JPH0121465B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to improvements in automatic chemical analyzers.

The amount of chemical components such as enzymes secreted by an organ changes depending on the functional status of that organ. This chemical component is secreted into the serum, and since it is a unique chemical component for each organ, it is necessary to collect the patient's blood and quantitatively analyze the amount of the chemical component contained in the serum. It is possible to understand the diagnosis and treatment process of a disease.

An automatic chemical analyzer sequentially dispenses a large number of serum samples into a reaction container, then injects a reaction reagent and a diluent for the chemical component to be analyzed into the reaction container to proceed with the reaction. This device performs analysis by exposing the sample solution to light and measuring the amount of transmitted light.

A schematic configuration of such an apparatus is shown in FIG.

In the figure, 11 has an endless configuration, and from the top,
This is a reaction line that circulates downward in one direction. This reaction line 11 includes a plurality of reaction tubes 11a.
are attached at equal intervals, and the reaction tubes 11a are moved to the upper side of the reaction line 11 by circulation movement.
is in an upright position, and the reaction tube 11a, which has been moved downward, is in an inverted state.

The reaction tube 11a on the lower side is moved to the upper side after cleaning and drying by a cleaning mechanism section 12 consisting of a nozzle for discharging cleaning water to clean the inside of the reaction tube, a brush for cleaning the inside of the reaction tube, a dryer for drying, etc. Samples, reagents, etc. are dispensed.

13 is a sampling nozzle transport mechanism that moves the sampling nozzle 14 provided at the dispensing position on the upper return side of the reaction line 11;
Reference numeral 5 designates a circular sample holding table which is provided near the sampling nozzle transport mechanism 13 and holds a large number of samples. This sample holding table 15 holds sampling cups 15a in which samples are placed at predetermined intervals on a predetermined circular locus on the upper surface near the side periphery.
5 is intermittently rotated in one direction at pitch intervals of the sampling cups 15a, thereby sequentially moving the sampling cups 15a to the sampling positions PA of the sampling nozzle conveying mechanism 13.

As a result, by moving the sampling nozzle 14 toward the sample holding table 15, it can be lowered into the sampling cup 15a at the sampling position, and the sampling nozzle 14 can also be moved to the dispensing position. For example, it can be lowered into the reaction tube 11a at the dispensing position.

16 is a sampling pump, 16a is a diluent container, and the sampling pump 16 is provided with a syringe that moves up and down, for example, and one of the tubes 16b is diluted through a switching valve at the suction and discharge port of this syringe. A tube 16c is disposed within a liquid container 16a, and a tube 16c is connected to the sampling nozzle 14 via the switching valve. Then, the switching valve is switched to the diluent container 16a and the syringe is suctioned, and then the switching valve is switched to the sampling nozzle 14 side and the sampling nozzle 14 is lowered into the sampling cup 15a. By performing a suction operation, then moving the sampling nozzle 14 to the reaction tube 11a side and discharging the syringe, the aspirated sample in the sampling nozzle 14 is discharged into the reaction tube 11a and the aspirated diluted liquid is discharged. Then, the sample is dispensed and diluted, and the sampling nozzle 14 is cleaned.

