JPH11271313A - Biochemical analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a biochemical analyzer by which a biochemical analysis can be performed with good efficiency even when it is not required to dilute a sample liquid in a specific dilution ratio after it is set that the sample liquid is diluted in a uniform dilution ratio so as to perform the biochemical analysis. SOLUTION: A bar code which expresses an inspection item or the like is put on a chemical analytical slide, and it is read out by a bar-code reader 130. In the case of an inspection item to be diluted uniformly, a syringe 102 which sucks a dilution liquid is controlled by a control part 151 in such a way that blood plasma is diluted in a uniform dilution ratio which is set by an input part 150. In the case of a specific inspection item, a dilution ratio which is set by the input part 150 is disregarded, and the syringe 102 which sucks the dilution liquid is controlled by the control part 151 in such a way that the blood plasma is diluted in a dilution ratio according to the specific inspection item.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a biochemical analyzer for determining the concentration of a predetermined biochemical substance in a sample liquid using a chemical analysis element on which a sample liquid such as blood or urine is spotted. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, a dry-type chemical analysis element capable of quantitatively analyzing a specific chemical component or material contained in a sample liquid simply by spotting and supplying a small droplet of the sample liquid. Has been put to practical use. In addition, in order to perform quantitative analysis of chemical components and the like in a sample liquid using such a chemical analysis element, after the sample liquid is spotted on the chemical analysis element,
This is kept at a constant temperature for a predetermined time (incubation) in an incubator (incubator) to produce a color reaction (dye formation reaction).
Then, the chemical analysis element is irradiated with measurement irradiation light having a wavelength selected in advance by a combination of a predetermined biochemical substance in the sample solution and a reagent contained in the chemical analysis element, and its optical density is measured. From this optical density, a substance concentration of a predetermined biochemical substance in a sample solution is obtained using a calibration curve representing a correspondence between an optical density obtained in advance and a substance concentration of a predetermined biochemical substance. Biochemical analyzer is used.

In this biochemical analyzer, the chemical analysis elements are sequentially transported to an incubator, and the measured chemical analysis elements are taken out of the incubator and disposed of for disposal. , JP 61
-26864, U.S. Pat.No.4,296,069, etc., the chemical analysis element is carried into the disc-type incubator from the outer side, and the chemical analysis element whose measurement has been completed is taken from the inner side of the incubator. It is provided so as to be carried out by being pushed out or taken out from the outer peripheral side, and to be discarded.

Further, a chemical analysis element having a sample liquid spotted thereon is linearly transported by a transport means and inserted into a storage section of a rotary incubator having a storage section for storing a plurality of chemical analysis elements one by one. Then, a predetermined incubation is performed in the storage section, the color reaction of the chemical analysis element is measured from the bottom of the storage section, and the chemical analysis element whose measurement has been completed is further transported toward the center of the incubator by the transporting means. There is also known a biochemical analyzer which is dropped into a disposal hole opened at the center and disposed of (JP-A-6-66818).

On the other hand, in the above-described biochemical analyzer, when a certain test item has a very high value or there is a possibility that one test item may have such a value, it is necessary to dilute the sample liquid for the test. is there. At this time, if the dilution factor is set for each test item, the burden on the operator is large. Therefore, when performing the test, the sample liquid is diluted at a uniform dilution factor and measured for a plurality of test items at a uniform dilution factor. To do. In addition, since certain test items have a specific dilution ratio, when measuring a plurality of test items for one sample, the dilution ratio is set in advance in accordance with the test item and each test item is set. There is also known a biochemical analyzer which automatically performs dilution at a desired dilution ratio for each measurement. In such a biochemical analyzer, before performing measurement, a plurality of set sheets in which various dilution ratios are set for each test item are created, and a set sheet according to the test item of the sample is selected to perform measurement. I have to.

[0006]

However, as described above, when the measurement is performed at a uniform dilution ratio, if a test item requiring dilution at a specific dilution ratio is included, the measurement is performed at the uniform dilution ratio. Correct measurement results cannot be obtained with diluted sample liquids. For this reason, it is necessary to temporarily suspend the measurement and perform the measurement by diluting the sample liquid so as to reach the specific dilution ratio, which imposes a heavy burden on the operator and further lowers the efficiency of the inspection. In the case of setting a dilution factor for each test item, such a problem does not occur.However, it is necessary to create a set sheet in which the dilution factor is set in advance for each test item before performing the test. The work is cumbersome.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a biochemical analyzer capable of efficiently analyzing a sample liquid without imposing a burden on an operator.

