JPH0347465B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an automatic chemical analyzer used in clinical tests and the like.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

As is well known, in automatic chemical analyzers, the specimen to be tested (hereinafter referred to as sample) is dispensed into reaction containers according to the number of items to be tested, and then different reagents are dispensed into each reaction container depending on the test item. By measuring the absorbance of the colored substance produced by the chemical reaction, the specific substance contained in each specimen is quantified.

Conventional automatic chemical analyzers for performing this measurement use a dispensing nozzle to separately dispense the sample and reagent into a reaction vessel that moves as the reaction table rotates, or dispense them into a reaction line. A method was used in which samples and reagents were dispensed into reaction vessels that moved along the line using a pipette or dispenser.

However, according to the above method, when dispensing and discharging the sample or reagent into the reaction container, it must be done when the reaction container is stopped, and therefore the reaction container must be transferred intermittently. This caused a serious hindrance to rapid and smooth measurement of samples. In particular, two types of reaction measurement methods are used: End Point Assy, which requires accurate measurements after a certain period of time, and Rate Assy, which performs continuous measurements over time. However, since the reaction container is fed intermittently, the timing of dispensing the reagent is limited, resulting in a time error in dispensing, which makes accurate measurements impossible. By the way, the end
For point assays, the time required for reaction differs depending on the reagent depending on the item to be tested, and for rate assays, the measurement time also varies depending on the test items, and in both cases, it is important to accurately dispense the reagent at the specified time. This was an essential element to ensure precision of measurement. However, since the dispensing nozzle cannot be freely moved along the circumference of the circular reaction table, the reaction vessel must be moved intermittently, and the above problem has not been solved.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and allows for unlimited timing of dispensing reagents, etc., into reaction vessels transferred by a circular reaction table, thereby speeding up sample processing and improving accuracy and precision. The purpose is to provide an automatic chemical analyzer that can perform accurate measurements.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a configuration in which a sample and a reagent are sequentially dispensed into a plurality of reaction vessels using a dispensing nozzle, and the physical changes in the reaction liquid are measured. It is movable independently in the x direction and the y direction on a reaction table on which reaction vessels are arranged on the circumference, and is configured to move in a circular manner along the circumferential direction of the reaction table following the rotation of the reaction table. The present invention is characterized in that a slider whose drive is controlled is provided, and the dispensing nozzle is connected to the slider.

[Embodiments of the invention]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The automatic chemical analyzer of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. 1
is a reaction table equipped with a plurality of reaction containers 2 along its periphery, and a sample cassette 3 and a reagent cassette 4 are arranged near the reaction table 1;
A plurality of sample cups 5 containing samples are arranged in the sample cassette 3, and a reagent container 6 containing a reagent is arranged in the reagent cassette 4.

On the other hand, 7 is an x-direction movement motor (hereinafter referred to as x motor) that operates upon receiving a signal from a control circuit (not shown). A belt for directional movement (hereinafter referred to as x belt) 10 is stretched, and the x
The belt 10 is located above and behind the reaction table 1 in the drawing. The x-belt 10 has an auxiliary slider 1
1 is fixed, and a guide rail 12 is fixed to the front surface of the auxiliary slider 11 in a manner perpendicular to the x-belt 10.
The other end of 2 is fixed to a trolley 14 having wheels 13, and is movable together with the auxiliary slider 11 in the x direction shown.

15 is a main slider that is slidably attached to the guide rail 12 and is located above the reaction table 1. At the left end of the main slider 15 in the figure, there is a main slider that is parallel to the guide rail 12 and perpendicular to the x-belt 10. A part of a belt 16 for moving in the y direction (hereinafter referred to as y belt) that intersects is fixed. The y-belt 16 is stretched between a main pulley 19 to which the rotational force of a motor 18 for moving in the y-direction (hereinafter referred to as y-motor) is transmitted via a shaft 17, and a slave pulley 20 attached to the truck 14. The y motor 18 operates upon receiving a signal from a control circuit (not shown), and
The shaft 17 connected to the motor 18 has a rectangular shape, and the main pulley 19 is connected to the auxiliary slider 1 by a guide (not shown) fixed to the auxiliary slider 11.
1 along the shaft 17 in the illustrated x direction.

