JP2014126415A - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that a vortex performing the stirring is produced by a rotating operation along with the stirring of the reagent and a hollow is generated in the vicinity of a rotating center, and if a liquid surface detection operation is performed in a state that the hollow of the vortex is kept generated, the height of the liquid surface is erroneously detected and this results in the detection of less reagent than the actual surplus amount and makes the probe contact the agent more than necessary, and this creates a factor for carrying over the reagent, whereas if the vortex generated in the vicinity of the rotation center is left as it is until eliminated, another problem is generated that a processing capacity is reduced by the leaving time.SOLUTION: A control part for controlling a reagent stirring mechanism makes the reagent stirring mechanism rotate in the forward direction during one cycle of a reaction disk, and after that, performs a control for making the reagent stirring mechanism rotate in the opposite direction for a shorter time than the time it is made to rotate in the forward direction, and the reagent is stirred.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer that analyzes the amount of components contained in a sample such as blood or urine, and more particularly to an automatic analyzer that stirs a reagent in a reagent container placed on a reagent disk.

  As an analyzer that analyzes the amount of components contained in a sample, it measures the amount of transmitted light or scattered light of single or multiple wavelengths obtained by irradiating light from a light source onto a reaction mixture in which the sample and reagent are mixed. An automatic analyzer that calculates the amount of a component from the relationship between the amount of light and the concentration is known.

  In the automatic analyzer described in Patent Document 1, optically transparent reaction cells are arranged circumferentially on a reaction disk that repeatedly rotates and stops, and a transmitted light measurement unit that is arranged in advance during reaction disk rotation. Thus, the change over time (reaction process data) of the light amount due to the reaction is measured at a constant time interval for about 10 minutes. After completion of the reaction, the reaction vessel is washed by the washing mechanism and used again for analysis.

  There are roughly two types of analysis methods for reaction solutions, colorimetric analysis using a color reaction between a substrate and an enzyme, and homogeneous immunoassay using an agglutination reaction by binding of an antigen and an antibody. For homogeneous immunoassay, measurement methods such as immunoturbidimetry and latex agglutination are known.

  In the immunoturbidimetric method, an antibody-containing reagent is used to generate an immune complex with a measurement object (antigen) contained in a sample, and these are optically detected to quantify the amount of components. In the latex agglutination method, a reagent containing latex particles sensitized (bound) with an antibody on the surface is used to agglutinate latex particles by antigen-antibody reaction with the antigen contained in the sample, and these are detected optically. Quantify the amount of ingredients. Furthermore, a heterogeneous immunoassay apparatus that performs more sensitive immunoassay by a detection technique using chemiluminescence or electrochemiluminescence and a B / F separation technique is also known.

There is also an automatic analyzer for measuring the coagulation ability of blood described in Patent Document 2. Blood flows while maintaining fluidity inside blood vessels, but once it bleeds, coagulation factors present in plasma and platelets are activated in a chain, and fibrinogen in plasma is converted into fibrin and deposited. Lead to hemostasis.
Such blood coagulation ability includes an exogenous one that coagulates blood leaked out of the blood vessel and an intrinsic one that coagulates blood in the blood vessel. Measurement items related to blood coagulation ability (blood coagulation time) include prothrombin time (PT) in the extrinsic blood coagulation reaction test, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) in the intrinsic blood coagulation reaction test, and fibrinogen amount (Fbg). Exists.

  Each of these items is based on detecting fibrin precipitated by adding a reagent that initiates coagulation by an optical, physical, or electrical technique. As a method using optical means, the reaction solution is irradiated with light, and the fibrin deposited in the reaction solution is detected by measuring the intensity change over time of scattered light or transmitted light, so that the time when fibrin starts to precipitate can be increased. A method of calculating is known. In the blood coagulation automatic analyzer represented by Patent Document 2, the coagulation time of the blood coagulation reaction (particularly Fbg item) is as short as several seconds, so that photometry is required at intervals as short as 0.1 seconds, and the reaction solution Since the reaction vessel cannot be reused by washing once the solution has solidified, the reaction is performed at an independent photometric port, and the reaction vessel is disposable. Among these blood coagulation time items, for example, PT reagent is purified from living tissue such as rabbit brain, and not only the reagent stability is poor, but also the reagent uniformity cannot be maintained unless it is periodically stirred. Usually, it is stored in a cool box and the reagent is stirred regularly.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,433 JP 2000-32286 A

