JP3331257B2 - Vacuum suction method for test piece and vacuum suction circuit device thereof - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to, for example, medical examinations,
The present invention relates to a continuous automatic liquid sample analyzer that automatically performs all operations such as taking out a test piece having several test pads used for an inspection for analyzing a liquid sample, immersing the liquid sample in a liquid sample, photometry, calculation, and disposal. Even if the strip of the test piece contained in the bottle is warped, one test piece is reliably taken out of the test piece bottle, transferred to the analyzer, and further (the object of vacuum suction is , For example, urine,
A series of steps, such as detecting abnormalities that occur in the air pipeline, because the test piece is immersed in a liquid sample such as blood)
The present invention relates to a vacuum suction method for a continuous automatic liquid sample analyzer that can be processed using a vacuum suction method, and a vacuum suction circuit device thereof.

[0002] In a commonly known urine diagnostic method, urine p
A so-called multiple urine test strip can be used to measure H, protein, glucose, ketone bodies (acetoacetic acid), pyrilvin, occult blood, nitrite, urobilinogen, specific gravity and leukocytes. This type of test strip has several test pads in which reagents suitable for performing a particular test are used.

At present, a test piece 1 most frequently used for analyzing a liquid sample such as blood or urine has a test pad 3 provided at one end of a transparent or opaque plastic strip 2 as shown in FIG. Is the gripping portion 4. The test pads 3 are provided in a number corresponding to the number of measurement items. A small piece of filter paper impregnated with various reagents is attached as the test pad 3 with a double-sided adhesive tape. Some are made into films.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 61-9157 discloses an analyzer for automatically handling such a test piece.
There is an apparatus described in No. 1. In this automatic analyzer,
A slide base method is used as a test piece supply device. In this slide base method, a test piece is put into a hopper in a test piece supply device, the bottom of the hopper is slid, and the presence or absence of the test piece, the front and back of the test piece are determined by an optical sensor or a proximity sensor, and the front and back of the test piece are also determined. Inversion is performed with a lever, the test piece is moved out of the hopper, and photometry is performed without going through an excess urine removal step.

[0005]

The object of vacuum suction is
For example, since the test piece is immersed in a liquid sample such as urine or blood, the air channel is likely to be abnormal. Further, the strip of the test piece is not only a straight one, but also includes a plurality of warped test pieces called bowing. In the above-mentioned slide base method, the bowed test piece is slid and moved out of the hopper. Difficult to move.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problem of clogging caused by a vacuum suction system, and to provide a test strip having a warp in a strip of a test piece stored in a test piece bottle. By adopting the vacuum suction method,
In order to reliably remove one test piece from the test piece bottle, it is possible to determine whether the test piece has been sucked into the suction hole of the test piece suction mechanism or the pickup mechanism, and take out one test piece while holding it by suction. Determine the front and back of the test piece.If the front and back of the test piece are not correct, turn the test piece upside down while holding it by suction.For example, turn the test pad upward, discriminate the front and back of the test piece, and hold the test piece by suction. Proposed a vacuum suction method and a vacuum suction circuit device for a continuous automatic liquid sample analyzer capable of processing a series of steps of sucking an excess liquid after being transferred to a handling chuck while being immersed in a liquid sample in a sample container. It is.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a vacuum suction circuit device for a test piece according to the present invention comprises a liquid sample adhered to a test piece, and a reaction between the liquid sample and a reagent provided on the test piece. In a continuous automatic liquid sample analyzer that analyzes the components in a liquid sample by optically measuring the colored portion, a vacuum pump and a test piece are adsorbed from a test piece bottle containing a plurality of test pieces. A suction hole provided in the pickup mechanism to be taken out, a suction hole provided in the front / back discrimination mechanism for discriminating the front and back of the taken out test piece, and a front and back inversion mechanism for inverting the test piece when the pad surface of the test piece is on the lower side. The suction pump and the front and back of the test piece are further determined, and at least one of the suction holes provided in the turntable mechanism to be transferred to the handling chuck is connected to the vacuum pump through a manifold and an on-off valve. A test piece is taken out based on the selective operation of the on-off valve and the output of the pressure sensor, including an air line to be selectively connected, and a pressure sensor provided in at least one place in the air line. , Holding, discriminating the front and back of the test piece, inverting the front and back of the test piece, discriminating the front and back of the test piece again, and transferring to the next handling chuck.

