JP6850155B2 - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer that performs quantitative and qualitative analysis of biological samples such as blood and urine.

For the purpose of realizing an automatic analyzer capable of improving the dispensing accuracy of a sample or the like regardless of the difference in the suction height of the sample or the like of the dispensing probe, Patent Document 1 describes the sample dispensing probe and the reagent component. It has a injection probe and an analysis unit that analyzes the reaction solution of the sample and reagent, and the sample or reagent component when a predetermined amount of sample or reagent is sucked from the sample container or reagent container with the sample or reagent dispensing probe. It is described that the stop position in the height direction of the injection probe is detected and the sample or reagent suction amount and the sample or reagent discharge amount of the sample or reagent dispensing probe are corrected according to the detected height stop position. ..

Further, as an example of an automatic analyzer that can avoid a decrease in suction amount reproducibility of a trace liquid sample due to a change in the flow path shape due to the movement of the nozzle, Patent Document 2 states that at least the nozzle is inserted into the liquid holding container. An automatic analyzer that executes a series of analysis cycles while keeping the positional relationship from the nozzle to the detection unit fixed is described.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-54014 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-58127

An automatic analyzer that performs quantitative and qualitative analysis of specific components contained in biological samples such as blood and urine (hereinafter referred to as samples) has high reproducibility of analysis results and high processing speed. It is indispensable for diagnosis.

The measurement method used in the automatic analyzer includes an analysis method using a reagent that changes the color of the reaction solution by reacting with the analysis target component in the sample (colorimetric analysis), or directly with the analysis target component in the sample. Alternatively, an analysis method (immunoanalysis) for counting labeled substances using a reagent in which a labeled substance is added to a substance that indirectly and specifically binds is known. In the automatic analyzer, the sample contained in the sample container and the reagent contained in the reagent container are dispensed into the reaction container and mixed to perform the analysis.

In recent years, automatic analyzers have been required to reduce running costs by reducing reagent consumption. Therefore, in order to reduce the amount of the reaction solution while maintaining the ratio of the sample and the reagent, the sample dispensing amount is particularly reduced. Therefore, maintaining accuracy even in trace dispensing is an important factor for data reliability, and various measures have been taken.

Here, in the nozzle for sucking the sample or the reagent, it is assumed that the height at which the nozzle sucks the sample or the reagent differs depending on the sample container and the reagent container. In this case, for example, there is a difference in conditions such as elastic deformation of the fluid and the flow path due to pressure, and a difference in the amount of bubbles at the tip of the nozzle immediately before discharging the sample or reagent to the reaction vessel, resulting in discharge of the sample or reagent. There is a difference in quantity. If the amount of sample dispensed is further reduced in the future, it is considered that the difference in the discharge amount due to the difference in the sample nozzle height at the time of sample suction as described above cannot be ignored.

In response to such a problem, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 arises from the difference in height by changing the operating amount of the syringe used for sucking and discharging the sample according to the height of the probe tip at the time of sucking the sample. We are proposing a method to correct the difference in sample discharge amount. Further, Patent Document 2 described above presents a method of sucking a sample by moving the reaction vessel to a fixed nozzle position for the purpose of aligning the conditions when the nozzle sucks the reaction solution. ..

However, the method of Patent Document 1 has a problem that the correction by the operation of the syringe cannot be corrected well when the error is equal to or less than the operating resolution of the sample pump. Further, the discharge amount may change due to a difference in conditions such as elastic deformation of the flow path depending on the height of the sample, but there is a problem that it is difficult to correct this change.

Further, the method of Patent Document 2 has a problem that the bottom cannot be lifted if there is no hole or the like in the bottom of the rack. Further, when the reagent container is lifted from the side of the rack, there is a problem that it is difficult to cope with various shapes of the reagent container. Further, there is a problem that each reagent container must be gripped, raised, lowered, and released, which takes a long time for processing.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer capable of suppressing a change in the discharge amount due to a difference in the sample nozzle height at the time of sample suction for each sample as compared with the conventional one.

In order to solve the above problems, for example, the configuration described in the claims is adopted.
The present invention includes a plurality of means for solving the above problems. For example, an automatic analyzer that dispenses a sample and a reagent into a reaction vessel and reacts them, and measures the reacted liquid. A sample dispensing probe that dispenses the sample from the sample container that holds the sample into the reaction vessel, and a transport unit that moves a transport member that holds a plurality of the sample containers in the horizontal and vertical directions. A detector that detects the liquid level of the sample in the sample container, and a vertical direction of the tip of the sample dispensing probe when sucking the sample based on the liquid level detected by the detector. a control unit for controlling the transport unit to so that to the same as between the height direction position different sample containers, characterized by comprising a.

According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the change in the discharge amount due to the difference in the sample nozzle height at the time of sample suction for each sample, and improve the analysis accuracy even when the sample equal dispensing amount is very small. Can be made to. Issues, configurations and effects other than those mentioned above will be clarified by the description of the following examples.

