JPH11316235A - Autoanalyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an autoanalyzer whose specimen treatment capability is increased and which can measure specimens in a wide range. SOLUTION: A specimen which contains an antigen and an antibody reagent are injected into a pretreatment container. An antigen-antibody reaction is caused for a set time. After that, its reaction liquid is sucked by a probe 50. In succession, an eluate A is sucked from an eluate housing container 7, and the reaction liquid is introduced into a column 52. Then, the eluate A is supplied to a liquid feed part 54 from the column 52. The column 52 is cleaned. After that, an eluate B is made to flow from the liquid feed part 54. The reaction liquid which is adsorbed by the column 52 is eluted and separated. The probe 50 is moved to a reaction container 8 so as to be dispensed only during the time in which an antigen-antibody complex is eluted. A reagent which contains a substrate is dispensed to the reaction container 8 so as to be reacted with the marker enzyme of the antibody reagent. After the reagent is added, a measurement is performed by a photometric device 14. The time up to the measurement is set arbitrarily according to the concentration or the like of the specimen.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer such as an automatic biochemical analyzer, a clinical automatic analyzer or an immunoassay.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example in which an immunoassay is performed by an automatic analyzer will be described. A reagent in which an antibody reacting with an antigen in a sample is labeled with an enzyme in advance is prepared, and the labeled antibody is used as a pretreatment. The antigen in the sample is subjected to an antigen-antibody reaction. Since the unreacted labeled antibody co-exists in addition to the antigen-antibody complex in the sample solution that has undergone the antigen-antibody reaction, the antigen-antibody complex must be unreacted in order to detect the concentration of the antigen-antibody complex. It is necessary to carry out a process called B / F separation for separating from the conjugated antibody. As one method of the B / F separation, a liquid chromatography method is performed. After the antigen-antibody complex is eluted and separated by liquid chromatography, a reagent containing a substrate that reacts with the labeling enzyme is added thereto, and the enzyme reaction is carried out, and the amount of the substance produced by the enzyme reaction or the enzyme reaction The antigen concentration in the sample is measured by optically measuring the amount of the substance reduced by the measurement.

[0003] The fractionation by liquid chromatography is a flow method in which a sample is introduced from one end of a column and eluted from the other end, and after one sample is introduced, all components of the sample pass through the column and elute. The measurement of the next sample cannot be started until the measurement is completed. If the sample requires pretreatment, it is necessary to add a dispensing mechanism for pretreatment and a device having a reaction container to the liquid chromatograph.

[0004]

A B / F separation for separating an antigen-antibody complex from an unreacted reagent in an immunoassay, a fractionation of a target substance in another pretreated solution, or a method for separating a target substance in a sample When the target substance is fractionated by liquid chromatography, the processing capacity is not increased, and only a maximum of several samples can be processed per hour. For example, if it takes 10 minutes to elute one sample, only six samples can be processed in one hour. Further, the liquid chromatography has several pumps, a detector, a sample introduction unit, a sampling unit, and a reaction line temperature control unit, so that the size thereof becomes large. If a pretreatment device is added to this, the size will be further increased and the cost will increase.

A sample is injected into a reaction vessel by an automatic analyzer,
When a reagent is added thereto to cause a reaction, and then measured with a photometric device to determine the concentration or activity value of the target component in the sample, the endpoint method of photometry after the reaction is completed, and photometry is repeated at regular time intervals. There are two types of rate methods for obtaining the concentration and the activity value from the reaction speed. In each case, the time from the start of the reaction to the end point and the time from the end of the photometry are fixed. However, the reaction of a low-concentration sample or a sample with a low reaction rate does not end within the set reaction time, and as a result, sufficient photometric intensity may not be obtained. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer that increases the sample processing capacity and enables the measurement of a wide range of samples by enabling the reaction time to be set arbitrarily according to the reaction speed and concentration of the sample. Things.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An automatic analyzer according to the present invention comprises a sample storage section in which a plurality of sample containers are arranged, a preprocessing section in which a plurality of pretreatment vessels are arranged, and a reaction vessel section in which a plurality of reaction vessels are arranged. Is arranged, a plurality of reaction reagent containers arranged outside the reaction table, provided movably between a predetermined position including a predetermined position of the reaction table and a position of the reaction reagent, A first probe for sucking and discharging the solution, a separation unit for separating the liquid sample component, and a suction and discharge mechanism, which are provided so as to be movable between predetermined positions on the reaction table. A second probe for sucking the supplied liquid sample and supplying it to the separation unit, and discharging the specific component separated by the separation unit to the reaction container; and a photometer disposed near the photometry position of the reaction container unit on the reaction table. Anti-position A photometric device for performing optical measurement of the reaction solution in the container, and a control unit for controlling the various operations. The control device controls the operation of the reaction table, controls the operation of the first probe, controls the operation of the second probe, and controls the photometric operation by the photometric device.

