JPS61294367A - Chemical analyzing instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a chemical analyzing instrument which is compact and has high accurately by providing plural housing chambers for chemical analytical slides to an incubator, sliding the same in a transverse direction so that the chemical analytical slides face an insertion port, reading head and discharge port. CONSTITUTION:The incubator 10 has the plural housing chambers 11a, 11b...11e arrayed in the transverse direction on the same plane and houses and holds the chemical analytical slides 1a...1e therein. The incubator 10 is so slid by a controller 5 that the empty chamber 11 faces the housing port 31. The slide 1 to which a sample is spottedly stuck and supplied is imposed on a guide rail 32 and is pushed by an insertion lever 33 into the chamber 1. The incubator 10 is so slid that the center of the slide 1 coincides with the center of the reading had 6. The irradiation of the irradiation light on the slide 1 through an aperture 12 for measurement and the measurement of the optical density of the light reflected therefrom are executed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention is a chemical analysis slide having one or multiple reagent layers, in which a liquid sample containing a substance to be measured is dot-supplied, and kept at constant temperature for a predetermined period of time (incubation). This invention relates to a chemical analysis device for quantitatively analyzing the content of a substance to be measured mainly based on the principle of colorimetry by optically measuring the color optical density of Enoki.

(Prior Art) Qualitative or quantitative analysis of specific chemical components in a liquid sample is a commonly performed operation in various industrial fields. In particular, quantitative analysis of chemical components or formed components in biological body fluids such as blood and urine is extremely important in the biochemical and clinical fields.

In recent years, dry-type chemical analysis slides have been developed that can quantitatively analyze specific chemical components or formed components contained in a sample solution by simply applying small droplets of the sample solution. No. 53-21677, Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-16
No. 4356, etc.) has been put into practical use. These chemical analysis slides allow sample liquid analysis to be performed more easily and quickly than conventional wet analysis methods, so they are particularly useful in medical institutions and laboratories that need to analyze a large number of samples. etc., it is preferable.

To analyze the chemical components in a sample solution using such a chemical analysis slide, the sample solution is dotted onto the chemical analysis slide and then placed in an ink beta (constant temperature l1l).
The sample solution is maintained at a constant temperature (incubation) for a predetermined period of time to cause a color reaction (pigment formation reaction), and then the wavelength is preselected based on the combination of the component to be measured in the sample solution and the reagent contained in the reagent layer of the chemical analysis slide. The chemical analysis slide is irradiated with measuring irradiation light containing .

In this case, it is necessary to analyze a large number of samples in the above-mentioned analysis at the medical institution, research institute, etc., and it is desirable to be able to perform this analysis automatically and continuously. For this reason, various proposals have been made regarding chemical analyzers that can automatically and continuously analyze samples using the chemical analysis slides described above.

For example, as disclosed in JP-A-56-77746, chemical analysis slides are sandwiched between two rotatable disks at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. A heater is provided to keep the temperature constant, and the chemical analysis slide, which has been kept at constant temperature for a predetermined period of time, is positioned opposite the reading head located below the disk by rotating the disk. There is a chemical analysis apparatus that uses a reading head to irradiate a chemical analysis slide with light through an opening in the lower surface of a disk and measure the reflected optical density thereof.

Using this device, multiple chemical analysis slides can be placed circumferentially between two disks, allowing for efficient and quick analysis. The control system tends to become complicated, and there are some problems in terms of miniaturization and cost reduction of the device.

Furthermore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 58-21.566, for example, a "U"-shaped conveyance path is formed in the incubator, and within this conveyance path, chemicals held in carriers of a predetermined shape are A plurality of analysis slides are fed in sequence and transported along this transport path, and the chemical analysis slides are kept at a constant temperature within the transport path for a predetermined period of time by a reading head installed in the middle of this transport path. A chemical analysis device has also been proposed which is capable of irradiating a surface with irradiation light and measuring its reflected optical density. With this device, analysis can be performed efficiently and quickly using multiple chemical analysis slides, but a mechanism is required to transport the carrier holding the chemical analysis slides along the transport path. There are some problems in terms of miniaturization and cost reduction of the device. Generally speaking, when measuring reflected optical density, a reaction rate measurement method (rate assay) is also used in which the same chemical analysis slide is measured multiple times at predetermined time intervals and the rate of change in reflected optical density is measured. However, there is a problem in that the above-mentioned device is not well suited for measurements in rate assay methods.