  For example, in the PT measurement, if the reagent is not uniformly stirred, the coagulation time varies. The reaction time in blood clotting time measurement is 10 seconds to several minutes depending on the item. For this reason, in order to measure one specimen in the blood coagulation time measurement, there may be an interval of 10 seconds to several minutes. The general analysis time is 10 minutes for biochemical items, 10 to 20 minutes for immunization items, and 10 minutes for coagulation / fibrinolysis marker items. It is difficult to carry out stirring.

  For this reason, if a stirring mechanism for the reagent used for blood coagulation time measurement is added and stirring is performed immediately before the reagent is aspirated, the uniformly stirred reagent can be dispensed into the sample for blood coagulation time measurement. However, there is a problem that a vortex for stirring is generated due to the rotating operation accompanying stirring, and a dent is generated near the center of rotation. If the liquid level detection operation is performed with the vortex indentation still occurring, the height of the liquid level will be erroneously detected, and it may be detected that it is less than the actual remaining amount, or the probe may be It may be in contact with chemicals and may cause a reagent carry-over. On the other hand, if the pit generated near the center of rotation disappears, another problem arises that if it is left as it is, the processing capacity will be reduced depending on the lapse time.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer capable of solving a problem caused by a vortex indentation and dispensing a uniformly stirred reagent without reducing the processing capacity.

  Typical examples of the present invention are as follows. Reaction cells for mixing and reacting samples and reagents are arranged on the circumference and repeatedly stop rotating, sample dispensing mechanism for dispensing samples into the reaction cells, and dispensing reagents into the reaction cells A reagent dispensing mechanism having a liquid level detection function, a photometer for detecting light irradiated to the reaction liquid in the reaction cell, a reagent disk on which a reagent container containing a reagent is placed, and the reagent disk A reagent agitation mechanism for agitating the reagent in the reagent container mounted on the reagent container, and a control unit for controlling the reagent agitation mechanism, wherein the control unit includes the reagent during one cycle of the reaction disk. After the stirring mechanism is rotated in the forward direction, it is an automatic analyzer that performs the control of rotating in the reverse direction in a shorter time than the time for rotating in the forward direction, thereby stirring the reagent.

  According to the present invention, by adding a reverse rotation operation to the stirring of the reagent, it is possible to scratch indentations generated in the vicinity of the rotation center caused by the forward stirring in a short time. As a result, it is possible to solve the problems caused by the indentation such as erroneous detection of the liquid level and reagent carryover, and to provide an automatic analyzer with high processing capability.

1 is a system block diagram showing an overall configuration of a turntable type automatic analyzer as a base of an embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic of the automatic analyzer provided with the biochemical analysis part of the turntable system which is one embodiment of this invention, and the blood coagulation time measurement part. (Ac) It is the figure which showed the outline of the mechanism operation | movement of blood coagulation time measurement. (Df) It is the figure which showed the outline of the mechanism operation | movement of blood coagulation time measurement. (Gi) It is the figure which showed the outline of the mechanism operation | movement of blood coagulation time measurement. (J) It is the figure which showed the outline of the mechanism operation | movement of blood coagulation time measurement. (Ac) Schematic of the liquid level state of rotary stirring. (Df) It is the schematic of the liquid level state and reagent probe of rotation stirring. (A), (b) It is a drive sequence figure of the reagent stirring mechanism of this invention.

  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 is omitted as much as possible.

  FIG. 1 is a system block diagram showing the overall configuration of a turntable type automatic analyzer as a base of an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic analyzer 1 mainly includes a reaction disk 10, a sample disk 20, a first reagent disk 30a, a second reagent disk 30b, a light source 40, a photometer 41, and a computer 50. Yes.