[0008]

A biochemical analyzer according to the present invention is characterized in that a sample solution is spotted on a chemical analysis element to which an identification mark indicating a test item is attached, and a predetermined biochemical substance in the sample solution is analyzed. A biochemical analyzer for determining a concentration, wherein an element standby means for holding a plurality of the chemical analysis elements, a dilution means for diluting the sample solution at a predetermined dilution factor, and at least a sample at the predetermined dilution factor. A dilution factor setting unit that sets a uniform dilution factor in units; and a color reaction of the chemical analysis element that causes an optical density change due to a chemical reaction with a predetermined biochemical substance contained in the diluted sample solution. A coloring reaction measuring unit, a transporting unit that transports the chemical analysis element held in the element standby unit to the color reaction measuring unit, a reading unit that reads an identification mark attached to the chemical analysis element, Dilution After the uniform dilution rate is set by the rate setting means, when a specific test item requiring dilution by a dilution rate different from the uniform dilution rate is read by the reading means, the identification according to the specific test item is performed. A control means is provided for controlling the diluting means so as to dilute the sample liquid according to a dilution ratio.

Here, the "predetermined dilution ratio" includes 1 time, that is, a case where no dilution is performed. The “specific dilution ratio” is different from the “predetermined dilution ratio”.

In the biochemical analyzer according to the present invention, the diluting means includes a diluent cup filled with a diluent for diluting the sample solution, and the diluent and the sample solution being connected to each other. A first mixing cup for mixing so as to have a uniform dilution ratio, and at least one second mixing cup for mixing the diluent and the sample solution so as to have the specific dilution ratio. Preferably, it is provided.

In this case, it is preferable that the diluting liquid cup and the first and second mixing cups are formed integrally.

[0012]

The biochemical analyzer according to the present invention is based on the premise that the sample liquid is diluted by the above-mentioned uniform dilution ratio to perform the measurement. That is, according to the present invention, the chemical analysis element with the identification mark indicating the test item is held in the element standby means, and when measuring the color reaction, the uniform dilution rate is set by the dilution rate setting means. . The diluting means dilutes the sample liquid according to the set uniform dilution rate, and the color reaction is measured by the color reaction measuring means using the sample liquid diluted according to the uniform dilution rate.
At this time, if the test item represented by the identification mark read by the reading device is a specific test item, the control device controls the diluting device so as to dilute the sample liquid at a specific dilution factor corresponding to the specific test item. I do. Thus, the color reaction is measured using the sample solution diluted at the specific dilution ratio. Thereafter, when the identification mark attached to the chemical analysis element is other than the specific test item, the measurement of the color reaction using the sample solution diluted by a uniform dilution ratio is continued.

As described above, according to the biochemical analyzer of the present invention, even if it is necessary to perform the measurement at a specific dilution ratio after the dilution ratio is set to a uniform value, the measurement is temporarily interrupted and the sample liquid is removed. Since there is no need to perform dilution, and it is not necessary to set a dilution magnification for each test item before performing measurement, the burden on the operator is reduced and the test can be performed efficiently.

In addition, by integrally forming a diluting liquid cup for mixing and a mixing cup, these cups can be easily manufactured.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic plan configuration of a biochemical analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The biochemical analyzer 10 includes a blood filtration device 9 for separating plasma from blood, a slide standby unit 12 for storing an unused chemical analysis slide 11, and a plasma (whole blood, serum, Urine and the like are also possible, but in the present embodiment, only the plasma will be described). The chemical analysis slide 11 is sequentially spotted from the slide standby section 12 by the transport means 15
13 and slide it on the chemical analysis slide
On the other hand, the nozzle tip 25 (see FIG. 7) is attached to the tip of the spotting nozzle 91 of the spotting means 17 (sampler), and then the sample liquid (plasma) is inserted into the nozzle tip 25 from the sample container 16 (sample rack). ), A predetermined amount of spotting is performed on the slide 11, and the spotted chemical analysis slide 11 is transported by a transport unit.
15 is inserted into the storage section 55 of the incubator 14, and the degree of coloration (reflection optical density) of the chemical analysis slide 11 kept at a constant temperature by the incubator 14 is measured by the photometric head 27 of the measuring means 18.
In addition, the chemical analysis slide 11 after the measurement is dropped and discharged into the disposal hole 56 on the center side of the incubator 14 by the transport means 15. The spotting means 17 includes a syringe means for suctioning and discharging the sample liquid by the nozzle tip 25.
A nozzle tip 19 is attached, and the used nozzle tip 25 is detached from the spotting nozzle 91 at a tip extracting portion 20 disposed near the incubator 14 and dropped and discarded.

FIG. 10 shows the configuration of a chemical analysis slide 11 used for measuring the degree of coloration of plasma. Figure
As shown in FIG. 10, the chemical analysis slide 11 has a reagent layer disposed in a rectangular mount, and a spotting hole 11a is formed on the surface of the mount. Plasma is spotted on the spotting hole 11a as described later. Further, a bar code for specifying an inspection item or the like is attached to the back surface of the chemical analysis slide 11.

First, the structure of each part will be described. First, as shown in FIGS.
It comprises a holder 1 attached to the opening of the blood collection tube 7 accommodated in 16 and a suction means 2 connected to the holder 1 to apply a negative pressure for separating plasma from blood. The holder 1 includes a holder body 1A and a lid 1B made of plastic.
The holder body 1A has an insertion portion 1a inserted into the blood collection tube,
A filter holding portion 1b into which the filter 3 made of glass fiber is inserted, and a flange portion 1c joined to the lid 1B by ultrasonic welding or the like. The lid 1B includes a flange 1d joined to the holder body 1A, a cup 1e for holding the plasma filtered by the filter 3, and a filter 3 attached to the cup 1e.
And a nozzle-shaped supply port 1f for supplying the plasma from the nozzle.

