JPS61260876A - Automatic bacterial identification apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make it possible to carry out bacterial tests accurately at all times, by performing operation to judge many properties exhibited by bacteria in many reaction wells of a testing tray, operation to identify the names of species from the judgement results, etc., according to a given procedure and standard. CONSTITUTION:A color property detecting part (B) equipped with an irradiation light source 2 and a color sensor 3 is provided to detect optically and electrically color properties in the respective reaction wells (a) of a testing tray 1 set in a tray mounting part (A). A control part (C) having a function to compare the resultant detected electrical signal level from the respective reaction wells (a) detected by the color property detecting part (B) with the respective perset threshold values to judge the color properties in the reaction wells (a), search for the names of species corresponding to the judgement results of the color properties from the prerecorded memory data and output the search results is provided. As a result, bacterial tests can be efficiently carried out stably and accurately at all times.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is a completely new automatic bacterial test that can be suitably used for bacterial identification tests performed as part of testing unknown bacteria contained in specimens. This invention relates to an identification device.

[Conventional technology]

Conventional bacterial testing was generally performed using the following methods.

That is, as shown in the schematic flowchart of FIG. 11, first, a sample of clinical materials such as urine, pharyngeal mucus, sputum, cerebrospinal fluid, and food, etc. is collected, and then the sample is incubated for 18 to 24 hours. Bacterial identification tests are performed on independent colonies or pure cultured bacteria, which are performed by observing the biochemical properties of bacteria in response to various test solutions and substances. The task is to determine which characteristic patterns of bacteria should be avoided. In addition to the above-mentioned bacterial identification tests, bacterial tests include so-called microscopic microscopy, in which the isolated and cultured bacteria are stained (Durham stain, etc.) and then observed under a microscope. There are tests for morphological properties called morphological property tests and drug susceptibility tests.

By the way, in recent years, with remarkable progress in bacterial taxonomy, many bacterial species have been classified, and many biochemical property tests are now required for their differentiation. When there were only a few types of bacteria, it was possible to identify them using several types of biochemical property tests, but in recent years more than 20 types of tests are required to identify them at the bacterial species level.

However, it can be said to be extremely difficult to visually compare these property patterns in a short period of time to see which of the property patterns resemble those of known bacteria. Therefore, in response to this demand, there are various identification kits that have been developed based on computer-based numerical identification theory. There are well-known testing methods such as Biotest No. 1, which is performed on Durham-negative rods and non-fermenting bacteria (such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa). (It should be noted that the above-mentioned name "Biotest J" is a registered trademark of Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd.) Figure 12 is a schematic flowchart of the bacterial identification test called Biotest No. 1. As shown in the figure, a bacterial solution is mixed with a large number of predetermined various substances (
After injecting into a test tray that is housed independently in reaction wells (usually 20), culture for about 18 to 24 hours, and then add vP reagent into one predetermined well. After that, wait for about 15 minutes, and then visually observe the color (hue and saturation of the biochemical properties) in one predetermined well to determine if it is one type of property exhibited by the bacteria. It is determined whether a certain 0NPC (O-nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside resolution: sometimes further abbreviated as OPG) is positive (+) or negative (-), and then After adding the test solution for the nitrate reduction test (NIT), the test solution for the indolepyruvate production ability test (IPA), and the test solution for the indole production ability test (IND) into three predetermined wells, (Of these, the test solution for the nitrate reduction test is added to the well for the ○NPC determination.) By visually observing the color in all (20) wells of the test tray, The remaining 20 bacteria present
Determine whether the species is positive (+) or negative (-).

Next, the judgment results of the 21 types of properties obtained as described above are entered in a code sheet as shown in Figure 13, and then several types (usually 3 types) of properties are grouped together. , and weighting of positive (+) results is done by calculating (hand calculation) the scores for each group using the additive method, and then obtaining a 7-digit code (numerical value) as the test result. This is based on the method of searching for the bacterial species group corresponding to the obtained code (numerical value) by referring to a predetermined codebook.

Table 1 listed on the next page is a summary of the 21 properties determined in the above Biotest No. 1.