It is a figure which shows the outline of the whole structure of the automatic analyzer which concerns on this Example. It is a figure which shows the structure of the sample dispensing mechanism of the automatic analyzer of this Example. It is a figure which shows an example of the sample container and the sample liquid level height used in an automatic analyzer. It is a figure which shows the outline of the structure for keeping the height of the tip of a sample nozzle constant at the time of sample suction in this Example. It is a figure which shows the outline of another example of the structure for keeping the height of the tip of a sample nozzle constant at the time of sample suction in this Example. It is a figure which shows the flow of the operation of the sample container before and after the sample suction operation in the automatic analyzer of this Example. It is a figure which shows the sample liquid level with respect to the reference position in the automatic analyzer of this Example. It is a figure which shows the time change of the rack bottom position at the time of sample dispensing in the automatic analyzer of this Example.

Examples of the automatic analyzer of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. First, the overall configuration of the automatic analyzer will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of an automatic analyzer according to this embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the automatic analyzer 100 includes a sample transfer mechanism 19, a reagent disk 11, a reaction vessel 2, a reaction disk 1, a sample dispensing mechanism 13, 14 and a reagent dispensing mechanism 7, 8, 9, 10, stirring mechanisms 5 and 6, spectrophotometer 4, cleaning mechanism 3, cleaning tanks 15 and 16, reagent pump 20, sample pump 21, cleaning pump 22, and control unit 23. It is roughly composed of.

The sample transport mechanism 19 transports a rack (conveying member) 18 on which one or more sample containers 17 containing a sample to be analyzed are mounted. On the reagent disk 11, reagent bottles 12 containing reagents used for sample analysis are arranged side by side in a plurality of circumferential directions. On the reaction disk 1, reaction vessels 2 for mixing and reacting a sample and a reagent are arranged side by side in a plurality of circumferential directions. The sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 dispense the sample from the sample container 17 transported to the sample dispensing position by the sample transport mechanism 19 into the reaction vessel 2. The details will be described later. The reagent dispensing mechanism 7, 8, 9, 10 dispenses the reagent from the reagent bottle 12 into the reaction vessel 2. The stirring mechanisms 5 and 6 stir the mixed solution (reaction solution) of the sample and the reagent dispensed into the reaction vessel 2. The spectrophotometer 4 measures the absorbance of the reaction solution by measuring the transmitted light obtained from the light source 4a through the reaction solution of the reaction vessel 2. The cleaning mechanism 3 cleans the used reaction vessel 2. The sample nozzle cleaning tanks 15 and 16 are arranged in the operating range of the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14, and the sample nozzles 13a and 14a are cleaned with cleaning water.

The control unit 23 is composed of a computer or the like, and controls the operation of each device / mechanism in the automatic analyzer 100 to control the overall operation of the automatic analyzer 100 and controls the concentration of a predetermined component in the sample. Perform the required arithmetic processing.

The above is the overall configuration of the automatic analyzer 100. In FIG. 1, for the sake of simplicity of illustration, the connection between each mechanism constituting the automatic analyzer 100 and the control unit 23 is partially omitted.

The analysis process of the test sample by the automatic analyzer 100 as described above is generally performed in the following order.

First, the sample in the sample container 17 placed on the rack 18 transported near the reaction disk 1 by the sample transfer mechanism 19 is subjected to the sample nozzles (sample dispensing probe) 13a of the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14. Dispense into the reaction vessel 2 on the reaction disk 1 by 14a. Next, the reagent used for analysis is dispensed from the reagent bottle 12 on the reagent disk 11 into the reaction vessel 2 into which the sample was previously dispensed by the reagent dispensing mechanisms 7, 8, 9, and 10. Subsequently, the stirring mechanisms 5 and 6 stir the mixed solution of the sample and the reagent in the reaction vessel 2.

Then, the light generated from the light source 4a is transmitted through the reaction vessel 2 containing the mixed solution after stirring, and the luminous intensity of the transmitted light is measured by the spectrophotometer 4. The luminous intensity measured by the spectrophotometer 4 is transmitted to the control unit 23 via the A / D converter and the interface. Then, the control unit 23 performs an calculation to obtain the concentration of a predetermined component in a liquid sample such as blood or urine, displays the result on a display unit (not shown) or the like, and stores the result in a storage unit (not shown). ..

Next, the configurations of the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14.

In FIG. 2, the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 have cylindrical sample nozzles 13a and 14a arranged with their tips facing downward. A sample pump 21 is connected to the sample nozzles 13a and 14a. The sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 are configured to be capable of rotating and moving up and down in the horizontal direction. The sample nozzles 13a and 14a are inserted into the sample container 17 to suck the sample, and the sample nozzles 13a, By inserting 14a into the reaction vessel 2 and discharging the sample, the sample is dispensed from the sample vessel 17 into the reaction vessel 2. Further, the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 insert the sample nozzles 13a and 14a into the reaction vessel 2, suck the sample (or the reaction solution), and discharge the sample (or the reaction solution) into the other reaction vessel 2 to form a space between the reaction vessels 2. Dispense the sample (or reaction solution) in.

The sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 rotate the dispensing arm 27 for holding the sample nozzles 13a and 14a extending in the vertical direction, and the dispensing arm 27 in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the rotation with respect to the base 33 of the automatic analyzer 100. Each mechanism of the vertical mechanism 24, the horizontal mechanism 26, and the rotation mechanism 25 that drive in the direction is installed. Further, between the sample nozzles 13a and 14a and the sample pump 21, the flexible tube 29 connected to the sample nozzles 13a and 14a and one end of the flexible tube 29 are held and connected to the fixed flow path 30. A fixture 31 and a support 32 that is installed on the base 33 and holds the fixture 31 are provided. On the other end side of the fixed flow path 30, a syringe pump 34 and a solenoid valve 35 for supplying the system water 36 to the sample nozzles 13a and 14a are provided.

Further, liquid level detectors 28 are arranged in the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14, respectively. The liquid level detector 28 detects, for example, a change in capacitance of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a, and detects that the tip of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a has come into contact with the liquid level or the like by the change in capacitance. ..

Next, the operations of the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 2, before sucking the sample, the flow path from the sample pump 21 to the sample nozzles 13a and 14a via the fixed flow path 30 and the flexible tube 29 is filled with the system water 36, and the sample is sampled. A small amount of air is sucked into the tips of the nozzles 13a and 14a as segmented air.

After the sample nozzles 13a and 14a of the dispensing arm 27 come directly above the sample container 17 by the horizontal mechanism 26 and the rotating mechanism 25, the dispensing arm 27 is lowered by the vertical mechanism 24 and the tips of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a are raised. It is inserted into the sample in the sample container 17. At this time, the sample liquid level position is detected by the liquid level detector 28, and the tips of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a are immersed in the sample by several mm and stopped. The syringe pump 34 sucks and a certain amount of sample is sucked into the sample nozzles 13a and 14a.

After that, the sample nozzles 13a and 14a are raised by the vertical mechanism 24, and the sample nozzles 13a and 14a are stopped at the home position. The home position of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a is higher than the upper end side of the sample container 17 and the reaction container 2 so that the rotational operation of the dispensing arm 27 is not hindered.

After the ascending of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a is stopped, the dispensing arm 27 is rotated by the rotation mechanism 25 to move the sample nozzles 13a and 14a to the positions on the reaction disk 1.

After that, the dispensing arm 27 is lowered by the vertical mechanism 24, the tips of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a are inserted into the reaction vessel 2, the syringe pump 34 is discharged, and the sample is discharged from the sample nozzles 13a and 14a. After discharging a certain amount of sample into the reaction vessel 2, the sample nozzles 13a and 14a are raised by the vertical mechanism 24, and the sample nozzles 13a and 14a are washed by the washing tanks 15 and 16 of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a. Prepare for analysis.

Next, the state of the sample container 17 held in the rack 18 and the state of the sample held in the sample container 17 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of the sample container 17 mounted on the rack 18 and an example of the height of the liquid level 57 of the sample 56 held in the sample container 17.

In FIG. 3, the sample container 17 has several shapes and may be used in combination. For example, a cup-type sample container 17a installed on the upper surface of the rack 18, a test tube-type sample container 17b, 17c installed on the bottom of the rack 18, and a sample container 17a installed on the upper surface of the sample container 17b, 17c are used. There are cases.

Since the sample container can be used in combination with various shapes as described above, the height of the liquid level 57 of the sample 56 varies depending on the type of the sample container 17 to be used and the method of operating the apparatus.

Further, due to the difference between the height of the tips of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a immediately after the sample suction and the height of the tips of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a immediately before the sample ejection, the sample at the tip of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a immediately before the sample ejection is immediately after suction. It becomes a concave or convex state compared to the state. When the heights of the tips of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a at the time of sample ejection are fixed (that is, when the height at the time of sample ejection to the reaction vessel 2 is constant), the liquid level 57 of the sample 56 of the sample vessel 17 The difference in the tip heights of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a at the time of sample suction due to the difference in the height of the sample leads to the difference in the sample discharge amount. Further, the difference in the discharge amount changes depending on the inner diameter, material, length, etc. of the flexible tube 29 and the fixed flow path 30.

As described above, the occurrence of such a difference in the discharge amount can be a problem in the minute dispensing. The configuration for suppressing the difference in the discharge amount will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a configuration for keeping the heights of the tips of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a constant during sample suction, and is a main part of the present invention.

