JP2724884B2 - Comprehensive blood test equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a comprehensive blood test apparatus including a sample rack transport device, a blood analyzer, and a smear preparation device. The present invention relates to a comprehensive blood test apparatus capable of measuring a blood analyzer while moving the same by a transport device, and furthermore, efficiently preparing smears efficiently.

[Conventional technology]

There are various well-known blood cell analyzers that collect blood from a sample container and perform classification and counting of blood cells. In addition, an apparatus that smears blood on a slide glass and prepares a specimen is well known.

JP-A-63-217273 discloses an example in which a plurality of analyzers are arranged in a device for transporting a sample rack (sample rack), and blood samples in sample containers are sequentially measured by the analyzers. In the field of clinical testing, how to save labor and improve efficiency is one of the major themes. One of the methods is to combine a plurality of devices and systematize it.

With regard to smears, preparation of good specimens has become an issue, and (a) Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-45769 and (b) Japanese Patent Publication No.
Methods and apparatuses described in JP-A-2-16380 and (c) JP-A-57-171259 have been devised. (A), (c)
The figure relates to the wedge method (load glass method), and the figure (b) relates to the spinner method (centrifugal method). In (a), at least one of the angle and the moving speed of the drawn glass is continuously changed in order to keep the thickness of the smear sample constant.
In (b), the rotation time of the motor can be controlled so that blood cells are appropriately dispersed on the slide glass. In (c), the angle of the smear blade is gradually narrowed so as to reduce the variation in the thickness of the smear.

By the way, the spinner method is a method in which a slide glass on which blood is dropped is rotated, and blood is spread and smeared on the entire surface of the slide glass by centrifugal force. The wedge method is a method in which a drawn glass is moved in the longitudinal direction of a slide glass and smeared.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

Since characteristics such as viscosity are different for each sample, if all samples are smeared under the same smearing conditions, smear variation will occur for each sample. Therefore, when a system is configured by combining a blood analyzer and a smear preparation device, based on the results obtained by the measurement of the blood analyzer, if the smear is performed under conditions suitable for the sample, A good specimen can be created regardless of the characteristics of the specimen.

As described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a blood test system that can prepare a good smear regardless of the characteristics of a sample.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, as shown in the drawing, the integrated blood test apparatus of the present invention includes a sending unit 12 for sequentially sending out sample racks 26 on which a plurality of sample containers 28 are mounted to a transfer unit 14 described later. A transfer unit 14 for transferring or stopping the sample rack 26 sent from the sending unit; and a collection unit 16 for receiving and storing the sample rack 26 sent from the transfer unit. Exchanges information with at least one blood analyzer 18, 20 and smear preparing device 22 arranged facing the transfer section 14 of the device, and the transport device 10, blood analyzer 18, 20 and smear preparing device 22. And these devices
Including a controller 24 that controls 10, 18, 20, and 22,
A barcode label 32 is attached to each sample container 28, and the blood analyzers 18 and 20 and the smear preparing device 22 are provided with barcode readers 19, 21 and 23, and the controller 24
Is provided so that smearing conditions can be selected for each sample.

The controller 24 includes the transport device 10, the blood analyzers 18, 20
Alternatively, it is provided inside or outside the smear preparing device 22.

The smearing conditions are the amount of the sample dropped, the angle of the drawn glass, and the drawing speed, and are selected for each sample based on the measurement results from the blood analyzer.

The sample container to be used may be a sealed container or an unsealed container. Further, it is preferable to print a sample number on a slide glass for identification of the smear.

[Action]

The sample container 28 containing the blood sample is attached with a barcode label and mounted on the sample rack 26. This rack 26
Are arranged in the delivery unit 12 of the transport device 10. The racks 26 are sequentially sent to the transfer unit 14 and move. The rack 26 is the blood analyzer 18,
Stop before 20 and sample container 28 with barcode readers 19 and 21
Is read. Next, a blood sample is suctioned and collected, and blood cells are classified and counted.

