JPH09243647A - Automatic chemical analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic chemical analyzer which is small and by which many items can be analyzed quickly. SOLUTION: Many reaction-container pairs 26 are made movable by a guide mechanism 27. A sample dispenser 21, a reagent dispenser 23, a thermostatic chamber 29, an aspirator 30 and a cleaning device 34 are installed in a route, sensors 32 are built in a plurality of aspiration nozzles 31 which are attached to the aspirator 30. A sample liquid which is dispensed from the sample dispenser 21 into a reaction container 25 is moxed with a reagent which is dispensed into the reagent dispenser 23, they are reacted for a definite time inside the thermostatic chamber 29, a reaction product is aspirated by the aspiration nozzle 31, and the concentration of a chemical component is detected optically by every sensor 32. The many reaction-container pairs 26 are arranged on the guide mechanism 27.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an automatic chemical analyzer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Discrete-type automated chemistry in which human serum or the like is used as a sample, a desired reagent is reacted with the sample, and the concentration of a specific component in the reaction solution is measured by a colorimetric method for diagnosis. Analytical devices are known. A conventional device is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-65654.

As shown in FIG. 14, a conventional discrete type automatic chemical analyzer has a plurality of photometric cells 4 arranged on a circular turntable 3 and is arranged in the vicinity of the turntable 3 such as a sample bottle 9, a slider 10, Sample supply unit consisting of sample pipettor 8, reagent bottle 7, reagent dispenser 6
Reagent supply unit consisting of, cleaning device 11, and light source unit 1
It has a spectroscopic measurement unit composed of 2 and a detection unit 13. The controller 2 is connected to each mechanical section, and the analyzer 14 is connected to the photodiode array 24.

While the turntable 3 rotates, the sample and the reagent are supplied to the photometric cell 4, the spectroscopic measurement and the cleaning are performed. The sample is supplied by operating the sample pipettor 8 and dispensing a fixed amount of the sample from the sample bottle 9 to the photometric cell 4. The supply of the reagent is performed by the reagent dispenser 6, and the sample and the reagent react in the photometric cell 4. Cleaning is the cleaning device 1
1, the cleaning liquid is supplied to and discharged from the photometric cell 4.

In the spectroscopic measurement, the light flux emitted from the light source 21 in the spectroscopic measurement section passes through the lens 22 and the photometric cell 4, and the diffraction grating 23
The wavelengths are separated by, and then detected by the photodiode array 24. In the reaction product of the sample and the reagent in the photometric cell 4, the absorptance of light having a specific wavelength changes depending on the concentration of a specific component in the sample depending on the type of the reagent. Therefore, if the attenuation rate of the light detected by the element corresponding to the specific wavelength of the photodiode array 24 is measured and analyzed by the analyzer 14, information on the concentration of the specific component in the sample can be obtained.

According to this conventional apparatus, when plural kinds of samples are put in the sample bottle 9 and arranged on the slider 10,
A plurality of samples can be analyzed by moving the slider 10 and selecting the samples one by one. If a plurality of types of reagents are set in the reagent bottle 7 and selectively dispensed by the reagent dispenser 6 to the photometric cell 4, a plurality of components can be analyzed. Since these operations are controlled by the controller 2, multi-item analysis can be automatically performed on a plurality of samples.

[0007]

In the conventional device, in order to measure the light absorptance with sufficient sensitivity, the length of the light beam passing through the reaction product of the sample and the reagent is set to a certain length or more. However, it is difficult to reduce the thickness of the photometric cell 4, it is difficult to reduce the required amount of reagent, and it is difficult to make the apparatus compact because a large amount of reagent is stored. Further, since the detection unit 13 and the light source unit 12 are installed in opposite directions of the photometric cell 4, a large occupied area is required, and further, the arrangement of the optical system and peripheral devices is limited, and the device becomes large.

An object of the present invention is to provide a compact automatic analyzer.

