JPH06174729A - Automatic analyzer for feces occult blood - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically detect hemoglobin in feces and to early obtain uniform data by pipetting sample from a feces sampling vessel held at an endless rack to a reaction vessel, and optically measuring it. CONSTITUTION:A feces sample collecting vessel transfer unit D removes a manure sample collecting vessel B from an endless rack C for holding the vessel B and transfers it to a sample dropping position (b). A reaction vessel sending unit I sequentially linearly transfers a bottomed reaction vessel E pipetted with sample from the vessel B at the position (b) from an optically measuring position (e) to a reaction vessel discarding position (f) via a reagent pipetting position (c). A reagent pipetting unit J pipets reagent at the position (c). An optically measuring unit L converts a measured light shed from a light source 100 to a predetermined wavelength via a filter 101, then receives a light quantity passed through a flow cell T by a photoreceiver 102, voltage-converts it and outputs it. After the measurement is finished, the vessel E in which the measurement is finished and the vessel B in which sample pipetting is finished are discarded by a discarding unit M.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called simple disposable type automatic analyzer for fecal occult blood that automatically detects hemoglobin (blood) in feces.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, a screening method using a latex agglutination reaction which detects hemoglobin in feces and detects abnormalities of digestive system such as cancer and tumor at an early stage has been widely practiced. Has been done.

A screening method utilizing the latex agglutination reaction is carried out by mixing an anti-human hemoglobin Ao antibody, for example, a hemoglobin latex-specific antibody sensitized / prepared with polystyrene latex particles, and a specimen in a reaction container to react with the antigen. An antibody reaction is caused to cause aggregation, and this aggregation is regarded as a change in scattered light intensity at 660 nm, for example, and the change amount is measured.

However, as a conventional method for detecting hemoglobin in feces, it is almost always performed manually as seen in, for example, mass screening, and moreover, the above-mentioned latex agglutination reaction is used. In the case of the screening method, there are many problems such that the working process is very complicated, and feces are used as a sample, so that the working environment is poor and the working environment is poor.

The present invention was devised in view of the above situation, and its object is to be able to automatically detect hemoglobin (blood) in feces without any manual operation. As a result, this type of measurement can be greatly simplified, uniform data can be obtained at an early stage, and re-examination can be supported, and a hygienic so-called simple disposable type stool is available. It aims to provide an automatic occult blood analyzer at low cost.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an automatic analyzer for fecal occult blood is provided with an endless rack in which a fecal sample collection container is held, and fecal sample collection from the endless rack. A stool sample collection container transfer device that removes the container and transfers the stool sample collection container to the sample dropping position, and a bottomed reaction container in which the sample is dispensed from the stool sample collection container at the sample dropping position, and reagent dispensing After the position, the reaction container feeding device that linearly transfers from the optical measurement position to the reaction container disposal position in a straight line, the reagent dispensing device that dispenses the predetermined reagent at the reagent dispensing position, the optical measurement device, and the measurement ends It is characterized in that it is configured to have each disposal device for discarding the reaction container and the fecal sample collection container for which the sample dispensing has been completed, and a control device for drivingly controlling the above devices in cooperation with each other. .

[0007]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described in detail below based on an embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic analyzer A for fecal occult blood according to this embodiment has an endless rack C holding a fecal sample collection container B and a fecal sample collection container B from the endless rack C. A plurality of reaction container bodies F each formed by integrally forming a feces sample collection container transfer device D for taking out the feces sample collection container B one by one and transferring the feces sample collection container B to the sample dropping position b and five bottomed reaction containers E A plurality of reaction container racks G that are vertically accommodated, a reaction container body feeding device I that transfers the reaction container body F that is housed in the reaction container rack G to the start end of the linear transfer path H, and the sample dropping A reagent dispenser J for dispensing a predetermined reagent at a reagent dispensing position c located downstream of the position b, and a sample in the reaction container E at a stirring position d located downstream of the reagent dispensing position c. Stirrer K for stirring and mixing
And an optical measuring device L that sucks the sample in the reaction container E at the optical measurement position e and introduces it into the flow cell T to perform optical measurement at a predetermined wavelength, the reaction container E after the measurement and the above-mentioned stool after the sample dropping is completed. Each waste container M for discarding the sample collection container B
And a control device P that drives and controls the above devices in cooperation with each other.
And are configured.