Since the smear preparing device 22 is also provided with the barcode reader 23, the sample can be identified. Based on the measurement result from the blood analyzer obtained earlier, the controller 24 selects a smear condition suitable for the sample. Then, the smear preparing apparatus prepares a smear under the selected conditions.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements and the like of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to them unless otherwise specified. It is only an illustrative example.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an example of the integrated blood test apparatus of the present invention. Reference numeral 10 denotes a sample rack transport device including a sending unit 12, a transfer unit 14, and a collection unit 16. The transfer is performed, for example, by a belt conveyor system. The sample rack 26 is shaped like a test tube so that a plurality of, for example, ten sample containers 28 can be mounted, and a barcode label attached to the outer wall of the sample container 28 for self and other identification is attached to the rack. It is necessary to have an opening 30 on the side of the rack so that it can be read from the outside. The one described in the above-mentioned JP-A-63-217273 is one example. The sample container 28 can be used in a state where the stopper at the upper opening is removed or in a state where a rubber stopper is fitted. In any case, the sample in the container can be agitated and aspirated using a well-known technique.

First, the racks on which the sample containers are mounted are lined up vertically in the shipping section 12 and the start switch 25 is pressed. Then, the entire rack advances downward in FIG. 1, and then the leading rack is sent out to the transfer unit 14 on the left.

A blood cell analyzer (for example, manufactured by Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.) facing the transfer unit 14 from the upstream to the downstream of the flow of the rack.
A blood analyzer 18 such as NE-8000), a blood analyzer 20 such as a reticulocyte analyzer (for example, R-1000 manufactured by Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.), and a smear preparing device 22 are arranged. NE above
R-1000 is a blood cell analyzer that can obtain five classification data of leukocytes in addition to the conventional blood count items.
Is a reticulocyte measurement device capable of obtaining the reticulocyte count and ratio.

The rack to which the transfer unit 14 is transferred is firstly a blood analyzer.
Stopped in front of 18. FIG. 2 is a view of the sample rack 26 on the transfer unit 14 viewed from the blood analyzer 18 side. belt
In FIG. 2, the rack 26, which rides from the left side in FIG.
The bar code of the sample container 28 is read by the bar code reader 19 built in the front part of the blood analyzer 18, but the bar code label 32 is not always at a fixed position. For example, the sample container may rotate during transport. As described above, when the barcode label is not positioned facing the opening 30 of the rack 26, the barcode cannot be read. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to read the bar code label 32 regardless of the position. As an example, there is a method of reading while rotating the sample container 28. Numeral 40 is an example of a rotating means of the sample container. Reference numeral 42 denotes a rubber cylindrical member having a slightly raised bottom, and a shaft 44 is provided at the center thereof. The shaft 44 is rotatably supported by a support 46 via a bearing. A pulley 48 is further attached to the shaft 44, a timing belt 50 is hung on the pulley 48,
A rubber-made cylindrical member 42 is rotatable by a drive source (not shown) such as a motor. The rotating means 40 can further be moved up and down linearly by another driving source (not shown). The rotating means 40 moves down,
The rubber columnar member 42 contacts the rubber stopper 34 of the sample container 28. When the rubber columnar member 42 rotates slowly, the sample container 28 also rotates slowly. With this configuration, the barcode can be easily and reliably read.

After the bar code is read, the contact member 38 moves to the right in FIG.
The sample is moved by the amount of the sample, and is inverted and stirred in the sample stirring section. In the same manner, the rack is further laterally fed by one sample, and the stirred sample container is taken out, and the sample is sucked from the suction unit having the injection-needle-shaped thin tube. Then, the blood cells are analyzed.
In this way, the rack is intermittently fed one by one for each sample, and the same processing is sequentially performed. For 10 samples, that is,
When the processing of one rack is completed, the rack is further moved to the left in FIG. 1, and the bar code is similarly read by the bar code reader 21 in the blood analyzer 20 such as a reticulocyte analyzer. The sample is agitated / aspirated and analyzed sequentially. The barcode and analysis results are sent to the controller 24 each time, and it is necessary to prepare a smear,
It is determined under what conditions smearing should be performed.