Further, the vacuum suction circuit device for test pieces of the present invention has a suction hole provided in a pickup mechanism for sucking and taking out test pieces from a test piece bottle containing a plurality of test pieces, and a front and back face of the taken out test pieces. The suction hole provided in the front / back discrimination mechanism for discriminating between the front and back, the suction hole provided in the front / back inversion mechanism for reversing the test piece when the pad surface of the test piece is on the lower side, the front and back of the test piece are discriminated again, and the handling chuck is A test piece chamber in which at least one or more of suction holes provided in a turntable mechanism for transferring is arranged, and an air pipe selectively connected to an on-off valve via a manifold, and selectively operating the on-off valve The air pressure in the air line is returned to normal pressure based on

Further, the test piece vacuum suction circuit device of the present invention is a method of adhering a liquid sample to a test piece and optically measuring a portion colored by a reaction between the liquid sample and a reagent provided on the test piece. In a continuous automatic liquid sample analyzer for analyzing components in a liquid sample, a vacuum pump, a suction hole provided in an excess liquid suction mechanism, and a sealed excess liquid waste tank are connected to the vacuum pump via an on-off valve. An air line and a pressure sensor provided in at least one place in the air line, and based on the selective operation of the on-off valve and the output of the pressure sensor, at least the capacity of the vacuum pump is It is characterized in that the excess liquid of the test piece is sucked so that clogging of the suction hole provided in the excess liquid suction mechanism can be confirmed.

Further, the vacuum suction method for a test piece according to the present invention comprises the steps of: adhering a liquid sample to the test piece; and optically measuring a portion colored by a reaction between the liquid sample and a reagent provided on the test piece. In a continuous automatic liquid sample analyzer that analyzes components in a sample, one test piece is adsorbed in a test piece bottle containing a plurality of test pieces, and the presence or absence of the test piece is determined. Take out the test piece, determine the front and back of the test piece by the front and back discrimination mechanism, if the pad surface of the test piece is on the upper side, place the test piece on a turntable, the pad surface of the test piece When the test piece is on the lower side, the test piece is inverted by the front / back inverting mechanism, placed on the turntable, and again, the front and back of the test piece are determined by the turntable mechanism, and the pad surface of the test piece is on the upper side In some cases, the test piece is sucked and held and transferred to a handling chuck, and when the pad surface of the test piece is on the lower side, the test piece is sucked and held by a front / back inversion mechanism, and further the test piece is held. And reverse
The test piece is placed on a reagent table, the test piece is transferred to a turntable, and again the front and back of the test piece are determined by a turntable mechanism.If the pad surface of the test piece is on the upper side, The test piece was sucked and held and delivered to the handling chuck, and when the pad surface of the test piece was on the lower side, the system was stopped, and the test piece was immersed in the liquid sample of the sample container, and then adhered to the reagent. The excess liquid is suctioned at the same time as the test piece is pulled up, and the test piece is transferred to an analyzer.

[0011]

FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a test piece take-out part of the present invention. A portion surrounded by a broken line indicates that the inside is airtight. The rest is usually at atmospheric pressure. Air pipes are provided between the suction holes of the bottle suction mechanism, the pickup mechanism, the front / back discrimination mechanism, the front / back reversal mechanism, and the turntable mechanism, the solenoid valve, and the vacuum pump, but are omitted in the drawing. I have. In FIG. 1, a test piece bottle is placed inside a test piece chamber 7 up / down.
A bottle suction mechanism 8, a bottle driving mechanism 9, and a rotating mechanism,
Pickup mechanism 10 for taking out one test piece, front / back discrimination mechanism 13 for discriminating the front and back of the test piece, front / back inversion mechanism for aligning the pad surface of the test piece upward (located between pickup mechanism 10 and turntable). And a desiccant 11 such as a molecular sieve.

A stepping motor 16, an electromagnetic valve 17, a pressure sensor 18, a filter 19, and a vacuum pump 20 are arranged inside the drive system chamber 12. A diaphragm 15 is arranged on a partition wall between the test piece chamber 7 and the drive system chamber 12. Further, the test piece chamber 7
A turntable mechanism 14 is disposed at a test piece delivery port between the apparatus and the drive system chamber 12. The air in the test piece chamber 7 is circulating and is designed to minimize the exchange with the outside air. In order to further prevent deterioration of the test pad on the test piece 1, a desiccant 11 such as a molecular sieve contained in a test piece bottle is placed in the test piece chamber 7, so that the humidity is further maintained at a lower level. In the test piece chamber 7, the discrimination and suction of the test piece 1 are controlled using the suction force of air.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a vacuum suction circuit according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a test piece take-out circuit. In FIG. 2, each suction hole OP of a test piece suction mechanism, a pickup mechanism, a front / back discrimination mechanism, a front / back inversion mechanism, and a turntable mechanism is provided in a test piece chamber 7.
1 to OP5 are arranged. These suction holes OP1~OP5 and filters f ₁ ~f ₅ is respectively connected, further has an electromagnetic valve V ₁ ~V ₅ are connected. Filter f ₁ ~f ₅ may not be provided. The filter works to remove dust from the air. Solenoid valve V
Each ₁ ~V _5, is connected between the manifold M1 and M2, manifold M1 is connected to the specimen chamber 7, the manifold M2 is connected to the vacuum pump P1 via the pressure sensor S1, the vacuum pump P1 is , And the test piece chamber 7 are connected to each other through air tubes.