In FIG. 4, in order to move the rack 18 holding at least one sample container 17 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, the automatic analyzer 100 sets the sample 56 in the sample container 17 at a position in front of the sample suction position. Horizontal and vertical that can move the sample liquid level height at the sample dispensing position by the sample liquid level detector (detector) 38 that measures the height of the liquid level 57 and the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 in the vertical direction. It has a moving mechanism (conveying unit) 41. In such an automatic analyzer 100, when the sample 56 is sucked, it is detected by the sample liquid level detector 38 so that the height of the liquid level 57 of the sample 56 is the same between the different sample containers 17. The operation of the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 is controlled by the control unit 23 based on the information on the height of the liquid level 57.

The horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 that can move in the vertical direction can move the rack 18 in the vertical direction together with the mechanism that can move in the horizontal direction, and has a horizontal movement mechanism 41a that moves the rack 18 in the horizontal direction. It is composed of a vertical movement mechanism 41b that moves the horizontal movement mechanism 41a itself in the vertical direction.

The horizontal movement mechanism 41a includes a transfer belt 43a that moves the rack 18 in the horizontal direction, a pulley 44a that transmits the driving force of the motor 42a to the transfer belt 43a, and a fixing jig 18a that supports the rack 18 so as not to deviate from the transfer belt 43a. It has a linear guide 45a for guiding the above.

The vertical movement mechanism 41b includes a motor 42b that is a drive source for moving the horizontal movement mechanism 41a in the vertical direction, a belt 43b and a pulley 44b that transmit the driving force of the motor 42b to the horizontal movement mechanism 41a, and a horizontal movement mechanism 41a. It has a linear guide 45b that guides the guide.

In such an automatic analyzer 100, the rack 18 is conveyed as follows. The height of the liquid level 57 is measured by the sample liquid level detector 38 that measures the height of the liquid level 57 of the sample 56 in the sample container 17. After that, the rack 18 moves from the sample transfer mechanism 19 onto the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41, and moves to the reagent suction position by the transfer belt 43a in the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41. At the sample suction position, the height of the liquid level 57 of the sample 56 is the same between the different sample containers 17, based on the information of the height of the liquid level 57 detected by the sample liquid level detector 38. The rack 18 is moved in the vertical direction by the vertical movement mechanism 41b, and sample suction is performed. After the suction operation of all the sample containers 17 in the rack 18 is completed, the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 moves to a position where the height of the rack transfer surface of the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 is aligned with the height of the rack transfer surface of the sample transfer mechanism 19. Then, the rack 18 is moved to the sample transport mechanism 19 on the rack discharge side by the horizontal movement mechanism 41a and is discharged.

The horizontal movement mechanism 41a and the vertical direction can be used as a transport unit in which the height of the liquid level 57 of the sample 56 at the sample dispensing position by the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 is controlled to be the same between different samples 56. The horizontal and vertical moving mechanism 41 in which the moving mechanism 41b is composed of a motor, a belt, a pulley, a linear guide, and the like is illustrated and described. However, in addition to this configuration, the rack 18 for holding the sample container 17 is horizontally and vertically. The configuration is not particularly limited as long as it is a mechanism that can move in a direction.

For example, the transport unit may have a configuration in which the sample container 17 is brought to the sample suction position by a mechanism that can grip the rack 18 and move it in the vertical and horizontal directions. Hereinafter, other configuration examples will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing another configuration for keeping the heights of the tips of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a constant during sample suction, and is a main part of the present invention.

In FIG. 5, the automatic analyzer 100 moves the liquid of the sample 56 in the sample container 17 at a position in front of the sample suction position so as to move the rack 18 holding at least one sample container 17 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. A sample liquid level detector 38 for measuring the height of the surface 57 and a rack holding mechanism (conveyance) capable of vertically moving the liquid level 57 height of the sample 56 at the sample dispensing position by the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14. Part) 47. In such an automatic analyzer 100, when the sample 56 is sucked, the sample liquid level detector 38 detects the sample 56 so that the liquid level 57 height of the sample 56 is the same between the different sample containers 17. The operation of the rack holding mechanism 47 is controlled by the control unit 23 based on the information on the height of the liquid level 57.

The rack holding mechanism 47 includes a linear guide 47a, a motor 47b1, a motor 47b2, a telescopic arm 47c, and a gripping arm 47d. The gripping arm 47d grips the rack 18 waiting at the rack standby position 46, and releases the rack 18 held at the rack discharge position 48. The telescopic arm 47c is a mechanism for vertically moving the rack 18 gripped by the gripping arm 47d, and is driven by the motor 47b2. The linear guide 47a is a guide for moving each of the telescopic arms 47c driven in the horizontal direction by the motor 47b1 in the horizontal direction, and is a rack gripped by the gripping arm 47d between the rack standby position 46 and the rack discharge position 48. Move 18 horizontally. A robot arm that grips the rack 18 is configured by the gripping arm 47d, and a drive mechanism that moves the gripping arm 47d in the horizontal and vertical directions is configured by the linear guide 47a, the motor 47b1, the motor 47b2, and the telescopic arm 47c.

