JP6121668B2 - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to an automatic analyzer.

  The automatic analyzer is equipped with a reagent storage for detachably holding a reagent bottle in which a reagent is stored. When the reagent in the reagent bottle runs out during measurement, the operator often pauses the apparatus and manually replaces the reagent bottle. In this case, since the measurement is temporarily interrupted, there is a delay in reporting the measurement result. In recent years, hospitals are required to report measurement results as soon as possible to those who have come to the examination, and delays in reporting measurement results must be avoided as much as possible.

  In recent years, an automatic reagent loading mechanism for mechanically replacing reagent bottles has been proposed. However, even when the automatic loading mechanism is used, it is necessary to temporarily stop the reagent store in order to carry out the reagent bottle in the reagent store or to carry the reagent bottle into the reagent store. There is a case. In this case, the processing speed is also reduced, and a delay in reporting the measurement result occurs.

JP 2010-276376 A JP 2008-229203 A JP 2007-202269 A

  An object of the embodiment is to provide an automatic analyzer that can prevent a decrease in throughput due to reagent bottle replacement.

The automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment supports an acquisition unit that acquires a test order including an initial measurement order in a requested test, and a plurality of reagent bottles that contain reagents that selectively react with measurement items of a sample. A reagent storage that moves each of the plurality of reagent bottles to a reagent suction position and a discharge position; and a reagent bottle that is scheduled to be removed from the plurality of reagent bottles when the requested inspection is performed. the out when the bottle was determined in accordance with an instruction from or user based on the predictive calculation of the reagent remaining amount in accordance with the prior Symbol initial measurement sequence according to the initial measurement order to measure the measurement items were made a determination unit for determining a discharge cycle is the cycle in which the reagent remaining amount of scheduled reagent bottle is below the threshold value, it required the unloading scheduled reagent bottle in order to unload from the reagent storage, wherein the reagent storage is The first continuous suspension period is a period that stops the movement of the serial plurality of reagent bottles, before Symbol Initial specific determination section for determining whether is secured after the unloading cycle measurement order, And a recombination unit that rearranges the measurement order of the plurality of measurement items so that the first continuous stop period is provided when it is determined that the first continuous stop period is not secured .

The figure which shows the structure of the automatic analyzer which concerns on this embodiment. The top view of the analysis mechanism of FIG. The detailed top view of the reagent storage of the inner periphery outer periphery independent drive type based on this embodiment, and the mixed arrangement type of the reagent bottle for 1st reagents, and the reagent bottle for 2nd reagents. The figure which shows the operation | movement timing of the reagent storage, the 1st reagent arm, and the 2nd reagent arm in 1 cycle concerning this embodiment. The figure which shows the typical flow of the recombination operation | movement of the measurement order performed according to control of the system control part of FIG. The figure for demonstrating the determination process performed by the recombination presence determination part in step SA4 of FIG. The other figure for demonstrating the determination process performed by the recombination presence determination part in step SA4 of FIG. The figure for demonstrating the recombination between the measurement items of only one patient performed by the recombination part in step SA5 of FIG. The figure for demonstrating the recombination between the measurement items over several patients performed by the recombination part in step SA5 of FIG. The figure which shows the typical flow of the process by the analysis mechanism control part at the time of carrying out and carrying-in operation which concern on this embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment has a device for preventing a decrease in throughput due to replacement of reagent bottles during a measurement operation. First, the configuration of the automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic analyzer 1 includes an analysis mechanism 10, an analysis mechanism control unit 51, a communication unit 53, a storage unit 55, a carry-out bottle determination unit 57, a recombination presence / absence determination unit 59, a recombination unit 61, and an analysis unit 63. , A display unit 65, an operation unit 67, and a system control unit 69.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view of the analysis mechanism 10. The analysis mechanism 10 operates according to control by the analysis mechanism control unit 51. The analysis mechanism 10 is provided in the housing 100 of the automatic analyzer 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the analysis mechanism 10 includes, for example, a reaction disk 11, a sampler 13, a reagent storage 15, a sample arm 17, a first reagent arm 19-1, a second reagent arm 19-2, a stirring mechanism 21, and photometry. A mechanism 23, a cleaning mechanism 25, an automatic loading mechanism 27, and a carrier 29 are mounted.

  The reaction disk 11 holds a plurality of reaction vessels 31 arranged on the circumference. The reaction disk 11 is alternately rotated and stopped at predetermined time intervals. The rotation period of the reaction disk 11 is called a cycle. A sampler 13 is provided in the vicinity of the reaction disk 11. The sampler 13 holds a sample container 33 in which a specimen is accommodated. The sampler 13 rotates so that the sample container 33 containing the sample to be dispensed is disposed at the sample inhalation position Ps1. A reagent store 15 is arranged in the other vicinity of the reaction disk 11. The reagent store 15 holds a plurality of reagent bottles 35 that contain first reagents that selectively react to the measurement items of the specimen, and a plurality of reagent bottles 35 that contain second reagents corresponding to the first reagents. To do. The reagent container 15 rotates so that the reagent bottle containing the first reagent to be dispensed is arranged at the first reagent suction position, and the reagent bottle containing the second reagent to be dispensed is the second reagent. Rotates to be placed in the inhalation position. As will be described later, in actuality, the reagent storage 15 is provided with a cover having a reagent suction hole and an opening / closing door for transporting the reagent bottle in order to prevent contamination of the reagent.

