WO2017038545A1 - Automatic analysis device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention automatically opens/closes a second door 201 and a first door 202 of a second cooling box 110 in association with the movement of a reagent loading part 103. After the reagent loading part 103 has emerged from the second cooling box 110 and the second door 201 and the first door 202 have opened, the second door 201 and the first door 202 are automatically locked by a door lock hole 203, a door lock mechanism 204, and a door lock roller 206 so as not to close. When the reagent loading part 103 is to be stored inside the second cooler box 110, the second door 201 and the first door 202 are automatically unlocked, and the reagent loading part is stored inside the second cooler box 110. The present invention can thereby reduce the installation space of a mechanism, decrease the components of the mechanism, and reduce the risk of malfunctions, without being provided with an actuator for opening/closing the door(s) of a reagent cooler box.

Description

Automatic analyzer

The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer that analyzes a concentration of a predetermined component in a liquid sample such as blood and urine using a reagent, and more particularly to an automatic analyzer that automatically carries in and out a reagent used for analysis.

As an example of an automatic analyzer that reduces the burden on the operator due to operations such as reagent registration and reagent replacement, and that does not cause a shortage of reagents during analysis and minimizes interruption of analysis, Patent Document 1 discloses a reagent disk. Two reagent containers are installed in a line in the replenishment reagent storage, which is the second reagent storage means for replenishment, and a plurality of reagent containers can be mounted in the replenishment reagent storage, A rail is disposed on the reagent storage, and the rail describes an automatic analyzer in which a rail, a reagent holding means movable in three axial directions, and a reagent cap opening means are installed.

JP-A-2005-37171

For example, in an automatic analyzer such as a biochemical automatic analyzer or an immune automatic analyzer, it is necessary to install a reagent corresponding to a measurement item of a patient sample in the apparatus. In general, the reagent bottle is installed in the reagent disk by an operator manually on the reagent disk.

∙ Reagent bottle replacement is usually performed when the device is on standby, when no measurement is being performed. For example, when the amount of reagent remaining in a certain measurement item is low, the number of measurements that can be performed with the remaining amount of reagent is known in advance before measuring a patient sample. For example, an additional bottle is placed on the reagent disk.

This is because the apparatus is operating during sample measurement, so that it is not possible to add a reagent bottle or remove an empty reagent bottle. Therefore, when refilling reagent bottles when the remaining amount of reagent is low during measurement, it is necessary to wait until the instrument has completed measurement and is in a standby state. However, there is a drawback that measurement time is lost.

Here, since it takes time for the operator to set the reagent bottles one by one in the apparatus and carry them into the reagent disk, it is necessary to install a certain number of reagent bottles and continuously carry them into the reagent disk. There is a request.

The automatic analyzer described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a reagent holding means for placing a reagent on which a plurality of reagent bottles can be placed in order to satisfy the requirement. In addition, since the reagent holding means is configured to move back and forth and right and left in the apparatus, the reagent bottle can be installed on the reagent disk in an automated continuous operation. Furthermore, the second reagent storage for replenishment has a cold-retaining function.

However, in Patent Document 1, how to ensure the cold-reserving function in the second reagent storage for replenishment and the function of the reagent holding means to carry out the reagent bottle from the second reagent storage. Is not listed.

In Patent Document 1, when a mechanism for accessing the reagent holding unit is simply provided in the second reagent storage, in order to achieve both the function of keeping the reagent bottle cold and the mechanism accessed by the reagent holding unit, It is necessary to arrange a complicated mechanism such as providing a door opening / closing mechanism in the second reagent storage and a mechanism for moving the reagent bottle to the take-out position. However, there are problems that an actuator for opening and closing the door is provided, the installation space is increased, and the number of parts is increased. That is, it is assumed that the device configuration becomes complicated and the risk of failure increases.

The present invention provides an automatic analyzer capable of reducing the installation space of the mechanism and reducing the number of components without providing an actuator for opening and closing the door, and reducing the risk of failure. To do.