17A and 17B are reagent pumps for dispensing the reaction reagent into the reaction tube 11a into which the sample has been dispensed as described above, and 17A-a and 17B-a are reagent nozzles for discharging the reagent from these reagent pumps 17A and 17B. It is. 17C is a reagent dispensing setting plate, and this reagent dispensing setting plate 17C is a relatively long plate with a plurality of holes provided at a pitch corresponding to the arrangement pitch of the reaction tubes 11a on the reaction line 11. This reagent dispensing setting plate 17C is connected to the sampling nozzle mechanism 1.
They are appropriately installed at fixed positions on the reaction line 11 downstream from the dispensing position in step 3, and correspond to positions where the required reaction time can be obtained, as shown in Figure 2, in order to maintain reaction times that vary depending on the test item. The reagent nozzle 17A-a, 1 is inserted into the hole h of the reagent setting plate 17C.
7B-a is inserted and held, and the reagent is dispensed into the reaction tube 11a at this reagent nozzle position. That is, since the reaction line 11 moves downstream by intermittent driving at a predetermined pitch l, the reaction time corresponds to the distance from the measurement station Pb, which will be described later. By providing the desired reaction time, the desired reaction time can be obtained.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a suction nozzle for sucking a reaction sample provided at a fixed position (measurement position) on the uppermost downstream side of the reaction line 11, and this suction nozzle 18 is raised and lowered by a drive mechanism (not shown) at the measurement position. A suction nozzle can be inserted into and removed from the reaction tube 11a below this measurement position. Reference numeral 19 denotes a suction pump in which a suction tube 19a is connected to this suction nozzle 18.
Aspirate the reaction sample in a. This aspirated reaction sample is discharged to the outside through a suction pump 19.

Reference numeral 20 denotes an analysis section consisting of a flow cell for colorimetric analysis, an optical system, a calculation section, etc. A tube, which is a communication conduit between the suction pump 19 and the suction nozzle 18, is connected to the flow cell of this analysis section 20. Connect the suction nozzle 18 to
The more aspirated reaction sample passes through a flow cell where it is colorimetrically analyzed and discharged to the outside from a suction pump 19.

The operation of the conventional device having such a configuration will be explained as follows.

Since conventional automatic chemical analyzers perform measurements by a series of operations at a fixed cycle, this cycle is called the system cycle.

First, let's consider the system cycle. As shown in the time chart in Figure 3, the reaction line 11
toward the analysis section 20 for one reaction tube (one pitch)
move only. A ₁ second after this point, the sampling nozzle 14 is lowered by the sampling nozzle transport mechanism 13 onto the sampling cup 15a of the sample holding table 15 at the sampling position, and the sampling pump 16 is driven to aspirate a predetermined amount of sample. , the sampling nozzle 14 is moved onto the reaction tube 11a at the dispensing position and the sample is discharged. Furthermore, _one second after the completion of the movement for one pitch, the reagent pump 17A or 17B is driven to discharge a predetermined amount of the reagent into the reaction tube 11b.

Then, the suction nozzle 18 is inserted into the reaction tube 11c, which has reached the measurement position ₁ second later.
c, the suction pump 19 is operated, and the sample liquid reacted with the reagent is sucked into the analysis section 20. Measurement is started after waiting for the inhaled reaction sample liquid to stop, and when a certain observation time _d1 has elapsed, the measurement is completed, and the suction pump 19 is further operated to suck the sample inside the analysis section 20 to the outside. dispose of. The above operation is performed for n seconds, and the reaction line 11 is again moved by one reaction tube.

In this way, four types of operations are performed within one system cycle; sampling start time a ₁ , reagent dispensing start time b ₁ , and observation start time within the system cycle.
c ₁ and observation time d ₁ were fixed. Further, as shown in Fig. 2, the reaction time of the reagent is controlled by the position of the reagent nozzle 17B-a set on the reagent dispensing setting plate 17C, but in this type of time control, everything including the reaction time is becomes the unit of system cycle.

For this reason, all analytical operations have to be matched to the fixed system cycle of the instrument, and the reaction time that can be obtained is limited, so the reagents that can be used are also limited. It is not possible to shorten the time required for the process or increase the number of samples processed per unit time, and the reagent dispensing position must be determined manually, which is complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks by making the system cycle not fixed but freely changeable, making it possible to use all kinds of reagents, and controlling the system using a computer. When measuring measurement items with various measurement conditions using the same device, it is possible to maximize the number of specimens measured within a certain period of time, and the control conditions at that time can be automatically adjusted. The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic chemical analyzer that can perform indexing.

4 to 6 regarding one embodiment of the present invention.
This will be explained with reference to the figures. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the present apparatus, and the same parts as in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and their explanation will be omitted here.