Each of the suction holes OP1 to OP5 of the test piece suction mechanism, the pickup mechanism, the front / back discrimination mechanism, the front / back inversion mechanism, and the turntable mechanism, and the respective solenoid valves V _{1 to} V
_The circuit leading to ₅ , the manifold M2, the pressure sensor S1, and the vacuum pump P1 divides the test piece into each of the suction holes OP1 to OP1.
It functions to adsorb to OP5. Specimen suction mechanism, the pickup mechanism, the front and back discrimination mechanism, reversing mechanism, circuits, each of the suction holes OP1~OP5 and respective solenoid valves V ₁ ~V ₅ and the manifold M1 reaches the specimen chamber of the turntable mechanism is tested The pieces are drawn into the respective suction holes OP1
It works to make it the same pressure as the atmospheric pressure of the test piece chamber so that it can be released from OP5.

FIG. 3 shows an excess liquid suction circuit. In FIG. 3, a suction hole OP6 is provided in a closed waste tank T.
connected to the k, waste tank Tk is connected to the electromagnetic valve V _6,
Solenoid valve V ₆ is connected through a vacuum pump P2 and the air tube through a filter f _6, a pressure sensor S2. Filter f ₆ may not be provided. The filter works to remove dust from the air. This circuit works to drip the test piece into the liquid sample and then suck up the excess liquid adhering to the reagent simultaneously with lifting the test piece.

FIGS. 4 to 6 are side views of the test piece suction mechanism 8 of the present invention. The guide portion 24 is provided with a suction hole 26 for sucking the test piece 1. Suction hole 26
Is connected to a suction hole formed in the bottle holder 21 and the worm gear 27, and further connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). The bottle holder 21 is provided with a pair of claws 22 interlocked with the rotation of the bottle. When the test piece bottle 100 rotates reciprocally, the test piece 1 moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction thereof, and the test piece slides into the guide portion 24 of the guide member 23 with the aid of the action of the claw 22. The test piece 1 slid into the guide portion 24 is
6 and does not slide down from the guide portion 24. When two or more test pieces slide into the guide portion 24, 2
The first and subsequent test pieces 1 are not attracted to the suction holes 26, and the extra test pieces 1 slide down due to the reciprocating rotation of the guide member 23 and the action of the claws 22, and only one piece is attracted to the guide portion 24. Therefore, the test pieces 1 can be pulled out of the test piece bottle 100 from the test piece pull-out window 25 one by one.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the pickup mechanism of the present invention. The dashed line indicates that the test piece bottle 100 is driven by a test piece bottle rotation motor (not shown), and has risen to a position A obliquely upward. By this operation, the test piece 1 moves downward. The air chuck 28 has a suction hole 37 connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) via an air pipe 38. The width of the suction part of the air chuck 28 is substantially the same as the width of the test piece 1. As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG.
6 are arranged, and one test piece is always sucked by the test piece suction mechanism. Therefore, the pickup mechanism does not require a flapper that functions to remove excess test pieces.

FIG. 8 is a side view of another pickup mechanism. The dashed line indicates an operation in which the test piece bottle 100 rotates along the guide plate 65 and rises to a position B obliquely upward to align the tips of the test pieces 1. Flapper 78 is the test piece 1
Are arranged on both sides of the air chuck 28 so as to be aligned in parallel with the air chuck 28 of FIG.
However, when two or more sheets are obliquely overlapped and are sucked by the air chuck 28, when the flapper 78 is closed, only the first test piece is sucked by the air chuck 28 and the second or more test pieces 1 It falls off the chuck 28. The air pipe 68 is connected to a suction hole 67 of the air chuck 28.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the test piece front / back discrimination mechanism of the present invention. The test piece 1 sucked by the air chuck is supplied to the transfer stage 41. An opening 44 is formed in the transfer stage 41 so that a push bar 43 for pushing the test piece 1 can move. Further, two suction holes 45 for front / back discrimination connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) are formed in the transport stage 41 in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the test piece 1 pushed by the push bar 43.
The space between the two suction holes 45 is formed at a position corresponding to the gap between the test pads 3 of the test piece 1.