In such an automatic analyzer 100, the rack 18 is conveyed as follows. After measuring the liquid level 57 height by the sample liquid level detector 38 for measuring the liquid level 57 height of the sample 56 in the sample container 17, the rack 18 is placed in the rack standby position 46 on the sample transfer mechanism 19. The rack 18 is gripped by the gripping arm 47d, and the telescopic arm 47c is moved horizontally to the sample suction position by the motor 47b1. At this time, the telescopic arm 47c is based on the information of the liquid level 57 height detected by the sample liquid level detector 38 so that the liquid level 57 height of the sample 56 is the same between the different sample containers 17. The expansion and contraction length is adjusted, and sample suction is performed. After the suction operation of all the sample containers 17 in the rack 18 is completed, the telescopic arm 47c contracts, the rack 18 moves to the rack discharge position 48, and the rack 18 is discharged.

The horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 and the rack holding mechanism 47 are controlled by the control unit 23 so that the heights of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a during sample suction and the heights of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a during sample ejection are the same. It is possible, and such an aspect is most desired in terms of characteristics.

However, if the heights of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a at the time of sample suction are always constant between the sample containers 17 having different heights, the difference in height between the sample suction and the sample discharge is always constant. There is no difference in discharge amount due to the difference in height. Therefore, as described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the heights of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a at the time of sample suction and the heights of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a at the time of sample ejection do not necessarily have to be the same. It is necessary that the liquid level at the time of sample suction is constant and the height of the tips of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a at the time of sample suction is constant.

Further, the operation before suction has been described in the case where the sample nozzles 13a and 14a descend toward the sample in the sample container 17 after the rack 18 and the sample container 17 have been raised so that the sample liquid levels are the same. After the sample nozzles 13a and 14a descend toward the sample in the sample container 17, the rack 18 and the sample container 17 can be raised so that the sample liquid levels are the same, and further, the sample nozzles 13a, Only the rack 18 and the sample container 17 can rise towards 14a.

The rack 18 and the sample container 17 may be lifted so that the liquid level height becomes the same each time using the sample liquid level height measured by the sample liquid level detector 38, but sample suction is performed. For the sake of accuracy, it is desirable that the detailed positions of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a for starting the operation are determined by detecting the liquid level with the liquid level detectors of the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14.

The operation after suction may be such that the sample nozzles 13a and 14a may be raised with respect to the sample 56, or the sample container 17 may be lowered. In any case, the sample nozzles 13a, 14a or the rack 18 and the sample container 17 move until the sample nozzles 13a, 14a do not come into contact with the sample nozzle 13a, 14a when rotating or moving in the horizontal direction. do it.

Next, the operation of the sample container 17 before and after the sample suction operation will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows the operation flow of the sample container 17 before and after the sample suction operation.

In order to show the continuous operation flow of the rack as an example, the racks flow in the order of rack A → rack B. First, the first sample container in the rack A is set as the sample container A1, and the second sample container in the rack A is set. The sample container of No. 1 is referred to as a sample container A2, ..., And the first sample container in the rack B is referred to as a sample container B1, B2, ....

First, the sample liquid level detector 38 detects the liquid level height of the sample in the sample container 17 mounted on the rack A in all the sample containers A1, A2, ..., A5 mounted on the rack A. , The value of the liquid level is stored in the control unit 23 (step S601).

Next, the sample container A1 of the rack A is moved to a position at which the sample is sucked by the horizontal movement mechanism 41a (step S602).

Next, based on the height information measured by the sample liquid level detector 38, the sample container A1 of the rack A is vertically moved to the sample suction height by the vertical movement mechanism 41b (step S603).

Next, the sample of the sample container A1 is sucked by the sample nozzles 13a and 14a (step S604). After that, the sample nozzles 13a and 14a are separated from the sample container A1.

After that, the rack A is horizontally moved by the horizontal movement mechanism 41a (step S605) so that the sample container A2 of the rack A is in the sample suction position, and the liquid level 57 of the sample 56 of the moving sample container A1 and the sample container A2 is moved. The rack A is moved in the vertical direction by the vertical movement mechanism 41b by the difference in height (step S606). Whether to rise or fall in step S606 depends on the difference between the sample amounts in the sample container A1 and the sample container A2, and increases when the sample amount in the sample container A1 is larger than the sample amount in the sample container A2, and vice versa. In the case of, it becomes a descent.

After that, the sample suction operation of the sample container A2 is performed by the sample nozzles 13a and 14a (step S607).

Next, it is determined whether or not the sample suction has been completed in all the sample containers of the rack A (step S608), and control is performed so that the horizontal and vertical movements and suction operations of the rack A are repeated by the amount of the sample containers in the rack A. To do. When it is determined in step S608 that the sample suction has been completed in all the sample containers of the rack A, the process is shifted to step S609, and when it is determined that the process has not been completed, the process is returned to step S605, and the sample in the rack A is sampled. Perform a suction operation on all containers.

