JP2017009362A - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic analyzer by avoiding the influence of the inner pressure of a vacuum blood collection tube and viscosity of a sample and capable of accurately determining clogging and the viscosity of the sample.SOLUTION: A controller obtains first pressure waveform data from the value of a pressure sensor during the operation of a syringe in a state in which a prove is in the inner part of a vacuum blood collection tube, and obtains second pressure waveform data from the value of the pressure sensor during the operation of the syringe (STEP 6). The controller includes a memory for storing a calculation parameter corresponding to each pressure waveform data. The controller realizes an automatic analyzer high in reliability even when the sample is absorbed and discharged from the vacuum blood collection tube by the probe by performing a threshold value determination(STEP 8) by the calculation parameter corresponding to the pressure waveform data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer equipped with a sample dispensing device, and more particularly to an automatic analyzer that pierces and dispenses a sealing plug of a test tube without performing a plug opening process.

  In an automatic analyzer, for example, in a biochemical automatic analyzer, in order to perform a component analysis of a biological sample such as serum or urine (hereinafter referred to as a sample), the sample and the reagent are reacted, and the resulting color tone and turbidity The change is measured optically with a photometric unit such as a spectrophotometer.

  In order to react the sample and the reagent, it is necessary to perform dispensing from the container in which the sample and the reagent are contained into the reaction container. For this reason, the automatic analyzer includes a dispensing device that automatically sucks and discharges a sample or a reagent from a container in which the sample or reagent is stored into the reaction container.

  In a sample dispensing apparatus that dispenses a sample from a test tube (hereinafter referred to as a vacuum blood collection tube) sealed with a sealing stopper to a reaction container, dispensing abnormality may occur due to various factors. One of the main causes of dispensing abnormalities is clogging of the probe due to sample suction and suction of a sample having an abnormal viscosity.

  When the probe is clogged, a predetermined amount of sample cannot be dispensed into the reaction container, and a reliable analysis result cannot be obtained. Further, even when a sample having an abnormal viscosity is sucked, accurate dispensing cannot be performed, which affects the analysis result.

  As means for determining dispensing abnormality, many techniques have been proposed in which a pressure sensor is provided in a dispensing flow path including a probe, and dispensing abnormality such as probe clogging is detected based on pressure fluctuation.

  In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube is monitored by a pressure sensor through a sealing plug and a probe that has been punched out. It is described that if the detection value of the pressure sensor is equal to or less than a threshold value or more than the threshold value, it is determined that the blockage is present.

Patent No. 5297328

  However, in the method described in Patent Document 1 described above, since the amount of negative pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube varies due to the difference in the amount of negative pressure depending on the type of vacuum blood collection tube or the variation in blood collection amount, the normal atmospheric pressure state is changed. In the judgment based on the threshold set as a reference, there is a possibility that the judgment of normal suction or abnormal suction is wrong.

  When a vacuum blood collection tube is used, the sample is whole blood, and thus the viscosity is in the range of 30 to 60% when compared to a 20 ° C. glycerin aqueous solution. A vacuum blood collection tube composed of a test tube and a sealing stopper used for blood collection is filled with a negative pressure in advance. The amount of negative pressure in the blood collection tube varies depending on the type of blood collection tube and how much blood can be sucked into the blood collection tube. Therefore, when the sample is aspirated, the data of the pressure waveform acquired at the time of aspiration is affected by the residual pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube. For this reason, even when the same sample is sucked, the waveform data of the pressure obtained at the time of suction is different. As a result, for a sample having a wide range of viscosities such as a whole blood sample and a variation in the amount of negative pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube, the threshold value setting as described in Patent Document 1 is used from the pressure waveform data at the time of suction. It becomes difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and accurately detects abnormalities during dispensing in consideration of the effects of variations in pressure waveform data resulting from the viscosity of the sample, the type of vacuum blood collection tube, and the amount of blood collected. With the goal.

  The present invention includes a plurality of means for solving the above-mentioned problems. An example of the means is as follows.

