JPH09297144A - Automatic chemical analysis device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out sufficient washing and make dilution using a cell, possible. SOLUTION: During one cycle operation, rotation is controlled in two divided movement, that is, forty cell part movement and one cell part movement. Rotation is stopped after the movement of forty cells, and stopped again after the movement of one cent. One cell part means the space of washing nozzles. In the cell positioned at the nozzle 1 at the time of moving by one cell part, a reaction solution is sucked, and washing liquid is sucked and discharged. Since this cell comes into the position of the nozzle 1 in one cycle after the following cycle, this cell is washed using the same washing liquid.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic chemical analyzer for measuring the concentration or activity value of a target component in a sample containing multiple components such as serum and urine, and particularly, it is designed to measure multiple items at once. The present invention relates to an automated chemical analysis device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automatic chemical analyzer is provided with a reaction line in which reaction vessels are arranged, and adjacent adjacent reaction vessels share different items. There is an automatic chemical analyzer called a single / multi type that can measure items. Single / multi type automatic chemical analyzer
A sample sampling mechanism that dispenses a sample into a reaction container for reacting a sample with a reagent, a reagent injection device that injects a reagent into the reaction container, an absorptiometer that measures the absorbance of the reaction solution in the reaction container, and the reaction container , A rotation drive mechanism that rotates the reaction disks, a cleaning mechanism for the reaction vessel, a heat-retaining water tank that keeps the reaction solution in the reaction vessel warm, and the operation of each part And a control unit for calculating the concentration or activity value of the sample based on the absorbance from the meter.

To explain the cleaning, the interval between the cleaning nozzles for cleaning the reaction container is (the number of feeds of the reaction container after almost one revolution)-(the total number of reaction containers). When the rotation of the reaction disk is controlled so that the reaction disk makes one round when the operation of two cycles is completed, for example, the total number of reaction vessels is 81 and 41 per cycle
When the reaction container is sent, 41 × 2-81 = 1, and the cleaning nozzle is arranged every other reaction container.
Further, when the total number of reaction vessels is 108 and 55 reaction vessels are sent per cycle, since 55 × 2-108 = 2, cleaning nozzles are arranged every two reaction vessels. In this case, the reaction vessels washed by a certain washing nozzle are sequentially transferred and washed by the next washing nozzle.

[0004]

In the case of an automatic chemical analyzer in which the optical system is fixed and the reaction vessel moves, the time that can be spent for cleaning within one cycle is extremely short, so if you think that you should perform sufficient cleaning. , There is no choice but to increase the number of cleaning nozzles or replace the cleaning water. However, since the cleaning nozzle interval cannot be changed even if the number of cleaning nozzles is increased, the reaction time becomes shorter as the cleaning time becomes longer. Further, even in the method of frequently replacing the washing water, the pressurized water supply and the vacuum suction are performed by turning on / off the solenoid valve for the washing, but the washing liquid must not overflow from the reaction container, which is difficult to control. When using a detergent, there is no replacement of the detergent after the detergent is held in the reaction vessel, so that the detergent may not be washed sufficiently.

In the conventional control method of rotating the reaction disk, the reaction disk makes one round at the time when the operation of two cycles is completed, but the stop position after two cycles is two.
The position is one reaction container or two reaction containers advanced from the last stop position before the cycle, and does not stop at the last position before two cycles. Therefore, the sampling position is 1
With only one analyzer, even if you try to dilute the sample using the reaction container, the reaction container with the sample diluted does not stop at the sampling position by the sample sampling mechanism even after one cycle after two cycles. Dilution cannot be performed.

Even when a large amount of sample or reagent that cannot be dispensed at one time is to be dispensed in plural times, even if the reaction disk makes one revolution as in the conventional case, the reaction container has a sample sampling position or a reagent. Since it does not return to the injection position, it is not possible to perform such sample sampling or reagent dispensing divided into a plurality of times. Therefore, in the present invention, the rotation of the reaction disk is controlled so as to cope with sufficient washing, dilution of a sample using a reaction container, and operation of dispensing a sample or a reagent in plural times. The purpose is.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, the reaction disc makes one or more cycles in one or a plurality of cycles, the reaction disc stops at a plurality of positions during the operation of one cycle, and the first stop among them occurs. The reaction disk is intermittently rotated so that the position coincides with the last stop position one cycle before. When the reaction disk makes one round, it stops at the last stop position of the cycle one cycle before, so at that position the same reaction vessel is cleaned by the same cleaning nozzle of the cycle one cycle before, and the same sample or The same reagent can be dispensed.