  A sample arm 17 is disposed between the reaction disk 11 and the sampler 13. A sample probe is attached to the tip of the sample arm 17. The sample arm 17 supports the sample probe so as to be movable up and down. The sample arm 17 supports the sample probe 21-1 so as to be rotatable along a circumferential rotation locus. The rotation trajectory of the sample probe 21-1 passes through the sample suction position on the sampler 13 and the sample discharge position on the reaction disk 11. The sample probe 21-1 inhales the specimen from the sample container 33 arranged at the sample inhaling position on the sampler 13 and ejects the specimen into the reaction container 31 arranged at the specimen ejection position Ps 2 on the reaction disk 11. .

  A first reagent arm 19-1 and a second reagent arm 19-2 are arranged between the reaction disk 11 and the reagent storage. A first reagent probe is attached to the tip of the first reagent arm 19-1. The first reagent arm 19-1 supports the first reagent probe so as to move up and down. The first reagent arm 19-1 has two rotation axes R1-1 and R1-2, and supports the first reagent probe so as to be accessible to a plurality of reagent bottles 35 in the reagent storage 15. . The first reagent arm 19-1 discharges the first reagent to the reaction container 31 disposed at the first reagent discharge position Pr1 on the reaction disk 11 via the first reagent probe. Similarly, a second reagent probe is attached to the tip of the second reagent arm 19-2. The second reagent arm 19-2 supports the second reagent probe so as to be movable up and down. The second reagent arm 19-2 has two rotation axes R2-1 and R2-2, and supports the second reagent probe so as to be accessible to a plurality of reagent bottles 35 in the reagent storage 15. . The second reagent arm 19-2 discharges the second reagent through the second reagent probe to the reaction container 31 arranged at the second reagent discharge position Pr2 on the reaction disk 11.

  A stirring mechanism 21 is disposed near the outer periphery of the reaction disk 11. A stirring bar 21 s is attached to the tip of the stirring mechanism 21. The stirring mechanism 21 stirs a mixed solution of the sample and the first reagent in the reaction vessel 31 disposed at the stirring position Pst on the reaction disk 11 or a mixed solution of the sample, the first reagent, and the second reagent. Stir for 21 s. Hereinafter, these mixed liquids are referred to as test liquids.

  A photometric mechanism 23 is provided inside the housing near the reaction disk 11. The photometry mechanism 23 irradiates light toward the test solution in the reaction container 31 at the photometry position Pp in the reaction disk 11 and detects light that has passed through the test solution. Data having a measurement value corresponding to the detected light intensity (hereinafter referred to as photometry data) is supplied to the analysis unit 63.

A cleaning mechanism 25 is provided on the outer periphery of the reaction disk 11. The cleaning mechanism 25 is provided with a cleaning nozzle 25w and a drying nozzle 25d. The cleaning mechanism 25 cleans the reaction vessel 31 at the cleaning position Pw of the reaction disk 11 with the cleaning nozzle 25w and dries with the drying nozzle 25d.

  An automatic loading mechanism 27 and a carrier 29 are provided in the vicinity of the reagent storage 15. The automatic loading mechanism 27 is a mechanism for carrying in / out the reagent bottle 35. The automatic loading mechanism 27 includes a gripping portion 27-1 for gripping the reagent bottle 35 and a support portion 27-2 that supports the gripping portion 27-1 so as to be slidable. The carrier 29 is a mechanism that supports the reagent bottle 35 so as to be slidable intermittently. The predetermined position of the carrier 29 is set to a standby position Pc for holding or releasing the reagent bottle by the automatic loading mechanism 27. The automatic loading mechanism 27 grips the reagent bottle 35 disposed at the loading / unloading position Pa in the reagent storage 15, moves to the standby position Pc on the carrier 29, and releases the reagent bottle 35 at the standby position Pc. Thereby, the reagent bottle 35 is carried out from the reagent store 15. Further, the automatic loading mechanism 27 grips the reagent bottle 35 disposed at the standby position Pc with the gripper 27-1, moves to the loading / unloading position Pa in the reagent storage 15, and is vacant at the loading / unloading position Pa. Release reagent bottle 35 in space. Thereby, the reagent bottle 35 is carried into the reagent store 15. The empty space is a space in the reagent container 15 where no reagent bottle is installed among the reagent bottle installation positions. The carry-in position and the carry-out position of the reagent bottle 35 in the reagent storage 15 may be provided at the same position as described above, or may be provided at different positions.

  Returning to FIG. 1 again, the configuration of the automatic analyzer 1 will be described.

  The communication unit 53 transmits / receives information to / from an external device via a network. For example, the communication unit 53 receives an inspection order related to the requested inspection. The inspection order includes information regarding a plurality of measurement items to be inspected by the requested inspection and an initial measurement order of the plurality of measurement items. The requested inspection may be an inspection relating to a single patient or an inspection relating to a plurality of patients. The initial measurement order corresponds to, for example, the order of registration of patients and measurement items by an external device or the like. The measurement item is managed in association with the first reagent and the second reagent corresponding to the measurement item.

  The storage unit 55 stores various information. For example, the storage unit 55 stores an inspection order received by the communication unit 53, an analysis result by the analysis unit 63, an inspection setting parameter, and the like. Further, the storage unit 55 stores a reagent remaining amount parameter of each reagent bottle 35 in the reagent container 15 described later in association with the identifier of the reagent bottle 35 and the arrangement position of the reagent bottle 35 in the reagent container 15. Yes. The reagent remaining amount parameter may be not only the reagent remaining amount value but also a parameter necessary for calculating the reagent remaining amount, for example, the liquid level, the shape of the reagent bottle, the bottom area of the reagent bottle, and the like. The storage unit 55 stores an operation program executed by the system control unit 69.

