JPH05164760A - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To display the amount of a reagent required in future in comparison with the current remaining amount of the reagent. CONSTITUTION:The subject analyzer dispenses a sample in sample containers 4aa, 4ab,... in reaction tubes 2a, 2b,... by means of a dispensing probe 7 and, at the same time, dispenses reagents in the reaction tubes from reagent bottles 6a, 6b,... by means of a reagent dispensing probe 8. Then a measuring mechanism 9 measure the reaction of each reagent to each sample and a control section 10 fetches measured data, performs prescribed arithmetic operation on the data, and displays obtained results on a display device 15. Then, by inputting measuring item selecting information to the sample in each sample container and measurement parameters to each measuring item to the control section 10 and, at the same time, inputting the remaining amount of reagent in each reagent bottle in a reagent storage chamber to the section 10 after detection, the amounts of reagents required for the measurement are found from the number of samples for each reagent and used amount of each reagent and the amounts of reagents required for the measurement are displayed on the display device 15 together with the remaining amount of reagent in each reagent bottle.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer capable of displaying a reagent remaining amount and a reagent required amount.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an automatic analyzer, samples (samples) in a plurality of sample containers held in a sample tray are used.
To the multiple reaction tubes held in the reaction table by the dispensing probe, and the reagents in the reagent bottles held in the reagent storage are dispensed into the reaction tubes by the reagent dispensing probe to react with each sample. There is a device in which the measurement can be performed by a measuring mechanism. In this case, the reaction table is rotationally driven under a predetermined condition by a control command from the control unit,
In addition, the sample dispensing probe and reagent dispensing probe also perform dispensing operation under predetermined conditions according to the control command from the control unit, and the measurement results of the measurement mechanism are taken into the control unit and displayed on the display device. It

Conventionally, in such an automatic analyzer, in order to manage the reagent amount in each reagent bottle held in the reagent container, the reagent amount in each reagent bottle in the reagent container is detected by a reagent amount detection mechanism. The detection signal is taken into the control unit and the reagent amount is displayed for each item on the display device.

[0004]

However, in such an automatic analyzer, since only the current reagent remaining amount in each reagent bottle is displayed as the reagent amount displayed on the display device,
In order to know whether the amount of reagent in each reagent bottle in the reagent storage is sufficient, it is necessary to judge by comparing the current remaining amount of reagent displayed on the display device with the number of sample items selected.
In addition, when adding a sample and adding item selection, it is not possible to know how much reagent can be replenished unless it is compared with the current remaining reagent amount depending on how much sample is not measured. However, there is a problem that the operation of the operator is troublesome and a heavy burden is imposed.

The object of the present invention is to display the remaining amount of the reagent in addition to the amount of the reagent that is needed in the future, and to display the amount by which the amount of the reagent needs to be adjusted. You can easily determine whether to adjust,
An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer that can significantly reduce the burden on the operator.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention divides a sample in a plurality of sample containers set in a sample tray into a plurality of reaction tubes set in a reaction table by a dispensing probe. At the same time as pouring, the reagent in the reagent bottle set in the reagent storage is dispensed into the reaction tube by the reagent dispensing probe, the reaction to each sample is measured by the measurement mechanism, and the measurement data is taken into the control unit and specified. In the automatic analyzer which executes the calculation of the calculation result and displays the calculation result on the display device, the measurement parameter such as the selection information of the measurement item for the sample in each sample container and the measurement parameter such as the reagent amount related to each measurement item are controlled. An input unit for inputting to the control unit, and a reagent amount detecting unit for detecting the remaining amount of the reagent in each reagent bottle of the reagent storage and inputting it to the control unit. Is provided with a calculating means for calculating the required reagent amount from the number of measurement samples for each reagent and the used amount of each reagent, and the required reagent amount obtained by this calculating means is detected by the reagent amount detecting means. The amount of the reagent remaining in the bottle is displayed on the display device.

Further, the control unit is provided with a judging unit for comparing the necessary amount of the reagent obtained by the calculating unit with the remaining amount of the reagent in each reagent bottle to judge whether or not there is the insufficient amount of the reagent. When it is determined that the amount of the reagent is insufficient, the insufficient amount of the reagent is displayed on the display device.

[0008]

In the automatic analyzer having such a structure, the control unit detects the selection information of the measurement item for the sample in each sample container, the measurement parameter such as the reagent amount related to each measurement item, and the reagent amount detection means. By inputting the remaining amount of reagent in each reagent bottle, the amount of reagent required for measurement is determined from the number of samples to be measured for each reagent and the amount of each reagent used. Since the amount is displayed together with the amount or the reagent shortage amount is also displayed, it is possible to prevent the reagent from running out during the process and to significantly reduce the burden on the operator.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an automatic analyzer according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a reaction table in which a plurality of reaction tubes 2a, 2b, 2c ... Are held in holding holes and which is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow by a driving unit (not shown), 3 is a plurality of sample containers 4aa, 4ab, 4ac,
.. are held in the holding holes and are rotated by a driving unit (not shown), 5 are a plurality of types of reagent bottles 6a, 6
, b, 6c, ... Are reagent chambers held by holding holes and rotated by a driving unit (not shown).

