JPS602620B2 - chemical analyzer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for performing chemical analysis such as colorimetric analysis and spectrophotometric analysis.

In recent years, the demand for chemical analysis, particularly in the fields of clinical chemical analysis and biochemical analysis, has increased significantly, and as a result, analyzers are required to further increase their processing capacity.

Many specimens for biochemical analysis, such as clinical chemistry analysis, must be analyzed as soon as possible after collection, and it is therefore desirable that the analyzer be capable of processing a large number of specimens at the same time. For example, as shown schematically in FIG. 1, an analytical device that attempts to meet these demands includes a sample holder 3 and a plurality of optical monochromators 4 of different types between a light source 1 and a light receiving element 2. There is a system in which a large number of samples distributed to each sample holder 3 can be analyzed simultaneously. In this device, by setting different types of monochromators 4 for each analysis item, each sample holder 3 can be analyzed for different items at the same time, so multiple samples made from the same specimen can be analyzed simultaneously. By distributing the samples to the sample holders 3, multiple analysis processes can be performed on one sample at the same time. In other words, simultaneous multi-item analysis can be performed. The above-mentioned device that enables simultaneous multi-item analysis is certainly superior in that it has improved analytical processing capacity. However, the analysis items of a sample are determined depending on the purpose, and being able to perform multi-item analysis simultaneously does not necessarily mean that the above-mentioned increase in analysis demand can be met. For example, in large hospitals, multiple analyzes may be performed on the same specimen taken from a single patient for comprehensive diagnosis, but they may also perform multiple analyzes on the same specimen taken from a single patient in order to diagnose only a specific disease. Frequently, a large number of analyzes of specific items are performed on specimens, and a large number of specimens to be analyzed and processed for the same item may be concentrated at once. In other words, in addition to simultaneous analysis of multiple items, simultaneous analysis of multiple samples becomes necessary. In such cases, the subordinate analyzer, such as the one entrusted to us, can perform simultaneous analysis of multiple items but cannot perform simultaneous analysis of multiple samples. unable to respond immediately to analytical demands.
This invention was made in view of the above points, and its purpose is to perform simultaneous multi-item analysis and simultaneous multi-analyte analysis using the same equipment, in order to promptly respond to diverse and large-volume analysis demands. It is an object of the present invention to provide a chemical analysis device with high throughput that can selectively execute any of the following as necessary. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. What is shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 is an embodiment of the analyzer according to the present invention, in which a plurality of sample holders 7 and a plurality of light beams are interposed between a light source 5 and a light receiving element 6. A monochromator 8 and each optical monochromator 8 are attached to each sample holder 7.
and a synchronizing signal generator 10 that detects the position of each optical monochromator 8 and generates a synchronizing signal, and an output of the light receiving element 6 based on the synchronizing signal. and a display means 11 for displaying.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, a light source 5G or a tubular incandescent lamp is used, and is erected on the center of the inner bottom surface of the rotatably driven cylindrical container 12, so as to uniformly illuminate the horizontal direction from there. It has become. A photoelectric conversion element with good conversion characteristics is used as the light receiving element 6, and is attached to the light guide window 13 on the light output side of each sample holder 7, so that the light emitted therefrom is photoelectrically converted. ing. The sample holders 7 are arranged in a circular shape at equal angular intervals so as to surround the outside of the rotating cylindrical container 12. The sample holder 7 is fixed in position so as to match the irradiation direction of the solid member 15. The sample holder is made of a good thermal conductor such as aluminum, and requires a temperature control means configured to maintain it at a constant temperature.This allows the sample 16 in the sample holder to be placed in a constant temperature environment. In short, the optical monochromator 8 selectively transmits or absorbs light of a specific wavelength, and an optical filter is used in this embodiment.In this case,
The optical monochromator 8 is attached to the holder 1 along with converging lenses 17 and 18.
It is designed to be used while housed in the rotating cylindrical container 9, and is attached to the peripheral wall of the rotating cylindrical container 2 at equal angular intervals. The optical characteristics of each of these optical monochromators 8 are different depending on the analysis item. Although detailed illustrations are omitted, the moving means 9 includes a cylindrical support shaft 25 pivoted at the center of the bottom of the cylindrical container 12, and a rotational drive source such as an electric motor connected to the cylindrical support shaft 25. The rotational drive source is subjected to braking control such that the optical monochromator attached to the peripheral wall 20 of the cylindrical container 12 is stopped at a predetermined position. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the synchronization signal generator 10 includes a position detection section 21 and a position detection section 21
a synchronization signal generator 22 that generates a synchronization signal based on the output signal of
It consists of As shown in FIG. 3, the position detection unit 21
Two light emitters 23a, 23b and two light receivers 24a, 24b
Two sets of optical sensors are formed in the lower end hem 26 of the cylindrical container i2 in two types of mark holes 2, which are divided into upper and lower parts.