The suction means 2 has an arm 2a attached to a shaft member 4 rotatably supported on a base 31. arm
A suction part 2b that comes into contact with the lid 1B of the holder 1 is provided below the front end of 2a, and this suction part 2b is connected to a negative pressure supply part 2c that is connected to a pump (not shown). Further, the negative pressure supply section 2c is provided with a release valve for releasing negative pressure from the pump. Further, a liquid level detection sensor 2d for detecting the level of the plasma supplied to the cup 1e and preventing the plasma from overflowing from the cup 1e is provided in the suction cup 2b. A timing belt 5 (see FIG.
The timing belt 5 is also wound around the pulley 6a of the drive motor 6, and the shaft member 4 is driven to reciprocate by the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 6. .

As shown in FIG. 3, the shaft member 4 is rotatably mounted on a support member 63 installed on the base 31. A feed screw 64 is rotatably supported between the support member 63 and the base 31 in a vertical direction. Lead screw 64
A pulley 65 is fixed to the lower end of the drive motor 66.
A timing belt 68 is wound around the drive pulley 67. Further, the feed screw 64 penetrates a fixing member 69 attached to the shaft member 4, and a feed screw 64
A nut member 69a screwed to the screw 64 is provided, and the shaft member 4 is configured to move up and down in accordance with the rotation of the feed screw 64.

When separating plasma from blood,
Holder 1 in blood collection tube 7 stored in sample storage unit 16
Of the arm 2a from the initial position shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 to the position shown by the imaginary line.
The holder 2b is made to face the holder 1, and the arm 2a is further lowered to bring the lid 1B of the holder 1 and the suction cup 2b of the arm 2a into contact with each other. Next, a pump (not shown) is driven to apply a negative pressure to a space formed between the lid 1B and the suction cup 2b. As a result, as shown in FIG.
Plasma is sucked up from 1a, filtered by the filter 3, and supplied to the cup 1e via the nozzle supply port 1f.

The liquid level detection sensor 2d irradiates the liquid level of the plasma supplied to the cup 1e with light, and optically detects the reflected light. The plasma liquid level is substantially the same as the height of the cup 1e. Is set to output the maximum signal value when. Therefore, when the maximum signal value is output from the liquid level detection sensor 2d, the release valve of the negative pressure supply unit 2c is opened to stop blood suction. Thereafter, the arm 2a is moved up to the original position (see the solid line in FIG. 1), and the filtration is completed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the transport means 15 includes a transport table 30 extending linearly toward the center of the incubator 14 and a leg 30a at the front and rear ends thereof having a flat plate. The slide stand 12 is disposed at a substantially central portion of the transfer base 30, and the spotting portion 13 is disposed on the incubator 14 side.

The slide standby unit 12 has a chemical analysis slide
A slide guide 32 for holding the chemical analysis slides 11 is formed, and a plurality of unused chemical analysis slides 11 are usually stacked and held on the slide guide 32. The slide guide 32 is mounted on the concave portion of the transport base 30 so that the lowermost chemical analysis slide 11 is positioned at the same height as the transport surface of the transport base 30. An opening 32a through which only the chemical analysis slide 11 can pass is formed. An opening through which an insertion member described later can be inserted is formed on the rear surface side, and a groove communicating with a slit 30b described later formed on the carrier 30 is formed on the bottom surface.
32b is formed. Note that a cartridge containing a plurality of chemical analysis slides 11 stacked on each other may be set in the slide guide 32.

In the spotting section 13 in front of the slide standby section 12,
A slide holder 33 having a circular opening 33a is provided. The slide holder 33 is slightly movably accommodated in a cover 34 fixed above the transfer table 30, and a glass fixed above the cover 34. The plate 35 also has an opening 35a for spotting. A bar code reader 130 (see FIG. 1) for reading a bar code provided on the chemical analysis slide 11 is attached to the spotting portion 13. The barcode reader 130 is provided for specifying inspection items and the like, and for detecting the transport direction (front and back, front and back) of the chemical analysis slide 11.

The chemical analysis slide 11 is transported by the forward movement of the plate-shaped insertion member 36 placed on the transport table 30. That is, a slit 30b extending in the front-rear direction is formed at the center of the transfer table 30.
An insertion member 36 is slidably mounted on the upper surface 30b, and a block 37 is fixed to the rear end bottom of the insertion member 36 from below through a slit 30b, and the block 37 is provided slidably in the front-rear direction along the slit 30b. Have been. An auxiliary plate 38 for pressing the insertion member 36 is disposed on the transfer table 30 at a position behind the slide standby unit 12 by the slide guide 32, and the auxiliary plate 38 is held in the cover 39 so as to be able to move slightly up and down. Have been.

