JPH07270427A - Blood coagulation measuring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the system to carry out works such as supplying and discarding cells dispensing a sample, dispensing a reagent etc., heighten the processing function, and carry out measurement for coagulation relating items and absorbance measurement by one apparatus in common. CONSTITUTION:A plurality of measuring part modules 2 are arranged in a table of a reaction part 1 at a constant distance, cells 20 are held in the respective measuring part modules 2 one by one in the way where they can be detached freely, and a light source 22 and a photodetector 24 are installed. The coagulation relating items are measured by the measuring part modules 2. A spectrophotometer 10 is set near the reaction part 1 and in the case of the item for which absorbance measurement is carried out, a cell 20 is transportted to the position of a cell setting part 10-1 of the spectrophotometer 10 from the measuring part module 2 and the absorbance of the sample in the cell 20 is measured by the spectrophotometer 10.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an analyzer for automatically analyzing blood coagulation reaction in the field of clinical examination.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art To measure a blood coagulation reaction, a sample and a reagent are put in a cell and the cell is moved to a coagulation reaction measurement site for measurement. Most blood coagulation reaction analyzers are equipped with a photometer at the measurement site, which irradiates the cell with measurement light from a light source and detects scattered light from the sample reaction solution with a photodetector.

In order to improve the processing ability of blood coagulation reaction analysis, there is also an analyzer in which a plurality of measurement sites are provided and the cells are sequentially transferred to the measurement sites in units of the number of the measurement sites for parallel processing. . As another blood coagulation reaction analyzer, there is also an apparatus in which a cell containing a sample and a reagent can be selectively transferred to a plurality of measurement sites (JP-A-61-161).
280572). In addition, in the blood test, generally, the fibrinolytic system and the thrombus are tested at the same time as the measurement of the coagulation factor.

[0004]

In an apparatus for fixing a coagulation reaction measurement site and sequentially transferring cells to it, the coagulation reaction time varies from short to long. It is necessary to adjust the cycle to the item. Therefore, the processing capacity cannot be increased. Further, in an apparatus capable of selectively transferring cells to a plurality of measurement sites, there are many moving systems for moving the cells to a predetermined position each time in order to perform sample dispensing, reagent dispensing, and cell attachment / detachment. A complicated mechanism is required.

The present invention is directed to cell supply and disposal, sample dispensing,
To simplify the mechanism for performing operations such as reagent dispensing and to increase the processing capacity, and to be able to simultaneously perform the inspection of items that can be performed by colorimetric measurement such as ATIII, plasminogen, and α ₂ plasmin inhibitor. Is.

[0006]

In the measuring device of the present invention,
The reaction unit is equipped with a plurality of measuring unit modules for measuring the coagulation reaction of the cell sample solution for each cell, and the cell mounting position of the measuring unit module is moved to the cell attachment / detachment position, the sample dispensing position and the reagent dispensing position. It has a drive mechanism to stop it.
Further, the cell supply / discard mechanism has a cell mounting part within the cell moving range of the cell transfer part, and an absorbance measuring part for irradiating the cells of the cell mounting part with measurement light to measure the absorbance.

[0007]

[Operation] The reaction part is moved at a necessary timing for cell supply / disposal, sample dispensing, and reagent dispensing, and a predetermined measuring module is installed in the cell supply / discard mechanism, sample dispenser, or reagent dispenser. Stop at the position. When measuring the coagulation item, the coagulation reaction can be continuously measured independently by the measuring unit module at the position of the mechanism that causes the operation. When measuring the absorbance, the cell after the predetermined time has elapsed after the sample and the reagent are dispensed is moved to the cell mounting section of the absorbance measuring section by the cell transfer section, and the absorbance is measured by the absorbance measuring section.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an embodiment. (A) is a plan view schematically showing a measuring device, and (B) is a plan view showing a measuring unit module. The reaction unit 1 has a disk-shaped table, and the table can be rotated in a reciprocating direction and stopped by a drive mechanism not shown in the drawing. The measuring unit modules 2 are arranged at equal intervals on the circumference of the table.

Each measuring section module 2 detachably holds one cell 20 in which a sample and a reagent are dispensed,
A light source 22 such as an LED for irradiating the sample liquid in 0 with the measuring light and a light source 22 provided on the optical axis in a direction orthogonal to the incident direction of the measuring light in order to detect scattered light of the measuring light by the sample liquid. And a photodetector 24 such as a photodiode.

