JP2019074412A - Dispensation controller, method for controlling dispensation, and dispensation control program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a dispensation controller, a method for controlling dispensation, and a dispensation control program that can reduce the inspection time without degrading the accuracy of temperature management.SOLUTION: A dispensation controller 2 includes: a dispensation probe 20 for dispensing a reagent into a reaction pipe, using pure water as a pressure transmission medium; and a dispensation control circuit 204 for controlling the dispensation probe 20 to cause a concentrated reagent which is concentrated to a concentration higher than a predetermined target level and is cooled to a temperature lower than a predetermined target temperature to be suctioned and to cause pure water heated to a temperature higher than a target temperature and the concentrated reagent to be discharged to the reaction pipe.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to a dispensing control device, a dispensing control method, and a dispensing control program.

  An automatic analyzer used for clinical examination dispenses a fixed amount of a reagent to a biological sample (hereinafter referred to as a sample) such as blood or urine and causes a reaction, and transmits transmitted light or scattered light to this mixed solution. The light quantity is measured, and the concentration and activity value of the substance to be measured, and the time taken for the change are determined. At this time, the mixed solution is thermostated at a temperature suitable for the enzyme reaction of a living body.

  A typical automatic analyzer has a reagent storage with a refrigeration function. In the reagent storage, reagents cooled to low temperatures are stored. When the low temperature reagent is dispensed to the sample, the temperature of the mixed solution after dispensing becomes low. As a result, in the case of an inspection item that requires accuracy in temperature control, an accurate value may not be obtained. Blood coagulation time measurement etc. are mentioned as an example of a test item to which accuracy of temperature control is required.

  Also known is a method of warming the reagent before dispensing the reagent. In this method, the dispensing probe is provided with a heater. The dispensing probe aspirates the reagent, and the heater warms the reagent, after which the warmed reagent is dispensed into the sample. However, in this case, after the dispensing probe aspirates the reagent, it has been necessary to heat the reagent for a certain period of time while being aspirated in the dispensing probe. For example, when the reagent is cooled to 2 ° C. to 10 ° C., and the temperature to be heated is 37 ° C., the heating time may take 4 seconds to 5 seconds. As a result, it has been difficult to quickly test a large number of samples.

Utility model registration No. 3037641

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a dispensing control device, a dispensing control method, and a dispensing control program that can shorten the inspection time without losing the accuracy of temperature management.

  The dispensing control device according to this embodiment uses pure water as a pressure transfer medium, and controls a dispensing probe that dispenses the reagent into the reaction tube. The dispensing controller controls the dispensing probe to aspirate the concentrated reagent concentrated to a concentration higher than the defined target concentration and cooled to a temperature lower than the defined target temperature to control the dispensing probe And a dispensing control unit for discharging both the pure water heated to a temperature higher than the target temperature and the concentration reagent to the reaction tube.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The schematic diagram which shows the structure of the automatic analyzer which concerns on embodiment, and a dispensing control apparatus. The schematic diagram which shows the structure of the dispensing control apparatus which concerns on embodiment, and a dispensing probe. The schematic diagram which shows the concept of the reagent test relevant information which concerns on embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the concept of the temperature test relevant information which concerns on embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows a mode just before the dispensing probe which concerns on embodiment discharges both a pure water and a concentration reagent. The schematic diagram which shows the mode immediately after the dispensing probe which concerns on embodiment discharges both a pure water and a concentration reagent. The schematic diagram which shows a mode that the dispensing probe which concerns on embodiment mixed both the pure water and the concentration reagent. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the dispensing control device of the embodiment. The schematic diagram which shows the structure of the dispensing control apparatus which concerns on modification 1, and a dispensing probe. FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the configuration of an automatic analyzer and a dispensing control device according to a second modification. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the dispensing control device according to the second modification.