A slider 40 is attached to a lower portion of the block 37, and the slider 40 is slidably supported in the front-rear direction by a guide rod 41 arranged along the carrier 30. Further, a part of a belt 44 wound around pulleys 42 and 43 disposed before and after the transfer table 30 is fixed to the slider 40. The rear pulley 43 is driven to rotate by a transport motor 45, and the insertion member 36 is moved in the front-rear direction by a block 37 that moves integrally with the slider 40, and the leading end thereof moves the chemical analysis slide at the lower end of the slide guide 32. By pushing the rear end of the slide 11, the chemical analysis slide 11 is transported linearly from the spotting unit 13 to the incubator 14.

The chemical analysis slide 11 at the lower end of the slide guide 32 is transported to the spotting section 13 by driving the transport motor 45,
The chemical analysis slide 11 on which the sample solution is spotted is further inserted into the storage section 55 of the incubator 14, and the chemical analysis slide 11 after the measurement is further transported to the disposal hole 56 at the center of the incubator 14. The drive control of the motor 45 is performed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the incubator 14 has a disk-shaped rotating member 50 rotatable relative to a bearing 53 via a bearing 52 by a rotating cylinder 51 having a lower center as shown in FIG. The upper member 54 is supported on the rotating member 50. The bottom surface of the upper member 54 is flat, and a plurality of (six in the case of FIG. 1) concave portions are formed on the upper surface of the rotating member 50 at predetermined intervals on the circumference so that a slit-shaped space is formed between the two members 51 and 54. A storage section 55 is formed.
The height of the bottom surface is set to be the same as the height of the transfer surface of the transfer table 30 of the transfer means 15, and the outer peripheral portion of the rotating member 50 is located close to the tip of the transfer table 30.

The inner hole of the rotating cylinder 51 is formed in a waste hole 56 of the chemical analysis slide 11 after the measurement, and the diameter of the waste hole 56 is set to a size through which the chemical analysis slide 11 can pass. An opening communicating with the disposal hole 56 is provided at the center of the rotating member 50.
50a is formed. The central portion of the storage portion 55 communicates with the central opening 50a at the same height as the storage portion 55,
When the chemical analysis slide 11 located in the storage section 55 moves to the center side as it is, it is configured to drop into the disposal hole 56.

A heating means (not shown) is provided on the upper member 54 to maintain the temperature of the chemical analysis slide 11 in the storage part 55 at a constant temperature by adjusting the temperature thereof. A holding member 57 for holding the mount of the slide 11 from above to prevent evaporation of the sample liquid is provided.
While a cover 58 is provided on the upper surface of the upper member 54, the incubator 14 is covered at the top and sides by an upper cover 59, and at the bottom by a lower cover 60 to shield light. The heating means is provided in a storage unit 55 in the incubator 14 for measuring the degree of coloration of the chemical analysis slide 11.
Heat slide 11 at 37 ± 0.2 ° C.

Further, the chemical analysis slide 11 of the rotating member 50
In the center of the bottom of each storage section 55 that stores
Is formed, and the reflection optical density of the chemical analysis slide 11 is measured by the photometric head 27 disposed at the position shown in FIG. 1 through the opening 55a.

Here, the rotational drive of the incubator 14 is as follows.
A timing belt (not shown) is wound around the outer peripheral portion of the rotary cylinder 51 that supports the rotating member 50, and this timing belt is also wound around a drive pulley (both not shown) of the drive motor. The rotary member 50 is configured to perform reciprocal rotary drive by rotary drive. And the rotation operation of the incubator 14
First, for the photometric head 27 disposed below the predetermined rotation position of 14, the density of the white reference plate is detected, and then the density of the black reference plate is detected and calibrated. 55
Measure the optical density of the color reaction of the chemical analysis slide 11 inserted in the, after this series of measurements, return to the reference position by reverse rotation, so as to perform the measurement of the next slide 11,
The control is performed so as to perform the reciprocal rotation drive within a predetermined angle range.

Further, below the incubator 14, a collection box 70 for collecting the chemical analysis slides 11 after the measurement is provided. The collection box 70 has a storage chamber 71 formed below the disposal hole 56 at the center of the rotary cylinder 51, and the storage box 71 is formed in the incubator 14 in relation to the arrangement of other various devices. Is formed wider on one side with respect to the center point. Also, at the corner of the storage chamber 71, an inclined portion where the nozzle tip 25 to be replaced for each sample liquid in the spotting means 17 described below is dropped.
72 are formed. The inclined portion 72 is provided for the nozzle tip 25
Is located below the chip extracting portion 20 from which the storage chamber 71 is dropped, and the bottom surface thereof is inclined such that the storage chamber 71 side is lowered so that the falling nozzle tip 25 is brought down and guided to the center side of the storage chamber 71. ~ 45 °).

