JPS6042656A - Automatic chemical analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent sticking of foam to a sample vessel which is a cause for photometric noise by attaching a cap to the open/shut port of a reaction vessel for holding a sample vessel at a fixed temp. thereby preventing evaporation of water while an analyer of a direct photometric system is not in use. CONSTITUTION:When the constant temp. water 11 in a reaction vessel 4 is maintained at 37 deg.C in the stage of operating an analyzer a cap 10 formed of a shape memory alloy is deformed to an inverted L shape and opens an open/shut port 9. A sampling nozzle, reagent nozzle, washing and drying nozzle, etc. move into and out of said port 9 and the operations in various stages are accomplished. The sample in a sample vessel 1 is measured with a photodetector 8 by measuring light from a light source 7 for photometry. The water 11 is cooled upon ending of the measurement and the entire part of the device is restored to the room temp. The cap 10 formed of the shape memory alloy recovers to the flat shape and closes the port 9. The water 11 in the vessel 4 is thus prevented from evaporating even after long-time standing.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention 1] The present invention relates to a direct photometric automatic chemical analyzer, and more particularly to an automatic chemical analyzer with improved photometric noise.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems 1 Analyzers that directly measure light on a sample container have a problem in that air bubbles adhere to the sample container, causing photometry noise. The following two conditions are required for air bubbles to adhere to the sample container.
There is one. That is, if the container becomes dirty, air bubbles tend to form on it, and once the glass surface of the sample container dries, air bubbles tend to form on it. To prevent this drying, the reaction container was always filled with water even when the analyzer was not in use. However, depending on the climatic conditions, even if the reaction vessel is filled with water, evaporation may be rapid, especially if the equipment is not used for two days over the weekend and is started on Monday. Therefore, it was necessary to remove the sample container from the analyzer again and wash it with detergent. In addition, in recent years, the amount of sample has become smaller and the reaction vessels themselves have become smaller, so the amount of water that can be filled inside is also 0.5 to 1.0 I! From this point of view, the glass surface of the container dries due to evaporation, making it easier for air bubbles to form.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to prevent the evaporation of water in the reaction vessel when the analyzer is stopped, thereby reducing the amount of water in the sample, which is a cause of photometric noise. Preventing air bubbles from adhering to the container.

[Summary of the Invention] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a structure for sealing a reaction container, and an opening M is provided in the reaction container that is linked to the use/rest state of the analyzer. It is characterized in that evaporation of water in the reaction vessel is prevented by closing the opening/closing port.

[Embodiment of the Invention] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, a reaction disk 2 in which a number of sample containers 1 containing objects to be measured are arranged is supported by a rotating shaft 3. As shown in FIG. A reaction container 4, which is a thermostatic bath that maintains the sample container 1 at a constant temperature, is provided surrounding the sample container 1 and the reaction disk 2. The rotating part of the reaction disk 2 is in contact with the reaction container 4 via a sealing material 5.

A translucent window 6 is provided on both side walls of a part of the reaction vessel 4.
is embedded. A measurement light source 7 and a light receiving device @8 are arranged in a nearly straight line with a window 6 in between to form a photometric system. A plurality of opening/closing ports 9 are provided at positions corresponding to the sample containers 1 on the upper part of the reaction container 4, and the opening/closing ports 9 form an inverted shape as shown in FIG. 2 when the temperature is about 37°C. A lid 10 made of a shape memory alloy that assumes a flat plate shape at room temperature of about 20° C. is provided. Note that constant temperature water 11 is poured into the reaction container 4 to immerse the sample container 1 to a certain position.

Next, the operation of the analyzer configured as described above will be explained. When the analyzer is at rest, the constant temperature water 11 in the reaction vessel 4 is at about 20°C. When operating the analyzer, the constant temperature water 11 in the reaction vessel 4 is first maintained at 37°C. Then, the shape memory alloy lid 10 assumes an inverted shape as shown in FIG. 2, and the opening/closing opening 9 opens. When the opening/closing port 9 is opened, a sampling nozzle, a reagent nozzle, a cleaning/drying nozzle, etc. (not shown) are moved in and out of the opening/closing port 9 at each stage to perform the operations of each step. The sample in the sample container 1 passes through the window 6 and is measured by the measurement light from the measurement light source 7 through the constant temperature water by the light receiving device 8. After measuring the sample in the sample container 1, the sample is taken out from the sample container 1 and discarded. When the analyzer is left as it is, the constant temperature water 11 is cooled down.
Return to room temperature. Then, the entire device returns to room temperature, and the shape memory alloy lid 10 assumes a flat plate shape and closes the opening 9, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the constant temperature water 11 in the reaction container 4 will not evaporate even if left for a long time.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the opening/closing port is open when the analyzer is in operation, so that predetermined sample processing can be performed. Since the reaction container is closed and the reaction container has a closed structure, the water in the reaction container does not evaporate, and water does not evaporate even during long periods of rest. Therefore, when starting the analyzer after a break, there is no need to clean the sample container because air bubbles do not adhere to it, and it is possible to provide an analyzer that can quickly obtain stable data.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

5-4- Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the analyzer of the present invention, showing the analyzer when the analyzer is at rest, and Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the analyzer shown in Fig. 1 when it is in operation. It is a diagram. 1...Sample container, 2...Reaction disk, 4...Reaction container, 9...Opening/closing opening, 1
0... Lid. Agent Patent Attorney Noriyuki Chika (and 1 other person) 6-

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an automatic chemical analyzer comprising a sample container in which an object to be measured is stored, a reaction container that maintains the sample container at a constant temperature, and a photometry system that measures and analyzes the object to be measured, An automatic chemical analysis device characterized by having a lid made of a shape memory alloy attached to the opening/closing opening.