JP6429274B2 - Analysis container and its analyzer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an analysis container for analyzing a sample liquid by reacting with one or more reagents and an analysis apparatus therefor.

  2. Description of the Related Art In various fields such as the environment, medical care, agriculture, and the like, there are known analyzers that perform analysis by putting a sample liquid in an analysis container that contains a reagent in advance and reacting the sample liquid with the reagent.

  For example, the analysis container (rotary cuvette) 200 of Patent Document 1 has a disk 201 including a lower member 202 and an upper member 203 as a main body as shown in the plan view of FIG. A specimen injection chamber 210 for storing a liquid, a first reaction chamber 211 for storing a first reagent 231, and a second reaction chamber 212 for storing a second reagent 232 are provided. In addition, the sample injection port 220 is connected to the upper part of the sample injection chamber 210, the first passage 221 that connects the sample injection chamber 210 and the first reaction chamber 211, and the second passage 222 that connects the first reaction chamber 211 and the second reaction chamber 212. Has been established.

  In the analysis container 200 of Patent Document 1, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 15, the first reagent 231 is stored in the first reaction chamber 211 and the second reagent 232 is stored in the second reaction chamber 212 in advance. The sample liquid 230 is injected into the chamber 210. When the disk 201 is rotated, centrifugal force acts on the sample liquid 230 and flows into the first reaction chamber 211 through the first passage 221, and when the rotation is stopped, it flows down to the bottom and reacts in contact with the first reagent 231. . When the disk 201 is rotated again, the sample liquid 230 that has reacted with the first reagent 231 flows into the second reaction chamber 212 from the second passage 222 and reacts in contact with the second reagent 232.

  The sample liquid 230 that has reacted with the reagent is irradiated with light by a photometric device (not shown) through optical windows 240 and 241 formed on the ceiling surface and the bottom surface of the second reaction chamber 212, and the change in the optical characteristics of the sample liquid 230 changes. Measured.

  According to the analysis container 200 of Patent Document 1, after the diluted sample liquid 230 is injected into the sample injection chamber 210, the sample liquid 230 and the reagent are separated until desired, and the reaction between the two is time-controlled. It can be carried out.

Japanese Patent No. 2731423

  As described above, the analysis container has a sample injection port for injecting a sample liquid. However, in order to prevent foreign substances from entering the analysis container and the reagent from being oxidized by contact with air, measurement is usually performed. At other times, it is desirable to seal the specimen inlet and seal the inside so that the specimen inlet is unsealed immediately before the measurement.

  However, an analyzer that automatically supplies a sample liquid to the sample inlet and automatically analyzes it after setting the analysis container usually does not have a means for judging the open / close state of the sample inlet. If the analytical container is set by mistake without unsealing the specimen inlet, the specimen liquid is supplied even though the inlet is in the sealed state, and the sealed specimen inlet There has been a problem that the analysis container and the analysis device are soiled by the spilled sample liquid. In order to prevent this, for example, a sensor for determining the open / closed state of the specimen injection port may be separately provided in the analyzer. However, in this case, there is a problem that the cost of the apparatus is increased by the added sensor.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to determine the open / close state of the inlet of the analysis container without requiring any special additional means for the analyzer, and to analyze the sample liquid. It is an object to provide an analysis container and an analysis apparatus capable of performing injection appropriately.

  An analysis container according to an aspect of the present invention includes one or more inlets provided on a first circumference around a rotation axis, and a second circumference located outside the first circumference. The analysis container is provided with one or more measurement chambers provided in the chamber, and a flow path that communicates the injection port and the measurement chamber on a one-to-one basis, wherein the injection port is sealed by a seal member, and the seal member is a second member. It has the sealing member determination position formed so that at least one part on the circumference of this may be covered.

  Moreover, the analysis container of the present invention is characterized in that the seal member has light shielding properties.

  In the analysis container of the present invention, the seal member is a film material.

  Further, the analysis container of the present invention is characterized in that the seal member determination position of the seal member is arranged so as to cover at least one of the measurement chambers.

