JPH09325154A - Sample container for examination, sampling nozzle, puncture sampling method and sample supply method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve a sampling in the inspection of urine by supplying a sample container for examination holding a urine sample as intact to an automatic analyzer and an accurate supply of a trace of urine sample to a reagent layer of a test piece with a simple mechanism and operation. SOLUTION: A sample container 5 for examination recovered with a urine sample contained in it is supplied to a sampling part of an analyzer as it is kept covered with a lid and a thin part 4d for penetrating a sampling nozzle is provided at a part of the sampling container 5 for examination, especially the top surface of the lid 4. The sampling nozzle is penetrated into the thin part 4d to suck the urine sample. A sampling nozzle with a specified trace of the sample being discharged is lowered beyond a step to be brought into contact with a reagent layer to surely supply the sample to the reagent layer.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a sample container used for analyzing a liquid sample, particularly a urine sample, in a clinical test, and a sampling method using the container as it is, and more particularly to a container lid. The present invention relates to a sample container for examination provided with a thin portion, and a method for sampling the container by collecting urine and supplying it to the sampling portion of the analyzer while keeping the lid, and puncturing the thin portion of the lid with a sampling nozzle. The present invention also relates to a method for reliably supplying a small amount of sample ejected from a sampling nozzle to a reagent layer of a test piece, and a sampling nozzle used for the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Urinalysis is an important screening test for renal function tests, diabetes diagnosis, etc. because it allows samples to be collected easily and allows quick results to be obtained. However, it is an essential inspection item. However, in the case of group medical examination, since there are many subjects, unlike examinations at clinics and hospitals, urine is collected in a pre-distributed sample container for examination, which is collected and analyzed by a laboratory, and the result is reported. Take form. Therefore, laboratories are under pressure to analyze very large numbers of urine samples at once.

Therefore, these inspection institutions have introduced automatic analyzers capable of processing a large number of specimens. However, most of the automatic analyzers currently used require a pretreatment in which the urine sample in the sample container for examination is temporarily transferred to a test tube or a specific sample container. As a result, extra labor is required, and urine adheres to the hands or spills on the hands during transfer, which is unsanitary, and there is a risk of confusing the sample.

In order to solve this problem, the sample container for examination is directly supplied to the automatic analyzer, the upper part of the container is cut and removed with a special blade to open it, and a sampling nozzle is inserted from the opening to perform sampling. Technology has been developed. However, with this method, urine may be spilled or splashed due to the pressure applied during cutting, which is unsanitary and may cause infection. Moreover, this device is expensive to use, difficult to maintain, and difficult to use.

On the other hand, along with the progress of analysis techniques, the amount of sample required when analyzing urine or blood using a test piece is becoming smaller. For example, even in the case of urine, it is sufficient to have about several μl per item. Therefore, no matter how thin the tip of the sampling nozzle is, it falls from the nozzle 1
The drop volume exceeds the required amount. Therefore, at present, a required amount of sample is ejected from the nozzle tip, and the droplet is brought into contact with the reagent layer of the test piece while the droplet adheres to the tip,
The structure is such that it penetrates into the reagent layer.

Therefore, it is necessary to maintain the gap between the reagent layer and the tip of the nozzle minute and highly precise. But,
The thickness of the reagent layer varies from item to item and from lot to lot, and the gap between the tip of the nozzle and the surface of the reagent layer varies depending on the thickness of the test piece and the mounting state of the test piece on the measurement unit. Moreover,
The amount of sample supplied, that is, the size of the droplets, also differs depending on the measurement item. Therefore, in order to reliably supply the droplet to the reagent layer, a complicated mechanism such as a gap detection mechanism and a gap adjustment mechanism is required.

