JP4262569B2 - Excess sample removal mechanism - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a surplus sample removing mechanism for removing surplus samples adhering to an analysis tool holding a sample.

As a urine analyzer, for example, there is a urine analyzer that automatically analyzes a urine using an optical method after a test piece in which urine is soaked in a reagent pad is transported to an analysis site. The supply of urine to the reagent pad is automatically performed in the analyzer, or is performed by the operator soaking the test piece in the urine. At this time, if urine is excessively supplied to the test piece, accurate measurement may not be performed. For example, if the reagent is eluted from the reagent pad into excess urine, the degree of coloration of the reagent pad itself may be reduced, or the eluted reagent may be mixed into the adjacent reagent pad. In addition, if excessive urine adheres to the test piece, urine adheres to the analysis site of the analyzer, and the test piece to be used next cannot be contaminated to perform accurate measurement, or urine is stuck to the analysis site. And unsanitary. In order to solve such problems, various proposals have been made in order to remove excess urine adhering to a test piece.

  Typical examples thereof are those that suck a surplus sample (for example, urine) with a pump (for example, see Patent Document 1), those that press a test piece against a suction pad (for example, see Patent Document 2), or transport the test piece. In some cases, a transfer arm is provided with a groove, and the groove is used to suck excess urine from the test piece when the test piece is transferred.

JP-A-10-148634 JP 2000-55922 A

  However, the method of sucking the surplus sample with a pump not only increases the cost of the device by the amount required for the pump, but also increases the size of the device, and may cause noise and exhaust odor problems.

  In the method of pressing the test piece against the suction pad, it is necessary to periodically replace the suction pad, so that consumables are generated, which is disadvantageous in terms of running cost and maintenance. In the suction pad, there is a possibility that the absorption capacity may be reduced when a certain amount of surplus sample is absorbed, such as when it is necessary to suck the surplus sample continuously.

  In the method of providing a groove on the transfer arm, since the test piece is lightweight, the force that can be applied to the test piece by the transfer arm in the transfer process is small. As a result, the suction force that can be applied to the test piece is small, and excess urine cannot be sufficiently removed from the test piece.

  The present invention has been conceived under such circumstances, and an object thereof is to remove a sample adhering to an analysis tool advantageously and reliably in terms of cost.

In the present invention, in order to solve the above-described problems, the following technical means are taken. That is, the surplus sample removal mechanism provided by the first aspect of the present invention has a function of transporting the analytical tool holding the sample to the target site on the transport table by moving the transport member, and A surplus sample removing mechanism for removing surplus samples adhering to the analysis tool, wherein the target part is pressed on one side in the transport direction of the transport table and the analysis tool is pressed on the other side in the transport direction . The pressing wall is provided with a mounting portion for mounting the analysis tool between the target site and the pressing wall, respectively, and capillary action is caused from the analysis tool pressed against the pressing wall. while having a plurality of grooves for sucking the excess sample using, the transport member has integrally a first arm and a second arm spaced apart in the conveying direction, on the placing Part And the second arm presses the analytical tool against the pressing wall and then moves away from the pressing wall, and the first arm moves the analytical tool to the target site. It is characterized in that the movement is controlled so that it is conveyed .

  The plurality of grooves are provided on the pressing wall, for example. However, you may provide a some groove part in a conveyance member, or both in a conveyance member and a press wall.

  As the analysis tool, for example, a tool having a first surface that stands up with respect to the transport table and a second surface that faces the transport table when the analysis tool is transported is used. In this case, the pressing wall is configured to contact the first surface of the analysis tool.

  The surplus sample removing mechanism of the present invention may be configured to have a plurality of holes for sucking the surplus sample from the second surface of the analytical tool by utilizing capillary action. It is preferable to form the hole portion as one that communicates with the groove portion.

  The pressing wall is provided with, for example, a guide groove, and the first arm protrudes from the main body portion that is movable above the pressing wall, and is movable in the guide groove, and when the analysis tool is transported And a protrusion for contacting with the analysis tool.