The first probe aspirates and discharges a sample from a sample container to a pretreatment container, aspirates and discharges a pretreatment reagent from a reaction reagent container to a pretreatment container, and transfers a reaction reagent from the reaction reagent container to the reaction container. Suction / discharge is performed. The second probe supplies the preprocessed sample from the pretreatment container to the separation unit, and discharges the target component separated by the separation unit to the reaction container. The photometric device performs optical measurement of the reaction solution after a lapse of a set time from the start of the reaction in the reaction vessel.

[0008] These operations are controlled by the control device and are executed in accordance with the time allocated as the operation of the reaction table. Then, after each operation, the process proceeds to the next sample. Therefore, the analysis of the next sample can be started without waiting for the entire analysis process of one sample, thereby improving the sample processing capacity per unit time. Regarding the photometric operation by the photometric device, the time from the start of the reaction to the end of photometry can be arbitrarily set, whether by the end point method or the rate method. Therefore, for a low-concentration sample or a sample having a low reaction rate, the photometric sensitivity can be increased by setting a longer time until the end of photometry.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The separating section is only required to separate liquid sample components, and various types can be used. One of them is an elution / separation unit having a column for eluting / separating a liquid sample component. As a preferred example, a second probe is connected to one end of the column, and a suction / discharge mechanism and an eluent supply mechanism are connected to the other end of the column so that a bidirectional flow of liquid is formed in the column. Can be mentioned. In this case, the sample can be introduced into the column from the second probe side, and then the eluted solution can be supplied to the introduced sample from the opposite direction, eluted and discharged from the second probe.
The time required for elution of all components is shorter than that of conventional liquid chromatography having only one direction of flow.

The eluent supply mechanism connected to the column of the second probe has a mechanism in which a suction tube is immersed in an eluent container exchangeably provided in the main body of the automatic analyzer, and the tube is provided outside the eluent container. It is preferable that the tube is attached to a lever provided in the vicinity, and that the tube is inserted into and removed from the eluate container with the operation of the lever. In that case, removal of the eluent container is facilitated, and operability is improved.

[0011] It is preferable that a waste liquid treatment section for sucking and discharging the residual liquid in the container on the reaction table is provided near the reaction table. Even if some or all of the containers on the reaction table are of a disposable type, by discarding the containers after discharging the residual liquid, it is possible to prevent contamination of the environment in which the automatic analyzer is installed. Can be made sanitary and safe.

In order to prevent the sample from changing, it is preferable to cool the sample storage section and the pretreatment section, and it is preferable to keep the reaction vessel section at another constant temperature in order to proceed the reaction at an optimum reaction temperature. Therefore, the reaction table preferably includes a cooling unit that cools the sample storage unit and the pretreatment unit to a constant temperature, and a temperature control unit that keeps the reaction container unit at another constant temperature. In that case, in order to increase the temperature accuracy by the cooling unit and the temperature control unit, a reaction unit cover that covers at least a part of the reaction container unit and all of the sample storage unit and the preprocessing unit is provided. Preferably, a partition is provided to separate the cooling unit upper space and the temperature control unit upper space.

The reaction table can be of various types, such as one turntable shape, two turntables, or a rack type. One preferred example is a single turntable having a sample storage section on the innermost circumference, a pretreatment section on the outer circumference, and a reaction vessel section on the outer circumference. When such a reaction table is used, the access to the sample container, the pretreatment container, and the reaction container is performed on the same table, so that the automatic analyzer is compact, has a simple structure, and is inexpensive. The sample storage unit is configured as an integral turntable, and is provided so as to be detachable from the reaction table. The preprocessing unit includes a plurality of pretreatment container rows in which a plurality of pretreatment containers are integrally formed. It is arranged so that it can be removed in units of the pretreatment vessel row, and the reaction vessel section also has a plurality of multiple reaction vessel rows in which a plurality of reaction vessels are integrally formed. preferable. Further, it is preferable that the reaction vessel row and the pretreatment vessel row are disposable. If the reaction vessel and the pretreatment vessel are reused, a washing mechanism is required, and the size of the automatic analyzer becomes large, thus increasing the cost. This contributes to miniaturization and cost reduction of the automatic analyzer.