  Further, the present invention is an analyzer using an analysis container, and is provided at a position corresponding to a rotation mechanism for placing and rotating the analysis container and a first circumference of the analysis container. A specimen liquid supply mechanism that supplies the specimen liquid, a light emitting unit that is provided at a position corresponding to the second circumference of the analysis container, and that emits light to the analysis container; A photometric unit that measures the amount of light transmitted through the sample liquid in the measurement chamber in the analysis container, and a measurement unit that performs component analysis of the sample liquid based on the amount of light transmitted through the sample liquid in the measurement chamber in the analysis container; For the analysis container having the seal member, the presence or absence of the seal member is determined based on the amount of transmitted light at the seal member determination position measured by the photometry unit, and whether or not the sample liquid is supplied from the sample liquid supply mechanism to the injection port is determined. A sample liquid supply determination unit for determining the determination is provided.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an analysis container capable of determining the open / closed state of the inlet of the analysis container and appropriately injecting the sample liquid without requiring any special additional means for the analyzer. The analyzer can be provided.

3 is a plan view of an analysis container according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a top view of the analysis container which shows the state which removed the sealing member. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an analysis container and an analysis apparatus with a seal member removed. It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an analysis container and an analysis apparatus with a seal member. It is the cross-sectional schematic diagram which showed the other form of the analyzer. It is a top view which shows the 2nd shape of a sealing member. It is a top view which shows the 3rd shape of a sealing member. It is a top view of the analysis container which provided the rib part. It is sectional drawing of the analytical container which provided the rib part. It is sectional drawing of the analytical container which laminated | stacked the sealing member. It is sectional drawing to which the laminated structure of the sealing member was expanded. It is a top view of the analysis container which displayed the character on the seal member. It is a top view of the analysis container which provided the contact bonding layer on the main body side. It is a top view of the conventional analysis container. It is sectional drawing of the conventional analysis container.

  Hereinafter, an analysis container and an analysis apparatus thereof according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of an analysis container 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which a seal member 110 described later is removed from the analysis container 101.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the analysis container 101 has a disk shape, and one or more inlets 103 provided on a first circumference (C1) centering on the rotation shaft 107; One or more measurement chambers 104 provided on the second circumference (C2) outside the first circumference (C1), and a flow path 105 that communicates the inlet 103 and the measurement chamber 104 on a one-to-one basis. . The inlet 103, the flow path 105, and the measurement chamber 104 constitute an analysis cell 102. In the analysis container 101 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, six analysis cells 102 are provided radially.

  In the measurement chamber 104, a reagent corresponding to the measurement purpose for each analysis cell 102 is sealed in advance. As a reagent for soil analysis, for example, when examining the concentration of Mg component, mixing xylidyl blue + Triton X-100 + triethanolamine + sodium sulfate + GEDTA + tetraethylenepentamine + disodium hydrogen phosphate + sodium hydroxide solution A solution etc. can be mentioned. Other components can be examined using commercially available or developed reagents corresponding to them. The form of the reagent is not limited to a mixed solution, and from the viewpoint of storage stability, a reagent with little change with time, such as a solid, is preferable.

  Since the analysis container 101 is configured at low cost, it is more preferable to make the whole with a highly transparent synthetic resin, and in this embodiment, the analysis container 101 is made of polycarbonate having chemical resistance.

  In the analysis container 101 of the present invention, each inlet 103 is formed on the same plane, and a sealing member 110 is attached to each inlet 103 and sealed. The seal member 110 has a seal member determination position formed so as to cover at least a part of the second circumference. Further, it is desirable that the seal member 110 has a light shielding property to a degree that the amount of transmitted light is slightly changed in order to detect the open / closed state of the injection port 103 to be described later.

  3 and 4 are cross-sectional views of the A1-A2 portion of the analysis container 101 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the seal member 110 is removed from the analysis container 101 and placed on the analyzer 150 of the present invention. FIG. 4 shows a state where the analysis container 101 is mounted on the analysis device 150 with the seal member 110 attached thereto.

  The analyzer 150 of the present invention includes a rotation mechanism 160 for placing and rotating the analysis container 101, a sample liquid supply mechanism 170 provided at a position corresponding to the first circumference, and a second circumference. And a measuring unit 180 having a light emitting unit 181 and a photometric unit 182 provided at a position corresponding to.

  The rotation mechanism 160 rotates the analysis container 101 around the rotation shaft 107 so that each injection port 103 faces the sample liquid supply mechanism 170 or each measurement chamber 104 faces the light emitting unit 181 and the photometry unit 182. It is possible to stop the analysis container 101 at the position where the operation is performed.

