JPH0777529A - Full-automatic pretreatment equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To conduct an operation for carrying and setting specimen containers to a centrifugal separator, an operation for removing the plug from the specimen container upon finish of centrifugal separation, an operation for carrying the specimen containers from which the plug is removed to respective dispensing positions, and an operation for sucking the specimen from the specimen container a respective dispensing position and dispensing to respective inspection containers, fully automatically while interlocking these operation. CONSTITUTION:The full automatic pretreatment equipment comprises a first line 20 for carrying specimen containers 1 automatically to a remote position, an automatic centrifugal separator 30 disposed closely to the end part of the first line 20, a second line 40 for carrying the specimen containers 1 to respective dispensing positions (e) upon finish of centrifugal separation, an automatic plug opener 50 disposed on the way of the second line 40, an apparatus for sucking the specimen from an opened container 1 and dispensing automatically to respective inspection containers, and means for controlling the driving of the lines and apparatus while interlocking these equipment.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a specimen container in which a specimen container such as a blood collection tube containing a specimen is automatically conveyed to a centrifuge for centrifugation and then the centrifuge is completed. The present invention relates to a fully automatic pretreatment device capable of automatically removing a rubber plug from a container to open it, and then automatically distributing and dispensing the sample in the opened sample container for each test.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, preventing blood infection accidents,
In addition, from the viewpoint of labor saving and implementation of real-time medical care, not only automatically perform clinical biochemical analysis and clinical immunological analysis of blood, but also automatically analyze sample containers after blood collection. It is well known that various attempts have been made to transport the apparatus to the apparatus.

However, in the conventional sample pretreatment process, a large number of human interventions are performed at present, and in the centrifugal separation process, batch processing by manual single operation is the mainstream. Blood vessel unplugging work is performed manually, and some automatic dispensing devices are used for inspection-specific dispensing, but most work is manual, so each work process is divided. However, in the field of inspection equipment and information processing, a fairly high level of operation is being carried out at present, and this pretreatment field is untouched as a system, and this improvement has been strongly demanded.

The present invention was devised in view of the present situation, and its object is to carry out the work of transporting and setting the sample container to the centrifuge, and the sample container from which the centrifugal separation process has been completed. The work of removing the stopper, the work of transporting the sample container with the stopper removed to the inspection-specific dispensing position, and the work of sucking the sample from the sample container reaching the dispensing position and dispensing it into the inspection-specific sub-container SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a fully automatic pretreatment device that can be automatically performed without any human intervention, and that can coordinate these operations to perform automatic processing.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a fully automatic pretreatment device is provided with a first transfer line for transferring a sample container to an automatic centrifuge position, and the first transfer line. An automatic centrifuge device arranged near the end of the line, a second transfer line for transferring the sample container that has been subjected to centrifugal separation processing by this automatic centrifuge device to a test-dispensing position, and this second transfer line An automatic capping device disposed in the middle of the device, and a sample dispensing device that automatically sucks a sample from the sample container opened by this automatic capping device and automatically dispenses it into another container for each test, It is characterized in that it is configured to have a control means for drivingly controlling these devices in cooperation with each other.

[0006]

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

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fully-automatic pretreatment apparatus according to this embodiment includes a sample container 1 containing a collected blood sample and a plurality of sample containers 1 (shown in the figure). In the embodiment, five racks are provided upright, and the sample container 1 held in the rack 2 is placed in the sample stock yard 10.
First transfer line 20 for transferring from the centrifugal force to the centrifugal setting position a
And an automatic centrifuge 30 arranged near the end of the first transfer line 20, and a test container dispensing position e for the sample container 1 whose centrifuge process has been completed by the automatic centrifuge 30.
The second transport line 40 for transporting the sample to the second transport line 40, the automatic opening device 50 disposed in the middle of the second transport line 40, and the sample container 1 opened by the automatic opening device 50 to suck the sample. A sample dispensing device 60 that automatically dispenses each sub-container 6 for each examination, and a treated container stockyard 70 that stocks the rack 2 of the sample container 1 for which the dispensing work has been completed,
Control device 80 for controlling the drive of these devices in cooperation with each other
It consists of and. Reference numeral 90 in the figure indicates an information input unit.

