JPH01221673A - Automatic chemical analyzing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent measuring operation from being interrupted by stopping distributing operation and performing a series of prescribed control operations when an obstacle is detected in liquid distributing operation by an arm with a probe and then carrying on the distributing operation automatically from a next cycle. CONSTITUTION:When the distributing operation is performed by the arm 6 with the probe 7 in each cycle and the obstacle such as an operator touches the arm, a pressure sensor 22 detects this state and then the arm 6 stops this distributing operation. Then, the origin of the arm 6 is indexed by rotating the arm 6 by a pulse motor 23 through a small pulley 24, a belt 25, a large pulley 26, and a center shaft 8. The arm 6 is returned to the origin position and operations in this cycle after the stop are skipped. Then the arm 6 starts the distributing operation in the next cycle at the origin position to perform desired operations such as sample distribution and reagent distribution.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an automatic chemical analyzer that measures the concentration of a specific component in a reaction solution obtained by reacting a sample with a reagent.

(Prior art) Human serum, etc. is used as a sample, and a desired reagent is added to it to cause a chemical reaction.
An automatic chemical analyzer is known that measures the concentration of a specific component in the reaction solution using, for example, a colorimetric method for diagnosis. In performing such a chemical analysis, it is necessary to prepare a sample to be analyzed in advance and distribute the sample to a plurality of reaction vessels according to the measurement items. FIG. 9 explains the outline of such distribution operation, in which a plurality of sample containers 2 filled with samples are stored, for example, a sampler 1 stored in a circular table 3, and a plurality of reaction containers 4 are stored. A sampling arm 6 is disposed between the reaction disk 5 and the reaction disk 5, which is moved intermittently by repeating conveyance and stopping in a constant cycle. It is configured to be able to swing. With this configuration, the probe 7 of the arm 6 is first positioned over the sample container 2 of the sampler 1, and the probe 7 is lowered together with the arm 6 to absorb the sample, and then raised again, and then the arm 6 is swung. A sample distributing operation, so-called sampling, is performed by placing the reaction disk 5 above the reaction container 4, lowering the arm 6 in the same manner as described above, and discharging the sucked sample into the container 4. Such a sampling operation is repeated for each cycle, and sampling is performed for a plurality of reaction vessels 4 according to the measurement items of the sample to be analyzed.

Further, reagent portions (not shown) are arranged at other positions around the reaction disk 5, and are configured to distribute a desired reagent to the reaction container 4.

In this manner, during the dispensing operation of the sample or reagent, there is a possibility that the moving sampling arm 6 or the moving probe 7 may come into contact with the operator who is performing work such as sample exchange or reagent exchange. For this reason, for safety reasons, when an operator touches the arm 6 or the probe 7, a pressure sensor is provided for each to detect this state and immediately stop the operation of the apparatus. In addition, providing a pressure sensor on the arm 6 or probe 7 is not only a safety issue, but also prevents the device from stopping if the arm 6 or probe 7 touches an obstacle. This also prevents the problem of malfunctions caused by misalignment of the operation sequences between the units.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in conventional automatic chemical analyzers, when an obstacle is detected by a pressure-sensitive sensor, the operation of the device is immediately stopped, so the measurement operation is interrupted every time an obstacle is detected. There is. For example, some of the reaction vessels of a reaction disk, which is moved intermittently in a fixed cycle, have already been dispensed with various samples or reagents depending on the analysis item. If the operation of the test tube is stopped, there is a risk that the samples and the like will deteriorate during the stop period, resulting in a large amount of the sample being wasted.

Furthermore, frequent interruptions in measurement also reduce measurement efficiency. Furthermore, in order to restore the operation of the device, it is necessary to perform a reset operation each time by turning the power off and on.

The present invention has been made in response to the above-mentioned problems.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic chemical analyzer that can perform measurements without interruption even when an obstacle is detected by a pressure-sensitive sensor.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problem) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention stops the dispensing operation and performs a series of predetermined control operations when an obstacle is detected by a pressure-sensitive sensor. After that, the dispensing operation is automatically continued from the next cycle.