  The reaction disk 10 is provided so as to be capable of intermittent rotation, and a large number of reaction cells 11 made of a translucent material are mounted on the disk along the circumferential direction. The reaction disk 10 is a disk in which reaction cells for mixing and reacting a sample and a reagent are arranged on the circumference and repeatedly stopped. The reaction cell 11 is maintained at a predetermined temperature (for example, 37 ° C.) by a constant temperature bath 12. The temperature of the fluid in the constant temperature bath 12 is adjusted by the constant temperature maintaining device 13.

  On the sample disk 20, a large number of specimen containers 21 for storing biological samples such as blood and urine are placed along the circumferential direction in a double manner in the illustrated example. A sample dispensing mechanism 22 is disposed in the vicinity of the sample disk 20. The sample dispensing mechanism 22 mainly includes a movable arm 23 and a pipette nozzle 24 attached to the movable arm 23. With this configuration, the sample dispensing mechanism 22 allows the pipette nozzle 24 to be appropriately moved to the dispensing position by the movable arm 23 during sample dispensing, so that a predetermined amount of sample is taken from the specimen container 21 located at the suction position of the sample disk 20. Inhalation is performed, and the sample is discharged into the reaction cell 11 at the discharge position on the reaction disk 10.

  The first reagent disk 30a and the second reagent disk 30b are disposed inside the first reagent cold box 31a and the second reagent cold box 31b, respectively. In the first reagent cooler 31a and the second reagent cooler 31b, a plurality of first reagent bottles 32a and second reagent bottles 32b, each labeled with reagent identification information such as a barcode, are provided in the first reagent cooler 31a and the second reagent cooler 31b. The reagent disk 30a and the second reagent disk 30b are respectively placed along the circumferential direction. In these first reagent bottle 32a and second reagent bottle 32b, reagent solutions corresponding to analysis items that can be analyzed by the automatic analyzer 1 are stored. The first reagent cooler 31a and the second reagent cooler 31b are provided with a first barcode reader 33a and a second barcode reader 33b, and these devices are used for the first reagent bottle 32a at the time of reagent registration. Then, the barcode displayed on the outer wall of the second reagent bottle 32b is read. The read reagent information is registered in the memory 56 together with the positions on the first reagent disk 30a and the second reagent disk 30b.

  Also, a first reagent dispensing mechanism 34a and a third reagent dispensing mechanism 34b that are substantially similar to the sample dispensing mechanism 22 are arranged in the vicinity of the first reagent disk 30a and the second reagent disk 30b, respectively. Yes. At the time of dispensing the reagent, the pipette nozzles provided therein suck the reagent from the first reagent bottle 32a and the second reagent bottle 32b corresponding to the inspection item positioned at the reagent receiving position on the reaction disk 10, and the corresponding reaction cell 11 Discharge inside. The reagent dispensing mechanism 34a, b uses, for example, changes in electrical characteristics such as capacitance and resistance that change when the reagent dispensing mechanism 34a, b contacts or approaches the liquid surface, This is a mechanism having a known liquid level detection function for detecting the liquid level.

  At a position surrounded by the reaction disk 10, the first reagent disk 30a, the second reagent disk 30b, the first reagent dispensing mechanism 34a, and the third reagent dispensing mechanism 34b, a first stirring mechanism 35a and a second stirring mechanism 35b are provided. Has been placed. The mixed solution of the sample and the reagent accommodated in the reaction cell 11 is stirred by the first stirring mechanism 35a and the second stirring mechanism 35b to promote the reaction. Note that the reagent stirring mechanism for stirring the reagents in the reagent containers placed on the reagent disks 30a and 30b according to the present invention is omitted in FIG. 1 and will be described later.

  Here, the light source 40 is disposed near the center of the reaction disk 10, and the photometer 41 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the reaction disk 10, and the column of the reaction cells 11 after stirring is sandwiched between the light source 40 and the photometer 41. Rotate so that it passes through the photometric position. The light source 40 and the photometer 41 constitute a light detection system. The photometer 41 detects light applied to the reaction solution in the reaction cell 11.

