JPH0894630A - Biochemistry analysis device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To measure even when dripping time points of an analyte and a reference liquid are shifted and to make the title device compact by utilizing a dry analysis element comprising an ion-selection electrode member that selectively corresponds to a specific ion and a bridge that electrically connects an analyte-dripping section with a reference liquid-dripping section. CONSTITUTION: When an analyte of which ionic activity is unknown is dripped in an analyte-dripping section 2b and a reference liquid of which ionic activity is known is dripped in a reference-dripping section 2c, both of the liquids communicate with each other so that electric continuity is generated. As a result, a voltage difference corresponding to an ionic activity difference between the reference liquid and analyte is generated between ion-selection electrodes so that the voltage difference generated between the pair of ion-selection electrodes is measured by inserting measurement electrodes of a measurement means 15 via respective measurement holes formed on a bottom of a frame member to bring them into contact with respective terminals of the ion-selection electrodes. Thereby, it is possible to measure each ion activity of the analyte.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention uses a potentiometric dry analysis element for quantitatively analyzing the activity (or concentration) of a specific ion contained in a sample such as blood or urine by potentiometry. The present invention relates to a biochemical analysis device for performing biochemical analysis.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the activity value of a specific chemical component contained in a sample can be quantitatively analyzed simply by spotting and supplying a droplet of the sample, and the ion selectively responds to the specific ion. A dry electrolyte analysis element having at least one pair of ion-selective electrodes having a selective layer as the outermost layer has been developed and put into practical use.

In a biochemical analyzer for measuring a sample using the above-mentioned potential-difference measuring dry-type analytical element, the dry-type analytical element is spotted with the sample and the reference liquid to measure the potential difference between the two. However, as an example of this biochemical analyzer, particularly a reference liquid spotting device, a technique in which a reference liquid is spotted on a dry analytical element at the same time as a sample is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat.No. 5,085,832. Disclosed in the book.

The above-mentioned prior art biochemical analyzer is provided with two spotting nozzles for a sample and a reference liquid, and the reference liquid spotting nozzles are arranged in an inclined manner so that the respective spotting positions of the dry analytical element are provided. At the same time, the spotting nozzle is movably installed, and the potential difference is measured after the specimen and the reference liquid are spotted at the same time. This corresponds to the structure in which the dry analytical element used requires the simultaneous spotting of the sample and the reference liquid.

Further, as another biochemical analyzer, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-80864, a dry analytical element which does not require simultaneous spotting of a sample and a reference liquid is used.
A technique is disclosed in which a sample and a reference liquid are sequentially spotted by a spotting nozzle of a book.

[0006]

However, in the biochemical analyzer for measuring the potential difference as described above, in the former simultaneous spot application, it is necessary to dispose the spotting nozzle for the reference liquid at an inclination. Therefore, the structure for sucking the reference liquid from the reference liquid container containing the reference liquid, the moving structure, and the like are complicated, which is an obstacle to downsizing.

Further, the latter one using the spotting nozzle requires a washing device for the spotting nozzle between the spotting of the sample and the spotting of the reference liquid, which complicates the apparatus. In addition to the increase in size, there is a problem in that the time from the spotting of the sample to the spotting of the reference liquid becomes longer, the spotting efficiency is lowered, and the measuring ability of the entire apparatus is lowered.
Further, it is considered that a disposable nozzle tip is attached to the tip of the above-mentioned spotting nozzle, and the washing device is unnecessary by exchanging the nozzle tip after spotting the sample and spotting the reference liquid. However, it takes time to replace the nozzle tip, which similarly lowers the measurement efficiency. Furthermore, the structure is labor-intensive in terms of maintenance.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a biochemical analysis device which adopts two point wearing nozzles to make the device compact and improve the measurement efficiency. The purpose is.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the biochemical analyzer of the present invention provides an ion selective electrode pair that selectively responds to a specific ion and an analyte for supplying one of the electrode pairs with a sample. The sample spotting part on which the sample is spotted and the reference liquid spotting part on which the reference liquid is spotted to supply the reference liquid to the other, and the spotting parts arranged so as to communicate between both spotting parts Using a dry analytical element for potentiometric measurement, which comprises a bridge for electrically conducting between the specimen and the reference liquid, which are respectively spotted, and contains a plurality of the dry analytical elements. A storage for storing the cartridge, an element transporting means for taking out the dry analysis element from the cartridge in the storage and transporting it to a spotting position and a measuring position, and a point for spotting the sample on a sample spotting part of the dry analysis element. A sampling arm with a wear nozzle A reference liquid arm having a worn nozzle points for spotting the reference liquid in the reference liquid adhering part of the dry analysis element, and measuring means for measuring the potential difference of the dry analytical element,
A control means for preventing interference between the sampling arm and the reference liquid arm is provided.