(Function) When the arm with the probe is distributing in each cycle, if an obstacle such as an operator touches the arm, the pressure sensor detects this condition and the arm stops dispensing. Next, the origin of the arm is indexed, the arm is returned to the origin position, and the operations after the stop in this cycle are skipped. Subsequently, the arm starts the dispensing operation of the next cycle from the origin position and performs desired operations such as sample dispensing and reagent dispensing. Therefore, without interrupting the measurement of the device, by simply stopping the dispensing operation only in the cycle in which an obstacle is detected, the normal dispensing operation can be automatically continued from the next cycle.

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

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the automatic chemical analyzer of the present invention, in which a plurality of sample containers 2 filled with samples to be analyzed are housed in a sampler 1 on a circular table 3, arranged in a plurality of concentric rows. It is located in

A plurality of reaction vessels 4 are housed in the reaction disk 5, and these reaction vessels 4 are intermittently moved, for example, in a counterclockwise direction, by repeating conveyance and stop states in a constant cycle by a drive mechanism (not shown). A sampling arm 6 is disposed between the sampler 1 and the reaction disk 5, and a probe 7 is attached to the tip thereof, and the sampling arm 6 swings around a center shaft 8 as a fulcrum.
It is configured so that the sample in the sample container 2 can be distributed to the reaction container 4 by reciprocating between the sampler 1 and the reaction disk 5 for each cycle.

A reagent storage 9 is provided around the reaction disk 5, in which a plurality of reagent containers 10 filled with reagents are stored, and the reagent in the reagent containers 10 can be distributed to the reaction container 4 by a reagent arm 11. has been done. Also reaction disk 5
Around the reaction vessel 4 are a stirring arm 121 for stirring the reaction liquid consisting of a sample and a reagent distributed in the reaction vessel 4; a photometry unit 132 for measuring the concentration of a specific component in the reaction liquid; and a photometry unit 132 for cleaning the reaction vessel 4. A cuvette washing elevator 14 is provided respectively. Further, a cleaning pool 15 for cleaning the probe 7 is provided between the sampler 1 and the reaction disk 5.

The photometric data from the photometric unit 13 is sent to a CPU (central processing unit) 17 via an interface 16 . CPtJ
Reference numeral 17 is composed of a dedicated microprocessor, and is in charge of controlling operations of the entire apparatus necessary for performing analysis. Also,
This CPU 17 is connected to the sampling arm 6 as described later.
It has a function that controls the robot to perform a series of predetermined actions when it touches an obstacle.

The keyboard 18 is used to input desired data during analysis, the CRT 19 is used to display the analysis results, and the printer 20 is used to print the analysis results.

FIG. 2 particularly shows the configuration of the sampling arm 6 in detail, and an arm pressure sensor 22 is attached to the bottom of an arm head 21 which is rotatable about a center shaft 8. This arm pressure sensor 22 is, for example, a third
As shown in the figure, a code switch 22b containing conductive rubber is attached to the arm from both sides of the rubber member 22a on the RAD base 22a.
2G and a metal fitting member 22d are assembled, and two of these are provided on both sides. When the pressure sensor 22 touches an operator or the like while the arm 6 is moving to perform a distribution operation, the rubber member 22G deforms and the resistance of the code switch 22b changes, and a detection signal based on this resistance change is sent to the CPU 17. The presence of an obstacle is detected by sending the signal to

In this manner, when it is detected that the arm 6 has touched an obstacle during the dispensing operation, the arm 6 immediately stops its movement under the control of the CPU 17. Next, arm 6 similarly
7, the origin (home position) is determined. The origin is set in advance for each unit such as the arm 6, and in the case of the arm 6, the origin is set at the position directly above the reaction container 4 of the reaction disk 5. This origin is determined when arm 6 performs a distributing operation in each cycle.
This is used as a reference position to start the operation. The origin of the arm 6 is determined by the arm moving pulse motor 23.
This rotational force is transferred to the small pulley 24. Through the belt 25, the large pull on the arm 6 side 26. This is done by transmitting the signal to the center shaft 8 and rotating the arm 6. In this case, the pulse motor 23 is controlled to be rotatable in forward and reverse directions, so that even if the arm 6 is stopped at any position due to an obstacle, the origin can be efficiently determined. A cut plate 27 is fixed to the lower end of the center shaft 8 and is configured to be rotatable integrally with the shaft 8. On the other hand, an arm home sensor 28 that is combined with the cut plate 27 and used to determine the origin is fixedly provided independently of the movement of the cut plate 27. The center shaft 8 rotates based on the forward or reverse rotation of the pulse motor 23, and when the cut plate 27 moves and reaches the position where it intersects the arm home sensor 28, it is detected that the arm 6 has returned to the origin, and the arm 6 returns to the home position. A signal is sent from the arm home sensor 28 to the CPU 17.