A projection 73 is provided at the bottom of the storage chamber 71 at a position shifted from the center of the disposal hole 56 to the opposite side to the widened portion of the storage chamber 71. The projection 73 has a spherical or needle-like tip, and has a function of coming into contact with the chemical analysis slide 11 falling from the waste hole 56, changing the falling direction thereof, and dispersing the same.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the sample storage section 16 has a reference liquid chip holding section 16a,
Electrolyte sample chip holder 16b, reference liquid storage tube 16c, diluent chip holder 16d, diluent cup 16e, first mixing cup 16f, second mixing cup 16i, blood collection tube holder 16
g and the sample chip holder 16h are formed,
Reference liquid chip holder 16a, electrolyte sample chip holder
The reference solution chip 25a, the electrolyte sample chip 25b, the diluent chip 25d, and the sample chip 25h are held in the chip 16b, the diluent chip holding unit 16d, and the sample chip holding unit 16h, respectively. Here, since the diluent cup 16e and the first and second mixing cups 16f, 16i are integrally formed, molding of these cups 16e, 16f, 16i becomes easy. In addition, the reference liquid chip holding section 16
a, electrolyte sample chip holder 16b, reference liquid storage tube 16c
Diluent chip holder 16d, diluent cup 16e, first and second mixing cups 16f, 16i, blood collection tube holder 16
As shown in FIG. 1, the g and the sample chip holding portion 16h are set so as to be located on the turning locus of the spotting nozzles 91a and 91b associated with the turning of the spotting arm 88 of the spotting means 17 described later. . The sample container 16 is a consumable as a whole, and the entire sample container 16 is replaceable with the biochemical analyzer according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the reference liquid chip 25a
The electrolyte sample chip 25b is used for measuring ion activity, but is used for performing dilution as described later.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the spotting means 17 has a flange member 83 rotatable via a bearing (not shown) with respect to a support member 80 installed on the base 31, as shown in FIG. Mounted on Guide rods 84, 84 are erected on both sides on the outer peripheral side of the flange member 83, and upper end portions of the guide rods 84, 84 on both sides are fixed to the connecting member 85, so that the two guide rods 84, 84 are vertically moved. It is arranged in parallel to. Further, a feed screw 86 is disposed vertically at the center of rotation of the connecting member 85, the upper end of the feed screw 86 is rotatably supported by the connecting member 85, and the lower end thereof is a flange member 83.
Is rotatably supported at a central portion thereof, and further has a pulley 87 fixed at a distal end portion protruding from the flange member 83. Further, the base end of the spotting arm 88 is supported by the guide rods 84, 84 on both sides so as to be able to move up and down freely, and a sleeve 89 into which the guide rods 84, 84 are inserted is interposed on the spotting arm 88 of the supporting portion. Have been. Further, the feed screw 86 penetrates the spotting arm 88, and a nut member 90 that is screwed to the feed screw 86 is provided in the penetrating portion, so that the spotting arm 88 moves up and down in accordance with the rotation of the feed screw 86. Is configured.

As shown in FIG. 9 which is an enlarged view in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 8, two points for vertically sucking and discharging the sample liquid are provided at the tip end of the spotting arm 88. Wear nozzles 91a and 91b are provided. This point wearing nozzle 91
The shaft portions of a and 91b are slidably fitted to the spotting arm 88 and urged downward by springs 92a and 92b. Basically, the spotting nozzle 91a is for a sample and an electrolyte sample, and the spotting nozzle 91b is for a diluting liquid and a reference liquid.In this embodiment, plasma is applied at a uniform dilution ratio. Nozzle 91 for dilution
When a is used, the drop nozzle 91b is used when diluting plasma with a specific dilution factor. In addition, dot wearing nozzle 91
The tips of the pipette-shaped nozzle tips 25a, 25b, 25d, and 25h (represented below by 25) are detachably attached to the tips of a and 91b, and the unused nozzle tip 25 is a sample. The spotting nozzles 91a and 91b are set in the storage section 16 and moved by the downward movement of the spotting arm 88.
After use, the fitting is released by upward movement of the spotting arm 88 in a state where the upper end of the nozzle tip 25 is engaged with the engagement groove 20a of the tip extracting section 20 after use. It is dropped into the collection box 70 below through the 20 openings 20b and discarded.

The turning operation of the spotting arm 88 is performed by a flange member.
A timing belt 94 is engaged with an outer peripheral portion of the motor 83, and the timing belt 94 is wound around a drive pulley of a turning motor (not shown), and is turned to a predetermined position by forward / reverse drive control of the turning motor. Is done. The vertical movement of the spotting arm 88, that is, the rotation drive of the feed screw 86,
A timing belt 99 is wound around the pulley 87 at the lower end and the drive pulley of the elevating motor, and is moved to a predetermined height by forward / reverse drive control of the elevating motor.