Also, when the viscosity of the sample changes,
When the outer wall of the nozzle is dirty, the shape of the grown droplet may change, or the ejected sample may adhere to the outer wall of the nozzle so that the sample does not contact the reagent layer. Moreover, the diffusion of the sample in the reagent layer after the droplets grown at the nozzle tip come into contact with the reagent layer is determined by the diffusion rate mainly depending on the water absorption rate of the reagent layer. Flowing of the reagent components easily occurs, and uneven coloring is likely to occur. In order to deal with this problem, a method of increasing the diffusion rate of the sample in the reagent layer by discharging the sample at high speed has been devised, but even in this case, the gap between the reagent layer and the nozzle can be made minute and highly accurate. It still needs to be maintained. In addition, if you do not have a fixed discharge speed range,
The dropping accuracy cannot be maintained.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present inventors
The present invention has been completed as a result of earnest research, and the gist thereof is that a thin portion for puncturing a sampling nozzle is provided in a part of the top surface of the lid of a sample container for examination, and this thin wall is provided. A urine sample is sucked by puncturing a sampling nozzle in the part. Further, the sample is surely supplied by lowering the sampling nozzle in a state in which a small amount of a predetermined amount of the sample is ejected to a level higher than the stage of contacting with the reagent layer. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

[0009]

In the sample container for examination according to the present invention, a thin portion for puncturing a sampling nozzle is provided on a part of the top surface of the lid of the container. The thin portion may be provided anywhere on the top surface, but when the guide is provided on the top of the lid so as to facilitate the puncture of the nozzle, it is desirable to provide it on the center portion of the top surface. Providing a +-or −-shaped portion that is even thinner in a portion of the thin portion has the effect of reducing the resistance during puncturing.

The container body of the sample container for examination may be of any material and shape as long as it does not react with the components in urine and can be sealed with a lid. Among them, soft plastics such as low-density and medium-density polyethylene, which are molded vertically and are easily deformed, are preferable because they can collect urine by the principle of the void and are convenient. However, it is necessary to have such strength and rigidity that it is not deformed when the nozzle is punctured. The upper part should be thin so that urine can be collected easily. On the other hand, the lid may be made of a hard plastic such as high-density polyethylene and sealed and fixed to the container body by screwing or fitting. It should be noted that, although the urine sample depends on the measurement item, 3-10 ml is sufficient, and therefore the capacity of the sample container for examination is 5-1.
About 5 ml is enough.

The examination sample container of the present invention is collected in a state in which a urine sample is put (a state in which urine is collected), and is supplied to the sampling section of the analyzer with the lid kept.
As for the form of supply, the container is stored in a rack while standing upright. When the container is formed in a vertically long shape, many examination sample containers can be stored in a rack having a certain area.
The rack may be a standard test tube stand, but some kind of container fixing means is necessary so that the container is not lifted when the nozzle is withdrawn after puncturing. As the container fixing means, a metal fitting for stopping the vertical movement of each container may be used, but the rack is provided with a lid,
The lid may be provided with a hole for allowing the lid of the container or a part thereof to pass therethrough to fix the container. In this case, if the upper part of the container body is larger than the lid,
If the lid has a taper, the taper is used to fix it. If the lid of the container is stepped, the step is used to press it down with the lid, so that the fixing is performed well.

The rack is for a small lot in which a plurality of container storage sections are arranged in a row (for example, 10 rows in one row), or for a large lot in which a plurality of container storage sections are arranged in a plurality of rows (for example, 5 rows and 10 stages) can be used. The fixing of the container with the lid of the rack described above is particularly effective in the latter case. Sampling (preparation of a urine sample) is performed by sequentially moving one or both of the sampling nozzle and the rack so that the nozzle is directly above the sample container.
For example, if the container storage section is a single row rack,
When each container is moved horizontally (in the rack line flow direction) and collected, and when the container storage unit is a rack with multiple rows, the rack is moved horizontally by one stage and the nozzles are moved vertically by one row for collection. To do. Sampling can be performed by moving the rack vertically and horizontally or by moving the nozzle vertically and horizontally, but in this case, the rack transport mechanism and the nozzle drive mechanism are complicated.

When the number of samples is small or the number of fractions is large and the rack capacity has a surplus, the empty portion of the rack container storage portion is detected by some means and the portion is skipped, which is a wasteful sampling operation. Can be omitted to increase the measurement speed. As this detection means, for example, a number of sensors corresponding to the rows of the sample container for examination are arranged, and the presence or absence of the sample container for examination in each stage of the rack is detected and stored during movement of the rack. , When the rack is supplied to the sampling unit, it is conceivable to move the sampling nozzle to a position where the sampling nozzle is stored and perform sampling. The sensor may be of any type as long as it can detect the presence or absence of the sample container for medical examination or the lid of the container by mechanical or optical means.