The surplus sample removing mechanism provided by the second aspect of the present invention has a function of transporting an analysis tool holding a sample to a target site on the transport table by moving the transport member, and the analysis described above. A surplus sample removing mechanism for removing surplus samples adhering to a tool, using a pressing wall for pressing the analytical tool by the transport member, and utilizing a capillary phenomenon from the analytical tool pressed against the pressing wall And a plurality of grooves provided in the pressing wall for sucking the surplus sample, and the pressing wall is movable in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the analysis tool The block is configured to select a state in which the movement of the analysis tool is inhibited and a state in which the movement of the analysis tool is not hindered. To.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The analyzer X1 shown in FIG. 1 is configured to semi-automatically analyze a plurality of components in urine using a test piece 1 provided with a plurality of reagent pads 10. That is, the analyzer X1 automatically analyzes urine when the user places the test piece 1 in which the reagent pad 10 is impregnated with urine on a predetermined portion of the analyzer X1. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the analyzer X1 includes a housing 2, a transport mechanism 3 for transporting the test piece 1, and a surplus urine removal mechanism for removing surplus urine adhering to the test piece 1. 4 and an analysis mechanism 5 for performing analysis using the test piece 1.

  The casing 2 is provided with an operation panel 20 and a display panel 21 as shown in FIG. The operation panel 20 is provided with a plurality of switches 20a. When the user operates the switch 20a, for example, a signal for causing the analyzer X1 to perform various operations (analysis operation, printing operation, etc.) is generated, or various settings (analysis condition setting and subject) are generated. ID input, etc.). The display panel 21 displays an analysis result and an error message, and displays an operation procedure and an operation status at the time of setting.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the housing 2 is provided with a transfer table 22 and a notch 23. The transport table 22 is used when transporting the test piece 1 and has a pair of guide rails 25 protruding upward from the base surface 24 as shown in FIG. The pair of guide rails 25 are for making direct contact with and supporting the test piece 1 when the test piece 1 is transported as shown in FIG. 2, and as shown in FIG. They extend in the directions of arrows N1 and N2 and are spaced apart in the directions of arrows N3 and N4. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the test piece 1 is transported in a state of being spaced from the base surface 24. A part of the transport table 22 is exposed through a window portion 26 provided in the housing 2, and this exposed portion constitutes a placement portion 27 for placing the test piece 1. The placement unit 27 has dimensions in the directions of the arrows N3 and N4 in the drawing smaller than the longitudinal dimension of the test piece 1, and the user holds the end of the test piece 1 in the state where the user holds the end part of the test piece 1. On the other hand, the test piece 1 is easily placed. As expected from FIGS. 1 to 3, the notch 23 prevents the movement of the test piece 1 from being obstructed when the test piece 1 is moved in the direction of the arrow N <b> 2 in the figure. This is intended to be carried into the housing 2.

  Inside the housing 2, as clearly shown in FIG. 2, a discard box 28 is provided along with the analysis mechanism 5 and adjacent to the analysis mechanism 5 in the direction of the arrow N <b> 2 in the drawing. The disposal box 28 is for storing the test piece 1 that has been analyzed.

  As shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the transport mechanism 3 moves the test piece 1 along the transport table 22 from the placement unit 27 toward the surplus urine removing mechanism 4, and further, the test piece 1. Is moved from the surplus urine removal mechanism 4 toward the analysis mechanism 5 along the transport table 22. The transport mechanism 3 has a transport member 30 that can reciprocate along the transport table 22 in the directions of arrows N1 and N2 in the drawing. The transport member 30 is positioned on the placement portion 27 (see FIG. 1) in a standby state (a state in which the test piece 1 is waiting to be placed) (see FIG. 1), and is driven by, for example, an actuator not shown. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the transport member 30 has first and second arms 31 and 32 that extend in the directions of arrows N3 and N4 in the drawing as a whole. As clearly shown in FIG. 1, when the test piece 1 is placed on the placement portion 27 of the transfer table 22, the test piece 1 is positioned between the first arm 31 and the second arm 32. . For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, when the test piece 1 is transported toward the surplus urine removing mechanism 4, the second arm 32 is used toward the analyzing mechanism 5. When the test piece 1 is transported, the first arm 31 is used. Each arm 31, 32 protrudes downward from the main body portions 31 a, 32 a higher than the surplus urine removing mechanism 4, and the front end portion is higher than the upper surface 25 a of the guide rail 25. It has the protrusion parts 31b and 32b located below. When the test piece 1 is transported, the protruding portions 31 b and 32 b of the first and second arms 3 1 and 32 are in contact with the test piece 1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the surplus urine removing mechanism 4 is provided adjacent to the transport table 22 (mounting portion 27) in the direction of the arrow N <b> 1 in the drawing, A guide groove 40 for allowing movement of the protruding portion 31b of the first arm 31 is provided. That is, the protrusion 31 b of the first arm 31 moves in the guide groove 40, whereby the main body 31 a can be positioned above the excess urine removal mechanism 4, and the second arm 32 is brought closer to the excess urine removal mechanism 4. be able to. The surplus urine removing mechanism 4 is for removing surplus urine from the test piece 1 by utilizing capillary action, and sucks surplus urine from the side surface 11 of the test piece 1 as shown in FIGS. And a second suction part 42 for sucking excess urine from the bottom surface 12 of the test piece 1. The upper surface of the second suction unit 42 is flush with the upper surface 25 a of the guide rail 25 of the transfer table 22, and the test piece 1 supported by the guide rail 25 in the mounting unit 27 is moved by the second arm 32. The second suction unit 42 can be moved.

