JP5792474B2 - Pipette tip feeder - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pipette tip supply equipment.

Conventionally, pipette tips have been used for dispensing specimens such as blood and urine, and a tip supply device that automatically supplies this pipette tip to a dispensing nozzle is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
In Patent Document 1, a tip replenishing unit that accommodates a plurality of pipette tips inserted by a user, a sorting mechanism unit that sorts pipette tips taken out from the tip replenishing unit one by one, and a sorting mechanism unit one by one A chip supply device is provided that includes a single pipette tip that is sorted into two and a tip transport section that transports the single pipette tip to a mounting position by a dispensing nozzle of a sample dispensing arm. .

JP 2009-74916 A

  However, in the tip supply device described in Patent Document 1, for example, when the sorting operation of the pipette tip by the sorting mechanism unit is not performed smoothly, it takes time to transport the pipette tip accommodated in the tip supply unit smoothly. There is a possibility that the supply of the pipette tip to the dispensing nozzle may be delayed. In such a case, it is necessary to interrupt the sample dispensing operation, and there is a possibility that the sample processing capability of the automatic analyzer may be reduced.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a pipette tip supply equipment capable of suppressing the delay from occurring in the supply of the pipette tip to the dispensing nozzle.

(1) The pipette tip supply device of the present invention includes a tip storage section that stores a plurality of pipette tips, and a holder that has a plurality of tip holding sections that can hold the pipette tips, and a tip transport section that can move the holder. And a chip supply unit that supplies the pipette chip stored in the chip storage unit to the chip holding unit of the holder, and the chip transport unit includes a plurality of pipette tips supplied by the chip supply unit. By moving the holder so that one of the plurality of tip holders holding the pipette tip is positioned at the tip mounting position where the dispensing nozzle is mounted to the pipette tip. is capable of supplying the pipette tip to the dispensing nozzle, the chip supply unit is stored in the tip storing section The pet chip is supplied to a predetermined chip receiving position, and the chip transport unit moves the holder so that each of the plurality of chip holding units is positioned at the chip receiving position, and holds the pipette chip in each chip holding unit. The tip transporting unit moves the holder so that the tip holding portion not holding the pipette tip is positioned at the tip receiving position until the pipette tip needs to be supplied to the dispensing nozzle. When the pipette tip is held in any of the plurality of tip holding portions of the holder and the pipette tip needs to be supplied to the dispensing nozzle, the transport unit holds the tip that does not hold the pipette tip. Even if there is a portion, the holder is arranged so that the tip holding portion holding the pipette tip is positioned at the tip mounting position. Moving.

  Thereby, a pipette chip | tip can be hold | maintained previously to several chip | tip holding | maintenance parts. For this reason, even when a situation occurs in which the pipette tip is not smoothly supplied to the tip holder, the pipette tip by the dispensing nozzle is not waited for the pipette tip to be supplied by the tip supplier. Pipette tips can be supplied to the mounting position. For this reason, it can suppress that delay arises in supply of the pipette tip to a dispensing nozzle.

In addition, when the pipette tip is held in any of the plurality of tip holding portions of the holder, the tip transport unit holds the pipette tip when it is necessary to supply the pipette tip to the dispensing nozzle. Even if there is an unattached tip holding part, since the holder is moved so that the tip holding part holding the pipette tip is positioned at the tip mounting position, there is a delay in the supply of the pipette tip to the dispensing nozzle. It can prevent more reliably.

Also, the chip supply unit, a pipette tip that is stored in the tip storing section is supplied to a given chip receiving position, the chip carrier part positions the plurality of the chip holding portion to the tip receiving position The tip holder is moved so that each tip holding portion holds the pipette tip, so that each tip holding portion is aligned with the tip receiving position and the pipette tip is held by each tip holding portion. The supply unit only needs to supply the pipette chip to a predetermined chip receiving position, and the configuration of the chip supply unit can be simplified.

Also, the chip carrier part, said dispensing until the supply of the pipette tip to the nozzle is needed, the chip holding part does not hold the pipette tip in a configuration for moving the holder to position to the chip receiving position there therefore possible since many pipette tip can be allowed to retain the holder, it is possible to more effectively suppress the delay occurs in the supply of the pipette tip to the dispensing nozzle.

( 2 ) Moreover, it is preferable that the said chip | tip conveyance part moves the said holder so that any one chip | tip holding | maintenance part holding the pipette chip | tip may be located in the said chip | tip mounting position for every predetermined time.
Thereby, it is possible to maintain the cycle in which the pipette tip is attached to the dispensing nozzle, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in the sample processing capacity.

( 3 ) Moreover, it is preferable that the said chip | tip conveyance part moves the said holder so that a pipette chip | tip may be hold | maintained in a predetermined order by these chip | tip holding | maintenance parts.
Thereby, the control at the time of aligning each chip holding part of the holder to the chip receiving position can be simplified.

( 4 ) Further, the chip transport section is configured to move the holder between the chip receiving position and the chip mounting position, and the plurality of chip holding sections are configured to move the chip receiving position and the chip mounting position. It is preferable to arrange | position to the said holder along with the moving direction of the said holder between.
Thus, each of the plurality of chip holding portions can be more easily aligned with the chip receiving position and the chip mounting position.

( 5 ) Moreover, the said chip supply part is a 1st supply part which supplies a pipette chip | tip to the said chip receiving position one by one, and a 2nd supply part which supplies the pipette chip | tip of the said chip | tip storage part to the said 1st supply part. And the supply of the pipette tip to the first supply unit is completed after the holder starts moving toward the tip mounting position and returns to the tip receiving position. It is preferable to further include a control unit that controls the second supply unit.
Accordingly, the pipette tip can be sent to the first supply unit before the holder returns to the tip receiving position. Therefore, after the holder returns to the tip receiving position, the first supply unit pipets the pipette tip. Chips can be supplied quickly.

( 6 ) Further, in the pipette tip supply device according to ( 5 ), the first supply section includes a drop opening for supplying the pipette tip to the tip receiving position by dropping the pipette tip, and a position immediately before the drop opening. A waiting position for holding the pipette tip at the position is set, and the control unit starts the movement of the holder toward the tip mounting position until the holder returns to the tip receiving position. It is preferable to control the first supply unit so that the pipette tip supplied from the two supply units to the first supply unit is transferred to the standby position.
In this case, when the holder returns to the tip receiving position, the pipette tip that has been waiting at the standby position can be dropped from the dropping port, and the pipette tip can be quickly transferred to the holder.

( 7 ) It is preferable to further include a tip detection unit for detecting that the pipette tip is held in the tip holding unit of the holder.
Thereby, it is possible to more reliably identify the tip holding portion where the pipette tip is not held.

( 8 ) Moreover, it is preferable that the said chip | tip conveyance part positions the said several chip holding part in the said chip | tip mounting position with equal frequency, and supplies a pipette chip | tip to the said dispensing nozzle.
Thereby, it is possible to prevent a specific pipette tip among the plurality of pipette tips held in the holder from remaining in the holder without being attached to the dispensing nozzle indefinitely.