The reversing mechanism of the present invention is on the same straight line as the test piece front / back discriminating mechanism 45 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the test piece 1 and is located on the left side of the test piece front / back discriminating mechanism 45 in FIG. ing. The substantially L-shaped reversing device 125 has two suction holes 127 formed in a reversing plate 126. The suction holes 127 are aligned with the suction holes 45 formed in the transport stage 41 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the test piece 1. Inverter 125 includes gear 128 and gear 12
Hollow shaft 131 connected to motor 130 via
The other end is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) via an air pipe 132.

The turntable mechanism of the present invention is disposed below the transfer stage 41, and the upper surface 46 of the turntable is disposed at the back of the transfer stage. The turntable 46 is disposed at a position where the reversing plate 126 has moved by the reversing device 125 rotating 180 degrees about the rotation axis 131. The limit switches 133 and 134 are
The inverter 125 is provided so as to stop at a position rotated by 180 degrees.

For example, three suction holes 47 on the turntable 46 are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the test piece 1 pushed on the transfer stage 41 by the push bar 43,
And at least one suction hole is provided for the test pad 3 of the test piece 1
The test pad 3 is formed at a position corresponding to a gap between the test pad 3 and the test pad 3. The suction hole 47 plays a role of judging the front and back of the test piece 1 and sucking and holding the test piece 1 so as not to be displaced when the test piece 1 is transferred to the next immersion stage.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the excess liquid suction device of the present invention. The handling chuck 222 grips the test piece 1, transfers it to the suction unit 208, and then immerses it in the liquid sample in the sample container 223. The suction unit 208 is connected to the base 209, and the base 209 is connected to the air pipe mounting unit 210 and the air pipe 211. Suction hole 21 of suction unit 208
The excess liquid sucked in at 2, 212 'flows out to the waste tank via the base 209, the air pipe attachment part 210, and the air pipe 211. The arm 213 is joined to the base 209 and
09 horizontal and vertical angles and urine dip position can be adjusted. In addition, the air pipe attachment section 210 is attached to the base 209.
And the base 209 without attaching the air pipe 211.
The other end of the arm 213 joined to the
0 and the air pipe 211 may be attached. in this case,
The arm 213 not only supports and guides the base 209, but also serves as a passage for excess liquid.

[0024]

The operation of the vacuum suction circuit device of the present invention will be described. A new test piece bottle has already been prepared, and a sample container containing a liquid sample has been prepared. When the vacuum suction circuit device of the present invention is switched on, the pickup circuit and the excess liquid suction circuit are checked and dehumidified. Further, after checking the pressure sensor and the vacuum pump, check the clogging of the test piece chamber and the excess liquid suction circuit simultaneously with the dehumidification of the test piece chamber. In particular, for the pressure sensor, each circuit measures the output voltage at the atmospheric pressure and checks whether the measured value is within a specified range. If the measured value is out of the specified range, an error is displayed on the display as an abnormality of the pressure sensor.

Next, with respect to the vacuum pump, in each circuit, the suction pressure is measured by the pump alone, and this value is stored.
The maximum suction pressure is 100%. If the measured value is out of the specified range, an error is displayed on the display as an abnormality of the vacuum pump or air leak. The discriminating value for determining whether or not the air chuck has sucked the test piece and the reference value for discriminating front and back are set at this stage. The vacuum pump used for the air circuit of the test piece chamber operates constantly after power-on, and can switch the circuit through which air passes by turning on / off the solenoid valve. After the above initial setting operation, the mode shifts to the run mode.

The test piece suction mechanism 8 operates a test piece bottle rotation motor (not shown) to rotate the bottle holder 21 of FIG. 4 one reciprocating clockwise and counterclockwise by approximately 40 degrees. solenoid valve V ₁ of the Figure 2 are turned on simultaneously. When the solenoid valve V ₁ is turned on, the circuit OP1~V ₁ ~M2~P1 conducts. The test piece 1 moves in the test piece suction mechanism 8 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction, and the test piece 1 slides into the guide portion 24. The test piece 1 that has slid is pushed into the guide portion 24 by the claw 22. Test piece 1 in the guide part 24
When two or more slides, the extra test piece 1 is caused by the reciprocating rotation of the test piece bottle 100 and the action of the claw 22.
Is shaken off, and only one test piece is sucked to the guide portion.

