JPH01221670A - Automatic chemical analyzing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the need for a reaction container for calibrating liquid and use of unnecessary reaction container, and to improve the processing speed by providing a calibrating liquid container which supplies the calibrating liquid to a movement path opposite the position of an electrolyte measuring electrode. CONSTITUTION:Reaction containers 2 arranged in a thermostatic chamber 1 are conveyed in order and a colorimetric system takes a colorimetric analysis at a prescribed position. The reaction liquid in a reaction container 2 which is carried to right below the electrolyte measuring electrode 8, on the other hand, is analyzed electrolytically by this electrode. Then the electrode 8 changes its direction to the adjacent calibrating liquid container 14 to take an electrolyte analysis of calibrating liquid similarly. In this case, the calibrating liquid container 14 and reaction container 2 are provided individually, so the reaction container 2 can be used only for reaction liquid. Consequently, the processing speed is improved as compared with a case wherein the reaction container is used for the calibrating liquid.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an automatic chemical analyzer that performs colorimetric analysis or electrolyte analysis on samples collected from living organisms.

(Prior art) A sample of a living body, such as serum collected from a human body.
An automatic chemical analyzer is known that is used for diagnosis by measuring the concentration of a specific component or the amount of electrolyte in a reaction solution by reacting a desired reagent with the reaction solution using a colorimetric method or an electrode method. FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of such an analyzer, in which, for example, a large number of reaction vessels 2 are immersed in a circular constant temperature bath 1 and are transported in a fixed cycle in the direction of the arrow. Around the constant temperature chamber 1, there are sample dispensing nozzles 3 for dispensing samples into the reaction vessels 2, respectively. Reagent dispensing nozzle for dispensing reagents4. Stirring bar for stirring the reaction solution of sample and reagent 5. A washing/drying nozzle 6 for washing and drying is provided. Further, a photometric system 7 including a light source 7a and a detector 7b is provided at a predetermined position, and the concentration of a specific component in the reaction solution of the sample and reagent dispensed into the reaction container 2 is measured colorimetrically. It is meant to be analyzed.

Ion-selective electrodes (hereinafter simply referred to as electrodes) 8 for electrolyte analysis are provided at predetermined positions around (directly above) the thermostatic chamber 1, and a reaction solution and a calibration solution are alternately supplied from the reaction container 2 directly below. Measurement is performed using the electrode method by suctioning the

Figure 8 shows an electrode measurement system especially for electrolyte analysis, in which a constant temperature bath 1 directly below the electrode 8 includes a reaction vessel 2a filled with a reaction solution containing a sample and a reaction vessel filled with a calibration solution. 2b are transported intermittently as a pair each cycle. First, the electrode 8 is placed directly under the reaction container 2.
After descending into the chamber a and suctioning the reaction liquid by the suction pump 9, it rises again and performs a measurement.Subsequently, the calibration liquid in the reaction container 2b, which has been conveyed directly below, is similarly measured. Similarly, the operation of alternately measuring the reaction solution and the calibration solution is repeated for the reaction vessels of the following pairs of methods. By calibrating the electrodes for each measurement in this way, measurement errors can be prevented when measurements are performed continuously. Incidentally, among the bare reaction vessels, the reaction vessel 2a filled with the reaction liquid is also commonly used for colorimetric analysis. Figure 9 shows another example of the electrode measurement system.
A bare reaction vessel 2a used for electrolyte analysis.

In addition to 2b, a reaction vessel 2G used for colorimetric analysis is separately designed so that a total of three reaction vessels 2G are transported as a set.

In any case, in an automatic chemical analyzer equipped with a colorimetric analysis function and an electrolyte analysis function, it is necessary to use at least two reaction vessels as a set in each cycle.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, conventional automatic chemical analyzers require a reaction container to fill the calibration solution used for electrolyte analysis.
There is a problem that processing speed decreases. In other words, for colorimetric analysis, one reaction vessel is required for each cycle, but for electrolyte analysis, an extra reaction vessel for the calibration solution, which is not required for colorimetric analysis, is required, so it is necessary to process this separately. The speed will be reduced.

The present invention has been made in response to the above-mentioned problems.
The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic chemical analyzer that can improve processing speed.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a calibration solution container for exclusively supplying a calibration solution on a movement path corresponding to the position of the electrode. It is.

Another aspect of the present invention is to repeatedly measure the calibration solution by taking advantage of the property that the concentration of the calibration solution is always constant, and to judge the quality of the measurement system by referring to the tolerance value based on the results. This is what I did.

(Function) Since the calibration solution used for electrolyte analysis is exclusively supplied to a calibration solution container provided separately from the reaction container, a reaction container for the calibration solution is not required. Therefore, electrolyte analysis can be performed without using an extra reaction vessel, so processing speed can be improved.