[0009]

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a sample dispensing system for dispensing a plurality of sample liquids to a plurality of reaction vessels and a reagent to each of the reaction vessels. Analyzing the detection signal, the reagent dispensing system to inject, the reaction system that mixes the sample and reagent in the reaction container and reacts for a certain time, the detection optical system that irradiates the mixed solution with light to measure the transmittance, In an automatic chemical analyzer equipped with a calculation system and a control system for repeatedly executing a series of operations, it has a pipettor for sucking a mixed liquid from a reaction container, and a detection optical system is configured to be movable integrally with the pipettor. did.

Further, a reaction vessel pair in which a plurality of reaction vessels are fixed side by side is used, and the plurality of reaction vessel pairs are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of arrangement of the reaction vessels in the reaction vessel pair. did.

Further, the reaction system includes a temperature-controlled room kept at a constant temperature, and the reaction vessel pair is arranged vertically in the temperature-controlled room.

Further, the detection optical system is constituted so as to be an optical fiber arranged so as to face each other in the pipe constituting the pipettor.

Further, the detection optical system is composed of a laser and a reflecting mirror which are arranged so as to face each other with the passage of the mixed liquid interposed therebetween.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, in the automatic chemical analyzer 1, a plurality of reaction vessel pairs 26 are attached and can move on the guide mechanism 27. Around the guide mechanism 27, a sample dispenser 21, a reagent dispenser 23, a vibrating mechanism 28, an aspirator 30, and a slider 1.
0, a temperature-controlled room 29, and a washer 34 are installed. Also,
The automatic chemical analyzer 1 has a controller 2 and an analyzer 14 built-in, and has an indicator 40, a switch 41, and an output device 4.
2 are installed.

A plurality of reaction vessels 25 are installed in the reaction vessel pair 26.

A sample bottle 9 containing a plurality of blood samples can be set on the slider 10 and is moved below the sample pipettor 8 according to an instruction from the controller 2.

The sample dispenser 21 comprises a sample pipetter 8, a serum separator 20, and a sample nozzle 22. According to an instruction from the controller 2, the sample pipettor 8 sucks a fixed amount of blood sample from the sample bottle 9, and the serum separator 2
The solid content is removed from the blood sample in 0, and a fixed amount of the serum component is dispensed from the sample nozzle 22 into each reaction container 25.

The serum separator 20 includes a centrifugal separator or
Disposable filters can be used.

A plurality of reagent nozzles 24 constituting the reagent dispenser 23 are connected to reagent bottles 7 containing different reagents. According to a command from the controller 2, a fixed amount of reagent is dispensed from the reagent nozzle 24 into each of the reaction containers 25.

The vibrating mechanism 28 vibrates the bottom of the reaction container pair 26 to mix the reagent in the reaction container 25 with the serum.

Air at 35 ° C. circulates inside the temperature-controlled room 29.

A suction nozzle 31 incorporating a sensor 32 is attached to the suction device 30. According to an instruction from the controller 2, the suction nozzle 31 sucks the mixed liquid from the reaction container 25. The sensor 32 detects the characteristic of the sucked mixed liquid and sends a signal to the analyzer 14. In addition, according to an instruction from the controller 2, it moves to the position of the cleaning device 33 and cleans the tip and the inside of the suction nozzle 31.

The cleaning device 34 discharges the cleaning liquid to discharge the reaction container 2
Wash 5.

The analyzer 14 operates the signal of the sensor 32 according to the instruction of the controller 2 and outputs the result to the output device 42.
Output from

The controller 2 is connected to the switch 41 and the display 40, and outputs a series of instructions to each element according to an operation command from the switch 41. The series of instructions includes repetition of the same pattern. The operation status is displayed on the display 40.

