JPH0389167A - Automatic biochemical analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the contamination of many reaction containers by setting and transferring said reaction containers alternately for use in preparing a sample solution and for use in storing a cleaning solution. CONSTITUTION:A sample distributer 2 sequentially distributes a sample arranged on a turntable 21 by every predetermined amount to reaction containers on a reaction container circulating line 7. A first and a second reagent distributing parts 3 and 4 sequentially distribute reagents corresponding to analyzing items set beforehand. A photodetecting part 5 measures the optical concentration of a reaction solution, and a cleaning part 6 discharges a reaction solution at 61, washes by water at 62 and distributes a cleaning solution at 63. A group of reaction containers are formed in units, each consisting of a container for preparing a reaction solution and a con tainer for storing the cleaning solution provided adjacent to each other, which are circulated along the line 7. While the reaction solution is prepared and measured in cash unit of the containers, the cleaning solution is stored to clean the other units. Every time the reaction container makes one rotation of the line 7, it is changed from preparing of the reaction solution to storing of the cleaning solution. Accordingly, it becomes possible to prepare the reaction solution with the use of the reaction con tainer always sufficiently cleaned.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to an automatic biochemical analyzer. More specifically, the present invention relates to improvements in automatic biochemical analyzers suitable for clinical tests and the like.

(B) Conventional technology Conventionally, in the field of clinical biochemical analysis, a large number of reaction vessels are transported in an endless manner in the order of sample dispensing section, reagent dispensing section, photometry section, liquid discharge section, and cleaning section. Single-multi type automatic analyzers configured to perform item analysis are widely used.

In the above-mentioned apparatus, a large number of reaction vessels (referred to as reaction vessel rings) are transported in an endless manner, and in order to prepare each reaction solution consisting of each sample and the corresponding reagent, one pitch is placed in the sample dispensing section. Basically, there were three driving methods as follows. Namely, there are three methods: 0) a method in which the reaction vessel ring is advanced by 1 pitch after N rotations, (11) a method in which the reaction vessel is advanced by 1 pitch after 1/N rotations of the reaction vessel ring, and G) a method in which the reaction vessel is advanced by 1 pitch. . In any of the above drive systems, the container for preparing the reaction solution was driven as one pitch.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the automatic analyzer described above, since various reagents are injected into the reaction container for analysis, there is a good possibility that so-called cross-contamination may occur. This has led to problems such as limitations on the combinations of analysis items and poor analysis accuracy.

The present invention has been made in view of this situation, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic biochemical analyzer configured to significantly reduce contamination of reaction vessels.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems Thus, according to the present invention, (a) a sample dispensing section, a reagent dispensing section, a photometry section, a reaction liquid discharging section, a water washing section, and a washing liquid dispensing section are provided in this order. a circular conveyance line, (b) a large number of reaction vessels circulated through the conveyance line, and (c) the reaction vessel group for preparing a reaction liquid in which a sample and a reagent are dispensed to prepare a reaction liquid. a conveying line drive unit that can be set alternately between the container and the cleaning liquid storage container to which the cleaning liquid is stored and transferred, and can convey container pairs of adjacent reaction liquid preparation containers and cleaning liquid storage containers in units of l; (d) For the reaction vessels that have passed through the photometry section, the cleaning liquid is dispensed into the reaction vessels in which the reaction liquid had been prepared until then by the cleaning liquid dispensing unit, and the sample is dispensed into the reaction vessels in which the cleaning liquid had been stored. A biochemical automatic analyzer is comprised of a transfer line drive control section capable of circulating and transporting a group of reaction containers by shifting the reaction containers by one to form the above-mentioned unit in order to dispense a sample in a dispensing section. provided.

In the apparatus of the present invention, the annular conveyance line used in single-multi type apparatuses such as biochemical automatic analyzers known in the art can be used as is, except for the provision of a washing liquid dispensing section. It is preferable that the cleaning liquid dispensing unit is configured to be able to supply a plurality of types of cleaning liquids in a predetermined order depending on the history of the reaction container (that is, the type of dispensed reagent) and the like.

