JPH0420144B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an automatic chemical analysis apparatus for blood, etc., and particularly to an apparatus equipped with a closed rotary reactor.

[Prior art] Currently, this type of device is widely used in hospitals as a means of testing patients, but these devices can be roughly divided into closed types that use a rotating reactor and those that use a belt or chain for reaction. There is an open type for transferring pipes. Each type has its own characteristics, but the closed type is superior to the open type in that the test sample does not scatter, so there is no contamination in the testing room, and the device can be used with peace of mind.

Conventionally used methods for stirring samples and reagents in reactors include (1) mechanical stirring using a stirring rod;

(2) A method of stirring by mechanically vibrating the entire unit.

(3) A method of stirring the liquid by blowing air.

(4) A method of stirring by introducing air bubbles into a liquid.

Methods (1) to (3) are mainly used for open types, and method (4) is used for closed types.

However, method (1) above is structurally complicated,
The drawback is that it is difficult to clean the stirring rod, which can lead to cross-contamination, which is a major problem in automated chemical analysis. Furthermore, in method (2), there is a possibility that the tightened parts of various parts may loosen due to mechanical vibration, and depending on the reagent, bubbles may be generated due to the vibration. Method (3) has drawbacks such as a complicated structure, poor stirring reliability, and severe scattering of the sample solution. Method (4) is the best method among the four methods above, but there is a possibility that air bubbles may remain in the liquid, so countermeasures must be taken, and there is also the problem that the reaction tube becomes slightly larger. be.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a closed-type device that can eliminate various disadvantages in stirring.

[Configuration of the Invention] The configuration features of the present invention include a disk-shaped rotating body having a rotational axis in the horizontal direction, and a disk-shaped rotating body that is placed so that its axis coincides with the rotational axis of the rotating body, and a rotating shaft for holding the body, a large number of reaction tubes radially fixed to the rotating body, a valve block held by the rotating shaft placed on one or both sides of the rotating body, and a valve block at a specific position. A large number of pipes connected to this valve block are used to introduce samples, reagents, etc. into the reaction tube through the valve block, or to send liquids from the reaction tube to other parts, and the rotating body and valve block are integrated into the rotation. A mechanism for repeatedly rotating the valve block around an axis over an angular range of approximately 180 degrees, and a mechanism for mutually rotating the rotating body and the valve block one step at a time, the sample being rotated repeatedly by the rotating body. and an automatic chemical analyzer adapted to perform agitation of reagents.

[Example] The present invention will be described in detail below based on an example shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of a rotating body having a reaction tube, which is the main part thereof. In the figure, 1 is a disc-shaped rotating body,
The rotating body has a rotation axis in the horizontal direction. The rotating body has a large number of reaction tubes a, b, c, d, e,...o, symmetrically arranged along a line extending radially from the rotation axis.
p is fixed. The reaction tube is made of a transparent material with excellent chemical resistance, such as glass,
The cross section is rectangular. Moreover, the upper part of each reaction tube is connected to pipes 2a, 2b, 2 through joints.
c...2o, 2p, and the other end of the pipe is connected to the through hole 3 of the rotating body via a joint. The through hole 3 can be connected to the through hole 5 of the valve block 4, and when both the through holes are connected, the pipe 6
Connect to an external pump or waste tank via.

The other ends of the reaction tubes a, b, c,...p are connected to the rotating body 1
It is connected to a through hole 3' formed inside the valve block 7, and the through hole can be connected to a through hole 8 of the valve block 7. The through hole 8 is connected to a pipe 9 via a joint, and connected to a channel system (not shown) through which a mixed solution of a sample and a reagent is introduced. Reference numeral 10 denotes a pipe for introducing the second reagent, which is provided in the valve block 7 and can be connected to the through holes of each reaction tube of the rotating body 1 through through holes similar to those of 8. The pipe 11 is connected to a drainage channel system, and the sample solution detected at a detection position, which is, for example, the reaction tube g in FIG. 2, is discharged to a drainage tank at that position. Although not shown, a light source and a photodetector are placed at the detection position, sandwiching the rotating reaction tube, and colorimetric measurements are performed.
Furthermore, the pipe 12 is for introduction of a cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid such as water is introduced into the reaction tube after the liquid has been drained through the pipe, thereby cleaning the inside of the reaction tube. The valve block 4 is also provided with through holes and pipes similar to those of 5 and 6 at positions corresponding to the pipes 10, 11, and 12, and each through hole of the valve blocks 7 and 4 is connected to the reaction tube of the rotating body 1. When the through holes are lined up as shown in FIG. 1, a sample solution, reagent, or cleaning liquid is injected or drained.