The guide mechanism 27 is a mechanism for moving and stopping the reaction vessel pair 26 in parallel. Inside the temperature-controlled room 29, the guide mechanism 27 is folded in three stages, and the reaction vessel pair 26 moves from the upper stage to the lower stage.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the sample dispensing system of the first embodiment. The serum separator 20 includes a filter 35, a connector 38,
It is composed of an attachment / detachment mechanism 48 and a valve 36. Sample dispenser 21
Includes a moving mechanism 44 and a pump 45. The pump 45 and the filter 35 are connected by a tube 54 via a connector 38.

First, the sample pipette 8 is attached to the sample bottle 9.
, The valve 37 is closed, the valve 36 is opened, and the pump 45 sucks the driving liquid 53 to suck the whole blood sample 51.
The blood sample has a solid component removed in the filter 35, and the sample 52, which is serum, enters the sample chamber 50. Next, the moving mechanism 44 moves the sample nozzle 22 onto the pit 49, opens the valve 37, closes the valve 36, and discharges with the pump 45, thereby expelling the internal air from the sample nozzle 22 to remove the sample 52 from the sample chamber 50. Discharge a small amount. Then, the moving mechanism 44
Is operated to move the sample nozzle 22 onto the reaction container 25, and the pump 45 discharges it while controlling the liquid amount sensor 39 to a constant amount, thereby discharging a fixed amount of sample 52 into one of the reaction containers 25. To do. By repeating this, a fixed amount of sample is dispensed into each of the plurality of reaction vessels 25.

After dispensing the sample into one row of reaction vessels 25,
The attachment / detachment mechanism 48 removes the connector 38 and automatically replaces the filter 35. At this time, the driving liquid 53 is discharged from the pump 45 to wash the inside of the tube 54.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the reagent dispensing system of the first embodiment. Tube 5 from reagent bottle 7 to reagent nozzle 24
It is connected by 6, and a pump 46 and a liquid amount sensor 47 are installed on the way. Although one type of reagent system is shown in the figure,
The number of types of reagents is lined up. The periphery of the reagent bottle 7 is cooled.

The liquid amount sensor 47 accurately detects the amount of the reagent and outputs a signal to the controller 2. The pump 46 operates according to an instruction from the controller 2 and moves from the reagent bottle 7 to the reagent 5
5 is sucked, and a fixed amount is discharged to the reagent nozzle 24.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the suction device 30 of the second embodiment. Pump 58 and suction nozzle 3 in the stand 63
1 are connected by a tube 57. The pump 58 is connected to a liquid supply device (not shown) via a tube 67, and a valve 60 is arranged on the tube 67. The stand 63 includes a moving mechanism 62. A pipe 59 is arranged inside the suction nozzle 31. The pipe 59 has a bent part in the middle, and the irradiation fiber 65 and the detection fiber 66 are installed to face the bent part. The irradiation fiber 65 is connected to a light source (not shown), and the detection fiber 66 is connected to a photodetector (not shown). The output signal of the photodetector is connected to the analyzer 14.

When a command is received from the controller 2, the valve 6
0 opens, and drive liquid 6 is passed through pump 58 and tube 57.
1 exits from pipe 59. The driving liquid 61 is a clean liquid, and cleans the dirt in the pipe 59. At this time, the light absorption rate of the driving liquid is measured by the irradiation fiber 65 and the detection fiber 66. The moving mechanism 62 operates, the tip of the pipe 59 enters the reaction container 25, and the pump 58 is driven to suck the mixed liquid 64 in the reaction container 25. After the mixed liquid 64 is filled above the bent portion of the pipe 59, the light absorption rate of the mixed liquid 64 is measured by the irradiation fiber 65 and the detection fiber 66. After that, the moving mechanism 62 is operated to move the suction nozzle 31 onto the cleaning device 33, and the driving liquid 61 is discharged again to clean the inside and outside of the pipe 59.

In the analyzer 14, the light absorption rate of the mixed liquid and the light absorption rate of the driving liquid are compared and calculated, and the concentration of the specific component in the mixed liquid is calculated and output from the display 40 and the output device 42.