  A probe for penetrating the stopper into a vacuum blood collection tube, sucking a sample in the vacuum blood collection tube, and discharging the sample into a reaction vessel; a syringe for sucking and discharging the sample to the probe; and the syringe as the probe A dispensing channel connected to the pressure sensor, a pressure sensor arranged in the dispensing channel and detecting the pressure in the dispensing channel, and pressure waveform data output from the pressure sensor during operation of the syringe An automatic recording unit that records and calculates a determination value from the pressure waveform data using calculation parameters including a plurality of predetermined numerical data, and compares a predetermined threshold value with the determination value. In the analyzer, the controller has a first calculation parameter and a second calculation parameter, a first threshold value and a second threshold value, and the probe is inside the vacuum blood collection tube. The probe compares the first pressure waveform data acquired during the operation of the syringe in a certain state and the first determination value calculated by the first calculation parameter with the first threshold, and the probe The second pressure waveform data obtained during the operation of the syringe in a state outside the vacuum blood collection tube and the second determination value calculated by the second calculation parameter are compared with the second threshold value. It is an automatic analyzer that compares and determines the presence or absence of dispensing abnormality using the first comparison and the second comparison.

  Separate pressure waveform data obtained by the pressure sensor while operating the syringe inside the vacuum blood collection tube and pressure waveform data obtained by the pressure sensor while operating the syringe outside the vacuum blood collection tube Judgment of the threshold value based on the calculation parameters set to, enables detection of clogging of the probe during dispensing and abnormally viscous sample suction without being affected by the viscosity of the sample or the pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube Thus, a highly reliable automatic analyzer can be provided.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic analyzer to which the present invention is applied. It is explanatory drawing of the principal part (pressure signal processing part) in the Example of this invention. This shows the pressure change in the vacuum blood collection tube according to the amount of blood collected, using the same size blood collection tube. It is a rough form of the output of a pressure sensor at the time of sample suction. It is a rough form of the output of a pressure sensor at the time of sample discharge. It is an internal block diagram of the signal processor in a present Example. It is a figure which shows the example of the collection of known data typically. It is a flowchart of the discrimination | determination operation | movement in invention. It is the figure which showed the relationship between the pressure waveform of suction operation, and the collection of known waveform data. It is the figure which showed the relationship between the pressure waveform of discharge operation, and the collection of known waveform data.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic analyzer to which the present invention is applied.

  In FIG. 1, the automatic analyzer is a first reagent capable of mounting a plurality of sample disks (sample disks) 101 capable of mounting a plurality of vacuum blood collection tubes (sample containers) 100 holding a sample and a plurality of reagent containers 103 holding reagents. A disk 104 and a second reagent disk 106, and a reaction disk 111 having a plurality of reaction vessels 110 arranged on the circumference are provided.

  The automatic analyzer also supplies a probe (sample probe) 102 for dispensing a sample sucked from the vacuum blood collection tube 100 to the reaction container 110 and a reagent sucked from the reagent container 103 in the first reagent disk 104 to the reaction container 110. A first reagent probe 105 to be dispensed and a second reagent probe 107 to dispense the reagent aspirated from the reagent container 103 in the second reagent disk 106 into the reaction container 110 are provided.

  Further, the automatic analyzer includes a stirring device 108 for stirring the liquid in the reaction vessel 110, a container cleaning mechanism 109 for washing the reaction vessel 110, a light source 112 installed near the inner periphery of the reaction disk 111, and spectral detection. 113, a computer 114 connected to the spectroscopic detector 113, and a controller 115 that controls the operation of the entire automatic analyzer and exchanges data with the outside.

  The probe 102 is connected to the metering pump 117 via the dispensing channels 116 and 119, and a pressure sensor 118 is provided in the middle of the dispensing channels 116 and 119. The pressure sensor 118 disposed in the dispensing channel can detect the pressure in the dispensing channel during sample suction and discharge.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a main part (pressure signal processing unit in the probe 102) in the embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 2, the metering pump 117 connected to the probe 102 is provided with a plunger 202 (also referred to as a syringe) driven by a drive mechanism 201. The metering pump 117 is connected to the pump 204 through the valve 203. A pipe 119 (dispensing channel) is connected to the syringe, and a probe 102 is connected to the pipe 119 (dispensing channel). By driving the syringe, the sample can be sucked into the probe 102 from the vacuum blood collection tube 100 or the like, or the sample can be discharged out of the probe 102.