When the suction operation for all the sample containers in the rack A is completed, the rack A is discharged from the sample suction position (step S609) and the rack B is moved to the sample suction position (step S610). The liquid level height of all the samples in the rack B is measured by the sample liquid level detector 38 before moving to the sample suction position as in the rack A, and the rack B is vertically operated. Used when.

Next, the rack B is subjected to the same treatment as the sample suction treatment for the rack A shown in steps S602 to S69 (step S611).

FIG. 7 shows the liquid level height position and the suction height position from the reference position, and FIG. 8 shows the time change of the rack bottom surface position.

In FIG. 7, the liquid level height of the sample container A1 is set to Z1 with reference to the bottom surface of the rack 18, and similarly, the sample liquid level heights of the sample containers A2, A3, A4 and A5 are set to Z2, Z3, Z4 and Z5, respectively. , The sample suction height is ZA.

In this case, when the rack 18 is vertically operated as described in the flow of FIG. 6, the time-dependent change in the position of the bottom surface of the rack 18 is as shown in FIG. The vertical axis of the graph of FIG. 8 indicates the position of the bottom surface of the rack in the height direction, and the horizontal axis indicates time.

Specifically, in the sample container A1, the rack 18 moves by the distance from ZA to Z1, and the bottom surface of the rack 18 is at the position of ZA-Z1. In the next sample container A2, the rack 18 does not return to the height of the home position, but moves by the difference in the liquid level of the sample between the sample containers 17, so that only Z2-Z1 moves, and the bottom surface of the rack 18 moves. The position is ZA-Z1- (Z2-Z1) = ZA-Z2. In the next sample container A3, only Z3-Z2 is moved, and the bottom surface of the rack 18 is at the position of ZA-Z1- (Z2-Z1)-(Z3-Z2) = ZA-Z3. In the next sample container A4, only Z4-Z3 is moved, and the bottom surface of the rack 18 is at the position of ZA-Z1- (Z2-Z1)-(Z3-Z2)-(Z4-Z3) = ZA-Z4. In the next sample container A5, only Z5-Z4 moves, and the bottom surface of the rack 18 is ZA-Z1- (Z2-Z1)-(Z3-Z2)-(Z4-Z3)-(Z5-Z4) = ZA-Z5. It becomes the position of.

Next, the effect of this embodiment will be described.

The automatic analyzer 100 of the present embodiment described above is an automatic analyzer 100 that dispenses a sample and a reagent into the reaction vessel 2 and reacts them, and measures the reacted liquid, and is a sample container that holds the sample. A sample nozzles 13a and 14a for dispensing the sample from the sample container 2 into the reaction vessel 2, and a horizontal / vertical moving mechanism 41 or a rack holding mechanism 47 for moving the rack 18 for holding at least one sample container 17 in the horizontal and vertical directions. A device including a horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 and a control unit 23 for controlling a rack holding mechanism 47 so as to reduce a deviation of the sample in the liquid level height direction between different sample containers 17 when sucking the sample. Is.

Therefore, since the heights of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a at the time of sample suction can be reduced between different samples, the difference in the flow path state in the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 is also small between the different sample containers 17. can do. Therefore, the difference in the discharge amount of the sample, etc. due to the difference in the states of the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 at the time of sucking the sample, etc. can be reduced as compared with the conventional case, and the analysis accuracy can be reduced even when the dispensing amount of the sample, etc. is very small. Can be improved.

Further, a sample liquid level detector 38 for detecting the liquid level of the sample in the sample container 17 is further provided, and the control unit 23 shifts the sample in the liquid level direction when sucking the sample. By controlling the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 and the rack holding mechanism 47 based on the liquid level detected by the sample liquid level detector 38 so as to decrease between the different sample containers 17, the different sample containers 17 are separated from each other. The deviation of the heights of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a at the time of sample suction in the above can be reduced more accurately, and the dispensing accuracy can be further improved.

Further, the control unit 23 is based on the liquid level detected by the sample liquid level detector 38 so that the liquid level of the sample is the same between the sample containers 17 having different liquid levels when sucking the sample. By controlling the horizontal and vertical movement mechanism 41 and the rack holding mechanism 47, the heights of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a at the time of sample suction can be made the same between the different sample containers 17, and the analysis accuracy can be further improved. Is possible.