In the apparatus of the present invention, the transport line drive section alternately sets a large number of reaction containers included in the line for sample liquid preparation and washing liquid storage, and sets adjacent reaction liquid preparation containers and washing liquid storage containers. 1 unit of container pair (i.e. l pitch)
is configured to be transported as This one-pitch driving method may be any conventional method.

In the apparatus of the present invention, the transport line drive control section controls the case in which a sample and a reagent are dispensed into the reaction vessels to prepare a reaction liquid each time the group of reaction vessels circulated through the conveyance line makes one revolution. The conveyance line drive unit is controlled so that the cleaning liquid is stored and conveyed alternately. Specifically, if the reaction container group consists of an odd number, the reaction liquid preparation container and the cleaning liquid storage container are ordered to be assembled into container pairs in the order in which they are transported, and if the reaction container group is an even number, the photometry section For the reaction container group that has passed through, any one of the reaction containers is empty-fed to the sample dispensing section,
After that, it is configured to be able to output a signal instructing the pair of containers to be assembled as described above to the transport line driving section.

In the apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the reaction liquid discharge section and the water washing section are configured in a double system so that they can simultaneously wash a pair of containers set by the reaction line drive section.

Configurations other than those described above can be configured as known in the art.

(e) Function According to the present invention, the reaction vessels circulated through the annular conveyance line are transferred with the reaction liquid preparation vessels into which the sample and reagent are dispensed and the reaction liquid prepared, and the cleaning liquid stored therein. The washing liquid storage containers are set alternately in the cleaning liquid storage containers, and the number of units necessary for preparing the reaction liquid is transported by using a container pair of an adjacent reaction liquid preparation container and a cleaning liquid storage container as a unit of l. As a result, the time required for each container pair to prepare the reaction solution in one container and to measure this reaction solution is
A cleaning liquid is stored in the other container to be cleaned.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, each reaction container is alternately used for preparing the reaction solution or for storing the washing limb every week when the circulation conveyance line is operated, so that the reaction container for preparing the reaction solution always has enough washing solution. The cleaned one will be used.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited thereby.

(F) Embodiment FIG. 1 is an explanatory plan view of the main part of an example of the automatic biochemical analyzer of the present invention. In this figure, the biochemical automatic analyzer (1) includes a sample dispensing section (2), a first reagent dispensing section (3), and a first reagent dispensing section (3).
), a reaction vessel circulation line (7) comprising a second reagent dispensing section (4), a photometry section (5), and a cleaning processing section (6), a line drive section (8), and a line drive control section (9). ).

The sample dispensing section (2) includes a sample turntable (21) and a sample pipettor (22).
) in a predetermined order can be sequentially dispensed in predetermined amounts into reaction vessels on the reaction vessel circulation line (7).

Both the first reagent dispensing section (3) and the second reagent dispensing section (4) are equipped with reagent turntables (31) (41) and reagent dispensers (32x42), and correspond to preset analysis items. Reagents can be sequentially dispensed into reaction vessels into which a predetermined amount of sample has been dispensed, and line drive control 1, which will be described later, is possible.
1! It is configured to be able to dispense into a reaction container one space ahead (or one space behind) at the same time as receiving a signal from the IE (9).

The photometry section (5) is equipped with a pair of light source and light receiver that can be moved back and forth along the circulation line through a reaction container on the circulation line, and measures the optical density of the reaction solution obtained by mixing the sample and reagent. It is configured so that it can be done.

The cleaning processing section (6) includes a reaction liquid discharge section (6L), a water washing section (62), and a washing liquid dispensing section (63).