Further, the element transfer means includes a blade member for taking out the dry analysis element from the cartridge, and a transfer member for receiving the dry analysis element taken out from the cartridge and transferring the sample and the reference liquid to a spotting position and a measuring position. It is preferable to configure Similarly, at the measurement position, incubators for holding the dry analytical element at a constant temperature are installed side by side, and the dry analytical element in the conveying member is pushed up and heated from above and below, and the measurement electrode is brought into contact with the dry analytical element to measure the potential difference. Is preferred.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the storage has a plurality of storage positions for the cartridges and the cartridges are movably provided between the supply position of the dry analytical element and the insertion position of the cartridge. Further, the sampling arm attaches a nozzle tip for sucking a sample to the tip of the spotting nozzle and replaces the nozzle tip for each specimen, or the reference liquid arm sucks a reference liquid at the tip of the spotting nozzle. It is also possible to attach.

[0012]

In the biochemical analyzer of the present invention, an ion selective electrode pair that selectively responds to specific ions and a bridge that enables electrical conduction between the specimen spotting portion and the reference liquid spotting portion are provided. By using the provided dry analytical element for potentiometric measurement,
It is possible to measure even if the spotting of the sample and the reference liquid is deviated in time, and accordingly, the device is made compact.

First, a cartridge containing a plurality of the dry analytical elements is stored in a storage cabinet, and the dry analytical element is taken out from the cartridge of the storage cabinet by the element transporting means and transported to the spotting position, and the sampling arm is placed at the spotting location. The sample is spotted on the sample spotting section by the reference liquid, and before and after this, the reference liquid is spotted on the reference liquid spotting section by the reference liquid arm,
After that, the dry analytical element is transported to the measuring means by the element transporting means, and a constant temperature is maintained at the measuring position,
The potential difference is measured, and it is possible to easily avoid the interference of both arms by shifting the spotting time of the sampling arm and the reference liquid arm, and there is no need for an inclined structure for that purpose. This simplifies the mechanism and makes the device compact as a whole even if two spotting nozzles are used. At the same time, part of the sample suction spotting process and the reference liquid suction spotting process are performed in parallel. In comparison with the one spotting nozzle for spotting the sample and the reference liquid, the treatment efficiency can be remarkably improved, the measurement efficiency of the entire device can be improved, and each mechanism can be simplified. It is easy to operate by reducing the cost and maintenance, and the maintenance work is reduced.

Further, in the device constituted by the blade member and the conveying member separately, the element conveying means takes out the dry analysis element from the cartridge by the blade member, transfers it to the conveying member, and conveys it to the spotting position by the conveying member. Then, the sample and the reference liquid are spotted while being held on the transport member, and the dry analytical element after the spotting is similarly transported to the measurement position and held at the transport member for constant temperature measurement and measurement. It is possible to take out the analysis element and carry it according to each carrying part, and the whole carrying device is carried by one carrying tool, but the carrying distance of each carrying means is short, and the device as a whole becomes compact and carrying It is possible to perform the spotting and measurement while it is held on a member, and to simplify the mechanism by eliminating the need to transfer the dry analytical element at that part. It can be achieved.

At the measurement position, the dry analytical element in the conveying member is pushed up and heated from above and below to maintain a constant temperature, and the potential difference is measured by abutting the measuring electrode on the dry analytical element, the measurement is performed at the same position. Further compactness can be obtained.

In the case where the storage is provided with a plurality of cartridge storage positions, the cartridge at the insertion position can be replaced while the dry analysis element is being taken out from the cartridge and supplied by the element transfer means. It is easy to process when the dry analytical element contained is gone, and it is possible to perform continuous measurement.