( 9 ) Moreover, it is preferable that the said chip | tip storage part is comprised so that several pipette tips may be stored in the state where the longitudinal direction of a pipette chip | tip is disjoint.
As a result, the user has only to insert a plurality of pipette tips without considering the longitudinal direction thereof, and the user can easily use the device, and there is a problem in the operation of supplying the pipette tips from the tip reservoir to the holder. Even so, since a plurality of pipette tips are held in advance in the holder, it is possible to suppress a delay in the supply of the pipette tips to the dispensing nozzle.

( 10 ) In addition, the pipette tip supply device has a storage unit that stores holding information indicating the presence / absence of a pipette tip in each of the plurality of tip holding units, and a state of presence / absence of a pipette tip in the tip holding unit. It is preferable to further comprise a control unit that updates the holding information and controls the chip supply unit and the chip transfer unit based on the updated holding information.
According to this, the chip supply unit and the chip transport unit can be flexibly controlled according to the holding state of the pipette chip in each chip holding unit.

  According to the present invention, since the pipette tips can be held in advance in a plurality of tip holding portions, even when a situation occurs in which the pipette tips are not smoothly supplied to the tip holding portion, The pipette tip can be supplied to the dispensing nozzle without waiting for the supply of the pipette tip. For this reason, it can suppress that delay arises in supply of the pipette tip to a dispensing nozzle.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the sample analyzer of this invention. It is a top view of a sample analyzer. It is explanatory drawing of a pipette tip. It is a perspective view of a pipette tip supply apparatus. It is a one part perspective view of a pipette tip supply apparatus. It is a top view of a chip | tip transfer mechanism part. It is explanatory drawing explaining the position of the holder in a 1st position. It is explanatory drawing of the conveyance drive part of a chip | tip conveyance part. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of a 1st pushing-up member. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of a 2nd pushing-up member. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of a chip | tip transfer mechanism part. It is explanatory drawing explaining the position of the holder in a 2nd position. It is explanatory drawing of the database memorize | stored in the memory | storage part. It is a flowchart explaining the process at the time of initialization of a chip | tip conveyance part. It is a flowchart explaining the process at the time of normal driving | operation. It is a flowchart explaining the chip | tip supply process to a dispensing nozzle. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a control apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[1. (Overall configuration of sample analyzer)
The sample analyzer 1 of the present invention is an apparatus for quantitatively measuring or qualitatively measuring antigens and antibodies contained in a sample such as blood as a measurement target. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sample analyzer 1 is electrically connected to the measurement mechanism unit 2, the sample transport unit 3 disposed adjacent to the measurement mechanism unit 2, and the measurement mechanism unit 2. And a connected control device 4.

The sample transport unit 3 is capable of transporting a rack that holds a plurality of test tubes (not shown) that store samples, and transports the test tubes that store samples to a sample aspirating position by the sample dispensing arm 5.
The control device 4 includes a personal computer, and includes a control unit 4a, a display unit (monitor) 4b, and a keyboard 4c. As shown in FIG. 17, the control unit 4a includes a CPU 401a, a storage unit 401b, etc., and transmits an operation start signal to each part of the measurement mechanism unit 2 and the sample transport unit 3, and the sample obtained by the measurement mechanism unit 2 It has a function to analyze and process information. The storage unit 401b includes a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, and the like, and stores computer programs, data, and the like used for processing by the CPU 401a. Further, the CPU 401a is configured to receive detection signals from each detection unit described later. Moreover, the display part 4b can display various information, and displays the analysis result obtained by the control part 4a, the alerting | reporting information to a user, etc.

  The measurement mechanism unit 2 includes a sample dispensing arm (sample dispensing unit) 5 and a pipette tip supply device 13. In addition, the measurement mechanism unit 2 of the present embodiment includes an R1 reagent dispensing arm 6, an R2 reagent dispensing arm 7, an R3 reagent dispensing arm 8, a reaction unit 9, a cuvette supply unit 10, and a primary BF. A separation unit 11, a secondary BF separation unit 12, an analysis unit 14, an R4 / R5 reagent supply unit 15, and a reagent installation unit 16 are provided.

The pipette tip supply device 13 has a function of supplying a plurality of pipette tips A input by the user to the first position P1. The first position P1 is a preparation position for tip mounting by the dispensing nozzle 5a which the sample dispensing arm 5 has. Further, the tip transport unit 40 (see FIG. 4) provided in the pipette tip supply device 13 transports the pipette tip A supplied to the first position P1 to the second position P2. The second position P2 is a position where the sample dispensing arm 5 (dispensing nozzle 5a) is mounted with a pipette tip.
Note that a holder 41 (see FIG. 4) for receiving the dropped pipette tip A is waiting at the first position P1, and the tip transport unit 40 moves the holder 41 to the second position P2, Pipette tip A is transported to the second position P2.

The sample dispensing arm 5 is equipped with a pipette tip A (see FIG. 3) and has a dispensing nozzle (aspiration nozzle) 5a for dispensing the sample. At the second position P2 for tip mounting, the pipette tip A is attached to the tip of the dispensing nozzle 5a of the sample dispensing arm 5.
The sample dispensing arm 5 attaches pipette tips A held by the holder 41 at the second position P2 to the dispensing nozzle 5a one by one to perform sample dispensing. The sample dispensing arm 5 lowers the dispensing nozzle 5a and inserts the dispensing nozzle 5a into the opening 17a (see FIG. 3) provided at the proximal end of the pipette tip A located at the second position P2. The pipette tip A is attached to the tip of the dispensing nozzle 5a. Thereafter, the sample dispensing arm 5 aspirates the sample in the test tube conveyed to the sample aspirating position by the sample conveying unit 3, and the sample discharge position where the R1 reagent (capture antibody) is dispensed by the R1 reagent dispensing arm 6. Dispense (discharge) the sample into the cuvette.

  Thereafter, the R2 reagent dispensing arm 7 dispenses the R2 reagent (magnetic particles) into the cuvette, and binds the magnetic particles to the capture antibody bound to the antigen contained in the specimen in the cuvette. The bound antigen, the capture antibody and the magnetic particle complex are collected by the magnetism of the primary BF separation unit 11, and the R1 reagent containing the unreacted (Free) capture antibody is removed from the cuvette. Next, the R3 reagent dispensing arm 8 dispenses the R3 reagent (labeled antibody) into the cuvette, and binds the labeled antibody to the antigen in the cuvette. The complex of the bound magnetic particles, antigen and labeled antibody is collected by the magnetism of the secondary BF separation unit 12, and the R3 reagent containing unreacted labeled antibody is removed from the cuvette. After the R4 reagent (dispersion) and R5 reagent (luminescent substrate) are further dispensed into the cuvette, the cuvette is transferred to the analysis unit 14.

  The analysis unit 14 has a function of analyzing the sample dispensed by the sample dispensing arm 5. In the present embodiment, the light generated in the reaction process of the labeled antibody that binds to the antigen of the specimen that has been subjected to the predetermined treatment and the luminescent substrate is acquired by a photomultiplier tube, so that the specimen The amount of antigen contained is measured.

