JPH0614054B2 - Liquid automatic replenishing device in automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an automatic replenishing device for a liquid substance in a biochemical or immunological automatic analyzer.

The Applicant has found that the reaction tube is first held in a turret shape, and that a plurality of containers for injecting various reagents and diluents (hereinafter, referred to as liquid substances) corresponding to the measurement items into the reaction tube are provided. Radially held by turret-shaped holders arranged concentrically with the reaction tube, and by moving the holders to the liquid substance injection position, the liquid substance corresponding to the analysis item contains the corresponding sample. We propose an automatic analyzer that dispenses the required amount into a reaction tube.

By the way, in the case where the container containing the liquid substance is held by the turret-shaped holder,
While the liquid substance corresponding to the sample in the reaction vessel is transferred at a high speed to a predetermined liquid substance injection position, the holder must be reliably stopped from the same state at the injection position, so the radius of the turret-shaped holder is increased. If it is set, the starting torque and static torque of the holder will be too large and the drive will be overloaded, which will reduce the durability performance of the device and also provide the accuracy of acceleration control and stop control. It had a problem that it was difficult.

As a means for solving such a problem, the turret-shaped holder for holding the container of the liquid substance may be configured to have a small radius to reduce each of the above torques. However, when the radius of the holder is configured to be small in this way, Has a problem that it cannot be adopted suddenly because the container capacity of the liquid substance becomes small and the replenishment work becomes very complicated.

The present invention was devised in view of the current situation,
The purpose is to perform maintenance management such as confirming the consumption of liquid substances in this type of device and automatically replenishing them by automatically replenishing the required amount of various liquid substances in the biochemical or immuno-automatic analyzer automatically and sequentially. This makes it easier to perform dispensing work in a stable manner, and the load on the drive section of the device can be significantly reduced, which can greatly improve the durability of the unit. It is intended to provide a supply device.

In order to achieve such an object, in the present invention, a plurality of analytical containers radially arranged at the same height on the turret and containing liquid substances necessary for analysis, and a number corresponding to the analytical containers are provided. Yes, a replenishing container located above and containing a sufficient amount of the same liquid substance as that contained in each analysis container, and a container that has penetrated into one container selected from a plurality of analysis containers. In an automatic liquid replenishing device in an automatic analyzer having a pipette for transferring a liquid substance therein, the upper end of the liquid feeding tube is arranged in the liquid of the replenishing container and the lower end thereof is arranged in the analyzing container, , The upper end of the air supply tube is arranged above the liquid level in the supply container, and the lower end is arranged at a position higher than the bottom of the analysis container and at a common liquid level to be supplied in each analysis container. Than it is.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2, 1 is a turret (disc)
2 shows a reaction tube holding member in the shape of a ring, and a required number of reaction tubes 2 are held on the outer periphery of the member 1 at required intervals, and the member 1 is intermittently or scan-rotatably driven by a drive device M ₁ . The drive is controlled.

A liquid substance holder 3 having a smaller diameter than that of the reaction tube holding member 1 and having a turret shape is arranged on the upper portion of the reaction tube holding member 1 configured as described above. One rotation center shaft 4 is rotatably inserted into the hollow portion 4a, and is rotatably inserted in the holder rotation center shaft 5 by a driving device M _{2 which} is rotatably and reversely rotated.

In the holder 3, a required number of small-capacity analysis containers 6 containing a required amount of various liquid substances corresponding to the analysis items are arranged in a radial pattern in a removable state.

As shown in FIG. 3, this analysis container 6 has a hole 7 for inserting a pipette in the upper surface thereof, and small holes 8 and 9 different from the hole 7 formed in the upper surface thereof. There is.

The replenishment container holder 10 has a turret shape having the same diameter as or a smaller diameter than the liquid substance holder 3, and the bottom and bottom surfaces of the holder 10 are located above the upper face of the analytical container 6 held by the liquid substance holder 3. The rotation center shaft 11 is inserted into the hollow portion 12 of the rotation center shaft 5 of the liquid substance holder 3, and the rotation center of the holder 10 rotates in the forward and reverse directions in synchronization with the liquid substance holder 3. A shaft 11 is detachably fixedly integrated with the rotation center shaft 5.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2, the supply container holder 10 has an analytical container 6 held on the liquid substance holder 3.
The same number of large-capacity replenishment containers 13 corresponding to
Is held in the upper position corresponding to.