Next, the rack 26 comes in front of the smear preparing device 22 and is stopped. The barcode reader 23 provided on the front surface of the smear preparing device 22 reads the barcode one by one, and the information is sent to the controller 24 to determine whether or not the barcode matches the target barcode. You. If it is not the target barcode, the rack 26 is transported by one sample. If the barcode is the target, the sample is agitated and aspirated to prepare a smear. The rack that has been processed for one rack is sent to the collection unit 16 and collected by the collection unit 16.
Arranged in 16.

Whether or not to prepare a smear is determined, for example, as follows. If a flag is set on the blood analyzer 18 such as a blood cell analyzer or the blood analyzer 20 such as a reticulocyte analyzer, indicating that the sample is an abnormal sample that needs to be smeared, a barcode (eg, sample No.) and a smear command signal are transmitted to the controller 24. An abnormal specimen is, for example, one in which the number or distribution of blood cells is abnormal. In this case, a more detailed examination is required, so a smear is prepared.

The controller 24 not only determines the preparation of the smear but also sends all or a part of the measurement results of the blood analyzer 18 such as a blood cell analyzer or the blood analyzer 20 such as a reticulocyte analyzer to the controller 24. The controller 24 can determine the smear condition. Further, the number of specimens to be created is also determined. The smearing conditions include, for example, the amount of the sample dropped on the slide glass, the angle and moving speed of the drawn glass in the wedge method, and the rotation speed and rotation time of the slide glass in the spinner method. In the spinner method, a smear having a substantially uniform thickness can be prepared over the entire area of the slide glass, but the distribution of each blood cell becomes non-uniform due to a characteristic of each blood cell, for example, a difference in specific gravity. For this reason, it is necessary to scan the entire area in order to know what blood cells are contained and how much. Therefore, the spinner method is not suitable for microscopic observation by a human, and is suitable for an automatic classification device that can scan a wide area and perform image processing. On the other hand, with the wedge method, it is difficult to prepare a smear with a uniform thickness, but the distribution of blood cells is unlikely to be uneven, so if you find an appropriate area, you can observe almost only that small area,
You can know what blood cells are contained and in what proportion. Therefore, the wedge method is suitable for human microscopic observation. In the wedge method, since it is better if the thickness is uniform, the method and apparatus described in the section of [Prior Art] have been devised for this purpose. But,
There are difficult problems in reality. For example, samples having greatly different concentrations have greatly different properties such as viscosity. If smearing operations are performed on samples having greatly different characteristics under the same conditions, the smear results will also differ. This is actually more of a problem for microscopy. That is, even if the smear thickness is not uniform on the slide glass, it is necessary that there is no variation between samples. By doing so, it is only necessary to observe the same place in the same manner, regardless of the type of smear, thereby improving work efficiency.

In the integrated blood test apparatus of the present invention, a smear can be performed by selecting a smear condition suitable for the sample for each sample.

As is well known, in the wedge method, if the angle between the draw glass and the slide glass is small, a specimen having a small thickness can be obtained. Also, if the drawing speed is low, a thin specimen can be formed. In addition, a thin specimen can be obtained if the amount of blood dropped is small.

On the other hand, since the viscosity of blood varies depending on the sample, if the above-mentioned smearing conditions are kept constant, there may be cases where the smear cannot be satisfactorily performed depending on the sample.

Therefore, it is necessary to select the above-mentioned smearing conditions, that is, the angle, speed, and blood volume of the drawing glass for each sample according to the characteristics of the sample.

In the case of low viscosity blood, increase the amount of blood dripped compared to the case of normal blood.

Increase the angle of the glass.

Increase the drawing speed.

The smear is performed by selecting at least one of the above smear conditions.

 For highly viscous blood, reduce the amount of blood dripping.