As shown in FIG. 2, the stool sampling container B is
From the container body 1, the detachable stick body 3 that is inserted into the ceiling portion 2 of the container body 1, and the cap body 5 that is detachably fitted into the sample discharge tube portion 4 of the stick body 3. It is configured.

The container body 1 is formed to have a substantially concave cross-section, and projections 6 and 7 are provided at the lower end and the middle of the outer circumference of the body.
Are formed respectively.

A through hole 9 having a substantially funnel-shaped cross section is formed in the central portion of the ceiling portion 2 of the container body 1 into which the stick portion 8 of the stick body 3 is inserted.

The stick body 3 has a main body 10 formed in a substantially inverted concave cross section, and a stick portion 8 extending vertically from the central portion of the main body 10 and has a vertical cross section of a substantially "width".
The stick portion 8 has a hollow passage hole 11 formed along the axial direction of the stick portion 8. The upper end portion of the passage hole 11, that is, the upper surface of the main body 10 In the normal state, the cap body 5 is mounted in a liquid-tight manner on the sample discharge pipe portion 4 projecting upward.

Further, at the lower end of the stick portion 8,
A plurality of measuring groove portions 12 for communicating the inside of the container body 1 with the lower end portion of the through hole 11 are formed along the circumferential direction of the stick portion 8, and are deep inside the measuring groove portions 12. A filter 13 is housed in the lower portion of the through hole 11.

When collecting a stool sample using the stool sample collection container B having such a structure, first, the stick body 3 is removed from the container body 1 and the lower end of the stick portion 8 of the stick body 3 is removed. The feces are inserted a plurality of times into a plurality of measuring groove portions 12 formed in the section to collect a required amount, and then the lower end portion of the stick portion 8 is inserted into the through hole 9 of the ceiling portion 2. At this time, the excess feces are removed from the through hole 9
Is scraped off at the peripheral edge portion, and as a result, a certain amount of feces is left in each measuring groove portion 12 in a measured state to some extent.

Further, when the lower end of the stick portion 8 from which the stool sample has been collected in this way is set in a state where the lower end portion of the stick portion 8 is inserted into the through hole 9 and fixed thereto. The measuring groove 12 is dipped in the diluting liquid in the container body 1 to melt the stool sample.

When the molten stool sample is dispensed into the reaction container E, the stool sample collection container B is set upside down so that the sample discharge pipe portion 4 is located below, and the sample discharge pipe portion is placed. By removing the cap body 5 from 4 and pressing the body of the container body 1, a required amount of stool sample can be dispensed.

The endless rack C, which holds a plurality of fecal sample collection containers B having such a structure at predetermined intervals,
It is sequentially transferred to the container holding position a at a predetermined timing via a known intermittent drive device (not shown).

Incidentally, in the middle of the transfer path of the endless rack C, as shown in FIG. 1, the bar code information of the bar code label (not shown) attached to the surface of the feces sampling container B is shown. A bar code reader Q for reading is provided. The barcode information includes various patient information necessary for identifying the sample, necessary information for testing such as a sequential number, and the like, which are displayed in a barcode, and the barcode reader Q for reading the barcode information is Since it has the same structure as a known bar code reader, its detailed description is omitted here.

The stool sampling container transfer device D includes a pair of arms 30 that can be expanded and contracted, a drive device (not shown) that expands and contracts the arms 30, and an arm elevating device that reciprocally rotates the arms 30 between predetermined positions. Rotation control device (not shown)
It consists of and.

