit A8 is completed, but the next spotting process is not performed immediately. Alternatively, the test plate A may be configured to periodically rotate at a predetermined time interval.
Further, the turntable unit 85 may be configured so that the test plate A can be rotated at an arbitrary timing by a user's operation as necessary. Furthermore, the rotation speed of the test plate A by the turntable unit 85, the rotation time interval and / or the number of rotations, and the measurement timing by the optical measuring means 87 according to the rotation of the test plate A by the turntable unit 85 are not shown. It can be configured so that it can be arbitrarily set via an appropriate interface.
The measurement result of each inspection unit A8 by the optical measurement unit 87 is stored in an appropriate storage unit together with the identification information of the test plate A read from the individual identifier and the position of the inspection unit A8 in the test plate A.
Since the test plate A is provided with a plurality of inspection portions A8, not all inspection portions A8 are used in one inspection. When all the inspection sections A8 are not used, the turntable unit 85 moves the turntable 85a to the lower side of the storage device 82, that is, to the lower side of the shutter 84a in the shutter unit 84 while the test plate A is placed by the lateral feed mechanism 85b. move. After the turntable 85a reaches below the shutter 84a, the turntable 85a is raised by the lifting mechanism 85c. As the turntable 85a rises, the test plate A comes into contact with the flange 84i of the bottom lid 84h to push up the bottom lid 84h, the disc body A2 of the test plate A is fitted into the opening 84g, and the flange A3 of the test plate A The lower chamber of the housing 84b is sealed by the O-ring 84k. In this state, the lifting mechanism 85c is stopped. The test plate A is stored in a low humidity room in the shutter 84a (ie, a temporary storage device) until the next use of the test plate A. If necessary, it is transferred again to the spotting position T6 and reused.
Even in such a case, as described above, the measurement result of each inspection unit A8 by the optical measurement unit 87 is recorded in the storage unit together with the identification information of the test plate A read from the individual identifier and the position of the inspection unit A8 in the test plate A. Therefore, the position of the unused inspection unit A8 can be automatically recognized based on the identification information of the test plate A at the preliminary check stage of the test plate A.
After using all the inspection portions A8 of the test plate A, the turntable 85a is returned to the lower side of the storage device 82 again by the lateral feed mechanism 85b. After reaching the lower side of the storage device 82, the turntable 85a is lowered downward by the lifting mechanism 85c. As a result, the test plate placed on the turntable 85 a is placed on the conveyor 86 a of the shooter unit 86. When the test plate is placed on the conveyor 86a, the shooter unit 86 operates the conveyor 86a to send and discard the test plate in the discarding direction.

(Explanation of the action of the entire device)
Next, the operation of the analyzer configured as described above will be described.
The test plate A is set in the storage device 82 in advance.
First, the user puts the Harun cup 1 in which the urine collected from the patient is accommodated into the rack 11 and sets it in the pre-treatment cup accommodating portion 12. In addition, a test tube rack 21 containing empty test tubes 2 is set in a pre-dispensing test tube housing portion 22.
When the first Harun cup 1 reaches the reading position T1, the Harun cup reading mechanism 51 rotates the Harn cup 1, and reads the patient identification information of the Harn cup 1 during the rotation.
A control device (not shown) checks analysis information such as the presence / absence of a chemical analysis request such as qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis and the number and amount of test tubes necessary for quantitative analysis based on the above-described patient identification information.
When chemical analysis is necessary and the test plate A is not at the spotting measurement position T5, the analysis mechanism 80 is operated to take one test plate A from the dry box 82 onto the turntable 85a. The taken out test plate A is transferred to the spotting measurement position T5.
The control device (not shown) reads the individual identification information from the individual identifier A11 of the test plate A transferred to the spotting measurement position T5 and recognizes the position of the inspection unit A9 where spotting will be performed on the test plate A ( The position of the inspection unit A9 can be recognized by detecting the rotational distance of the turntable 85a), and the information is associated with the patient identification information read from the Harun cup 1 and stored.
On the other hand, after the reading of the patient identification information of the Harun cup 1 is finished, the rack 11 is sent to the post-processing cup housing part 13 side by one Harun cup. In this state, the Harun cup 1 reaches the urine suction position T2, and the next Harun cup 1 reaches the reading position T1.
In parallel with the above-described operation, the test tube rack 21 is pushed out from the pre-dispensing test tube housing portion 22 into the transfer passage 25, and then the top test tube 2 is moved to the labeling and reading position T3. It is transferred to the position where it reaches. When quantitative analysis and / or scrutiny analysis is required, the control device uses a label / print pasting mechanism 60 and a test tube reading mechanism based on the patient identification information read from the Harun cup 1 and the corresponding analysis information. 52 is operated, and a label printed with patient identification information corresponding to the patient identification information of the Harun cup 1 is attached to the test tube 2. The label attaching process to the test tube 2 is performed on the required number of test tubes 2 based on the patient identification information read from the Harun cup 1 and the analysis information corresponding thereto.
The test tube reading mechanism 52 reads the information on the label attached to the test tube 2 and compares it with the patient identification information read from the Harun cup 1.
On the other hand, when the Harun cup 1 reaches the urine suction position T2, the stirring rod of the stirring means 45 is inserted into the urine of the Harun cup 1, and at the same time, the nozzle member 32 of the dispensing mechanism 30 and the nozzle of the spotting mechanism 40 The member 42 is inserted into the urine of the Harun cup 1.
After stirring of the urine in the Harun cup 1 is completed, the stirring bar is cleaned with a suitable cleaning means. At the same time as the stirring is completed, a necessary amount of urine is sucked into each nozzle member 32 and 42.
After sucking urine, the nozzle member 42 of the spotting mechanism moves to the inspection part A9 of the test plate A transferred to the spotting measurement position T5, and cooperates with the turntable 85a to make the reagent part A11 of the inspection part A9. To spot urine.
At the same time, the nozzle member 32 of the dispensing mechanism 30 is lifted by the shaft 31 and moves to the dispensing position T4 to dispense urine into the test tube 2 after labeling. Dispensing urine into the test tube 2 is performed in the necessary amount and in the required number according to the analysis information corresponding to the patient identification information read from the Harun cup 1.
The dispensing process described above is not performed for analysis only. Further, the analysis process is not performed in the case of only the dispensing process.
The test plate A after spotting is rotated by the turntable 85a as described above and used for measurement by the optical measuring means 87.
The measurement result is stored in association with the patient identification information read from the Harun cup 1.
When the dispensing process and the spotting process are completed, the nozzle member 32 of the dispensing mechanism 30 and the nozzle member 42 of the spotting mechanism 40 are moved to the washing pots 33 and 43, respectively, and are washed with these washing pots 33 and 43. Is done.
While the dispensing process and the spotting process related to the above-described Harun Cup 1 are being performed, the patient identification information of the next Harun Cup 1 is read by the barcode reader 53, and the previous Harun Cup 1 is dispensed and spotted. Then, the next dispensing and spotting process of the Harun cup 1 is performed.