  The pressure sensor 118 is connected to a signal processor (signal processing unit) 206 via an AD converter 205. The inside of the probe 102 is filled with the system liquid 207 a, and the sample 209 is sucked through the segmental air 208. The example shown in FIG. 2 shows a state where the sample 209 is sucked into the sample probe 102.

  The probe 102 can move between the vacuum blood collection tube 100 and the reaction vessel 110 by rotating in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction by a moving mechanism (not shown).

  Next, the operation in the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  1 and 2, a sample to be examined such as blood (for example, whole blood) is placed in a vacuum blood collection tube 100 and set on a sample disk 101. The type of analysis required for each sample is input from the computer 114 to the controller 115. A sample collected from the vacuum blood collection tube 100 by the sample probe 102 is dispensed into the reaction vessel 110 arranged on the reaction disk 111. The sample probe is a probe that penetrates the stoppered vacuum blood collection tube, sucks the sample in the blood collection tube, and discharges it to the reaction vessel 110. The sample probe is a probe having a pointed tip for penetrating the stopper.

  Then, a certain amount of reagent is dispensed from the reagent container 103 installed on the first reagent disk 104 or the second reagent disk 106 to the reaction container 110 by the first reagent probe 105 or the second reagent probe 107, and is supplied to the stirring device 108. And stirred. The sample and reagent dispensing amounts are set in advance for each type of analysis.

  The reaction disk 111 is periodically rotated and stopped, and photometry is performed by the spectroscopic detector 113 at the timing when the reaction vessel 110 passes in front of the light source 112. Photometry is repeated by the spectroscopic detector 113 during the reaction time of 10 minutes, and then the reaction liquid in the reaction vessel 110 is discharged and washed by the vessel washing mechanism 109. Meanwhile, in another reaction vessel 110, another sample, reagent dispensing operation, and the like are performed in parallel. Data measured by the spectroscopic detector 113 is calculated by the computer 114, and the concentration of the component corresponding to the type of analysis is calculated and displayed on the display of the computer 114.

  The operation of the probe 102 will be described in detail.

  Before the sample is sucked, first, the controller 115 opens and closes the valve 203 to fill the flow path of the sample probe 102 with the system liquid 207 supplied from the pump 204. Next, the controller 115 lowers the plunger (syringe) 202 by the drive mechanism 201 in a state where the tip of the probe 102 is in the air, and sucks the segmented air 208 by this lowering operation.

  Next, the controller 115 lowers the probe 102 into the vacuum blood collection tube 100, and lowers the plunger (syringe) 202 by a predetermined amount with the tip immersed in the sample to suck the sample into the probe 102. In this case, the suction liquid 209 is a sample. The pressure (or pressure fluctuation) at the time of suction of the probe 102 is detected by the pressure sensor 118, digitally converted by the AD converter 205, and sent to the signal processor 206. Thereafter, the probe 102 is moved onto the reaction vessel 110 to discharge the sample. Even during this discharge, the pressure (or pressure fluctuation) when the plunger (syringe) 202 is operating is detected by the pressure sensor 118, converted into a digital signal by the AD converter 205, and sent to the signal processor 206.

  Subsequently, the inside of the probe 102 is cleaned with system water or the like by opening and closing the valve 203, and the outside is also cleaned to prepare for the next analysis.

  The signal processor 206 determines the presence or absence of dispensing abnormality from the first pressure waveform data obtained when the probe 102 aspirates the sample and the second pressure waveform data obtained at the time of ejection, and determines that there is an abnormality. If so, the analysis is stopped, an alarm is displayed on the display unit of the computer 114, and the return operation is performed. The return operation is selected from among re-dispensing excluding the cause of the abnormality, moving to another sample inspection (dispensing and analysis), and stopping the apparatus.