Further, when the transport member is a rack 18 that holds a plurality of sample containers 17, the control unit 23 is a sample container in the continuous sample containers 17 in the same rack 18 by the difference in the liquid level between the sample containers 17. In order to control the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 and the rack holding mechanism 47 so as to raise or lower 17, the vertical movement of each reagent container is compared with the method of moving the reaction container up and down for each reaction container as shown in Patent Document 2. The distance can be shortened. This is because Patent Document 2 is a technique premised on a reaction vessel having the same shape, and when this is applied to a vessel held by a transport member such as a rack, the bottom surface of the rack is raised from the reference position 0 each time to be a reference. The movement is to lower to position 0. On the other hand, by raising or lowering the sample container 17 by the difference in the liquid level between the sample containers 17, the vertical movement is performed by the difference in the height between the sample containers, so that the moving distance in the vertical direction is basic. It is possible to further improve the throughput of the dispensing process and reduce the load on the horizontal / vertical moving mechanism 41 and the rack holding mechanism 47.

Further, the control unit 23 controls the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 and the rack holding mechanism 47 so that the heights of the tips of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a at the time of sucking the sample and the heights of the tips of the sample nozzles 13a and 14a at the time of discharging are the same. By doing so, it is possible to reliably avoid the situation where the flow paths of the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 differ between the sample containers 17 having different shapes, and more accurate microdispensing becomes possible for analysis. The accuracy can be further improved.

Further, when the transport member is a rack 18 that holds a plurality of sample containers 17, the control unit 23 determines the liquid level in the continuous sample containers 17 in the same rack 18 without returning the rack 18 to the home position. By controlling the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 and the rack holding mechanism 47 so as to raise or lower the sample container 17 by the difference, the vertical movement distance of the rack 18 can be shortened, and the throughput of the dispensing process can be further increased. It is possible to improve and reduce the load on the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 and the rack holding mechanism 47.

Further, the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 is composed of a horizontal movement mechanism 41a that moves the rack 18 in the horizontal direction and a vertical movement mechanism 41b that moves the horizontal movement mechanism 41a itself in the vertical direction. The rack 18 can be moved horizontally and vertically by a simple configuration.

Further, the rack holding mechanism 47 is composed of a robot arm that grips the rack 18 and a drive mechanism that moves the robot arm in the horizontal and vertical directions, so that the rack 18 can be moved horizontally and vertically by a simple configuration. It can be moved vertically.

<Others>
The present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications and applications are possible. The above-described examples have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations.

For example, the case where the rack 18 capable of holding a plurality of sample containers 17 having different shapes is used as the transport member has been described, but the transport member can be a holder that holds one sample container 17.

Further, the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 and the rack holding mechanism 47 are set based on the liquid level detected by the sample liquid level detector 38 so that the liquid level of the sample is the same among the sample containers 17 having different liquid levels. Although the case of control has been described, the liquid level height of the sample does not have to be the same between the different sample containers 17, and may be reduced between the different sample containers 17. For example, if the deviation of the sample in the liquid level height direction is ± several centimeters between different sample containers 17, and more preferably, it is about the limit of the accuracy of the vertical drive system of the horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 and the rack holding mechanism 47. The difference in the flow path state in the sample dispensing mechanisms 13 and 14 can be sufficiently reduced between the sample containers 17 having different differences.

Further, the case of controlling based on the liquid level detected by the sample liquid level detector 38 has been described, but the factor for controlling the liquid level of the sample is the sample liquid level detector 38. It is not limited to the height of the actual liquid level detected in. For example, in the cup-type sample container 17a shown in FIG. 3, since the distance to the bottom of the container is shallow, the height of the sample liquid level can be roughly estimated. Further, even with the cup-type sample container 17a on the upper surfaces of the sample containers 17b and 17c shown in FIG. 3, if it is possible to specify which test tube type the upper surface of the sample container 17a is installed on, the height of the sample liquid level can be roughly estimated. can do. Furthermore, even when the cup-type sample container 17a is not installed, the range of the height of the sample liquid level can be estimated if it is possible to specify which test tube type is used. For example, in relation to the sample container 17b in which the sample container 17a is not installed and the sample container 17c in which the sample container 17a is installed in FIG. 3, the bottom surface of the sample container 17a is higher than the opening of the sample container 17b. Therefore, when sucking the sample in the sample container 17b, the rack 18 is controlled to be lifted, and when the sample in the sample container 17a is sucked, the rack 18 is not lifted or the rack 18 is lifted smaller than the previous lifting amount. By controlling the lifting by the amount, it is possible to reduce the deviation of the sample in the liquid level height direction without fail. Therefore, when such a cup-type sample container 17a, sample containers 17b, c, and a container type that is a combination of these can be specified, the deviation of the sample in the liquid level height direction differs depending on the container type. The horizontal / vertical movement mechanism 41 and the rack holding mechanism 47 can be controlled so as to decrease between the sample containers 17. The container type is specified by the container type identification means. The container type specifying means includes an optical reflection type sensor capable of specifying the container type, a camera type sensor by image recognition, and the like. However, the container type specifying means is not limited to the means for specifying the container type from the appearance in this way. For example, when the rack number or the container type of the container to be placed is registered in the device by the combination of the rack number and the container in the rack in advance, the container type can be specified only by reading the rack number. can do. This rack number can be read from a barcode or RFID attached to the rack. Similarly, even in the sample container unit, the container type can be specified by reading the identification information such as the barcode or RFID attached to the sample container. In addition, the container type specifying means may be such that the user directly inputs the container type information mounted on the rack into the device and specifies the container type from the input information.