T1 Reading position T2 Suction position T3 Labeling and reading position T4 Dispensing position T5 Spotting measurement position T6 Spotting start position T7 Measurement position

A Test plate A1 Outer wall A2 Disc body A3 Flange A4 Locking part A5 Donut shaped groove A6 Donut shaped protrusion A7 Protruding part A8 Protruding part A9 Inspection part A10 Protruding A11 Reagent part A12 Test paper A13 Label with individual identifier printed

1 Harun Cup 2 Test tube

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Harun cup supply accommodation mechanism 11 Rack 11a Top plate 11b Bottom plate 11c Front plate 11d Rear plate 11e Opening 11f Opening 11g Restriction plate 11h Opening 11i Rotating disk 11j Upper part 11k Lower side part 12 Pre-treatment cup accommodation part 13 After-treatment cup accommodation part 14 Transfer means 15a Transfer passage 15b Endless conveyor with claws 16 Rail 17 Emergency cup supply unit 18 Cup rotating means

20 Test tube supply / accommodating mechanism for dispensing 21 Test tube rack 22 Test tube accommodating portion before dispensing 23 Test tube accommodating portion after dispensing 24 Rack transfer means 25 Transfer passage 26 Leg portion 27 Emergency test tube supply unit

30 Dispensing mechanism 31 Shaft 32 Nozzle member 33 Washing pot

40 Pointing mechanism 41 Shaft 42 Nozzle member 43 Washing pot

50 Reading Mechanism 51 Reading Mechanism for Harun Cup 52 Reading Mechanism for Test Tube

60 Label printing and pasting mechanism

80 analyzer 81 frame unit 82 storage device 82a housing 82b door 82c opening 82d dehumidifying unit 82e hygroscopic material 82f dehumidifying device 82g solid polymer electrolyte membrane 82h porous electrode (anode)
82i Porous electrode (cathode)
83 Test plate cutting unit 83a Claw 83b Sensor 83b Sensor 84 Shutter unit 84a Shutter (temporary storage device)
84b Housing 84c Intermediate wall 84d Top lid 84e Dehumidifier 84f Hygroscopic material 84g Opening 84h Bottom lid 84i Flange 84j O-ring 84k O-ring 85 Turntable unit 85a Turntable 85b Horizontal feed mechanism 85c Elevating mechanism 86 Shutter unit 86a Conveyor 87 Optical measuring means

Claims (5)

An analyzer using a test plate in which a plurality of test bodies each holding a test reagent portion that develops color by reacting with a substance to be detected in a specimen are arranged on a single disk,
A spotting mechanism for spotting a specimen on the reagent part of each test specimen of the test plate;
Optical measuring means for optically measuring the color reaction of the reagent part on which the specimen is spotted,
In an automatic analyzer comprising: a spotting position by the spotting mechanism; and a transfer means for transferring the test plate to a measurement position by the optical measurement means,
An automatic analyzer equipped with a test plate temporary storage device provided with a test plate temporary storage device for temporarily dehumidifying and storing all test specimens that have not been used up. The test plate temporary storage device includes a housing having a moisture absorbing material provided therein, an opening is formed in the bottom surface of the housing, and the opening is hermetically closed with a lid that can be pushed up from below. And configured as
The test plate temporary storage device is disposed in a transfer path of the transfer means; and
After the test plate is transferred to the lower part of the lid by the transfer means, when the test plate is raised, the lid is pushed up by a part of the test plate and / or the transfer means to open the opening, and then the test is performed. The automatic analyzer equipped with the test plate temporary storage device according to claim 1, wherein the temporary storage device is configured such that a part of the plate and / or the transfer means can hermetically close the opening. . The automatic analyzer equipped with the test plate temporary storage device according to claim 2, wherein means for drying the hygroscopic material is provided inside the housing. The automatic analyzer equipped with the test plate temporary storage device according to claim 3, wherein the means for drying the hygroscopic material is a water splitting device or a heating device. The automatic analyzer includes a storage device that accommodates a plurality of test plates for use in analysis, the storage device includes an opening for taking out the test plate below, and the opening is configured to be opened and closed by a shutter.
The transfer means is configured to take out the test plates one by one from the lower opening of the storage device and transfer the test plates to a spotting position and a measurement position;
The automatic analyzer equipped with the test plate temporary storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the test plate temporary storage device is provided integrally with the shutter.