  FIG. 3 shows a change in pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube according to the amount of blood collected using the blood collection tube of the same specification.

  In FIG. 3, the vertical axis represents the air amount and pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube, and the horizontal axis represents the blood collection amount in the vacuum blood collection tube. The straight line shown in FIG. 3 indicates the relationship between the air volume and the blood sampling volume, and the curve indicates the relationship between the blood sampling volume and the pressure. It can be seen that the pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube varies depending on the amount of blood collected.

  As shown in FIG. 3, it can be seen that the smaller the amount of blood collected, the greater the amount of negative pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube, and the closer to the atmospheric pressure as the amount of blood collected increases. Since the amount of blood that can be collected from a patient is not always constant, the pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube varies even with vacuum blood collection tubes of the same size.

  FIG. 4 is an example of pressure waveform data obtained by a pressure sensor when a sample having a different viscosity is filled in a vacuum blood collection tube and the sample is sucked with a probe. A plurality of waveforms are shown for each of “normal”, “abnormal viscosity”, and “clogging” because the negative pressure in the blood collection tube is changed.

  In FIG. 4, the vertical axis represents the pressure of the pressure sensor 118, and the horizontal axis represents the time axis. Suction is performed from a blood collection tube having various negative pressures, and correction is made with the point of starting suction as 0 point. Samples of normal viscosity, high viscosity (abnormal viscosity), and clogged samples are classified into “normal”, “viscous abnormality”, and “clogging” depending on the line type. Since the pressure waveform data is affected by the viscosity of the sample and the negative pressure inside the vacuum blood collection tube, the pressure waveform data at the time of suction is affected, so it is difficult to distinguish between normal, abnormal viscosity, and clogging. I understand. The sample sucked from the vacuum blood collection tube is whole blood, and when compared to a glycerin aqueous solution, the viscosity of glycerin aqueous solution at 20 ° C. is 30 to 60% and there is a great individual difference. Since not only the viscosity of the sample but also the negative pressure in the blood collection tube affects the pressure waveform, the pressure waveform data during sample suction alone is not sufficient to determine clogging or viscosity during dispensing.

  FIG. 5 is an example of pressure waveform data obtained by a pressure sensor when a sample having a different viscosity is filled in a vacuum blood collection tube and the sample is discharged by a probe. A plurality of waveforms are shown as “normal” because the negative pressure in the blood collection tube is changed.

  In FIG. 5, the vertical axis represents the pressure of the pressure sensor 118, and the horizontal axis represents the time axis. Samples are discharged from blood collection tubes with various negative pressures, and as in FIG. 4, normal samples with high viscosity, samples with high viscosity (abnormal viscosity), and clogged samples are “normal” depending on the line type. , “Viscous abnormality” and “clogging”. The pressure waveform changes depending on the viscosity of the sample, and it can be seen from the results that the waveform at the time of clogging can be easily compared with the pressure waveform data at the time of suction.

  Accordingly, it can be seen that it is useful to use the pressure waveform data during sample discharge that is relatively easy to distinguish, together with the pressure waveform data during sample suction that is relatively difficult to distinguish.

  FIG. 6 is an internal configuration diagram of the signal processor 206 in the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 6, the signal processor 206 includes a memory 206 b in which a plurality of calculation parameters used for determination of dispensing abnormality is stored for each operation of the automatic analyzer, a comparison unit 206 a, and a determination unit 206 c. Prepare. The determination unit 206 c of the signal processor 206 transmits the determination result to the controller 115. The signal processor 206 may be provided separately from the controller 115, or may be provided in the controller 115. Note that the reference parameter used for determination by the determination unit 206c may be referred to as a detection parameter.

  An appropriate calculation parameter is selected from the calculation parameters corresponding to the operation stored in the memory 206b and used. The calculation parameter is generated from pressure waveform data under various conditions, and a threshold for determining abnormal pressure waveform data is set. A judgment value is calculated from the pressure waveform data using calculation parameters including a plurality of predetermined numerical data. In the comparison unit 206a, normality / abnormality is determined by comparing the determination value (determination target) with the threshold value. Here, the judgment value is a statistical distance for quantifying the difference in waveform between the pressure waveform data and the pressure waveform data when dispensing is performed normally.