1 ... Reaction disk 2 ... Reaction vessel 3 ... Cleaning mechanism 4 ... Spectrophotometer 4a ... Light source 5 ... Stirring mechanism 6 ... Stirring mechanism 7 ... Reagent dispensing mechanism 8 ... Reagent dispensing mechanism 9 ... Reagent dispensing mechanism 10 ... Reagent Injection mechanism 11 ... Reagent disk 12 ... Reagent bottle 13, 14 ... Sample dispensing mechanism 13a, 14a ... Sample nozzle (sample dispensing probe)
15, 16 ... Sample nozzle cleaning tank 17 ... Sample container 18 ... Rack (conveying member)
18a ... Fixing jig 19 ... Sample transfer mechanism 21 ... Sample pump 23 ... Control unit 24 ... Vertical mechanism 25 ... Rotation mechanism 26 ... Horizontal mechanism 27 ... Dispensing arm 28 ... Liquid level detector 29 ... Flexible tube 30 ... Fixed Flow path 31 ... Fixture 32 ... Support 33 ... Base 34 ... Syringe pump 35 ... Electromagnetic valve 36 ... System water 38 ... Detector (detector)
41 ... Horizontal / vertical movement mechanism (conveyor)
41a ... Horizontal movement mechanism 41b ... Vertical movement mechanism 42a, 42b ... Motor 43a ... Conveyance belt 43b ... Belt 44a, 44b ... Pulley 45a, 45b ... Linear guide 46 ... Rack standby position 47 ... Rack holding mechanism (conveyance unit)
47a ... Linear guides 47b1, 47b2 ... Motor 47c ... Telescopic arm 47d ... Gripping arm 48 ... Rack discharge position 56 ... Sample 57 ... Liquid level 100 ... Automatic analyzer

Claims (9)

It is an automatic analyzer that dispenses a sample and a reagent into a reaction vessel and reacts them, and measures the reacted liquid.
A sample dispensing probe for dispensing the sample from the sample container holding the sample to the reaction vessel,
A transport unit that moves a transport member that holds a plurality of the sample containers in the horizontal and vertical directions, and a transport unit.
A detector that detects the liquid level of the sample in the sample container, and
Based on the detector is detected by the liquid level, the vertical direction in the height direction position of the tip of the sample dispensing probe when aspirating the sample so that to the same as between different sample containers An automatic analyzer characterized by having a control unit that controls the transport unit. In the automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
When sucking the sample, the control unit controls the transport unit based on the liquid level height detected by the detector so that the liquid level height of the sample is the same between different sample containers. An automatic analyzer characterized by In the automatic analyzer according to claim 2,
When the transport member is a rack that holds a plurality of the sample containers, the control unit raises or lowers the sample containers by the difference in the liquid level between the sample containers in the continuous sample containers in the same rack. An automatic analyzer characterized in that the transport unit is controlled so as to be operated. In the automatic analyzer according to claim 2,
The control unit controls the transport unit so that the height of the tip of the sample dispensing probe at the time of sucking the sample and the height of the tip of the sample dispensing probe at the time of discharging are the same. apparatus. In the automatic analyzer according to claim 2,
When the transport member is a rack that holds a plurality of the sample containers, the control unit describes the difference in liquid level in the continuous sample containers in the same rack without returning the transport member to the home position. An automatic analyzer characterized by controlling the transport unit so as to raise or lower the sample container. In the automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
The transport unit is an automatic analyzer characterized in that it is composed of a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the transport member in the horizontal direction and a vertical movement mechanism that moves the horizontal movement mechanism in the vertical direction. In the automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
The transport unit is an automatic analyzer comprising a robot arm that grips the transport member and a drive mechanism that moves the robot arm in the horizontal and vertical directions. In the automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
An automatic analyzer characterized in that the transport member is a rack capable of holding a plurality of the sample containers having different shapes. The reaction vessel is reacted with the sample and reagent dispensed each fraction, met automatic analyzer for measuring the liquid obtained by the reaction,
A sample dispensing probe for dispensing the sample from the sample container holding the sample to the reaction vessel,
A transport unit that moves a transport member that holds a plurality of the sample containers in the horizontal and vertical directions, and a transport unit.
A container type specifying means for specifying the container type of the sample container and
Based on the container type specified by the container type specifying means, the transport so that the position of the tip of the sample dispensing probe in the vertical direction and height direction when sucking the sample is the same between different sample containers. An automatic analyzer characterized by having a control unit that controls the unit.

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