This arm raising / lowering rotation control device comprises an arm 3
0 is transferred from the container gripping position a to the sample dropping position b via the bottle opener decapper position g, and then the arm 30
Is rotated from the sample dropping position b to the container gripping position a again, and the up and down rotation control is performed so that the stool sample collecting container B is again held at the original position of the endless rack C. still,
The drive device and the arm raising / lowering rotation control device for expanding / contracting the arm 30 are configured similarly to the drive device and the pipette raising / lowering rotation control device applied to the pipette device such as the biochemical automatic analyzer. The detailed description is omitted here.

That is, the arm 30 expands when the stool sample collection container B held by the endless rack C reaches the container gripping position a, and between the protrusions 6 and 7 of the stool sample collection container B. The stool sample container B is inserted and then closed to clamp and raise the stool sampling container B.

After that, when the arm 30 rotates to reach the stopper open decapper position g, the cap body 5 engages with the stopper open decapper (not shown), and the tip end portion of the sample discharge tube portion 4 is engaged. The cap body 5 fitted to the above is pulled down, the cap body 5 is pulled out from the tip end portion of the sample discharge pipe portion 4, and the cap body 5 is inserted into the plug receiver 25 disposed right below the plug open decapper position g. And discard.

Then, the arm 30 rotates at the container gripping position a while clamping the stool sample collecting container B to reach the sample dropping position b at the tip of the sample discharge pipe portion 4 of the stool sample collecting container B. Positioned above the reaction vessel E
The tip end of the sample discharge tube portion 4 descends until it is inserted into the reaction container E, and then the arm 30 slightly contracts to clamp the stool sample collection container B, and the required amount of stool sample is collected. Is dropped into the reaction container E. At this time, the contraction operation control of the arm 30 is controlled via the dropping confirmation sensor 31 arranged at the sample dropping position b as shown in FIG.

The drop confirmation sensor 31 confirms whether or not the stool sample is surely dropped in the reaction container E by reflected light. When the stool sample is dropped in the reaction container E, this state is checked. Detect and stop the contraction operation of the arm 30,
When the dropping of the stool sample cannot be confirmed, the arm 30 is further contracted, or the fact that the inspection by the stool sample container B is “impossible” is input to the control device P, It is configured to stop the dropping work of the stool sample.

When the dropping work of the stool sample is completed as described above, the arm 30 is raised and then is rotated in the direction of the endless rack C to be returned to the container gripping position a, and the stool sample collection container B is The expansion drive control is performed so as to return the stool sample collection container B to the original position where it was extracted. Then, the transportation of the stool sample collection container B is repeated according to the above procedure.

After the dropping work of the stool sample is completed in this way, the stool sample collection container B is returned to the original position of the endless rack C, so that it is possible to deal with a case where a reinspection is necessary.

On the other hand, the reaction container body F is formed in a band shape as shown in FIG. 3 by a light-transmitting material such as plastic having flexibility and excellent reagent resistance. It is formed by injection, vacuum forming, or the like so that five reaction vessels E having a rectangular plane shape and a concave cross section are formed. Of course, the number of reaction vessels E is not limited to this.

The upper surface sheet portion 4 of each reaction container E
At 0, a pair of guide grooves 41 each having a concave planar shape are formed at both end portions in the width direction, and
A substantially U-shaped cutout groove 42 is formed at the tips of both end portions of the upper surface sheet portion 40 formed in a plane triangle.

By constructing the reaction container body F symmetrically in this way, there is no risk of confusing the front and rear of the reaction container body F, and the guide groove 41 and the notch groove 42 allow the reaction container body F to be described later. It is possible to accurately perform positioning at the time of feeding.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reaction container body F having such a structure is housed in a reaction container rack G in a state in which a plurality of units (for example, a unit of 10 units) are stacked. Are erected in five rows in the illustrated embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each of the reaction container racks G has a substantially rectangular tube-shaped main body 50 having a substantially rectangular planar shape, and a projection provided on the inner wall surface of the main body 50. The guide protrusion 51, a substantially L-shaped spring 53 fixed to both side wall portions of the main body 50, and an operating piece 54 fixed to the spring 53 are included.