  In this embodiment, the calculation parameters described later are described as two. However, there are cases where there are more operations outside the blood collection tube depending on the operation of the automatic analyzer, and even if there are three or more parameters. good.

  Details of the calculation parameters will be described. The calculation parameter is numerical data used for calculating a statistical distance between the pressure waveform and a set of known data. In other words, the calculated parameters are the obtained pressure waveform data (obtained when the syringe is operating during measurement) and the pressure waveform data when the dispensing is performed normally (obtained in advance during operation of the syringe under various conditions). It is the numerical data used in order to calculate the statistical distance which quantifies the difference in the waveform. In a determination in a certain operation, the controller 115 acquires pressure waveform data (that is, a detection result of the pressure sensor 118) during the operation, and calculates a statistical distance from a calculation parameter stored in the memory 206b. That is, the above-described determination value is a statistical distance. In the present embodiment, a case where the Mahalanobis distance is used as an example of the statistical distance used in the comparison unit 206a will be described.

  The controller 115 compares the calculated statistical distance with the threshold value using the comparison unit 206a, and determines the determination unit 206c based on the comparison result. Calculation parameters and threshold values stored in the memory 206b are determined in advance for each target operation as necessary. In this embodiment, two calculation parameters for suction and discharge are determined. However, when a suction operation is performed in a vacuum blood collection tube, the value of the pressure waveform is the pressure inside the blood collection tube and the viscosity of the sample. Affected by. Considering these influences, the threshold value for determining abnormality is set higher than the threshold value for ejection. A high threshold means that the determination tolerance is large. That is, as described above, since it is relatively difficult to determine abnormality during sample suction, the determination margin is increased.

  For example, if the thresholds for determination are the same for suction and discharge, if the threshold is adjusted for suction, the determination at the time of discharge, which is relatively easy to determine, may be reduced, and abnormal discharge may be determined as normal. On the other hand, if the threshold is set at the time of ejection, the determination at the time of suction, which is relatively difficult to determine, becomes strict, and there is a possibility that normal suction is determined as abnormal suction. Accordingly, it is possible to perform determination with higher reliability by individually setting the threshold values in accordance with the ease of determination during suction and during discharge.

  The statistical distance will be described. The statistical distance is an index obtained by quantifying the similarity between two events represented by a plurality of feature variables. In the case of the present embodiment, how far the target data is from a set of known data prepared in advance is calculated. Here, a method of calculating the Mahalanobis distance will be described as an example of the statistical distance.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a set of known data in each operation. In the present embodiment, each of n event data, which is known waveform data in each of the suction operation and the discharge operation, has k characteristic variables (n and k are positive integers). Note that the numbers of n and k do not need to be the same during (a) the suction operation and (b) the discharge operation.

In calculating the Mahalanobis distance, first, each feature variable of the target data is expressed as y ₁ , y ₂ ,.
y _{k, z} 1 the average of each characteristic variable of the set of known _{data, z 2, ··, z k} , 1 standard deviation σ, σ _2, ···, when a sigma _k, the following equation (1 ) To normalize. However, i = 1,..., K.

The Mahalanobis distance D _M of the target data for a set of known data is represented by the following (Equation 2). Here, A in the equation is an inverse matrix of the covariance matrix.

This allows calculation Mahalanobis distance D _M is a statistical distance, is compared with some predetermined threshold th, it is possible to perform the clogging determination of the probe. For example, it can be regarded as calculated D _M successfully without clogging of the probe equal to or smaller than the threshold value th dispensing.

_{Z 1,} z 2 obtained from a set of known _{data, ··, z k, σ 1} , σ 2, ···, σ k corresponds to the pressure value of a predetermined time ideal pressure waveform. Using the mean, standard deviation, inverse matrix of the covariance matrix, and threshold value th calculated from the set of known data as calculation parameters, two calculation parameters for suction and discharge are stored in the memory 206b in advance. Store it.