Increase the angle of the glass.

Slow down the draw speed.

The smear is performed by selecting at least one of the above smear conditions.

In the case of low viscosity blood and high blood, it is best when three conditions are selected.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the smear preparation apparatus. 52
Is a supply unit for taking out a plurality of slide glasses 54 one by one from above. The slide glass measures 76 mm x
A 26 mm, 0.9-1.2 mm thick water polished frosted slide glass can be used. When the slide glass 54 is installed, the moving member 56 lifts the slide glass 54. Next, the moving member 56 moves rightward in FIG. 3, cuts out the slide glass 54 at the uppermost position, and sends it to the transport unit 60.

The transport unit 60 sends the slide glass to the next process one after another by a belt conveyor system. The transport section 60 has a plurality of projections 64 on the outside.
And a roller 66 for rotating and moving the belt 62 by a conveyor system.

FIG. 4 is a view of the transport unit as viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG.
60 is an explanatory diagram of FIG. On both sides of the belt 62, thick plate-like members 76a and 76b are provided over the entire area of the belt, and the roller 66 is attached to the shafts 70 of the roller 66 by the members 76a and 76b.
It is attached rotatably at the part. A pulley 72 is attached to the shaft 70, and a rotational force from a drive source (not shown) is transmitted to the roller 66 by a timing belt 74. Support plates 78a and 78b that support the slide glass 54 are attached to side surfaces of the plate members 76a and 76b. The slide glass 54 is transferred by being pushed by the projections 64 of the belt 62 on the support plates 78a and 78b. In this manner, the transfer of the slide glass by the belt with the projections allows
Is simplified. Further, the control of the movement of the belt becomes extremely simple.

Returning to FIG. 3, the description will be continued. The slide glass 54a at the left end position in the transport unit 60 is in a standby state. At the next position of the slide glass 54b, blood is dropped from the thin tube 80 and smearing is performed with the drawn glass 82. At the next position of the slide glass 54c, the fan 88 dries the smeared blood. At the next position of the slide glass 54d, the sample ID number (for example, a frosted glass portion)
(8-digit alphanumeric characters) is printed. Next slide glass
At position 54e, the smeared glass slide is
It is stored in the sample rack 150.

Now, the blood drop smearing step will be described.
FIG. 5 shows an example of a fluid circuit for dispensing blood. 100 is a slide type valve for switching the flow path. The valve 100 can create a first state in which the passage 102 and the passage 106 are in communication and a second state in which the passage 104 and the passage 106 are in communication. In the passage 102, the sample container 107 or 109
A capillary tube 108 or 110 for inhaling a blood sample from is connected, and a syringe 112 is connected to the passage 106. A capillary 80 for dispensing blood onto the slide glass 54b is connected to the passage 104. In the first state, when the syringe 112 performs a suction operation, blood is suctioned from the sample container 107 or 109 over the valve. Next, the valve 100 is switched, and the syringe 112 performs the discharging operation in the second state, so that a certain amount of blood that has passed the valve 100 is dropped from the thin tube 80 onto the slide glass 54b.

In this way, by configuring the sample dropping means, blood can be dispensed at a location different from the suction location without moving the thin tube. This is particularly effective when the distance between the two is large. After the blood is dropped on the slide glass, the smear is performed by moving the draw glass 82 in the longitudinal direction of the slide glass as shown in FIG. The thin tube 80 is washed in a washing tank 84. The amount of blood to be dispensed, the angle between the slide glass and the slide glass, and the drawing speed of the slide glass are determined first by the blood analyzer 1 such as a blood cell analyzer or a reticulocyte analyzer.
Determined for each sample based on the results obtained from 8,20. The smear conditions are transmitted from the controller 24 to the smear preparing device 22. The smear condition is determined, for example, based on the amount of hemoglobin, which is one of the measurement results of the blood analyzer. This is because the amount of hemoglobin is related to the viscosity. When the amount of hemoglobin is large, the viscosity can be high. Alternatively, a hematocrit value can be used. In some cases, the white blood cell count can be used.