The guide projections 51 act so that when the reaction container bodies F are stacked on the reaction container rack G, the reaction container bodies F are vertically aligned. It is configured to be fitted and locked in a guide groove 41 formed in 40.

In the normal state of the spring 53, the lower horizontal piece 53a of the spring 53 penetrates into the inside of the main body 50 from the lower part of the main body 50, and the reaction container body F at the bottom is housed in the reaction container rack G. Is configured to be held from both sides.

The reaction container rack G having the above-mentioned structure
Is detachably attached to an opening 62 formed in a top plate 61 of a reaction container holder 60 arranged near the starting end of the linear transfer path H.

A locking projection 63 is fixed to the upper surface plate 61 of the reaction container holder 60 to engage with the operating piece 54 and move the spring 53 outward of the body 50 against the biasing force. The lower end horizontal piece 53a of the spring 53 is retracted from the inside of the main body 50 by the operation piece 54 engaging with the locking projection 63, and as a result, is housed in the reaction container rack G. Each reaction container body F falls by its own weight downward.

The upper plate 6 of the reaction container holder 60 is also provided.
Below 1 there is at least 2 reaction vessels F in the vertical direction.
A space for accommodating at least three (three in the illustrated embodiment) is formed, and in this space, the reaction container body F of the second stage or more from above is dropped from below the reaction container body F that has dropped by its own weight. A reaction container holding device 70 that lifts up to is provided.

The reaction container holding device 70 includes claw pieces 71 and 72 arranged at both end sides of the reaction container body F, springs 73 connected to the claw pieces 71 and 72, and claw pieces 71. Cranks 74 and 75 having shafts 72 and 72 attached thereto, a link 76 connected to the cranks 74 and 75, a pulse motor 77 having a drive shaft fixed to the one crank 74, and rotation of the pulse motor 77. It is composed of a photo sensor 78 and a light shielding plate 79 for switching control. The photo sensor 78 detects the rotation amount of the pulse motor 77 via the light shielding plate 79, and the pulse motor 77 is detected.
Is rotated in a fixed direction for a predetermined amount, the operation of the pulse motor 77 is stopped, and thereafter, the pulse motor 77 is reversed to return the claw pieces 71 and 72 to the horizontal state. The pulse motor 77 is drive-controlled.

Therefore, in the reaction container holding device 70, when the reaction container rack G is set on the reaction container holding body 60, the pulse motor 77 operates and resists the urging force of the spring 73 and each claw piece 71. The cranks 74 and 75 are rotated so that the respective tip portions of the cranks 72 and 72 face downward. As a result, each reaction container body F stored in the reaction container rack G falls by its own weight into the reaction container holder 60.

When the pulse motor 77 is reversely operated from this state, the claw pieces 71 and 72 are rotated so as to return to the horizontal state, and the tips of the claw pieces 71 and 72 react to the second stage. The reaction container bodies F above the second stage are engaged with the upper surface sheet portion 40 of the container body F to be lifted up, and the reaction container body F located at the lowermost stage is set in a state capable of horizontal vertical feeding. To be done.

The reaction container body feeding device I transfers the reaction container body F stored in each of the reaction container racks G to the start end of the linear transfer path H, and as shown in FIGS. 5, a horizontal vertical feed device 80 for moving each reaction container body F toward the front side in FIG. 5, and the reaction container body F transferred by the horizontal vertical feed device 80 to the front row of FIG. 5 to the start end of the linear transfer path H. And a transverse feed device 90 for transporting.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the horizontal vertical feed device 80 has a feed pawl 81 arranged at the bottom of the reaction container holder 60 and the feed pawl 81 in the front direction of FIG. A drive device 82 having an eccentric cam 86 for pushing out, and a spring 83 for biasing the feed claw 81 in the depth direction in FIG.
And a return preventing spring 84 fixed to both side wall surfaces of the reaction container holder 60.