Table-1 [Determination property items in Biotest No. 1] (continued on the next page) Table-1 (continued) (continued on the next page) Table-1 (continued) (continued on the next page) Table -1 (Continued) By the way, regarding Biotest No. 2, although the property items to be determined are different from those of Biotest No. 1, the method itself is almost the same as that of Biotest No. 1.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in the bacteria identification test using the conventional means described above, when determining the characteristics of the large number (21 types) of bacteria exhibited in the large number of reaction wells of the test tray, the subtle colors of each are visually observed. , positive (+)
Since it is necessary to determine whether the test result is positive or negative (-), it not only takes a very long time even for a highly skilled person, but also makes it difficult to always accurately determine all the properties. It is extremely difficult to do this, and since there are large individual differences in judgments, a certain degree of misjudgment is unavoidable.Therefore, the code obtained by such misjudgment will also be incorrect, making it difficult to identify. In some cases, the bacterial species name may be completely different.
Sometimes the obtained code is not in the codebook and identification is impossible. Furthermore, in order to obtain a code that serves as a standard for identifying bacterial species, it is necessary to record a large number of property evaluation results one by one on a code sheet, and then manually calculate the additions. Even when identifying a species name, it is necessary to refer to the codebook one by one, which is not only extremely troublesome, but can also be caused by simple typos, miscalculations, or mistakes in reading from the codebook. However, there was also the problem of causing the same erroneous determination as described above.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to perform an operation for determining a large number of properties (colors) exhibited by bacteria in a large number of reaction wells of a test tray, By developing an automatic bacterial identification device that can perform operations such as identifying species names automatically and in a very short time based on fixed procedures and standards, we will be able to eliminate individual differences and human visual observation abilities. The goal is to make it possible to always accurately and stably judge delicate colors that are difficult to judge due to limitations, and to perform highly efficient bacterial identification tests that do not require troublesome operations. .

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, an automatic bacteria identification device according to the present invention is provided with a tray mounting part in which a test tray having a large number of reaction wells with a bacterial solution can be set, and a tray mounting part that is set in the tray mounting part. A color detecting section equipped with an irradiation light source and a color sensor is provided to optically and electrically detect the color in each reaction well of the test tray, and the color detected by the color detecting section is provided. By comparing the detected electrical signal level from each reaction well with each preset threshold value, the color in each reaction well is determined, and a bacterial inoculum corresponding to the color determination result is determined. It is characterized in that it is equipped with a control unit that has the function of searching and outputting pre-recorded memory data.

[Effect]

The effects achieved by this characteristic configuration are as follows.

In other words, by injecting a bacterial solution and incubating it for a predetermined period of time, and then setting a test tray containing a predetermined test solution in the tray mounting section, the color of each reaction well on the test tray will be the same as that for irradiation. A color detection unit equipped with a light source and a color sensor automatically detects optically and quantitatively as an electrical signal, and furthermore, in a control unit, the detected electrical signal level corresponding to each well and each darkness set in advance are detected automatically. Since the structure is such that the color in each well is automatically determined by comparing the values with the values (certain reference values), there is no need to worry about individual differences among the people making the determination, unlike in the case of conventional visual observation. Accurate color judgment is automatically and stably performed in a very short time based on constant procedures and standards without causing false judgments due to limitations in visual observation ability. Since the control unit is configured so that the bacterial inoculum corresponding to the condition determination result is retrieved from pre-recorded memory data and automatically output, it is possible to perform a large number of characteristic determinations as in the past. This eliminates the extremely troublesome operations of entering each result on a code sheet, calculating the code by hand, and referring to the codebook each time to identify the bacterial inoculum from the obtained code. Bacteria identification tests can now be performed very efficiently without the risk of erroneous judgments caused by simple entry errors, miscalculations, or reading errors from the codebook.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the automatic bacteria identification device according to the present invention will be described based on the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 10).

FIG. 1 conceptually shows the basic circuit configuration of the automatic bacteria identification device X, and FIG. 2 schematically shows the external appearance of the device X.

First, the overall structure of the apparatus will be schematically explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

In FIG. 1, A is a tray mounting part in which a test tray L having a large number of wells a for reaction with a bacterial solution can be set, and B is a tray mounting part in which a test tray 1 can be set, which is set in the tray mounting part A. A color detecting unit is equipped with an irradiation light source 2 and a color sensor 3 for optically and electrically detecting the color in each reaction well a..., and
C compares the detection electric signal level from each reaction well a... detected by the color detection unit B with each preset threshold value. A control unit that has the function of determining the color in ... and searching and outputting the bacterial seed coat corresponding to the color determination result from pre-recorded memory data, and the hard control unit CM and It consists of a software control section C1. Further, D is a display/operation panel section, which is installed on the front side of the exterior casing 4 of the device, as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, numeral 5 indicates an automatic opening/closing door (to be described in detail later) for taking things in and out of the tray mounting section, and 6.7 indicates a display device such as a printer, a personal computer, etc. The signal output line to the data processing device is shown. The front portion 4a of the exterior casing 4 is configured to be able to swing open and close around the horizontal axis 2 at its lower front edge to facilitate maintenance and other operations.