Further, in the above-mentioned sampling arm, in which the nozzle tip is attached to the tip of the spotting nozzle and the specimen is sucked into the nozzle tip, first, the nozzle tip is attached to the spotting nozzle and then the specimen is sucked. After the attachment, the nozzle tip is removed and the nozzle tip is exchanged for each sample, so that the cleaning process is unnecessary and the maintenance is simplified. Similarly, if the nozzle tip is also attached to the spotting nozzle of the reference liquid arm, it is not necessary to replace the nozzle tip when the standard reference liquid is spotted, but when the concentration of the reference liquid changes, the reference liquid container Also, it can be dealt with by replacing the nozzle tip, and the maintenance becomes simpler.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a biochemical analyzer as one embodiment of the present invention.

The biochemical analysis apparatus 1 comprises a storage cabinet 10 for storing a cartridge 4 accommodating a dry analysis element 2 formed by an electrolyte slide incorporating a dry ion electrode pair, and the storage cabinet 10.
An element transfer means 11 for transferring the dry analytical element 2 from the cartridge 4 therein, a sample holding means 12 for holding a sample container 5 containing a plurality of samples such as serum and urine, and an element transfer means 11 for transferring Dry analytical element 2 on the way
First spotting means 13 for spotting the specimen of the specimen holding means 12 on
A second spotting means 14 for similarly spotting the reference liquid from the reference liquid container 6 onto the dry analytical element 2, and the dry analytical element 2 after the spotting.
Measuring means 15 for measuring the potential difference, an incubator 16 for keeping the dry analytical element 2 after the spotting in the measuring means 15 at a constant temperature for a predetermined time, and a spotting nozzle 43 of the spotting nozzle 43 in the vicinity of the first spotting means 13. A tip supply means 17 for slidingly moving a tip rack 8 in which nozzle tips 7 to be attached to the tip are arranged and housed is installed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the dry analytical element 2 (electrolyte slide) is provided in a known structure in which the ionic activity of the electrolyte of the sample is examined by an electrical change, and the outer part is made of plastic. The frame member 2a is covered with a sample spotting portion 2b, a reference liquid spotting portion 2c, and a porous bridge 2d made of polyethylene terephthalate fiber spinning or the like connecting the spotting portions 2b and 2c. Inside, three types of multi-layered film type dry ion selective electrode pairs (Na, K, Cl measurement electrode pairs) are installed, and a distribution member in contact with the electrodes is installed.

Then, when a sample having an unknown ion activity is spotted on the sample spotting part 2b and a reference liquid having a known ion activity is spotted on the reference liquid spotting part 2c, both solutions are inside the bridge 2d. At the liquid junction, electrical conduction occurs. As a result, a potential difference corresponding to the difference in each ion activity between the reference liquid and the sample is generated between the ion selective electrodes, so that the measuring means 15 is provided from each measurement hole formed on the bottom surface of the frame member 2a. The measurement electrode 94 described later is inserted and brought into contact with the terminal portion of each ion selection electrode, and the potential difference generated from each ion selection electrode pair is measured, whereby the ion activity in the sample can be measured.

The cartridge 4 for accommodating the dry analysis element 2 as described above is formed into one rectangular tube by engaging the box 34 formed as two separate left and right half casings at the center. At the top of the box 34, an outlet 4a for taking out the dry analysis slide 1 is provided. This outlet
4a has a slit-like opening on one side surface through which one dry analysis element 2 can be inserted, and an opening 4b into which a blade member 77 of the element transfer means 11 described later enters is formed on the opposite side surface. Further, two vertical ribs 4c extending in the vertical direction are provided on both side surfaces of the box 34 so as to project, and a vertical groove 4d is provided between the vertical ribs 4c.
Are formed, and ratchet teeth 35 are formed on the inner surface.

The cartridge 4 has a holding member 36 for holding the contained dry analytical element 2 on the outlet 4a side, and the holding member 36 is provided with a locking claw 36a for locking the holding position. The pressing member 36 is moved upward in response to the removal of the dry analytical element 2, and a projection portion therefor.
36b is provided so as to project from the vertical groove 4d, and the locking claw 36a is locked to the ratchet teeth 35.

The outer surface of the box body of the cartridge 4 is
A data recording section using a bar code or the like having cartridge information representing data and the like regarding the stored dry analytical element 2.
32 is attached.