In this embodiment, the sensor 3 is attached to the suction nozzle 31.
Since 2 is built in, it is not necessary to arrange an optical measurement system around the path of the reaction container 25, and the rows of the reaction container pair 26 can be arranged side by side, so that many reaction containers 25 can be arranged in a narrow space. Therefore, the device can be downsized. Since the guide mechanism 27 allows the reaction vessel pairs 26 to be arranged vertically in a plurality of stages, the size can be further reduced.

Further, since the optical measurement is not carried out in the reaction container 25, the reaction container 25 does not need to be transparent, and the surface and shape are not required to be precise, so that the reaction container 25 can be made of an inexpensive and durable material. Since the plurality of reaction vessels 25 can be integrated to form the reaction vessel pair 26, cost reduction and high reliability can be achieved.

In the case of this embodiment, a plurality of reaction vessels 2 are arranged in a constant temperature chamber 29 in a horizontal and vertical direction.
Since 5 is arranged, the reaction can be performed for a sufficiently long time, so that analysis of a large number of samples can be achieved with high accuracy.

In the case of this embodiment, the thin pipe 59 is used.
Since the amount of the sample and the reagent necessary for the analysis can be reduced, the running cost can be reduced because the amount of the sample and the reagent necessary for the analysis can be reduced because the amount of the sample 64 and the reagent required for the analysis can be reduced.

Further, since the required amount of the sample is small, it is not necessary to use centrifugal separation having a high separation efficiency to separate the serum component from the blood sample, and it is possible to perform the separation with the filter incorporated in the apparatus.

Further, since the amount of the mixed solution is small, it is possible to sufficiently mix the sample and the reagent by vibrating the vibrating mechanism 28 without using a spatula or the like. for that reason,
Highly accurate analysis can be performed without mixing with the samples before and after.

Further, in the case of this embodiment, since an independent dispensing system is used for each type of reagent, there is no mixing of another reagent, and highly accurate measurement is possible. Further, since it does not mix with another reagent, it is not necessary to wash the reagent nozzle 24 every time,
Never waste reagents.

In the case of this embodiment, the reaction vessel pair 2
Since the same number of sensors 32 as the number of reaction vessels 25 on 6 are provided, a plurality of items can be analyzed simultaneously for one sample, and high-speed analysis is possible.

Further, in the case of this embodiment, since a thin pipe is used, a flow along the pipe is formed in the pipe, so that the mixed liquid in the region where the irradiation fiber 65 and the detection fiber 66 face each other is sucked and discharged. It is replaced smoothly by the flow. Therefore, there is little mixing with the samples before and after, and highly accurate analysis is possible.

Further, in the case of this embodiment, the driving liquid 61 is made to flow through the pipe 59 to measure the light absorption rate of the driving liquid 61 at the same time as cleaning, and the light absorption rate of the driving liquid 61 is compared with that of the mixed liquid. Accurate analysis is possible by correcting the effects of individual differences and dirt on the fiber surface.

Further, in the case of this embodiment, since the pair of the detection fiber 66 and the irradiation fiber 65 is separately used for each analysis item, it is possible to set the wavelength of the irradiation light and the detection sensitivity suitable for each analysis. Therefore, analysis can be performed with high resolution.

In the case of this embodiment, the reaction vessel pair 26
Is rotated and the reaction vessel 25 faces downward, the washing device 34
Since the cleaning is performed by the above method, the cleaning liquid is discharged from the reaction container 25 by gravity, and the mechanism for sucking the cleaning liquid can be simplified and the apparatus can be downsized.

FIG. 5 shows a sensor 32 according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. The laser 68, the photodetector 69, and the reflecting mirror 72 are arranged in a part of the pipe 59, and the cooling pipe 71 and the temperature sensor 70 are arranged around the pipe 59.
Water having a constant temperature is circulated in the cooling pipe 71.