A rotating shaft 13 passes through the rotating body 1 and the valve blocks 4 and 7, and has bearings 14 and 1 at both ends.
It is held by fixed frames 16 and 17 via 5. The valve blocks 4 and 7 are fixed to the rotating shaft using a key or the like, and the rotating body 1 is fixed to the rotating shaft 1.
It is not fixed to valve block 3, and valve blocks 4 and 7
They are integrated by the pressing force between them, and rotation is transmitted. Therefore, if the rotating body 1 is fixed by some means, the rotation will be transmitted only to the valve blocks 4 and 7. A gear 18 is fixed to one end of the rotating shaft, and is connected to a rotational drive source 20 such as a motor via a gear 19. The rotary drive source used is one that can repeatedly rotate the rotating body 1 over an angular range of approximately 180 degrees.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, grooves or holes 21 in the same number as the reaction tubes are formed on the outer circumference of the rotating body, and these holes are used for locking the rotating body 1.
A lock pin 22 is slidably housed in a cylinder 23, and the other end is connected to a drive mechanism 2 consisting of a stepping motor, an eccentric cam, a rectangular frame, etc.
It is connected to 4.

In such a configuration, the lock drive mechanism 24
When the motor 20 is driven with the pin 22 pushed into the hole 21 of the rotating body 1, since the rotating body 1 is fixed to the frame 16, the gears 19, 1
The rotation of the rotary shaft 13 via 8 is transmitted only to the valve blocks 4 and 7. In this state, motor 20
When the valve block is rotated by one step (an amount that feeds one reaction tube), the connection of the sample solution, reagent washing liquid, etc. provided in the valve block is switched to the next reaction tube.
Further, when the locking mechanism is released and the pin 22 is pulled out from the hole 21 of the rotating body 1, and the motor 20 is driven, the rotating body 1 and the valve blocks 4 and 7 rotate together. The amount of rotation (angle) is approximately 180 degrees, and forward and reverse rotations are performed.

FIG. 3 explains the operation when actually using the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a is the rotating body 1.
3 shows the process of introducing a mixed solution of a sample and a first reagent into reaction tube a. Position A is the sample introduction position. At this time, the second reagent is simultaneously injected into the other reaction tube 1 at position B. Further, C is a light detection position, D is a draining position, and E is a cleaning position. Note that washing is actually performed two or more times, but in this case, washing is performed once.
In addition, the drainage of the cleaning solution is not shown. When the introduction of the sample is completed as shown in figure a, the motor 20 is driven and the valve block 4 is moved through the rotating shaft.
and 7, rotate the rotating body 1 in the direction of the arrow, and move the reaction tube a to a position rotated approximately 180 degrees as shown in figure b. In this state, the lock drive mechanism 24
, and push the pin 22 into the hole 21 of the rotating body to fix only the rotating body 1. Then, the motor 20 is driven to reverse the valve blocks 4 and 7 by one step. In this state, the sample introduction pipe 9 (FIG. 2) comes to be connected to the reaction tube b. Thereafter, when the lock mechanism is released and the motor 20 is driven at the same time to reverse the entire system as indicated by the arrow b, the reaction tube b is placed at the sample introduction position A as shown in figure c. Therefore, the next sample is introduced into reaction tube b together with the first sample. By repeating this operation several times, the reaction tube a into which the sample has been introduced in figure a reaches the second reagent injection position B as shown in figure d, where the predetermined second reagent mixes with the sample and the first reagent. It is mixed into the mixture with the reagent. Furthermore, after the above-mentioned repeated rotation is executed several times, the reaction tube a reaches the detection position C, and colorimetric detection is performed. Immediately after the detection or after multiple steps, the sample and reagent mixture at an appropriate position is drained;
After several more steps, cleaning is performed at position E. When the rotation is repeated for the number of reaction tubes, the state returns to the state shown in FIG. 3a, that is, the state in which the reaction tube a is at the sample introduction position A.

As can be seen from the above operations, each reaction tube is inverted many times after the sample solution and first reagent are introduced until the second reagent is injected, so each reaction tube is placed in the position of the second reagent. By the time it reaches , stirring has been completely completed. Furthermore, since the second reagent is repeatedly rotated many times after being injected, when the solution reaches the detection position C, it has been sufficiently stirred.