Storage box 10 for storing the cartridge 4
Is provided in a rotary drive manner as shown in FIG. 4, and two cartridge storage portions are formed on both sides of the center of rotation.
A belt gear 21 is arranged at the bottom of the storage 10, while a select motor 22 is attached to the frame 20,
A drive gear fixed to the drive shaft 22a of the select motor 22
A toothed belt 24 is hung between 23 and the belt gear 21, and the storage case 10 is rotationally driven according to the drive of the select motor 22. By the rotation drive, one cartridge housing portion is moved to the element supply position corresponding to the element carrying means 11, and the other cartridge housing portion is moved to the cartridge insertion position.

At this time, the cartridge 4 at the insertion position can be ejected and a new cartridge 4 can be inserted from above when the opening / closing cover 25 shown by the chain line is opened. Further, the storage 10 is installed in an independent room, the desiccant 27 is inserted into the desiccant storage chamber 26, and the dry analytical element 2 is kept in a dry state.

The sample holding means 12 is provided with a sample table 30 which is rotated, and a plurality of sample containers 5 containing the samples are set on the inner and outer peripheral parts of the sample table 30, and the sample containers 5 are rotated by the rotation. It is sequentially moved to the supply position. The sample container 5 set on the inner side of the sample table 30
Is for emergency measurement.

The first spotting means 13 for spotting the sample from the sample container 5 onto the dry analysis element 2 is provided at the tip of a sampling arm 42 provided on a support base 41 so as to be rotatable and vertically movable. It has a spotting nozzle 43 for performing suction and discharge, and is controlled by a control means (not shown), and the pipette-shaped nozzle tip 7 is attached to the tip of the spotting nozzle 43,
The sample spotting section of the dry analytical element 2 in which the sample is sucked from the sample container 5 of the sample table 30 and moved to the spotting position.
Spot on 2b.

The nozzle tip 7 after spotting is discarded every time the sample changes, and the nozzle tip 7 is attached to the upper end portion.
A tip waste cylinder 45 for hooking the upper end of the tip waste nozzle 45 to remove it from the tip of the spotting nozzle 43 is disposed, and the nozzle tip 7 falling from the tip waste cylinder 45 is discarded in a waste box (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the lifting and rotating mechanism of the sampling arm 42 of the first spotting means 13 is such that the sampling arm 42 has a point-wearing nozzle 43 fixed to the tip end thereof and extending downward. A nozzle port for sucking and discharging is opened at the tip of the wearing nozzle 43, and the nozzle tip 7 is attached to this tip portion every time the sample is sucked. An upper end portion of a shaft member 46 is vertically connected to a center side portion of the sampling arm 42, and the shaft member 46 is supported by a support base 41 supported by a base member 40 so as to be vertically movable and rotatable.
A block 47 is connected to the lower end portion. The block
47 is supported so as to be vertically movable along a guide bar 51 arranged in parallel with the shaft member 46. Further, the shaft member 46
A part of the ascending / descending toothed belt 53 hung on the upper and lower belt gears 48, 49 is fixed to the block 47 on the side of
The upper belt gear 48 is fixed to the drive shaft 54a of the lifting motor 54, and the toothed belt 53 is driven by the driving of the lifting motor 54.
Run, and the shaft member 46, that is, the sampling arm 42
Is driven up and down.

On the other hand, a belt gear 55 is horizontally arranged on the lower surface of the base member 40 below the support base 41, and the shaft member 46 is slidably passed through the belt gear 55 at the center. , Are linked so as to rotate integrally with the shaft member 46. A rotation motor 56 is attached to the base member 40, and a drive belt gear provided on its drive shaft 56a.
A toothed belt 58 for rotation is hung between 57 and the belt gear 55 of the shaft member 46, and the shaft member 46, that is, the sampling arm 42 is rotated by the drive of the rotation motor 56. A cover 59 as shown by a chain line is attached to the sampling arm 42.

The operation of the sampling arm 42 is such that the position of the tip discard cylinder 45 is the home position, and when the sample is spotted, the tip arm 8 is first rotated to the tip rack 8 side and lowered. The nozzle tip 7 is fitted and lifted from the tip rack 8 and rotated to the sample table 30 side, stopped on the sample container 5 and lowered, and a predetermined amount of the sample is sucked, and then the dry analysis at the spotting position. It rotates on the element 2 and spots a predetermined amount of specimen on the specimen spotting portion 2b. Thereafter, the nozzle tip 7 is moved to the discarding position and lowered, and the upper end of the nozzle tip 7 is hooked and moved upward to remove the nozzle tip 7 from the spotting nozzle 43.