The shape of the sampling nozzle is not particularly limited, but if a stainless steel pipe having a finely squeezed tip is used and the end is flat, the tip is not blunted like a needle and is stable and long-term. The thin portion of the container lid can be punctured by the pressing force of. Providing a cross-shaped or one-character-shaped thinner portion on a part of the thin portion of the container lid makes it possible to make the necessary puncture pressing force smaller and stable.

It should be noted that in order to avoid that the nozzle does not reach the test liquid due to a small degree of descending at the time of sampling, or it drops too much and collides with the bottom of the container or the side surface of the nozzle is contaminated with the test liquid more than necessary. In addition, it is advisable to adopt a liquid level detection mechanism.
For the liquid level detection, those based on various principles such as ultrasonic waves, air ejection resistance, and those that detect changes in conductivity and capacitance are used. Also in the present invention, the sampling nozzle can be used as a part of these detecting means, and the presence or absence of the test liquid and the liquid level are detected following the puncture. Further, in the present invention, this sampling nozzle is made of metal and is used as an antenna of the oscillation circuit, so that the change in the oscillation intensity that occurs at the moment when the nozzle tip touches the test liquid is detected and liquid level detection is performed. You can also do it. This is because when an antenna connected to a certain high-frequency oscillator circuit comes into contact with or comes close to a conductor, the antenna (and the coil connected to it)
The load for changes the oscillation strength of the oscillation circuit,
It utilizes the phenomenon that the current flowing in the circuit decreases. And this change (reduction amount and reduction rate) is A
The liquid level is detected and detection of the sample is started by the D conversion or the method using a comparator. At this time, the liquid level drops as the suction progresses, so in anticipation of that, the nozzle tip should be lowered further from the liquid level, or the nozzle tip should be lowered in accordance with suction to ensure the test liquid Is sucked into the sampling nozzle.

Next, the urine sample sucked and collected from the sampling nozzle is dropped on the reagent layer of the test piece placed on the reaction line. Further, when measurement of urine color or the like is necessary, urine is injected into the flow cell and optically measured. If you use a trapezoidal transparent flow cell as a flow cell,
The light transmittance can be measured between two parallel surfaces to determine the urine color and the degree of turbidity, and the refractive index can be measured between the other two surfaces to determine the specific gravity of urine. The trapezoidal flow cell has a capacity of only 0.3 ml, so the volume of urine to be collected is 0.5 m.
About 1 is sufficient.

The amount of urine sample collected by the sampling nozzle is slightly larger than the amount required for measurement, and the excess urine is discarded. At the same time as or after the disposal, cleaning water is sent out from the inside of the nozzle to clean the inside of the nozzle. The outside of the nozzle is washed by immersing it in a washing water tank. Although the sampling nozzle is punctured in the lid of the sample container for examination,
After that, the urine adhering to the side surface of the nozzle is almost removed because it is extracted through the narrow puncture hole.

By the way, regarding the sampling nozzle,
As described above, when the amount of the sample is very small, the discharged sample is brought into contact with the reagent layer to permeate it, so that there is a problem that the gap between the nozzle tip and the reagent layer must be maintained with high accuracy. In order to solve this problem, the present invention lowers the sampling nozzle, which is in a state of ejecting a predetermined amount of a small amount of sample or is in the state of being ejected, to a level higher than the step of contacting the reagent layer, in other words, the reagent layer. It is configured so that the reagent layer is reliably supplied by being pressed against.

That is, first, the sampling nozzle is moved so that its tip is located at a position several mm above the reagent layer of the test piece. Subsequently, while the sample (1 to 15 μl) of a volume determined for each reagent layer is discharged from the nozzle tip, or while being discharged, the nozzle is lowered and pressed against the reagent layer more than the nozzle tip comes into contact with the reagent layer. Due to this drop, the growing or growing droplet contacts the reagent layer, and immediately after that, the drop that has dropped with the nozzle collides with the reagent layer. Due to this collision, the droplets to which the negative acceleration is applied are physically diffused on the reagent layer, and also diffused to a wide portion of the reagent layer due to the synergistic effect with the permeation diffusion mainly depending on the water absorption rate of the reagent layer. .