Next, the detailed configuration of the tray mounting section A will be explained with reference to the conceptual diagram in FIG. 1 and the specific configuration diagrams in FIGS. 3 to 5.

The test tray 1 (in this example, Biotes No. 1 is used) that is set in the tray mounting section A during the bacterial identification test is placed on its left and right sides as shown in Figure 3 (a) and (b). A large number (20 in this example) of grooves d... are formed which are partitioned in the direction (lateral direction) by partition walls C..., and one side (front side in this example) of the grooves d... is formed. The reaction wells a are independent of each other, and the other side (in this example, the rear side) of the grooves C are connected to each other as a bacterial liquid injection well b. The inspection tray 1 is generally manufactured by integrally molding a relatively thin white synthetic resin. As shown in the figure, abbreviations indicating inspection properties or numbers indicating inspection order may be attached to the upper surfaces e and r of the front and rear edges, but these may be omitted. There is no problem, and this inspection tray 1 should be placed as shown in the figure, so as not to confuse the front and back when setting it in the tray mounting section A.
For example, by providing notches g, g, etc. on one side in the left-right direction, the shape is asymmetrical.

As shown in FIG. 5, the tray mounting section A is provided below the front portion 4a of the exterior casing 4, and is inserted into the apparatus as shown by an arrow Z through a door 5 that automatically opens and closes as shown by an arrow Y. Predetermined test value of! A spare tray stand 9 on which the inspection tray 1 is directly placed is placed on a tray mounting base 8 which is configured to be movable between being inserted into (drawn in) and pulled out of the apparatus. It is configured such that it can be easily attached and detached at a predetermined position on 8 in a position-shift-prevented state. That is, as shown in FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B), the spare tray stand 9 has a recess 9a formed on its upper surface side, into which the bottom portion of the inspection tray I fits snugly.
It is composed of a rectangular plate-like body to which pins 9b... are fixed in protrusions from three places on the lower surface of the periphery, and the pins 9b...
The spare tray stand 9 is placed in a predetermined position on the base 8 in a manner that it can be easily attached and detached so that the tray is inserted into the hole 8b formed in the base 8 (see FIG. 5). This is possible. The rice spare tray stand 9 is also made of white synthetic resin, and as shown in the figure, a pure white part 9C for calibrating the color detecting section B is provided on the upper surface of the edge corresponding to the starting end of the inspection. Although it may be provided in some cases, it may be provided in other parts as well.

As shown in FIG. 1, the tray mounting base 8 includes the tray loading/unloading switch 1 in the display/operation panel section. By operating the tray table, the tray table is automatically moved in and out of the apparatus via a drive mechanism 14 consisting of a forward/reverse motor 12 for moving the tray table and a front/rear slide gear mechanism 13 interlocked therewith. There is.

Further, in FIG. 1, reference numeral 15 denotes a photo ink acter as an example of a position detecting means for the base 8;
A and ga are position indicating markers such as holes provided in the base 8 corresponding to the photointerrupter 15. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the automatic opening/closing door 5 is always biased in the closing direction by a coil spring 16 or the like, and is forced to close when the tray mounting base 8 is moved out of the apparatus. It opens and closes automatically as the base 8 moves into the device. 17 in Figure 5
indicates a support roller for the tray mounting base 8.

In other words, since the tray mounting section A is configured as described above, setting the inspection tray 1 in the device or taking it out from the device can be done simply by operating a switch, and there is no risk of the recess spilling out. This is done reliably and automatically with extremely little spillage, and even if the bacterial solution spills, the spare tray stand 9 will only be soiled and the tray mounting base 8 and cable lamp 4 will be cleaned. The main parts of the device, such as the inside, will not become soiled, and the soiled spare tray stand 9 can be easily removed from the tray mounting base 8, so by cleaning it easily and reliably, the entire device can be cleaned. can be easily maintained in a clean state for a long period of time.