A cell transfer unit 3 is provided near the reaction unit 1, and the cell transfer unit 3 mounts the cell 20 on the measuring unit module 2 at a position A on the circumference of the table of the reaction unit 1 or measures it. An arm 31 for removing the cell 20 from the module 2 is provided. In addition to position A, arm 31
Position where cell 20 is received by cell supply unit 4, spectrophotometer 1
The position E of the cell setting unit 10-1 is 0, and the position of the cell 20 is discarded by the cell discarding unit 5, and they are driven so that they can be stopped. The cell transfer unit 3 takes out the cells 20 accumulated in the cell supply unit 4 one by one, transfers the cells 20 to the measurement unit module at the position A of the reaction unit 1 and mounts them.
The cell 20 after the measurement which has come to the position A of the reaction part 1 is taken out and discarded in the cell discarding part 5, or the cell 20 for measuring the absorbance which has come to the position D of the reaction part 1 is taken out and transferred to the position D, The cell 20 after the measurement of the absorbance at the position D is taken out and discarded in the cell discarding section 5. In this example, the cell transfer unit 3 has both functions of supplying and transferring and discarding the cells 20.
The supply, transfer, and disposal of the cell 20 may be realized by a mechanism such as another arm.

A sampling probe 6 is provided near the reaction unit 1, sucks the sample transferred to the sampling position of a sample transfer unit (not shown) such as a rack system, and moves to the position B of the reaction unit 1. A sample is dispensed into the cell 20 of a certain measuring unit module. A reagent probe 9 is further provided in the vicinity of the reaction section 1, and a predetermined reagent is sucked from a plurality of reagents 8 according to a measurement item, and the reagent is stored in the cell 20 of the measurement section module at the position C of the reaction section 1. To dispense.

A spectrophotometer 10 having a cell installation unit 10-1 is arranged within the moving range of the cell 20 by the cell transfer unit 3. A light source 36 that causes measurement light to enter the cell 20 and a lens that condenses the light from the light source 36 in order to measure the absorbance of the cell 20 installed at the position D of the cell installation portion of the spectrophotometer 10. 38 are arranged. A diffraction grating 4 that disperses the transmitted light that has passed through the spectroscope entrance slit 40 in order to disperse and detect the measurement light that has passed through the cell 20.
2 and a photodetector 44 arranged at the focal position of each wavelength separated by the diffraction grating 42.

A control unit (not shown) is provided to control the operation of each unit. Next, the operation of the control unit will be described. One cycle of operation in the reaction unit 1 is composed of 15 seconds, and each cycle of cell supply, sample dispensing, cell discharging, and reagent dispensing operations is assigned, and these operations are included. Even if it exists, it is included only once in one cycle.

In the sample transfer section, the sample identification information is attached to the sample container by a bar code or the like, and the identification information of the sample container to be dispensed next is read by a bar code reader or the like to recognize the measurement item. . Then, the sample is transferred to the sampling position. In the reaction section 1, the vacant measuring section module is moved to the position A, and the cell transfer section 3 supplies a new cell 20 to the measuring section module at the position A. The measuring unit module supplied with the cell 20 is transferred to the position B, and the sample at the sampling position is dispensed by the sampling probe 6 in a predetermined amount.

The measurement unit module of the cell of the sample for which the measurement is completed or the cell for which a predetermined time has passed for measuring the absorbance is transferred to the position A of the reaction unit 1, and the cell of the measurement unit module is transferred to the cell by the cell transfer unit 3. It is discarded to the discarding unit 5, or the position D of the cell setting unit 10-1 of the spectrophotometer 10
Be transferred to.

The cell 20 of the measuring unit module after a lapse of a certain time from the cell supply or the sample dispensing is transferred to the position C, and the reagent 8 of the measurement item of the sample in the cell 20 is selected and dispensed by the reagent probe 9. It In the case of coagulation reaction measurement, the coagulation reaction process is measured by the measuring unit module at the same time as reagent dispensing. In the case of measuring the absorbance, the measurement is not performed by the measuring module.

In the next cycle, the measurement of the next item is controlled in the same sequence as the above cycle by using another measuring unit module. In the measuring module, the measurement is continued until the coagulation reaction is completed, regardless of the operations of cell supply and disposal, sample dispensing and reagent dispensing.

When there is an item for which colorimetric measurement is to be carried out, the reaction section 1 dispenses a sample and a reagent into the cell to cause a reagent reaction, and then the cell 20 is transferred to the position A, and the cell transfer section. The cell 20 is moved to the position D of the cell installation portion of the spectrophotometer by the method 3 and the absorbance is measured. After the measurement with the spectrophotometer, the cell 20 is discarded by the cell transfer unit 3 to the cell discard unit 5, or when the second reagent dispensing is necessary, the cell 20 is returned to the reaction unit 1 again to dispense the second reagent. After the lapse of a predetermined time, the cell 20 is again transferred to the cell installation portion of the spectrophotometer 10 and the absorbance is measured.

FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the reaction section and the spectrophotometer of the second embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a time chart showing one cycle of its operation. Compared to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the reaction section 1a is provided with a colorimetric measurement cell installation section 30 in addition to the area in which the measurement section module 2 for measuring scattered light is arranged. Cell for colorimetric measurement 3
0 is not a measuring unit module for colorimetric measurement, but a cell installation unit in which the cell 20 is installed independently. A spectrophotometer 34 is provided to measure the absorbance of the sample in the cell 20 installed in the cell installation unit 30. In the spectrophotometer 34, in order to irradiate the cell 20 at the specific position E of the cell installation unit 30 with the measurement light, a light source lamp 36,
A condenser lens 38 that condenses the light from the light source lamp 36 and transmits the cell 20 is arranged, and a diffraction grating 42 is arranged at a position where the measurement light transmitted through the cell 20 enters through the spectroscope entrance slit 40. A photodetector 4 such as a photodiode is provided at the focal position of each wavelength light separated by the diffraction grating 42.
4 are arranged. The position of the spectrophotometer 34 is fixed, and the cell 20 is scanned on the optical axis of the spectrophotometer by the movement of the reaction part 1a.

As shown in FIG. 3 showing the operation sequence of the reaction table of the reaction section 1a, in this embodiment, the operation is performed in a cycle of 18 seconds, and the reaction table is moved with respect to the spectrophotometer 34 for the last 3 seconds. It is for measuring the absorbance. As a result, the spectrophotometer 34 can capture the colorimetric data once every 18 seconds. In FIG. 3, the operation from 0 to 15 seconds in one cycle is the same as the operation described in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment. (A) represents a reaction part, and (B) represents a colorimetric module for colorimetric measurement. The reaction section 1b includes a region in which the same measuring section module 2 as that in the embodiment of FIG. 1 is arranged, and a colorimetric measuring section 40 in which a colorimetric module 42 for colorimetric measurement is arranged. As shown in (B), the colorimetric module 42 includes a light source lamp 22 that causes measurement light to enter the cell 20,
A filter 44 for selecting specific light from the light source is provided, and a photodetector 24a such as a photodiode for detecting the measurement light that has entered the cell 20 through the filter 44 and transmitted through the cell 20 is provided. Light source lamp 22 as a light source
A monochromatic light source using LEDs may be used instead of the combination of the filter 44 and the filter 44. In the colorimetric measuring unit 40, the colorimetric module 4
If the wavelengths of the two filters 44 or LEDs are determined to be different depending on the respective installation positions, the measurement item is determined by the position of the colorimetric module 42.

FIG. 5 shows a measuring section module in the fourth embodiment. This measuring section module 2a is used by being installed in the reaction section 1 in the embodiment of FIG. 1 and serves both for scattered light measurement and colorimetric measurement. In the measuring module 2a, an LED is used as the light source 22 for the cell 20.
For scattered light that receives the light in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the measurement light from the light source 22 in order to detect the scattered light in the cell 22 when the measurement light from the light source 22 is incident on the cell 20. A photodetector 24 and a photodetector 24a for measuring absorbance that is arranged on the optical axis of the light source 22 and receives the light transmitted through the filter 44 are arranged. The measuring module 2a of FIG. 5 can be applied to both scattered light measurement and absorbance measurement.

[0023]

According to the present invention, when measuring coagulation-related items, the cell supply / disposal mechanism, the sample dispensing mechanism, and the reagent dispensing mechanism need to operate at only one specific position in the reaction section. Since it is good, the movement of each part is simplified and the whole mechanism is simplified. Regarding the coagulation-related items, each cell in the reaction unit is configured as a measuring unit module, so that a plurality of measuring unit modules can be processed in parallel and the processing capacity is improved. And items related to coagulation (P
T, APTT, FIB, T, H, etc.) and ATII
It becomes possible to perform the measurement items of synthetic substrates such as I together with one measurement device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment, (A) is a plan view schematically showing the entire apparatus, and (B) is a plan view showing a measuring section module in the same embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a reaction part and a spectrophotometer part of a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of one cycle of the operation of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a third embodiment, (A) is a plan view schematically showing a reaction part, and (B) is a plan view showing a colorimetric module used in this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a measuring unit module according to still another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 1a, 1b Reaction part 2, 2a Measurement part module 3 Cell transfer part 4 Cell supply part 5 Cell discard part 6 Sampling probe 7 Sample transfer part 8 Reagent 9 Reagent probe 10 Spectrophotometer 10-1 Cell in spectrophotometer Installation unit 20 cells 22 Light source lamp or LED 24, 24a Photodetector

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A blood coagulation analyzer comprising a reaction part for detachably holding a plurality of cells, a cell supply / disposal mechanism, a sample dispenser and a reagent dispenser, wherein the reaction part is provided for each cell. It is equipped with multiple measuring unit modules that measure the coagulation reaction of the sample liquid, and is equipped with a drive mechanism that moves and stops the cell mounting position of the measuring unit module to the cell attachment / detachment position, the sample dispensing position, and the reagent dispensing position. In the cell supply / disposal mechanism, a cell mounting portion is provided within a cell moving range of the cell transfer portion, and an absorbance measuring portion for irradiating the cell of the cell mounting portion with measurement light to measure the absorbance is arranged. Blood coagulation measuring device.