[2. About pipette tip A]
FIG. 3 is a side view of the pipette tip A. FIG. The pipette tip A has an opening for discharging the specimen in the pipette tip A at the distal end 17c and an opening 17a at the proximal end. The trunk portion 17b is a hollow cylindrical portion that communicates with the opening 17a, and the tip 17c has a tapered shape that is narrower than the opening 17a (the trunk portion 17b).

[3. Pipette tip supply device 13]
[3.1 Overall configuration]
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pipette tip supply device 13. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a part of the pipette tip supply device 13 and shows a state in which a side wall part 18a (see FIG. 4) is removed in order to explain the internal structure. The pipette tip supply device 13 is stored in the tip insertion portion 28 into which a plurality of pipette tips A are introduced through the insertion port 28 a by the user, the tip storage portion 20 that stores a plurality of pipette tips A, and the tip insertion portion 28. The pipette chip A stored in the chip storage section 20 and the pipette chip A stored in the chip storage section 20 are supplied to the first position P1 outside the chip storage section 20 one by one. And a chip transport unit 40 including a holder 41 having a plurality of chip holding parts (holding holes) 42 capable of holding the pipette chip A supplied to the first position P1. The tip transport unit 40 moves the holder 41 between the first position P1 and the second position P2 where the dispensing nozzle 5a mounts the pipette tips one by one, so that the pipette tip A is moved to the dispensing nozzle 5a. It has the function to supply.

As will be described later, the chip supply unit 21 includes a chip transfer mechanism unit 25 (first supply unit) and a chip push-up mechanism unit (second supply unit) 24.
In this pipette tip supply device 13, the direction (in the direction of arrow Z in FIG. 5) in which the pipette tip A is sent from the tip insertion portion 28 to the tip storage portion 20 is the front in the front-rear direction, and the horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The direction is the left-right direction. The left-right direction of the chip storage unit 20 is defined as the width direction of the chip storage unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the chip storage unit 20 is surrounded by a right side wall 18b, a left side wall 18a (a side wall omitted in FIG. 5), a rear wall 18c, a front wall 18d, and a bottom 18e. A plurality of pipette tips A can be stored in this space. The tip storage unit 20 can store a plurality of pipette tips A in a state where the longitudinal directions of the pipette tips A are scattered (in a free state in various directions). That is, they are not stored one by one.

  The top surface of the bottom 18e is the top surface of the discharge plate 30 of the chip discharge unit 23, the top surface of the fixed bottom member 18e-1 fixed to the apparatus together with the side walls 18a and 18b, and the first lower limit position. And an upper surface 38 of the push-up member 26. The first push-up member 26 is a member that can move in the vertical direction, as will be described later. And the front wall 18d is comprised by the 2nd pushing-up member 27 and the fixed wall member 18d-1 in the state fixed to the apparatus. The second push-up member 27 is a member that can move in the vertical direction, as will be described later.

  The chip insertion part 28 is adjacent to the chip storage part 20 with the rear wall 18c interposed therebetween. The tip insertion portion 28 is a portion where a plurality of pipette tips A are inserted by the user, and has a larger volume than the tip storage portion 20 and a larger storage capacity of the pipette tip A than the tip storage portion 20. The insertion port 28 a into which the pipette tip A is inserted is provided at the upper part of the tip insertion unit 28.

The chip carry-in unit 29 includes a plate-like push-up member 29a that can move in the vertical direction, and a carry-in drive unit 29b that drives the carry-up push member 29a up and down. The top surface of the carry-in push-up member 29a constitutes a part of the bottom surface of the chip insertion portion 28, and a plurality of pipette tips A can be placed on the top surface. It inclines so that it may become low toward the side. For this reason, the pipette tip A introduced into the tip insertion portion 28 can be placed on the upper surface of the carry-in push-up member 29a by its own weight.
Then, by driving the carry-in drive unit 29b and raising the carry-up push-up member 29a, the pipette tip A placed on the upper surface is carried into the tip storage unit 20 beyond the rear wall 18c. The driving of the carry-in drive unit 29 b is based on a control signal from the control device 4.

The tip push-up mechanism 24, together with the tip transfer mechanism 25, supplies the pipette tips A stored in the tip reservoir 20 one by one to the first position P1 outside the tip reservoir 20 as described above. It has a function.
The chip push-up mechanism section 24 includes the first push-up member 26 that can move in the vertical direction and a first push-up drive section 26a (see FIG. 4) that drives the first push-up member 26 up and down. The first push-up member 26 is a rectangular plate-like member that is long in the vertical direction, and the width direction thereof is provided along the width direction of the chip storage portion 20. And it has the upper surface 38 which mounts the single pipette chip | tip A in the state which orient | assigned the longitudinal direction to the width direction of the chip | tip storage part 20. As shown in FIG. For this reason, the pipette tip A stored in the tip storage unit 20 can be pushed up by being placed on the upper surface 38 with the longitudinal direction thereof aligned with the width direction of the tip storage unit 20. At this time, the pipette tip A rises (guided) along the vertical surface of the second push-up member 27.

  Further, the tip push-up mechanism 24 receives a pipette tip A pushed up to a predetermined height by the first push-up member 26 and places it on the upper surface to push it further upward, and a second push-up member 27 movable in the vertical direction, And a second push-up drive portion 27a (see FIG. 4) for driving the second push-up member 27 up and down. The second push-up member 27 is a rectangular plate-like member that is long in the vertical direction, and the width direction thereof is provided along the width direction of the chip storage portion 20. The second push-up member 27 has an upper surface on which the single pipette tip A is placed with its longitudinal direction oriented in the width direction of the tip storage portion 20. For this reason, the pipette tip A can be pushed upward by placing it on the upper surface in a state in which the longitudinal direction thereof coincides with the width direction of the tip storage portion 20. Only one pipette tip A can be placed on the upper surface of the second push-up member 27, and the pipette tip A rises (guided) along the vertical surface of the fixed wall member 18d-1. .

In addition, as described above, the single pipette tip A is in a state where the longitudinal direction thereof coincides with the left and right width directions of the tip storage portion 20 and is placed on the upper surface 38 of the first push-up member 26 in the bottom portion 18e. (See FIG. 5). The upper surface 38 of the first push-up member 26 in the most lowered state is flush with the upper surface of the discharge plate 30 and is inclined downward toward the second push-up member 27 side.
When the first push-up drive unit 26a is driven to raise the first push-up member 26, the single pipette tip A is pushed up, and the height of the upper surface of the second push-up member 27 at the lower limit position (the first push-up member 26). ) Reaches the upper surface of the second push-up member 27 by its own weight. The upper surface of the second push-up member 27 is inclined similarly to the upper surface 38 of the first push-up member 26.

  Then, when the second push-up drive unit 27a is driven to raise the second push-up member 27 to the upper limit position, the pipette tip A placed on the upper surface exceeds the fixed wall member 18d-1, and the tip transfer mechanism unit. 25 side. The driving of the first and second push-up drive units is based on a control signal from the CPU 401a of the control device 4.