A light beam is emitted from the laser 68 to both sides, and one beam traverses the pipe 59 and is reflected by the reflecting mirror 72, and returns to the laser 68. The other beam is the photodetector 6
9 is incident. The output signals of the photodetector 69 and the temperature sensor 70 are connected to the analyzer 14.

In this case, the beam reflected by the reflecting mirror 72 is attenuated by the mixed liquid, returns to the laser 68, and resonates, so that the beam intensity changes more greatly than the change in the attenuation amount. Therefore, the light absorption rate can be detected with high sensitivity even if the length of the beam crossing the mixed solution is short, and the detection system can be downsized.

Further, since water having a constant temperature is flown through the cooling pipe 71 and the temperature around the laser 68 is measured and controlled by the temperature sensor 70, the characteristics of the laser 68 are prevented from changing with temperature, and the temperature of the laser 68 is controlled. It is possible to correct the influence and analyze the concentration with high accuracy.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the present invention. In this case, there are two detection systems, a detection system including the suction device 30a, the suction nozzle 31a, the sensor 32a, and the stand 63a, and a detection system including the suction device 30b, the suction nozzle 31b, the sensor 32b, and the stand 63b. . A cleaning device 33a and a cleaning device 33b are installed in each.

The mixed solution in the reaction container 25 reacts in the temperature-controlled room 29, and after a certain time, one portion is sucked by the suction nozzle 31a, and the absorbance is measured by the sensor 32a. After a certain period of time has passed after moving in the reaction container 25, the suction nozzle 31b sucks it and the sensor 32b measures the absorbance again.

In this example, the change in absorbance due to the acceleration of the reaction can be analyzed from the absorbance measured twice, and the concentration of the specific component in the sample can be analyzed more accurately by using it.

[0055]

According to the present invention, since the absorbance of the mixed solution is detected by the detection system integrated with the suction nozzle, the reaction vessels can be arranged vertically and horizontally, which is small and has a large number of items. It is possible to provide an automatic chemical analyzer capable of quick analysis.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an analyzer according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a reagent dispensing unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a sample dispensing unit of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a spectroscopic measurement unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a spectroscopic measurement unit according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an analyzer according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a conventional analyzer.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Automatic chemical analyzer, 7 ... Reagent bottle, 8 ... Sample pipettor, 9 ... Sample bottle, 10 ... Slider, 14 ... Analyzer, 20 ... Serum separator, 21 ... Sample dispenser, 22
... sample nozzle, 23 ... reagent dispenser, 24 ... reagent nozzle,
25 ... Reaction container, 27 ... Guide mechanism, 28 ... Vibration mechanism,
29 ... Constant temperature room, 30 ... Suction device, 31 ... Suction nozzle, 32
... Sensors, 33, 34 ... Washers, 40 ... Indicators, 63 ...
stand.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A sample dispensing system for dispensing a plurality of liquids into a plurality of reaction vessels, a reagent dispensing system for dispensing a reagent into each of the reaction vessels, and a sample in the reaction vessel. A reaction system that mixes reagents and reacts for a certain period of time, a detection optical system that irradiates the mixed solution with light to measure the transmittance, an operation system that analyzes the detection signal, and a control system that repeatedly executes a series of operations. An automatic chemical analysis device comprising: a pipette for sucking the mixed solution from the reaction container, wherein the detection optical system is movable integrally with the pipette. 2. The reaction vessel pair according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the reaction vessel pairs are fixed side by side, and the plurality of reaction vessel pairs are arranged in a direction of arrangement of the reaction vessels in the reaction vessel pair. An automatic chemical analyzer that is placed at right angles. 3. The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the reaction system includes a temperature-controlled room maintained at a constant temperature, and the reaction vessel pair is vertically arranged in the temperature-controlled room. 4. The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the detection optical system is an optical fiber arranged to face each other in a pipe forming a pipettor. 5. The automatic chemical analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the detection optical system is composed of a laser and a reflecting mirror, which are arranged so as to face each other with a passage of the mixed liquid interposed therebetween.