Such agitation is a so-called natural agitation in which the reaction tube is inverted, and there is almost no generation of air bubbles, no worries about mechanical vibration or cross contamination, and furthermore, no liquid scattering occurs.

In the present invention, various additional effects can be expected in addition to the above-mentioned effects related to stirring. That is, since natural agitation is used, a reaction tube with a small internal volume can be used, and the amount of sample solution and reagent can therefore be significantly reduced. Furthermore, the entire device can be made smaller and the rotation speed can be increased, so that the processing speed can be improved. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, compact multiplication can be achieved by simply connecting multiple stages of reactors in the horizontal direction. In addition, in Fig. 4, only the motor 20 is used, and two (or more than two) are used on the same rotating shaft.
rotating bodies 1a, 1b, valve blocks 4a, 4
b, 7a, and 7b are held, and both rotating reactors are driven simultaneously. At this time, two locking mechanisms for the rotating body are used as shown by 24a and 24b.
25a, 25b are light sources for detection, 26a, 26b
is a photodetector, and the light source and the detector are rotating bodies 1a, 1
They are placed facing each other with b in between. This configuration is the first
The same applies to figures.

[Effect] As explained above, in the present invention, a sample solution can be analyzed by repeatedly rotating a rotating body having a large number of reaction tubes radially around a horizontal axis (in other words, in the vertical direction) within an angle range of about 180 degrees. Since the sample and reagent are agitated by natural agitation by inverting the reaction tube many times, the drawbacks of various conventional agitation methods can be completely eliminated. In addition, it becomes possible to speed up processing, reduce the amount of samples and reagents, and furthermore, achieve multiplication in a compact manner.
Furthermore, since the rotating body rotates repeatedly without rotating once, it is possible to eliminate the need for the pipes to be wrapped around the valve block for supplying samples, reagents, etc. to the reaction tubes held by the rotating body.

[Modifications] The above is one embodiment of the present invention, and various modifications can be made in implementation. For example, valve blocks 4 and 7 are provided on both sides of the rotating body, but
One of the valve blocks is used, and as shown in FIG. 5, there is an injection mechanism 2 for samples and reagents that enters and exits from the outside of the rotating body 1 in synchronization with the rotation of the rotating body.
7, 28, etc. may be provided.
Further, the number and position of the detectors are not limited to those shown in the figure, and a desired number may be installed at desired positions. Further, the rotation angle range of the rotating body does not need to be 180 degrees, and may be a smaller range or a larger range as long as the sample and reagent can be sufficiently stirred. Furthermore, although the above is a case where a reaction tube is used as a detection cell, the sample solution after stirring is transferred from the reaction tube to another sample cell, and colorimetric detection is performed in that cell. Also good. Furthermore, in the above example, a single reactor was used to carry out everything from sample introduction to detection, but a configuration may also be adopted in which separate samples are introduced into each reaction tube at the same time and only stirring is performed at the same time. In this case, after introducing a large number of samples, the rotating body may be repeatedly rotated several times or more, and the sample solution that has been stirred may be guided to the next step, for example, a detection cell.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of a part of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of FIGS. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. 1: Rotating body, 2a to 2p: Pipe, 4, 7: Valve block, 13: Rotating shaft, 20: Motor, 2
1: Lock hole, 22: Lock pin, 24: Lock drive mechanism, a to p: reaction tube.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A disk-shaped rotating body having a rotational axis in the horizontal direction, and a rotating body placed so that its axis coincides with the rotational axis of the rotating body and for holding this rotating body. A shaft, a number of reaction tubes radially fixed to the rotating body, a valve block held by the rotating shaft placed on one or both sides of the rotating body, and a valve block that passes through the valve block at a specific position to the reaction tubes. A large number of pipes connected to this valve block for introducing samples, reagents, etc. or sending liquids from the reaction tube to others, the rotary body and the valve block are integrally arranged approximately 180 degrees around the rotation axis. a mechanism for repeatedly rotating the valve block over an angle range of An automatic chemical analyzer characterized by: 2. The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the reaction tube also serves as a detection cell, and at least one pair of a light source and a photodetector are installed at arbitrary positions across the rotating body. 3. The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 1, wherein a detection cell is provided separately from the reaction tube, and a reaction sample solution is transferred from the reaction tube to the cell for detection. 4. The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the sample or reagent is introduced into the reaction tube from an introduction mechanism arranged on the outer periphery of a rotating body. 5. The automatic chemical analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of rotating bodies and valve blocks are arranged horizontally and rotated by a single drive mechanism.