Furthermore, as a different example of a chemical analysis device, chemical analysis slides are stacked and inserted into an incubator one after the other, and after a predetermined period of time, the stacked slides are taken out one after the other starting from the bottom and the reflected optical density is measured. There is something I decided to do. This method has the advantage that the chemical analysis slides are placed in the incubator one on top of the other, making it easier to maintain a constant temperature and making the incubator more compact.
While the reagent on the chemical analysis slide is kept at constant temperature, the gas generated by the color reaction between the reagent on the chemical analysis slide and the component to be measured in the sample applied to the slide may affect the color reaction on other chemical analysis slides. There is a problem that the accuracy of analysis decreases. Furthermore, in this apparatus, since the chemical analysis slides are sequentially taken out and measured after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, it is difficult to perform measurements during constant temperature maintenance, and there is a problem that it is not suitable for rate assay measurements.

(Object of the Invention) In view of the problems of the conventional chemical analyzer as described above, the present invention provides a chemical analyzer that is relatively small, compact, simple in structure, and capable of performing rapid and highly accurate chemical analysis. The purpose is to provide a device.

(Structure of the Invention) The chemical analysis device of the present invention has an incubator having a plurality of storage chambers for accommodating and storing a plurality of chemical analysis slides horizontally in a line on the same plane, which is slidable in the horizontal direction. arrangement,
According to the sliding movement of this ink beta, the reading head is placed in a position facing the chemical analysis slide placed in the storage chamber.
The reading head irradiates the chemical analysis slide with irradiation light and measures the reflected optical density thereof, and further includes an insertion means and an ejection means for inserting and ejecting the chemical analysis slide into the storage chamber. an insertion positioning means that memorizes a storage chamber in which no chemical analysis slide is inserted and slides the incubator so that the empty storage chamber is located at a position facing the insertion means; and a chemical analysis slide inserted into the storage chamber. a reading positioning means for sliding the ink beta so that the center of the slide coincides with the center of the reading head; and sliding the ink beta so that the chemical analysis slide is located in a position facing the ejecting means after measurement by the reading head is completed. The present invention is characterized in that an ink beta sliding drive means composed of a discharge positioning means is provided.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing one embodiment of the chemical analysis device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view of the device taken along arrow A-A, and FIGS. It is a cross-sectional view taken along arrows B-B, CC, and D-D of FIG.
This will be explained with reference to FIG.

The ink beta 10 is a plurality of (
In this example, there are 5 storage rooms 118.11b,...11
e, and these storage chambers 11a, 11b,...11e
Chemical analysis slide 1a respectively within °.

1b, . . . 1e can be stored and held. This ink beta 10 has a built-in heater (not shown), and chemical analysis slides 1 in storage chambers 11a, llb, . . . 11e.
Maintain constant temperature of a, lb,...1e (incubation)
It is now possible to do so.

The chemical analysis slides 1a, 1b, .
A dry multilayer analysis film 52, which is made up of a support, a reagent layer, and a developing layer laminated in this order, is disposed inside the film, and a predetermined amount of a liquid sample such as urine or blood is placed on the developing layer of this film. The ink is supplied and kept at a constant temperature in the ink beta 10 to cause a color reaction.