6 and 7 are side cross-sectional views of the holding portion of the drawn glass 82 (as viewed from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3).
The draw glass 82 is held by the holder 120, and the shaft 122 provided on the holder 120 fits into the recess 126 of the holder 124, and the leaf spring 1
Pressed down by 28. When the holder 120 is pulled to the left in FIG. 6 with a strong force, the holder 120 can be removed. On the upper part of the holder 124, an arm 130, a leaf spring
134 is supported rotatably about axes 132 and 136, respectively. 138 and 140 are tension coil springs. Spring 13
8 is hung on the holder 124 and the arm 130, and the spring 140 is hung on the arm 130 and the leaf spring 134.

As shown in FIG. 6, the bearing 142 attached to the arm 130 is normally operated by the action of the tension coil spring 138.
Are in contact with the holder 124. Further, the leaf spring 134 pushes the holder 120 of the drawer glass 82 and abuts the arm 130 by the action of the tension coil spring 140.
The holder 120 includes a spring 138 between the arm 130 and the leaf spring 134,
It is sandwiched between 140 forces and cannot be shaken with a little force.
The holder 124 is configured to be able to move vertically and horizontally in FIG. 6 by moving means (not shown). The moving means can be realized by, for example, extending a timing belt between a pulley attached to a stepping motor and a pulley attached to another place, and attaching a holder 124 to a part of the timing belt. In addition, it can be easily realized using a known technique. That is, if the holder 124 is moved downward, the drawn glass 82 can be brought into contact with the slide glass 54b. By changing the descending amount after the contact, the angle formed between the draw glass 82 and the slide glass 54b can be changed. The draw glass 82 rotates slightly counterclockwise about the shaft 122 while abutting on the slide glass 54b. In other words, the holder
120 is opposed to the force of the tension coil spring 140, and the plate spring 134
Is pushed backward (to the left in FIG. 6).
Conversely, since the holder 120 of the pulling glass 82 is pressed from the leaf spring 134, the pulling glass 82 is also moved to the slide glass 54.
By pressing b and moving the holder 124 to the left in this state, the draw glass 82 can be satisfactorily moved while being in contact with the slide glass 54b. By changing the moving speed, the pulling speed of the pulling glass 82 can be changed. Reference numeral 81 denotes a dropped blood sample.

After the blood is smeared, the drawn glass 82 is placed in a washing section 86 (see FIG. 3) for washing. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of the holding portion of the drawn glass 82 in the cleaning state. The member stopped when lowering the holding part is
42, the arm 1 against the holder 124
30 rotates. Then, the tension coil spring 140 is also pulled, and the leaf spring 134 also rotates, and pushes and rotates the holder 120 of the drawn glass. The holder 120 rotates until it comes into contact with the contact member 144, and the drawn glass 82 becomes vertical. Thus, during cleaning, the drawn glass 82 rotates while descending and becomes vertical. For this reason, the cleaning unit 86 can easily perform cleaning.

Next, the sample ID number printing process will be described. Conventionally, a number for identifying a specimen is handwritten with a pencil on the frost portion. In the present embodiment, numbering is automatically performed because handwriting causes an error or is troublesome. As the printer, a normal dot impact type printer can be used. A thermal transfer printer cannot print well on the ground glass portion of the slide glass. That is, it is necessary to use a special slide glass in which a printing portion is coated. Examination of the printer revealed that the dot impact printer could print well on frosted glass. At the time of printing, it is necessary to hold the slide glass. Holding can be easily realized by sandwiching the slide glass from both sides.

Next, the sample storing process will be described with reference to FIG. The sample is, for example, grasped and moved by the hand 92 and put into the sample rack 150. The sample rack 150 is intermittently moved by the holding / moving means 152 in the transfer section 154 one sample at a time with high accuracy. 156a and 156b are arms for holding the sample rack 150 from both sides. 158, 160
Is a guide shaft and rail. Reference numeral 162 denotes a sending unit for arranging a plurality of empty sample racks, and reference numeral 164 denotes a collection unit for collecting and arranging the sample racks storing the samples.

