JPH11304807A - Specimen processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a specimen processing system capable of efficiently coping with both large the amount processing and small amount processing. SOLUTION: A plurality of processing part operating modes for specifying which analysis parts from among analysis parts 3, 4, and 5 are to be operated and which are not are registered beforehand in a central control part 9 from an operation parameter setting part 12. When an operator specifies desired mode among the processing part operation modes from the operation parameter setting part 9, the central control part 9 transmits the specified mode to a conveyance line 7, the conveyance line 7 carries specimens to a processing part which corresponds to the mode, and the specimens are processed there.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a sample processing system,
Particularly, the present invention relates to a sample processing system suitable for being used for automating a sample test in a clinical test field.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a typical sample processing system, a system is constructed by combining a transport line and various processing units. The sample installed in the sample introduction section of the system is subjected to a series of flows such as centrifugation, removal of test tube stoppers, dispensing for sending samples for each test field, transportation to the analyzer, and analysis, etc. It is processed. In this case, each processing unit incorporates a control program for the purpose of operating integrally with the transport unit, and the central control unit that controls the sample in the system performs a certain process flow. The sample is stored and the sample is processed based on the stored information.

[0003]

In a hospital laboratory where a sample processing system is used, the throughput of a sample fluctuates greatly even during one day.

[0004] In a normal hospital, samples begin to arrive around 8:00 am, and blood collected for inpatients is delivered from each ward one after another, and processing is required. Approximately 30% of daily processing is concentrated during the time period from 8:00 am to 9:00 am. Thereafter, when the outpatient consultation is started, the outpatient specimen is delivered, and between 9 am and 11 am, about 3
A percentage of samples are delivered. Furthermore, between 13 o'clock and 15 o'clock, about 30% of the total arrives. After that, they are sparsely delivered to the laboratory. The work during the time period from 8:00 to 15:00 in the morning when the sample processing amount is relatively large is called processing within time, and the subsequent processing is called processing outside time.

[0005] Normally, an operation is performed in which batch processing is performed for processing within time, and processing starts when tens of samples are collected. For this reason, the inspection result is reported the next day or several hours later. On the other hand, after-hours processing is often performed for patients who need urgent treatment, and the processing is started immediately when the patient is delivered to the examination room, and the examination result is reported within tens of minutes.

[0006] However, there has been a strong demand for improving the efficiency of medical examinations and medical treatment and for improving patient services. In the case of in-hour processing, immediate processing of collected blood and prompt reporting within tens of minutes have been required. Was. Nevertheless,
The flow of the inspection work is performed by each device such as centrifugal separation, dispensing, and analysis, and it is necessary to manually transfer the sample between these devices. It requires a great deal of labor to perform the processing efficiently. It is a major purpose of introducing a sample processing system to realize the weeping processing without increasing the labor.

[0007] Conventionally, the target functions and processing capacity at the time of system introduction have been studied mainly with respect to sample processing within time.
Relatively large systems were introduced. However, such a system is not suitable for off-hour operation in which the number of samples to be processed is small and the number of workers is small, and small-scale pretreatment equipment and analyzers are prepared separately from the sample processing system. , Was in operation. For this reason, the examination room requires doubly a pretreatment device, an analysis device, and a vast installation space, which necessitates wasteful investment.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sample processing system capable of efficiently coping with both large-volume processing and small-volume processing.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a sample processing system including a transport line for transporting a sample, and a plurality of processing units connected to the transport line for processing the sample. Means for registering the processing unit operation mode in advance, means for specifying a desired processing unit operation mode among the plurality of registered processing unit operation modes, and the designated desired processing Means for controlling the transport line so as to transport the sample in accordance with a unit operation mode.

[0010]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a sample processing system according to the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a test request item input device for inputting a test item request for what kind of test is performed, and a test item I for identifying a test item and a sample for each sample.
D, sample attribute information (sex, age, name, etc.) is input. A personal computer can be used as the inspection request item input device 1. Reference numeral 2 denotes an inspection result output unit that outputs an inspection result, and outputs a necessary result of the processing performed by the processing units 3, 4, and 5 with respect to the inspection request input by the inspection request item input unit 1. . Reference numeral 6 denotes an input unit for inputting a rack on which a sample is installed. A plurality of racks can be installed in the input section 6, and the racks are supplied to the rack transport line 7 in the order in which they are installed as the processing in each processing section progresses. The rack transport line 6 transports the rack from the input unit 6 to the processing units 3, 4, and 5, and also stores the rack on which the sample on which the predetermined processing based on the test request has been completed is loaded. Transport to The operator who operates the system can take out the inserted sample only from this storage unit. The processing units 3, 4, and 5 include, for example, centrifugation, opening of test tubes, sorting and dispensing, an identification label sticking device (barcode sticking device) for a child sample generated by dispensing, an analyzer, and the like. There may be various processing units. The samples are subjected to necessary processing in these processing units. That is, the rack on which the sample is installed must be conveyed and processed according to a predetermined processing path based on the test request, and the processing path of the rack is controlled by the central control unit 9 for testing the sample on the rack. Determined based on the request information.