In addition, by treating the calibration solution as a sample solution and continuously supplying it to the electrodes and performing repeated measurements according to the actual measurement cycle, it is possible to judge the quality of the operation of the measurement system after the calibration solution supply system based on the measurement results. It can be done easily. Therefore, when an analysis failure occurs, it becomes easy to understand the source of the failure, and efficient countermeasures can be taken.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an embodiment of the automatic chemical analyzer of the present invention, in which a constant temperature bath 1 is supplied with constant temperature water from a constant temperature water supply source 10 via a joint 11, and keeps a reaction vessel 2 at a constant temperature. There is. A colorimetric measurement system 12 for performing colorimetric analysis is installed at a predetermined position around the thermostatic chamber 1, and includes a sample dispensing nozzle, a reagent dispensing nozzle, a stirring bar, a photometric system, and a washing/drying system (details for each are provided below). (not shown), etc. Further, an electrode measurement system 13 for performing electrolyte analysis is provided at another predetermined position, and an electrode 8 and a calibration liquid container immersed in the middle of the transport path of the reaction container 2 in the constant temperature bath 1 directly below the electrode 8. It is composed of 14 mag. A suction pump 9 is connected to the electrode 8, and an atmospheric open box 15 is connected to the suction pump 9. Further, a calibration solution is supplied to the calibration solution container 14 from a calibration solution source 18 by a supply pump 17 via a supply channel 16, and
A discharge pump 2 is connected from the positive liquid container 14 via a discharge channel 19.
0 drains the calibration fluid.

The power source 8 has a nozzle 8a at its end and is configured to be movable up and down and swingable by a drive mechanism (not shown). As a result, the electrode 8 can suck the calibration solution from the calibration solution container 14 directly below it, as well as the reaction solution from the reaction container 2 transported directly below, and can alternately measure the calibration solution and the reaction solution. There is. The output of the electrode 8 is sent to A/A via the preamplifier 21.
The signal is sent to the D converter 22, and then roughly sent to a subsequent arithmetic processing section (not shown).

Figure 2 shows the configuration of the vicinity of the electrode measurement system 13, in which a reaction vessel 2 filled with a reaction solution in which samples and reagents have been dispensed in advance is transported to a constant temperature bath 1 in a fixed cycle. come. The electrode 8 moves up and down with respect to the reaction container 2 conveyed directly below, sucks the reaction liquid with the nozzle 8a and performs measurement, and then swings in the direction of the calibration liquid container 14 to change its direction. Perform the same up-and-down movement to aspirate the calibration solution and perform measurements. Thereafter, similar processing is performed on the reaction container 2 and calibration liquid container 14 that are newly transported in each cycle. The reaction container 2 is also commonly used for colorimetric analysis using a colorimetric system, and colorimetric measurements are performed at a predetermined position using a photometric system.

As shown in FIG. 3, the calibration liquid container 14 has a pot shape, for example, and the calibration liquid is supplied from the upper part through the supply channel 16, and the calibration liquid is discharged from the lower part through the discharge channel 19. configured so that As a result, the calibration solution remaining in the container 14 can be easily discharged, and the previously used calibration solution does not remain when replacing the calibration solution, so that the F3 effect can be prevented. Further, when connecting the flow paths 16 and 19 via the joint section 23, the joint section 23 is arranged higher than the water level of the constant temperature water. As a result, if a leak occurs in the joint portion 23, it is possible to prevent constant temperature water from being mixed into the calibration solution, so that the concentration of the calibration solution will not be recorded and measurement errors will not occur.

As shown in FIG. 4, the supply channel 16 connected to the calibration liquid container 14 is designed so that the internal volume of the portion 16a immersed in constant temperature water is larger than the volume of the calibration liquid supplied to the container 14 once. Configure. According to this, due to the action of the immersed flow path portion 16a, the time required for heating the calibration liquid supplied into the calibration liquid container 14 can be shortened, thereby contributing to an improvement in processing speed. In this case, the flow path portion 16a can be stably arranged by wrapping it around the support 24, and the flow path portion 16a can be formed into a circular shape and fixed to the inner wall of the thermostatic chamber 1 as shown in FIG. You can.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

A reaction container 2, which is placed in a constant temperature bath 1 and holds a reaction solution in which samples to be analyzed and reagents are dispensed, is sequentially transported by light in a constant cycle, and the reaction solution is placed at a predetermined position. Colorimetric analysis is performed using a colorimetric measurement system. On the other hand, the reaction liquid in the reaction container 2 transported directly below the electrode 8 is
Electrolyte analysis is performed using an electrode measurement system. Subsequently, the electrode 8 is turned to the adjacent calibration solution container 14, and the electrolyte analysis of the calibration solution is performed in the same manner. Thereafter, each time a new reaction container 2 is transported, electrolyte analysis of the reaction solution and the calibration solution is performed alternately. In this case, the container filled with the calibration solution is provided separately from the reaction container, and a calibration solution container 14 for exclusively supplying the calibration solution is used.