The sample container 1 is formed in the same manner as a known blood collection tube or the like having a substantially U-shaped cross section, and a plastic sheet-like sealing plug or a rubber plug 3 is sealed at the upper end opening thereof. It is worn.

A bar code label (not shown) is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the sample container 1, and the sample information is previously input to the bar code label. As the sample information, for example, identification information such as a patient name, a patient registration number or sex, an insurance type or an insurance number, an inspection type, etc. is bar-coded and recorded. Of course, this identification information bar-coding means is publicly known, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The rack 2 is constructed such that a plurality of (5 in the illustrated embodiment) the sample containers 1 are erected, and a rack number is recorded on the outer surface of the rack 2. A barcode label (not shown) is attached. Of course, this rack number consists of a magnetic storage medium,
Alternatively, it may be formed by a known means that is configured by combining a plurality of small holes through which light passes.

The rack 2 in which a plurality of sample containers 1 are erected and held in this manner is set in the sample stock yard 10.

The sample stock yard 10 stocks a plurality of racks 2 set as described above in parallel, and the racks 2 set in the sample stock yard 10 are arranged in parallel.
Are intermittently conveyed sequentially to the centrifugal setting position a via the first conveying line 20.

The first conveying line 20 includes a vertical feeding device 21 composed of two endless belts arranged in parallel,
A drive device (not shown) for intermittently driving the vertical feed device 21, a lateral feed device 22 arranged at the end of the vertical feed device 21, and a drive device for intermittently driving the lateral feed device 22 ( (Not shown) and the centrifugal setting position a is set to the stop position of the rack 2 conveyed by the transverse feeding device 22. The vertical feeding device 21 and its driving device, and the lateral feeding device 22 and its driving device are configured by appropriately combining a known intermittent driving mechanism of an endless belt and a rack intermittent pushing mechanism using a timing belt or the like. Therefore, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The rack 2 transported to the centrifugal set position a by the first transport line 20 in this way is transferred to the automatic centrifugal separator 30 via the pickup robot 25.
Is set to.

As is clear from FIG. 2, the pick-up robot 25 has a guide rail 26 arranged in parallel with the vertical feed device 21 of the first transfer line 20 and a longitudinal direction of the guide rail 26. It is composed of a clamper 27 that is slidably and vertically movable, and a drive device (not shown) that drives the clamper 27. The guide rail 26 has a configuration similar to that of a known transport mechanism using a timing belt, and the clamper 27 is similar to that of a known pickup robot. Detailed description is omitted here.

The pick-up robot 25 constructed as described above clamps the rack 2 or the dummy cassette 7 transported to the centrifugal set position a, and then the rack 2 is mounted on the window formed in the automatic centrifugal separator 30. From the part 31 to a rotor (not shown) arranged inside the automatic centrifugal separator 30, or by removing the rack 2 after the centrifugal separation processing from the rotor, the start end of the second transfer line 40 The drive is controlled so that the sheet is conveyed to the section c and placed.

The dummy cassette 7 is used when the rack 2 is set on the rotor of the automatic centrifugal separator 30.
It is mounted to keep the rotational balance, and is arranged in parallel with the centrifugal setting position a. Of course, the dummy cassette 7 is automatically supplied to the dummy cassette standby position b in synchronization with the transfer of the rack 2 by an automatic supply device (not shown).

A bar code reader 28 having a known structure for reading the rack ID before the centrifugal separation process is arranged at the centrifugal set position a.

In the automatic centrifuge device 30, the rotor and the rotor drive portion are closed by a transparent or semitransparent lid 32 so that a hand or the like cannot be inserted by mistake.
The rack 2 and the dummy cassette 7 are detached / attached by the pickup robot 25 via the window 31 formed in the lid 32, and other configurations / operations are known. Since it is the same as the centrifugal separator of the processing system, its detailed description is omitted here.

Of course, the automatic centrifuge 30 can be installed in the Japanese Patent No. 1523287 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-10267) of the present applicant.
No.), etc., so that continuous centrifugation can be performed, the standby time of the rack 2 can be significantly shortened. In addition, in the window portion 31,
A known shutter mechanism that opens and closes the window 31 in synchronization with the attachment / detachment operation of the rack 2 and the dummy cassette 7 by the pickup robot 25 may be attached.