Each feature variable is obtained from the target pressure waveform data, and the controller reads the calculation parameters corresponding to the operation from the memory, and uses the mean and standard deviation of each feature variable by the memory, and the Mahalanobis distance D by Equation 1 and Equation 2. _M can be calculated. An abnormality determination at the time of dispensing can be performed by comparing the calculated statistical distance with the threshold th.

  In addition to the Mahalanobis distance, a statistical distance calculation method applicable to the present embodiment includes a calculation method such as Euclidean distance, standard Euclidean distance, Manhattan distance, Chebyshev distance, Minkowski distance, and multivariate normal density. is there.

  This calculation parameter may be corrected by information other than the corresponding pressure waveform data. For example, when the negative pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube is below a certain level, the influence of the internal pressure is taken into consideration, and the threshold value th at the time of ejection read from the memory is multiplied by the coefficient p. Here, p is a positive numerical value greater than 1. As a result, the threshold value in the second calculation parameter described later can be changed in the increasing direction. Therefore, even when the pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube is a large negative pressure and affects the pressure waveform at the time of discharge, a highly accurate determination can be made.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the discrimination operation in the present invention. This flow is performed by the controller 115.

  In FIG. 8, the probe 102 is lowered (STEP 1). At this time, the probe penetrates the stopper of the vacuum blood collection tube, and the probe tip enters the inside of the vacuum blood collection tube. After the lowering of the probe is completed, the sample is aspirated by the probe 102, the pressure data at the time of sample aspiration (during the operation of the syringe) is measured by the pressure sensor 118, and the AD converted data is the first data. Acquired as pressure waveform data and recorded in the memory (STEP 2). The acquired first pressure waveform data calculates a statistical distance from the first calculation parameter stored in the memory 206b by the controller 115. In the present embodiment, a case where the Mahalanobis distance is used as an example of the statistical distance used in the comparison unit 206a will be described.

  The controller 115 compares the calculated statistical distance with the threshold value in the comparison unit 206a (STEP 3), and based on the comparison result, the determination unit 206c determines whether or not the probe is clogged (STEP 4). If the statistical distance exceeds the threshold, it is determined that the probe is clogged, an alarm that the probe is clogged is displayed on the display, and the clogged probe is removed without discharging the aspirated sample to the reaction vessel. The operation is performed (STEP 5). That is, the dispensing operation at that time is stopped. At that time, as an operation for removing the clogging of the probe, for example, an operation of discharging the internal washing water or the like from the probe is performed, and an operation of removing the clogged foreign matter is performed.

  After the determination of the first pressure waveform data is completed normally, that is, when the statistical distance is within the threshold value, the sucked sample is discharged outside the vacuum blood collection tube. Prior to this, the probe has been lifted and pulled out from the vacuum blood collection tube and moved to the reaction vessel. The pressure sensor 118 measures the pressure data at the time of sample discharge (during syringe operation), acquires AD converted data as second pressure waveform data, and records it in the memory (STEP 6). The acquired second pressure waveform data is used by the controller 115 to calculate a statistical distance from the second calculation parameter stored in the memory 206b.

  In addition, although it is shown between STEP4 and STEP6 that the threshold value of a calculation parameter is corrected, this is arbitrary. Here, as described above, it means that the second threshold value is corrected by the pressure value extracted from the first waveform data. By giving such correction, the second threshold value is increased, and a more reliable determination of sample discharge in consideration of the pressure in the vacuum blood collection tube is possible.

  Further, as a similar idea, instead of the previous correction, a more reliable determination can be made by selecting the second calculation parameter and the second threshold corresponding to the pressure value extracted from the first waveform data. It becomes possible. For example, according to the pressure inside the vacuum blood collection tube, the apparatus has a plurality of combinations of the second calculation parameter and the second threshold value, and one device is used depending on the pressure value extracted from the first pressure waveform data. A set of second calculation parameters and a second threshold value are selected, and STEPs 7 and 8 are executed. The method for obtaining the pressure inside the vacuum blood collection tube is known from the pressure waveform data at the time of sample suction, and the pressure inside the vacuum blood collection tube can be known by a known method.