A motor 21 is installed above the main slider 15.
A belt 2 is installed between the pulley attached to the drive shaft of the motor 21 and the pulley attached to the right end of the main slider 15 in the figure.
A dispensing nozzle 23 is installed in a part of this belt 22 via a connecting part 23A, and the nozzle 23 is connected to a metering pump (not shown) via a tube 24. . Therefore, the nozzle 23 is moved up and down by the drive of the motor 21. Both the motor 21 and the metering pump are operated by signals from a control circuit (for example, using a microcomputer or the like) not shown. In this figure, reference numeral 25 denotes an auxiliary guide rail for smooth movement of the auxiliary slider 11.

Next, the operation of the apparatus of the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration will be explained. A fixed amount of sample or reagent is aspirated by lowering the nozzle 23 from a specific sample cup 5 or reagent container 6, and then the nozzle 23
The sample or reagent is dispensed and discharged into a specific reaction container 2 which moves according to the reaction table 1 by raising the holder.At this time, the nozzle 23 moves together with the main slider 15; x
By controlling the motor 7 and the y-motor 18, the nozzle 2 can move freely above the reaction table 1, following the reaction container 2 being transferred.
3, a predetermined sample or reagent can be discharged.

That is, the rotation of the x motor 7 operated by a control signal causes the auxiliary slider 11 fixed to the x belt 10 to move in the x direction shown, and the carriage 14 connected by the guide rail 12 to move in the x direction as shown in the figure. The main slider 15 supported by the guide rail 12 is also movable in the x direction. On the other hand, the y-belt 16 is rotated by the y-motor 18 operated by the control signal.
The main slider 15 fixed to the guide rail 1
2 in the illustrated y direction. In short, depending on how the rotations of the x motor 7 and the y motor 18 are controlled, not only linear movement but also circular movement is possible. By doing so, it is possible to aspirate or discharge a certain amount of liquid at any position while following the moving reaction container 2.

The reaction container 2 into which samples and reagents have been dispensed as described above is rotated by the reaction table 1 by a control signal from a control circuit (not shown), and a photometer (not shown) installed at the bottom of the reaction table 1 is connected to the reaction container 2. The absorbance of the sample in the reaction vessel 2 is continuously measured.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the automated chemical analyzer of the present invention has the following features:
When discharging a sample or reagent or aspirating a reaction solution after measurement, the dispensing nozzle can move freely along the circumference of the circular reaction table.
Since the liquid can be sucked and discharged without stopping the reaction table, continuous reaction measurement is possible, which contributes to smoother and faster sample processing. In addition, regarding reagents with different test items that require different dispensing timing, in the conventional example, the reagent dispensing position is fixed, so the dispensing timing is limited, but in the case of the present invention, the dispensing timing is not limited. The timing accuracy can be ensured by releasing the signal, and precise and accurate measurements can be performed. Furthermore, since there is no need to move the sample or reagent to the separation position, it also has the advantage of simplifying the mechanism.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawing is a schematic perspective view showing one embodiment of the automatic chemical analyzer of the present invention. 1...Reaction table, 2...Reaction container, 3...
Sample cassette, 4... Reagent cassette, 5...
Sample cup, 6... Reagent container, 7... x motor, 8... Drive pulley, 9... Driven pulley, 1
0...x belt, 11...auxiliary slider, 12
...Guide rail, 13...Wheel, 14...Dolly, 15...Main slider, 16...Y belt,
17...shaft, 18...y motor, 19...
...Main pulley, 20...Slave pulley, 21...Motor, 22...Belt, 23...Nozzle, 24...
Tube, 25...Auxiliary guide rail.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an automatic chemical analyzer that sequentially dispenses samples and reagents into multiple reaction vessels using a dispensing nozzle and measures physical changes in the reaction liquid, the sample and reagents are sequentially dispensed into multiple reaction vessels using a dispensing nozzle. A slider is provided which is movable independently in the x direction and the y direction and is driven and controlled to move in a circular manner following the rotation of the reaction table along the circumferential direction of the reaction table. An automatic chemical analyzer characterized in that the dispensing nozzle is connected to the dispensing nozzle.