Next, the detailed structure of the color detecting section B for each reaction well a of the test tray 1 set in the tray mounting section A will be explained in detail in the conceptual diagram of FIG. 1 and in FIGS. 6 to 8. This will be explained with reference to the specific configuration diagram in the figure.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, this color detecting section B is constructed by integrally combining one small irradiation light source 2 and one color sensor 3 on one movable table 18. A set of color detecting units 19 consisting of the color detecting unit 19 and the color detecting unit 19 are aligned along the horizontal direction, which is the direction in which the reaction wells a of the test tray 1 set in the tray mounting section A are lined up. , and a position side a drive mechanism 20 configured to move intermittently so that the color sensor 3 sequentially stops above each of the reaction wells a...
The position control drive mechanism 20 includes a photo interrupter 21, which is an example of a position detection means for the color detection unit 19, mounted on the movable table 18 constituting the unit 19, and A forward/reverse motor 22 for moving the detection unit, which is driven and controlled based on the position detection result of the unit 19 by an interrupter 21, a pair of left and right boots IJ-23, 24, the motor 22, the pulley 23, 24, and the movement A wire drive means 26 comprising a wire 25 wound and stretched over the base 20 is provided.

And 27a... corresponds to the photo ink clubter 21 as the unit position detection means, and indicates the position of a hole etc. provided at a position corresponding to the reaction well a... of the inspection tray 1. These well position indicating markers 27a are formed on one 28 of the fixed guide rails 28 and 29 for the color detection unit 19.

Further, limit position indicating markers 27b and 27c are also formed on the guide rail 28 to indicate the left and right movement limit ends of the color detecting unit 19.

Among them, the marker 27b indicating the left-hand limit end is positioned at a location corresponding to the pure white portion 9C for calibrating the detection unit formed on the spare tray stand 9. Note that 30 in FIG. 6 indicates an electric circuit required for this color detecting unit 19.

FIG. 7 shows the positional relationship between the color detecting unit 19 and the inspection tray 1 set at a predetermined inspection position. As shown in this figure, the small irradiation light source 2 has a condensing lens 2a at its tip and a cod lamp 2b (in this (7) example, a tungsten lamp having an illuminance of 6001ux at 5V-5W is used). is installed inside the inclined cylinder 2C, and is configured to irradiate light from diagonally above (at an angle of about 45 degrees in this example) approximately at the center of each reaction well a in the inspection tray l. Further, the color sensor 3 is constructed by providing a color sensing element 3a in a state of blocking an upper opening of a box-like body 3C having a window 3b at the bottom for introducing reflected light from each reaction well a. There is.

As shown in FIG. 8(a), the color sensing element 3a converts the red component in the incident light into a lead wire 31. A red pink-up section 3. outputs voltage signals v, l via the red pink-up section 3. l, and a voltage signal ■ for the green component via the lead wire 31G. Green-pink amplifier section that outputs 3. Then, the blue component is sent as a voltage signal v via the lead wire 31m.
Blue pick amplifier section outputs as 3. It consists of.

In addition, in FIG. 8(a), 311= is a lead wire for a cathode, and 32 is a cathode mark.

Further, each of the pickup sections 3*, 3. .

3, respectively, as shown in FIG. 8(b), cover glass 33. Color filter 34. Glass substrate 35. The coating resin 36 is layered in this order from the bottom.

In other words, since the color detecting section B is configured as described above, the test tray 1 has a large number of reaction wells a...
・In spite of the fact that each reaction well a...
It is sufficient to install only 1M of color detection systems for the reaction wells, which is extremely advantageous in terms of downsizing the entire device and reducing costs.In addition, one common color detection system for all reaction wells a... Since the unit 19 is used, stable detection can be performed under the same conditions for all reaction wells a, and the adjustment is also easier, compared to the case where a large number of color detection units are used. There are advantages.

Next, to explain the control section C, the first
As shown in the figure, the hard control section CM includes
In addition to the power supply circuit 37 for all electrical components in this device, the forward/reverse motor 12 for moving the tray table
tray motor control circuit 38. A tray position detection circuit 39 for the tray position detection photo interlayer 15. A unit position detection circuit 40° for the photo interlator 21 for detecting the position of the detection unit; a detection unit motor control circuit 41 for the forward/reverse rotation motor 22 for moving the detection unit; Detection signals from the panel control circuit 42 for the display/operation panel section and the color detecting section B are input manually, and the signals between each of the circuits 37 to 42 and the software control section C8 described below are input manually. An input/output interface 43 for communication is provided.