The tip storage unit 20 is provided with a detection unit 36 that detects the pipette tip A present on the upper surface of the second push-up member 27 at the lower limit position. The detection unit 36 is an optical sensor, and detects the pipette tip A present on the upper surface of the second push-up member 27 at the lower limit position by blocking light from the light emitting element to the light receiving element by the pipette tip. be able to.
Further, the tip storage unit 20 is provided with a detection unit 37 for detecting the presence of a plurality (two) of pipette tips A on the upper surface of the second push-up member 27. The detection unit 37 is an optical sensor, and the light from the light emitting element to the light receiving element is pipetted only at a predetermined position during the ascent of the second push-up member 27 (only when a plurality of pipette tips are placed on the second push-up member 27). By detecting the pipette tip at a position blocked by the tip), it is possible to detect that a plurality (two) of the pipette tips A are present on the upper surface of the second push-up member 27.
The presence of these pipette tips A can be determined by the CPU 401a of the control device 4 that has received signals from the detection units 36 and 37.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the pipette tip supply device 13 includes a detection unit 32 that detects a single pipette tip A placed on the upper surface 38 of the first push-up member 26. The detection unit 32 is an optical sensor, and can detect the presence of the pipette tip A by blocking light from the light emitting element to the light receiving element by the pipette tip. The determination of whether or not it exists can be executed by the CPU 401a of the control device 4 that has received a signal from the detection unit 32.

  The tip transfer mechanism 25 has a function for supplying the pipette tips A supplied by the tip push-up mechanism 24 one by one to the first position P1 (see FIG. 4) outside the tip reservoir 20. . For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 6, the tip transfer mechanism section 25 is provided with a drop port 25a for dropping the pipette tip A and supplying the pipette tip A to the first position P1. Further, the tip transfer mechanism 25 is provided with a standby position 25b that holds the pipette tip A immediately before the drop port 25a and above the first position P1.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the chip transfer mechanism unit 25 includes a pulley 25-1, a rotating shaft 25-2 rotated by the pulley 25-1, and the rotating shaft 25-2 and the front-rear direction. And a guide member 25-3 which is provided in parallel in the left-right direction, and a motor 25-4 (see FIG. 4) for rotating the pulley 25-1. A spiral groove is formed on the rotary shaft 25-2.

  As described above, when the second push-up member 27 (see FIG. 5) rises and the pipette tip A placed on the upper surface thereof exceeds the fixed wall member 18d-1, the pipette tip A is connected to the rotary shaft 25-2. It falls between the guide members 25-3. Then, since the center of gravity of the pipette tip A is located on the tip 17c side with respect to the body portion 17b, the tip 17c is in a state of hanging downward, and the body portion 17b is connected to the rotation shaft 25-2 and the guide member 25-3. The pipette tip A is in a state of being fitted in the spiral groove of the rotating shaft 25-2.

  When the pulley 25-1 is rotated, the pipette tip A can move to one side in the left-right direction (upper side in FIG. 6) along the spiral groove (arrow X). Between the rotating shaft 25-2 and the guide member 25-3, there is a first region K1 narrower than the body portion 17b of the pipette tip A and a second region K2 wider than the body portion 17b. Reaches the second region K2, the pipette tip A can fall to the first position P1 (see FIG. 4) by its own weight. That is, the drop opening 25a is formed in the second region K2.

The chip transfer mechanism 25 is provided with a detection unit 33 and a detection unit 34. The detection unit 33 and the detection unit 34 are optical sensors similarly to the detection unit 32, and can detect the presence of the pipette tip A by blocking light from the light emitting element to the light receiving element by the pipette tip.
The detection unit 33 detects the pipette tip A existing between the rotation shaft 25-2 and the guide member 25-3.

  The detection unit 34 detects the pipette tip A present at a position immediately before the second region K2 in the first region K1. The determination as to whether or not the pipette tip A is present can be executed by the CPU 401a of the control device 4 that has received signals from the detection units 33 and 34. In the first region K1, the position immediately before the drop opening 25a, that is, the position where the detection unit 34 detects the pipette tip A is the standby position 25b that holds the pipette tip A.

  As described above, the tip transfer mechanism unit (first supply unit) 25 can supply the pipette tips A one by one to the first position. And the chip | tip pushing-up mechanism part (2nd supply part) 24 can send the pipette chip | tip A currently stored by the chip | tip storage part 20 to the chip | tip transfer mechanism part (1st supply part) 25 one by one.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the tip transport unit 40 includes a holder 41 having a plurality (three in this embodiment) of tip holding portions (holding holes) 42 that can hold the pipette tip A, and the holder 41 as a second. The guide member 43 which guides to the position P2 and the conveyance drive part 44 which moves the holder 41 along the guide member 43 are provided.

  The holder 41 is a member having three holes that open upward and allow the pipette tip A to be inserted from the tip end 17c side, and each of the holes is a tip holding portion 42 that holds a single pipette tip A. is there. As shown in FIG. 7A, at the first position P1, the tip holding part 42 can hold the pipette tip A that has dropped from the drop port 25a located above as an inserted state.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the guide member 43 is a guide rail extending linearly from the first position P1 to the second position P2, and the holder 41 is guided along the guide member 43 and moves horizontally. In FIG. 4, the moving direction of the holder 41 is the arrow Y direction. And in this embodiment, as shown to Fig.7 (a), the three chip | tip holding | maintenance part 42 is provided in the holder 41 along with the moving direction (arrow Y direction) of the holder 41. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, the conveyance drive unit 44 includes a motor (stepping motor) 44a that can rotate forward and backward, a drive pulley 44b that is provided on the first position P1 side and is rotated by the motor 44a, a drive pulley 44b, and an arrow Y A driven pulley 44c provided horizontally on the second position P2 side, a belt 44d spanned between the pulleys 44b and 44c, and a connecting member 44e for connecting and fixing the belt 44d and the holder 41. have.
The motor 44a has a speed reducer (not shown), and when rotating in one direction, the belt 44d rotates in one direction (solid arrow in FIG. 8). Thereby, the holder 41 existing at the first position P1 is moved to the second position P2. On the other hand, when the motor 44a rotates in the other direction, the belt 44d rotates in the other direction (broken arrow in FIG. 8). Thereby, the holder 41 existing at the second position P2 is moved to the first position P1. The driving of the motor 44a is based on a control signal from the CPU 401a of the control device 4.

  As described above, the tip transport unit 40 has the first position P1 where the pipette tips A are supplied one by one from the tip transfer mechanism 25 and the second position P2 where the dispensing nozzle 5a mounts the pipette tips one by one. The holder 41 can be moved between them, and the tip transport unit 40 can supply the pipette tip A to the dispensing nozzle 5a.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7A, the pipette tip supply device 13 has a tip detector 45 for detecting the pipette tip A held by the tip holder 42 located at the first position P1. Is provided.
The chip detection unit 45 is an optical sensor having a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and the light from the light emitting element to the light receiving element is blocked by the pipette chip held in the chip holding unit 42, so that the chip holding unit 42, it can be detected that the pipette tip A is present.

In this embodiment, the holder 41 is formed with three tip holding portions 42, but the pipette tip A held by these tip holding portions 42 is detected by a single tip detecting portion 45.
For this reason, at the first position P1, the holder 41 can be displaced to the same number (three) of different positions (a plurality of positions) as the chip holding section 42 by the transport driving section 44. That is, the holder 41 is at the 1- (1) position in FIG. 7A, the 1- (2) position in FIG. 7B, and the 1- (3) position in FIG. 7C. Displaceable. This position control is executed by the conveyance drive unit 44 (stepping motor 44a) and the CPU 401a of the control device 4.