  The surplus urine removal mechanism 4 has a surplus urine removal block 43 for bringing the test piece 1 into contact as shown in FIGS. 4, 6 and 9. The surplus urine removing block 43 has a plurality of grooves 44 and is detachable from the recess 29 of the housing 2. Each groove 44 has a first groove portion 44a that constitutes the first suction portion 41 and a second groove portion 44b that constitutes the second suction portion 42 when the excess urine removal block 43 is accommodated in the recess 29. ing. The first groove 44a is open to the side and upward. The second groove 44b is open to the side, upward and downward. The second groove 44b has a depth greater than that of the first groove 44a and communicates with the first groove 44a as shown in FIG. The first and second groove portions 44 a and 44 b are connected to an excess urine storage portion (not shown) via the communication path 45.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the side surface 11 of the test piece 1 is brought into contact with the first suction portion 41. At this time, the side surface of the test piece 1 is caused by the capillary force generated in each first groove portion 44a. The surplus urine can be aspirated and removed from 11. On the other hand, the bottom surface 12 of the test piece 1 is brought into contact with the second suction part 42 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, and at this time, the test piece 1 is caused by the capillary force generated in each second groove 44b. Excess urine can be aspirated and removed from the bottom surface 12 of the tube.

  As clearly shown in FIG. 2, the analysis mechanism 5 is for analyzing urine by an optical method, and includes a light emitting unit 50 and a light receiving unit 51. The light emitting unit 50 is configured, for example, as including an LED, and the light receiving unit 51 is configured, for example, as including a photodiode. In the analyzer X 1, the light from the light emitting unit 50 is applied to the reagent pad 10 of the test piece 1, and the scattered light is received by the light receiving unit 51. In the drawing, one light emitting unit 50 and one light receiving unit 51 are drawn. The set of the light emitting unit 50 and the light receiving unit 51 is the longitudinal direction of the test piece 1 (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 2). May be configured to irradiate each reagent pad 10 with light and receive the reflected light, or to provide a set of a plurality of light emitting units 50 and light receiving units 51 according to the number of reagent pads 10. Also good.

  In the analyzer X1, after the reagent pad 10 of the test piece 1 is impregnated with urine, the user places the test piece 1 on the placement unit 27 so that urine is automatically analyzed. More specifically, the removal of excess urine from the test piece 1 shown in FIG. 5A, the analysis of the test piece 1 shown in FIG. 5B, and the test piece 1 shown in FIG. The analysis of urine is completed through a process of disposal.

The excess urine is removed by moving the test piece 1 from the placing portion 27 to the excess urine removing mechanism 4 as shown in FIG. More specifically, the conveying member 30 at the standby position is moved in the direction of arrow N1 in the drawing. As shown in FIG. 3, since the guide groove 40 is formed in the surplus urine transport mechanism 4 , the main body portion of the first arm 31 is moved by the protrusion 31 b of the first arm 31 moving in the guide groove 40. 31 a is located above the surplus urine removing mechanism 4. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5A, the test piece 1 is moved from the mounting portion 27 in the direction of the arrow N <b> 1 by the second arm 32. When the transport member 30 and thus the test piece 1 are moved by a certain distance, the test piece 1 is sandwiched between the first suction part 41 and the second arm 32 as shown in FIG. At this time, the side surface 11 of the test piece 1 contacts the first suction part 41 as shown in FIG. 7, and the bottom surface 12 of the test piece 1 contacts the second suction part 42 as shown in FIG. Thereby, excess urine is aspirated / removed from the side surface 11 of the test piece 1 by the first suction part 41, and excess urine is aspirated / removed from the bottom surface 12 of the test piece 1 by the second suction part 42. The surplus urine removed from the first and second suction parts 41 and 42 is accommodated in a surplus urine storage part (not shown) via the communication path 45 as expected from FIG.