The soft control section CS includes a CPU and a RAM that are connected to the input/output interface 43 of the hard control section C.

It is composed of a central control circuit 44 having a control ROM, etc., and an output interface 46 to a display device such as a printer 45 or a data processing device (not shown) such as a personal computer. A data ROM back 47 in which various types of data, which will be described in detail later, are recorded, is connected via an input interface 48 as a removable or replaceable external element. In addition,
Measurement data and the like are stored in the RAM in the central control circuit 44 with sample numbers attached, and since a battery is connected to the RAM, the data will not disappear even if the main power is turned off. It is designed to remain in place.

Next, the bacteria identification procedure, which is the main operation of the software control section C8, will be explained.

The color detecting section B is connected to the soft control section C3.
Vic (red component), VGC (green component), Vic (blue component), and Detection signals V* (red component), Ve (green component), and Vm (blue component) I obtained from each reaction well a in the test tray I are sequentially input.

Therefore, based on these detection signals, each reaction well a.
In order to detect the color in ..., first, by the formula on the next page, the red component ratio R3 green component ratio G to the total incident light
, blue component ratio B and turbidity for each reaction well a...
・Calculate each.

Vl/VIC V++ /V++c+ Vc /Vcc+ Vm
/VmcVa /VRC+ VG /VGC+ Vl
/Vsc And the red component ratio R1 representing the detected color in each reaction well a... determined in this way
Among the parameters such as the green component ratio G, the blue component ratio B, and the turbidity, select the most appropriate parameter for each reaction well a, and compare each parameter with the reaction well a.
By comparing each reaction well with a preset threshold value S, it is possible to determine whether the numerous colors exhibited by bacteria in each reaction well a are positive (+) or negative (-). It is to judge. In addition, each reaction well a
The threshold value S corresponding to . . . is obtained by statistically analyzing a large number of experimental results. FIG. 9 shows an example of statistical analysis based on the experimental results. As is clear from this graph, for example, in the case of OPG shown in Figure 9, the green component ratio G is most suitable for determining its color, and whether it is positive (+) or negative (-). A certain branch point, that is, the threshold value S can be determined to be 28.5% in this example. Note that the data of this darkness value S is recorded in the data ROM pack 47 in advance.

Now, when the color determination results for each of the reaction wells a are obtained as described above, the soft control section C1 selects the bacterial species group corresponding to the color determination results.
Search is made from memory data recorded in advance in the data ROM pack 47.

As for the search procedure, for example, the code book used in the conventional manual search is stored in the data ROM pack 4.
7 in advance, calculate the 7-digit code (numerical value) as before, and select the tIl corresponding to that code.
Basically, it is possible to extract the IIiIr name from the data ROM pack 47, but in the present embodiment, the following procedure is adopted in order to perform a more accurate and detailed search.

5. In the data ROM pack 47, the predetermined probabilities of being positive for each of the properties of various bacteria (positive rate table for identification) are recorded as data, and the identification Positive rate table for each reaction and well a for each reaction.
・Based on the color judgment results for each bacterium,
The absolute probability that the bacteria can be identified is determined by calculation, and first, those whose absolute probability is greater than a certain value are temporarily extracted,
Next, calculate the relative probability of each of the temporarily extracted bacteria with respect to all the temporarily extracted bacteria,
Sort the bacteria with the highest relative probability in descending order, and set a certain percentage of all the bacteria with the relative probability (for example, 90%).
Extract as much as possible. However, other than the bacteria extracted in this way, all bacteria whose absolute probability is above a certain value are extracted.

In this way, one or more bacteria are usually extracted and output in order of probability.

Table 2 listed below shows a part of the positive rate table for identification for Biotes No. 1 in the case of the device of this embodiment.

The soft control section C3 is configured so that it can also perform the following auxiliary functions in addition to the basic bacteria identification function as described above.

One of these is that the color judgment results for each of the reaction wells a. This function checks whether a property (such as a property) is included, and if so, outputs the corresponding property name. Another point is that if there are two or more bacterial species groups extracted as described above, what kind of additional tests should be performed are stored in advance as data in the data ROM pack 47. Based on the recorded probability of being positive for properties other than the above-mentioned properties of various bacteria (additional test positivity rate table), extract the properties by calculation and select the property name for the appropriate additional test. This function outputs the following.

Table 3 listed below shows a part of the positive rate table for the additional test in the case of the device of this embodiment.