  By providing the sample liquid supply mechanism 170 on the first circumference, the single sample liquid supply mechanism 170 can inject the sample liquid into each inlet 103. Further, by providing the light emitting unit 181 and the photometric unit 182 on the second circumference, each measuring chamber 104 can be measured by one measuring unit 180.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the sample liquid supply mechanism 170 includes a nozzle for injecting the sample liquid into the injection port 103 of the analysis container 101. The sample liquid is injected into the injection port 103 and guided to the measurement chamber 104 through the flow path 105.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the channel 105 is provided with an inclination that decreases in height from the inside toward the outside. As a result, the injected specimen liquid is smoothly introduced into the measurement chamber 104 without accumulating in the vicinity immediately below the injection port 103. Further, when the analysis container 101 is rotated, the backflow of the sample liquid from the measurement chamber 104 to the injection port 103 is prevented, and the injected sample liquid is prevented from being scattered outside the chip.

  After the analysis container 101 is set in the analyzer 150, the sample liquid is injected from the injection port 103 and is rotated by the rotation mechanism 160, whereby the sample liquid and the reagent 106 are mixed inside the measurement chamber 104. .

  The measuring unit 180 includes a light emitting unit 181 and a photometric unit 182, and is arranged so as to face the upper side and the lower side of the measuring chamber 104 of the analysis container 101, respectively.

  On the other hand, the measurement chamber 104 of the analysis container 101 is provided with a measurement window (not shown) corresponding to the light emitting unit 181 and the photometric unit 182. The measurement window is made of a translucent member such as silicone, glass, or plastic.

  The measuring unit 180 mixes with the reagent 106 in the measurement chamber 104 and analyzes the absorbance of the color-reacted sample liquid, so that the light emitted from the light emitting unit 181 transmits through the sample liquid in the measurement chamber 104 and performs photometry. The amount of transmitted light guided to the unit 182 is measured. In addition, the analysis container 101 is rotated to sequentially move each measurement chamber 104 to the position of the measurement unit 180, and a plurality of component analyzes are performed for each reagent.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the analysis container 101 is usually provided with a seal member 110 at the injection port 103 in order to prevent foreign matter from entering the inside of the injection port 103, leakage of the internal reagent, oxidation of the reagent, and the like. It is attached and sealed. Conventionally, if an automatic analysis is started by mistakenly placed in this state in this state, the sample liquid is poured onto the seal member 110, and the analysis container and the analysis device are contaminated. .

  When the analysis apparatus 150 according to the present embodiment sets the analysis container 101 and starts automatic analysis, the analysis container 101 is first rotated before the sample liquid is injected into the injection port 103 to transmit the amount of light transmitted through the measurement chamber 104. Measure.

  In the analysis container 101 shown in the present embodiment, the sealing member 110 is made of a light-shielding material, each inlet 103 is sealed with the sealing member 110, and the second circumference on which the measurement chamber 104 is arranged is arranged. A seal member determination position is formed so as to cover at least a part of the seal member.

  For this reason, when the analysis container 101 in a sealed state with the seal member 110 attached is set in the analyzer 150 and rotated once by the analyzer 150, the measurement unit 180 has a portion where the amount of transmitted light due to the seal member determination position is extremely low. Detected.

  The measurement unit 180 is connected to the sample liquid supply pass / fail determining unit 190, and the sample liquid supply pass / fail determining unit 190 determines the presence / absence of the seal member 110 from the detection signal, determines the sample liquid supply pass / fail, and the sample The liquid supply mechanism 170 is controlled.

  With the above configuration, when the seal member 110 is detected, the analyzer 150 stops the operation of injecting the sample liquid into the injection port 103 and peels the seal member 110 from the display unit or speaker (not shown) to the user. A warning can be issued to prevent leakage of the sample liquid.

  Therefore, according to the analysis container 101 of the present invention, the presence / absence of the seal member 110 can be detected without requiring an additional member such as a detection element, and the sample liquid is erroneously injected into the sealed analysis container 101. Can be prevented.

  The analysis container 101 may be provided with a collar portion by extending the end portion of the seal member determination position so that the user can easily peel off the seal member 110. The user can easily peel off the brim that is not bonded to the analysis container 101.