In a state where the holder 41 is present at the first 1- (1) position (FIG. 7A), the tip holding portion 42-1 closest to the second position P2 is located directly below the drop opening 25a. In a state where the holder 41 exists at the 1- (2) position (FIG. 7B), the adjacent chip holding part 42-2 is located immediately below the drop opening 25a. Then, in a state where the holder 41 is present at the first 1- (3) position (FIG. 7C), the adjacent chip holder 42-3 (most distant from the second position P2) is directly below the drop opening 25a. Located in.
That is, the transfer of the pipette tip A to the tip holder 42 can be performed by aligning one tip holder 42 of the three tip holders 42 to the first position P1.

  Further, since the three chip holding portions 42 are arranged in the holder 41 side by side in a direction parallel to the moving direction (Y direction) of the holder 41 between the first position P1 and the second position P2, the holder 41 The guide member 43 and the conveyance drive unit 44 for moving the image can be used as a mechanism for performing the alignment.

The light emitting element and the light receiving element of the chip detection unit 45 are located across the position directly below the drop opening 25a (first position P1), and a part of the pipette chip A held by the chip holding unit 42 of the holder 41 ( It is arrange | positioned in the position which pinches | interposes the trunk | drum 17b: refer FIG.
As described above, the single chip detection unit 45 detects which chip holding unit 42 holds the pipette tip A as the holder 41 passes between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the chip detection unit 45. To do. Then, the CPU 401a of the control device 4 can determine whether or not there is a chip holding unit 42 that does not hold the pipette tip A, based on the detection result by the chip detection unit 45.
In FIG. 7A, the origin position Y0 of the holder 41 exists in a direction away from the second position P2 rather than the first 1- (1) position, and the holder 41 moves from the origin position Y0 to each position. can do.

[4. About pipette tip supply method)
A pipette tip supply method executed by the pipette tip supply device 13 configured as described above will be described. Note that, in the following supply method, a process in which the subject is not particularly described is a process performed by the CPU 401a of the control device 4. Here, the process from when the pipette tip A is inserted into the tip insertion portion 28 to when the pipetting tip 5 of the sample dispensing arm 5 is mounted with the pipette tip A at the second position P2 will be described. Note that the cycle time T0 at which the dispensing nozzle 5a mounts pipette tips one by one at the second position P2 is set to be constant, whereby the sample to be executed after the pipette tip A is mounted by the dispensing nozzle 5a. The analysis process is prevented from being delayed.

[4.1 Pipette Tip A Supply Operation to First Position P1]
In FIG. 5, when the user inserts a large number of pipette tips A into the tip insertion portion 28 and stores the pipette tips A in the tip insertion portion 28, the carry-in push-up member 29a rises and rests on the upper surface thereof. Pipette tip A is carried into the tip reservoir 20. This carry-in is repeatedly performed at a predetermined timing, and a plurality of pipette tips A, which are fewer than the chip insertion unit 28, are stored in the chip storage unit 20. The single pipette tip A rolls down onto the upper surface 38 of the first push-up member 26 by the bottom surface of the tip storage portion 20 that forms an inclined surface.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the first push-up member 26. First, the first push-up member 26 is in the lower limit position (state shown in FIG. 5). In this state, the CPU 401a of the control device 4 determines whether or not the pipette tip A is present on the upper surface 38 of the first push-up member 26 at the lower limit position based on the detection signal from the detection unit 32 (FIG. 9). Step S1).
When it is determined that the pipette tip A is present between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the detection unit 32 (No in step S1), the CPU 401a is based on the detection signal from the detection unit 36. Then, it is determined whether or not the pipette tip A is present on the upper surface of the second push-up member 27 at the lower limit position (step S2).

In this step S2, when it is determined that the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the detection unit 36 are in a translucent state and the pipette tip A is not present on the upper surface of the second push-up member 27 (Yes in step S2) ), The operation of the first push-up member 26 is started (step S3). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S2 that the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element of the detection unit 36 are in a light-shielding state and the pipette tip A is present on the second push-up member 27 (No in step S2). ), The first push-up member 26 is not lifted, and enters a standby state.
In step S1, when the pipette tip A is not present on the upper surface 38 of the first push-up member 26 at the lower limit position, it is considered that the pipette tip A is not present in the tip storage portion 20, and therefore the tip carry-in portion 29, the pipette chip A is requested to be carried in (step S4), the carry-in push-up member 29a is raised, and the pipette chip A placed on the upper surface thereof is carried into the chip reservoir 20.

When the pipette tip A is placed on the first push-up member 26 and the first push-up member 26 is lifted, and the first push-up member 26 is raised to the upper limit position, the pipette tip A is Roll onto the push-up member 27 and get on.
Then, the operation of the second push-up member 27 is started. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the second push-up member 27. First, the CPU 401a determines whether or not the pipette tip A is present on the upper surface of the second push-up member 27 at the lower limit position based on the detection signal from the detection unit 36 (step S51). When it is determined that the pipette tip A is present between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the detection unit 36 (Yes in step S51), the second push-up member 27 is raised (step S52). .

  Then, the CPU 401a determines whether a plurality (two) of pipette tips A are present on the upper surface of the second push-up member 27 based on the detection signal from the detection unit 37 while the second push-up member 27 is being lifted (see FIG. Step S53). This is to prevent a plurality of pipette tips A from being collectively supplied to the next tip transfer mechanism 25.

If it is determined that there are a plurality of pipette tips A (Yes in step S53), the second push-up member 27 is lowered to the lower limit (step S55), and the process returns to step S51. By lowering the second push-up member 27 in this way, the upper pipette tip A is dropped to the bottom of the tip storage portion 20, and only a single pipette tip A is placed on the second push-up member 27. .
On the other hand, if it is determined that a plurality of pipette tips A do not exist (No in step S53), the second push-up member 27 is raised to the upper limit (step S54), and the pipette tip A is moved to the fixed wall member 18d. -1 is supplied to the chip transfer mechanism 25 side.

  Next, the operation of the chip transfer mechanism 25 will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the chip transfer mechanism 25. First, based on a detection signal from the detection unit 34 (see FIG. 6), the CPU 401a sets the pipette tip A to a position immediately before the second region K2 (standby position 25b) that can drop to the first position P1 (see FIG. 4). Is determined (step S61). When it is determined that the detection unit 34 is in the light-shielding state and the pipette tip A is present (Yes in step S61), it is determined whether or not the tip transport unit 40 is in a state in which the pipette tip A can be received. Is performed (step S62). If the holder 41 stands by at the first position P1 shown in FIG. 4 and the holder 41 is ready to be received, a request for a pipette tip is made from the tip transport unit 40 side. In this case, the CPU 401a determines that the tip transport unit 40 is ready to receive the pipette tip A (Yes in step S62). When in the receivable state, the rotary shaft 25-2 of the tip transfer mechanism 25 in FIG. 6 is rotated to drop the pipette tip A existing at the standby position 25b from the drop opening 25a, and the holder 41 Is received (step S63).