As shown in FIG. 4, this replenishing container 13 has a replenishing hole 14 for replenishing liquid substance in the upper surface thereof, and the hole 14 has a lid for sealing the replenishing container 13 in a normal state. Body 15
Is being worn. Further, a pair of hollow air-feeding and liquid-feeding tubes 16 and 17 having different lengths to the lower end are connected to the bottom surface of the supply container 13 in a state of communicating with the supply container 13.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, each of the air supply and liquid supply tubes 16 and 17 has an analysis container 6 whose lower end portion corresponds to each other.
Are inserted into and supported by the small holes 8 and 9 and are similarly attached to the corresponding analytical containers 6 so that the lower ends 16a and 17a are in different heights. That is, the lower end 16a of each air supply tube 16 is disposed at a common position higher than the bottom of each analysis container 6, and the upper end thereof is disposed in the replenishment container 13 above the liquid level Rb. On the other hand, the lower end 17a of the liquid supply tube 17 is arranged so as to be located slightly above the bottom of the analysis container 6, and the upper end thereof is arranged so as to open toward the liquid substance R ₂ of the replenishment container 13. It is set up.

Next, the operation of the liquid substance automatic replenishing device according to the above embodiment will be described. The liquid surface Ra of the liquid substance R ₁ contained in the analysis container 6 is located slightly above the lower end 16a of the air supply tube 16. Air supply, liquid supply tube 1
Since the insides of 6 and 17 are sealed with the liquid substance R ₁ , the pressure inside the sealed replenishment container 13 is equal to the pressure inside the analysis container 6, so that the replenishment container 13 is the same. The replenishing liquid substance R ₂ therein does not flow down into the analysis container 6 from the liquid feeding tube 17 and is not supplied.

From this state, liquid substance holder 3 and replenishment container holder 10
In response to a command from the control device, the analysis container 6 containing the liquid substance corresponding to the analysis item of the reaction tube 2 is selected for each corresponding analysis and rotated to a predetermined liquid substance dispensing position. Are transferred, and the required amount is sucked and weighed by the invading pipette at the same position. At this time, when the liquid level Ra in the analysis container 6 is positioned below the lower end 16a of the air supply tube 16 as shown by the phantom line X in FIG. 3, air is supplied from the tube 16 into the replenishment container 13. As a result, the pressure in the container 13 rises, and as a result, the replenishing liquid substance R ₂ in the container 13 is flowed down from the liquid feeding tube 17 into the analysis container 6, and the supply is performed in the analysis container 6 The liquid level Ra inside rises and the air supply tube 16
It continues until the lower end 16a is closed. Of course, the containers 6 and 13 are held so as not to fall off from the holders 3 and 10.

As described above, the present invention, when the liquid substance is consumed from the inside of the analytical container in the analysis process by the automatic analyzer,
Since the same type of liquid substance can be replenished from the corresponding replenishment container to the analytical container without having to obtain it, maintenance management for liquid substance replenishment work in this type of device becomes easy, especially on the turret. Since all of the analytical containers in 1 are always kept at the same liquid level, stable pipette operation can be performed at all times. Further, in the above-mentioned example, since the volume of the entire liquid substance is divided into the upper and lower parts and the miniaturized turret is rotated, the starting and static torque of the holder can be greatly reduced, so that the durability performance of the drive system is also improved. Can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 shows an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional explanatory view schematically showing an automatic replenishing device for a liquid substance, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the structure of an analysis container in the apparatus, and FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the structure of a supply container in the apparatus. 3 …… Liquid substance holder, 6 …… Analysis container 10 …… Supply container holder, 13 …… Supply container 16 …… Air supply tube 16a …… Air supply tube bottom 17 …… Liquid supply tube 17a …… Liquid supply Lower end of tube R ... Liquid substance Ra, Rb ... Liquid surface of liquid substance

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of analytical containers radially arranged at the same height on a turret and containing a liquid substance necessary for analysis; and a number corresponding to the analytical containers, which is contained in each analytical container. A replenishing container that contains a sufficient amount of the same liquid substance as above and is located above, and a pipette that penetrates into one container selected from a plurality of analysis containers and transfers the liquid substance in the container. In the automatic liquid replenishing device of the automatic analyzer, the upper end of the liquid feeding tube is placed in the liquid of the replenishing container and the lower end of the liquid feeding tube is placed inside the analytical container, while the upper end of the air feeding tube is replenished An automatic analyzer characterized in that it is arranged above the liquid level in the container and its lower end is arranged at a position higher than the bottom of the analysis container and at a common liquid level height to be replenished in each analysis container. Oke Liquid automatic supply device.