In the case where the row of reaction vessels and the row of pretreatment vessels are made disposable, in order to prevent an accident of starting analysis without installing them in the reaction table, the row of reaction vessels and the pretreatment vessel near the reaction table are prevented. It is preferable that a container presence / absence detector that detects the presence / absence of a row is provided. The container presence / absence detection unit is provided with a protruding part in the reaction vessel row or pretreatment vessel row and detecting it with an optical sensor, or by irradiating the reaction vessel row or pretreatment vessel row with light and detecting the reflected light Various methods such as a method of irradiating a laser beam from the side and detecting the presence or absence of the transmitted light and a method of using a capacitance sensor can be realized.

The sample solution pretreated in the pretreatment container is
In order to prevent the sample solution from adhering to the probe or the flow path from the probe to the column when the sample solution is introduced from the probe to the column, the pretreatment sample solution is sucked into the second probe to prevent the quantitative accuracy from being lowered. Preferably, the eluent is subsequently aspirated. As a result, all the sucked sample solutions can be introduced into the column, and the quantification accuracy is improved. For this purpose, one eluent storage container is integrally formed and arranged in each of the pretreatment containers, and the pretreated sample solution is aspirated. By sucking the stored eluent, the moving distance of the second probe can be short, and the operating speed can be increased. In order to prevent cross-contamination between samples, it is necessary to wash the probe. Washing with water alone may not be enough.
It is preferable that the probe cleaning detergent pot and the second probe cleaning detergent pot are arranged near the reaction table to enable cleaning with a detergent.

Usually, a sample for measurement is placed in a sample storage section in the reaction table. However, in addition to such normal samples, there are urgent samples that need to be measured urgently and additional samples that are not installed in the sample storage unit. For such an emergency sample or an additional sample, it is preferable that an installation place for installing another sample container is provided outside the reaction table and within the movement range of the first probe. And in that case,
The control device can perform an operation of aspirating and measuring a sample from the sample container outside the reaction table as needed. The first probe and the second probe do not necessarily need to be provided separately. For example, the first probe and the second probe may be shared by one common probe, and may be connected to the respective flow paths via the switching valve.

[0017]

Next, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
The present invention is not limited to this embodiment. FIG. 1 is an external view of the automatic analyzer, (A) is a front view,
(B) is a side view showing a state in which the pure water tank and the waste liquid tank can be taken out. 2 is a top view in which a reaction disk is provided, FIG. 3 is an exploded view schematically showing a main part,
FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing details of the reaction disk, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of the reaction disk.

A turntable type reaction disk 2 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 1 of the automatic analyzer, and the reaction disk 2 has measurement containers and the like arranged concentrically. The containers arranged along the innermost circumference of the concentric circles are the sample containers 4, and a preprocessing container 6 for preprocessing the samples is arranged outside the sample containers 4. Further outside the arrangement of the pretreatment containers 6, a measurement container 8 serving as a reaction container and a measurement cell is arranged. The sample container 4 and the pretreatment container 6 are kept at 8 ° C. by the cooling unit 10, and the measurement container 8 is kept at 40 ° C. by the temperature control unit 12. The position of the measuring container indicated by the symbol 8a is a photometric position, and the photometric device 14 of the present invention is fixed above the measuring container 8a at the photometric position.

Except for the position of the measuring container 8a at the photometric position,
A reaction section cover 16 is provided on the sample container 4, the pretreatment container 6, and the measurement container 8 so as to be openable and closable. The cover 16 does not need to be light-shielding, and can be made of a transparent resin to check the reaction operation from the outside. The cover 16 includes a partition member 17 that partitions the space above the cooling unit 10 and the space above the temperature control unit 12, and enhances the function of controlling the temperature between the cooling unit 10 and the temperature control unit 12.

A reagent container 18 is disposed outside the reaction disk 2, and a sample container 24 for an emergency sample or an additional sample is provided.
Can also be placed. In order to dispense the sample in the sample containers 4 and 24 and the reagent in the reagent container 18 to the pretreatment container 6 and the measurement container 8 and to dispense the sample pretreated in the pretreatment container 6 to the measurement container 8 , A probe 20 is provided movably between respective positions. The probe 20 can perform suction and discharge by a pump 22. 26 is a drain pot for discharging a cleaning solution and the like from the probe 20,
Reference numeral 27 denotes a detergent container containing a detergent for washing the probe 20.