If it is determined in step S61 that the pipette tip A does not exist (No in step S61), the CPU 401a determines that the pipette tip A is connected to the rotary shaft 25-2 based on the detection signal from the detection unit 33 (see FIG. 6). It is determined whether or not it exists between the guide member 25-3 (step S64).
When it is determined that the detection unit 33 is in the light-shielding state and the pipette tip A is present (Yes in step S64), the CPU 401a rotates the rotary shaft 25-2 and moves the pipette tip A to the drop port 25a. (Step S65). When the detection unit 34 detects the presence of the pipette tip A (Yes in step S66), that is, when the pipette tip A is transferred to the standby position 25b, the CPU 401a stops the rotation of the rotary shaft 25-2. Then, the transfer is stopped (step S67). Then, the process proceeds to step S62, and the same process is performed thereafter.

  In this way, the CPU 401a controls the tip transfer mechanism 25 to make the pipette tip stand by at the standby position 25b that is the position immediately before the drop port 25a. As a result, when the holder 41 returns to the first position P1, the pipette tip A that has been waiting is dropped from the drop port 25a, and the pipette tip A is quickly moved to the holder 41 existing at the first position P1. Can be transferred to.

[4.2 Supplying operation by the chip transfer unit 40]
Next, the operation of the chip transfer unit 40 will be described. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the database DB stored in the storage unit 401b of the control unit 4a, and the CPU 401a executes control of the chip transport unit 40 based on information stored in the database DB.

  As shown in FIG. 13, a “pipette tip presence / absence field”, a “mounting field”, and a “reception field” are set in the database DB from the left end. In the “Pipette tip presence / absence field”, the first tip holding portion 42-1 at the left end of the holder 41 (see FIG. 7), the second first tip holding portion 42-2 at the center, and the third tip holding portion 42 at the right end. -3, holding information indicating whether or not the pipette tip A is held is stored. “0” or “1” is stored as the holding information, “0” indicates that the pipette tip A is not held, and “1” indicates that the pipette tip A is held. Then, the CPU 401a determines the presence / absence of the pipette tip A in each tip holding unit 42 based on the detection result of the tip detection unit 45, and the holding information every time the state of the pipette tip A in the tip holding unit 42 changes. Update.

In the “mounting field” of the database DB, the number of the chip holding unit to be aligned with the second position P2 is input. That is, in the “mounting field”, the number of the tip holding unit 42 holding the pipette tip to be mounted next on the dispensing nozzle 5a is input.
In the “reception field”, the number of the chip holding unit to be aligned with the first position P1 is input. That is, in the “receiving field”, the number of the chip holding unit 42 that receives the pipette chip dropped from the dropping port 25a is input.

  Regarding the “mounting field” and “reception field”, the initial value is “0”, and “1” is the position of the first tip holding part 42-1 at the left end of the holder 41 (see FIG. 7). It means that. “2” means that the center second first chip holding part 42-2 is the object of alignment, and “3” means that the rightmost third chip holding part 42-3 is the object of alignment.

[4.2.1 Operation of chip transfer section 40 at initialization]
FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing when the chip transport unit 40 is initialized. This process is executed when the power supply of the sample analyzer 1 is turned on. In the following description, description will be made on the assumption that all the chip holding portions 42 are empty when the power is turned on.

  When the power is turned on, the CPU 401a once moves the holder 41 to the origin position Y0 of the first position P1 (see FIG. 7A) (step S71 in FIG. 14), and then pipette tips from the drop opening 25a. The chip is moved to a chip receiving position (first position P1) where A can be received (step S72). In this step S72, the CPU 401a moves each chip holding part 42 of the holder 41 in the order of the leftmost first chip holding part 42-1, the central second chip holding part 42-2, and the third chip holding part 42-3. Thus, the chip is moved to the chip receiving position (first position P1), which is the position immediately below the drop opening 25a. Then, the CPU 401a determines whether each chip holding unit is free based on the detection result of the chip detection unit 45 (step S73).

  Then, if there is an empty chip holding part 42, the CPU 401a moves the holder 41 by the transport driving part 44 and moves the empty chip holding part 42 to the chip receiving position (first position P1) (step S1). S74), the tip supply unit 21 supplies the pipette tip A to the vacant tip holding unit 42 (step S75), and the tip to which the pipette tip A is supplied out of the “pipette tip presence / absence field” of the database DB. “1” is set in the item of the holding unit 42 (step S76). By repeating steps S73 to S76, all of the tip holding units 42 hold the pipette tip A.

  When the pipette tip A is held in each of the three tip holding portions 42 (No in step S73), “1” is set in the mounting field of the database DB (step S77), and “1” is set in the receiving field of the database DB. "Is set. Thus, the initialization process is completed. The database DB upon completion is in the state shown in FIG.

[4.2.2 Operation of chip carrier 40 during analysis processing]
Next, the operation of the chip transport unit 40 during the normal operation (analysis process) of the sample analyzer 1 will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the chip transport unit during normal operation (analysis processing).

<(1) Flow in FIG. 15 (first time)>
First, the CPU 401a determines whether or not the chip holding unit 42 of “0” exists in the “pipette chip presence / absence field” of the database DB in FIG. 13B (step S81 in FIG. 15). By the process at the time of initialization, “No” is determined in step S81, and the CPU 401a determines whether or not it is the movement timing of the holder 41 to the second position P2 (step S82).

Here, in this embodiment, as described above, the cycle time T0 in which the dispensing nozzle 5a mounts the pipette tips one by one at the second position P2 is set to be constant. Therefore, in order to cause the pipette tip to be mounted by the dispensing nozzle 5a at a constant cycle time T0, the tip transport unit 40 controls the CPU 401a at predetermined time intervals (cycle time T1) according to the cycle time T0. The holder 41 is moved from the first position P1 to the second position P2, and the pipette tip A (holder 41) is put on standby at the second position P2.
In step S82, when a time that is a predetermined time (several seconds) earlier than the end time of the cycle time T1 including the current time is reached, it is determined that it is the timing of movement to the second position P2.

  If “Yes” in this step S82, the CPU 401a executes a chip supply process to the sample dispensing arm 5 (dispensing nozzle 5a) (step S83).

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing details of the chip supply processing in step S83. First, the CPU 401a moves the chip holder set in the “mounting field” of the database DB to the mounting position (second position P2) by the dispensing nozzle 5a (step S101 in FIG. 16). That is, according to FIG. 13B showing the state of the current database DB, the first chip holding unit 42-1 is an object to be aligned with the second position P2, and the first chip holding unit 42-1 is concerned. Is moved to the second position P2. The positional relationship between the holder 41 and the second position P2 at this time is shown in FIG. Thereafter, the CPU 401a determines whether or not the pipette tip A held in the first tip holding portion 42-1 has been attached to the dispensing nozzle 5a (step S102), and the pipette tip A becomes the dispensing nozzle 5a. If it is determined that it is attached, the process proceeds to step S103. The dispensing nozzle 5a has a built-in sensor for detecting that the pipette tip is attached, and the CPU 401a determines whether or not the pipette tip A is attached based on the detection signal of this sensor. To do.