The rack 2 (the sample in the sample container 1 held in the rack 2) which has been subjected to the centrifugal separation process by the automatic centrifugal separator 30 in this way is started by the pickup robot 25 at the start end of the second transfer line 40. It is transported to section c. Of course, after this work, the dummy cassette 7 is removed from the rotor by the pickup robot 25 and automatically returned to the dummy cassette standby position b.

The second conveying line 40 includes a horizontal feed belt device 41, a vertical feed belt device 42 arranged at the end of the horizontal feed belt device 41, and a vertical feed belt device 42.
To the end portion of the horizontal feed belt device 41. The rack 2 set at the starting end portion c of the horizontal feed belt device 41 is connected to the end portion of the horizontal feed belt device 41. , The rack 2 is transferred to the vertical feed belt device 42, and after the rack 2 reaches the end of the vertical feed belt device 42, the rack 2 is transferred to the dispensing horizontal feed belt device 43. Is configured to be sequentially transported to the inspection-specific dispensing position e set in the middle of the horizontal dispensing belt device 43.

The second transfer line 40 constructed in this way
The opening position d, which is a midway portion of the lateral feed belt device 41
Is provided with a stopper 44 and an automatic cap opening device 50. Further, a stopper 45 is provided at the inspection-specific dispensing position e of the dispensing lateral feed belt device 43, and the inspection-specific distribution is performed. A bar code reader 46 for reading the rack ID is arranged in front of the pouring position e.

The stopper 44 stops the rack 2 reaching the opening position d at the opening position d until the rubber stopper 3 of the sample container 1 held by the rack 2 is removed. It is configured to open and close the transport path of the lateral feed belt device 41.

Further, the stopper 45 holds the rack 2 reaching the inspection-specific dispensing position e until the sample suction / dispensing work from the sample container 1 held by the rack 2 is completed. The transport path of the above-mentioned horizontal dispensing belt device 43 is opened and closed so as to stop at the separate dispensing position e.

The vertical feeding belt device 42 and its driving device 47, the lateral feeding belt device 41, the dispensing lateral feeding belt device 43 and their respective driving devices 48 and 49 are the same as those of the first conveying line 20. Since a known drive mechanism for an endless belt, a rack intermittent push-out mechanism using a timing belt, and the like can be appropriately combined, a detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Also,
The configuration of the bar code reader 46 is also similar to that of a known one, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The automatic cap opening device 50 removes the rubber plugs 3 from all the sample containers 1 standingly held on the rack 2 at the midway portion d of the transverse feed belt device 41.
Since the known automatic opening mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-178394 (Japanese Patent Application No. 3-361092) previously proposed by the present applicant can be applied, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. .

The sample dispensing device 60 includes a rail body 61 that is movable in the left and right directions, and an arm body 62 that is slidable from the front to the depth direction along the longitudinal direction of the rail body 61 and that can be raised and lowered. The rail body 6 is provided except that the pipe body 63 is attached to the arm body 62.
Since the movement control mechanism 1 and the slide / elevation control mechanism of the arm body 62 are the same as the known XY transfer mechanism, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. Further, the configuration of the pipette device 63 itself is similar to that of a known pipette device applied to an automatic analyzer or the like, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

Specimen dispensing apparatus 60 configured as described above
When the rack 2 reaches the inspection-specific dispensing position e, first,
The arm body 62 moves to the upper part of the tip rack 100 or 110 in which the disposable chips are stored, and then descends to mount an unused disposable chip on the lower end of the pipette (not shown) of the pipette device 63. To do.

After that, the arm body 62 moves up, moves to a position above the test-specific dispensing position e, and moves down, and pipettes (disposable tips) into the serum in the sample container 1 held upright on the rack 2. After immersing the tip portion of the above, the pipette device 63 is operated to aspirate the required amount of the above serum and ascend, and the plurality of child containers 6 are transferred to above the magazines 120 and 130 in which they are vertically held.

When the arm body 62 is transferred to the predetermined upper position of the magazines 120 and 130 in this way, the arm body 62 is then lowered and the tip portion of the pipette (disposable tip) is moved to the child position. It is inserted into the container 6 and the sucked serum is discharged in a required amount. This discharge operation is continuously performed on each child container 6 in correspondence with the designated number of inspection items.