The incubator 10 is guided by front and rear guides 20 and 30 and is slidable laterally (in the direction of arrow X in FIGS. 1 and 2). This sliding is performed by the driving force of a linear motor that is composed of a stator 13 attached to the lower surface of the ink beta 10 and a rotor 14 that holds this stator 13. The drive of this linear motor is controlled by a controller 5. It is done. By configuring a linear motor, the amount of sliding in the lateral direction can be controlled with high precision.However, the present invention is not limited to the linear motor as a drive means for performing this sliding, and other types of driving means can be used. It is a hot theory that it is possible to use other means (combination of a pulse motor etc. and a screw, combination of a pulse motor and a wire).

The front and rear guides 20.30 guide the sliding ink betater 10 and the storage chamber 11a.

Chemical analysis slides stored in 11b,...11e
The chemical analysis slides 1a, 1b, .
lb, . . . 1e are positioned and held in the front and back by front and rear guides 20.30, and are slid in the lateral direction (x direction) by the operation of the linear motor. An insertion guide rail 32 is fixed to the front guide 30, and the chemical analysis slide 1a placed on the insertion guide rail 32 is inserted into the insertion opening 31 formed in the front guide 30 by an insertion lever 33.
It is designed to be inserted into a predetermined storage chamber 11a through. Further, an ejection guide rail 22 is fixed to the rear guide 20, and the chemical analysis slide 1 is pushed out from the storage chamber 11e through the ejection port 21 by the ejection lever 23.
e is discharged onto the discharge guide rail 22.

On the other hand, a reading head 6 is fixed so as to face the lower surface of the ink betater 10, and measurement openings 12a, 12b are provided on the lower surface of each storage chamber 11a, 11b, . . . 11e of the ink betater 10, respectively. ... 12e is formed, and the center of the reading head 6 and the storage chamber 1 are connected by driving a linear motor under the control of the controller 5.
1a, 11b, . . . , 11e so that when the center of any one of the chemical analysis slides stored in slides 1a, 11b, . It has become. In addition,
In order to maintain high measurement accuracy at this time, it is necessary to accurately align the center of the reading head 6 with the center of the chemical analysis slide 11, and drive control using a linear motor is suitable for such precise positioning control. .

The operation of the chemical analysis apparatus configured as above will be explained. The controller 5 controls the drive of the linear motors 13 and 14 that slide the ink beta 10 in the lateral direction (x direction).
However, the controller 5 also controls the operation of the levers 33.23 for inserting and ejecting chemical analysis slides, thereby determining which of the storage chambers 11a, 11b, . . . , 11e is empty and which storage chamber is empty. It is now possible to grasp how long the chemical analysis slide 1 has been stored.

For this purpose, first, the controller 5 slides the ink beta 10 so that the empty storage chamber 11 faces the storage opening 31. Therefore, chemical analysis slide 1 where the sample was spot-supplied.
Place it on the guide rail 32 and insert it into the insertion lever 33.
push it into the storage chamber 1. Thereafter, it is maintained at a constant temperature (incubation) in the ink beta 10 and undergoes a color reaction.

Next, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the ink beta 10 is slid so that the center of the chemical analysis slide 1 coincides with the center of the reading head 6, and at the position where the centers of both coincide, the chemical is introduced through the measurement opening 12. The analysis slide 1 is irradiated with light and its reflected optical density is measured. This measurement may be carried out thermally after the completion of the color reaction, or may be carried out by a rate assay method in which measurements are taken several times at predetermined time intervals. In the case of rate assay measurement, the controller 5 stores the constant temperature incubation time of the chemical analysis slides 1 in each storage chamber 11, and each chemical analysis slide 1 is the ink beta 1 so as to face the reading head 6 sequentially.
All you have to do is slide 0, and the operation is easy. Also,
In this measurement method, since each storage chamber 11 is isolated from each other, it is possible to prevent the gas generated from the chemical analysis slide 1 during the color reaction from affecting other chemical analysis slides 1.