  Then, the CPU 401a sets “0” in the “Pipette tip presence / absence field” of the first tip holding unit 42-1 from which the pipette tip A is taken out (step S103), and then the CPU 401a sets the next second tip. The holding unit 42-2 is set in the “mounting field” (step S104). In step S104, the first chip holding unit 42-1 → second chip holding unit 42-2 → third chip holding unit 42-3 → first chip holding unit 42-1 in the order of “mounting field”. Entered. As a result, the pipette tip A held by the holder 41 is attached to the dispensing nozzle 5a at an equal frequency, and the specific pipette tip A can be prevented from remaining in the holder 41 for a long time. Therefore, it can be suppressed that dust or the like adheres to the specific pipette tip A and adversely affects the analysis result. Next, the CPU 401a returns the holder 41 to the origin position Y0 (see FIG. 7) on the first position P1 side (step S105). FIG. 13C shows the database DB at the stage where this processing is completed. The CPU 401a returns the process to step S83 in FIG. 15, and proceeds to step S91. If there is no instruction to end the processing of the chip transport unit 40 (No in step S91), the CPU 401a returns the process to step S81.

<(2) Flow in FIG. 15 (second time)>
The CPU 401a determines again whether or not a chip holding unit of “0” exists in the “pipette chip presence / absence field” of the database DB (step S81). Since the current database DB is in the state shown in FIG. 13C, “Yes” is obtained in step S81, and the CPU 401a determines the position immediately before the drop opening 25a based on the detection result of the detection unit 34 in the chip transfer mechanism unit 25. It is determined whether or not the pipette tip A is present at (standby position 25b) (step S84).

  If “No” in step S84, the CPU 401a determines whether or not it is the movement timing of the holder 41 to the second position P2 (step S82), and if it is the movement timing to the second position P2 (step S82). Yes), chip supply processing to the dispensing nozzle is executed (step S83). That is, the holder 41 is moved to the second position P2 while the first chip holding part 42-1 is empty.

  As described above, even when the tip holder 42 that does not hold the pipette tip A (the first tip holder 42-1 in this embodiment) is present in the holder 41, the CPU 401a can The holder 41 is moved from the first position P1 to the second position P2 at a predetermined time (at the cycle time T1) that matches the cycle time T0 in which the pipette tips are mounted one by one. Thereby, a pipette tip can be regularly attached to the dispensing nozzle 5a, and it can suppress that the processing capacity of a sample falls.

  In step S101 of FIG. 16, the CPU 401a moves the second chip holding unit 42-2 set in the “mounting field” of the current database DB (FIG. 13C) to the second position P2. The positional relationship between the holder 41 and the second position P2 at this time is shown in FIG. Thereafter, the pipette tip A held in the second tip holding portion 42-2 is attached to the dispensing nozzle 5a, and the second tip holding portion 42-2 is also empty.

  While the processing of FIG. 16 at the present time is being performed (before the holder 41 returns to the first position P1), the tip transfer mechanism unit 25 performs the processing of FIG. In 25b), the pipette tip A is in a standby state. Thereby, when the holder 41 returns to the first position P <b> 1, the pipette tip A can be quickly supplied to the holder 41 by the tip transfer mechanism unit 25.

  Then, after steps S101 and S102, “0” is set in the “Pipette tip presence / absence field” of the second tip holder 42-2 from which the pipette tip has been taken out (step S103), and the second tip holder 42- The third chip holder 42-3, which is the next order of 2, is set in the “mounting field” (step S104). Then, the holder 41 is returned to the origin position Y0 (step S105). FIG. 13D shows the database DB at the stage where this processing is completed. If there is no instruction to end the processing of the chip transport unit 40 (No in step S91), the CPU 401a returns the process to step S81.

<(3) Flow in FIG. 15 (third time)>
The CPU 401a determines again whether or not a chip holding unit of “0” exists in the “pipette chip presence / absence field” of the database DB (step S81). Since the current database DB is in the state shown in FIG. 13D, “Yes” is determined in the step S81, and the CPU 401a determines whether or not the pipette tip A is present immediately before the drop opening 25a (standby position 25b). Is determined (step S84).
At the present time, since the pipette tip A is in a standby state immediately before the drop opening 25a (standby position 25b), the CPU 401a determines “Yes” in step S84, and the database DB of FIG. The first chip holding part 42-1 in the “receiving field” is moved to a position (first position P1) immediately below the drop opening 25a (step S85).

  Then, based on the detection result of the chip detection unit 45, the CPU 401a determines whether or not the pipette chip A exists in the “holding field” chip holding unit 42 (currently the first chip holding unit 42-1). Step S86). If it is determined that there is no pipette tip A (Yes in step S86), the CPU 401a requests the tip transfer mechanism 25 for the pipette tip A (step S87). Thereby, the pipette tip A falls from the drop opening 25a to the first position P1. In step S86, if the CPU 401a determines that the pipette chip A is in the chip holding unit 42 (currently the first chip holding unit 42-1) of the “receiving field”, the CPU 401a determines “ “1” is set in the “Pipette chip presence / absence field” (step S92), and the second chip holding unit 42-2 as the next chip holding unit is set in the “receiving field” (step S93).

  After step S87, the CPU 401a determines whether or not the first tip holding unit 42-1 has received the pipette tip A based on the detection result of the tip detection unit 45 (step S88), and confirms that it has been received. (Yes in step S88), "1" is set in the "Pipette tip presence / absence field" of the first tip holder 42-1 (step S89). Then, the CPU 401a updates the “reception field” to the second chip holding unit 42-2 in the next order (step S90). FIG. 13E shows the database DB at the stage where this processing is completed. If there is no instruction to end the processing of the chip transport unit 40 (No in step S91), the CPU 401a returns the process to step S81.

  The CPU 401a repeats the above processing until determining that there is an instruction to end the process in step S91. If there is an instruction to end the process (Yes in step S91), the CPU 401a ends the process. In addition, when the 3rd chip | tip holding | maintenance part 42-3 is moved to the 2nd position P2, the positional relationship of the holder 41 and the 2nd position P2 becomes like FIG.12 (c).

  According to such a pipette tip supply device 13 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of pipette tips can be held in advance in the holder 41, and therefore the first pipette tip A stored in the tip storage portion 20 is stored. Even when a situation where the supply to the position P1 is not smoothly performed by the tip supply unit 21 occurs, without waiting for the pipette tip A to be supplied to the first position P1 by the tip supply unit 21, The pipette tip A can be supplied to the dispensing nozzle 5a. For example, since the pipette tip A can be held in advance by the plurality of tip holding portions 42 while the holder 41 is present at the first position P1, it is delayed to supply the pipette tip later by the tip supply portion 21. Even if this occurs, the pipette tip A can be supplied to the dispensing nozzle 5a without waiting for the pipette tip A to be supplied to the first position P1.