As described above, since the integrated blood test apparatus of the present invention is a combined system of the transport device, the blood analyzer, and the smear preparing device, the labor saving is significantly reduced as compared with the conventional device. In addition, this system is flexible, and if a controller is instructed in advance, it is possible to measure only a necessary sample with a blood analyzer and prepare a smear.

In addition, when a sample container with a sealing stopper is used, there is no risk of blood infection or the like.

〔The invention's effect〕

The blood analysis apparatus of the present invention automatically performs the blood analysis and the preparation of the smear, thereby saving labor.

After the measurement of the sample is performed by the blood analyzer, the optimum smearing condition is selected for each sample based on the result, and a smear sample can be prepared. For this reason, a good smear can always be prepared even if the characteristics of each specimen are different.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing one embodiment of the integrated blood test apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view showing an example of the rotation of the sample container in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part of the smear preparing apparatus, FIG. 4 is an explanatory view seen from the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an example of a fluid circuit for dropping blood onto a slide glass. is there. 6 and 7 are side views showing an example around the holding portion of the drawn glass seen from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3, and FIG. 7 shows a state at the time of cleaning. 10 ... Conveying device, 12 ... Sending part, 14 ... Transfer part, 16 ... Recovery part,
18, 20… Hematology analyzer, 22… Smear sample preparation device, 19, 2
1, 23… Bar code reader, 24… Controller, 25…
Start switch, 26 ... Sample rack, 28 ... Sample container, 30
... Opening, 32 ... Barcode label, 34 ... Rubber stopper, 36 ... Belt, 38 ... Contact member, 40 ... Rotating means, 42 ... Cylindrical member,
44 ... shaft, 46 ... support, 48 ... pulley, 50 ... timing belt, 52 ... supply unit, 54, 54a-54e ... slide glass, 56 ...
Moving member, 58 ... Frost part, 60 ... Conveying part, 62 ... Belt, 64 ... Projection, 66 ... Roller, 70 ... Shaft, 72 ... Pulley, 74 ...
Timing belt, 76a, 76b: plate member, 78a, 78b: support plate, 80: thin tube, 81: blood sample, 82: drawn glass, 84 ...
Cleaning tank, 86 ... Cleaning unit, 88 ... Fan, 90 ... Printer, 92 ...
Hand, 100: valve, 102, 104, 106: passage, 107, 109: specimen container, 108, 110: capillary, 112: syringe, 120: holder, 122: shaft, 124: holder, 126: recess, 128 … Leaf spring,
130 ... arm, 132 ... shaft, 134 ... leaf spring, 136 ... shaft, 138, 1
40: tension coil spring, 142: bearing, 144: contact member, 150: sample rack, 152: holding / moving means, 154: transfer unit, 156a, 156b: arm, 158: shaft, 160: rail, 162: delivery unit , 164… Recovery department

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Takahiro Inoue 7-2-1, Minatojimanakamachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo Inside Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sending unit (12) for sequentially sending sample racks (26) loaded with a plurality of sample containers (28) to a transfer unit (14) described later, and a sample rack sent from the sending unit. (2
6) a transfer unit (10) including a transfer unit (14) for transferring or stopping, a collection unit (16) for receiving and storing the sample rack (26) sent from the transfer unit; At least one blood analyzer (18, 20) and a smear preparing device (22) arranged facing the transfer section (14)
And the controller (24) that exchanges information with the transport device (10), the blood analyzer (18, 20), and the smear preparation device (22), and controls these devices (10, 18, 20, 22). Each sample container (28) has a barcode label (32)
The blood analyzer (18, 20) and the smear preparation device (22) are equipped with barcode readers (19, 21, 23), and the controller (24) A comprehensive blood test apparatus provided so that smearing conditions can be selected.