Adjacent to the pretreatment vessels 6, one pretreatment vessel 6 is provided with one eluent storage vessel 7. When the pretreated sample is introduced by suction into the column 52 by the second probe 50 described later,
The purpose is to wash away the sample attached to the flow path from the probe 50 or the second probe 50 to the column 52 and to introduce all the sucked sample into the column 52.

The second probe 5 is located near the reaction disk 2.
The column 52 is connected to the second probe 50 for eluting and separating the analyte component. As shown in FIG. 3, the column 52 has an eluent A56 and an eluent B5 on the side opposite to the second probe 50 via a liquid sending section 54.
8 and the pure water in the pure water tank 60 are selectively switched and supplied, and although not shown,
A suction and discharge mechanism for performing suction and discharge by the probe 50 is also connected to the column 52 on the side opposite to the second probe 50. The eluent A and the eluent B are of the same type and different in concentration. The eluent A is mainly used for washing the column 52, and the eluent B is mainly used for eluting the analyte component adsorbed on the column 52. The pure water in the pure water tank 60 is used for cleaning the column 52 and the probe 50. 62 is the probe 50
A drain pot 64 for draining unnecessary solution and washing water discharged from the apparatus, and 64 is a detergent container containing a detergent for washing the probe 50.

The probe 50 is controlled so as to move between a predetermined pretreatment container 6, an eluent container 7, a reaction container 8, a drain pot 62, and a detergent container 64 on the reaction disk 2. 66 is a waste liquid tank, which is a drain pot 2
6, 62 to temporarily store the waste liquid.

As shown in FIG. 2, an operation unit 70 is provided in the vicinity of the reaction disk 2 in the main body of the automatic analyzer, and a display 76 is arranged on the operation unit 70 in addition to the keyboard 72 and the printer 74. . A control device is provided below the operation unit 70. The control device controls the operation of the reaction table 2, aspirates and discharges the sample from the sample container 4 to the pre-processing container 6 by the first probe 20, and sets the reaction reagent container. Controlling the operation of suctioning / discharging the pretreatment reagent from the reaction container 18 to the pretreatment container 6 and the operation of suctioning / discharging the reaction reagent from the reaction reagent container 18 to the reaction container 4, and controlling the second probe 50 from the pretreatment container 6 to the column 52 Aspirated pre-processed sample to the second
Suction of the eluent from the eluent storage container 7 into the column 52 by the probe 50, washing of the column 52 with the eluent A from the eluent container 56, and removal of the target component separated by the column 52 from the eluent container 58 Control of the operation of eluting with B and discharging to the reaction container 8 and control of the photometric operation of the reaction solution by the photometric device 14 from the start of the reaction in the reaction container 8 are performed.

As shown in FIG. 2, a suction nozzle 78 of a disposal section is provided in the vicinity of the reaction disk 2, and the suction nozzle 78 is provided at a predetermined position in the reaction container 8, the eluate storage container 7, and the front. The liquid can be moved to the processing container 6 and the sample container 4, and the liquid remaining in those containers is sucked and discharged to the waste liquid tank 66. As shown in FIG. 1, the waste liquid tank 66 and the pure water tank 60 are mounted on a drawer 81 equipped with casters and housed in the main body 1.
The pure water tank 60 and the waste liquid tank 66
Making it easy to remove and replace.

Near the eluent tanks 56, 58 and outside thereof are suction tubes 82, 8 inserted respectively.
6 are provided. The suction tubes 82 and 86 are connected to the column 52 via the liquid sending section 54. The suction tubes 82 and 86 are attached to levers 84 and 88 so that the tubes 82 and 86 can be taken out of the containers 56 and 58, respectively, as the levers 84 and 86 move up and down. The containers 56 and 58 are frequently taken out to supply the eluent, and the tubes 82 and 86 are removed by operating the levers 84 and 88 to remove the containers 56 and 58.
The operability when taking out 58 is improved.

Details of an example of the photometric device 14 will be described with reference to FIG. The photometric device 14 includes a deuterium lamp 30 as a light source. Light from the deuterium lamp 30 is condensed by a condenser lens 32 as excitation light to be converted into parallel light, and an excitation wavelength is selected by an excitation light filter 38. After being reflected by the dichroic mirror 34, the light is condensed by the condenser lens 36 onto the solution to be measured in the measurement container 8 a and irradiated. Fluorescence generated from the solution to be measured is condensed by the condensing lens 36 to become parallel light, passes through the dichroic mirror 34, enters the photomultiplier tube 42 of the detector via the filter 40 for fluorescence selection, and is detected. You. The condenser lens 36 serves both to irradiate the excitation light and to collect the fluorescent light, and constitutes an epi-illumination optical system. The dichroic mirror 34 is designed to reflect the wavelength of the excitation light and transmit the fluorescence from the solution to be measured.