  The reaction liquid of the sample and the reagent in each reaction cell 11 is measured each time it crosses the front of the photometer 41 during the rotating operation of the reaction disk 10. The scattered light analog signal measured for each sample is input to an A / D (analog / digital) converter 54. The used reaction cell 11 is internally cleaned by a reaction cell cleaning mechanism 36 disposed in the vicinity of the reaction disk 10 to enable repeated use.

  Next, a control system and a signal processing system in the automatic analyzer 1 of FIG. 1 will be briefly described. The computer (control unit) 50 is connected to a sample dispensing control unit 52, a reagent dispensing control unit 53, and an A / D converter 54 via an interface 51. The computer 50 sends a command to the sample dispensing control unit 52 to control the sample dispensing operation. The computer 50 also sends a command to the reagent dispensing control unit 53 to control the reagent dispensing operation. The computer 50 also performs drive control of the reagent disks 30a and 30b and the reagent stirring mechanism.

  The photometric value converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 54 is taken into the computer 50.

  Connected to the interface 51 are a printer 55 for printing, a memory 56 as a storage device, an external output medium 57, a keyboard 58 for inputting operation commands and the like, and a CRT display (display device) 59 for screen display. ing. As the display device 59, a liquid crystal display or the like can be adopted in addition to the CRT display. The memory 56 is configured by, for example, a hard disk memory or an external memory. The memory 56 stores information such as the password of each operator, the display level of each screen, analysis parameters, analysis item request contents, calibration results, and analysis results.

  Next, a sample analysis operation in the automatic analyzer 1 of FIG. 1 will be described. Analysis parameters relating to items that can be analyzed by the automatic analyzer 1 are input in advance via an information input device such as the keyboard 58 and stored in the memory 56. The operator uses the operation function screen to select an inspection item requested for each sample.

  At this time, information such as a patient ID is also input from the keyboard 58. In order to analyze the inspection item designated for each sample, the pipette nozzle 24 of the sample dispensing mechanism 22 dispenses a predetermined amount of sample from the specimen container 21 to the reaction cell 11 according to the analysis parameter.

  The reaction cell 11 into which the sample has been dispensed is transferred by the rotation of the reaction disk 10 and stops at the reagent receiving position. The pipette nozzles of the first reagent dispensing mechanism 34a and the third reagent dispensing mechanism 34b dispense a predetermined amount of reagent solution into the reaction cell 11 according to the analysis parameter of the corresponding inspection item. The dispensing order of the sample and the reagent may be reversed from this example, and the reagent may precede the sample.

  Thereafter, the sample and the reagent are stirred and mixed by the first stirring mechanism 35a and the second stirring mechanism 35b. When the reaction cell 11 crosses the photometric position, the photometer 41 measures the transmitted light or scattered light of the reaction solution. The measured light or scattered light is converted into a numerical value proportional to the amount of light by the A / D converter 54 and taken into the computer 50 via the interface 51.

  Using the converted numerical value, concentration data is calculated based on a calibration curve measured in advance by an analysis method designated for each inspection item. The component concentration data as the analysis result of each inspection item is output to the screen of the printer 55 or the CRT display 59.

  Before the measurement operation described above is executed, the operator sets various parameters necessary for analysis measurement and registers the sample via the operation screen of the CRT display 59. Further, the operator confirms the analysis result after measurement on the operation screen on the CRT display 59.

  FIG. 2 is an example in which the present invention is applied to an automatic analyzer equipped with a turntable biochemical analyzer and a blood coagulation time measuring unit, and is a schematic diagram thereof. The sample dispensing mechanism 22 is shared by the biochemical analysis unit and the blood coagulation time measurement unit, and is a disposable reaction vessel 62 used for measurement with respect to the turntable type biochemical automatic analyzer of FIG. A plurality of reaction vessel supply units 63, a heat block 60 having a plurality of coagulation time detection units 61, a reaction vessel transfer mechanism 65 for transferring a disposable reaction vessel 62, and a second with a reagent temperature raising function A reagent dispensing mechanism 66, a coagulation time sample dispensing position 64, and a reaction container discarding unit 67 are added.