The central control unit 9 controls the operation of the entire system. In particular, the input unit 6 and the transfer line 7 are controlled in accordance with a processing unit operation mode of whether or not each processing unit is operated.
Control. The central processing unit 7 has an operation parameter registration unit 1
2, a processing unit operation mode, which processing unit is used and which processing unit is not used, can be registered and set while watching the screen. That is, the operation parameter setting section 12 is composed of a personal computer, and a display screen as shown in FIG. 2 is first displayed on the display section. In the left column of FIG. 2, a processing unit (a storage unit is also regarded as a processing unit), which is a component of the system, is displayed, and on the right side, an operation specification column 21 and a non-operation specification column 22 of the processing unit are displayed. . While watching this screen display, the operation and non-operation of each processing unit are designated using the input device of the personal computer constituting the operation parameter setting unit 12. A circle in the screen indicates that the operation has been specified or selected. The designation of operation and non-operation of the processing unit differs for each processing unit operation mode, and various processing unit operation modes specified in this manner are stored in the central control unit 9.
Registered in. The operation parameter setting unit 12 operates an input device of a personal computer constituting the operation parameter setting unit 12 to designate and select a desired processing unit operation mode from a plurality of registered processing operation modes. The controller 9 controls the rack transport line 7 for transporting the rack so that the sample is processed according to the designated processing unit operation mode.

An inspection parameter input unit 11 is provided in the control unit 11.
Are connected, and what kind of processing is performed by what kind of processing unit is input from here, and registered in the central control unit 9. Reference numeral 10 denotes a communication line.

FIG. 3 shows an operation flow of the sample processing system shown in FIG. First, the operator performs processing such as power-on, and then inputs information of a desired operation mode among the operation modes of the processing units registered in the central control unit 9 from the operation parameter setting unit 12. And the desired mode
Select and set the password (S1). The necessity of processing in each processing unit according to the selected operation mode is notified to each processing unit (S2).

On the other hand, the rack of the sample put into the input unit 6 arrives at the reading unit (not shown) (S3), where the sample number of the sample on the rack is read (S4), and the central control unit 9 reads the sample number. Confirms the inspection request information (S
5). That is, the central processing unit 9 checks the test content and the process content from the sample number. The central control unit 9 stores the contents of the test items required for the sample in the designated processing unit operation mode.
It is checked whether the data is consistent with the data (S6). If the data is matched, the processing contents (sample processing route) are instructed to the rack transport line 7 (S7). The rack transport line 7 transports the rack to a processing unit corresponding to the selected processing unit operation mode, where sample processing is performed (S8).

FIG. 4 is a model diagram showing an embodiment of a sample processing system suitable for in-time processing, which is configured according to the present invention. In the time processing in which the number of samples to be processed is large and execution of various tests is required, all the processing units are in operation. In the case of the present example, the bar code number (called the sample ID) affixed to the parent sample is placed in the sample ID reading unit 65 for the sample (called the parent sample) which is installed on the rack 52 and put into the loading unit 51. , And inquires of the central control unit 9 about processing information corresponding thereto. The processing information means preprocessing contents and analysis items for this sample. Central control unit 9
Confirms the test contents and processing contents from the sample ID number, checks whether the test items and processing contents required for this parent sample are consistent with the operation state of the system, and if they match, The processing contents (sample processing route) are transmitted to the sample transport lines 54 and 60. In the case of centrifugation, opening, dispensing, child sample labeling, and storage, the parent sample is first sent to the centrifugal separation section 53 by the transport line 54 and centrifuged. Is removed, the required number and amount of child specimens are generated in the dispensing unit 57.

Of the child specimens, those that are analyzed and processed outside this system are sent to the labeler 58, where a barcode label having the same number as the specimen ID of the parent specimen is issued and affixed. Are stored in the storage section 59. Also,
Of the child samples, those that are sent directly to the analyzer for analysis
Transported by the transport line 54 to the analyzers 62 and 63,
The sample subjected to the analysis processing is transported to the storage unit 54. In addition, some parent samples do not require centrifugation or dispensing, just open the test tube as it is, and send it to the storage unit or send it to the analyzer as it is. Is instructed by the central processing unit. in this way,
The parent sample is processed appropriately in each processing unit one after another, and finally processing results such as dispensing results and analysis results are transferred to the central processing unit. FIG. 5 shows an example of the status of the registration screen of the processing unit operation mode in the central control unit 9 in this case. As shown in the figure, all the processing units are operated in this processing unit operation mode.