The determination as to whether the test piece 1 has been sucked by the guide portion 24 is made by a suction hole 26 (O
The degree of vacuum of the air sucked from P1) is measured and determined. That is, when the test piece 1 is sucked by the guide portion 24, the degree of vacuum increases, while when the test piece 1 is not sucked, the degree of vacuum does not increase. The test piece 1 is the guide part 24
If not, the operation of rotating the test piece bottle 100 one reciprocation is further repeated. If the test piece 1 to the guide portion 24 is adsorbed, the pressure sensors S1 detects the negative pressure of the circuit, when transmitting the signal to a control device (not shown), in accordance with an instruction of the control device, the solenoid valve V ₁ Is turned off when the air chuck 28 reaches the lower point. When the solenoid valve V ₁ is turned off, the circuit OP1~V ₁ ~M2~P1 becomes nonconductive, immediately circuit OP1~V ₁ ~M1~ specimen chamber 7 becomes conductive. Since the suction hole 26 has the same pressure as the air pressure in the test piece chamber 7, the test piece 1 separates from the suction hole 26 when another suction force is applied next.

The pickup mechanism includes an air chuck 28
There When came down end point, on the basis of a command control unit (not shown), the solenoid valve V ₂ is turned on. When the solenoid valve V ₂ is turned on, the circuit OP2~V ₂ ~M2~P1 conducts. The suction hole 37 of the air chuck 28 starts suction, and the test piece 1 is immediately sucked into the suction hole 37 (OP2). The test piece 1 is carried to the reagent table 41 while being sucked by the suction holes 37 of the air chuck 28, and when the air chuck 28 places the test piece 1 on the reagent table 41, the electromagnetic valve V ₂
Turns off. When the solenoid valve V ₂ is turned off, the circuit OP2~V
_{2 to} M2 to P1 are turned off, and the circuits OP2 to OP2
_{2 to} M1 to the test piece chamber 7 are conducted. The suction hole 37 of the air chuck 28 has the same pressure as the atmospheric pressure in the test piece chamber 7, and the test piece 1 is separated from the suction hole 37 of the air chuck 28 and placed on the reagent table 41.
In the case of the air chuck without a flapper in FIG. 7, whether the test piece 1 is sucked by the air chuck 28 is determined by measuring the degree of vacuum of the air sucked from the suction hole 37.

In the case of the air chuck provided with the flapper shown in FIG. 8, it is determined whether or not the air chuck was able to suck the test piece 1 based on the degree of vacuum of the air sucked from the suction hole 37 (OP2). It takes place in stages. In the first stage, two suction holes 37 (OP2) of the air chuck 67 are used when two test pieces are sucked or obliquely sucked.
Is not completely closed, the determination is made at a low level of vacuum. In the second stage, after the flapper 78 is closed and the test piece 1 is aligned in parallel with the air chuck 67, the high level is determined. Is determined by the degree of vacuum. The determination level is set to an optimum value by measuring the ultimate vacuum degree of the vacuum pump and the vacuum degree in a state where the suction hole of the air chuck is opened during the initialization operation.

In the front / back discrimination mechanism, when the test piece 1 is placed on the reagent table 41 and then pushed by the push bar 43, and when the test piece 1 comes to the suction hole 45 (OP3),
On the basis of a command control unit (not shown), the solenoid valve V ₃ is turned on. When the electromagnetic valve V ₃ is turned on, the circuit OP3~V ₃ ~
M2 to P1 conduct, the suction hole 45 of the front / back discrimination mechanism starts suction, and the test piece 1 is instantaneously suctioned to discriminate the front and back of the test piece 1. When the pressure sensor S1 detects the vacuum value of the circuit and transmits it to a controller (not shown), the controller compares the vacuum value with the initially set value of this circuit. It determined facing table and issues a command off after a few seconds the solenoid valve V _3. When the electromagnetic valve V ₃ is turned off, the circuit OP3~V ₃ ~M2~P1 is rendered non-conductive, real circuit OP3~V ₃ ~M1~ specimen chamber 7 is rendered conductive. The suction hole 45 of the front / back discrimination mechanism has the same pressure as the atmospheric pressure in the test piece chamber 7.
2 is operated to push the test piece 1 with the push bar 43 and transport the test piece 1 onto the turntable 46.