  The controller 115 compares the calculated statistical distance with the threshold value by the comparison unit 206a (STEP 7), and based on the comparison result, the determination unit 206c determines abnormality of the sample viscosity at the time of discharge (STEP 8). When the statistical distance exceeds the threshold value, it is determined that the viscosity of the sample is not in the normal range, and an alarm indicating that the sample has a viscosity abnormality is displayed on the display unit. That is, a probe abnormality determination is made (STEP 9). Since there is a possibility that the dispensed sample is not normally dispensed, the reaction container from which the sample is dispensed is washed without dispensing the reagent (STEP 11). Thereby, waste of the reagent can be prevented. Note that the cleaning of the reaction vessel and the probe abnormality determination may be performed before or after the cleaning as shown in the figure.

  In STEP 8, when the pressure data at the time of sample suction is within the threshold value, that is, when the statistical distance is within the threshold value, it is determined that the viscosity of the sample is in the normal range, and the control of the controller 115 is performed in accordance with a command from the determination unit 206c. Thus, the dispensing operation into the reaction container is performed, and the analysis operation is started (STEP 10). Accordingly, the reagent is dispensed into the reaction container in accordance with a normal analysis operation.

  By following such a flow, the controller 115 performs the first comparison between the statistical distance at the time of sample aspiration and the first threshold, and the second comparison between the statistical distance at the time of sample ejection and the second threshold. It can be used to determine the presence or absence of dispensing abnormality. The controller 115 can determine whether or not the probe is clogged in the first comparison, and can determine whether or not the viscosity of the sample is in the normal range in the second comparison. In addition, as described above, since the determination targets are different, different alarms are displayed when the abnormality is determined by the first comparison and when the abnormality is determined by the second comparison. Among these dispensing operations, it is possible to easily distinguish between an abnormality in which the probe is clogged by the suction operation and an abnormality in which the viscosity of the sample is not within the normal range.

  The relationship between the pressure waveform data and the known waveform data will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 are pressure waveform data at the time of suction and at the time of discharge, respectively. The horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the pressure value. In the pressure waveform data at the time of suction shown in FIG. 9, the suction start point is corrected to zero point.

  The pressure conditions inside the sample and the blood collection tube are shown in the graph, and the conditions of the samples in FIGS. 9 and 10 are the same. In the graph, the data group of known waveforms described with reference to FIG. 7 is shown as a region. Since the analyzer used in the present embodiment employs a vacuum blood collection tube, in FIG. 9, when the negative pressure of the blood collection tube is large, the pressure peak during suction is low, which is more accurate than the open blood collection tube. Difficult to grasp. Therefore, the threshold value of the calculation parameter is set so that only the clogging is determined at the time of suction.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of pressure waveform data during discharge. In this embodiment, since the discharge operation is performed outside the vacuum blood collection tube, the discharge operation can be performed without being influenced by the inside of the blood collection tube. Therefore, the calculation parameters are set so that the influence of viscosity can be grasped. That is, the threshold value is set so that clogging inside the probe can be determined from the pressure waveform data at the time of suction, and an abnormally viscous sample can be determined from the pressure waveform data at the time of discharge.

  By detecting clogging at the time of suction, it is possible to avoid discharging rubber scraps or the like that cause clogging into the reaction container. Further, by determining a highly viscous sample at the time of discharge, it is possible to prevent a sample discharge failure due to viscosity. As a result, it is possible to provide an apparatus that can perform measurement with higher accuracy. In FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the known waveform data is shown as a region for convenience, but in the present invention, the pressure waveform data is determined using the statistical distance. Therefore, it is supplemented that the pressure waveform data out of the known waveform data area is not necessarily an abnormal waveform.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment, the abnormality from the time of dispensing was implemented using the waveform from the pressure result of the pressure sensor 118. However, it is not necessary to use a pressure sensor in other methods as long as the pressure at the time of discharge and suction of the probe can be measured. However, an appropriate pressure result can be obtained by using the pressure of the pressure sensor 118.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the inside of the vacuum blood collection tube is under negative pressure has been described, but it is needless to say that the determination is effective even when the inside of the vacuum blood collection tube is under positive pressure, and the technique is not limited to negative pressure.