  The carry-out bottle determination unit 57 determines the reagent bottle 35 that is scheduled to be carried out during the measurement operation of the requested test from among the plurality of reagent bottles 35 in the reagent store 15. The determined reagent bottle is carried out of the reagent storage 15 by the automatic loading mechanism 27 as will be described later. Hereinafter, the determined reagent bottle is referred to as a carry-out bottle. The carry-out bottle determination process may be determined in accordance with an instruction from the user via the operation unit 67, or may be determined by prediction calculation before execution of the requested inspection.

  The recombination presence / absence determination unit 59 determines whether to rearrange the measurement order of the measurement items in the requested inspection. Specifically, the recombination presence / absence determination unit 59 determines whether or not the continuous stop period of the reagent storage 15 necessary for carrying out the discharge bottle from the reagent storage 15 is secured in the initial measurement order in the requested inspection. To do. When it is determined that the continuous stop period of the reagent storage 15 is secured in the initial measurement order, the initial measurement order is set by the recombination presence / absence determination unit 59 as the set measurement order. When it is determined that the continuous stop period of the reagent storage 15 is not secured in the initial measurement order, the measurement order is rearranged. Hereinafter, for simplicity of description, the continuous stop period means the continuous stop period of the reagent storage 15.

  When the recombination unit 61 determines that the continuous stop period is not secured in the initial measurement order by the recombination presence / absence determination unit 59, the recombination unit 61 rearranges the measurement order of the measurement items of the requested inspection so that the continuous stop period is provided. . The measurement order after recombination is set to the set measurement order by the recombination unit 61.

  The analysis mechanism control unit 51 controls the analysis mechanism 10 so that the measurement items of the requested inspection are measured according to the set measurement order. The analysis mechanism 10 operates according to control by the analysis mechanism control unit 51.

  The analysis unit 63 analyzes the photometric data for each measurement item from the photometry mechanism 23 of the analysis mechanism 10 and calculates the measurement value of the measurement item.

  The display unit 65 displays various information on the display device. Examples of the display device include a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, and a plasma display.

  The operation unit 67 receives various commands and information input from an operator via an input device. Examples of the input device include a pointing device such as a mouse and a trackball, a selection device such as a switch button, or a keyboard.

  The system control unit 69 functions as the center of the automatic analyzer 1. The system control unit 69 reads an operation program from the storage unit 55 and controls each unit according to the operation program.

  Next, the operation of the automatic analyzer 1 will be described.

  In the following description of the operation of the automatic analyzer 1, the reagent storage 15 is an inner and outer periphery independent drive type, and includes a reagent bottle 35 for the first reagent and a reagent bottle 35 for the second reagent. Suppose that it is a mixed arrangement type. FIG. 3 is a plan view of this type of reagent storage 15. As shown in FIG. 3, the reagent storage 15 has an outer peripheral table 151 and an inner peripheral table 152 that can be driven independently of each other. The outer peripheral table 151 and the inner peripheral table 152 are mixed with a reagent bottle 35 for the first reagent and a reagent bottle 35 for the second reagent.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the reagent storage 15 has an outer peripheral table so that the reagent bottle 35 containing the first reagent to be dispensed is arranged at the first reagent suction position according to the control by the analysis mechanism control unit 51. 151 or the inner peripheral table 152 is rotated, and the outer peripheral table 151 or the inner peripheral table 152 is rotated so that the reagent bottle 35 containing the second reagent to be dispensed is disposed at the second reagent suction position. . The reagent storage 15 is provided with a cover 153 in order to prevent contamination of the reagent. The cover 153 is arranged along the circumference so that the first reagent probe of the first reagent arm 19-1 and the second reagent probe of the second reagent arm 19-2 can enter the reagent storage 15. A plurality of reagent suction holes 154 are provided. Each reagent suction hole 154 is located immediately above the bottle mouth 35 i of the reagent bottle 35 in the reagent storage 15.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first reagent arm 19-1, a plurality of reagent bottles 35 of the reagent storage 15 has a first reagent probe access structure, the second reagent arm 19 2 The second reagent probe is accessible to the plurality of reagent bottles 35 in the reagent storage 15. Here, a range in which the first reagent probe and the second reagent probe can access the reagent bottle 35 in the reagent storage 15 is referred to as an access range Pri. The access range Pri overlaps the movement range (loading / unloading position) Pa of the gripper 27-1 to prevent the gripper 27-1 of the reagent loading mechanism 27 from colliding with the first reagent probe and the second reagent probe. It is set not to. The position of each reagent suction hole 154 within the access range Pri corresponds to the reagent suction position. The first reagent probe and the second reagent probe enter the reagent bottle 35 through each reagent suction hole 154 and the bottle opening 35i and suck the reagent.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a door 155 that can be opened and closed in the sliding direction is provided at the carry-in / out position Pa of the cover 153. The door 155 is automatically opened by the reagent store 15 when the reagent bottle 35 is carried in or out by the reagent loading mechanism 27. When the loading or unloading is completed, the door 155 is automatically closed by the reagent storage 15.