If the reagent layer is pressed too strongly by the sampling nozzle, the sampling nozzle may be damaged or the reagent layer may be damaged. Therefore, for example, a sampling nozzle is used in which the nozzle body is held by a nozzle holder while being movable by a certain dimension in the length direction, and the nozzle tip is urged downward by its own weight or a pressing member such as a spring. It is good to press it with a certain weak pressure.

Since the tip of the nozzle comes into contact with the reagent layer, there is a concern that contamination between reagents (contamination) may occur, but the sample supplied by the contact permeates the reagent layer, and the reagent inside the reagent layer elutes, causing the reagent layer to elute. If the nozzle is raised before it comes out to the surface, it will not affect the measurement. The time required for the nozzle to rise after falling depends on the item, but in the case of urine test paper, it generally does not cause a problem if it is several hundred milliseconds or less. Ideally, this time should be as short as possible from the viewpoint of increasing the processing capacity.

In the sampling nozzle of the present invention, since the nozzle body is movable, the mechanical accuracy required for the driving mechanism of the sampling nozzle itself may be low. Further, in a test piece having a plurality of reagent layers having different thicknesses, the movable nozzle body absorbs the difference in thickness, so that a mechanism for detecting the gap between the nozzle tip and the reagent layer is also unnecessary.
Further, regarding the sample discharge speed, it is not necessary to discharge the sample at a predetermined speed because it is only necessary that a necessary amount of discharged liquid droplets grow on the tip of the nozzle, and the sample supply mechanism can be simplified and the cost can be reduced as a whole. .

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
This will be specifically described. FIG. 1 (a) shows an example of a sample container for examination according to the present invention. In this sample container 1 for examination, a container body 2 made of soft polyethylene and shaped like a beer bottle in which the lower part is slightly tapered in a reverse taper shape is screwed to a lid 3 which is made of hard polyethylene and is formed into a cylindrical shape. It is a thing. The capacity of the container is about 7.5 ml. As shown in FIG. 1B, the top surface 3a of the lid 3 has a large depression at the center and a thin portion 3b at the bottom. The thickness is about 0.1 to 0.7 mm, but is appropriately selected in consideration of the material, the presence or absence of a thinner portion, the nozzle puncture force, and the like. The side surface 3c of the depression serves as a reverse taper guide when the sampling nozzle is punctured. In addition, the outer periphery of the lid 3 has a knurled finish so that the lid can be easily attached and detached.

FIG. 2 (a) shows an example of another sample container 5 for examination having a different lid 4 structure. The lid 4 is stepped, and as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the outer periphery of the upper step 4a is slightly tapered, and the top surface portion is largely recessed, and the side surface 4b serves as a reverse tapered guide for the nozzle. Has become. The guide portion is longer than that of FIG. Also the lower stage 4c
There is no taper on the outer circumference of the knurled finish, and a thin portion 4d is formed at the center of the upper end. A protrusion 4e for preventing liquid leakage is provided on the outer periphery of the thin portion 4d. Others are the same as those in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a rack body 7 which constitutes a rack 6 for accommodating a sample container for examination, and shows a type which accommodates a large number of sample containers 5 for examination. The rack main body 7 has a side surface 7a and a bottom surface 7b, and is provided with a large number (in the figure, 50 pieces of 5 rows and 10 stages) of sample container storage portions 8 for examination. The container storage portion 8 is composed of four protrusions 9 having a taper that matches the recess of the sample container for examination, and each protrusion 9 covers almost the middle of the container.
The bottom surface 7b of the rack is recessed so that the racks 6 can be stacked in multiple stages. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the rack lid 10 is provided with permeation holes 11 having a size such that only the upper portion 4a of the lid of the examination sample container can pass therethrough, the number corresponding to the number of the examination sample containers 5 (50). It is set up. And FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, after a predetermined number of sample containers for examination 5 are stored, the lid 10 is mounted and fixed to the rack body 7. In the examination sample container 5, the stepped portion of the lid 4 or the tapered portion of the upper step 4a is pressed by the peripheral edge portion of the transmission hole of the lid body 10 to prevent vertical movement. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 7c is a protrusion, and reference numeral 1 in FIG.
Reference numeral 0a is a fixed claw that is locked by the projection 7c. Incidentally, FIG.
Indicates a state in which the racks 6 are stacked in two stages.