The configuration of the present invention is basically the same as that in FIG. 1, with a reaction line 11 that continuously conveys a group of reaction tubes.
, an analysis section 20 that measures the sample, a sample holding table 15 that sends the sample, a sampling pump 16 that dispenses the sample, a reagent pump 17 that dispenses the reagent, and an analysis section 2 that transfers the sample.
It is equipped with a suction pump 19 for suctioning to 0. In addition, in this device, the above-mentioned sampling nozzle transport mechanism 13 and reagent dispensing setting plate 17C are abolished, and instead, a guide rail 41a is provided along this lie on the upper surface side of the reaction line 11, and the guide rail 41a is guided by this guide rail 41a. The sampling nozzle 14 and reagent nozzle 17A-
a, 17B-a at reaction tube pitch intervals, and a guide rail 41a.
A pair of pulleys 41c, 41d provided at both ends of the belt 41, which is stretched over the pulleys 41c, 41d and partially fixed to the nozzle conveying block 41b.
a nozzle transport mechanism 41 consisting of a nozzle transport motor 41f that drives a pulley 41d and a nozzle transport block 41b, numeric keys 42 for inputting measurement parameters, a display section 43 for displaying operations, and a display section 43 for printing measurement results. printer 44
, a control unit 45 that controls each unit such as the sampling pump 16, reagent pumps 17A, 17B, analysis unit 20, suction pump 19, sample holding table, etc., and a calculation unit that calculates the system cycle etc. from cycle determining factors. 46 and a storage section 47 that holds measurement parameters and control information.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the control section 45, calculation section 46, and storage section 47. As shown in the figure, the configuration of the control section 45, calculation section 46, and storage section 47 includes a measurement condition input control section 51 for inputting measurement parameters given from the numerical keys 42, and a measurement parameter storage for storing the input measurement parameters. 52, and from the cycle determining factors of the stored measurement parameters, the measurement driving time t ₁ and the reaction tube unit time are determined.
t ₂ , approximate dispensing operation time t ₃ , washing and drying time t ₄ , etc. are determined and stored in the storage unit 53a, and from these, control information on the system cycle, reagent dispensing start time, sample dispensing position, and observation start time is obtained. A system cycle calculation control unit 53 that calculates and controls the system period calculation control unit 53, and a control information storage unit 5 that stores the control information that is calculated and outputted.
4 and the display section 4 from the measured parameters and control information based on the clock output of the clock generator CL.
3. Nozzle transport controller 41g which is a control unit of nozzle transport mechanism 41, sample holding table 1
5, the reaction line controller 11b, which is the drive control unit for the reaction line 11, the sampling pump controller 16c, which is the drive control unit for the sampling pump 16, the reagent pump 17A, The reagent pump, which is the drive control section of 17B,
The system controller 55 includes a controller 17e, a suction pump controller 19b which is a drive control section for the suction pump, and a system control section 55 that controls each unit such as a digital conversion circuit 20a for the detection output of the analysis section 20. This system control section 55 is the same as that provided in the conventional device.

Next, the operation of this apparatus having the above configuration will be explained.