  Hereinafter, a dispensing control device, a dispensing control method, and a dispensing control program according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment
[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the configuration of an automatic analyzer 1 and a dispensing control device 2 according to the embodiment. The reagent bottle 11 contains a concentrated reagent 12 that reacts with the sample. The concentration reagent is a reagent concentrated to a concentration higher than a defined target concentration. The target concentration is, for example, predetermined for each inspection item. The reagent bottle 11 and the concentration reagent 12 are cooled to a temperature lower than a predetermined target temperature and stored in the reagent storage 13. The reagent storage 13 is provided with a general refrigeration mechanism and a thermometer 131. Further, the concentration in the concentration state of the concentration reagent 12 is input by the operator or the like.

  The reaction tube 14 is a container used when the sample and the reagent are reacted. The reaction tube table 15 is provided with a thermostat 16, and a plurality of reaction tubes 14 are arranged in a circle in the thermostat 16. The constant temperature bath 16 has a general heat retaining function, and heats the reaction tube 14 to a target temperature.

  The sample container 17 is a container in which the sample 18 is stored. The sample container 17 contains, for example, a test sample such as blood or urine as the sample.

  The sample 18 is dispensed from inside the sample container 17 into the reaction tube 14 by the sample probe 19. The concentration reagent 12 is dispensed by the dispensing probe 20 from inside the reagent bottle 11 into the reaction tube 14 into which the sample 18 is dispensed. At this time, the dispensing probe 20 discharges both pure water and the concentration reagent 12 into the reaction tube 14 (described later).

  The reaction tube 14 containing the mixed solution into which the sample 18, the concentration reagent 12 and the pure water are dispensed is moved to the positions of the light source 21 and the light detector 22 by the rotation of the reaction tube table 15. The light source 21 irradiates light to the reaction tube 14 to measure a change in absorbance of the liquid mixture and the like. From this, in the measurement by the automatic analyzer, the temperature and the reaction time suitable for the inspection item are required after the sample and the reagent are dispensed and before the measurement.

[Dispensing control device]
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the dispensing control device 2 and the dispensing probe 20. As shown in FIG. The dispensing probe 20 dispenses the reagent into the reaction tube 14 using pure water as a pressure transfer medium. The dispensing probe 20 has a motor M, a plunger P, a syringe C, a nozzle N, and a heater H.

  For example, a supply flow path Pa1 for supplying pure water is connected to the syringe C. The supply flow path Pa1 is provided with a solenoid valve V for turning on and off the supply of pure water. The syringe C and the nozzle N are connected by the transmission flow path Pa2. Thereby, pure water can be filled from the inside of the syringe C to the inside of the nozzle N.

  Further, a plunger P is provided coaxially with the syringe C in the syringe C. The plunger P is driven by the motor M, and moves in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction in the example of FIG. 2) of the syringe C. As the plunger P moves, the pure water transmits pressure. Thus, the dispensing probe 20 can aspirate and discharge the reagent at the tip of the nozzle N. Further, the heater H is provided to the nozzle N. For the element itself of the heater H, a heater element such as a heating wire is appropriately selected. The heater H is controlled by the dispensing control device 2 to generate heat and heat the pure water in the nozzle N (described later).

  The dispensing control device 2 controls the dispensing probe 20 to aspirate the concentrated reagent 12 which has been concentrated to a concentration higher than the predetermined target concentration and cooled to a temperature lower than the predetermined target temperature. In addition, the dispensing control device 2 controls the dispensing probe 20 to discharge both the pure water heated to a temperature higher than the target temperature and the concentration reagent 12 to the reaction tube 14. The dispensing control device 2 includes a memory circuit 201, a cooling temperature acquisition circuit 202, a heating control circuit 203, and a dispensing control circuit 204.

  The storage circuit 201 is a memory for storing reagent test related information in which the liquid volume of the pure water and the concentration reagent 12 is combined and the reagent concentration is associated with the determined test item. FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the concept of reagent test related information. In the reagent test related information, the liquid volume (LM1, LM2,...) Of the pure water and the concentration reagent 12 in combination and the pure water and the concentration reagent 12 for each test item (T1, T2, ...) Target concentrations (D1, D2,...) Are associated. The target concentration is a concentration obtained by combining the pure water and the concentration reagent 12, that is, the concentration after the concentration reagent 12 after discharge is diluted with the pure water.