Similarly to the sampling arm 42, the reference liquid arm 62 of the second spotting means 14 is also rotatably and vertically movable, has a spotting nozzle 63 at its tip, and is controlled by a control means (not shown). The reference liquid is sucked from the reference liquid container 6 and spotted on the reference liquid spotting portion 2c of the dry analysis element 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, the elevating mechanism and the rotating mechanism of the reference liquid arm 62 have a point wearing nozzle 63 fixed to the tip of the reference liquid arm 62, and suction and discharge to the tip of the point wearing nozzle 63. The nozzle mouth is opened, and the nozzle tip 9 for the reference liquid is attached to this tip portion. An upper end portion of a shaft member 64 is vertically connected to a central side portion of the reference liquid arm 62, the shaft member 64 is rotatably supported by a support portion 61, and a lower end portion thereof is rotated via a coupling 65. Motor 66
The drive shaft 66a is connected and the shaft member 64, that is, the reference liquid arm 62 is directly driven by the rotation motor 66. The rotation motor 66 is supported by the support portion 61 by a bracket 67.

Further, the supporting portion 61 is supported by a slide member 70 engaged with a vertically extending guide rail 69 fixed to a frame member 68 so as to be movable up and down, and the rotating motor 66 is supported by the supporting portion. Together with 61, the shaft member 64, that is, the reference liquid arm 62, moves up and down together. A rack gear 71 extending vertically is fixed to the support portion 61, and a pinion gear 72 is meshed with the rack gear 71. This pinion gear 72
Is attached to a drive shaft 73a of a lifting motor 73 fixed to a frame member 68 and is driven up and down. Further, a cover 74 as shown by a chain line is attached to the reference liquid arm 62.

The operation of the reference liquid arm 62 is such that the position of the reference liquid container 6 is the home position, and when the reference liquid is spotted, a predetermined amount of the reference liquid is sucked and then the dry liquid is placed in the spotting position. The reference liquid spotting portion 2c is rotated on the analysis element 2 to spot a predetermined amount of the reference liquid. Then, it moves to the position of the reference liquid container 6 and descends. The reference liquid container 6 is placed in a storage section 39 provided on the upper plate 38.

Although the reference liquid arm 62 is equipped with the nozzle tip 9, it does not have to be replaced for each spotting, and the evaporation of the reference liquid container 6 is capped when the spotting is not performed. It is provided in the structure. That is, the reference liquid nozzle tip 9 is provided with a cap portion 9a for preventing evaporation of the reference liquid on the outer side, and a portion below the cap portion 9a of the reference liquid nozzle tip 9 is provided except when the reference liquid is spotted. The container 6 is inserted into the container 6, and the cap portion 9a closes the mouth to stand by. This suppresses the concentration of the reference liquid in the reference liquid container 6.

The element transporting means 11 for taking out and transporting the dry analytical element 2 from the cartridge 4 has a blade member 77 for pushing out the dry analytical element 2 on the uppermost part of the cartridge 4, and a mechanism for driving the blade member 77 is installed. In addition, the dry analysis element 2 taken out from the cartridge 4 is transported to a spotting position, spotted, then transported to a measurement position by the measuring means 15, and further transported to a disposal position. A transport mechanism including a transport frame 78 is provided.

The blade member 77 is in the form of a long plate, has a rack gear 77a on one side, and is slidably mounted on the plate member 28 on the upper surface of the frame 20, as shown in FIG.
The base of the blade member 77 is covered with a guide member 80 on the upper side, and a guide groove on the bottom surface guides the conveyance direction. A conveyance guide 81 is arranged and guided on the tip end side of the blade member 77. The transport guide 81 is fixed to the plate member 28, covers the upper part of the element supply portion of the storage 10 at the same time, and further extends in the direction of the front spotting position.

A guide groove for guiding the blade member 77 is provided on the lower surface of the conveyance guide 81, and a concave portion 81a for contacting and supporting the upper surface of the cartridge 4 pushed up by a ratchet pushing mechanism 19, which will be described later, is formed. Further, a guide groove for guiding the dry analysis element 2 projected from the cartridge 4 by the blade member 77 is formed up to the tip portion. On the other hand, on the side surface on the rear side, a cutout portion 81b is formed so that the rack gear 77a of the blade member 77 inserted therein is exposed, and the drive gear 82 is arranged in the cutout portion 81b in a state of meshing with the rack gear 77a. It is set up. The drive gear 82 is attached to a drive shaft 83a of a feed motor 83 supported by the plate member 28, and is configured to drive the blade member 77 forward or backward by driving the feed motor 83.