  In addition, the flange portion of the analysis container 101 may mechanically interfere with the analysis apparatus 150 so that the sealed analysis container 101 is not set in the analysis apparatus 150 by mistake.

  Further, in the analyzer 150, the light emitting unit 181 and the photometric unit 182 do not necessarily have to be arranged vertically opposite to each other, and are arranged in parallel above or below the analysis container 101 as shown in FIG. The amount of transmitted light reflected from the inside may be measured. In this case, the optical path length that passes through the sample liquid in the measurement chamber 104 can be increased (doubled), so that more accurate measurement can be performed and a wide range of component concentrations can be measured.

(Embodiment 2)
As Embodiment 2 of the present invention, an analysis container 101 using seal members 111 and 112 having different shapes will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the seal member 111, and FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the seal member 112. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the seal member 111 is formed so as to seal each injection port 103 of the analysis container 101 and to cover all the measurement chambers 104 at the seal member determination position. In such a configuration, the incidence of light from the outside to the reagent accommodated in each measurement chamber 104 is reduced, and photodegradation of the reagent can be prevented.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the seal member 112 is formed so as to seal each injection port 103 and cover between the measurement chambers 104 where the seal member determination positions are adjacent. In such a configuration, the adhesive member or the like of the seal member 112 is prevented from adhering to the measurement window of the measurement chamber 104, and the measurement window is prevented from becoming dirty and the transmittance is reduced. It can be measured well.

(Embodiment 3)
As a third embodiment of the present invention, a configuration in which a rib 109 serving as a guide when the seal member 110 is attached to the analysis container 101 will be described. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the analysis container 101 according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A3-A4 in FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  When the sealing member 110 is attached to the analysis container 101, it is necessary to attach each inlet 103 so as not to protrude from the sealing member 110. For this reason, ribs 109 are provided on the plane of the analysis container 101 where the respective inlets 103 are provided to serve as guides when the seal member 110 is attached.

  The rib 109 is provided in a convex shape so that a part of the outer end of the seal member 110 is in contact with the rib 109, and the end of the seal member 110 is provided along the rib 109 so that the seal member 110 is connected to each inlet. 103 can be easily attached so as not to protrude.

  The seal member 110 is also used to reseal the analysis container 101 so that used reagents and the like are not leaked to the outside after analysis of the sample liquid, but the analysis container 101 is provided with a rib 109. Thus, the workability of resealing the seal member 110 can be improved.

(Embodiment 4)
As a fourth embodiment of the present invention, a configuration of a seal member 120 suitable for resealing the analysis container 101 will be described. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the analysis container 101 provided with the seal member 120, and FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view for explaining the cross-sectional structure of the seal member 120. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the sealing member 120 has a film shape in which a first adhesive layer 121, a release layer 122, a second adhesive layer 123, and a base material 124 are laminated in the thickness direction. .

  Prior to injection of the sample liquid, the seal member 120 is bonded to the analysis container 101 by the first adhesive layer 121. Further, when the specimen liquid is injected into the injection port 103, the seal member 120 is peeled off from the interface between the analysis container 101 and the first adhesive layer 121.

  When the injection port 103 is resealed with the seal member 120 after the analysis is completed, the first adhesive layer 121 is once peeled off, so that the adhesive strength is reduced. Therefore, the first adhesive layer 121 is peeled off from the release layer 122 of the seal member 120. The adhesive layer 121 is peeled off together, and the second adhesive layer 123 is newly exposed to adhere to the analysis container 101.

  In such a configuration, even when the analysis container 101 is resealed with the seal member 120, the adhesive force between the seal member 120 and the analysis container 101 can be kept strong, and the liquid mixture becomes a waste liquid during the subsequent collection and transportation. It is possible to further reduce the risk of leakage.

  Note that in order to further improve the above-described effect, the adhesive strength of the second adhesive layer 123 may be larger than the adhesive strength of the first adhesive layer 121. By doing in this way, when the user peels off the seal member 120 during component analysis, it is possible to perform the peeling operation relatively easily and to further increase the sealing force at the time of recovery after use. Can do.