  Further, the liquid amount (LM1.LM2,...) Indicates the total liquid amount obtained by combining the discharged pure water and the concentration reagent 12. After that, if the concentration state of the concentrated reagent 12 stored in the reagent storage 13 is specified, the suction amount of the concentrated reagent 12 and the amount of pure water to be discharged are checked by checking with the reagent related information. , T2, ...) can be specified. The reagent test related information is set and input in advance by a device designer or an operator. The memory circuit 201 is an example of a memory unit in the claims.

  The storage circuit 201 also stores in advance temperature inspection related information in which the target temperature and the inspection item are associated with each other. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the concept of temperature inspection related information. In the temperature inspection related information, target temperatures (TM1, TM2,...) Are associated with each inspection item (T1, T2,...). The target temperatures (TM 1, TM 2,...) Are specified by setting the inspection items (T 1, T 2,...), And correspond to the temperature at which the thermostat 16 is kept warm.

  The cooling temperature acquisition circuit 202 is a processor that acquires the cooling temperature of the concentration reagent 12. For example, the cooling temperature acquisition circuit 202 is communicably connected to the thermometer 131 installed in the reagent storage 13, and acquires temperature information in the reagent storage 13. This temperature information is output to the heating control circuit 203 as the cooling temperature of the concentration reagent 12. The cooling temperature acquisition circuit 202 is an example of a cooling temperature acquisition unit in the claims.

  The heating control circuit 203 is a processor for obtaining a heating temperature at which the deionized water after concentration and the concentration reagent 12 become a target temperature based on the cooling temperature and heating the pure water to the heating temperature. . For example, the heating control circuit 203 obtains the cooling temperature of the concentration reagent 12 based on the temperature information from the cooling temperature acquisition circuit 202. Further, the heating control circuit 203 obtains the target temperature associated with the inspection item by referring to the temperature inspection related information stored in the storage circuit 201. The heating control circuit 203 can obtain the heating temperature of pure water by obtaining the cooling temperature and the target temperature. The heating control circuit 203 heats the pure water to the heating temperature obtained by controlling the heater H. The heating control circuit 203 is an example of a heating control unit in the claims.

  The dispensing control circuit 204 controls the dispensing probe 20 to aspirate the concentrated reagent 12 which is concentrated to a concentration higher than the defined target concentration and cooled to a temperature lower than the defined target temperature, and the target temperature It is a processor that discharges both the pure water heated to a higher temperature and the concentration reagent 12 to the reaction tube 14. The dispensing control circuit 204 is an example of a dispensing control unit in the claims.

  For example, the dispensing control circuit 204 obtains the fluid volume and the target concentration associated with the test item based on the reagent test related information, and obtains the aspiration volume of the concentrated reagent 12 based on the fluid volume and the target concentration. At this time, the dispensing control circuit 204 collates the concentration of the inspection item and the concentration state of the concentration reagent 12 with the reagent inspection related information stored in the memory circuit 201 to obtain the liquid amount of the inspection item and The target concentration is specified, and the suction amount of the concentration reagent 12 and the discharge amount of pure water are determined. The dispensing control circuit 204 controls the motor M to aspirate the concentrated reagent 12 for the obtained aspiration amount.

  FIG. 5A is a schematic view showing a state immediately before the dispensing probe 20 according to this embodiment discharges both pure water and the concentration reagent 12. FIG. 5B is a schematic view showing a state immediately after the dispensing probe 20 according to this embodiment discharges both pure water and the concentration reagent 12. FIG. 5C is a schematic view showing a state in which both the pure water and the concentration reagent 12 are mixed in the dispensing probe 20 according to this embodiment. Here, for the sake of explanation, the concentration in the concentrated state of the concentration reagent is twice the target concentration, the target temperature is 37 ° C., the cooling temperature is 24 ° C., the heating temperature of pure water is 50 ° C., and pure water An example in which the total discharge amount of the concentration reagent is 100 μl is described.