In other words, if the holder 41 is provided with only a single tip holding portion 42, it will wait until the pipette tip A is supplied even if the tip holding portion 42 is empty and returns to the first position P1. However, the pipette tip supply device 13 according to the present embodiment does not start to the second position P2 until a new pipette tip A is replenished. By holding the pipette tip A, the holder 41 can be started to the second position P2 even before a new pipette tip A is replenished.
For this reason, it is possible to suppress a delay in the supply of the pipette tip A to the dispensing nozzle 5a, and it becomes possible to sequentially dispense samples by the dispensing nozzle 5a.

  For this reason, as in this embodiment, a tip supply device 13 in which a user inputs a plurality of pipette tips A without considering the longitudinal direction thereof is adopted, and as a result, the supply of the pipette tips A to the first position P1 is adopted. Even when a situation occurs in which the pipette tip A is not smoothly performed, it is possible to suppress a delay in the supply of the pipette tip A to the dispensing nozzle 5a. As a result, an apparatus that is easy for the user to use can be realized.

The pipette chip supply device 13 and the sample analyzer of the present invention are not limited to the illustrated forms, and may be in other forms within the scope of the present invention.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the number of the chip holding portions 42 is three has been described. However, the number may be two or more, and may be four or more.
In the above-described embodiment, the pipette tips A are supplied to the tip holding portions 42 with an equal frequency, and the tip holding portions 42 are attached to the dispensing nozzle 5a with an equal frequency. The pipette tip A may be supplied in preference to the tip holder 42 on the second position P2 side, and the pipette tip A held on a specific (for example, the second position P2 side) tip holder 42 is given priority. Then, it may be attached to the dispensing nozzle 5a.

Moreover, although the chip | tip detection part 45 demonstrated the case where it was arrange | positioned in the chip | tip receiving position (1st position P1), you may arrange | position in another position. For example, it may be arranged between the chip receiving position (first position P1) and the chip mounting position (second position P2).
In addition, the pipette tip A is dropped from the drop opening 25a and transferred to the tip holding portion 42. However, other than this, although not shown, the pipette tip is gripped by a chuck member and transferred to the tip holding portion. May be.

Further, in the tip transfer mechanism 25, as shown in FIG. 6, the pipette tip A is transferred to the drop opening 25a by the rotating shaft 25-2 in which a spiral groove is formed. Although not shown, the pipette tip may be transferred to the drop opening 25a by moving the pipette tip while sandwiching it with two belt members.
Further, in this embodiment, the pipette tip A introduced by the user is transferred to the tip transfer mechanism 25 by the vertical movement of the push-up members 26 and 27. However, other types may be used. The tip transfer device may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the holder 41 is transferred from the first position P1 to the second position P2 every predetermined time (cycle time T1), and the pipette tip A held by the holder 41 is supplied to the dispensing nozzle 5a. However, the holder 41 may not be transferred to the second position P2 every predetermined time. For example, when the time required for the measurement of each sample differs depending on the measurement item of each sample, the holder 41 is moved from the first position P1 to the second position P2 each time the CPU 401a detects that the measurement of each sample is completed. May be transferred to.

  In the present embodiment, the holder 41 is moved on a straight line connecting the first position P1 and the second position P2, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a relay point may be provided at a position deviating from a straight line connecting the first position P1 and the second position P2, and the holder 41 may be moved from the relay point to the first position P1 and the second position P2.

  Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a pipette chip supply device of an immune analyzer that measures antigens and antibodies in a sample is shown, but any sample analyzer that uses a pipette chip may be used. You may apply this invention to pipette chip | tip supply apparatuses, such as a gene amplification detection apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sample analyzer 4 Control apparatus 5 Specimen dispensing arm 5a Dispensing nozzle 13 Pipette tip supply apparatus 20 Tip storage part 21 Tip supply part 24 Tip push-up mechanism part 25 Tip transfer mechanism part 25a Drop port 25b Standby position 40 Tip transport part 41 Holder 42 Tip holding portion 45 Tip detection portion A Pipette tip P1 First position P2 Second position

Claims (10)

A tip reservoir for storing a plurality of pipette tips;
A holder having a plurality of tip holders capable of holding pipette tips, a tip transport unit capable of moving the holder, and
A chip supply unit that supplies the pipette chip stored in the chip storage unit to the chip holding unit of the holder, and
The tip transport unit holds the pipette tip supplied by the tip supply unit in each of a plurality of tip holding units, and any one of the plurality of tip holding units holding the pipette tips has a dispensing nozzle. A pipette tip can be supplied to the dispensing nozzle by moving the holder so as to be positioned at a tip mounting position for mounting a pipette tip.
The chip supply unit supplies the pipette chip stored in the chip storage unit to a predetermined chip receiving position,
The chip transport unit moves the holder so that each of the plurality of chip holding units is positioned at the chip receiving position, and holds the pipette chip in each chip holding unit,
The tip transport unit moves the holder so as to position a tip holding portion that does not hold a pipette tip at the tip receiving position until the pipette tip needs to be supplied to the dispensing nozzle.
The tip transport unit does not hold the pipette tip when the pipette tip needs to be supplied to the dispensing nozzle when the pipette tip is held in any of the plurality of tip holding portions of the holder. A pipette tip supply device that moves the holder so that a tip holder holding a pipette tip is positioned at the tip mounting position even if there is a tip holder. 2. The pipette tip supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the tip transport unit moves the holder so that any one tip holding portion holding a pipette tip is positioned at the tip mounting position at every predetermined time. The pipette tip supply device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the tip transport unit moves the holder so that the pipette tips are held in a predetermined order by the plurality of tip holding units. The chip transport unit is configured to move the holder between the chip receiving position and the chip mounting position,
The plurality of chip holding units according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the plurality of chip holding units are arranged in the holder side by side in a movement direction of the holder between the chip receiving position and the chip mounting position. Pipette tip feeder. The tip supply unit includes a first supply unit that supplies pipette tips one by one to the tip receiving position, and a second supply unit that supplies pipette tips of the tip storage unit to the first supply unit. ,
The second supply unit is configured to complete the supply of the pipette tip to the first supply unit after the holder starts moving toward the tip mounting position and returns to the tip receiving position. further comprising a control unit for controlling the pipette chip supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. In the first supply unit, a drop port for supplying the pipette tip to the tip receiving position by dropping the pipette tip and a standby position for holding the pipette tip immediately before the drop port are set,
The control unit includes a pipette supplied from the second supply unit to the first supply unit after the holder starts moving toward the chip mounting position and returns to the chip receiving position. The pipette tip supply device according to claim 5 , wherein the first supply unit is controlled to transfer the tip to the standby position. The pipette tip supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , further comprising a tip detector for detecting that the pipette tip is held by the tip holder of the holder. The pipette tip according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the tip transport unit supplies the pipette tip to the dispensing nozzle by positioning the plurality of tip holding units at the tip mounting position at an equal frequency. Feeding device. The pipette tip supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the tip storage unit is configured to store a plurality of pipette tips in a state where the longitudinal directions of the pipette tips are scattered. A storage unit for storing holding information indicating the presence or absence of pipette tips in each of the plurality of chip holding units;
A control unit that updates the holding information every time the state of the presence or absence of the pipette tip in the chip holding unit changes, and controls the chip supply unit and the chip transport unit based on the updated holding information. The pipette tip supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 .