When the pressure sensor S1 detects the vacuum value of the circuit from the suction hole 45 of the front / back discrimination mechanism and transmits the vacuum value to a control device (not shown), the control device sets the initial setting value of this circuit to the value. comparison, if the constant vacuum value is achieved, it is determined that the test piece 1 is facing the back, turning off the solenoid valve V _3, to turn on the solenoid valve V _4. When the solenoid valve V ₄ is turned on, the circuit OP4~V ₄ ~M2~P1 conducts.
The gripper 4 of the test piece 1 is held by the suction hole 127 of the reversing device 125 while the motor 30 is driven, the reversing device 125 is rotated by 180 °, and the test piece 1 is turned on the turntable 46 so that the test piece 1 faces the front. Placed on At this time, the electromagnetic valve V ₄ is turned off. When the solenoid valve V ₄ is turned off, the circuit OP4~V ₄ ~M2
~P1 becomes nonconductive, immediately circuit OP4~V ₄ ~M
1 to the test piece chamber 7 conduct. Therefore, the test piece 1 is placed on the turntable 46 with the test pad 3 facing upward.

The turntable mechanism specimen 1 when it is placed on the turntable 46, the solenoid valve V ₅ are turned on.
When the solenoid valve V ₅ are turned on, the circuit OP5~V ₅ ~M2~P
1 conducts, the suction hole 47 of the turntable 46 starts suction, and the test piece 1 is sucked. Next, turntable 46
Above the test piece 1 is instantaneously sucked, and the front and back of the test piece 1 are determined. When the pressure sensor S1 detects the vacuum value of the circuit and transmits it to a controller (not shown), the controller compares the vacuum value with the initially set value of this circuit. It is determined that the test piece 1 faces the front, and while the test piece 1 is attracted onto the turntable 46, a motor (not shown) is driven to lower the turntable 46, and the test piece 1 is sent to the next test piece immersion stage. When the pressure sensor S1 detects the vacuum value of the circuit and transmits it to a controller (not shown), the controller compares the value with the initially set value of the circuit. 1 is turned back, the motor 130 is operated, and the inverter 125 is moved closer to the test piece 1. The inverter 125 stops at predetermined limit switches 133 and 134,
Electromagnetic valve ₅ is turned off, the solenoid valve V ₄ is turned on.

[0033] When the electromagnetic valve V ₅ is turned off, circuit OP5~V
_{5 to} M2 to P1 become non-conductive, and immediately the circuits OP5 to V5
_{5 to} M1 to the test piece chamber 7 are conducted. The suction hole 47 of the turntable 46 has the same pressure as the atmospheric pressure of the test piece chamber, and the test piece 1 is released from the suction hole 47 of the turntable 46 by applying another suction force. Further, based on a command from a control device (not shown), the solenoid valve V
₄ turns on. When the solenoid valve V ₄ is turned on, the circuit OP4~
V _{4 to} M _{2 to} P 1 conduct, and the suction hole 12 of the inverter 125 is turned on.
7 starts suction, and while the test piece 1 is being sucked, the inverter 1
25 rotates 180 degrees in the reverse direction, returns the test piece 1 from the turntable 46 to the transfer stage 41, and the test piece 1 faces up. When inverter 125 stops rotating, the electromagnetic valve V ₄ is turned off. When the solenoid valve V ₄ is turned off, the circuit OP4~V ₄ ~M2~P1 is rendered non-conductive, real circuit OP4~V ₄ ~M1~ specimen chamber 7 is rendered conductive.
The suction hole 127 of the inverter 125 has the same pressure as the atmospheric pressure in the test piece chamber 7, and the test piece 1
The test piece 1 is placed on the upper surface, and the test piece 1 is pushed by the push bar 43 by operating the motor 122 to be fed onto the turntable 46.

The test piece 1 is instantaneously sucked again on the turntable 46, the front and back of the test piece 1 are determined, the detection value of the pressure sensor S1 is compared with a set value, and a control device (not shown) When it is determined that 1 is facing backward, the operation of the vacuum suction circuit device is interrupted. Is compared with the detected value is the set value of the pressure sensor S1, the not shown control device is determined to face the table, the controller sets the command on the solenoid valve V _5. When the solenoid valve V ₅ are turned on, the circuit OP5
ＶV ₅ ２〜M 2 to P 1 conduct, the suction hole 47 of the turntable 46 starts suction, and the test piece 1 is sucked. next,
While adsorbing the test piece 1 on the turntable 46, the motor (not shown) is driven to lower the turntable 46, and the test piece 1 is sent to the next test piece immersion stage. On the transport table 41, the next test piece is supplied, and the above operation is repeated.