Further, 7 rotates between the reaction table 1 and the sample tray 3, and the sample containers 4aa, 4ab, 4
Samples in ac, ... Reaction tubes 2a, 2b, 2c, ...
A sample dispensing probe for dispensing into each of the ..., 8 rotates between the reaction table 1 and the reagent storage 5, and reagent bottles 6a, 6
b, 6c, ... Reagents in reaction tubes 2a, 2b, 2c, ...
It is a reagent dispensing probe that dispenses each to.

Further, 9 is a reaction tube 2a, 2b, 2c, ...
A measuring mechanism for measuring the physical quantity (absorbance, electrode potential, etc.) of the mixed solution of the sample and the reagent dispensed in ... Remaining amount of the reagent in each reagent bottle 6a, 6b, 6c ,. This is a reagent amount detection mechanism for detecting.

On the other hand, 10 gives a control command to the reaction table 1, the sample dispensing probe 7 and the reagent dispensing probe 8, respectively, and also takes in a physical quantity by the reaction to each sample measured by the measuring mechanism 9 to obtain a sample in each sample. The amount of the reagent required for the measurement is obtained by calculating the concentration or activity value of the target substance, and calculating the remaining amount of the reagent detected by the reagent amount detection mechanism 11 and the information from the input device whose details will be described later. That is, it is a control unit that obtains the required amount of reagent and the insufficient amount of reagent.

Further, reference numeral 12 is a memory for storing measurement parameters such as a reagent dispensing amount corresponding to each measurement item used at the time of arithmetic processing in the control unit 10 and each reagent remaining amount measured by the reagent amount detection mechanism 11. is there.

Further, reference numeral 13 is an operation section composed of an operation panel 14, a display device 15 and a printer 16. The operation panel 14 is an input device such as a keyboard, and each sample container 4 a held in the sample tray 3
Selection of measurement items for the samples in a, 4ab, 4ac, ... And input of measurement parameters such as the amount of reagent for each measurement item to the control unit 10. Next, the operation of the automatic analyzer configured as described above will be described.

When an operator (such as a clinical laboratory technician) sets the sample contained in the sample containers 4aa, 4ab, 4ac, ... Into the sample tray 3 and inputs an item measurement request from the operation panel 14 to the control section 10, these The measurement items are stored in the memory 12. FIG. 2 shows each sample container 4aa on the sample tray 3 stored in the memory 12,
An example of a combination of items requested to be measured for each sample contained in 4ab, 4ac, ...

Now, with the sample dispensing probe 7 arranged at the peripheral position A of the reaction table 1 and the reagent dispensing probe 8 arranged at the position B, the reaction table 1 and the sample are sampled by the control command from the control unit 10. When the dispensing probe 7 and the reagent dispensing probe 8 are operated, the samples in the sample containers 4aa, 4ab, 4ac, ... Held on the sample tray 3 by the sample dispensing probe 7 move from the sample suction position C to the A position. Reaction tubes 2a, 2b, 2c, ...
Is dispensed to. Further, the reagents in the reagent bottles 6a, 6b, 6c, ... Held in the reagent storage 5 by the reagent dispensing probe 8 are moved from the reagent suction position D to the reaction tubes 2a, 2b, 2c at the position B of the reaction table 1. ... is dispensed to. Then, when the sample and the reagent are dispensed into the respective reaction tubes 2a, 2b, 2c, ..., They are mixed by a stirring mechanism (not shown), and the measurement mechanism 9 measures the physical quantities such as the absorbance of the solution and the electrode potential, and controls them. Sent to department 10.

The control unit 10 calculates the concentration or activity value of the target substance in each sample by performing a predetermined calculation based on the physical quantity, and the result is displayed on the display device 15 and the printer 16 Printed out.

By the way, in the measurement process based on the above-mentioned item measurement request, when confirming how much reagent amount is required for the requested item, the operation panel 14 is operated to send the item measurement information to the control unit 10. When input, the control unit 10 calculates a reagent amount (reagent required amount) necessary for measurement from the reagent dispensing amount of each measurement item from the item measurement information and the measurement parameter recorded in the memory 12. in this case,
The operator can display the measurement parameters recorded in the memory 12 as shown in FIG. 3 on the display device 15 by operating the operation panel 14. Here, in the calculation in the control unit 10, the amount of reagent required for measurement is obtained from the number of measurement samples for each reagent and the amount of use of each reagent shown in FIG. 2 based on the following equation. Required amount of reagent = amount of reagent used * number of measurement samples

FIG. 4 shows the results obtained by the above equations. These pieces of information are displayed on the display device 15 or the printer 1 by operating the operation panel 14.
6 can be printed out.

In this case, in consideration of the addition of a sample in the middle, it is possible to add a safety amount to the reagent required amount as the required amount in the reagent bottles 6a, 6b, 6c, .... Is.

Next, in order to confirm whether or not the reagent is sufficiently contained in the reagent bottles 6a, 6b, 6c, ..., By operating the operation panel 14, the amount of the reagent in the bottle as shown in FIG. Is displayed on the display device 15. Therefore, by comparing the reagent amount shown in FIG. 5 with the reagent required amount shown in FIG. 4, the operator can easily know the type and amount of the reagent that needs to be adjusted.