A sleeve 44 is vertically movably mounted between the lower end of the main body of the photometric device and the opening of the measuring container 8a at the photometric position. The sleeve 44 is made of metal and has a cylindrical shape, and a mask 46 having an opening portion is integrally attached to a tip of the sleeve 44. The edge of the opening of the mask 46 protrudes downward and is fitted into the opening of the measurement container 8a so as to block the incidence of external light. The sleeve 44 descends onto the measuring container 8a by its own weight or the pressing force of a spring, and shields the space between the opening of the measuring container 8a and the main body of the photometric device from external light. And

To complete the photometry and move the next measuring container to the photometry position, the sleeve 4
4 is slid upward by a rack and pinion mechanism (not shown), and is again moved by its own weight when the next measuring container is positioned at the photometry position.
a, the light paths of the excitation light and the fluorescence are shielded from external light.

The measuring container 8a is preferably light-shielding, and is preferably made of a material capable of reflecting the fluorescence generated from the solution to be measured and improving the light receiving sensitivity. As such a material, a white resin having chemical resistance is used. In this photometric device, the sleeve 44
When the measuring container 8 is transferred and positioned at the photometric position in a state in which the photometric device is slid up, the sleeve 44 is lowered to shield the space between the opening of the measuring container 8a at the photometric position and the main body of the photometric device from external light. I do. In this state, the excitation light is focused on the solution to be measured in the measurement container 8a, and the generated fluorescence is collected by the focusing lens 36, and the dichroic mirror 34
And after the excitation light component is removed by the filter 40,
Detected by the photomultiplier tube 42.

When the measuring vessel 8a is positioned at the photometric position in this way, the sleeve 44 is lowered and comes into close contact with the opening of the measuring vessel 8a, and the photometric system constitutes one dark room shielded from external light. At the time of fluorescence detection, even when the measurement container 8a is made of a resin, the mask 46 provided on the sleeve 44 suppresses the fluorescence from the measurement container 8a itself from entering the detector.

When measuring chemiluminescence or bioluminescence,
Excitation side components such as the excitation light source 30, the excitation light selection filter 38, and the excitation side condenser lens 32 are not required. The photometric device 14 can be replaced not only with a device that detects light emission such as fluorescence, but also with a device that detects a light absorption amount or a scattered light amount.

The details of the pretreatment container 6, the eluent storage container 7, and the reaction container 8 in the reaction disk 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, 7, and 8. Five pretreatment containers 6 are integrally formed, and one eluent storage container 7 is integrally formed near each pretreatment container 6. The series of pretreatment containers 6 and the eluent storage container 7 are integrally formed by resin molding. An integrally molded product 90 including the multiple pretreatment containers 6 and the eluent storage containers 7 is arranged along the middle circumference of the reaction disk 2. Each of the integrally molded products 90 is integrally provided with a protrusion 92 for a handle. By optically detecting the protrusion 92, an optical sensor for detecting the presence of the pretreatment container 6 and the eluent container 7 is provided. A typical sensor 94 is provided on the reaction section cover 16.

The reaction vessel 8 is also a multiple-piece integrally molded product.
As shown in FIG. 7, the reaction vessel 8 has ten reaction vessels 8 integrally formed, and the integrally molded product 96 is arranged on the outermost periphery of the reaction disk 2. An integrally molded product 96 of the reaction container 8 is also provided with a protrusion 98 for a handle. The optical sensor 100 for optically detecting the protrusion 98 to detect the presence or absence of the reaction container 8 is also provided on the reaction unit cover 16. It is attached to.

These integrally molded products 92 and 96 are made of chemical resistant resin and are disposable. Since the integrally molded products 92 and 96 are not reused, there is no problem if the reaction liquid remains. However, in order to prevent the environment from being polluted during the disposal, the nozzle 7 of the waste liquid treatment section is disposed before disposal.
At 8 the residual liquid is aspirated. The sample container 4 is arranged on the innermost turntable 102. Turntable 10
As shown in FIG. 4, the sample 2 can be removed from the main body of the analyzer with the sample container 4 being placed, and the sample can be replaced while the sample container 4 is removed from the analyzer.