  Next, the operation timing of the reagent storage, the first reagent arm, and the second reagent arm in one cycle will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating operation timings of the reagent storage 15, the first reagent arm 19-1, and the second reagent arm 19-2 in one cycle. As shown in FIG. 4, one cycle is set to a predetermined time interval such as 9 seconds, for example. The first operation period of each cycle is assigned to the rotation of the outer peripheral table or the inner peripheral table of the reagent storage 15 for arranging the reagent bottle containing the first reagent to be dispensed at the reagent suction position. When the reagent bottle containing the first reagent to be dispensed is already arranged at the reagent suction position, the outer peripheral table or the inner peripheral table of the reagent storage 15 is not rotated. The second operation period is assigned to the dispensing operation by the first reagent arm 19-1. The third operation period is assigned to the rotation of the outer peripheral table or the inner peripheral table of the reagent storage 15 for arranging the reagent bottle containing the second reagent to be dispensed at the reagent suction position. When the reagent bottle containing the second reagent to be dispensed is already arranged at the reagent suction position, the outer peripheral table or the inner peripheral table of the reagent storage 15 is not rotated. The last operation period is assigned to the dispensing operation by the second reagent arm 19-2. The automatic loading mechanism 27 operates at a timing independent of the cycle. The definition of the cycle is not limited to the above. For example, the time interval between the start time of the first operation period and the start time of the third operation period may be defined as one cycle.

  In the case of a two-reagent system as in this embodiment, a first reagent and a second reagent are prepared for one measurement item. As described above, in the case of this embodiment, the reagent bottle for the first reagent and the reagent bottle for the second reagent are mixed in the inner peripheral table and the outer peripheral table. However, as shown in the operation timing of FIG. 4, the rotation of the inner peripheral table or the outer peripheral table for the first reagent and the rotation of the inner peripheral table or the outer peripheral table for the second reagent are temporal. It is performed independently without duplication. Therefore, in the following description of the operation example, the first reagent and the second reagent are simply referred to as reagents without distinction.

  The automatic analyzer 1 according to the present embodiment has a device for preventing a decrease in throughput due to replacement of reagent bottles during a measurement operation. The operation of the automatic analyzer 1 is broadly divided into recombination of the measurement order of measurement items and measurement operation. Hereinafter, the rearrangement of the measurement order of measurement items and the measurement operation will be described.

  First, recombination of the measurement order will be described. Recombination of measurement order includes both recombination for ensuring a continuous stop period for carrying out reagent bottles, recombination for securing a continuous stop period for carrying in reagent bottles, and both carrying out and carrying in reagent bottles It is roughly divided into recombination to ensure a continuous suspension period. The continuous stop period for unloading is a period in which the reagent storage is stopped for the number of cycles necessary for unloading operation by the automatic loading mechanism. The continuous stop period for loading is a period in which the reagent storage is stopped for the number of cycles necessary for the loading operation by the automatic loading mechanism. The continuous stop period for carrying out and the continuous stop period for carrying in may be the same or different. Hereinafter, as an example, recombination for securing a continuous stop period for carrying out will be described.

  The rearrangement of the measurement order is performed before the measurement operation such as when receiving the inspection order. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a typical flow of the measurement order recombination operation performed in accordance with the control of the system control unit 69.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when an inspection order related to a requested inspection is issued by an external device, it is transmitted from the external device to the automatic analyzer 1 via the network. The inspection order is received by the communication unit 53 (step SA1). The examination order includes an identifier of a patient to be examined in the requested examination, a measurement item for each patient, and an initial measurement order. Examples of the patient identifier include a patient name and a patient ID. Examples of the measurement items include all items that can be measured by a specimen test such as TP, ALB, and Hb-A1c. For each measurement item, the first reagent and the second reagent used for the measurement are determined empirically and are associated in the storage unit 55. In the present embodiment, the measurement includes a series of processes of sample dispensing → first reagent dispensing → stirring → second reagent dispensing → stirring → photometry → washing. The measurement order defines the order of measuring a plurality of measurement items over a plurality of patients. The received inspection order is stored in the storage unit 55.

  When step SA1 is performed, the system control unit 69 causes the carry-out bottle determination unit 57 to perform determination processing (step SA2). In step SA2, the carry-out bottle determination unit 57 is operated by the user via the operation unit 67 or based on the prediction calculation of the remaining amount of the reagent according to the test order received in step SA1. The delivery bottle is determined from the reagent bottles. Hereinafter, the process for determining the carry-out bottle by the prediction calculation will be described in detail.

  In the prediction calculation, the carry-out bottle determination unit 57 determines, as the carry-out bottle, a reagent bottle whose remaining reagent amount is lower than a preset threshold value for each reagent bottle held in the reagent store. First, the carry-out bottle determination unit 57 determines the reagent remaining amount before the measurement operation of each reagent bottle according to the reagent remaining amount parameter stored in the storage unit 55. For example, when the reagent remaining amount value is stored as the reagent remaining amount parameter, the carry-out bottle determining unit 57 uses the reagent remaining amount value as the reagent remaining amount before the measurement operation. When the liquid level and the bottom area of the reagent bottle are stored as the reagent remaining amount parameter, the carry-out bottle determination unit 57 calculates the reagent remaining amount value based on the liquid level and the bottom area of the reagent bottle. To do. The liquid level is defined, for example, as the height from the inner bottom surface of the reagent bottle to the liquid level detected by the reagent probe in the inspection immediately before the requested inspection.