Table 3 [Positive rate table for additional test] Each result obtained as described above is stored in the software control section C1, and is also transmitted to the display and operation panel section, for example. The information is sent to the printer 45 and printed out on an output sheet 49 as illustrated in FIG.

Next, the structure and function of the display/operation panel section will be explained with reference to FIG.

In the figure, 50 is a main power switch, 51 is a first digital switch for setting test items (items such as Biotest No. 1 and Biotest No. 2), and 52 is a digital switch used for various purposes as described later. 2 digital switches, 53 and 54 are a group of switches for adjusting the internal clock provided in the device, 53 is a time changeover switch for 1 minute and 2 seconds, and 54 is a feed switch. If it is necessary to adjust the internal clock for some reason, first press and operate the clock changeover switch 53 to display the year on the liquid crystal display 60 (described later), and then press and operate the changeover switch 53 again. This moves the cursor position to the incorrect number position, then presses and operates the clock advance switch 54 to set it to the correct number, and then presses and operates the changeover switch 53 with the correct year displayed. Set the year. After that, when you press and operate the clock changeover switch 53, the month and day will be displayed, so you can make corrections in the same way.After that, when you press and operate the clock changeover switch 53 again, the hours and minutes will be displayed, so you can make corrections in the same way. That's fine.

55 is a mode setting switch, and this switch 55
By pressing , the mode can be alternately switched between the first measurement mode and the second measurement mode. Here, the first measurement mode means that all the detection operations for each reaction well a of the inspection tray 1 are performed in one
There is a mode in which 20 properties are automatically detected by repeating the test once at a time, and one property (NIT) that overlaps in the second reaction well a is manually set as a judgment result by visual inspection, etc. Yes, and the second measurement mode refers to wells a other than the second reaction well a...
The detection operation for 2 is performed only once, while the detection operation for
This is a mode in which all 21 properties are automatically detected by performing the detection operation for the th reaction well a twice.

In addition, in the calculation mode, in other words, the data given to the control section C as described below is used without performing color detection in each reaction well a of the test tray l by the color detection section B. If you want to switch to a mode in which only calculations are performed, set the second digital switch 52 to OO and press and operate the sample number setting switch 56, which will be described later, to switch to that calculation mode. If you wish to cancel the sample number setting switch 56, set the second digital switch 52 to any number other than the OO group and press the sample number setting switch 56.

11 is the tray loading/unloading switch 11 described above,
By pressing this - times, the tray mounting section A is
can be automatically pulled out from inside the device, and then by pressing the tray once, the tray mounting portion A can be automatically pulled into the device, and so on.

56 is a sample number setting switch, and when this switch 56 is pressed and operated, the numerical value set by the second digital switch 52 is set as the sample number. The sample number setting switch 56 is used not only in the measurement mode, but also for, for example, re-calling already measured data from the control section C to perform correction calculations. Reference numeral 57 is a switch that is pressed when calling such existing data.

Reference numeral 58 denotes a measurement command switch, and when pressed, a predetermined sequence of detection, control, calculation, etc. is executed in the measurement mode, and a sequence of calculations, etc. is executed in the calculation mode and data call. 59 is an LED that lights up while the measurement mode sequence is being executed.

Reference numeral 60 denotes a liquid crystal display on which test items set as described above, time, sample number, etc. are displayed in text.

In addition, a large number of LEDs 61 and 61 that indicate measurement are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction.
... is lit to indicate the property to be measured.

Similarly, a large number of LEDs indicating positive (+) are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction.
62... and LED63... indicating negative (-)
・ is the judgment result currently in progress by the control unit C, or the existing judgment result called up again by the operation of the data call switch 57, or the select switches 65 arranged horizontally in large numbers at the bottom. It displays the judgment results that are forcibly set by manually operating... Note that the select switch 65
. . . indicates the measurement according to the number of times it is pressed. LED 62 indicates positive (+).
....

It is possible to arbitrarily light up any of the LED 63 indicating negative (-) and the LED 64 indicating pending, which are also arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction. It goes without saying that the data can be modified arbitrarily, and even in the measurement mode, any property can be modified as desired, regardless of the detection result by the color detection unit (or regardless of whether or not detection is performed). The determination result can be set. When the LED 64 indicating the hold is turned on, the property is set as a determination result that is neither positive (+) nor negative (=), that is, there is no determination result.