Transport stage 41 and turntable 46
The suction holes 45 and 47 are formed at positions corresponding to the gaps between the test pads 3 of the test piece 1 pushed by the push bar 43. Therefore, when the test piece 1 is facing backward, as shown in FIG.
7 is not closed, so that the degree of vacuum does not increase even when sucked. On the other hand, when the test piece 1 is facing up, the degree of vacuum increases because the suction hole 47 is closed as shown in FIG. Therefore, by suctioning the test piece 1 and measuring the degree of vacuum with the pressure sensor S1, the front and back of the test piece 1 can be easily determined.

The discrimination of the front and back of the test piece 1 is performed by the transfer stage 4
1 and a suction hole 47 formed on the turntable 46.
6, when it is determined twice that the test piece 1 faces the back,
The continuous automatic liquid sample analyzer stops. As a result, the test piece 1 is not conveyed to the next immersion step while facing backward.

When the pressure sensor S1 outputs a signal indicating that the test piece 1 is facing the back without achieving a constant vacuum pressure, the test piece 1 is sucked by the inverter 125. (FIG. 13), the motor 130 (not shown) is operated to rotate the inverter 125 by 180 degrees (FIG. 1).
4) Place the test piece 1 on the turntable 46 so that the test piece 1 faces up (FIG. 15). On-off solenoid valve V ₁ ~V ₅ is detected suction pressure by the pressure sensor S1, it is controlled to not shown control device.

In the excess urine suction mechanism, the solenoid valve V ₆ is turned on when the handling chuck 222 reaches the set lower point of the sample container 223 in FIG. When the solenoid valve V ₆ is turned on, the circuit O in FIGS.
P6~V ₆ ~P2 is turned on. Excess urine flows into the waste tank Tk by the suction force of the vacuum pump P2. When handling chuck 222 has arrived at the end point on the suction unit 208, the solenoid valve V ₆ is turned off. Solenoid valve V ₆ is turned off, the circuit OP6~V ₆ ~P2 becomes non-conductive, the suction holes 2
No suction from 12 On-off solenoid valve V ₆ is controlled by unillustrated control device. The state of the vacuum value of the air circuit is detected by the pressure sensor S2, and the excess urine suction mechanism is controlled by a control device (not shown).

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention, even if a strip of a test piece stored in the test piece bottle is warped, one test piece can be removed from the test piece bottle by employing a vacuum suction method. Remove the test piece securely, determine whether the test piece is sucked into the suction hole of the pickup mechanism, take out one test piece while holding it by suction, determine the front and back of the test piece, and make sure that the test strip is facing upward. In this case, turn the test piece upside down while holding it by suction, turn the test pad upward, discriminate the front and back of the test piece, deliver the test piece to the handling chuck while holding it by suction, immerse it in the liquid sample in the sample container, and A series of steps for aspirating a liquid sample can be processed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a test piece take-out apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a test piece take-out circuit of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an excess urine suction circuit of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part of the test piece suction mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part of the test piece suction mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a main part of the test piece suction mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of a main part of the test piece suction mechanism and the pickup mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a main part rear view of another test piece suction mechanism and a pickup mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a front / back discrimination mechanism, a front / back inversion mechanism, and a turntable mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a main part of the excess urine suction mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a front / back discrimination operation of the turntable mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a front / back discrimination operation of the turntable mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a front / back inversion operation of the front / back inversion mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a front / back inversion operation of the front / back inversion mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a front / back discrimination operation of the turntable mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a test piece of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Test piece 2 Strip 3 Test pad 4 Gripping part 5 Base material 6 Side area 7 Test piece chamber 8 Test piece adsorption mechanism 9 Bottle drive mechanism 10 Pickup mechanism 11 Desiccant 12 Drive system chamber 13 Front / back discrimination mechanism 14 Turntable mechanism 15 Diaphragm 16 Stepping motor 17 Solenoid valve 18 Pressure sensor 19 Filter 20 Vacuum pump 21 Bottle holder 22 Claw 23 Guide member 24 Guide part 25 Test piece withdrawal window 26 Suction hole 27 Worm gear 28 Air chuck 37 Suction hole 38 Air tube 41 Transport stage 43 Push bar 44 Opening 45 Suction hole 47 Suction hole 65 Guide plate 67 Suction hole 78 Flapper 100 Test piece bottle 125 Inverter 126 Inversion plate 127 Suction hole 128 Gear 129 Gear 130 Motor 1 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rotation axis 132 Air pipe 133 Limit switch 134 Limit switch 208 Suction part 209 Base 210 Air pipe attachment part 211 Air pipe 213 Arm 222 Handling chuck 223 Sample container OP1 Suction hole of test piece adsorption mechanism OP2 Suction hole of pickup mechanism OP3 mechanism suction holes f ₁ of the suction holes OP4 suction holes OP6 excess urine suction mechanism of the suction holes OP5 turntable mechanism reversing mechanism ~f ₆ filter V ₁ ~V ₆ solenoid valves M1, M2 manifold S1, S2 pressure sensors P1, P2 Vacuum pump Tk Waste tank