Next, the attachment / detachment mechanism of the column 52 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The column 52 has a linear shape and both ends are tapered. Reference numeral 104 denotes a flow path connected to one end of the column 52, which is connected to the liquid sending section 54. At the end of the flow path 104, a fixed fitting 106 which fits the tapered shape of one end of the column 52 while maintaining the liquid tightness is provided. It is fixed to the analyzer main body 1. Reference numeral 110 denotes a flow path connected to the other end of the column 52, and a second probe 50 is provided at the end. The proximal end of the flow channel 110 is attached to the distal end of an arm 112 rotatably attached to the main body 1 of the analyzer, and the proximal end of the flow channel 110 has the tapered shape of the other end of the column 52 and the liquid. A movable fitting 114 that fits tightly is provided, and the movable fitting 114 is provided with respect to the arm 112 in the axial direction of the column 52 (the direction when the fitting 114 is fitted to the column 52).
It is slidably mounted on. Fitting 10
Reference numerals 6 and 114 are made of an elastic member and are of a grade having a high sealing property with the column 52. An example of the material of the fittings 106 and 114 is silicone rubber.

In order to push the fitting 114 in the axial direction of the column 52, the fitting 114 is used as a spring mechanism.
A coil spring 116 is fitted between the arm and the arm 112 in a compressed state. The arm 112 is rotatably attached to the analyzer main body 1 on the base end side. The arm 1 with the fitting 114 fitted to the other end of the column 52
A lock lever 118 is provided at the tip of the arm 112 as a fixing mechanism in order to fix the device 12 to the analyzer main body. The lock lever 118 is rotatably attached to the distal end of the arm 112 and is urged by a spring 119 in a direction in which the lock lever 118 is closed. The lock lever 118 is connected to the fixing member 12 provided on the analyzer main body 1.
0, and the engagement with the fixing member 120 allows the column 52 and the fittings 106 and 114 to be fixed while maintaining the fitted state. Arm 1
The arm 11 is located between the base end of the
A coil spring 126 is applied for urging the tip of the second member away from the column 52.

In order to detect that the column 52 is mounted on the main body 1 of the analyzer, an optical sensor 122 is provided on the main body 1 of the analyzer.
A shield plate 124 that rotates together with the column 12 is attached, and the shield plate 124 is attached to the sensor 122 when the column 52 is mounted.
Is set so as to be shielded from the optical path of the sensor 122 when the column 52 is detached. A water pipe 130 is provided at a portion where the column 52 can be taken out, and a liquid leak at that portion, a fitting 106,
The cleaning liquid when cleaning 114 is drained.

The operation of the column attaching / detaching mechanism will be described. The state of the arm 112A indicated by the chain line is the column 5
2 before mounting, or in a state where the column 52 has been removed. In order to mount the column 52 from this state,
One end of the column 52 is fitted into the fitting 106,
The tip of the arm 112 is pushed downward so that the fitting 112 is fitted to the other end of the arm 52 by rotating the arm 112. At this time, the lock lever 118 is
9 slides on the distal end of the fixing member 120 while being urged in the direction of rotation in the counterclockwise direction in the figure, and eventually engages with the fixing member 120 to fix the arm 112 in the state shown by the solid line. You. In that state, fitting 1
14 is pressed in the direction of the column 52 by the spring 116, so that the column 52 and the fittings 106, 1
The liquid tightness with 14 is maintained.

When replacing the column, the lock lever 11
8 is pushed upward from below to rotate the lock lever 118 clockwise against the urging force of the spring 119, whereby the lock lever 118 and the fixing member 120 are disengaged, and the arm 112 is pulled by the spring 126. In the clockwise direction to the state indicated by the dashed line 112A. In this state, the fitting between the column 52 and the fittings 106 and 114 is disengaged.
The column 52 can be mounted by pushing down the tip of 12 and engaging the lock lever 118 with the fixing member 120.

In this embodiment, when the column 52 is mounted, the tip of the arm 112 can be easily locked to the fixing member 120 by pressing the tip of the arm 112 downward with the index finger. The lock can be easily released by pushing the lock lever 118 upward. In this way, the work of mounting and dismounting the column 52 can be operated with one hand and with a fingertip. Therefore, the trouble of attaching and detaching the column 52 is eliminated, and the replacement time is drastically reduced. Therefore, it is advantageous for quick testing, especially in the field of clinical testing. Conventionally, when cleaning the connection between the column and the flow path, it was only possible to wipe off the dirt.However, this column attachment / detachment mechanism can drain the cleaning liquid at the connection, so the connection can be easily cleaned. Become.