In other words, the cut plate 27 and the arm home sensor 28 are
The origin indexing is performed when a combination position corresponding to the origin is reached. When the origin index is performed, the pulse motor 23 is activated under the control of the CPU 17.
rotation stops.

In accordance with the origin indexing of the arm 6, the origin indexing of the probe 7 is also performed. In the case of probe 7, when performing distribution operation,
The position where the height is at the top is set as the origin. This position is selected so that the tip of the probe 7 will not collide even if the arm 6 is moved. Figures 4(a) and 4(b) show the configuration of the probe 7, (a> is the normal state at the origin position, and (b) is the state when the probe 7 rises after touching an obstacle. The probe interference sensor 29 is provided on the arm base 29a and works to detect when the probe 7 descends and touches an obstacle.In FIG. The vertical movement is performed by a vertical pulse motor 30.The rotational force of the pulse motor 30 is transmitted by a small pulley 31a, a belt 32.
The force is transmitted to the lead screw 33 via the large pulley 31b, and as the screw 33 rotates, the lead nut 34 moves up and down, and the lifter 35 holding it also moves up and down. The lifter 35 and the center shaft 8 are connected in such a way that the center shaft 8 is rotatable, and the center shirt l-8 can be raised by lifting the beam cover 35, and the center shirt l-8 can be lowered by pushing the beam cover 35 down. conduct. An arm head 21 is attached to the center shaft 8, and by moving the arm head 21 up and down, the probe 7 is moved up and down. When the probe home sensor 39 intersects the cut plate 40, a home signal is sent to the CPU 17, and the position of the probe 7 at this time is at the origin. Pulse motor 3
0 is configured to be capable of forward and reverse rotation, and works to raise the probe 7 during forward rotation and lower the probe 7 during reverse rotation.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing the sequence operation of each unit when performing one cycle of distribution operation, and -
As an example, one cycle time is shown as 18 seconds.

This example shows the operation of suctioning a sample from the sample container 2 of the sampler 1 and distributing it to the reaction container 4 of the reaction disk 5 using the sampling arm 6 (arm with probe).

The sampling pump is used for suction and discharge of the sample by the probe 7, the probe solenoid valve is used to control the suction and discharge operations, and the probe cleaning pump is used for suction and discharge of unnecessary or remaining sample. A cuvette washing pump is used for washing the reaction vessel (cuvette) 4.

Next, the operation when performing a sampling operation according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to a flowchart.

First, the arm 6 at the origin position is moved to the sample container 2 of the sampler 1 in order to perform a sample dispensing operation (step a).

If an obstacle is detected (an error occurs) by the arm pressure-sensitive sensor 22 during the movement, the flow proceeds to step (3). In a normal case, the probe 7 is lowered into the sample container 2 together with the arm 6 (step b).

If an obstacle is detected by the probe interference sensor 29 during this descent, the flow proceeds to ◎. ■ and ◎ will be described later. After inhaling the sample (step C), the probe 7 is raised to its original position (origin) (step d). Next, after moving the arm 6 onto the washing pool 15 (step e), the probe 7 is lowered to perform washing (step f), and after completion, the probe 7 is raised (step q). Subsequently, the arm 6 is moved onto the reaction vessel 4 (step h), the probe 7 is lowered (step i), and the sample is discharged into the reaction vessel 4 (step j). Subsequently, after raising the probe 7 (step k), the arm 6 is moved again onto the washing pool 15 (step 1), and the probe 7 is lowered into the washing pool 15 (step m). Next, the solenoid valve of the sampling channel is turned on (step n), and the probe 7 is cleaned (step 0). Then, the plunger was returned to its origin (step p
) and turn off the solenoid valve (step q).

Next, after step r) to raise the probe 7,
(Step S).

Each of the above steps completes one cycle of sample dispensing operation.

Next, the operation when an obstacle is detected during the distribution operation will be explained.