  The outline of the mechanism operation of the blood coagulation time measurement in one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 3a, the disposable reaction container 62 has been transferred from the reaction container supply unit 63 to the coagulation time sample dispensing position 64 by the reaction container transfer mechanism 65, and the blood coagulation time measurement is started from this state. The sample dispensed by the sample dispensing mechanism 22 passes through the sample dispensing position of the biochemical analyzer and is dispensed into the disposable reaction vessel 62 at the coagulation time sample dispensing position 64 (FIGS. 3a and 3b). ). At this time, an empty reaction cell 11 that is not used for analysis is generated in the reaction disk 10 (FIG. 3b). The disposable reaction vessel 62 into which the sample has been dispensed by the reaction vessel transfer mechanism 65 is transferred to the coagulation time detector 61 provided in the reaction vessel temperature control block 60, and the sample is heated to 37 ° C. (FIG. 3c, FIG. 3d). On the other hand, in the empty reaction cell 11, the reagent for measuring the blood coagulation time, which is installed in the first reagent cooler and stirred by the reagent stirring mechanism 37, is dispensed by the first reagent dispensing mechanism 34a. And preheated to 37 ° C. over a plurality of cycles (FIGS. 3b, 3c, and 3d). The number of cycles for preheating is set in advance according to the time required to raise the temperature of the sample in the reaction vessel temperature control block 60. The reagent for which preheating has been completed is positioned at the blood coagulation reagent suction position, and is sucked by the second reagent dispensing mechanism 66 with a reagent temperature raising function (FIGS. 3e and 3f). The reagent for measuring the blood coagulation time is heated by the second reagent dispensing mechanism 66 with a reagent temperature increasing function to a required temperature (for example, 40 ° C.) set in advance to 37 ° C. immediately after discharge, and then the sample Is discharged into a disposable reaction vessel 62 containing (FIG. 3g). At this time, the sample and the reagent are also stirred by the reagent discharge momentum, and the blood coagulation time measurement is started (FIG. 3h). The disposable reaction vessel 62 for which the blood coagulation time measurement has been completed is discarded by the reaction vessel transfer mechanism 65 into the reaction vessel discarding section 67 (FIGS. 3i and 3j).

  On the other hand, in the reaction cell 11 after the preheated blood coagulation time measurement reagent has been aspirated, washing water or detergent is dispensed by the third reagent dispensing mechanism 34b after several cycles, and the reaction cell is washed after several cycles. Washed by mechanism 36 (FIG. 3g).

  FIG. 4a shows the configuration of the reagent stirring mechanism 68, and FIGS. 4b to 4f show the state of the liquid surface by rotational stirring. The reagent stirring mechanism 68 is, for example, a magnetic stirrer. The reagent stirring mechanism 68 is disposed on the reagent disk and includes a rotor such as a stirrer, a magnet, and a motor. Note that the bottom of the reagent disk is not shown in the figure, and the magnet and the motor are disposed below the bottom of the reagent disk. The magnet connected to the motor rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the motor. Along with this rotation, the rotor with a built-in magnet also rotates synchronously to stir the reagent. The rotor is provided in advance in the reagent container.

  When the reagent is agitated by rotational movement, a vortex is generated and a dent is generated near the center (FIGS. 4b and 4c). The preparation time for measuring the blood clotting time is short, and if the probe is inserted for liquid level detection or suction before the vortex depression is completely eliminated (FIG. 4d), the liquid volume is less than the actual amount. Or a carry-over due to the probe being brought into contact with the reagent more than necessary (FIG. 4e). This carry-over is caused by the probe being lowered at the depression and coming into contact with the reagent deeper due to the disappearance of the depression over time, and the reagent cannot be completely removed by the probe washing. For this reason, it is necessary to wipe out the vortex indentation as soon as possible, and the vortex indentation can be eliminated quickly by rotating in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation for agitation and extinguishing the vortex (FIG. 4f). Thereby, the above-described problems can be solved without reducing the processing capability.