On the other hand, the carrying frame 78 is a leading end of the dry analysis element 2 carried by the blade member 77, that is, a carrying guide 81.
The dry analytical element 2 is conveyed from the tip of the to the spotting position and from the measuring position to the discarding position. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the carrying frame 78 is placed on the lower substrate 29 extending in the carrying direction, and the central portion of the carrying frame 78 penetrates vertically and the dry analytical element 2 is inserted into the housing. The hole 78a is opened. Both sides of the transport frame 78 are formed to extend to both sides of the substrate 29, and are slidably supported by guide bars 85 arranged on both sides of the substrate 29 in parallel.

Further, belt gears 86, 87 are arranged at the lower part of the guide bar 85 in the front and rear, and a belt 89 is attached to both belt wheels 86, 87.
Is hung in parallel with the guide bar 85. This belt 89
The transfer frame 78 is fixed by a bracket 90. One belt gear 87 is connected to the drive shaft 91a of the feed motor 91, and the drive of the feed motor 91 causes the transport frame 78 to move on the substrate 29 along the guide bar 85.

The transport frame 78 is moved a little from the position where the dry analysis element 2 is received at the tip of the transport guide 81, and the spotting portions 2b and 2c of the dry analysis element 2 are exposed from below the transport guide 81. The portion is a spotting position, and at this spotting position, the locus of rotation of the spotting nozzles 43, 63 of the first and second spotting means 13, 14 and the spotting portion 2 in the moving direction of the dry analytical element 2
The points where the trajectories of b and 2c intersect are the spotting positions.

Further, the carrying frame 78 carries the dry analytical element 2 to the measuring means 15. The substrate 29 of the measuring means 15 is provided with the lower part 16a of the incubator and the upper part 16b of the incubator above it. Is installed. The heating plate 93 is installed in the lower part 16a of the incubator so that the heating plate 93 can be moved up and down. This heating plate 93 has a size comparable to that of the dry analysis element 2 and enters the inside of the storage hole 78a of the transport frame 78 to The dry analytical element 2 stored in the 78a can be pushed up.

On the other hand, the upper part 12b of the incubator is the substrate 29.
A transport frame 78 is disposed above the above with a movable space, and its end is fixed to the substrate 29. An upper heating plate (not shown) is fixed to the upper part 12b of the incubator at a position above the lower heating plate 93, and a dry analysis after spotting is performed between the upper heating plate 93 and the lower heating plate 93 that has moved upward. The element 2 is held and held at a constant temperature for a predetermined time.

Further, three needle-shaped measuring electrodes 94 for measuring a potential difference are arranged on both sides of the lower heating plate 93. The electrode 94 moves up and down, and is arranged so that it can be retracted while being biased upward by a spring.

Below the measuring means 15, an electrode pushing mechanism 18 for moving the heating plate 93 and the measuring electrode 94 up and down.
Is installed. As shown in FIG. 5, the electrode pushing-up mechanism 18 is provided with an elevating block 95 for holding the heating plate 93 and the measuring electrode 94, and a roller 96 (cam follower) is attached to the lower part of the elevating block 95. ing. On the other hand, an eccentric cam 98 is rotatably supported below the eccentric cam 98, and a belt gear 99 that rotates integrally with the eccentric cam 98 is installed.
Is hung on the drive gear 102 attached to the drive shaft 101a of the push-up motor 101, the eccentric cam 98 is rotationally driven, and the elevating block 95 is moved up and down accordingly, and the heating plate 93 and the measuring electrode 94 are driven. Push up.

Further, at a transportation position ahead of the measuring means 15, a disposal port 105 for dropping and disposing of the dry analytical element 2 after measurement on the substrate 29 is opened, and below the disposal port 105. The slanted chute 106 is connected to and communicates with a waste box (not shown) below.

On the other hand, below the storage 10, a ratchet push-up mechanism as omitted in FIG. 4 is provided. The ratchet push-up mechanism 19 pushes up the protrusion 36b of the holding member 36 of the cartridge 4 at the element supply position, pushes up the cartridge 4 and the dry analytical element 2, and sequentially takes out the dry analytical element 2 at the uppermost stage. Match 4a.