Whether or not the column 52 is mounted can be detected by the optical sensor 122. Column 52
If the column 52 is not mounted, it is possible to program so that the analysis cannot be started, or to notify that the column 52 is not mounted. If it is attempted to remove the column 52 during the analysis, further analysis may be stopped based on the output of the sensor 122, for example, to stop the subsequent analysis or to notify the analysis data of abnormalities. it can.

Next, a case where the operation of this embodiment of the automatic analyzer is used for immunoassay will be described as an example. A sample is prepared in the sample container 4, and the eluent A is dispensed into the eluent container 7 by the second probe 50. First, a sample containing an antigen is injected from the sample container 4 into the pretreatment container 6 by the first probe 20, and an antibody reagent is dispensed from the reagent container 18 into the pretreatment container 6 by the probe 20. The antibody reagent is obtained by labeling an antibody causing an antigen-antibody reaction with the antigen to be analyzed with an enzyme. After an antigen-antibody reaction is caused in the pretreatment container 6 for a certain period of time, the reaction solution is aspirated by the second probe 50, and then the eluent A is aspirated from the eluate container 7 to transfer the reaction solution to the column 52. Introduce. At this time, the reaction liquid attached to the probe 50 or the flow path from the probe 50 to the column 52 is flushed by the eluent A, and the entire amount is introduced into the column 52.

Next, the column 52 is supplied with the eluent A from the liquid sending section 54 to wash the column 52. Thereafter, the eluent B is allowed to flow from the liquid sending section 54 to the column 52, and the reaction solution adsorbed on the column 52 is eluted and separated. The probe 50 is moved to the reaction container 8 and dispensed only for the time required to elute the antigen-antibody complex among the sample components adsorbed on the column 52.

The reagent containing the substrate is dispensed into the reaction vessel 8 by the probe 20. The substrate is a substrate that undergoes a reaction with the enzyme that has labeled the antibody reagent. After adding the reagent,
The measurement by the photometric device 14 is performed. The measurement by the photometric device 14 can be rate measurement at regular time intervals, or can be end point measurement in which measurement is performed after a predetermined time set according to the concentration of the specimen.

After the elution of the antigen-antibody complex by the column 52, all the components adsorbed on the column 52 are eluted by the eluent B to prepare for the elution and separation of the next sample. The elution by the column 52 is performed by supplying the sample introduced from the probe 50 side in the reverse direction and supplying the eluent therefrom.
The time required for elution of all components is short. Probe 2
The operations 0 and 50 and the photometric operation by the photometric unit 14 are processed in accordance with the time allocated in the operation of the reaction table 2 controlled by the control device. After each operation, the next sample can be processed, so that the next sample can be processed without waiting for the entire analysis process of one sample.

[0047]

According to the present invention, a probe is connected to a separation section for separating a liquid sample component, and the photometric device optically measures the reaction solution after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the reaction in the reaction vessel. And the operations of each part are executed in accordance with the time allocated as the operation of the reaction table, so that after each operation, the processing of the next sample can be performed. The analysis of the next sample can be started without waiting for the entire analysis process of the sample. Therefore, even if the reaction time is long, the sample processing capacity per unit time does not decrease. As a method of photometry, liquid chromatography can be applied only to the end point method, but the present invention can be applied to not only the end point method but also the rate method. And, in particular, in the present invention, since the photometric operation by the photometric device allows the time from the start of the reaction to the end of the photometry to be set arbitrarily,
Therefore, for a low-concentration sample or a sample having a low reaction rate, the photometric sensitivity can be increased by setting a longer time until the end of photometry.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of an automatic analyzer according to one embodiment;
(A) is a front view, (B) is a side view showing a state in which a pure water tank and a waste liquid tank can be taken out.

FIG. 2 is a top view showing a portion where a reaction disk is provided in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view schematically showing a main part of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing a reaction disk in the embodiment in detail.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the reaction disk in the embodiment in detail.

FIG. 6 is a front sectional view showing an example of a photometric device in detail.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a disposable reaction vessel;
(A) is a plan view, (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX ′, (C) is a partial side view showing the protrusion, and (D) is a partial front view.