The reaction liquid discharge section (61) and the water washing section (62) are each configured in a double-fixed manner so that two reaction vessels can be treated simultaneously, and from the sample dispensing position (S) in the circulation direction, Numbering corresponds to the reaction vessels: the reaction liquid discharge section (61) is numbered (2m+1) and (2m), and the water washing section (62) is numbered (2a++ 3) and (2+11+).
2) They are set at positions corresponding to the second reaction vessels. On the other hand, when the cleaning liquid dispensing 1 (63) is on standby, the dispensing position is the position corresponding to the (2m+5)th reaction container, but at the same time it receives a signal from the line drive control unit (9), which will be described later. One position forward, i.e. (2I+
++ The dispensing position is configured so that the position corresponding to the 6)th (or one position behind, that is, the (2+4)th) reaction container is designated as the dispensing position (these dispensing positions are indicated using the above symbols, respectively). ).

The line drive unit (8) is equipped with a drive step change unit, and normally can transport two reaction vessels step by step as a set, and when a signal is input to the shoe drive step change unit, the line drive unit (8) can carry steps for one reaction vessel. After being shifted forward or backward, the above-mentioned step conveyance is possible.

The line drive control section (9) includes an input setting section (9L), a counting section (92), and an output section (93). The manual setting section (91) can set the number of reaction vessels arranged on the circulation line (7) and whether it is an odd number or an even number, and can set the @number signal based on the signal from the counting section (92). The configuration is such that a signal can be outputted to the drive step change section of the line drive WJ (8) when the line drive WJ (8) is in use. The counting section (92) counts the number of reaction vessels circulated through the circulation line (7) starting from A, and when it matches the number set in the input setting section (91), sends a signal to the input setting section (91). ).

Note that the dispensing positions of the first reagent, second reagent, and washing liquid whose dispensing positions were shifted synchronously when output to the drive step change unit are the same as those at the sample dispensing position (S) at the start. When the container (No. 1 reaction container described later) is recognized as passing through the sample dispensing position (S) again, based on the count,
When this No. 1 reaction container passes through each dispensing position, it is sequentially cleared and returned to the original dispensing position.

Next, the operation of the automatic biochemical analyzer (L) will be explained.

First, when the drive step change section of the line drive section (8) receives an even number signal from the line drive control section (9), it is set to change so as to move one reaction vessel backward in the circulation direction. , Correspondingly, a reagent dispenser (32
) and (42) are both line drive control section (9)
It is set so that each dispensing position is shifted backward by one position at the same time as a signal is received from the pipette, and the dispensing position of the washing night dispensing section (63) is also set to be shifted by (2 m + 4).

) When the number of reaction vessels is an odd number (2N-1'), this number (2N-1) and an odd number signal are set in advance in the input setting section (91) of the line drive control section (9).

When started thereafter, the reaction vessels are transported two steps at a time through the circulation line. At this time, the number of reaction containers is counted starting from A. If the reaction container located at the sample dispensing position (S) immediately before the above start is numbered as No. 1, a predetermined amount of sample is sequentially placed into the odd numbered (2n-1) reaction containers by the sample pipettor according to the step transfer described above. It is dispensed. Then, the first reagent is sequentially dispensed into the odd-numbered reaction containers at the first reagent dispensing position (R1), and the second reagent is dispensed at the second reagent dispensing position (R2), respectively, and the reaction solution is concentrated. becomes. Each of the obtained reaction solutions was measured for each optical density (e.g. absorbance) in a photometer, and then
The odd-numbered (2n-1) and even-numbered (2n) containers (hereinafter referred to as container pairs) are sequentially transported step by step and sent to the reaction liquid discharge section (61) and water washing section (62) at the same time. The reaction solution in the odd-numbered container of the pair is drained and the two containers of each container pair are simultaneously washed with water. Thereafter, the specified cleaning liquid is dispensed into the odd-numbered container pair by step conveyance, and the first round ends (see Figure 2 (a)), but the step conveyance continues as it is and starts in the second round. enter.

Since the number of reaction vessels is an odd number, in the second round, each of the even-numbered reaction vessels in the previous numbering is placed in the sample dispensing vertical position, the first reagent dispensing position, and the second reagent dispensing position. As a result, the washing liquid is stored in each of the odd-numbered reaction vessels (see FIG. 2(b)).