They are installed side by side so that they are aimed at 7 and 28 respectively. And ~ the upper light emitter 23a and the light receiver 24
Only one upper mark hole 27, which is detected by the optical sensor consisting of a, is bored at a position corresponding to any one of the plurality of light monochromators 8, but the lower one is the light emitter 23b and the light receiver. Lower mark hole 2 detected by an optical sensor consisting of 24b
A plurality of holes 8 are provided in layers corresponding to each of the plurality of sample holders 7, so that the light receiver 24a of the upper sensor emits a start signal every time the cylindrical container 12 rotates once. A position signal is obtained from the light receiver 24b of the lower sensor each time the optical monochromator 8 moves the position of each sample holder 7. As shown in FIG. 4, the synchronization signal generator 22
Based on the start signal and position signal issued by the position detection section 21, a synchronization pulse signal for determining the position of each optical monochromator 8 is generated and sent to the control circuit 29. As shown in FIG. 4, the display means 11 is an analog display which is selectively selected by blocking the output of the front amplifier 30 provided for each of the light-receiving elements 6 with the synchronization pulse signal of the control circuit 29. a selection cutting circuit 31, and an amplifier circuit 322 provided sequentially after this analog selection switching circuit 31;
It consists of a logarithm unit 33, a coefficient unit 34, an A/○ converter 35, an arithmetic circuit 36, and a display section 37. ．． Here, the coefficient unit 34, A
The /D converter 35 and the arithmetic circuit 36 each operate in response to a synchronizing pulse signal from the self-control circuit 29, and the coefficient unit 34 inputs the coefficients set for each analysis item to the selection circuit 31. Similarly to the above, the A/D converter 35 and the calculation circuit 36 repeat the A/○ conversion and calculation operation every time the selection switching circuit 31 switches. It is designed to be Display section 3
Reference numeral 7 displays analysis information obtained by periodically sampling the light-receiving elements S sequentially and periodically selected by the selection switching circuit 31 for each light-receiving element 6. The control circuit 29 is connected not only to the synchronization signal generator 22 as its control signal source, but also to a key circuit 38 that is manually operated.
This key circuit 38 is used to manually switch the mode of analysis operation, and directly controls the control circuit 29 and the moving means 9. The manual operation item says “
There are ``multi-item simultaneous analysis'' and ``multi-analyte simultaneous analysis.'' If you set "Multi-item simultaneous analysis", transfer method 9 above.
is stopped and each optical monochromator 8 is fixed at a predetermined position of the sample holder 7, and the key circuit 38 sends a pseudo synchronization pulse signal to the control circuit 29 to cause the selection switching circuit 31 to perform one step at a time. The switching operations are performed sequentially, and the control circuit 9 is caused to control the operations of the coefficient unit 34, A/○ converter 35, and arithmetic circuit 36 in synchronization with the switching operations. Thereby, analysis information of different items for each sample holder is obtained by periodically sampling from each light receiving element 6, and is simultaneously and individually displayed on the display section 37. In other words, it becomes possible to carry out substantial multi-item simultaneous analysis. "Simultaneous analysis of multiple samples"
If set to , further perform setting operations to specify specific analysis items. In this case, the moving means 9 is operated to rotationally move the optical monochromator 8 so as to correspond to the position of each sample holder 7 in sequence. Along with this rotational movement, a synchronization pulse signal is generated from the synchronization signal generating section 22 and sent to the control circuit 29. The control circuit 29 is
Based on the pulse signal, the switching timing of the switching circuit 31 is controlled. Then, the switching circuit 31
The switching operation is performed for each sample holder 7 by following the movement of a specific optical monochromator 8 selected to specify an analysis item from among the optical monochromators 8. Optical analysis information of specific items sampled periodically from each light receiving element 6 attached to the sample holder 7 is subjected to appropriate processing and displayed on the display section 3.
7, each sample holder 7 is simultaneously and individually displayed. In other words, it becomes possible to perform substantial simultaneous analysis of multiple samples. After this, if you want to perform a multi-item simultaneous analysis in the future, if you manually set the above-mentioned "multi-item simultaneous analysis", the rotational drive source The control is applied to stop the optical monochromator 8 at a predetermined value, and the above-mentioned pseudo synchronization pulse signal is emitted again, making it possible to carry out substantial multi-item simultaneous analysis. In this way, selection between "simultaneous multi-item analysis" and "simultaneous multi-analyte analysis" can be easily performed by manual operation using push buttons or the like. As described above, simultaneous analysis of multiple samples can be performed by moving the optical monochromator 8, and simultaneous analysis of multiple items can be performed with the optical monochromator 8 stopped, and any of these measurement modes can be selected by keying. Although we have shown an example in which switching and selection is performed by operating a switch using a circuit, etc.,
The measurement mode for "multi-item simultaneous analysis" can be switched even while the optical monochromator is in a moving state.

