JPH0319949B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a liquid sample analyzer for chemically analyzing a device sample.

Generally, liquid samples such as human body fluids are often chemically analyzed. There are two methods for chemical analysis of liquid samples: dry methods and wet methods. The dry method is simpler than the wet method in that it does not require a step of adjusting diluents or the like. This dry method is
The liquid sample to be analyzed is dripped into the liquid sample analysis element, which consists of a thin plate impregnated with a specific reagent inserted into a mount, to cause the reagent in the liquid sample analysis element to react with the liquid sample, and the reaction progresses. The state or result, for example, a color change due to a reaction, is investigated using an optical analyzer or the like, and thereby the presence or absence or amount of a specific component in a liquid sample is known. In order to investigate the presence or absence or content of various components in a liquid sample, multiple types of liquid sample analysis elements impregnated with reagents corresponding to each of these components are required. The progress of the reaction between the reagent in the liquid sample analysis element and the liquid sample can be determined by, for example, measuring the concentration of the reactant at a certain point in time. During this time, it is necessary to keep the reaction under a constant environment.

For this reason, in conventional chemical analyzers, a plurality of containers each housing different types of liquid sample analysis elements are arranged side by side independently from a constant temperature bath for analysis, and the plurality of liquid sample analysis elements are A specific liquid sample analysis element was selected from the elements, and the selected liquid sample analysis element was supplied to a constant temperature bath for analysis.

By the way, if there are many analysis items for a liquid sample,
Since many types of liquid sample analysis elements are required, the number of containers increases, and therefore a conventionally configured apparatus requires a large installation area.
In particular, in recent clinical tests that analyze human body fluids such as blood, the number of test items has increased.
When performing analytical operations or carrying the
A device that occupies a large footprint is inconvenient.

Additionally, conventional devices require a transport mechanism that can be driven by itself to move the analytical elements from their housing to the thermostatic chamber, which poses the problem of complicating the overall configuration. .

The present invention has been made based on these circumstances, and provides a liquid sample analyzer that has a small installation area and does not require a transport mechanism for moving analytical elements in a storage section to a thermostatic chamber. The purpose is to

The liquid sample analyzer according to the present invention is characterized by a constant temperature bath for analysis, a rotary plate provided in the constant temperature bath for analysis that rotates in a horizontal plane, and a rotating plate provided above the constant temperature bath for analysis. a holding member provided on the holding member; a plurality of analytical element storage portions provided on the holding member each storing an analytical element; a delivery mechanism for sending out an analytical element from a selected analytical element storage portion; An analytical element supply path for sliding the element down and supplying the element onto a rotating plate in the analysis constant temperature bath, and a liquid sample supply mechanism for supplying a liquid sample to the analytical element on the analytical element supply path. At the point.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a schematic view and a longitudinal side view of a liquid sample analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively, and 1 in the figure is a constant temperature bath for analysis (hereinafter referred to as a "constant temperature bath").
That's what it means. ). Above this constant temperature bath 1, a ring-shaped rotary holder 2 serving as a holding member having a horizontal plate 21 in the center is provided adjacently. The rotary holder 2 is attached via a rotary shaft 22 to a drive motor 23 that together with the rotary holder 2 constitutes a mechanism for moving the storage section, which will be described later. A plurality of analytical elements of the same type (not shown in FIG. 1, indicated by chain lines in FIG. 2) are housed in a stacked state in the peripheral wall portion 24 of the rotary holder 2, respectively. A plurality of analytical element storage sections (hereinafter referred to as "accommodation sections") 3 constituted by hollow sections are arranged along the circumferential direction, and the types of analytical elements 4 are determined according to the storage sections 3.
It is considered to be different for each. The outer wall 31 located on the outside and the inner wall 32 located on the inside at the bottom of the storage section 3 have an outlet 311 through which the analytical element 4 is sent out, and an insertion port 321 into which an operating piece of a sending mechanism to be described later is inserted, respectively. is formed. Below the horizontal plate 21 of the rotary holder 2,
In order to face the insertion opening 321 of the first storage section when the rotary holder 2 stops, a feeding mechanism 5 is provided which includes an operating piece 51 that can be inserted into and removed from the insertion opening 321, and Analytical element 4 sent out from the outlet 311 by mechanism 5
an analyte supply line (hereinafter referred to as "supply line") 6 whose outlet is connected to the constant temperature chamber 1 and which extends in the vertical direction so as to supply water to the constant temperature chamber 1 by gravity;
is provided at a position facing the feed mechanism 5 via the movement path of the rotary holder 2. In this example, the supply path 6 is formed by a first sliding member 61 and a second sliding member 62 that intersects with an extension line of the first sliding member 61. A type code section 71 for displaying the type of analytical element 4 stored in each storage section 3 is provided at a position corresponding to each of the storage sections 3 on the outer peripheral surface of the rotary holder 2, and a type code section 71 is provided to display the type of analytical element 4 stored in each storage section 3. A cord detector 7 is installed along the outer peripheral surface of the rotary holder 2 to detect the type of cord in the cord portion 71.
2 is provided, and this code detector 72 is connected to a control mechanism (not shown) composed of a microcomputer or the like that controls the operation of the drive motor 23, thereby corresponding to the analytical element 4 to be selected. The drive motor 23 is operated until the type code part 71 is located in the detection area, and when the type code part 71 is located in the detection area, the outlet of the corresponding storage part 3 is connected to the entrance of the supply path 6. The drive motor 23 is stopped so that they match. In this example, the type code section 71, code detector 72, and control mechanism constitute a selection mechanism that selects one of the plurality of storage sections 3. Further, directly above the first sliding member 61, a liquid sample supply mechanism 8 is provided that drops a liquid sample onto the analytical element 4 passing therethrough in synchronization with the timing of the analytical element 44 passing therethrough. In the figure, 11 is a case housing an analyzer such as an optical analyzer;
12 is a cover, 13 is an analysis element 4 from the supply path 6
The rotating plate 14 which receives and sends the sample to the analysis area of the analyzer is a drive motor that drives this rotating plate 13.