Next, in the mechanism for sucking and discharging the sample liquid into the nozzle tip 25, air passages 101a and 101b are formed at the center of the spotting nozzles 91a and 91b.
Air pipes 110 are provided at upper end portions of the air passages 101a and 101b.
a and 110b are connected. The other ends of the air pipes 110a and 110b are connected to the right end of the syringe 102 of the syringe means 19 (FIG. 1).
See). The syringe 102 is a syringe-shaped air pump, and is configured to perform suction and discharge by operating the syringe 102. In addition, the spot wearing nozzles 91a, 91
The switching of the suction channel in b is performed by switching a solenoid valve (not shown) provided in the syringe means 19.

Then, the nozzle tip is provided by the spotting means 17.
With the tip immersed in diluent or plasma in the diluent cup 16e or the cup 1e of the plasma filtration device 9, the piston of the syringe 102 is moved down to perform suction,
By rotating to 13, a predetermined amount of spotting is performed on the chemical analysis slide 11.

Next, in this embodiment, a dilution ratio setting device for setting the dilution ratio of the sample solution will be described.
FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the dilution ratio setting device in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the dilution ratio setting device according to the present embodiment is based on an input unit 150 for manually inputting an operator to dilute plasma at a uniform ratio, and a uniform dilution ratio input from the input unit 150. And a control unit 151 for controlling the driving of the syringe 102 to control the amount of suction of the diluent. It should be noted that information on the inspection items of the chemical analysis slide 11 read by the barcode reader 130 is also input to the control unit 151. As described later, when a uniform dilution rate is set by the input section 150, the control section 151 needs to perform measurement at a specific dilution rate such as a specific test item (for example, immunoassay). In addition, the plasma is diluted so as to have the specific dilution ratio so that the degree of coloration can be measured according to a specific test item. The operation will be described later.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

FIGS. 12 to 17 are flowcharts for explaining the operation of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 1, before performing analysis, a plurality of chemical analysis slides 11 capable of measuring at least one sample are set in the slide standby unit 12, and a sample as a consumable is set. The storage section 16 is set, and then the analysis processing is started. At this time, the reference liquid chip holding section 16a of the sample storage section 16, the electrolyte sample chip 16b, the reference liquid storage pipe 16c
The diluent chip holding unit 16d, the blood collection tube holding unit 16g, and the sample chip holding unit 16h have a reference solution chip, respectively.
25a, an electrolyte sample chip 25b, a reference solution, a diluent chip 25d, a blood collection tube 7 having blood for analysis, and a sample chip 25h are held. In the present embodiment, the coloration degree is measured by diluting the filtered plasma with a uniform dilution ratio input from the input unit 150, and the operator inputs the input unit 150 before starting the analysis process.
The dilution ratio (for example, 2 times) is designated manually. In addition, a plurality of chemical analysis slides 11 include test items (for example, immunoassays) for measuring the degree of color development at a specific dilution ratio, and the test items are bar codes attached to the chemical analysis slides 11. Is read by the bar code reader 130. Further, in the present embodiment, the reference solution chip 25a and the electrolyte sample chip 25b are used for measuring the ion activity, but are used for performing dilution at a specific magnification as described later.

First, in step S1, the biochemical analyzer is initialized, and in step S2, the blood filtration device 9 is initialized.
Then, the whole blood in the blood collection tube 7 is filtered by the suction means 2 to obtain a plasma component. FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of the processing performed in the blood filtration device 9 and the suction means 2. First, in step S21, dirt on the liquid level detection sensor 2d is checked, and a reference plate is set at the height of the cup 1e to set the gain of the liquid level detection sensor 2d. Next, in step S22, the spotting arm 88 is rotated to a position where the suction cup portion 2b of the suction means 2 faces the holder 1, and the spotting arm 88 is further lowered to lower the lid 1B of the holder 1 and the suction cup portion 2b.
Are brought into contact with each other. Then, in step S23, the syringe means 19 is driven to apply a negative pressure to the space formed between the lid 1B and the suction cup 2b. This allows
The blood is filtered by the filter 3 and the plasma is supplied to the cup 1e via the nozzle supply port 1f. At this time, the pressure of the syringe means 19 may be checked to detect a leak or a hematogenous amount of blood.

In the next step S24, the liquid level detection sensor 2d detects that a predetermined amount of plasma has been supplied to the cup 1e, and stops driving the syringe means 19. On this occasion,
Instead of the liquid level detection sensor 2d, the driving of the syringe means 19 may be stopped after a certain suction time has elapsed. Then
In step S25, the release valve of the negative pressure supply section 2c is released to end the pressure reduction. In step S26, the spotting arm 88
To release the contact between the lid 1B and the suction cup 2b, return the spotting arm 88 to the original position (the position in FIG. 1), and end the process.

Returning to FIG. 12, in step S3, the transport means 15 applies the slide 11 from the slide standby section 12 to the spotting section.
Transport to 13. Barcode reader in spotting section 13
The bar code provided on the slide 11 is read by 130, and the inspection item or the like of the slide 11 is detected. And
When the read test item is a test item with a uniform dilution ratio (for example, GLU, BUN, etc.), the process proceeds to A1, and when the read test item is a test item with a specific dilution ratio (for example, immunoassay), A2.
Proceed to.