The ratchet push-up mechanism 19 is provided with two push-up rods 108 that are driven to move up and down in parallel. The push-up rods 108 penetrate the guide member 109 fixed to the bottom of the frame 20. It is slidably supported, and the push-up rod 108 is driven up and down by the same lifting mechanism as the sampling arm 42. That is, the push-up rods 108 on both sides are provided so as to be connected and moved integrally by a lower connecting member (not shown), and the connecting member is guided to move up and down by a guide bar (not shown).
Belt gear 110 vertically parallel to the lifting rod 108
The drive belt 11 is provided with (the lower part is not shown).
1 is applied and the upper belt gear 110 moves the lifting motor 11
2 is attached to the drive shaft 112a of the second drive belt 110, and the drive belt 110 is fixed to the connecting member to push up the motor 112.
Is driven up and down.

The upper end of the push-up rod 108 comes into contact with the lower surface of the protrusion 36b of the pressing member 36 projecting laterally of the cartridge 4, and the push-up of the push-up rod 108 with the ratchet 35 of the locking claw 36a of the pressing member 36 causes the pressing member 36 to protrude. When the locking position is pushed up and the dry analysis element 2 is compressed and pushed up, and when the position of the locking claw 36a does not move, the entire cartridge 4 is pushed up and its upper surface is brought into contact with the inner surface of the recess 81a of the transport guide 81. The height of conveyance by the blade member 77 and the height of the ejection port 4a of the cartridge 4 are matched.

The operation of the biochemical analyzer 1 will be described. First, the cartridge 4 accommodating a plurality of the dry analysis elements 2 stacked and accommodated therein is stored in the storage 10, and the storage 10 is rotationally driven to drive the cartridge. 4 is moved to the supply position. Then, with the blade member 77 moving to the retracted position,
The ratchet push-up mechanism 19 is driven to raise the push-up rod 108, and the cartridge 4 is lifted via the protrusion 36b of the pressing member 36. With the transport frame 78 moved to the delivery position at one end, the blade member 77 is driven forward so that the leading end of the blade member 77 enters the opening 4b of the cartridge 4 and the dry analytical element 2 at the uppermost stage is taken out. It is pushed out from 4a and further moved forward to supply the dry analytical element 2 into the accommodation hole 78a of the carrying frame 78.

A transport frame 78 accommodating the dry analytical element 2
Moves to the sample spotting position and spots the sample. Before that, mount the nozzle tip 7 on the tip of the spotting nozzle 43 of the sampling arm 42, and then set a predetermined amount of the sample from the sample container 5. The sample is aspirated and the sampling arm 42 is rotated to the spotting position to spot the sample on the sample spotting portion 2b of the dry analysis element 2. After the spotting, the sampling arm 42 moves to the disposal position, and the nozzle tip 7 is removed by the disposal cylinder 45.

On the other hand, when the sample spotting position and the reference liquid spotting position are different, the dry analysis element 2 is moved to the reference liquid spotting position to spot the reference liquid. Arm 62
A predetermined amount of the reference liquid is sucked into the nozzle tip 9 mounted on the spotting nozzle 63, and is rotated to the spotting position to apply the predetermined amount of the reference liquid to the reference liquid spotting portion 2c of the dry analysis element 2. To wear. After the spotting, the reference liquid arm 62 moves onto the reference liquid container 6 and then descends to cover the reference liquid container 6 with the cap portion 9a of the nozzle tip 9. The time difference between the spot application of the sample and the spot application of the reference liquid is preferably set within 5 seconds, and the opening time of the lid of the reference liquid container 6 is also preferably set within 5 seconds.

Then, the carrying frame 78 is moved from the spotting position to the measuring position, stopped at a position corresponding to the position of the heating plate 93, and the heating plate 93 is lifted by the operation of the electrode pushing mechanism 18 to carry it. The dry analytical element 2 in the frame 78 is pushed up and heated from above and below to maintain a constant temperature for a predetermined time, and the elevated measurement electrode 94 is brought into contact with the internal electrode pair from the bottom of the dry analytical element 2 to measure the potential difference. After the measurement, the dry analytical element 2 is moved to the discarding position of the transport frame 78 after the electrode lifting mechanism 18 is lowered, and the internal dry analytical element 2 is dropped from the discarding port 105 to the chute 106 and discarded. To be done.