The rack 6 in which the sample container 5 for examination is stored in this way is set in the rack stocker of the analyzer (not shown), sequentially withdrawn and supplied to the sampling unit. In the middle of the process, the presence or absence of the examination sample container is detected and stored for each row while moving the rack with, for example, five sensors 12 as shown in FIG. Then, when the rack is supplied to the sampling unit, the sampling operation is performed by moving the sampling nozzle to only the position where the sampling nozzle is stored, that is, the position where the sample container for inspection 5 is stored in the rack. By doing so, useless sampling operation at a portion where the examination sample container 5 does not exist can be omitted.

If the sampling nozzle also serves as the detection portion of the test liquid detection sensor, the device can be made compact and simple. For the detection unit, for example, an ultrasonic oscillator, an air ejection port, an electrode, or the like can be used. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the sampling nozzle 13 may be used as an antenna of the oscillation circuit to detect the change in the oscillation intensity that occurs at the moment when the tip of the nozzle touches the test liquid to detect the liquid level. it can. In the figure, reference numeral 14 is a test liquid detection sensor main body including a high frequency oscillation circuit, and is connected to the sampling nozzle 13 by a lead wire 13a. Reference numeral 13b is a sampling nozzle holder. In this high-frequency oscillator circuit,
A certain value of high frequency (for example, 40 MHz) is supplied. Then, when the tip of the sampling nozzle 13 comes close to or comes into contact with the liquid surface of the test liquid, the oscillation intensity of the oscillation circuit changes due to a load change on the nozzle 13 (and the coil connected to the nozzle 13) and flows into the oscillation circuit. The current decreases. The amount or ratio of the change is converted into a voltage, which is transmitted to the CPU of the analyzer through A-D conversion or a comparator (not shown).

The urine sample collected by the sampling nozzle 13 is a test piece placed on the reaction line (not shown).
On the reagent layer. However, the amount of the urine sample is so small that it is less than one drop, and strictly speaking, the supply is not a drop but a drop. This supply is performed in a form in which the sampling nozzle is brought close to the reagent layer and the sample discharged from the tip thereof is absorbed by the reagent layer.

As the sampling nozzle, in addition to the normal type described above, a pressing type can be used as shown in an example in FIG. The sampling nozzle 16 is held by the nozzle holder 16b in a state where the nozzle body 16a is movable in the length direction by a fixed dimension (for example, about 5 mm), and is constantly urged downward by a spring 16c. Therefore, when the sampling nozzle 16 comes into contact with an object while descending, the nozzle body 16a escapes upward in a certain fixed range (for example, about 5 mm) and only presses the object by the repulsive force of the spring. Alternatively, the spring 16c may be omitted and the nozzle body 16a may be urged downward by its own weight (for example, 10 g). Reference numeral 16d is a spring pressing cap, and 16e is a stopper fixed to the nozzle body.
Reference numeral 16f is a fixture for a lead wire 16g that is a combination of a bolt and a nut. This is necessary when the sampling nozzle is used as the antenna of the oscillation circuit, as described above. In this case, the nozzle body 16a, the nozzle holder 16b and the cap 16d need to be insulated.

Next, the supply of the sample to the reagent layer by the sampling nozzle 16 will be described. First, FIG.
As shown in 0 (a), the sampling nozzle 16 is moved to a position about 2 mm above the reagent layer 18 at the head of the test piece 17 at a predetermined position on the reaction line. In this state, the required amount of sample S is ejected from the tip of the nozzle.
Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, the nozzle body 16a
The sampling nozzle 16 (nozzle holder 16b) is lowered more than the tip of the nozzle contacts the reagent layer 18, and the reagent layer 18 is pressed by the nozzle body 16a. By this operation,
The growing or growing droplet contacts the reagent layer,
Immediately after it collides. Droplets to which a negative acceleration is applied due to collision physically diffuse and also diffuse into a wide range of the reagent layer due to a synergistic effect with permeation diffusion mainly depending on the water absorption rate of the reagent layer. Then, move the nozzle above the next reagent layer,
The above operation is repeated. The time required for one reagent layer is approximately
About 0.2 seconds is sufficient.