In the third round, the sample dispensing position, the first reagent dispensing position, the second
The odd-numbered reaction containers in the numbering of the first round will be located at the reagent dispensing position again, and the washing liquid will be stored in each even-numbered reaction container.
(See Figure 2(c)).

Thereafter, the operations for the second and third rounds are repeated.

ii) When the number of reaction vessels is an even number (2N) This number (2N) and an even number signal are set in advance in the input setting section (91) of the line drive control section (9). When started thereafter, the reaction vessels are transported two steps at a time through the circulation line. At this time, the number of reaction vessels is counted by the counting section (92) starting from A. Thereafter, the operations are carried out in the same manner as in the first round, but when the first reaction container in the previous numbering is transported to the cleaning liquid dispensing position, the counter (
92) matches the even number signal set in the input setting section (91), and a signal is output from the counting section (92) to the drive step changing section of the line driving section (8).

As a result, the line drive unit (8) moves the reaction vessel backward in the circulation direction! After returning, the above-mentioned step conveyance is continued again, and at the same time both reagent dispensers (32) and (42) receive a signal from the line drive control unit (9), each dispensing position is shifted backward, In addition, the cleaning liquid dispensing position is also synchronously set to (2m+4).

As a result, the cleaning liquid is dispensed to the odd-numbered reaction vessels according to the previous numbering.

Therefore, in the second round, the container pairs that are step-transported are arranged in the order of (@number, odd number), with the even numbered one first, and the sample dispensing position (S), the first reagent dispensing position (R1), At the second reagent dispensing position (R2), the even-numbered reaction vessels according to the previous numbering will be located, and the washing liquid will be stored in the odd-numbered reaction vessels.

Then, in the third round after the step change, the odd-numbered reaction vessels in the numbering of the first round are again located at the sample dispensing position, the first reagent dispensing position, and the second reagent dispensing position. Therefore, the cleaning liquid is stored in each odd-numbered reaction container. Thereafter, the operations for the second and third rounds are repeated.

(G) Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, the cleaning solution for the next delivery is stored in the reaction container in which the reaction solution was prepared, so that the cleaning time can be extended and the cleaning effect can be increased. Therefore, contamination of reaction vessels, which was the biggest drawback of single-multiple automatic analyzers, can be significantly improved, and analysis accuracy can be guaranteed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory plan view of the principal part of an example of an automatic biochemical analyzer of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration illustrating the state of dispensing samples, reagents, and washing liquids into a group of reaction vessels in the apparatus of FIG. 1. It is an explanatory diagram. 2... Sample dispensing section, 3... First reagent dispensing section, 4... Second reagent dispensing section, 5... Photometry section, 6...Cleaning processing unit, 7...Reaction vessel circulation line, 8...Line drive unit, 9...Line drive control unit, 2i... ...Sample turntable, 22
...Sample pipettor, 31.41 ...Reagent turntable, 32.4
2... Reagent dispenser, 61... Reaction liquid discharge section, 62... Water washing section, 63...
...Cleaning liquid dispensing section, 91...Input setting section, 92
...Counting section, 93...Output section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. (a) An annular conveyance line comprising a sample dispensing section, a reagent dispensing section, a photometry section, a reaction liquid discharging section, a water washing section, and a washing liquid dispensing section in this order; (b) the above-mentioned (c) A large number of reaction container groups are circulated through a conveyance line; (d) a transport line drive unit that can be set alternately in the washing liquid storage container and transport the adjacent container pair of the reaction liquid preparation container and the washing liquid storage container as one unit; The cleaning liquid dispensing unit dispenses the cleaning liquid into the reaction vessels in which the reaction liquid had been prepared, and the sample dispensing unit dispenses the sample into the reaction vessels where the cleaning liquid had been stored. A biochemical automatic analyzer comprising a transfer line drive control section that can shift the reaction containers by one to form the above-mentioned unit and circulately transport the reaction container group.