As a result, the reaction container 2 provided in the constant temperature bath 1 can be used only for the reaction liquid to be analyzed. Therefore, a reaction vessel conventionally used for a calibration solution for electrolyte analysis can be used for a reaction solution. Therefore, for example, two reaction vessels that have been used in pairs for electrolyte analysis can both be used for reaction liquid, thereby doubling the processing speed. Further, even when three pieces are used as a set, the processing speed can be similarly improved.

In this way, the calibration solution used for electrolyte analysis is always supplied to the calibration solution container 14 with a constant concentration. Therefore, by utilizing the properties of this calibration solution, if an analysis defect occurs in the measurement results, it is possible to easily determine the location of the source of the defect, and at least it is possible to identify the cause in the calibration solution supply system. It can be determined whether the cause is in the measurement system after the supply system. Therefore, efficient measures can be taken when performing repairs.

Specifically, first, the constituent liquids are continuously supplied to the electrodes, and the calibration liquid is treated as a reaction liquid, and measurements are performed repeatedly according to the actual measurement cycle. For example, apply the calibration solution continuously for 20
Measurements were taken twice and the SD.

Confirm the reproducibility of the measurement results by obtaining statistical values such as CD. If the measurement result obtained by this is within the range of allowable values set in advance by the user, it can be considered that there is no cause of the defect in the supply system. In other words, if the results of repeated measurements of the calibration solution are within the allowable range,
This means that there is no problem with the supply system before the electrode 8, so if an analysis failure occurs, it can be determined that the cause lies in the measurement system. If the measurement result of the calibration solution is outside the allowable value range, it is unclear whether the cause is in the supply system or the measurement system, so first check whether there is any problem with the calibration solution in the supply system. It is necessary to check.

If it is determined that the cause is in the measurement system, it is sufficient to sequentially check the operation quality of each step that makes up the measurement system. As a result, when dealing with analysis defects and performing repairs, the location of the source of the defect can be grasped in a short time, allowing efficient countermeasures to be taken. The steps can be roughly divided into Step A, which repeatedly measures the calibration solution, and Step B, which reveals the measurement results and refers to preset tolerance values to judge the quality of the measurement system. . The allowable value can be set arbitrarily by the user.

These steps to take measures against defects are implemented in advance by a service engineer who installs the program into the device as a maintenance program, and when the program is started, the calibration fluid is automatically measured, and the measurement results are sent to the device. By reading it, it becomes possible to automatically judge whether the measurement system is good or bad.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, since a calibration solution container is provided exclusively for supplying the calibration solution necessary for electrolyte analysis, the reaction container can be used only for the reaction solution, so that processing can be performed easily. Speed can be improved.

Furthermore, since the quality of the measurement system is judged by measuring the calibration liquid, efficient measures can be taken when maintaining the apparatus.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an embodiment of the automatic chemical analyzer of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the main parts of the device of this embodiment.
Figures 3 to 5 are layout diagrams showing how the calibration solution container used in the device of this embodiment is placed in constant temperature water, and Figure 6 is an automatic chemical analyzer of another invention to which the principles of the present invention are applied. 7 is a schematic plan view of the conventional example,
FIGS. 8 and 9 are configuration diagrams showing the main parts of the conventional example. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Constant temperature bath, 2... Reaction container, 8... Electrode (ion selective electrode), 12... Colorimetric measurement system, 13... Electrode measurement system, 14...
... Calibration liquid container, 16.16a ... Supply channel, 23.
・・Joint part. Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 6 Figure 7

Claims (8)

[Claims] (1) In an automatic chemical analyzer that moves a reaction container holding a reaction solution intermittently in a fixed cycle and alternately measures the amount of electrolyte in the reaction solution and the calibration solution using an electrolyte measurement electrode provided in the movement path, An automatic chemical analyzer characterized in that a calibration solution container for exclusively supplying a calibration solution is provided on a moving path corresponding to the position of the electrode. (2) The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the calibration liquid container is immersed in constant temperature water. (3) The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the calibration solution is supplied from the top of the calibration solution container and discharged from the bottom. (4) The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the supply flow path is connected to the calibration liquid container via a joint part, and the joint part is arranged outside the constant temperature water. (5) The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the supply channel is connected to the calibration liquid container, and the inner volume of the portion immersed in the constant temperature water is larger than the amount of the calibration liquid supplied at one time. (6) The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 5, wherein the portion of the supply channel immersed in the constant temperature water is fixed in the constant temperature water. (7) a measuring means that continuously supplies only the calibration solution to the electrode and repeatedly measures the calibration solution according to the actual measurement cycle;
An automatic chemical analysis apparatus characterized by comprising: judgment means for judging whether the operation of the measurement system after the calibration liquid supply system is good or bad based on the result of the measurement means. (8) The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 7, wherein the determining means determines pass/fail by referring to a preset tolerance value.