JPH0712969U - Automatic chemical analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] It is an object to provide to control the descending distance of the sampling probe according to the bottom dead center of the sample container. . [Structure] Before sampling, the container type determination means obtains information on the height of the container, and accordingly controls so that the sampling probe does not descend below the bottom dead center of the container.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer for measuring the concentration or activity value of a target component in a sample containing multiple components such as blood and urine.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 A sample sampling mechanism that dispenses the sample from the sample tray into the reaction container and the sample were injected into the analysis section of the automatic chemical analyzer along the circular reaction line where the reaction containers were arranged in a row and transported. A single-multi-system automatic chemical analyzer equipped with at least a reagent injection mechanism for dispensing reagents into a reaction container, an absorptiometer for measuring the absorbance of the reaction solution in the reaction container, and a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the reaction container is known. (For example, JP-A 1-219668).

In such an apparatus, the distance by which the sampling probe of the sample sampling mechanism moves up and down at the sample collection position is adjusted to the highest dead center (sample suction position) in the sample container.

For example, assume that the relationship between the height of various sample containers in the sample tray and the bottom dead center is as shown in FIG. In the figure, 100 is a sample tray and 101 to 104 are various sample containers. The sample container comprises a blood collection tube 101 having a height of 100 mm, a cup 102 placed on a blood collection tube having a height of 100 mm, a cup 103 directly put in a sample tray, and a blood collection tube 104 having a height of 75 mm.

The bottom dead center of these sample containers is indicated by a triangle in the figure, and the bottom dead center of the highest position in this figure is the bottom dead center of the cup 102. The distance is up to the bottom dead center of the cup 102.

[0006]

However, if the descending distance of the sampling probe is adjusted to the bottom dead center of the highest position in the sample container, for example, dead volume increases when the sample container 101 is used. There was a problem.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems and provide a control of the descending distance of a sampling probe according to the bottom dead center of a sample container.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a reaction line in which reaction vessels are arranged in a row and is conveyed, a sample sampling mechanism for dispensing a sample from a sample tray into the reaction vessel, and a reaction vessel into which the sample is injected. Automatic chemistry equipped with a reagent injection mechanism that dispenses reagents from the reagent tray, an absorptiometer that measures the absorbance of the reaction solution in the reaction container, a cleaning mechanism that cleans the reaction container, and a rotation drive mechanism that rotates the reaction line. The analysis apparatus is provided with a means for discriminating the type of the container in the sample tray and a control means for controlling the vertical movement distance of the sample sampling mechanism based on a signal from the container type discriminating means. To do.

Here, the sample tray corresponds to both a turntable system and a rack system.

Further, the container type determining means may be, for example, a device that attaches a barcode label to a container and reads it with an optical reader, a contact sensor, or the like, but is not limited thereto. The contact sensor generates a signal when the sample container comes into contact, and the signal may be an electric signal or a visual signal.

The signal from the container type determination means is sent to the control means as height information of the container, and the vertical movement distance of the sampling probe of the sample sampling mechanism is controlled based on the signal.

[0012]

[Action]

 According to the present invention, the height of a container is obtained by the container type determination means before sampling, and the sampling probe is controlled so as not to descend below the bottom dead center of the container accordingly.

[0013]

【Example】

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the entire automatic analyzer to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, reference numeral 32 is a reaction disk, which is intermittently rotated in the direction of arrow 35 by a rotary drive mechanism. A ring-shaped reaction line 35 is formed by arranging reaction vessels 34 also serving as cuvettes in a line along the circumference of the cuvette roller 33 of the reaction disk 32. A sample sampling mechanism 36 is arranged along the reaction line 35 in order to inject the sample specimen into the reaction container 34.

In the sample sampling mechanism 36, the sample containers S are arranged along the circumference of the sample tray 1, and a sample dispenser 49 is arranged to dispense a sample from the sample container S at the sample suction and collection position 43. Has been done. A sampling probe 40 is provided at the tip of the sample dispenser 49, and the probe 40 moves along the movement path 41 between the reaction container at the sample dispensing position 44 and the sample container at the sampling position 43. A cleaning pot 42 is provided on the moving path 41 so that the probe 40 can be cleaned.

Further, a reagent injection mechanism 46 is arranged along the reaction line 35 to inject the reagent into the reaction container into which the sample has been dispensed. In the reagent injection mechanism 46, a reagent container 47 is arranged along the circumference of the reagent tray 48, and a reagent dispenser 49 ′ is arranged to dispense a reagent from the reagent container at the reagent suction / collection position 53. There is. A reagent probe 50 is provided at the tip of the reagent dispenser 49, and the probe 50 moves along the movement path 51 between the reaction container at the reagent dispensing position 54 and the reagent container at the reagent aspirating and sampling position 53. . A cleaning pot 52 is arranged on the moving path 51 so that the probe 50 can be cleaned.

A washing and dehydrating device 56 is further arranged along the reaction line 35, and an absorptiometer 57 is also arranged along the reaction line 35.