The feed claw 81 is composed of a pair of claw piece plate bodies 85 each having a substantially concave cross section, which are connected to each other on the left and right sides.
Along the longitudinal direction of the upper surface of each claw piece plate body 85, a claw that engages with the depth side of the upper surface sheet portion 40 of each reaction container body F located at the bottom is continuously projected.

Therefore, when the drive device 82 is actuated to rotate the eccentric cam 86 and the feed claw 81 is pushed out in the front direction in FIG. 5, each reaction container body F becomes a claw piece plate 85. It is pressed by the claws and resists the biasing force of the return prevention spring 84, as shown in FIG.
One reaction container body F is intermittently transferred toward the front side, and thereafter, the reaction container body F located in the front row is moved to the side feed device 9 described above.
It is set to the transverse feed position by 0.

After this, the eccentric cam 86 of the drive unit 82 is
When is rotated, the feed claw 81 is pulled back in the depth direction of FIG. 5 by the urging force of the spring 83, and is again set to the state of intermittently transferring each reaction container F at the lowermost position. At the time of the backward movement, each claw plate 85
Of the reaction container body F by engaging with the front side of the upper surface sheet portion 40 of the reaction container body F located at the lowermost stage.
Each reaction container body F is restricted by the return prevention spring 84 so as not to return to the original position, that is, the position before being fed. Further, since the claws of each claw piece plate body 85 are formed in a substantially inverted V shape, when the feed claw body 81 is moved back, each reaction container body F changes the claw of each claw piece plate body 85. It is regulated so as not to get over and be pulled in the depth direction in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the return preventing spring 84 has a free end portion which is the upper surface sheet portion 40 of each reaction container body F.
Is attached so as to engage with both inclined side portions on the depth side.

Further, the transverse feeding device 90 is disposed on the front row side of the horizontal longitudinal feeding device 80, and as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the reaction container body F reaching the front row is aforesaid. The guide pin 91 fitted and locked in the notch groove 42 and the reaction container body F engaged with the guide pin 91 are the guide pins 91.
It is composed of a pressing body 92 arranged at the start end of the linear transfer path H which is dropped along and is held, and a drive device 93 for feeding the pressing body 92 in the left direction in FIG.

As described above, the guide pin 91 is fitted and locked with the cutout groove 42 of the reaction container body F which has reached the front row, and then the reaction container body F is accurately positioned at the starting end of the linear transfer path H. It guides you to drop it.

Further, the pressing body 92 presses the container transport block 94 which is circulated and transferred from the start end of the linear transfer path H to the optical measurement position e in the longitudinal direction of the linear transfer path H by one reaction container E. The eccentric cam 95 of the drive device 93
Is configured to reciprocate in the left-right direction in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the container transport block 94 is formed in a cubic shape with a material having excellent thermal conductivity, and has a container storage portion 96 having a substantially concave cross section. The container transport block 94 is provided with the sample dropping b which is the block supply position of the block transfer path 99 having a square cross section formed between the start end of the linear transfer path and the optical measurement position e, and the reaction container E is moved. After holding the
It is pushed by one reaction container E by 2 and transferred to the optical measurement position e which is the block discharge position. Of course, while the container transfer block 94 is being transferred through the block transfer path 99, it is heated to a predetermined temperature via a heating device (not shown) provided in the block transfer path 99. The stool sample in each reaction container E has a predetermined temperature (for example, 37
(° C). The other construction of the container transfer block 94 and the transfer process are the same as those of the "container transfer device" of Japanese Patent Application No. 4-108350 filed by the applicant of the present invention, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be given here. Will be omitted.