Prior to use, the numeric keys 42 are operated to input necessary measurement parameters. The measurement condition input control unit 51 inputs the measurement item, measurement mode, standard solution value, measurement calculation coefficient, measurement wavelength, viewing time, sample dispensing amount, first reagent dispensing amount, and first reagent dispensing input through the numerical keys 42. Each of these measurement parameters such as the amount, the first reagent reaction time, and the first reagent reaction time are entered into the measurement parameter storage section 52. In addition, the measurement condition input control section 5
1 controls the input measurement parameters to be displayed on the display unit 43. Next, the system cycle calculation control unit 53 calculates the observation time based on the data of the observation time, sample dispensing amount, and first and second reagent reaction times, which are cycle determining factors among the various parameters stored in the measurement parameter storage unit 52. The time to suck the sample into the analysis section 20, the liquid stop time, and the analysis section 20
The measurement driving time _t1 is determined by adding the time for discarding the measured sample liquid from , and then adding the first reagent reaction time and the first reagent reaction time to determine the reaction time from the reaction tube where the reagent can be dispensed to the point where it is sucked into the analysis section. Divide by the number of tubes to find the reaction tube unit time _t2 , and then calculate the sample dispensing amount, the first reagent dispensing amount, the first reagent dispensing amount, the sampling pump 16 and the reagent pumps 17A, 17.
From the flow rate of B, calculate the dispensing operation time, add certain times such as the dilution water suction and discharge time, the maximum reciprocating time of the nozzle transport block 41b, and the margin waiting time to the dispensing operation time, and calculate the approximate dispensing operation time t ₃ Next, the washing and drying time t ₄ from reaction tube drive to the end of reaction tube washing and drying given in advance, the measurement drive time t ₁ , the reaction unit time t ₂ and the approximate dispensing operation time t ₃ are determined. Compare and find the one with the longest time as the system period ts. Further, the system cycle calculation control unit 53 adds the first reagent reaction time and the first reagent reaction time to obtain the total reaction time, divides it by the system cycle ts, calculates the quotient, and calculates the total reaction time by how many cycles of the system cycle. The number of minutes required is determined and this quotient is set as the first reagent dispensing position, and the remainder is subtracted from the system cycle ts to determine the first reagent dispensing start time. The sample dispensing position is from the first reagent dispensing position to the sampling and nozzle transport block.
The nozzle 14 and the first reagent nozzle are placed in front of each other by the pitch of the reaction tube, so find this, then divide the first reagent reaction time by the system cycle ts, take the quotient as the first reagent dispensing position, and calculate the remainder from the system cycle ts. Subtract this to determine the first reagent dispensing start time. Then, the sample suction time to the analysis section 20 and the liquid stop time are subtracted from the system cycle ts to obtain the observation start time. In this way, the system cycle calculation control section 5
3 obtains various control information, obtains the results, and stores the results in the control information storage section 54. next,
When measurement begins, the system control unit 55 operates and counts the internal clock based on the contents of the measurement parameter storage unit 52 and the system cycle ts, reagent dispensing start time, and observation start time of the control information storage unit 54b. However, 11b, 15b, 16c, 17c, 19b,
Each controller of 41g, display section 43, analysis section
The analysis proceeds by controlling the ADC 20a, etc., and operating each unit once per control system cycle.

The series of operations of each unit will be explained as shown in the time chart of FIG. In the figure, a indicates the vertical movement of the sampling nozzle 14, and b indicates the home position HOMEP of the sampling pump 16.
The transition of operation for the required amount of suction/exhaust operation using the reference point as
c indicates the operating point of the electromagnetic valve that controls the switching valve of the sampling pump 16, d indicates the drive of the sample holding table 15, and e indicates the timing of the operation of the sample cup 15a.
The transfer timing of the nozzle 14 to the reaction tube counted from the PA of the reaction line 11 in FIG. ,
h indicates the vertical movement of the suction nozzle 18, i indicates the operation of the suction pump 19, and j indicates the analysis unit 20.
k indicates the ADC operation, k indicates the cleaning of the reaction tube, and l indicates the transfer operation for one pitch of the reaction line 11, respectively.