(Embodiment 5)
As a fifth embodiment of the present invention, a configuration in which characters indicating that the analysis container 101 has been used is displayed on the seal member 120 will be described. FIG. 12 is a plan view illustrating an example of a state in which characters are displayed on the seal member 120. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. Since the basic configuration is the same as that of the fourth embodiment, sectional views and the like will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the analysis container 101 is sealed with the seal member 120, it may be difficult to distinguish whether the analysis container 101 is in a state before analysis or in a state after being used again. For this reason, about what was resealed after used, as shown in FIG. 12, the convenience of the analysis container 101 can be improved further by displaying a character on the sealing member 120. FIG.

  As a method for displaying characters on the seal member 120, for example, characters such as “Done” may be printed on the base material 124 of the transparent member, and the peeling layer 122 may be formed of a member having the same color as the printed characters. When the release layer 122 is peeled off, the characters emerge on the base material 124 and can be resealed in the analysis container 101 by the second adhesive layer 123 in a state where the characters are displayed.

  In addition, it is good also as a structure which prints a character on the peeling layer 122, displays a character in the state before an analysis, peels the peeling layer 122 after resealing, and a character disappears.

(Embodiment 6)
As a sixth embodiment of the present invention, a configuration in which an adhesive layer 108 for attaching a seal member 110 to the analysis container 101 side is provided will be described. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the analysis container 101 provided with the adhesive layer 108. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the above embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  When the adhesive layer is provided on the seal member 110, the adhesive layer is provided on the entire surface of the seal member 110, so that the adhesive layer of the seal member 110 is exposed on the upper surface of the inlet 103. For this reason, there is a possibility that the reagent inside may come into contact with the adhesive layer and deteriorate due to tilting the analytical container 101 during transportation.

  In the analysis container 101 according to the sixth embodiment, the adhesive layer 108 is provided on the portion where the seal member 110 is attached, so that the analysis container 101 can be attached to the seal member 110 without providing the adhesive layer. For this reason, it can prevent that the reagent accommodated in the analysis container 101 contacts the contact bonding layer of the sealing member 110, and deteriorates.

  It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely applied to an analysis container and an analysis apparatus for performing automatic analysis by reacting a sample liquid with a plurality of reagents such as analysis of soil components.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Analysis container 102 Analysis cell 103 Inlet 104 Measurement chamber 105 Flow path 106 Reagent 107 Rotating shaft 108 Adhesive layer 109 Rib 110 Seal member 111 Seal member 112 Seal member 120 Seal member 121 1st adhesive layer 122 Release layer 123 2nd Adhesive layer 124 Base material 150 Analyzing device 160 Rotating mechanism 170 Specimen liquid supply mechanism 180 Measuring unit 181 Light emitting unit 182 Photometric unit 190 Specimen liquid supply pass / fail determining unit

Claims (5)

One or more inlets provided on a first circumference centered on the rotation axis; and one or more measurement chambers provided on a second circumference outside the first circumference; , An analysis container comprising a flow path that communicates the inlet and the measurement chamber on a one-to-one basis,
The analysis container, wherein the injection port is sealed with a seal member, and the seal member has a seal member determination position formed so as to cover at least a part of the second circumference.   The analysis container according to claim 1, wherein the seal member has a light shielding property.   The analysis container according to claim 1, wherein the seal member is a film material.   The analysis container according to claim 1, wherein the seal member determination position of the seal member is disposed so as to cover at least one of the measurement chambers. An analyzer using the analysis container according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A rotating mechanism for placing and rotating the analysis container;
A sample liquid supply mechanism provided at a position corresponding to the first circumference of the analysis container and supplying the sample liquid to the injection port;
A light emitting unit that is provided at a position corresponding to the second circumference of the analysis container, and irradiates light to the analysis container;
A photometric unit for measuring the amount of light transmitted from the light emitting unit transmitted through the sample liquid in the measurement chamber of the analysis container; and
A measurement unit that performs component analysis of the sample liquid based on the amount of transmitted light that has passed through the sample liquid in the measurement chamber of the analysis container;
For the analysis container having the seal member, the presence or absence of the seal member is determined based on the amount of transmitted light at the seal member determination position measured by the photometry unit, and the sample liquid supply mechanism to the injection port An analyzer having a sample liquid supply failure determination unit for determining whether or not to supply a sample liquid.