8A and 8B are views showing a disposable pretreatment container and an eluent storage container, wherein FIG. 8A is a plan view, FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY ′, and FIG. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a front sectional view showing the column attaching / detaching mechanism in detail.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic analyzer main body 2 Reaction disk 4, 24 Sample container 6 Pretreatment container 7 Eluent storage container 8 Measurement container 10 Cooling unit 12 Temperature control unit 14 Photometric device 16 Reaction unit cover 17 Partition member 18 Reagent container 20 First probe 50 Second probe 52 Column 54 Liquid sending section 56, 58 Eluent container 64 Detergent container 82, 86 Suction tube 84, 88 Lever

Claims (12)

[Claims] A sample storage unit in which a plurality of sample containers are arranged;
A reaction table in which a pretreatment section in which a plurality of pretreatment vessels are arranged and a reaction vessel section in which a plurality of reaction vessels are arranged; a plurality of reaction reagent vessels arranged outside the reaction table; A first probe movably provided between a predetermined position and a predetermined position including the position of the reaction reagent and configured to suction and discharge a solution, a separation unit configured to separate a liquid sample component, and a suction-discharge mechanism. The reaction table is provided so as to be movable between predetermined positions, the liquid sample pretreated in the pretreatment container is sucked and supplied to the separation unit, and the specific component separated in the separation unit is supplied. A second probe for discharging to the reaction vessel, a photometric device disposed near a photometric position of the reaction vessel portion of the reaction table, and optically measuring a reaction solution in the reaction vessel at the photometric position; Control, aspiration and discharge of a sample from the sample container to the pretreatment container by the first probe, aspiration and discharge of a pretreatment reagent from the reaction reagent container to the pretreatment container, and the reaction reagent container Control of the suction / discharge operation of the reaction reagent from the pretreatment container to the reaction container, supply of the preprocessed sample from the pretreatment container to the separation unit by the second probe, and the target component separated by the separation unit. A control device for controlling the operation of discharging to the reaction vessel, and controlling the photometric operation by arbitrarily setting the time from the start of the reaction in the reaction container to the optical measurement of the reaction solution by the photometric device. An automatic analyzer comprising: 2. The separation section is an elution separation section provided with a column for eluting and separating a liquid sample component. The second probe is connected to one end of the column, and the suction / discharge mechanism is connected to the other end of the column. 2. An automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the column is connected to an eluent supply mechanism so that a liquid flows in both directions in the column. 3. The eluent supply mechanism connected to the column includes a mechanism in which a suction tube is immersed in an eluent container exchangeably provided in the main body of the automatic analyzer, and the tube is located near the outside of the eluent container. 3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the tube is inserted into and removed from the eluate container with operation of the lever. 4. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising a waste liquid processing unit provided near the reaction table for sucking and discharging a residual liquid in a container on the reaction table. 5. The reaction table includes a cooling unit that cools the sample storage unit and the preprocessing unit to a constant temperature, and a temperature control unit that keeps the reaction container unit at another constant temperature. And a reaction section cover covering all of the pretreatment section and at least a part of the reaction vessel section, and within the reaction section cover,
The automatic analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a partition that separates the upper space of the cooling unit and the upper space of the temperature control unit. 6. The reaction table is in the form of a single turntable, having a sample storage section on the innermost circumference, a pretreatment section on the outer circumference, and a reaction vessel section on the outer circumference. The sample storage unit is configured as an integral turntable, and is provided so as to be detachable from the reaction table. The preprocessing unit includes a plurality of pretreatment container rows in which a plurality of pretreatment containers are integrally formed. The plurality of reaction vessels are arranged in a unit, and are detachably installed in units of a pretreatment vessel row, and a plurality of reaction vessel rows in which a plurality of reaction vessels are integrally formed in a reaction vessel section are also arranged. 6. The automatic analyzer according to any one of 1 to 5. 7. The automatic analyzer according to claim 6, wherein the reaction vessel row and the pretreatment vessel row are disposable. 8. The automatic analyzer according to claim 6, wherein a container presence / absence detection unit for detecting the presence / absence of the reaction vessel row and the pretreatment vessel row is provided near the reaction table. 9. The automatic analyzer according to claim 6, wherein one eluent storage container is integrally formed and arranged in each of the pretreatment containers. 10. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein a first probe cleaning detergent pot and a second probe cleaning detergent pot are disposed near the reaction table. 11. An installation place for installing another sample container is provided outside the reaction table and within a movement range of the first probe, and the control device aspirates a sample from the sample container as needed. Claim 1 which can be measured by
11. The automatic analyzer according to any one of items 1 to 10. 12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first probe and the second probe are shared by one common probe, and are connected to respective flow paths via a switching valve. Automatic analyzer.