In this case, first, while the optical monochromator 8 is moving,
Each time a specific sample holder 7 is selected and each optical monochromator 8 is sequentially positioned on the selected sample holder 7,
At this time, the moving position of each optical monochromator 8 is detected at the same time as the detection output of the light receiving element 6 based on the synchronization signal pulse. Regarding one sample holder 7, analysis information based on a plurality of optical monochromators 8' is obtained for each optical monochromator 8. By sequentially performing such a reading operation for each sample holder 7, analysis information regarding a plurality of types of optical monochromators 8 can be obtained for each of all sample holders 7. As a result, when all the optical monochromators 8 have completed one cycle for each sample holder 7, the analysis of all items is completed simultaneously.
That is, multi-item simultaneous analysis is performed. In addition, the moving position of a specific optical monochromator 8 is detected based on the synchronization pulse signal, and the light receiving elements 6 attached to the sample holder 7 where the optical monochromator 8 is located are sequentially designated, and the By reading the detection outputs, analysis information for all sample holders 7 by that particular optical monochromator 8 can be obtained simultaneously. That is, in this case, multiple samples are simultaneously analyzed. Therefore, the switching circuit 31
By simply switching the operation control mode of the analyzer by operating a switch or the like, it is possible to arbitrarily switch between "multi-item simultaneous analysis" and "multi-analyte simultaneous analysis". In addition to the above, while the detection outputs from each light receiving element 6 are read simultaneously by time division etc., the type of each optical monochromator 8 at the time of reading is identified based on the synchronization signal, and these are If you record in parallel,
The results of "multi-item simultaneous analysis" and "multi-analyte simultaneous analysis" can be obtained simultaneously in a matrix-like table.

What is partially shown in FIG. 5 is another embodiment of the analyzer according to the present invention, and the only difference from the above embodiment is that a plurality of light monochromators 8 having different optical characteristics are the same. A rotating disk 39 arranged on a circumference is interposed between the light source 5 and a main light entrance surface 41 of an optical path separator 40 such as an optical fiber arranged to distribute the light from the light source 5. At the same time, each branch light exit surface 42 of the optical path separator 40 is connected to each light entrance side light guiding window (not shown) of a plurality of sample holders 7.
It's all directed towards. Here, each sample holder 7
The light receiving element 6 installed in each case is the same as in the above example,
The selection is made according to the movement of each optical monochromator 8. In this embodiment, in the case of "simultaneous multi-item analysis", the rotating disk 39 rotates and always selects a specific optical monochromator 8.
Analysis information of different items is periodically sampled on each sample holder 7 mirror while synchronized to correspond to a specific sample holder 7, and this is displayed simultaneously and individually on a display means such as a printer. ing. In the case of "multi-analyte simultaneous analysis", the rotation of the rotating disk 39 is stopped, the type of light monochromator 8 interposed between the light source 5 and the main light entrance surface 41 is specified, and in this state, The optical analysis information obtained from each light receiving element 6 is periodically sampled and simultaneously displayed individually on the display means. That is, in this embodiment as well, either "multi-item simultaneous analysis" or "multi-analyte simultaneous analysis" can be arbitrarily selected.
Furthermore, in the case of this embodiment, as in the case of the previous embodiment, it is possible to change the electrical switching operation mode by simply changing the electrical switching operation mode using a changeover switch or the like while the optical monochromator 8 is kept in a moving state. It is also possible to perform measurement in either mode of "simultaneous analysis of items" or "simultaneous analysis of multiple samples." As described above, the analyzer according to the present invention includes a plurality of sample holders and a plurality of optical monochromators that are optically interposed between a light source and a light receiving element, and each optical monochromator is connected to each sample holder and a corresponding optical It consists of a moving means for moving the respective positions in a circular manner, a synchronizing signal generator for detecting the position of each optical monochromator and generating a synchronizing signal, and a display means for displaying the output of the light receiving element in response to the synchronizing signal. By this,
Since it is equipped with the functions of multi-item simultaneous analysis and multi-analyte simultaneous analysis, it is possible to quickly process a wide variety of analysis demands with high throughput.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a subordinate chemical analysis device, Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an embodiment of the analysis device according to the present invention, Fig. 3 is a side sectional view thereof, and Fig. 4 is an electrical diagram thereof. FIG. 5 is a side view of a main part for explaining another embodiment of the present invention. 5... Light source, 6... Light receiving element, 7... Sample holder, 8... Optical monochromator, 9... Moving means, 10... Synchronizing signal generator, 11... Display means, 16... Sample . Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of sample holders and a plurality of optical monochromators optically interposed between a light source and a light receiving element, and each optical monochromator is moved to an optical position corresponding to each sample holder. A chemical analysis device comprising a moving means, a synchronizing signal generator that detects the position of each optical monochromator and generates a synchronizing signal, and a display means that displays the output of the light receiving element based on the synchronizing signal. 2. By providing a switching circuit that selects the output of the light-receiving element based on the synchronization signal from the synchronization signal generator, and by switching the operating mode of this switching circuit, a plurality of types can be selected for each sample holder. 2. The chemical analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein it is possible to switch between simultaneous multi-item measurement using an optical monochromator and simultaneous multi-analyte measurement using a specific optical monochromator.