The case where the read test item is a uniform dilution ratio will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. This uniform dilution factor inspection item is performed, for example, when the measured value becomes a very high value and an accurate inspection cannot be performed. First, in step S31, the spotting arm 88 is
Then, the sample tip 25h is mounted on the spotting nozzle 91a. In step S32, the liquid level of the sample (plasma) supplied to the cup 1e is detected, and it is confirmed whether the liquid level and the required plasma have been supplied to the cup 1e.
Then, in step S33, the spotting arm 88 is lowered to aspirate the sample from the cup 1e to the sample tip 25h. At this time, the clogging of the chip 25h may be detected by monitoring the pressure change and comparing it with a predetermined value.

In the next step S34, the aspirated sample is dispensed from the sample chip 25h to the first mixing cup 16f. After dispensing the sample, in step S35, the used sample tip 25h
Remove from 91a and drop down for disposal. Next, in step S36, the spotting arm 88 is moved to the sample accommodating section 16, and the diluent tip 25d is mounted on the spotting nozzle 91a. In step S37, the liquid level of the diluent supplied to the diluent cup 16e is detected, and it is confirmed whether or not the liquid level and the required diluent have been supplied to the diluent cup 16e. Then, in step S38, the spotting arm 88
To draw the diluent from the diluent cup 16e into the diluent tip 25d. At this time, the syringe 102 is controlled by the control unit 151 so as to aspirate an amount of diluent corresponding to the uniform dilution ratio set in the input unit 150. Also, by monitoring the pressure change and comparing it with a predetermined value,
The clogging of d may be detected.

In the next step S39, the sucked diluent is discharged from the diluent tip 25d to the first mixing cup 16f. Then, in step S40 of FIG. 15, the diluting liquid chip 25d is inserted into the first mixing cup 16f, and the suction and discharge are repeated to perform stirring. After stirring, the sample diluted in step S41 is mixed with the diluent chip 25d.
Then, the spotting arm 88 sucking the sample diluted in step S42 is moved to the spotting unit 13, and the sample is spotted on the spotting hole 11a of the slide 11. At this time, the clogging of the tip 25d may be detected by monitoring the pressure change and comparing it with a predetermined value. If the processing is to be performed continuously, the slide transport and the reading of the barcode are performed in step S43. If the dilution is to be performed uniformly, the processing in steps S41 and S42 is performed, and the process proceeds to the next step S45. When the dilution is performed by the dilution ratio, the process proceeds to A2 described later. The chemical analysis slide to be read
If 11 does not exist, that is, if all the chemical analysis slides 11 have been transported from the slide standby unit 12 or if the chemical analysis slides 11 are not transported because the measurement of the predetermined test item has been completed, step S43 is performed. After the processing in, the processing in steps S41 and S42 is not performed.

Then, in step S45, the slide 11 on which the sample is spotted is inserted into the incubator 14.
The internal temperature of the incubator 14 is set at 37 ± 0.2 ° C. for measuring the degree of coloration. At this time, slide
It may be detected whether or not 11 has been inserted into the incubator 14 without fail.

When the slide 11 is inserted into the incubator 14, the storage section 55 of the incubator 14 is rotated, and the inserted slide 11 is sequentially moved to a position facing the photometric head 27. Then, in the next step S46, the photometric head
The measurement of the reflection optical density of the slide 11 by 27 is performed.
After the measurement is finished, the chemical analysis slide 11 after the measurement is pushed out to the center side of the incubator 14 by the transport means 15 for inserting the slide 11 into the incubator 14 in step S47, and is discarded. After the measurement of all the chemical analysis slides 11 is completed, the measurement result is output in step S48,
In step S49, the used diluting liquid chip 25d is detached from the spotting nozzle 91a by the chip extracting section 20, dropped downward and discarded, and the process is terminated.

When outputting the measurement result, an identifiable mark (for example, P) is attached to the data in the output table in order to distinguish the data of the filtered blood from the data of the unfiltered blood. It may be.

Next, a case where the inspection item read in step S3 of FIG. 12 is an inspection item of a specific dilution ratio will be described with reference to flowcharts shown in FIGS. The test item based on a specific dilution factor is, for example, a measurement of immunity. First, in step S51, the spotting arm 88 is moved to the sample container 16, and the electrolyte sample chip 25b is mounted on the spotting nozzle 91b. In step S52, the liquid level of the sample (plasma) supplied to the cup 1e is detected, and it is confirmed whether the liquid level and the required plasma are supplied to the cup 1e. And
In step S53, the spotting arm 88 is lowered to move the cup 1e.
The sample is sucked into the electrolyte sample chip 25b. At this time, the clogging of the tip 25b may be detected by monitoring the pressure change and comparing it with a predetermined value.