On the other hand, the number of specimens to be processed at a time is several, and the test items are not diversified. In the case of the processing unit operation mode for inspection,
As shown in FIG. 6, since dispensing and labeling are not required, they are registered as non-operational. This is because it is not necessary to sort samples into a plurality of analyzers because the test items are limited. This registration content is sent from the central control unit 9 to each processing unit, and the dispensing and labeler unit judges that it has entered the non-operation state, stops all processing, and waits for the next operation start instruction. .

FIG. 7 is a model diagram showing an embodiment of a sample processing system for executing the processing section operation mode shown in FIG. In this example, for the parent sample that has been input, the sample ID is checked first, and the consistency between the operation state at that time and the test request information is checked. If it is determined in the consistency check that the system has a function capable of processing the operation state of the system in response to the request, the central control unit 9 sends the processing information of the sample to the transport lines 54 and 60. If this does not match and it is determined that the processing in this operation state is inappropriate, the processing is sent to the sample storage unit 59 without performing any processing. If it is determined that the processing can be performed, the central control unit 9 instructs a processing path. Assuming that this is centrifugation, opening, and analysis, the parent sample is centrifuged in the centrifugal separation section 53, then opened in the opening section 56, sent directly to the analyzer 62, and analyzed. As a result, the operator can perform processing without worrying about any error or maintenance that may occur in dispensing, labeling, or the like, and the analysis result is reported quickly in a shorter time than in-time processing. However, in this case, since the parent sample is not dispensed, the test items are limited. In a certain operation mode, it is conceivable that only the items to be processed outside of this time are processed, and these parent samples are processed at the time of processing within the next day.

The processing content of a sample in a laboratory at a hospital may be in a characteristic operation mode depending on the day of the week and the date. For example, if a special outpatient for a certain disease is scheduled for one afternoon in the afternoon, the number of special examination requests related to this will increase from morning to afternoon. In this case, depending on the system, it may be advantageous to take an operation mode that is optimal for this operation fluctuation. A similar measure is also required when a sample examination is scheduled for a mass examination. As described above, the processing unit operation mode optimal for a certain characteristic operation is registered as this operation parameter, and this is linked to the calendar function, and if the date and time are registered, the time is automatically set. The operation mode is automatically changed to the so-called time-dependent processing unit operation mode in which the processing unit operation mode is set, so that the operation labor of the operator can be reduced. As described above, a plurality of types of operation form registration and automatic switching functions are also effective for laboratories in terms of labor saving.

When some processing units in the system are set to the non-operation state, the instruction is sent from the central control unit to each processing unit, and the operation is performed by a simple rack flow. However, its operation requires special consideration. Usually, the test items for specimens after hours are limited,
Although the request should conform to this, there are cases where many requests are mistakenly made, such as a doctor's request, and the central control unit may simply skip the non-operating unit for each sample It is necessary to judge whether it is only or not. This determination logic is shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 (S3). Based on this determination, the central control unit instructs the transport line and each processing unit on an appropriate sample processing path. Samples that do not match the processing unit operation mode are collected by the collection unit 59 without being processed, and an alarm is issued.

[0021]

According to the present invention, there is provided a sample processing system capable of efficiently coping with both large-volume processing and small-volume processing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment of a sample processing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a processing unit operation mode setting screen displayed on an operation parameter setting unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view showing an operation flow of the sample processing system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an embodiment of a sample processing system configured based on the present invention and suitable for in-time processing.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a registration screen of a processing unit operation mode in the case of the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a processing module operation mode for overtime processing according to the present invention.
The figure which shows the registration screen of C.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing an embodiment of a sample processing system according to the present invention, which corresponds to the processing unit operation mode of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Inspection request item input device, 2: Inspection result output device, 3,
4, 5: body processing section, 6: input section, 7: rack transport line, 8: storage section, 9: central control section, 10: instruction information communication line, 11: inspection parameter input device, 12: operation parameter setting section .

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Mikio Komata 882 Momo, Oaza-shi, Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki Prefecture Within the measuring instrument division of Hitachi, Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] In a sample processing system including a transport line for transporting a sample and a plurality of processing units connected to the transport line for processing the sample, a plurality of processing unit operation modes are set in advance. Means for registering, means for specifying a desired processing unit operation mode among the plurality of registered processing unit operation modes, and the sample according to the specified desired processing unit operation mode. Means for controlling the transport line to transport the sample. 2. The processing unit operation mode registration screen according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying said processing unit operation mode registration screen, wherein said plurality of processing unit operation modes are registered from said designation means while watching said screen. A sample processing system characterized in that: 3. The processing unit operation mode according to claim 2, wherein at least one of said plurality of processing unit operation modes is a day-and-day dependent processing unit operation mode to be executed at a predetermined time. The information relating to a predetermined time is registered in the registration means in advance, and the control unit automatically executes the time-and-day dependent processing unit operation mode at the predetermined time. Processing system.