If an obstruction is detected in step a, the flow is
Proceeding to (2) in Figure (a), it is determined whether or not the obstacle has disappeared (step t). This step t is repeated until the obstacle disappears, and when the obstacle disappears, a delay operation is performed (step U). For example, a one-second delay operation is performed to prevent a collision from occurring due to sudden movement of the arm 6 after removing an obstacle. Next, move the arm 6 to the origin (step ■). This operation is performed by the CPU 17 controlling the pulse motor 23 as described above. Once this operation is complete, flow jumps to step 1.

Therefore, when an obstacle is detected in this way, the steps between step b and step b are omitted. This is done to prevent malfunctions from occurring due to a shift in the sequence of operations. Similarly, step e, step h,
Even if an obstacle is detected in step 1, the flow is ■
is set to proceed to. If you jump the intermediate step and proceed to step 1 in this way, the sample that has already been inhaled will be ejected and wasted without being used for measurement, but this is a problem that only occurs in one cycle and will not occur over multiple cycles. Considering the resulting malfunctions, erroneous measurements, etc., this is not a practical problem.

Note that if an obstacle is detected in step (2), the flow returns to step t.

Next, when an obstacle is detected in step b, the flow proceeds to ◎ in FIG. 8(b), the probe 7 is raised to the origin (step W), and then the arm 6 is moved to the origin (
Step X). Flow then jumps to step 1. Similarly, if an obstacle is detected in step f, step i, or step m, the flow is set to proceed as indicated by ◎.

In this case as well, the same effects and effects as in the case of proceeding to step (2) can be obtained.

According to this embodiment, if an obstacle is detected by arm 6 or probe 7 during sample dispensing operation in each cycle, the dispensing operation is temporarily stopped and the arm is returned to the origin (home position). As a result, normal distribution operation can be performed from the next cycle.

This eliminates the need to stop the operation of the device and interrupt the measurement when an obstacle is detected, as in the conventional method, so a large amount of specimen etc. is not wasted. Furthermore, since the measurement is skipped only by one cycle and is not interrupted, the measurement efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, there is no need to perform a troublesome power supply reset operation.

Although this embodiment has been described as an example in which a sample dispensing operation is performed using a sampling arm, the present invention can be similarly applied to a case in which a reagent dispensing operation is performed. .

Note that if sample distribution or reagent distribution cannot be performed in the skipped cycle, it is convenient to add an error display to the measurement result of that sample.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, when an obstacle is detected during the liquid dispensing operation by the arm with the probe, the dispensing operation is stopped, a series of predetermined control operations are performed, and then the fire is stopped. Since the dispensing operation is automatically continued from the previous cycle, the measurement can be continued without interruption.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the automatic chemical analysis device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the sampling arm of the device of this embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a diagram of the pressure-sensitive sensor attached to the sampling arm. 4(a) and 4(b) are side views showing the configuration of the probe of the device of this embodiment, FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing the operation of each unit of the device of this embodiment, and FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) are timing charts for explaining the operation of this embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the sample dispensing operation. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Sampler, 2... Sample container, 4... Reaction container, 5... Reaction disk, 6... Sampling arm, 7... Probe, 17... CPL
J (central processing unit), 22... Arm pressure sensitive sensor, 23... Arm moving pulse motor, 27.40... Cut plate, 28... Arm home sensor, 29... Probe interference sensor , 30... Up and down pulse motor, 39... Probe home sensor. Fig. 1 22a A Hirohe/S)゛He゛-7 (G) Fig. 4 Fig. 7 Fig. 9

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A probe-equipped arm with a pressure sensor attached to at least a portion of the arm distributes the liquid necessary for analysis from one container to the other, and the reaction liquid containing the liquid is distributed in a certain cycle. In an automatic chemical analyzer that measures the concentration of a specific component in a liquid, when an obstacle is detected by the pressure-sensitive sensor during the dispensing operation of each cycle, the dispensing operation of the arm with the probe is stopped and a series of predetermined control operations are performed. An automatic chemical analyzer characterized in that it is equipped with a control means for automatically continuing the dispensing operation from the next cycle after performing the dispensing operation. (2) The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 1, wherein a pressure-sensitive sensor is attached to the probe portion of the arm with the probe. (3) The automatic chemical analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the series of predetermined control operations includes an operation of determining the origin position of the arm with a probe.