In the next step S54, the aspirated sample is removed from the electrolyte sample chip 25b by the second mixing cup 16i.
Dispense into After dispensing the sample, in step S55, the used electrolyte sample chip 25b is detached from the spotting nozzle 91b by the chip extracting section 20 and dropped and discarded. Next, in step S56, the spotting arm 88 is moved to the sample storage section 16 and the reference liquid tip 25a is dropped into the spotting nozzle 91.
Attach to b. In step S57, the diluent cup
The liquid level of the diluent supplied to 16e is detected, and it is confirmed whether the liquid level and the required diluent are supplied to the diluent cup 16e. Then, in step S58, the spotting arm 88 is lowered to suck the diluent from the diluent cup 16e into the reference liquid tip 25a. At this time, the syringe 102 is controlled by the control unit 151 so as to aspirate an amount of diluent corresponding to a predetermined specific dilution factor. Further, the clogging of the tip 25a may be detected by monitoring the pressure change and comparing the pressure with a predetermined value.

In the next step S59, the sucked diluent is discharged from the reference liquid tip 25a to the second mixing cup 16i. Then, in step S60 of FIG. 17, the reference liquid chip 25a is inserted into the second mixing cup 16i, and the agitation is performed by repeating suction and discharge. After the stirring, the sample diluted in step S61 is placed in the reference solution chip 25a.
Then, the spotting arm 88 that has sucked the sample diluted in step S62 is moved to the spotting unit 13, and the sample is spotted on the spotting hole 11a of the slide 11. At this time, the clogging of the tip 25a may be detected by monitoring the pressure change and comparing it with a predetermined value. In addition, when performing continuous processing, slide conveyance and reading of a bar code are performed in step S63, and when performing specific magnification dilution, processing in steps S61 and S62 is performed. If the slide 11 to be measured is to perform a specific magnification dilution, the process proceeds to A1 in FIG. 14. If the slide 11 to be measured first is to perform uniform dilution, the process proceeds to step S41 in FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S45 in FIG.
The result is output and the chip is discarded, and the process ends.

As described above, according to the biochemical analyzer of the present invention, when the barcode reader 130 reads that a particular test item is a specific test item after the dilution factor is set to a uniform value, the specific test item is read. Because the plasma is diluted with a specific dilution factor according to the above, even if it is necessary to perform the measurement at a specific dilution factor while performing the measurement at a uniform dilution factor, once the measurement is interrupted and the plasma is It is not necessary to dilute the sample, and it is not necessary to set a dilution factor for each test item before the measurement, so that the burden on the operator is reduced and the measurement can be performed efficiently.

Further, the number of storage sections 55 of the chemical analysis slide 11 of the incubator 14 in the above embodiment is arbitrary. Further, the blood filtration device 9 may be provided at an arbitrary position.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where only one specific inspection item is provided has been described. However, when two or more specific inspection items are included, the mixing cups corresponding to the number of the inspection items, By using the chip, it is possible to cope with a case where a plurality of specific inspection items are included.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a blood filtration device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a blood filtration device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a blood filtration state;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional front view of a transporting unit.

FIG. 6 is a sectional front view of a part of the incubator.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a sample storage unit.

FIG. 8 is a sectional front view of the spotting means.

9 is an enlarged view in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of a chemical analysis slide.

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram showing a configuration of a dilution device.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a coloration degree measurement process;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing in the blood filtration device.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating processing for performing a dilution operation (part 1);

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating processing for performing a dilution operation (part 2);

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing processing for performing a dilution operation (part 1);

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating processing for performing a dilution operation (part 2);

[Explanation of symbols]

 9 Blood filtration device 10 Biochemical analyzer 11 Chemical analysis slide 13 Spotting unit 14 Incubator 15 Transport means 16 Sample storage unit 16f, 16i Mixing cup 17 Spotting means 25 Nozzle tip 102 Syringe 130 Barcode reader 150 Input unit 151 Control unit

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A biochemical analyzer for spotting a sample liquid on a chemical analysis element to which an identification mark indicating an inspection item is attached, and for determining a concentration of a predetermined biochemical substance in the sample liquid. Element standby means for holding the chemical analysis element; diluting means for diluting the sample solution at a predetermined dilution factor; and dilution factor setting means for setting the predetermined dilution factor to a uniform dilution factor at least in sample units. A color reaction measuring means for measuring a color reaction of the chemical analysis element which causes an optical density change by a chemical reaction with a predetermined biochemical substance contained in the diluted sample solution; Transport means for transporting the chemical analysis element to the color reaction measurement means, reading means for reading an identification mark attached to the chemical analysis element, and the uniform dilution rate set by the dilution rate setting means. After that, when a specific test item requiring dilution by a dilution factor different from the uniform dilution factor is read by the reading unit, the sample liquid is diluted by a specific dilution factor according to the specific test item. A biochemical analyzer comprising a control means for controlling a dilution means. 2. The diluting means, wherein a diluent cup filled with a diluent for diluting the sample liquid is mixed with the diluent and the sample liquid so as to have the uniform dilution ratio. And a first mixing cup for mixing the diluting liquid and the sample liquid so as to have the specific dilution ratio. The biochemical analyzer as described. 3. The biochemical analyzer according to claim 2, wherein said diluent cup and said first and second mixing cups are integrally formed.