The sample tray 1 described above has the configuration shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, 11 is an annular upper member and 12 is an annular lower member, which are connected by a connecting rod 13 to be integrated. 11 includes plural kinds of sample containers S _{1 to} S ₄ (S ₁ : a blood collection tube having a height of 100 mm, S ₂ : a blood collection tube having a height of 100 mm and a cup placed thereon, S ₃ : a cup, S ₄ : height A plurality of holes 14 each having a notch are formed so that a 75 mm blood collection tube) can be installed therein, and the lower member 12 is provided with a holding groove 15 at a position corresponding to the hole 14 of the upper member. Therefore, when the sample container S is inserted into the hole 14, the sample container is held by the holding groove 15. In addition, the notch of the hole 14 is for reading a bar code attached to the sample container. The sample tray 1 is placed on a tray receiver (not shown) and rotated by a drive system.

A sample barcode reader 3 and a contact sensor 5 are arranged on the outer periphery of the sample tray 1 at predetermined positions in the rotation direction. The contact sensor 5 is composed of two blades 16 and 16 'arranged at different heights and supporting members 17 and 17' thereof. The blades 16 and 16 'come into contact with the rotating sample container and rotate. To do. The blades do not have to be composed of separate supporting members, and the same supporting member may be used to support the blades by changing the height of the blades. Incidentally, the sample barcode reader 3, the blade contact sensors 5 16, 16 ', arrangement of sampling position 43 is as shown in FIG. 3 (however, sample container S ₁ to S ₄ in FIG. 3 is not necessarily the position is not).

Further, the height relationship between the blades 16 and 16 'and the sample vessel S ₁ to S _4, touched sample vessel S _1, S ₂ in passing Ride, vane 16 shown in FIG. 4, the vanes 16' Only the sample container S ₂ touches. Further, the sample containers S ₃ and S ₄ do not touch any of the blades.

When the sample is analyzed in the above configuration, it is performed as follows. When the analysis is started, the sample tray 1 is rotated by a driving mechanism (not shown), the sample container first comes to the sample barcode reading position, and the barcode attached to the sample container is read by the reading device 3. If it cannot be read, it is determined that the container is empty or the cup (sample container S ₃ ) is set at that position.

Next, the sample container comes to the position of the vanes 16 and 16 ′, and if the vane 16 rotates but the vane 16 ′ does not rotate, the sample container is S ₁ , the vanes 16 and 16 ′. When it rotates, the sample container does not rotate with S ₂ and the blades 16 and 16 ′, but when the barcode is read, neither the sample container S ₄ nor the blades 16 and 16 ′ rotates, and the barcode is read. If there is not, it is determined to be the sample container S ₃ .

When the type of the sample container is determined, the sampling probe is moved down so that the sample container may reach the bottom dead center. The bottom dead center of each sample container is indicated by a triangle in the figure.

Next, the reaction disk 32 is driven to position one of the empty reaction vessels 34 at the sample dispensing position 44. Then, the sampling probe 40 of the sample dispenser 49 is brought to the sample collection position 43, and after collecting a certain amount of sample from the sample container, the sampling probe 40 is moved along the movement path 41. When the probe 40 reaches the specimen dispensing position 44, a fixed amount of the collected specimen is dispensed into the reaction container 34. After the sample is dispensed, the reaction disk 32 is moved one round (or half circle) +1 pitch, and then the sample is similarly dispensed to the reaction container which has reached the sample dispensing position 44. When a different sample is dispensed into each reaction container, the sample tray 1 is driven at the same time as the reaction disk 32 is driven, and a different sample container is positioned at the sample collection position 43. In addition, the probe 40 is washed with the washing pot 42 for each dispensing.

When the reaction container into which the sample has been dispensed moves and is positioned at the reagent dispensing position 54, the probe 50 is brought to the reagent aspirating and sampling position 53, and a predetermined amount of reagent is sampled from the reagent container 47. , The probe 50 is moved along the movement path 51. When the probe 50 reaches the reagent dispensing position 54, a fixed amount of the collected reagent is dispensed into the reaction container. The absorbance of the reaction solution in the reaction container is measured when the reaction disk 32 makes one round (or half circle) and passes through the inside of the absorptiometer 57.

In the above description, the sample tray is of the turntable type, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to the rack type.

Further, the type of the sample container may be determined by changing the position of the blade.

[0028]

[Effect of device]

 In the present invention, since the sampling probe descends according to the height of the sample container, the probe is not damaged and the dead volume of the sample does not occur.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of an automatic analyzer to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a sample tray.

FIG. 3 is a sample barcode reading device 3 and a contact sensor 5.
Showing the positional relationship between the blades 16 and 16 'of the

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a height relationship between the blades 16 and 16 ′ and the sample containers S _{1 to} S ₄ .

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the height of various sample containers in the sample tray and bottom dead center.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Sample tray 3: Specimen barcode reading device 5: Contact sensor S _{1 to} S ₄ : Sample container

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location // G01N 21/59 Z 9118-2J

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A reaction line in which reaction vessels are arranged and conveyed in a line, a sample sampling mechanism for dispensing a sample from a sample tray into the reaction vessel, and a reagent from a reagent tray into a reaction vessel into which a sample has been injected. In an automatic chemical analyzer equipped with a reagent injection mechanism for pouring, an absorptiometer for measuring the absorbance of a reaction solution in a reaction container, a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the reaction container, and a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the reaction line, the sample tray Means for determining the type of container inside,
An automatic chemical analyzer comprising: a control means for controlling the vertical movement distance of the sample sampling mechanism based on a signal from the container type determination means.