[0008]

FIG. 1 shows an example of an automatic chemical analyzer to which the present invention is applied. Reference numeral 2 is a reaction disk, and along the cuvette roller 3, reaction vessels (hereinafter, referred to as cells) 4 which also serve as cuvettes are arranged in a line to form an annular reaction line 5. A sample sampling mechanism 6 is arranged along the reaction line 5 for injecting a sample analyte into the cell. In the sample sampling mechanism 6, the sample cups 7 are arranged along the circumference of the sampling table 8, and the sample dispenser 9 is arranged to dispense the sample from the sample cup 7 at the sample suction and collection position 13. . A dispensing nozzle 10 is provided at the tip of the sample dispenser 9,
The dispensing nozzle 10 moves along the moving path 11 at the sample dispensing position 1
It moves between the cell No. 4 and the sample cup at the sample suction and collection position 13. A cleaning pot 12 is provided on the moving path 11 so that the nozzle 10 can be cleaned.

A reagent injection device 16 is arranged along the reaction line 5 for injecting a reagent into the cell. In the reagent injecting device 16, a reagent container 17 is arranged along the circumference of the reagent tray 18, and a reagent dispenser 19 is arranged for dispensing a reagent from the reagent container 17 at the reagent suction and sampling position 23. . A dispensing nozzle 20 is provided at the tip of the reagent dispenser 19.
Is provided, and the dispensing nozzle 20 has a reagent dispensing position 24.
The cell is moved along the movement path 21 between the cell and the reagent container at the reagent suction and collection position 23. A cleaning pot 22 is arranged on the moving path 21 so that the nozzle 20 can be cleaned.

Further on the reaction line 5 is a washing and dehydrator 2
6 and an absorptiometer 27 along the reaction line 5. The reaction line 5 rotates intermittently in the direction of arrow 15. Although not shown in the figure, a warm water tank for keeping the reaction solution in the cell 4 warm is provided below the reaction line 5. The absorptiometer 27 controls the operation of each part.
There is also provided a control unit (not shown) that calculates the concentration or activity value of the sample based on the absorbance from.

When measuring with a two-reagent system, another reagent injector having the same structure as the reagent injector 16 is arranged along the reaction line. The first reagent is dispensed from one reagent injector and the second reagent is dispensed from the other reagent injector to the cell 4 at respective reagent injection positions.

A plurality of cleaning nozzles are arranged along the reaction line 5 in the cleaning and dehydrating device 26, and suction of the reaction liquid, supply and discharge of the cleaning liquid, water supply for cell blank measurement, discharge and drying of the water are performed. The process is done sequentially. Pure water or a detergent solution is used as the cleaning liquid. Sample dispensing, reagent dispensing, stirring, and cell washing in one cycle are performed when the reaction disk is stopped, and optical reading of the reaction solution in the cell by the absorptiometer 27 is performed when the reaction disk is rotated.

The difference in operation when cleaning the cell is shown in FIG.
(Conventional case) and FIG. 3 (Example) will be described. In each case, the total number of cells is 81, and the case where the reaction disk makes one cycle in two cycles is taken up. As the detergent, two kinds of acid and alkali are usually used.

In the conventional method shown in FIG. 2A, the reaction liquid is first sucked by the nozzle 1 and the cleaning liquid is supplied and discharged a plurality of times to fill the cell with the cleaning liquid. In the next cycle, the cell goes to the opposite position by the reaction disk making about half a turn, and in the next cycle the nozzle 2
Is stopped and the cleaning liquid is sucked and discharged by the nozzle 2 at that position. Similarly, pure water is sucked and discharged by the nozzles 3, 4, and 5. After the pure water is supplied through the nozzles 4 and 5, the cell blank is measured, most of the water is sucked at the position of the nozzle 6, and the water is more carefully sucked up by the nozzle 7. FIG. 2 (B) shows the rotation control of the rotating disk in one cycle, which is stopped after rotating 41 cells.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3A, the rotation is controlled in two operations, that is, the movement of 40 cells and the movement of 1 cell in one cycle of operation. As shown in FIG. 3 (B),
It stops after moving 40 cells and stops again after moving one cell. One cell means the interval between cleaning nozzles. The reaction liquid is sucked in the cell in the nozzle 1 when moving by one cell, and the cleaning liquid is sucked and discharged. The cell moves to the opposite side of the reaction disk in the next cycle, and when the cell moves 40 cells in the next cycle, the cell comes to the position of the nozzle 1, so that the cell is cleaned using the same cleaning solution. The cell moves by one cell in the same cycle and comes to the position of the nozzle 2. The nozzle 2 discharges the cleaning liquid and sucks and discharges the cleaning liquid from the nozzle 2. After repeating the same process, most of the water in the cell is sucked up by the nozzle 6 when it moves to the position of the nozzle 6 by one cell on the 6th lap, and the nozzle moves when it moves by 40 cells on the next lap. It is sucked up again by 6.