In an apparatus having such a configuration, the type code section 71 displaying the set code is connected to the detector 72.
When the moving path mechanism is moved toward the detection area and positioned there, the operation of the moving path mechanism is stopped, and the outlet 311 of the storage section 3 corresponding to the type code section 71 is brought into alignment with the entrance of the supply path 6. Next, the feeding mechanism 5 is operated, and the operating piece 51 moves into the storage section 3.
As a result, one analytical element 4 located at the lowest position of the storage section 3 is pushed out from the outlet 311 of the storage section 3 into the supply path 6 .
Thereafter, the extruded analytical element 4 moves downward along the supply path 6 due to gravity and is supplied into the thermostatic chamber 1 . At this time, a liquid sample is dripped onto the analytical element 4 from the liquid sample supply mechanism 8, whereby the liquid sample reacts with the reagent of the analytical element 4, and the reaction is promoted in the thermostatic chamber 1. 13 to the analysis area. For example, by pre-programming a series of codes into a microcomputer, the above-described supply operations can be performed sequentially.

In the apparatus according to the present invention, the holding member consisting of a plurality of arranged storage parts in which analytical elements are housed is provided above and adjacent to the thermostatic chamber, so that the installation area of the chemical analysis apparatus is Even when the number of test items is large and many types of analysis elements are required, only the portion occupied by the thermostatic chamber or the holding member is significantly smaller than the conventional device.

Moreover, since the storage section is positioned above the thermostatic chamber and the analytical elements from the storage section are supplied to the thermostatic chamber using gravity, a transport mechanism is not required and the mechanical configuration is simplified. be able to.

In the present invention, a number of supply channels corresponding to the number of storage units are used, the inlets of which are aligned in advance with the outlets of a plurality of storage units, and each outlet is gathered in one place and connected to a constant temperature oven. , the analysis element from the storage section selected from the storage sections may be sent out to the supply path, and in this case as well, the above-mentioned effects can be obtained.

As described above, according to the present invention, liquid sample analysis can be performed with a small installation area, and a simple configuration that does not require a transport mechanism that itself is driven to move the analytical elements in the storage section to the thermostatic chamber. equipment can be provided.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a general view of a liquid sample analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the liquid sample analyzer shown in FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Constant temperature chamber, 2... Rotating holder, 3... Storage section, 4... Liquid sample analysis element, 5... Delivery mechanism, 6... Supply path, 71... Type code section, 72
...Detector, 8...Liquid sample supply mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A constant temperature bath for analysis, a rotating plate provided in the constant temperature bath for analysis and rotating in a horizontal plane, a holding member provided above the constant temperature bath for analysis, and a holding member provided on the holding member. A plurality of analytical element storage sections each storing an analytical element, a delivery mechanism that sends out an analytical element from a selected analytical element storage section, and a sending-out mechanism that slides down the sent-out analytical element and transports it into the thermostatic chamber for analysis. A liquid sample analyzer comprising: an analytical element supply path for supplying an analytical element onto a rotating plate; and a liquid sample supply mechanism for supplying a liquid sample to an analytical element on the analytical element supply path.