After the above measurement is completed, the ink beta 1o is slid by a linear motor to a position where the storage chamber 11 containing the chemical analysis slide 1 for which the measurement has been completed faces the discharge port 21,
The chemical analysis slide 7 is discharged onto the discharge guide rail 22 by the discharge lever 23, and the operation is completed.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, an incubator is provided with a plurality of storage chambers for storing a plurality of chemical analysis slides arranged horizontally in a row on the same plane, and the incubator is By sliding in the horizontal direction using the driving means, the empty storage chamber for inserting the chemical analysis slide can be made to face the insertion means, or a chemical analysis slide that has been kept at constant temperature (incubation) for a predetermined period of time can be read. The structure of the device is relatively simple and compact, as it is configured so that it faces the head, and the storage chamber containing the chemical analysis slides after the measurement is completed faces the ejecting means. It is also easy to measure concentration and rate.

Furthermore, since the storage chambers are each isolated independently, when gas is generated when the reagent in the reagent layer and the component to be measured undergo a color reaction on a chemical analysis slide, the gas generated is The effect on chemical analysis slides can also be virtually eliminated.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing one embodiment of the chemical analysis device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view of the device taken along arrow A-A, and FIGS. Arrow B-B in Figure 2,
FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view taken along lines C-C and D-D, and a perspective view showing the chemical analysis slide. ia, 1b,...1e...Chemical analysis slide 5...
・Controller 6...Reading head 10...Ink beta 11a, 11b, ・11e...Storage chamber 13・
...Stator 14...Rotor 20.30...
Guide rail 51...Frame 52...Dry multi-layer analysis film 1st figure 2nd figure (voluntary) Procedures Nei City Registered Director of the Patent Office September 1981, Case Indication Patent Application 135611 1983 No. 2, Name of the invention Chemical analysis device 3, Relationship with the person making the amendment Case Name of patent applicant Address 210 Nakanuma, Minamiashigara City, Kanagawa Prefecture Name
Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. 4, Agent 7th floor, Hauraiya Building, 5-2-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 160 ffi (479) 2367
(7318) Patent Attorney Yanagi 1) Masashi (1 idiot) 5
, date of amendment order None 6, number of inventions increased by amendment None 7, subject of amendment 8 clear "detailed description of the invention", content of amendment as attached 1) Description No. 15 Insert the following sentence between the fourth and fifth lines of the page. "In addition, in the above example, the storage chambers 11a, 11
b. ...The chemical analysis slide is inserted into the storage chambers 11a, 11b, 11e by the insertion lever 33 via the insertion guide rail 32 and the insertion port 31.
The chemical analysis slide is ejected from the 1ie by pushing it out from the ejection port 21 onto the ejection guide rail 22 using the ejection lever 23, but the insertion port 31 and the insertion guide rail 32 are The ejection port 21 and the ejection guide rail 22 are arranged so as to face each other in the front and back with their horizontal positions aligned, and a single lever is used to insert and eject chemical analysis slides from the insertion port into the storage chamber. Discharge may also take place via an outlet. However, the single lever described above serves both as an insertion means and as an ejection means, and therefore, when it acts as an insertion means, it also has an insertion position in which a chemical analysis slide is inserted into the storage chamber, and From this insertion position, it can be moved rearward to two positions: an ejection position where the tip enters the storage chamber and the slide in the storage chamber is ejected from the ejection port. ”

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A reading head that irradiates a chemical analysis slide including at least one layer permeated with a substance to be measured and measures the reflected optical density; an ink betater having a plurality of storage chambers arranged in a line in a direction and capable of sliding in the transverse direction with respect to the reading head; a driving means for sliding the ink betater; and an ejection means for taking out the chemical analysis slide after measurement from the storage chamber, and the driving means includes:
an insertion positioning means for storing the storage chamber in the ink beta in which the chemical analysis slide is not inserted and sliding the ink beta so that the storage chamber faces the insertion means; a reading positioning means for sliding the ink beta so that the center of the chemical analysis slide coincides with the center of the reading head; and a reading positioning means for sliding the ink beta so that the center of the chemical analysis slide coincides with the center of the reading head, and such that the chemical analysis slide that has been measured by the reading head faces the ejecting means. A chemical analysis apparatus comprising: discharge positioning means for sliding the ink beta.