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-5-256783 (JP, A) JP-A-5-264557 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01N 35 / 04 B25J 15/06 B65G 47/91

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A continuous automatic liquid sample in which a liquid sample is adhered to a test piece, and a component in the liquid sample is analyzed by optically measuring a color portion formed by a reaction between the liquid sample and a reagent provided on the test piece. In the analyzer, a vacuum pump, a suction hole provided in a pickup mechanism for sucking and removing a test piece from a test piece bottle containing a plurality of test pieces, and a front / back discrimination mechanism for distinguishing front and back of the taken out test piece are provided. Suction holes, suction holes provided in the front / back reversing mechanism that reverses the test piece when the pad surface of the test piece is on the lower side, and suction holes provided in the turntable mechanism that further distinguishes the front and back of the test piece and transfers it to the handling chuck An air line for selectively connecting at least one of the above to the vacuum pump through a manifold and an on-off valve; and a pressure provided at at least one position in the air line. Removing a test piece based on the selective operation of the on-off valve and / or the output of the pressure sensor, determining the front and back of the test piece, inverting the front and back of the test piece, and A vacuum suction circuit device characterized by re-determining the front and back of a test piece and selectively executing at least one of operations of transferring the test piece to a next handling chuck. 2. A suction hole provided in a pickup mechanism for sucking and taking out a test piece from a test piece bottle containing a plurality of test pieces, a suction hole provided in a front / back discriminating mechanism for distinguishing front and back of the taken out test piece, At least one of the suction holes provided in the reversing mechanism for reversing the test piece when the pad surface of the test piece is on the lower side, and the suction holes provided in the turntable mechanism for re-determining the front and back of the test piece and transferring the same to the handling chuck. 1
A test piece chamber in which the above is arranged, and an air line selectively connected to an on-off valve via a manifold, including a pressure of the air line to normal pressure based on a selective operation of the on-off valve. A vacuum suction circuit device that is returned. 3. A continuous automatic liquid sample in which a liquid sample is attached to a test piece, and a component in the liquid sample is analyzed by optically measuring a portion of the liquid sample and a reagent provided on the test piece to develop a color. In the analyzer, a vacuum pump, an air pipe connecting a suction hole provided in an excess liquid suction mechanism and a sealed excess liquid waste tank to the vacuum pump via an on-off valve, and at least one air pipe in the air pipe. And a pressure sensor provided at two places, based on the selective operation of the on-off valve and the output of the pressure sensor, at least the capacity of the vacuum pump, clogging of the suction hole provided in the excess liquid suction mechanism. A vacuum suction circuit device for suctioning an excess liquid of a test piece, which is detectable. 4. A continuous automatic liquid sample in which a liquid sample is adhered to a test piece, and a component in the liquid sample is analyzed by optically measuring a portion colored by a reaction between the liquid sample and a reagent provided on the test piece. In the analyzer, one test piece is sucked in a test piece bottle containing a plurality of test pieces, the presence or absence of the test piece is determined, the test piece is taken out by a pickup mechanism, and the front and back discrimination mechanism is used. Determine the front and back of the test piece, if the pad surface of the test piece is on the upper side, place the test piece on a turntable, if the pad surface of the test piece is on the lower side,
The test piece is inverted by a front / back inversion mechanism, placed on a turntable, and again, the front and back of the test piece are determined by a turntable mechanism. When the pad surface of the test piece is on the upper side, the test piece is When the pad surface of the test piece is on the lower side, the test piece is sucked and held by a front / back inversion mechanism, and the test piece is reversely inverted, and the test piece is inverted. Is placed on a reagent table, the test piece is transferred to a turntable, and the turntable mechanism is again used to determine the front and back of the test piece. When the pad surface of the test piece is on the upper side, the test piece is When the pad surface of the test piece is on the lower side, the system is stopped, the test piece is immersed in the liquid sample of the sample container, and adhered to the reagent. Simultaneously with pulling of excess liquid the specimen, suction, vacuum suction method of the test piece transferring the specimen into the analyzer.