  The inside of the nozzle immediately before the discharge (FIG. 5A) has concentrated reagent 12 (24 ° C., 50 μl) drawn to the tip side, and has heated pure water on the base end side. The pure water 23 is warmed by the heater H to a heating temperature (50 ° C.). Since the time from suction to discharge by the dispensing probe 20 is usually a short time (about 1 to 2 seconds), the temperature of the aspirated concentrated reagent can be regarded as equal to the cooling temperature (24 ° C.).

  At the time of discharge (FIGS. 5B and 5C), the dispensing probe 20 discharges the pure water as well as the concentration reagent 12. Here, an example is shown in which pure water 23 (50 μl) is discharged together with the concentration reagent 12 (50 μl). At this time, the dispensing control circuit 204 controls the motor M so as to discharge both the concentrated reagent 12 and the pure water 23 at one time. At this time, it is preferable that the dispensing control circuit 204 discharges the discharge speed as fast as possible in the hardware configuration of the dispensing probe 20. This corresponds to vigorously discharging the concentrated reagent 12 and pure water. As the discharge speed is higher, concentrated reagent 12, pure water 23, and sample 18 can be quickly mixed in reaction tube 14, and the time for liquid mixture 24 in reaction tube 14 to reach the target concentration and target temperature can be shortened. . Thereby, the temperature is averaged to obtain the mixture 24 of the target temperature (37 ° C.). Also with that, the concentration of the concentration reagent is diluted to the target concentration. As a result, it is possible to shorten the time to heat the reagent to the target temperature, and to shorten the inspection time of the automatic analyzer that measures a large number of samples.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the dispensing control device 2 of the embodiment. For example, the dispensing control device 2 stores and executes a dispensing control program indicating a dispensing control method described below.

  Step S101: The operator sets and inputs an examination item and the concentration concentration of the concentration reagent 12. The dispensing control device 2 receives this input and specifies the test item and the concentration concentration of the concentration reagent 12.

  Step S102: The cooling temperature acquisition circuit 202 acquires the temperature information in the reagent storage 13 from the thermometer 131 installed in the reagent storage 13. This temperature information is output to the heating control circuit 203 as the cooling temperature of the concentration reagent 12.

  Steps S103 and S104: The heating control circuit 203 obtains the cooling temperature of the concentration reagent 12 based on the temperature information from the cooling temperature acquisition circuit 202. Further, the heating control circuit 203 obtains the target temperature associated with the inspection item by referring to the temperature inspection related information stored in the storage circuit 201. The heating control circuit 203 can obtain the heating temperature of pure water by obtaining the cooling temperature and the target temperature. The heating control circuit 203 heats the pure water to the heating temperature obtained by controlling the heater H.

  Steps S105, S106: The dispensing control circuit 204 compares the concentration of the concentration of the inspection item and the concentration of the concentration reagent 12 with the reagent inspection related information stored in the storage circuit 201, thereby checking the inspection item. The liquid amount and the target concentration are specified, and the suction amount of the concentration reagent 12 and the discharge amount of pure water are determined.

  Steps S107 and S108: The dispensing control circuit 204 controls the motor M to aspirate the concentrated reagent 12 for the aspiration amount thus determined. The dispensing control circuit 204 controls the motor M to discharge the pure water 23 of the discharge amount obtained along with the concentration reagent 12.

  According to the dispensing control device of this embodiment, the cooled concentrated reagent is discharged together with the heated pure water. Thereby, the target temperature according to the inspection item can be quickly realized in the reaction tube. Therefore, the inspection time can be shortened without losing the accuracy of the temperature control.

Modified Example 1
FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the dispensing control device 2 and the dispensing probe 20 according to the first modification. The first modification further includes the storage unit 25. Hereinafter, contents different from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same contents may be omitted.