  When the reagent remaining amount value is determined, the carry-out bottle determining unit 57 determines the timing when the reagent remaining amount falls below the threshold when the measurement item is measured for each reagent bottle according to the initial measurement order. Estimate based on the value and the amount of reagent inhaled for each inhalation. The timing is defined by the number of cycles from the start of the measurement operation, for example. Hereinafter, the number of cycles in which the remaining amount of the reagent falls below the threshold is referred to as a carry-out cycle. As described above, reagents necessary for measurement of each measurement item are determined. As a specific process of the carry-out cycle, first, the carry-out bottle determination unit 57 specifies the measurement items of the requested inspection in order according to the initial measurement order, and calculates the reagent inhalation amount of the reagent corresponding to the specified measurement item. Subtract from the reagent remaining amount value of the reagent bottle containing the reagent. Also, 1 is added to the count value of the number of cycles. Then, the carry-out bottle determination unit 57 determines whether or not the reagent remaining amount value after the subtraction is less than the threshold value. The carry-out bottle determination unit 57 repeats the subtraction process and the count value addition process until the reagent remaining amount value falls below the threshold value or until the subtraction process for all the measurement items of the requested inspection is completed. When it is determined that the reagent remaining amount value is lower than the threshold value, the carry-out bottle determination unit 57 sets the reagent bottle as a carry-out bottle, and sets a cycle in which the reagent remaining amount value is lower than the threshold value as a carry-out cycle.

  When step SA2 is performed, the system control unit 69 determines whether there is a carry-out bottle (step SA3). When no carry-out bottle is determined in step S2 (step SA3: NO), the system control unit 69 ends the recombination operation of the measurement order.

When at least one carry-out bottle is determined in step SA2 (step SA3: YES ), the system control unit 69 causes the recombination presence / absence determination unit 59 to perform a determination process (step SA4). In step SA4, the recombination presence / absence determination unit 59 determines whether the continuous stop period of the reagent storage 15 is secured in the initial measurement order.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the determination process by the recombination presence / absence determination unit 59. As shown in FIG. 6, the capital letter X represents a patient identifier, and the small letter x represents a measurement item. For example, Aa represents the measurement item a of the patient A. A specific reagent is associated with the measurement item a. In order to specifically describe the determination process by the recombination presence / absence determination unit 59, an inspection order for the inspection of the patient A and the patient B is considered. It is assumed that measurement items a, b, c, and d are requested for each of patient A and patient B. The initial order of the inspection order of the requested inspection is, for example, Aa → Ab → Ac → Ad → Ba → Bb → Bc → Bd, which is the registration order of patients and measurement items. Here, the continuous stop period for carrying out is assumed to be 3 cycles, for example. The carry-out bottle is a reagent bottle corresponding to the measurement item c, and is assumed to be below the threshold when the reagent for the measurement item c of the patient A is inhaled. In the initial measurement order, it is assumed that the outer peripheral table or the inner peripheral table of the reagent storage 15 needs to rotate in order to suck the reagent corresponding to Bd. In this case, in the initial measurement order, 3 cycles of the continuous stop period are secured after Ac, and the recombination presence / absence determining unit 59 determines that the continuous stop period is secured (step SA4: YES). Therefore, the recombination process by the recombination unit 61 is not executed, and the requested inspection is executed according to this initial measurement order.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the outer peripheral side table or the inner peripheral side table of the reagent storage 15 needs to rotate in order to suck the reagents corresponding to Bd and Bb. In this case, in the initial measurement order, the continuous stop period is not secured after Ac, and the recombination presence / absence determining unit 59 determines that the continuous stop period is not secured.

  When the recombination presence / absence determination unit 59 determines that the continuous stop period is not secured (step SA4: NO), the system control unit 69 causes the recombination unit 61 to execute a recombination process (step SA5). In step SA5, the rearrangement unit 61 rearranges the measurement order of the measurement items so that a continuous stop period is provided. Hereinafter, the recombination process by the recombination unit 61 will be described in detail.

  From the viewpoint of preventing contamination of the specimen by the sample probe, it is not desirable to alternately dispense the specimens of a plurality of patients, and it is not desirable to rearrange the measurement order of the measurement items across the plurality of patients. Therefore, the recombination unit 61 first recombines the measurement items corresponding to the carry-out bottle so as to secure the continuous stop period only with the measurement items for the patient corresponding to the measurement item.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining recombination between measurement items of only one patient. Here, the reagent bottle corresponding to the measurement item c is a carry-out bottle, the continuous stop period is three cycles, and the inner peripheral table or the outer peripheral table of the reagent storage 15 is used for sucking the reagent corresponding to Ba and Bd. Suppose that needs to rotate. In the recombination process, the recombination unit 61 rearranges the measurement order of the measurement items by limiting to one patient, and the measurement order in which the continuous stop period is provided based on at least the installation position of the reagent bottle and the accessible range of the reagent probe. Find out. At this time, the measurement order is rearranged so that the discharge bottle corresponding to the measurement item c is discharged before all the reagents corresponding to the measurement item c are inhaled. Thereby, the measurement order is recombined into, for example, Ac → Aa → Ab → Ad → Ba → Bb → Bc → Bd. The measurement order after recombination is set to the set measurement order.

  When the continuous stop period cannot be ensured only by recombination of measurement items of a single patient, the recombination unit 61 recombines the measurement items across a plurality of patients. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining recombination between measurement items of a plurality of patients. Here, the reagent bottle corresponding to the measurement item c is a carry-out bottle, the continuous stop period is 3 cycles, and the outer peripheral side table or the inner peripheral side table of the reagent storage 15 is used to suck the reagent corresponding to Ad and Bd. Suppose that needs to rotate. In the recombination process, the recombination unit 61 rearranges the measurement order of the measurement items across a plurality of patients, and the measurement order in which the continuous stop period is provided based on at least the installation position of the reagent bottle and the accessible range of the reagent probe. Find out. At this time, the measurement order is rearranged so that the discharge bottle corresponding to the measurement item c is discharged before all the reagents corresponding to the measurement item c are inhaled. Thereby, the measurement order is recombined into, for example, Ac → Aa → Ab → Ba → Bb → Ad → Bd → Bc. The measurement order after recombination is set to the set measurement order.