Each reaction container E of the reaction container body F transferred to the starting end of the linear transfer path H in this way is then moved from the sample dropping position b to the reagent dispensing position c / stirring position d to the optical measurement position. From the e to the reaction container disposal position f, it is intermittently transferred linearly.

Although not shown, the linear transfer path H has a substantially concave cross section, and the upper sheet portion 40 of the reaction container body F is suspended at both upper ends of the linear transfer path H. Is configured to slide along the longitudinal direction of the straight transfer path. Of course, although not shown, a lid for preventing evaporation of the stool sample is removably attached to the upper opening of the linear transfer path H, and the lid is for transferring the reaction container body F. It is attached to the linear transfer path H so as not to interfere with the above, and at the sample dropping position b, the reagent dispensing position c, and the stirring position d, small holes for supplying samples and reagents and stirring rods are inserted. A small hole is opened, and further, a small hole for inserting a pipette 97 for sucking the sample into the flow cell T is opened at the optical measurement position e.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reagent dispensing apparatus J dispenses a required amount of the hemoglobin latex reagent from the reagent container R at the reagent dispensing position c, and the reagent pipette for dispensing the reagent is the above-mentioned. The arm S is held together with the stirring device K, and the arm S moves down the reagent pipette and the stirring rod of the stirring device K right above the reagent dispensing position c and the stirring position d, and then descends to move the reagent. Each reaction container E that has reached the reagent dispensing position c and the stirring position d with the pipette and the stirring rod
After being inserted into the inside and performing a predetermined work, it rises and moves back to the original position, and the stirring rod is washed at this original position h via a washing device (not shown) and set in a reusable state. To be done. Of course, the reagent pipette is configured to be stopped at a height position where it is not immersed in the stool sample contained in the reaction container E. In addition, each mechanism of the reagent dispensing device, the stirring device and the washing device is a reagent dispensing device applied to a known biochemical automatic analyzer or Japanese Patent Application No. 1-3133363.
Since each mechanism of the stirring device and the cleaning device has the same structure, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The sample in the reaction container E thus transferred to the optical measurement position e is sucked into the flow cell T by the required amount through the pipette 97, and the measurement work by the optical measurement device L is completed. After that, it is discarded in a waste container (not shown). Incidentally, reference numeral 98 in the figure is a pump for sucking the sample.

As shown in FIG. 1, an optical measuring device L for forming a detecting portion or an observation point has a light source 100 and a measuring light emitted from the light source 100 having a wavelength corresponding to a measurement item, for example, a latex agglutination reaction. 6 when measuring
A filter 101 for converting the wavelength to 60 nm, a light receiving element 102 for receiving the amount of light after the measurement light has passed through the flow cell T, and an A / D converter for converting the scattered light intensity change received by the light receiving element 102 into a voltage. (Not shown), the control device P for arithmetically processing the data value from the A / D conversion device, a storage unit (not shown) for storing the data, the printer 103, and a stabilizing device. Power supply / detection circuit (not shown), and the stabilized power supply / detection circuit and light source 1
00, a filter device 101, and a unit 104 accommodating the light receiving element 102. Of course,
The light source 100 and the light receiving element 102 are the flow cell T.
It is set in a position where it faces each other across. Further, the filter 101 is configured to be switchable so that two wavelengths can be measured.

The discarding device M is arranged on the end side of the transfer path of the reaction container E, and its structure is a box-like body having a bottom with an open top.
Is discarded in the discarding device M at the discarding position f.

Next, description will be made on a case where automatic analysis is carried out by the fecal occult blood automatic analyzer A having the above-mentioned configuration.

First, when the power source is turned on and the start switch is turned on, the belt-like reaction container body F is removed from the reaction container rack G.
Are extruded in the direction of the straight transfer path H, and are intermittently transferred by one reaction container E in the longitudinal direction of the straight transfer path H via the lateral feed device 90, and the first reaction container E is set at the sample dropping position b. .