  Although the example in which the sample disk 101 is mounted has been described as an apparatus, the present embodiment can also be applied to a so-called rack type apparatus in which a transport mechanism for transporting a rack on which a sample container is mounted is mounted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Vacuum blood collection tube, 101 ... Sample disk, 102 ... Sample probe, 103 ... Reagent container, 104 ... 1st reagent disk, 105 ... 1st reagent probe, 106 ... Second reagent disk, 107 ... second reagent probe, 108 ... stirring device, 109 ... container washing mechanism, 110 ... reaction vessel, 111 ... reaction disk, 112 ... light source, 113 ... Spectral detector, 114 ... Computer, 115 ... Controller, 116 ... Dispensing flow path, 117 ... Quantitative pump, 118 ... Pressure sensor, 119 ... Piping, 201 ... Drive mechanism, 202 ... Plunger (syringe), 203 ... Valve, 204 ... Pump, 205 ... A / D converter, 206 ... Signal processor, 206a ...較部, 206 b ... memory, 206c ... determination unit, 207a ... system water, 207b ... system water, 208 ... segmental air, 208b ... segmental air, 209 ... aspirate

Claims (9)

A probe for penetrating the stopper to the vacuum blood collection tube, sucking the sample in the vacuum blood collection tube, and discharging it to the reaction container;
A syringe for sucking and discharging the sample to the probe;
A dispensing channel connecting the syringe to the probe;
A pressure sensor disposed in the dispensing flow path for detecting the pressure in the dispensing flow path;
The pressure waveform data output from the pressure sensor during the operation of the syringe is recorded, and a determination value is calculated from the pressure waveform data using calculation parameters including a plurality of predetermined numerical data,
In an automatic analyzer including a controller that compares a predetermined threshold value with a magnitude relationship between the determination value,
The controller is
Having a first calculation parameter and a second calculation parameter, a first threshold and a second threshold;
The first pressure waveform data acquired during the operation of the syringe while the probe is inside the vacuum blood collection tube and the first judgment value calculated by the first calculation parameter are compared with the first threshold value. Compare 1 and
The second pressure waveform data acquired during the operation of the syringe while the probe is outside the vacuum blood collection tube and the second determination value calculated by the second calculation parameter are compared with the second threshold value. 2 comparisons,
An automatic analyzer characterized by determining the presence or absence of dispensing abnormality using the first comparison and the second comparison. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein
The first determination value and the second determination value are statistical distances for quantifying the difference in waveform between the pressure waveform data and the pressure waveform data when dispensing is normally performed,
The automatic analysis apparatus, wherein the calculation parameter is numerical data used for calculating a statistical distance. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 or 2,
The automatic analyzer is characterized in that the first threshold is set higher than the second threshold. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 or 2,
The controller is
In the first comparison, determine whether the probe is clogged,
An automatic analyzer characterized by determining whether or not the viscosity of a sample is in a normal range in the second comparison. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 or 2,
Have multiple combinations of the second calculation parameter and the second threshold,
An automatic analyzer that selects a set of second calculation parameters and a second threshold value according to a pressure value extracted from first pressure waveform data. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 or 2,
An automatic analyzer characterized in that the second threshold value is corrected by a pressure value extracted from the first pressure waveform data. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 or 2,
An automatic analyzer characterized in that when it is determined to be abnormal in the first comparison, the dispensing operation at that time is stopped. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 or 2,
An automatic analyzer characterized by performing an operation of removing clogging inside a probe when it is determined as abnormal in the first comparison. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 or 2,
An automatic analyzer characterized by displaying an alarm different from a case where an abnormality is determined in the first comparison and an abnormality determined in the second comparison.

Images