  When step SA5 is performed, the system control unit 69 ends the recombination operation of the measurement order.

  In the above description, the recombination of the measurement order is performed by the recombination unit 61. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the recombination of the measurement order may be performed by the user via the operation unit 67. For example, when it is determined in step SA4 that the continuous stop period is not secured in the initial measurement order, the display unit 65 displays a predetermined message. The message may be, for example, the determination result in step SA4 or a message that prompts replacement of the carry-out bottle. The display unit 65 may display a screen for recombination of the measurement order. The screen displays a list of measurement items measured in the requested inspection. The user rearranges the measurement items on the screen through the operation unit 67 so that the continuous stop period is secured. For example, when the user presses the confirmation button on the screen, the recombination unit 61 sets the rearranged measurement order as the set measurement order. In this way, the user can rearrange the measurement order arbitrarily.

  In the above description, the recombination operation for securing the continuous stop period for carrying out has been described. In the same manner as this operation, a recombination operation for securing a continuous stop period for carrying in addition to a continuous stop period for carrying out can be executed. In the case of the recombination operation for securing the continuous stop period for carrying out and carrying in, processing is performed in the same flow as in FIG. 5 up to step SA3. In step SA4, the recombination presence / absence determination unit 59 determines whether both the continuous stop period for carrying out and the continuous stop period for carrying in are secured in the initial measurement order. The continuous stop period for carrying out and the continuous stop period for carrying in need not be continuous in time, and may be separated. When there is an empty space in the reagent storage 15, the order of the continuous stop period for carrying out and the continuous stop period for carrying in is not particularly limited. When there is no empty space in the reagent storage 15, a continuous stop period for carrying in must be provided after the continuous stop period for carrying out. In step SA5, the recombination unit 61 rearranges the measurement order so that a continuous stop period for carry-out and carry-in is ensured. Since the processing content of the recombination operation for securing the continuous stop period for carrying-in is substantially the same as the recombination operation for securing the continuous stop period for carrying-out, detailed description is omitted.

Next, the carry-out and carry-in operations performed by the analysis mechanism control unit 51 during the measurement operation after the rearrangement of the measurement order will be described. In the description of the measurement operation, the first reagent arm 19-1 and the second reagent arm 19-2 are simply referred to as the reagent arm 19 without being distinguished from each other.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a typical flow of processing by the analysis mechanism control unit 51 during carry-out and carry-in operations. In the measurement operation, the analysis mechanism control unit 51 reads the set measurement order stored in the storage unit 55, and controls each mechanism of the analysis mechanism 10 according to the read set measurement order. Thereby, the optical measurement of the measurement item for the requested inspection is performed.

  When a carry-out operation instruction is incorporated in the inspection order, the analysis mechanism control unit 51 controls the reagent storage 15, the reagent arm 19, and the automatic loading mechanism 27 in conjunction with each other so that the carry-out of the carry-out bottle and the dispensing of the reagent are performed in parallel. And run. Specifically, first, at the execution timing of the preliminary operation of the unloading operation, the analysis mechanism control unit 51 arranges the unloading bottle at the loading / unloading position Pa, and the reagent bottle containing the reagent to be dispensed is within the access range. The reagent storage 15 is operated so as to be arranged at a predetermined reagent suction position in Pri (step SB1). The preliminary operation of the carry-out operation is typically executed in a cycle immediately before the start cycle of the continuous stop period for carry-out. When the preliminary operation is performed, the unloading operation is performed during the continuous stop period for unloading. In the continuous stop period for carrying out, the analysis mechanism control unit 51 operates the reagent arm 19 so as to suck the reagent to be dispensed from the reagent bottle arranged at the reagent sucking position, and moves it to the loading / unloading position Pa. The automatic loading mechanism 27 is operated so as to carry out the arranged carry-out bottle out of the reagent storage 15 (step SB2). The unloading bottle disposed at the loading / unloading position Pa is gripped by the gripping portion 27-1 of the automatic loading mechanism 27, and is slid along the sliding direction to the standby position Pc of the carrier 29 by the support portion 27-2. −1 to be placed at the standby position Pc. In addition, the reagent storage 15 is stopped during the continuous stop period for carrying out.

  When the carry-out operation is performed, the analysis mechanism control unit 51 controls the reagent storage 15, the reagent arm 19, and the automatic loading mechanism 27 in an interlocking manner so as to carry in the carry-in bottle and dispense the reagent in parallel. Specifically, at the execution timing of the preliminary operation of the carry-in operation, the analysis mechanism control unit 51 arranges an empty space in the reagent storage 15 at the carry-in / out position Pa, and a reagent bottle in which the reagent to be dispensed is stored. Is operated at a predetermined reagent suction position within the access range Pri (step SB3). The preliminary operation of the carry-in operation is typically executed in a cycle immediately before the start timing of the continuous stop period for carry-in. The carry-in bottle is arranged at the standby position Pc by the carrier 29 by the start timing of the carry-in operation (that is, the start time of step SB4). The carry-in bottle may be manually placed at the standby position Pc by the operator. During the continuous stop period for carrying in, the analysis mechanism control unit 51 operates the reagent arm 19 to inhale the reagent to be dispensed from the reagent bottle arranged at the reagent inhaling position, and arranges it at the standby position Pc. The automatic loading mechanism 27 is operated so as to carry the carried-in bottle into the reagent store 15 (step SB4). In step SB4, the carry-in bottle arranged at the standby position Pc is grasped by the gripper 27-1, and is slid along the slide direction to the carry-in / out position Pa of the reagent storage 15 by the support part 27-2. -2 is accommodated in an empty space arranged at the loading / unloading position Pa. In addition, the reagent storage 15 is stopped during the continuous stop period for carrying in.