  In such a surplus urine removing mechanism 4, surplus urine is sucked and removed from both the side surface 11 and the bottom surface 12 of the test piece 1, so that surplus urine can be sucked and removed from the test piece 1 more reliably.

  The analysis of the test piece 1 is performed in the analysis mechanism 5 after the test piece 1 is moved from the surplus urine removing mechanism 4 to a site corresponding to the analysis mechanism 5 as shown in FIG. The test piece 1 is moved in the first arm 31 by moving the conveying member 30 in the direction of the arrow N2 in the drawing.

  In the analysis mechanism 5, the light from the light emitting unit 50 is irradiated to the reagent pad 10 of the test piece 1, and the scattered light from the reagent pad 10 is received by the light receiving unit 51. The light reception result in the light receiving unit 51 is input to a calculation circuit (not shown) as a signal corresponding to the amount of received light, and the concentration of a specific component in urine is calculated in this calculation circuit.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the test piece 1 is discarded by moving the conveying member 30 in the direction of the arrow N2 in the drawing after the analysis of the test piece 1 is completed. Then, the test piece 1 is dropped from the transfer table 22 by the first arm 31, and the test piece 1 is accommodated in the disposal box 28.

In the analyzer X1, surplus urine is removed from the test piece 1 by the first and second suction parts 41 and 42 formed by the groove part 44. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, the apparatus is not enlarged as in the case of sucking excess urine using a pump, and the problem of odor due to noise or exhaust does not occur. The analyzer X1 is advantageous in terms of manufacturing cost and running cost as much as a pump is not used. Further, in the analyzer X1, no consumables are generated as in the case of using the absorption pad, which is advantageous in terms of running cost also in this respect, and surplus urine removed by the first and second suction parts 41 and 42. Does not stay in the first and second suction parts 41, 42, so that the excess urine absorption capacity in the first and second suction parts 41, 42 is not lowered. Since the first suction parts 41 and 42 are constituted by an excess urine removal block 43 that can be freely attached and detached, if the excess urine removal block 43 is removed, the excess urine removal block 43 and the recess 29 of the housing 2 are removed. Can be washed. Therefore, the excess urine removal mechanism 4 including the first and second suction parts 41 and 42 can be kept clean.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In these drawings, the same elements as those of the analyzer X1 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted here.

  The analyzer X2 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 is configured such that the test piece 1 is transported only in the direction of the arrow N2 in the drawing by the transport member 30 ′, and surplus urine is placed in the middle of the transport path. A removal mechanism 4 'is provided.

  Since the conveying direction of the test piece 1 is one direction (only in the N2 direction), the conveying member 30 ′ is configured to have one arm portion 31 ′ and a protruding portion (see FIGS. 3 and 5). ) Is also omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the surplus urine removing mechanism 4 ′ has a surplus urine removal block 43 ′ that is movable in the vertical direction. The surplus urine removal block 43 ′ is provided with a plurality of groove portions 44 ′ on the surface on the placement portion 27 side (arrow N1 direction side), and protrudes upward from the transfer table 22 (FIG. 12A). )) And a state of not projecting from the transfer table 22. That is, the surplus urine removing block 43 'is configured to be able to select a state in which the conveyance of the test piece 1 is inhibited and a state in which the excess is not inhibited (see FIG. 12B). The surplus urine removing block 43 'is moved up and down, for example, by an actuator (not shown).