When the blood serum dispensing work is completed in this way, the arm body 62 rises and returns to the current position, and at this current position, the disposable tip is removed from the tip of the pipette and discarded. At the same time, although not shown, the inside of the pipette is drive-controlled to be washed again with washing water by a washing device connected to the pipette device 63 and then to repeat the above operation.

In this embodiment, the sub-containers 6 are vertically held in two magazines 120 and 130, for example, 50 each, and the magazine 120 is used for biochemical analysis and the magazine 130 is immunological. It is arranged to be used for each test, such as for analysis. Of course, in the present invention, the two magazines 120 and 130 can be set according to the needs of each delivery destination without using the two magazines 120 and 130 as in the above-described example, and the number thereof is also limited to the above-mentioned example. is not.

Magazine readers 121 and 131 for reading the magazine ID formed of a bar code or the like are attached to the installation sites of the magazines 120 and 130.
Since the magazine readers 121 and 131 have the same configuration as the reader that reads the rack ID,
The detailed description is omitted here.

The processed container stock yard 70 is a rack 2 in which the sample containers 1 for which the above dispensing work has been completed are held.
The rack 2 conveyed to the end of the above-mentioned horizontal dispensing belt device 43 is a vertical feeding device 7
1 is sequentially pressed and transferred to the processed container stock yard 70.

The control device 80 is composed of a computer CPU, and continuously controls the operation in a state in which the above-mentioned respective mechanisms are linked with each other, and the bar code readers 28 and 4 are provided.
The rack ID and magazine reader 121 read in 6
The magazine ID read in 131 is compared to manage the sample so that a mistake in dispensing does not occur, and the installation state of the rack 2 on the automatic centrifuge 30 and the centrifuge time are controlled. ing.

The control unit 80 also includes a power source 81,
A printer 82, a display unit formed of a CRT, a key board 83, and an IC card reader 84 are connected, and the state of centrifugal separation processing, management data of dispensing work, etc. are displayed on the display unit in real time, and the printer It is configured so that it can be printed out to 82. The IC card reader 84 reads this program from an IC card (not shown) to which a program such as the operator number of the fully automatic preprocessing apparatus and the preprocessing conditions is input, and the IC card reader 84 causes the control apparatus 80 to read the program. This fully automatic pretreatment device is drive-controlled based on this program. Of course, the control conditions can also be directly input on the keyboard 83.

Further, the control device 80 inputs control conditions and the like through a telephone line from the information input section 90 which is an external terminal, or monitors the dispensing result and the operating condition of the device from the outside. It is also configured so that, for example, the cause of failure and repair method can be checked and instructed without visiting the delivery destination.

The information input section 90 is a computer (C
PU) 91, a display unit formed of a CRT or the like, a keyboard 92, and a printer 93.

[0040]

As described above, the fully automatic pretreatment apparatus according to the present invention removes the stopper from the sample container after the operation of transporting and setting the sample container to the centrifugal separator and the centrifugal separation process. No manual labor is required for the work, the work of transporting the sample container with the stopper removed to the inspection-specific dispensing position, and the work of sucking the sample from the sample container that has reached the dispensing position and dispensing it into the inspection-specific sub-container. Since it can be performed automatically without intervention, blood infection accidents can be reliably prevented, and since these tasks can be coordinated and processed automatically, the above-mentioned series of tasks is wasted. It can be carried out quickly without loss of time, and the time required for the inspection can be greatly shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a fully automatic pretreatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall plan view showing a schematic configuration of the fully automatic pretreatment apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 sample container 2 rack 6 child container 20 1st transfer line 30 automatic centrifugation device 40 2nd transfer line 50 automatic capping device 60 sample dispensing device 80 control device

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A first transport line for transporting a sample container to an automatic centrifuge position, an automatic centrifuge device disposed near the end of the first transport line, and a centrifuging process by the automatic centrifuge device. Second transport line for transporting the finished sample container to the inspection-dispensing position, an automatic cap opening device disposed in the middle of the second transfer line, and a sample container opened by the automatic cap opening device Fully automatic front that is configured to have a sample dispensing device that sucks a sample from inside and automatically dispenses it into another container for each test, and a control means that drives and controls these devices in cooperation with each other. Processing equipment.