  In this manner, the analysis mechanism control unit 51 carries out carry-in and carry-in operations during the measurement operation. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, during the measurement operation, the reagent bottle can be exchanged without providing an empty cycle according to the set measurement order set during the measurement order recombination operation.

(Modification 1)
In the above-described recombination operation of the measurement order, when a carry-out bottle exists, the measurement order is recombined in order to secure a continuous stop period for carrying out. However, this embodiment is not limited to this. That is, if there is an empty space in the reagent store 15, a carry-in bottle containing a reagent of the same type as the reagent in the carry-out bottle may be carried into the reagent store 15 without carrying out the carry-out bottle. In this case, processing is performed in the same flow as in FIG. 5 until step SA3. In step SA4 according to the first modification, the recombination presence / absence determination unit 59 determines whether or not a continuous stop period for loading is secured in the initial measurement order. In step SA5, the recombination unit 61 rearranges the measurement order so that the continuous stop period is secured. Since the processing content of the recombination operation for securing the continuous stop period for carrying in is substantially the same as the recombination operation for securing the continuous stop period for carrying out, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  During the measurement operation, steps SB1 and SB2 in FIG. 10 are not executed, and only steps SB3 and SB4 are executed. Thereby, the automatic analyzer according to the first modification can carry in the carry-in bottle containing the same type of reagent as the reagent in the carry-out bottle without carrying out the carry-out bottle.

(Modification 2)
The automatic analyzer 1 according to the above-described embodiment is equipped with a reagent arm 19 having two rotating shafts as a reagent analyzing mechanism for accessing a plurality of reagent bottles. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and any reagent analysis mechanism may be provided as long as a plurality of reagent bottles can be accessed. For example, it may be a reagent analysis mechanism having one rotating shaft and one slide shaft, or an XY table having two slide shafts orthogonal to each other.

(Modification 3)
The automatic analyzer 1 according to the above-described embodiment is provided with the single reagent storage 15 of the inner and outer periphery independent drive type and the mixed arrangement type of the first reagent bottle and the second reagent bottle. However, this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the reagent store 15 is not a mixed arrangement type, and only one type of reagent bottle may be selectively arranged on the outer peripheral table 151 and the inner peripheral table 152, respectively. Further, the automatic analyzer 1 may be equipped with a first reagent storage for a reagent bottle for the first reagent and a second reagent storage for a reagent bottle for the second reagent. In this case, the first reagent store and the second reagent store are installed separately from each other on the stage. For example, the first reagent store may correspond to the reagent store 15 of the present embodiment, and the second reagent store may be provided on the inner peripheral side of the reaction disk 11. Of course, the second reagent store may correspond to the reagent store 15 of the present embodiment, and the first reagent store may be provided on the inner peripheral side of the reaction disk 11.

(Modification 4)
The automatic analyzer 1 according to the above-described embodiment is assumed to execute the recombination operation of the measurement order in the previous stage of the measurement operation. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the recombination operation of the measurement order may be executed during the measurement operation. In this case, for example, steps SA2 to SA5 in FIG. 5 are executed during the measurement operation. Hereinafter, the recombination operation of the measurement order according to Modification 4 will be briefly described. In step SA2 according to the modified example 4, the carry-out bottle determination unit 57 determines whether or not the reagent remaining amount value in the reagent bottle 35 is lower than the threshold value for each reagent bottle 35 held in the reagent storage 15 during the measurement operation. Judgment is made in real time. For example, the reagent probe detects the liquid level of the reagent in the reagent bottle 35 when the reagent is inhaled. The detected liquid level data is supplied to the carry-out bottle determination unit 57 in real time. The carry-out bottle determination unit 57 determines whether or not the supplied liquid level is below a threshold value. When the supplied liquid level falls below the threshold value, the recombination presence / absence determination unit 59 performs recombination presence / absence determination processing in step SA4 according to the fourth modification. If it is determined in step SA4 that recombination is necessary, recombination processing is performed by the recombination unit 61 in step SA5 according to the fourth modification.

  In this way, according to the fourth modification, the recombination process of the measurement order can be executed during the measurement operation.

[effect]
As described above, the automatic analyzer 1 has at least the reagent storage 15, the carry-out bottle determination unit 57, and the recombination presence / absence determination unit 59. The reagent store 15 supports a plurality of reagent bottles 35 in a rotatable manner. The carry-out bottle determination unit 57 determines a reagent bottle 35 that is scheduled to be carried out or a reagent bottle 35 that is scheduled to be carried out when the requested inspection is performed from among the plurality of reagent bottles 35. The recombination presence / absence determining unit 59 includes a continuous stop period of the reagent storage 15 necessary for carrying out the determined reagent bottle 35 from the reagent storage 15, and a reagent bottle 35 containing a reagent of the same type as the determined reagent bottle 35. It is determined whether or not the continuation stop period of the reagent storage 15 necessary for bringing the reagent storage 15 into the reagent storage 15 is secured in the initial measurement order in the requested inspection.