In this way, a nozzle transport block is provided that holds the sampling nozzle and the first and second reagent nozzles, which are movable along the direction in which the reaction line is laid, and a memory that stores various measurement parameters input by key operations is provided. Based on the stored parameters, the time required for measurement, the unit time per reaction tube determined from the reaction time of the reagent used and the number of reaction tubes that can be dispensed, and the dispensing of sampling, reagent dispensing, nozzle transport, etc. A system cycle calculation control unit that determines the approximate operating time and the time required for washing and drying each time the reaction line is driven, and determines the longest time among these as the system cycle, and various measurement parameters stored in the storage unit using the system cycle determined. A system control section is installed to control the nozzle transport, sample holding table, reaction line drive, sampling pump, reagent pump, suction pump, analysis section, etc. based on the system. Sampling and reagent dispensing are carried out by holding these in the nozzle transport block that holds them at the set pitch, and after sampling the sample, move the nozzle transport block to the reaction tube position corresponding to the reaction time to perform reagent dispensing. Note that the operation time of these pumps and the movement time of the nozzle conveyance block are the only constraints, and the washing and drying time of reaction tubes, the time required for analysis and measurement, and the time required for sampling, reagent dispensing, etc., which vary depending on the amount dispensed, etc. Note: Calculate the reaction tube unit time, which is the minimum time required for the movement cycle of one pitch, based on the number of reaction tubes between the sample dispensing position and the measurement position for the operation time and reaction time, and calculate the reaction tube unit time, which is the minimum time required for the movement cycle of one pitch. The system cycle is determined based on the system cycle, and the nozzle transport block is moved to the reaction tube position where the required reaction time can be obtained according to the system cycle to control the reagent dispensing operation, and each unit is controlled according to various measurement parameters. As a result, the system cycle is variable depending on the measurement parameters that determine the cycle (observation time, sample aliquot volume, reagent aliquot volume, reagent reaction time), and the possible reaction times are variable as in the case of a fixed system cycle. This eliminates inconveniences such as limitations on usable reagents due to constraints. Moreover, since the reagent dispensing position is automatically determined from the determined system cycle, it is easy for the operator to use the desired reagent, and the system cycle is the minimum time required to meet the testing purpose. It is possible to provide an automatic chemical analyzer having excellent features such as maximizing the number of samples that can be processed by the apparatus for the purpose of testing and increasing work efficiency.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional device;
Figure 2 is a diagram to explain the relationship between the reagent dispensing selection board, sampling position, settable reaction time, and reaction time, Figure 3 is a diagram showing a time chart of the operation of each part of the conventional device, and Figure 4 is FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system, and FIG. 6 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the device. 11...Reaction line, 11a...Reaction tube, 12
... Cleaning mechanism section, 14 ... Sampling nozzle, 15 ... Sample holding table, 15 ... Sample cup, 16 ... Sample pump, 1
6a... Diluent container, 17A, 17B... Reagent pump, 17A-a, 17B-a... Reagent nozzle,
18... Suction nozzle, 19... Suction pump, 20... Analysis section, 41... Nozzle transport mechanism, 41a... Guide rail, 41b... Nozzle transport block, 41c, 41d... Pulley,
41e...Belt, 42...Numeric key, 45...
Control unit, 46... Calculation unit, 47... Storage unit, 51
. . . Measurement condition input control section, 53 . . . System cycle calculation control section, 55 . . . System control section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A reaction line that holds and circulates reaction tubes at predetermined intervals, and a sample holding means that holds a plurality of samples and sequentially sends them to predetermined sampling positions are installed at fixed positions, and a sampling
A nozzle transport mechanism that holds a nozzle and a reagent nozzle and moves between the reaction line and the sample holding means is provided, and the sample at the sampling position in the sample holding means is aspirated by the sampling nozzle, and the sample is sucked into a predetermined position in the reaction line. The reagent is dispensed into the reaction tube at the dispensing position, and the reaction is proceeded by dispensing the reagent into the dispensed reaction tube from the reagent nozzle. In an automatic chemical analyzer that automatically analyzes a plurality of samples by analyzing a reaction sample using an analysis section, the nozzle conveyance mechanism is configured to be movable to a desired position along the reaction line, and also configured to be able to move to a desired position along the reaction line, and also to A key for inputting , a storage section for storing the various measurement conditions inputted by this key, and a system cycle for determining the processing time per reaction tube from the stored measurement conditions and various system-specific operating times. A system period calculation control section, which determines a reagent dispensing position based on the system period determined by the system period calculation control section and the measurement conditions stored in the storage section, and determines the reagent dispensing position according to the system period, and determines the reagent dispensing position according to the system period. Automated chemistry characterized in that it is configured by providing a system control section that controls movement between reagent dispensing positions, movement control of the sample holding means and the reaction line, suction and discharge control of the nozzle, and drive control of the analysis section. Analysis equipment.