JPH061278B2 - Dispenser for automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises at least one dispenser, which dispenses one or more liquids such as a plurality of reagents, samples, etc. into its probe from separate containers, It also relates to a device for dispensing the sucked liquid from the probe into the reaction container.

The dispenser of the above-mentioned type is used in automatic chemical analyzers that target a large amount of samples (samples), and reagents corresponding to individual samples and sample information (analysis items) are placed in the reaction container. The purpose is to dispense. In this type of dispensing device, contamination between samples or reagents must be eliminated as much as possible in order to prevent deterioration of analysis accuracy.

As one of the solutions for that, it is conceivable to provide a plurality of dispensing devices corresponding to each reagent, but such a configuration is extremely inconvenient in terms of space and cost. As another solution, one dispensing fluid system is provided for a plurality of reagents, one end of the fluid system can be connected to a container containing an arbitrary reagent, and the other end can be connected to a sample container. A configuration is also known in which one pump is connected to a system via a switching valve and a reagent is sucked, a sample is sucked, and a sample and a reagent are simultaneously dispensed to a reaction container by operating the switching valve. However, in this known device, since the fluid system is completely filled with the reagent, not only the reagent that has been aspirated but not dispensed is wasted,
It is necessary to wash the entire flow path every time the type of reagent is changed, and the valve switching mechanism and switching operation are complicated, and it is difficult to sufficiently enhance the reliability of operation.

In another known device described in JP-A-54-5790, reagent containers that individually store a plurality of types of reagents are arranged on a turntable, and the turntable is driven in a fixed direction by a motor through a slip mechanism. When the container containing the desired reagent reaches the suction position, the turntable is electromagnetically stopped to suck the reagent. The reagent container is preferably small in size so that it can be placed on the turntable, and for that purpose, a reagent which is concentrated several tens of times as compared with a normal reagent is used. Therefore, the reagent must be diluted with a diluting liquid (for example, water) between the time when the reagent is sucked by the probe and the time when the reagent is dispensed into the reaction container, and means and steps therefor are inevitably added. Further, even when only one kind of reagent is dispensed, it is necessary to rotate and stop all the reagent containers together with the turntable at all times, which is wasteful in operation, and the driving and stopping mechanism is inevitably large.

The object of the present invention is, in order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks in the conventional apparatus, it is possible to dispense a desired sample or reagent into the reaction container without moving the container group of the sample or reagent, and the structure is simple. To provide a dispensing device for an automatic analyzer having high operating efficiency.

That is, the present invention is a dispenser of an automatic analyzer having a probe for sucking a liquid from a plurality of liquid containers containing a liquid such as a reagent or a sample and discharging the liquid into a reaction container. Of the probe that is rotatable along the movement path of the probe, a plurality of liquid containers that are fixedly arranged along the movement path of the probe except a part of the movement path, and movement of the probe in which the liquid container is not arranged. It is provided with a plurality of reaction vessels sequentially transferred across the path, and means for positioning the probe at a predetermined position where the desired liquid vessel and the reaction vessel cross.

1 and 2 showing an embodiment of the present invention,
Reference numeral 1 is a pump box, which is connected to the rotary arm 2. The arm 2 is connected to the gear shaft 3 and moves the pump box 1 onto the respective suction openings of the reagent container 9 and the wash water container 8 and the reaction container 11 arranged along the circular movement path thereof. The gear shaft 3 is supported by a bearing 6 and is rotated by a motor 5 via a gear 4. The probe 7 is attached to the pump box 1. 10 is a reaction lane, which is intermittently driven by a driving means (not shown) in synchronization with the dispensing step. The reaction lane 10 is circular and is circumscribed with the circular movement path of the probe 7. The reagent containers 9 arranged in a circle are not located near the reaction lane 10.

The operation of the apparatus of the above embodiment will be described below. In the initial state, the pump 1 and the probe 7 are located on the wash water container 8, and the probe 7 is in the raised position. First, the pump 1 sucks water, and the probe 7 is filled with water up to the tip. First, the motor 5 moves the probe 7 via the gear 4, the shaft 3 and the arm 2 to a position above the reagent container 9 containing a required reagent. Next, the probe 7 is lowered and immersed in the reagent to suck a required amount of the reagent. Next, the probe 7 is raised and moved onto the reaction container 11 by the motor 5. After dispensing the reagent into the reaction vessel 11 at this position, the probe 7
Are moved onto the wash water container 8. Further, the probe 7 is lowered and immersed in washing water to wash the outer wall of the probe 7, and the inner wall of the probe 7 is also washed by discharging water from the probe 7. Finally, the probe 7 is raised to complete the 1-dispensing process. The reaction lane 10 is sent step by step in synchronization with the dispensing process.

According to the above-described embodiment, the following advantages are obtained. (1) One dispenser selectively dispenses a liquid containing one or more reagents or samples without moving a container. Can be poured. That is, since the container for containing the liquid to be aspirated is fixedly arranged at a predetermined position on the circular movement path of the probe, a large and wasteful drive mechanism of the entire container such as the reagent, which is a drawback of the reagent turntable system, is provided. Since it is unnecessary and only the dispensing probe needs to be moved, a high-speed control and economical device can be obtained. (2) Since a plurality of reaction vessels on the reaction lane are sent to a predetermined position on the circular movement path of the probe, a large amount of dispensing can be performed with the predetermined position always being the dispensing position. (3) Compared with the conventional system in which a pump is provided for each reagent, only one pump is required, and the economical efficiency and reliability can be improved. (Four)
Compared with the conventional device that has one reagent pump and switches four channels of the reagent suction system, a complicated channel switching mechanism and a pump cleaning mechanism are unnecessary, and moreover, the channels need to be filled with the reagent. Since it does not exist, waste of reagents can be eliminated. The dispenser of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the embodiments, the dispenser according to the present invention is illustrated as a reagent dispenser, but instead of the reagent container, a sample container or a reagent and sample container is simultaneously fixedly arranged along the movement path of the probe. However, it goes without saying that the dispenser of the present invention can be obtained.

As described above in detail, the dispenser in the automatic analyzer of the present invention can dispense to the reaction container only by moving the probe without moving a plurality of liquid containers containing liquids such as reagents and samples. Therefore, a large-scale and wasteful drive unit for the liquid container is not required, and dispensing can be performed economically and with high operating efficiency.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof. 1 ... Pump box 7 ... Probe 8 ... Wash water container 9 ... Reagent container 11 ... Reaction container

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A dispenser of an automatic analyzer having a probe for sucking a liquid from a plurality of liquid containers containing a liquid such as a reagent or a sample and discharging the liquid into a reaction container,
A probe that is rotatable along at least a part of a circular movement path, a plurality of liquid containers fixedly arranged along the movement path of the probe except a part of the movement path, and the liquid container. A plurality of reaction vessels that are sequentially transferred so as to traverse the movement path of the probe that is not arranged, and means for positioning the probe at a predetermined position where the desired liquid vessel and the reaction vessel traverse are provided. Analytical instrument dispenser.