  In the analyzer X2, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), the surplus urine removing block 43 ′ is projected from the transport table 22, and the test piece 1 is moved by the transport member 30 ′ in the direction of the arrow N2 in the figure. Let Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the movement of the test piece 1 is hindered by the surplus urine removal block 43 ', so that the test piece 1 is sandwiched between the surplus urine removal block 43' and the conveying member 30 '. At this time, excess urine is aspirated and removed from the test piece 1 by the groove 44 ′ of the excess urine removal block 43 ′. Thereafter, the excess urine removing block 43 ′ is moved downward to further move the test piece 1 in the direction of the arrow N 2, and the analysis mechanism 5 analyzes the test piece 1. After the analysis of the test piece 1 is completed, the test piece 1 is dropped into the disposal box 28 by the conveying member 30 ′.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the excess urine is removed from the test piece in the analyzer configured to analyze urine has been described as an example. However, the present invention analyzes a sample other than urine. The present invention can be applied to a configured analyzer, and can also be applied to an analyzer using an analysis tool other than a test piece. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to a semi-automatic analyzer but also to a fully automatic analyzer configured to automatically supply a sample to an analysis tool. Of course, the present invention is not limited to removing excess urine (surplus sample) in the analyzer, but can also be applied to an analyzer supply device for supplying an analyzer such as a test piece to the analyzer.

1 is an overall perspective view of an analyzer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the front view which fractured | ruptured a part of analyzer shown in FIG. It is a side view of the analyzer shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the surplus urine removal mechanism periphery in the analyzer shown in FIG. It is principal part sectional drawing for demonstrating operation | movement of the analyzer of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the VI-VI line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the VII-VII line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the VIII-VIII line of FIG. It is a whole perspective view of a surplus urine removal block. It is a whole perspective view of the analyzer which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the front view and principal part enlarged view which fractured | ruptured a part of analyzer shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the surplus urine removal mechanism periphery in the analyzer shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Test piece (analysis tool)
11 Side surface (first surface)
12 Bottom (second surface) of test piece
22 Transport table 27 Placement section 30, 30 ′ Transport member 31 First arm 31 a (of the transport member) Main body 31 b (First arm) Protrusion section 32 (of the first arm) Second arm 4 (of the transport member) 4 , 4 'Surplus urine removal mechanism 40 Guide groove 41 First suction part (pressing wall)
43, 43 'Surplus urine removal block 44a First groove (groove)
44b Second groove (hole)

Claims (8)

The surplus sample removing mechanism has a function of transporting the analysis tool holding the sample to the target site on the transport table by moving the transport member and removing the surplus sample adhering to the analysis tool. There,
The target part is placed on one side in the transport direction of the transport table, the pressing wall for pressing the analytical tool is placed on the other side in the transport direction, and the analytical tool is placed between the target part and the pressing wall. mounting portion for are provided respectively, and, while having a plurality of grooves for sucking the excess sample by use of a capillary phenomenon from the analytical instrument pressed against the above pressing wall,
The transport member integrally includes a first arm and a second arm that are separated from each other in the transport direction, and the second arm moves from the mounting portion toward the pressing wall, and the second arm moves the analysis tool to the analysis tool. A surplus sample removing mechanism, wherein the first sample arm is controlled to move so as to move away from the pressing wall and transport the analysis tool to the target site after being pressed against the pressing wall .   The excess sample removing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of grooves are provided in the pressing wall. The analysis tool has a first surface that stands up with respect to the transport table and a second surface that faces the transport table when the analysis tool is transported,
The surplus sample removing mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the pressing wall is configured to contact the first surface.   The surplus sample removing mechanism according to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of holes for sucking the surplus sample from the second surface using a capillary phenomenon.   The surplus sample removing mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the hole portion communicates with the groove portion. The pressing wall is provided with a guide groove,
The first arm protrudes from the main body portion that is movable above the pressing wall, and is capable of moving the guide groove, and is in contact with the analysis tool when the analysis tool is transported. The surplus sample removing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: The surplus sample removing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pressing wall is constituted by a block that is detachable . The surplus sample removing mechanism has a function of transporting the analysis tool holding the sample to the target site on the transport table by moving the transport member and removing the surplus sample adhering to the analysis tool. There,
A pressing wall for pressing the analysis tool by the transport member, and a plurality of grooves provided in the pressing wall for sucking an excess sample from the analysis tool pressed against the pressing wall using a capillary phenomenon And, and
The pressing wall is composed of a block that can move in a direction that intersects the transport direction of the analytical tool,
The surplus sample removing mechanism , wherein the block is configured to be able to select a state in which movement of the analysis tool is inhibited and a state in which movement of the analysis tool is not inhibited .

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