  5a and 5b are drive sequence diagrams of the reagent stirring mechanism of the present invention. First, the driving sequence of FIG. 5a is shown, and three cycles are shown as an example. As shown, the desired reagent is aspirated and discharged in the first cycle (T0 to T1). In this cycle, the reagent container scheduled to perform the reagent suction in the third cycle (T2 to T3) moves to the reagent suction position by the rotation of the reagent disk. In the next second cycle (T1 to T2), the reagent is agitated by the magnet and motor shown in FIG. 4a arranged just below the reagent suction position. First, the magnet is rotated in the positive direction for a certain period of time. Next, the rotation direction is switched once and rotated in the reverse direction. As a result, it is possible to scratch the dent generated by the rotation in the positive direction. This reverse rotation is shorter than the time for rotating in the forward direction. This is because the reagent can be stirred in a short time by rotating in one direction for a long time in the normal rotation. In the third cycle, the reagent dispensing mechanism (probe) having a liquid level detection function is lowered toward the reagent liquid level, and the reagent is aspirated. At this time, since the dent is scratched, the liquid level can be detected with an accurate liquid level. Thereafter, the reagent is discharged. When stirring is required for the next reagent, the same stirring as in the second cycle is performed in the fourth cycle. If stirring is not required, reagent aspiration and reagent discharge are performed in the fourth cycle, similar to the third cycle.

  Next, the driving sequence of FIG. 5b is shown, and FIG. 5b also shows three cycles as an example. As shown, the desired reagent is aspirated and discharged in the first cycle (T0 to T1). In this cycle, the reagent container scheduled to perform the reagent suction in the third cycle (T2 to T3) moves to the position adjacent to the reagent suction position by the rotation of the reagent disk. In the next second cycle (T1 to T2), the reagent is agitated in the same manner as shown in FIG. 5a by the magnet and motor shown in FIG. 4a arranged immediately below the position adjacent to the reagent suction position. The reagent container is moved to the adjacent reagent suction position by the rotation of the reagent disk. A reagent dispensing mechanism (probe) having a liquid level detection function is lowered toward the reagent liquid level to perform reagent aspiration. At this time, since the dent is scratched, the liquid level can be detected with an accurate liquid level. Thereafter, the reagent is discharged. When stirring is required for the next reagent, the same stirring as in the second cycle is performed in the fourth cycle. If stirring is not required, reagent aspiration and reagent discharge are performed in the fourth cycle, similar to the third cycle. The position of the reagent agitating mechanism is not limited to the position adjacent to the reagent aspirating position, and these positions may be separated by several cells.

  Depending on the structure of the reagent agitation mechanism, if the reagent agitation mechanism is a known winged agitator and the drive mechanism is arranged directly above the reagent container, a device that does not interfere with the reagent aspiration mechanism is required. Become. However, the reagent agitation mechanism is configured such that the reagent agitation mechanism is separated from the position of the adjacent cell or several cells of the reagent aspiration position and the reagent agitation is performed at this position, thereby preventing interference between the reagent agitation mechanism and the reagent aspiration mechanism. Interference between these mechanisms can be prevented without any contrivance. In this respect, the control of FIG. 5b has advantages over the control of FIG. 5a.

  As shown in FIG. 5, by stirring the reagent one cycle before the reagent is aspirated by the reagent dispensing mechanism, the uniformly stirred reagent can be used for analysis. In addition, with the reagent agitation according to the present invention, the dent can be efficiently scraped even in a short time of one cycle.

  In another embodiment, it is desirable to control the stirring time (forward rotation time) or the stirring speed (speed during normal rotation) of the reagent stirring mechanism according to the reagent remaining amount and the reagent type. . If the stirring time and speed are constant, if the remaining amount of reagent is low and the stirring time and speed are the same as when the remaining amount is high, there is a risk that it will not be possible to wipe out the splatter of the reagent or vortex indentation in time. It becomes a carry-over factor. When the remaining amount of the reagent is large, the stirring time is lengthened and rotated at a high speed, and when the remaining amount of the reagent is small, the stirring time can be shortened and the speed can be decreased to perform more appropriate stirring. In addition, in the reagent type, when the reagent viscosity is high, the stirring time is lengthened and the speed is rotated fast, and when the reagent is low in viscosity, the stirring time is shortened and the speed is slowed down. Therefore, more appropriate stirring can be performed. It is not always necessary to control both the stirring time and the speed, and one of the time and the speed may be controlled. More preferably, the reverse rotation time or the speed of the stirring bar is also controlled in accordance with the reagent remaining amount and the reagent type.