  With this configuration, the automatic analyzer 1 prompts the operator to rearrange the measurement order so that the continuous stop period is provided, or automatically sets the measurement order so that the continuous stop period is provided by the recombination unit 59. Can be recombined. By rearranging the measurement order, the reagent bottle 35 can be replaced without providing an empty cycle during the measurement operation. Moreover, the automatic analyzer 1 is equipped with a reagent dispensing mechanism 19 that can access a plurality of reagent bottles. The reagent dispensing mechanism 19 can easily ensure a continuous stop period.

  Thus, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an automatic analyzer that can prevent a reduction in throughput due to reagent bottle replacement.

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

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Automatic analyzer, 10 ... Analysis mechanism, 11 ... Reaction disk, 13 ... Sampler, 15 ... Reagent storage, 17 ... Sample arm, 19-1 ... 1st reagent arm, 19-2 ... 2nd reagent arm, 21 ... Stirring mechanism, 23 ... photometric mechanism, 25 ... washing mechanism, 27 ... automatic loading mechanism, 27-1 ... gripping part, 27-2 ... indicating part, 29 ... carrier, 31 ... reaction container, 33 ... sample container, 35 ... reagent Bottle 51, analysis mechanism control unit 53 53 communication unit 55 storage unit 57 unloading bottle determination unit 59 recombination presence / absence determination unit 61 recombination unit 63 analysis unit 65 display unit 67 Operation unit, 69 ... system control unit, 100 ... casing

Claims (10)

An acquisition unit for acquiring an inspection order including an initial measurement order in the requested inspection;
A reagent container that supports a plurality of reagent bottles containing a reagent that selectively reacts with a measurement item of the specimen, and moves each of the plurality of reagent bottles to a reagent suction position and a discharge position;
From the plurality of reagent bottles, the carry-out schedule reagent bottles a reagent bottle will be unloaded at the time of execution of the request inspection, or on the basis of the predictive calculation of the reagent remaining amount in accordance with the prior Symbol Initial measurement sequence A determination unit that determines according to an instruction from a user, and determines a carry-out cycle that is a cycle in which a reagent remaining amount of the reagent bottle to be carried out falls below a threshold when measurement of a measurement item is performed according to the initial measurement order ;
Necessary in order to carry-out the carry-out schedule reagent bottle from the reagent storage, the first continuation stop period which is a period in which to stop the movement of the reagent storage is the plurality of reagent bottles, pre-Symbol's first term A determination unit for determining whether or not secured after the carry-out cycle in a measurement order;
When it is determined that the first continuous stop period is not secured, a recombination unit that rearranges the measurement order of the plurality of measurement items so that the first continuous stop period is provided;
An automatic analyzer comprising: An unloading mechanism for unloading the reagent bottle arranged at the unloading position in the reagent store from the reagent store;
According to the measurement order after the recombination, the delivery mechanism to the carry-out schedule reagent bottle controlling the reagent storage to place in the unloading position, for unloading the unloading plan reagent bottles disposed in said unloading position A control unit to control;
Automatic analyzer further comprising claim 1, wherein the. 3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 2 , wherein the first continuous stop period is a period in which the reagent storage is stopped only for a period required for a carry-out operation by the carry-out mechanism. A probe for reagent dispensing;
A support mechanism for movably supporting the probe to a plurality of reagent suction positions different from the carry-out position in the reagent storage;
The automatic analyzer according to claim 2 or 3 , further comprising: The control unit arranges the scheduled carry-out reagent bottle at the carry-out position before the first continuous stop period, and places another reagent bottle containing a reagent to be dispensed at the plurality of reagent suction positions. The reagent storage is controlled to be placed at a predetermined reagent suction position, and the dispensing target reagent is sucked from the other reagent bottles placed at the reagent suction position during the first continuous stop period. The automatic analyzer according to claim 4 , wherein the support mechanism is controlled to control the carry-out mechanism so that the carry- out reagent bottle arranged at the carry-out position is carried out. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising: a display unit that displays a message for prompting replacement of the reagent bottle to be carried out when it is determined that the first continuous stop period is not secured. The determination unit is configured a first continuous stop period, for carrying the place of the reagent bottle of the unloading plan reagent bottle to the reagent storage, wherein the reagent storage is stopped the movement of the plurality of reagent bottles a second continuous stop period is a period that determines whether or not it is ensured after the unloading cycle before Symbol Initial measurement sequence, an automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein. The recombination unit is configured to provide the first continuous stop period and the second continuous stop period when it is determined that the first continuous stop period and the second continuous stop period are not secured. in the measurement order of the plurality of measurement items recombine, automatic analyzer 請 Motomeko 7 wherein. A loading / unloading mechanism for unloading the reagent bottle arranged at the unloading position in the reagent store from the reagent store and loading the alternative reagent bottle at the loading position in the reagent store;
According to the measurement order after the recombination, the unloading will reagent bottles controlling the reagent storage to place in the unloading position, said unloading mechanism to unloading the unloading plan reagent bottles disposed in said unloading position A control unit that controls the reagent storage so as to place an empty space in the reagent storage at the loading position, and controls the loading / unloading mechanism to load the alternative reagent bottle into the empty space When,
The automatic analyzer according to claim 8 , further comprising: The first continuous stop period is a period in which the reagent storage is stopped at least for a period required for the unloading operation by the load / unload mechanism.
The second continuous stop period is a period in which the reagent storage is stopped for at least a period necessary for a loading operation by the loading / unloading mechanism.
The automatic analyzer according to claim 9 .

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