Further, by operating the operation panel 14, the information shown in FIG. 4 and the information shown in FIG. 5 are simultaneously displayed on the screen of the display device 15 as shown in FIG. 6, and if there is no shortage of reagents, ok, If the shortage of the reagent is displayed if the shortage of the reagent is displayed, the reagent can be easily adjusted. Further, if the information shown in FIG. 6 is displayed graphically in a bar graph or the like as shown in FIG. 7, it becomes easier to understand visually.

On the other hand, in the above embodiment, after the measurement is started, the selection of additional items from the operation panel 14 is performed by the control unit 1.
When it is input to 0 and this additional item is registered in the memory 12, the control unit 10 requires the reagent amount calculated from the additional item at that time and the reagent remaining amount in each reagent bottle 6a, 6b, 6c, .... Compare with. And the required amount of reagent is 6 for each reagent bottle.
a, 6b, 6c, ... It is determined whether or not there is a reagent that exceeds the reagent remaining amount in 4 and if there is a reagent that exceeds the reagent remaining amount, the alarm buzzer 17 issues an alarm so that the reagent actually Information on additional reagents can be provided to the operator in a timely manner before running out.

As described above, in this embodiment, selection request items are input to the control unit 10 from the operation panel 14, and a plurality of reagent bottles 6a held in the reagent container 5 detected by the reagent amount detection mechanism 11 are used. The remaining amount of the reagent in 6b, 6c, ... Is given to the control unit 10 to obtain the required amount of reagent from the number of measurement samples for each reagent and the amount of use of each reagent, and the information is displayed on the display device 15 for comparison. As a result, the operator can easily determine whether the reagent needs to be adjusted and how much the reagent amount should be adjusted. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the reagent from running out during the measurement and the re-measurement of the calibration due to it. Further, the measurement interruption time due to the reagent running out is shortened, and moreover, the required amount of the reagent is easily known, so that the burden on the operator can be greatly reduced.

In the above embodiment, the measurement items are selected from the operation panel 14 and the measurement parameters such as the reagent amount for each measurement item are input to the control unit 10. However, these information are transferred by communication from an external computer. However, it may be input to the control unit 10.

In the above embodiment, a plurality of sample containers 4aa, 4ab, held on one sample tray 3 are used.
4ac, ... The case of performing measurement on the sample in 4ac has been described.
If there are more than one, the measurement sample for that is stored in memory 1
By storing it in 2, the total amount of reagents can be calculated, and the same effect as described above can be obtained. Besides this,
It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, in addition to displaying the present remaining amount of the reagent, it is possible to compare and display the amount of reagent required in the future. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the reagent. Therefore, it is possible to easily determine how much amount should be adjusted, and it is possible to provide an automatic analyzer that can significantly reduce the burden on the operator.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an automatic analyzer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing measurement request items for each sample stored in a memory in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing measurement parameters similarly stored in the memory.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the required number of reagents obtained from the number of measurement samples for each reagent shown in FIG. 2 and the amount of each reagent used.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a display example of a reagent amount in a reagent bottle detected by a reagent amount detection mechanism in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of a reagent shortage amount in addition to the information of FIGS. 4 and 5;

7 is a diagram showing a case where the display example of FIG. 6 is formed into a bar graph.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Reaction table, 2a, 2b, 2c, ... Reaction tube,
3 ... Sample tray, 4a, 4b, 4c, ... Sample container, 5 ... Reagent storage, 6a, 6b, 6c, ... Reagent bottle, 7 ... Sample dispensing probe, 8 ... Reagent dispensing probe, 9 ... Measuring mechanism, 10 ... Control unit, 11 ... Reagent amount detection mechanism, 12 ... Memory, 13 ... Operation unit, 14 ...
... operation panel, 15 ... display device, 16 ... printer,
17 ... Alarm buzzer.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A sample in a plurality of sample containers set in a sample tray is dispensed by a dispensing probe into a plurality of reaction tubes set in a reaction table, and at the same time, in a reagent bottle set in a sample reagent container. The reagent is dispensed into the reaction tube by the reagent dispensing probe, the reaction to each sample is measured by the measurement mechanism, the measured data is taken into the control unit, the predetermined calculation is executed, and the calculation result is displayed on the display device. In the automatic analyzer, the input means for inputting the measurement parameter selection information for the sample in each of the sample containers and the measurement parameter such as the reagent amount for each measurement item to the control unit, and each reagent of the reagent storage And a reagent amount detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of the reagent in the bottle and inputting it to the control unit. A calculating means for calculating the required reagent amount from each reagent is provided, and the necessary reagent amount obtained by this calculating means is displayed on the display device together with the remaining amount of the reagent in each reagent bottle detected by the reagent amount detecting means. An automatic analyzer characterized in that 2. The control unit is provided with a determination unit that compares the required reagent amount calculated by the calculation unit with the remaining reagent amount in each reagent bottle to determine whether or not there is a reagent shortage amount. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the display device displays the insufficient amount of the reagent when it is determined that