  The reservoir 25 is provided upstream of the dispensing probe 20. For example, the storage unit 25 is provided in the path of the supply flow path Pa1. The reservoir 25 is formed in a container shape having a volume sufficiently larger than the volume in the dispensing probe. Thus, the heat capacity of the pure water in the reservoir 25 is sufficiently larger than that of the pure water in the downstream dispensing probe 20. The specific dimensions of the storage section 25 may be appropriately determined according to the volume of the dispensing probe 20.

  In addition, the storage unit 25 is provided with a heater H. The heater H is controlled by the heating control circuit 203 to heat the pure water in the storage unit 25. In the measurement by the automatic analyzer, the dispensing probe 20 repeats the operations of aspiration, discharge, and dispensing probe washing of the reagent in a short cycle. Therefore, the pure water heated in the reservoir 25 is filled in the dispensing probe 20 at the heated temperature. Further, by providing the volume of the reservoir 25 sufficiently larger than the volume in the dispensing probe 20, it is possible to reduce the temperature change of the pure water. Thereby, the inspection time can be shortened while further improving the accuracy of the temperature control.

<Modification 2>
FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the configurations of an automatic analyzer 1 and a dispensing control device 2 according to a second modification. Variant 2 has the concentration reagent 12 concentrated to a multistage concentration. Hereinafter, contents different from the above-described embodiment will be mainly described, and the description of the same contents may be omitted.

  In the reagent storage 13, the concentrated reagent 12 concentrated to a plurality of concentrations is stored and stored in the reagent bottle 11 for each concentration concentration. The concentration concentration of each reagent bottle 11 and the position of each reagent bottle 11 in the reagent storage 13 are preset and input.

  The dispensing control device 2 of the modification 2 selects the concentration concentration of the concentrated reagent 12 to be aspirated, based on the target temperature of the examination and the cooling temperature in the reagent storage 13. In the examination with the automatic analyzer, the temperature in the reagent storage 13 may fluctuate during the examination. Therefore, the cooling temperature acquisition circuit 202 acquires the cooling temperature at each predetermined sampling time. The dispensing control circuit 204 selects a concentration concentration based on the acquired cooling temperature.

  For example, the dispensing control circuit 204 reduces the amount of pure water discharged together with the concentration reagent when the cooling temperature rises during the test. At the same time, the dispensing control circuit 204 selects the concentration reagent 12 of the reagent bottle 11 having a low concentration concentration. In addition, when the cooling temperature drops during the test, the amount of pure water discharged together with the concentration reagent is increased. At the same time, the dispensing control circuit 204 selects the concentration reagent 12 of the reagent bottle 11 having a low concentration concentration.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the dispensing control device 2 according to the second modification. The process from step S101 to step S108 is the same as that of the example shown in FIG.

  Step S109: The cooling temperature acquisition circuit 202 acquires the temperature information in the reagent storage 13 from the thermometer 131 installed in the reagent storage 13. This temperature information is output to the dispensing control circuit 204 as the cooling temperature of the concentration reagent 12.

  Step S110: When the cooling temperature does not fluctuate (No), the process returns to the process of step S107. If the cooling temperature has changed (Yes), the process proceeds to step S111.

  Step S111: The dispensing control circuit 204 reduces the amount of pure water discharged together with the concentration reagent when the cooling temperature is rising. At the same time, the dispensing control circuit 204 selects the concentration reagent 12 of the reagent bottle 11 having a low concentration concentration. In addition, when the cooling temperature is decreasing, the amount of pure water discharged together with the concentration reagent is increased. At the same time, the dispensing control circuit 204 selects the concentration reagent 12 of the reagent bottle 11 having a low concentration concentration. Then, the process returns to the process of step S107.

  According to the dispensing control device according to the second modification, it is possible to proceed with the examination while selecting the concentration reagent according to the temperature fluctuation in the reagent storage. Thereby, the target temperature according to the inspection item can be quickly realized according to the fluctuation of the cooling temperature. Therefore, the inspection time can be further shortened without losing the accuracy of the temperature control.