Comparing the conventional example of FIG. 2 with the embodiment of FIG. 3, the cleaning time in one nozzle is almost the same, but in the next cycle, the cleaning liquid is filled to the opposite side on the reaction disk. It is different whether or not it can be washed again with the same washing liquid after being moved and returned to the cleaning slip position in the next cycle to suck up the washing liquid. For example, when the cleaning liquid for the nozzle 1 is a detergent, the detergent is sucked by the nozzle 2 in the conventional method, but in the embodiment of FIG. 3, it returns to the position of the nozzle 1 and is sucked by the nozzle 1 and then again by the nozzle 1. Detergent is dispensed. In both the conventional case and the example, the detergent is filled and held. However, when the cell is extremely dirty, the cleaning solution is sucked and then the next cleaning solution is washed as in the conventional case. It is expected that the stain will not be removed completely. In the method of the present invention, the same cleaning liquid can be refilled, so the cleaning effect is further enhanced.

Further, since the water is discharged from the same nozzle after the cell blank measurement, the number of nozzles can be reduced. With regard to suction, it is only pulled by negative pressure, so if there is no water to a certain extent, the nozzle tip will be in an open state, and the amount of water that remains will remain unchanged even if suction is performed over a longer period of time. If the number of nozzles can be reduced, the reaction time can be lengthened accordingly.

In the embodiment, two reaction disks are used in one cycle.
Although the example in which the division driving is performed once is shown, the division driving may be performed three times or more. The present invention is not only effective for cleaning, but also effective for diluting a sample using a cell and dispensing a sample or a reagent divided into a plurality of times. That is, since the same cell stops at the same position a plurality of times, it is possible to dilute by diluting the sample using the cell and then sampling again from the cell. Further, a large amount of sample or reagent that cannot be dispensed once can be dispensed in multiple times.

[0019]

According to the present invention, the reaction disk is rotated around one cycle in one or a plurality of cycles, and the reaction disk is stopped at a plurality of positions during the operation of one cycle, and the first stop position is one cycle before. Since the reaction disk is rotated intermittently so that it coincides with the last stop position of the cycle, it is possible to replace the cleaning solution with the cell during cleaning, and to perform more sufficient cleaning. become able to. It becomes possible to dilute the sample using the cell, and it becomes possible to dispense a large amount of sample or reagent in multiple times. Since the number of drain nozzles can be reduced, the reaction time can be extended. Also,
If the reaction time is not changed, the number of reaction vessels can be reduced and the analyzer can be downsized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an automatic chemical analyzer to which the present invention is applied.

2A and 2B are diagrams showing an operation when a cell is washed in a conventional automatic chemical analyzer, where FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a stop position of the cell in each circumference, and FIG. It is a time chart which shows and stop.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an operation when the cell is washed in the automatic chemical analyzer of Example, (A) showing a stop position of the cell in each circumference, and (B) showing a cell in one cycle. It is a time chart which shows movement and stop.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Reaction Disc 4 Cell 5 Reaction Line 6 Sample Sampling Mechanism 8 Sampling Table 9 Sample Dispenser 10 Dispensing Nozzle 16 Reagent Injection Device 17 Reagent Container 19 Reagent Dispenser 20 Dispensing Nozzle

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A sample sampling mechanism for dispensing a sample into a reaction container for reacting a sample with a reagent, a reagent injection device for injecting the reagent into the reaction container, and measuring the absorbance of the reaction solution in the reaction container. An absorptiometer, a reaction disk for holding a plurality of the reaction vessels, a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the reaction disks, a cleaning mechanism for the reaction vessel, and a heat-retaining water tank for keeping the reaction solution in the reaction vessel warm When,
In an automatic chemical analyzer including a control unit that controls the operation of each unit and that calculates the concentration or activity value of the sample based on the absorbance from the absorptiometer, the control unit is the reaction disk in one or a plurality of cycles. For about one cycle, the reaction disk stops at a plurality of positions during one cycle of operation, and the first stop position of the reaction disks coincides with the last stop position of the cycle one cycle before. An automatic chemical analysis device, characterized in that it rotates intermittently.