Before and after the spotting of the sample by the sampling arm 42 and the spotting of the reference liquid by the reference liquid arm 62 may be the reverse of the embodiment, the rotation of both arms is controlled by a control means (not shown). Since the spotting of both of them is deviated in time, it is possible to avoid the interference between the sampling arm 42 and the reference liquid arm 62, and it is not necessary to install a structure for avoiding the interference between the two in each mechanism. The device is compact as a whole even with two spot wearing nozzles 43 and 63.

[0057]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a sample and a reference are used by using two nozzles, that is, a sampling arm having a spotting nozzle for spotting a sample and a reference liquid arm having a spotting nozzle for spotting a reference liquid. Since the liquid and the liquid are temporally displaced to avoid the interference between the liquid and the liquid, the mechanism can be simplified, and the device can be made compact as a whole even if two spotting nozzles are provided. By performing part of the sample aspiration spotting process and the reference liquid aspiration spotting process in parallel, the processing efficiency can be improved, the measurement efficiency of the entire device can be improved, and each mechanism can be simplified. It is possible to reduce the maintenance work by simplifying the operation by simplifying the operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a biochemical analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view showing a lifting and lowering mechanism of a sampling arm.

FIG. 3 is a schematic front view showing a reference liquid arm ascending / descending and rotating mechanism in a partial section.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional front view of a dry analytical element takeout mechanism and a storage cabinet.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional front view showing a schematic structure of a transport mechanism and a measuring unit.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of a transport mechanism and measuring means.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a cartridge.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 biochemical analysis device 2 dry analysis element 2b sample spotting part 2c reference liquid spotting part 2d bridge 4 cartridge 4a outlet 5 sample container 6 reference liquid container 7,9 nozzle tip 10 storage 11 element transfer means 12 sample holding means 13 First spotting means 14 Second spotting means 15 Measuring means 16 Incubator 17 Chip feeding means 18 Electrode pushing mechanism 19 Ratchet pushing mechanism 42 Sampling arm 43, 63 Dot-wear nozzle 62 Reference liquid arm 77 Blade member 78 Transport frame (transport member) 78a Storage hole 81 Transport guide 93 Heating plate 94 Measuring electrode 105 Disposal port

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An ion selective electrode pair that selectively responds to a specific ion, and an analyte spotting part on which the analyte is spotted to supply the analyte to one of the electrode pairs and a reference liquid to the other. The reference liquid spotting part on which the reference liquid is spotted, and the test liquid and the reference liquid, which are arranged so as to communicate between the spotting parts, are electrically connected to each other. A biochemical analyzer using a dry analytical element for potentiometric measurement, which comprises a bridge capable of enabling a dry storage from a storage containing a cartridge containing a plurality of the dry analytical elements and a cartridge in the storage. An analysis element is taken out, a spotting position, an element transporting means for transporting the sample to a measurement position, a sampling arm having a spotting nozzle for spotting the specimen on a specimen spotting portion of a dry analytical element, and the reference liquid of a dry analytical element. Spot on the reference liquid spot A reference liquid arm having a wear nozzle, a measuring means for measuring the potential difference of the dry analytical element, a biochemical analysis apparatus, characterized in that it comprises a control means for preventing the interference between the reference liquid arm and the sampling arm. 2. A blade member for taking out the dry analytical element from the cartridge, and a carrying member for receiving the dry analytical element taken out from the cartridge and delivering the sample and the reference liquid to a spotting position and a measuring position. The biochemical analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. At the measurement position, an incubator for holding the dry analytical element at a constant temperature is arranged in parallel, and the dry analytical element in the conveying member is pushed up and heated from above and below,
The biochemical analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the measuring electrode is brought into contact with the dry analytical element to measure the potential difference. 4. The storage box has a plurality of cartridge storage positions, and the cartridges are movably provided between a dry analysis element supply position and a cartridge insertion position. The biochemical analyzer described. 5. The biochemical analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the sampling arm has a nozzle tip attached to the tip of the spotting nozzle for sucking the specimen, and the nozzle tip is exchanged for each specimen. 6. The biochemical analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the reference liquid arm has a nozzle tip attached to the tip of the spotting nozzle, and sucks the reference liquid into the nozzle tip.