When the urine color or the like needs to be further measured, a urine sample is injected into the flow cell and side-lighted with transmitted light. FIG.
The use of the flow cell 15 having the sectional structure (trapezoid) shown in (a) has an advantage that the specific gravity as well as the degree of urine color and turbidity can be measured in one step. The flow cell 15 is filled with a urine sample, and then the light transmittance is measured between the two parallel surfaces 15a and 15b to obtain the urine color and the degree of turbidity. Further, the refractive index can be measured between the other two surfaces 15c and 15d, and the urine specific gravity can be obtained from the measured value. FIG. 8 (b)
An example of the overall shape of the flow cell 15 is shown.

[0032]

As described in detail above, the present invention relates to a sample container used when analyzing a urine sample in a clinical test, and a sampling method in which the container is used as it is. A thin portion is provided on the lid of the container for use in analysis, and sampling is performed by puncturing the thin portion of the lid with a sampling nozzle.

Therefore, various effects described below can be obtained. 1) The container is collected in a closed state with a lid and can be directly applied to the analyzer.Therefore, there is no need for pretreatment to transfer the urine sample in the test sample container to a test tube or a specific sample container. In addition, the risk of contact with the urine sample and the risk of confusing the subject can be avoided. 2) If the container body is made of soft plastic in the shape of a vertically long void, urine can be collected easily. 3) If the lid of the container is provided with a recess and the bottom of the recess is a thin portion, the recess serves as a guide for the sampling nozzle to ensure puncture. 4) During analysis, store a large number of sample containers for screening in a rack, press down and fix the container lid and the container with a metal fitting or rack lid, and move to the analysis unit. Therefore, the container is prevented from rising when the sampling nozzle is pulled up after the puncture. 5) In puncture sampling, excess urine on the outer circumference of the sampling nozzle is removed during withdrawal, so contamination is prevented. 6) If the tip of the sampling nozzle is squeezed into a thin tube, there is little blunting of the tip like a needle and it is possible to puncture the thin part of the container lid with stable pressing force for a long period of time. . 7) If the sampling nozzle is used as part of the liquid level detection means, it is possible to reliably perform sampling without excessive movement of the nozzle. If the sampling nozzle is used as the antenna of the oscillation circuit as the detection means, reliable liquid level detection can be performed with a simple circuit. 8) By supplying the collected sample to a trapezoidal transparent flow cell, it is possible to simultaneously determine the urine specific gravity based on the refractive index as well as the urine color and the degree of turbidity.

Further, in the sample supply method of the present invention, the sampling nozzle facing above the reagent layer of the test piece is lowered in a state in which a predetermined amount of a small amount of sample is being discharged or is being discharged, The tip of the nozzle is pressed against the reagent layer to supply the sample, and then the sample is raised to be separated from the reagent layer.

Therefore, 9) it is possible to reliably supply a small amount of sample to the reagent layer without maintaining the gap between the nozzle tip and the reagent layer with high accuracy. 10) The droplets are physically diffused on the reagent layer by colliding with the reagent layer, and are diffused on a wide portion of the reagent layer due to a synergistic effect with permeation diffusion mainly depending on the water absorption rate of the reagent layer. 11) Moreover, the mechanism accuracy required for the driving mechanism of the sampling nozzle itself may be low, and the mechanism for detecting the gap between the nozzle tip and the reagent layer is also unnecessary. 12) Further, it is not necessary to discharge the sample at a predetermined speed, and the sample supply mechanism can be simplified and the cost can be reduced as a whole. 13) This sample supply method uses a sampling nozzle in which the nozzle body is held by a nozzle holder while being movable by a certain dimension in the length direction, and the discharge port is biased downward by its own weight or a pressing member. Can be easily achieved. It has many excellent effects.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an example of a sample container for screening according to the present invention,
(A) shows the side view of the whole container, (b) shows sectional drawing of a lid.

2A and 2B show another example of the sample container for examination according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 2A is a side view of the entire container, and FIG. 2B is a sectional view of a lid.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a rack body used in the method of the present invention, (a) is a plan view, and (b) is a side view.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a rack lid used in the method of the present invention, (a) is a plan view and (b) is a side view.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state in which a sample container for examination is stored, and the rack lid is attached and fixed to the rack body to be stacked in two stages.

FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which a sensor detects the presence or absence of a sample container for examination stored in a rack.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing an example of a sampling nozzle according to the present invention.

8A and 8B show an example of a flow cell used in the present invention, where FIG. 8A is a lateral sectional view and FIG.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway front view showing another example of the sampling nozzle according to the present invention.

10 is an explanation showing a state of supplying a sample to a reagent layer by using the sampling nozzle shown in FIG. 7, and FIG.
Shows the state before the sample is supplied, and FIG. 10B shows the state after the sample is supplied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Sample Container for Examination 2 Container Main Body 3 Lid 3a Top Surface of Lid 4 Lid 4a Upper Stage 4b Side of Indentation 4c Lower Stage 4d Thin Section 4e Projection 5 Examination Sample Container 6 Rack 7 Rack Body 8 Container Storage 10 Rack Lid 12 Sensor 13 Sampling nozzle 14 Test liquid detection sensor main body 15 Flow cell 16 Sampling nozzle 16a Nozzle main body 16b Nozzle holder 17 Test piece 18 Reagent layer S sample

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Reference number within the agency FI Technical display location G01N 33/493 G01N 33/493 B 35/02 35/02 A (72) Inventor Yoshiharu Ichikawa Tokyo 1-33-8 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku Eiken Kagaku Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Seishi Takai 7-2-10 Hannan-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka City Teramex Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hisashi Honkawa Osaka 2-10 Hannan-cho, Abeno-ku Teramex Co., Ltd.

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A urine sample that is collected with a urine sample collected is supplied to the sampling unit of the analyzer with the lid still attached, and the urine sample is punctured by puncturing the sampling sample container with a sampling nozzle. A puncture sampling method, characterized in that the sample that is aspirated and collected is supplied to the analysis unit. 2. The puncture sampling method according to claim 1, wherein a sampling nozzle is punctured in the thin portion of the sample container for examination. 3. The puncture sampling method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a sampling nozzle is punctured into a thin portion provided on the lid of the sample container for examination. 4. The presence or absence of the screening sample container at each storage location of the rack is detected by a sensor arranged according to the row of the screening sample container while the sampling sample container is being supplied to the sampling unit while being stored in the rack. When the rack is detected and stored and the rack is supplied to the sampling unit,
The puncture sampling method according to claim 1, wherein the sampling nozzle is moved to a stored position for sampling. 5. The puncture sampling method according to claim 4, wherein the sampling nozzle is moved to the sampling position only vertically, and the lateral movement is to move the rack step by step in the traveling direction. 6. The puncture sampling method according to claim 1, wherein the sampling nozzle also serves as a detection unit of the test liquid detection sensor, and detects the presence or absence of the test liquid and the liquid level following the puncture. . 7. The puncture sampling method according to claim 1, wherein the collected sample is supplied to a test piece on a reaction line and a trapezoidal flow cell. 8. A sample container for examination, wherein a sample container provided with a lid is provided with a thin portion for puncturing a sampling nozzle on a part of a top surface of the lid. 9. The examination sample container according to claim 8, wherein a part of the thin portion is further thinned. 10. The sample container for medical examination according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the container body is formed in a vertically long tubular shape having a narrowed upper part, and the lid is a screw type. 11. A diagnostic sample container rack comprising: a main body having a plurality of diagnostic sample container accommodating portions; and a lid body having a hole through which a lid of the diagnostic sample container passes. 12. A sampling nozzle characterized in that the nozzle body is held by a nozzle holder while being movable by a certain dimension in the length direction, and the discharge port is biased downward by its own weight or a pressing member. 13. A sampling nozzle facing above a reagent layer of a test piece is lowered while a predetermined amount of a small amount of sample is being discharged or is being discharged, and the tip of the nozzle is pressed against the reagent layer. The method for supplying a sample is characterized in that the sample is supplied by the above method, and then the sample is raised to be separated from the reagent layer. 14. When the test piece has a plurality of reagent layers,
14. The sample supply method according to claim 13, wherein the sample sucked by the sampling nozzle all at once is continuously supplied to each reagent layer by a predetermined amount determined for each reagent layer. 15. The pressing of the tip of the nozzle to the reagent layer is performed by the weight of the nozzle body of the sampling nozzle or the pressing force of the pressing member.
4. The sample supply method described in 4.