In synchronization with this, the stool sampling container transfer device D
Is activated, and one stool sample collection container B is picked up from the endless rack C, and then the stool sample collection container B is transferred to the bottle opener decapper position g with the sample discharge pipe portion 4 facing downward, After the cap body 5 is pulled out at the uncapping decapper position g, the stool sample collection container B is transferred to just above the sample dropping position b, and then the stool sample collection container B is pressed to obtain the required amount of stool sample. Is dropped into the reaction container E. This dropping state is monitored by the dropping confirmation sensor 31.

The stool sample collection container B for which the dropping work of the stool sample has been completed in this way is returned to the original position of the endless rack C, and the reaction container E into which the stool sample has been dispensed is the reagent dispensing position. The reaction container E, which is intermittently transferred to the reagent c and is dispensed with the required amount of the reagent at the reagent dispensing position c, is then moved to the stirring position d.
When it is intermittently transferred to and the stirring process is performed at the stirring position c, the stool sample and the reagent start an antigen-antibody reaction, and the latex particles start agglomeration.

Thereafter, the reaction container E is intermittently transferred from the stirring position c to the optical measurement position e, and the latex agglutination reaction state of the sample introduced into the flow cell T is optically measured.

The optical measuring device L measures this aggregation at 660 nm.
The change amount increases in proportion to the HbAo concentration in the stool sample. Therefore, in this device, this principle is applied to obtain a calibration curve from a HbAo concentration standard of known concentration, It is configured to automatically measure HbAo in the stool sample at a rate.

The analytical value obtained as described above is data-processed by the controller P and printed out by the printer 103.

After the optical measurement is completed in this way, the reaction container E is sent to the reaction container discarding position f and discarded in the discarding device L.

In the illustrated embodiment, the case where one reagent is dispensed into the reaction container has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a two-reagent system is used. In this case, a reagent dispensing device having the same configuration as the reagent dispensing device J may be arranged between the stirring position d and the optical measurement position e.

[0065]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION Since the present invention is configured as described above, hemoglobin in feces can be automatically detected without any manual operation, and therefore, this type of measurement can be significantly performed. In addition to being simplified, uniform data can be obtained at an early stage, and also has a function of supporting retesting, and a sanitary fecal occult blood analyzer can be provided at low cost. And so on, it has many excellent effects.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the overall configuration of an automatic fecal occult blood analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a stool sample collection container used in the same automatic occult blood analyzer.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a reaction container body used in the same fecal occult blood analyzer.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the reaction container rack and reaction container holder of the automatic fecal occult blood analyzer partially sectioned.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a right side view showing a partial cross section of the structure of the reaction container holder.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a configuration of a main part of a vertical feeding device provided in the reaction container holder.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a transfer path of a container transfer block for transferring a reaction container of the automatic fecal occult blood analyzer.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a configuration of the container transport block.

[Explanation of sign]

 A automatic occult blood analyzer B fecal sample collection container C endless rack D fecal sample collection container transfer device E reaction container F reaction container body G reaction container rack H straight transfer path I reaction container body feeding device J reagent dispenser device K stirrer device L optical measuring device M discarding device T flow cell a container gripping position b sample dropping position c reagent dispensing position d stirring position e optical measuring position f, g discarding position

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An endless rack holding a stool sample collection container, a stool sample collection container transfer device for removing the stool sample collection container from the endless rack and transferring the stool sample collection container to a sample dropping position, and a sample dripping At the position, the reaction container feeder that transfers the bottomed reaction container into which the sample is dispensed from the fecal sample collection container in a straight line in sequence from the optical measurement position to the reaction container disposal position via the reagent dispensing position, and the reagent The reagent dispensing device that dispenses a predetermined reagent at the pouring position, an optical measuring device, each disposal device that discards the reaction container after measurement and the stool sample collection container after sample dispensing, and the above devices are linked. An automatic analyzer for fecal occult blood comprising: a control device for driving and controlling.