  The word “processor” used in the above description is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (for example, Circuits such as Simple Programmable Logic Device (SPLD), Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), and Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) It means. The processor implements a function by reading and executing a program stored in a memory circuit. Note that instead of storing the program in the memory circuit, the program may be directly incorporated in the circuit of the processor. In this case, the processor implements the function by reading and executing a program embedded in the circuit. Each processor according to the present embodiment is not limited to being configured as a single circuit for each processor, and may be configured as one processor by combining a plurality of independent circuits to realize the function. Good. Furthermore, a plurality of components in the embodiment may be integrated into one processor to realize its function.

  According to the dispensing control device, the dispensing control method, and the dispensing control program of at least one embodiment described above, the inspection time can be shortened without losing the accuracy of the temperature management.

  While certain embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof as well as included in the scope and the gist of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic analyzer 2 Dispensing control device 11 Reagent bottle 12 Condensing reagent 13 Reagent storage 14 Reaction tube 15 Reaction tube table 16 Constant temperature tank 17 Sample container 18 Sample 19 Sample probe 20 Dispensing probe 21 Light source 22 Light detector 23 Pure water 24 Liquid mixture 25 Reservoir 131 Thermometer 201 Memory circuit 202 Cooling temperature acquisition circuit 203 Heating control circuit 204 Dispensing control circuit

Claims (8)

A dispensing control device that controls a dispensing probe that dispenses a reagent into a reaction tube using pure water as a pressure transfer medium,
Controlling the dispensing probe to aspirate the concentrated reagent concentrated to a concentration higher than a predetermined target concentration and cooled to a temperature lower than the predetermined target temperature;
A dispensing control unit that controls the dispensing probe to discharge both the pure water heated to a temperature higher than the target temperature and the concentrated reagent to the reaction tube;
Dispensing control device. The apparatus further includes a storage unit for storing in advance reagent test related information in which the liquid volume obtained by combining the pure water and the concentration reagent and the target concentration and the test item determined are associated with each other.
The dispensing control unit determines the amount of liquid and the target concentration associated with the inspection item based on the reagent inspection related information, and the aspirating amount of the concentrated reagent based on the calculated amount of liquid and the target concentration Ask for
The dispensing control device according to claim 1. A storage unit which stores in advance temperature inspection related information in which the target temperature and the inspection item determined are associated;
A cooling temperature acquisition unit that acquires a cooling temperature of the concentrated reagent;
A heating control unit for obtaining a heating temperature at which the pure water and the concentrated reagent after being discharged become the target temperature based on the cooling temperature, and heating the pure water to the heating temperature;
The dispensing control device according to claim 1, further comprising:   The dispensing control device according to claim 3, wherein the heating control unit controls a heater provided to the dispensing probe to heat the pure water. It further comprises a storage section provided upstream of the dispensing probe and storing the pure water,
The heating control unit controls a heater provided in the storage unit to heat the pure water.
The dispensing control device according to claim 3. The concentration reagent is concentrated to a plurality of concentrations and stored respectively.
The dispensing control unit selects the concentrated reagent to be aspirated based on the target temperature.
The dispensing control device according to claim 1. A dispensing control method for controlling a dispensing probe that dispenses a reagent into a reaction tube using pure water as a pressure transfer medium,
Controlling the dispensing probe to aspirate the concentrated reagent concentrated to a concentration higher than a predetermined target concentration and cooled to a temperature lower than the predetermined target temperature;
The dispensing probe is controlled to discharge both the pure water heated to a temperature higher than the target temperature and the concentration reagent to the reaction tube.
Dispensing control method. A dispensing control program for controlling a dispensing probe that dispenses a reagent into a reaction tube using pure water as a pressure transfer medium,
An aspiration step of controlling the dispensing probe to aspirate the concentrated reagent concentrated to a concentration higher than a predetermined target concentration and cooled to a temperature lower than the predetermined target temperature;
A discharge step of controlling the dispensing probe to discharge both the pure water heated to a temperature higher than the target temperature and the concentrated reagent to the reaction tube;
Dispensing control program with.

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