In this way, irrespective of the detection result by the color detecting section B, the properties of any well a among the many reaction wells a in the test tray 1 can be changed arbitrarily by manual operation. Since it is possible to forcibly set the color judgment result of a certain reaction well a, it is possible to forcibly set the color judgment result, for example, to investigate and consider the effect on the bacterial identification result when the color judgment result for a certain reaction well a changes, or to use an atypical method. Due to a high degree of physical characteristics or an irregular reaction,
There is an advantage in that various applied operations such as appropriate software processing when there is a reaction well that is in a state where there is a large risk of erroneous determination can be carried out freely.

By the way, in the above embodiment, the data RO
Although the M puffer 47 is configured to be attached and detached within the device, it would be even more convenient if an opening for attachment and detachment is formed in the front part of the outer casing 4, as shown in phantom lines in FIG. .

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the detailed description above, the automatic bacteria identification device according to the present invention is provided with a tray mounting section in which a test tray having a large number of wells for reaction with a bacterial solution can be set, and a A color detecting section is provided which is equipped with an irradiation light source and a color sensor for optically and electrically detecting the color in each reaction well of the test tray set in the mounting section, and By comparing the detected electrical signal level from each reaction well detected by the detection unit with each preset darkness value, the color in each reaction well is determined, and the color determination result is determined. It has a configuration that includes a control unit that has the function of searching and outputting the bacterial species name corresponding to the name from pre-recorded memory data, so after injecting the bacterial solution and culturing it for a predetermined period of time, As long as a test tray containing a predetermined reagent solution is set in the tray mounting section, the color in each reaction well of the test tray is automatically and quantitatively detected by the color detecting section. Since the color of each well is automatically judged in the control section based on the detection results, it is possible to avoid erroneous judgments caused by individual differences in the judgment person or limitations of visual observation ability, unlike in the case of conventional visual observation. Accurate color determination is automatically and stably performed in a very short time based on constant procedures and standards without causing any problems, and the name of the bacterial species corresponding to the color determination result is Since the control unit searches the pre-recorded memory data and automatically outputs it, it is no longer necessary to write in a large number of property judgment results one by one on a code sheet or obtain the code by hand calculation, as in the past. This eliminates the extremely troublesome operation of referring to the codebook one by one to identify the bacterial species name from the obtained code, and eliminates the problem of simple entry errors, miscalculations, or codebook errors that tend to occur in the past. This provides an excellent effect in that bacteria identification tests can be carried out very efficiently without the risk of erroneous judgments due to misreading.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 10 are plan views of the automatic bactericidal inspection tray according to the present invention, and Figure 3 (B) is the -■ of Figure 3 (A).
Linear view, Figure 4 (a) is a plan view of the spare tray stand, Figure 4
Figure (B) is a view taken along the rV-IV line in Figure 4 (A), Figure 5 is a longitudinal side view of the main part, Figure 6 is a plan view of the main part, and Figure 7 is a longitudinal side view of the main part. 8(a) and 8(b) are a plan view and a longitudinal side view of the color sensing element, FIG. 9 is a graph showing an example of the experimental results, and FIG. 10 is a plan view of the output sheet showing an example of the output. It is a diagram. Furthermore, FIGS. 11 to 13 are for explaining the prior art, in which FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a general procedure for bacterial testing, and FIG. 12 is a biotest as an example of a bacterial identification test. A flowchart showing the procedure of No. 1, and FIG. 13 are a plan view of a code sheet used in the conventional method. A......Tray mounting part, B......
...Color detection unit, C...Control unit, 1...Tray for inspection, a...
... Reaction well, 2 ..... Light source for irradiation, 3 ..... Color sensor, 8 ...
......Tray mounting base, 9...
・Spare tray stand, 11...Tray loading/unloading switch, 14...Tray mounting section drive mechanism, 19...Color detection unit, 20
......Detection part position control drive mechanism. Figure 5 Figure 9 4L de 1t

Claims (1)

[Claims] A tray mounting part is provided in which a test tray having a large number of wells for reaction with a bacterial solution can be set, and the color of each reaction well of the test tray set in the tray mounting part is determined optically and electrically. a color detecting section including an irradiation light source and a color sensor for detection, and a detection electric signal level from each reaction well detected by the color detecting section is set in advance. Equipped with a function to determine the color in each reaction well by comparing with each threshold value, and to search and output the bacterial species name corresponding to the color determination result from pre-recorded memory data. An automatic bacteria identification device characterized by being provided with a control section.