  Further, the ratio of the time during which the reagent stirring mechanism rotates in the forward direction and the time during which the reagent stirring mechanism rotates in the reverse direction can be changed according to the remaining amount of reagent or the reagent type. Thereby, according to the reagent remaining amount and the reagent type, the reagent can be stirred under an appropriate stirring condition or a condition for efficiently removing the dent.

  In addition, although the example of the magnetic stirrer was given as a reagent stirring mechanism, even if it is a case where it is a case where it applies to the well-known winged stirring element with which the reagent container was equipped, and the mechanism which drives this, the same effect is obtained. can get.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic analyzer 10 Reaction disk 11 Reaction cell 12 Constant temperature bath 13 Constant temperature maintenance apparatus 20 Sample disk 21 Sample container 22 Sample dispensing mechanism 23 Movable arm 24 Pipette nozzle 30a First reagent disk 30b Second reagent disk 31a First reagent cold storage 31b Second reagent cooler 32a First reagent bottle 32b Second reagent bottle 33a First barcode reader 33b Second barcode reader 34a First reagent dispensing mechanism 34b Third reagent dispensing mechanism 35a First stirring mechanism 35b Second stirring mechanism 36 Reaction cell cleaning mechanism 37 Stirring mechanism 38a First reagent dispensing probe 40 Light source 41 Photometer 50 Computer 51 Interface 52 Sample dispensing control unit 53 Reagent dispensing control unit 54 A / D converter 55 Printer 56 Memory 57 External output media 58 Keyboard De 59 CRT display (display device)
60 Reaction vessel temperature control block 61 Coagulation time detection unit 62 Disposable reaction vessel 63 Reaction vessel supply unit 64 Coagulation time sample dispensing position 65 Reaction vessel transfer mechanism.
66 Second Reagent Dispensing Mechanism with Reagent Temperature Raising Function 67 Reaction Container Disposal Unit 68 Reagent Stirring Mechanism

Claims (7)

Reaction cells for mixing and reacting samples and reagents are arranged on the circumference and the reaction disk repeats rotation,
A sample dispensing mechanism for dispensing a sample into the reaction cell;
A reagent dispensing mechanism having a liquid level detection function for dispensing a reagent into the reaction cell;
A photometer for detecting light irradiated to the reaction solution in the reaction cell;
A reagent disk on which a reagent container containing a reagent is placed;
A reagent stirring mechanism for stirring the reagent in the reagent container placed on the reagent disk;
A control unit for controlling the reagent stirring mechanism,
The control unit performs a control to rotate the reagent stirring mechanism in the reverse direction in a shorter time than the time to rotate the reagent stirring mechanism in the forward direction after rotating the reagent stirring mechanism in the forward direction during one cycle of the reaction disk. An automatic analyzer characterized by stirring.   2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the control unit rotates the reagent stirring mechanism in the forward direction, switches the rotation direction only once, rotates the reagent in the reverse direction, and stirs the reagent. Automatic analyzer to do.   3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the controller stirs the reagent one cycle before the reagent is sucked by the reagent dispensing mechanism.   The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the control unit agitates the reagent one cycle before the reagent is sucked by the reagent dispensing mechanism.   2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the reagent stirring mechanism is a magnetic stirrer.   2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the stirring time or stirring speed of the reagent stirring mechanism is controlled in accordance with the reagent remaining amount or reagent type in the reagent container.   2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the time during which the reagent stirring mechanism rotates in the reverse direction and the time during which the reagent stirring mechanism rotates in the reverse direction is changed according to the reagent remaining amount or the reagent type in the reagent container. Analysis equipment.