In order to solve the above problems, for example, the configuration described in the claims is adopted.
The present invention includes a plurality of means for solving the above-mentioned problems. For example, an automatic analyzer that dispenses and reacts a sample and a reagent in a reaction vessel and measures the reacted liquid. A reagent disk for storing a reagent bottle containing the reagent, a reagent mounting unit for installing a plurality of the reagent bottles when the reagent bottle is carried into the automatic analyzer, and the reagent mounting A reagent cooler that cools the reagent bottle installed in the unit together with the reagent mounting part, and the reagent cooler opens and closes when the reagent mounting part goes in and out, so that the reagent mounting part enters and exits It is characterized by having an opening / closing door.

According to the present invention, the installation space for the mechanism can be reduced and the number of components can be reduced without providing an actuator for opening and closing the door, and the risk of failure can be reduced.

It is the figure which showed the outline of the whole structure of a general automatic analyzer. It is the schematic explaining an example of the autoloader mechanism provided in the automatic analyzer of embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining an example of operation | movement of the autoloader mechanism provided in the automatic analyzer of embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining other examples of the door of the autoloader mechanism in the embodiment of the present invention. It is the schematic explaining an example of a structure of the reagent mounting part of the autoloader mechanism provided in the automatic analyzer of embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining an example of operation | movement of the door lock mechanism of the autoloader mechanism in embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining an example of operation | movement of the autoloader mechanism provided in the automatic analyzer of embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining an example of operation | movement of the autoloader mechanism provided in the automatic analyzer of embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining an example of operation | movement of the autoloader mechanism provided in the automatic analyzer of embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining an example of operation | movement of the autoloader mechanism provided in the automatic analyzer of embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining an example of operation | movement of the autoloader mechanism provided in the automatic analyzer of embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining an example of operation | movement of the autoloader mechanism provided in the automatic analyzer of embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining an example of operation | movement of the door lock mechanism of the autoloader mechanism in embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic explaining an example of operation | movement of the door lock mechanism of the autoloader mechanism in embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the automatic analyzer according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment.

In FIG. 1, an automatic analyzer is an apparatus for dispensing a sample and a reagent in a plurality of reaction vessels 2 and reacting them, and measuring the reacted liquid. The reaction disk 1, reagent disk 9, sample Transport mechanism 17, reagent dispensing mechanisms 7 and 8, reagent syringe 18, sample dispensing mechanism 11, sample syringe 19, cleaning mechanism 3, light source 4 a, spectrophotometer 4, stirring mechanisms 5 and 6, and cleaning pump 20 , Cleaning tanks 13, 30, 31, 32, 33, a controller 21, and an autoloader mechanism 100 (see FIG. 2).

Reaction container 2 is arranged on the circumference of reaction disk 1. A sample transport mechanism 17 for moving a rack 16 on which a sample container 15 is placed is installed near the reaction disk 1.

Between the reaction disk 1 and the sample transport mechanism 17, a sample dispensing mechanism 11 that can rotate and move up and down is installed, and includes a sample probe 11a. A sample syringe 19 is connected to the sample probe 11a. The sample probe 11a moves while drawing an arc around the rotation axis, and dispenses the sample from the sample container 15 to the reaction container 2.

The reagent disk 9 is a storage in which a plurality of reagent bottles 10 containing the reagents therein can be placed on the circumference. The reagent disk 9 is kept cold, and a reagent probe suction port 111 (see FIG. 2) and a reagent for accessing the reagent probes 7a and 8a of the reagent dispensing mechanisms 7 and 8 when dispensing the reagent into the reaction container 2 and the reagent. The bottle 10 is covered with a cover having an opening / closing cover 113 (see FIG. 2) for carrying the bottle 10 into the reagent disk 9.

The open / close cover 113 is a cover for preventing the cool air inside the kept reagent disk 9 from escaping, and is normally closed. When a later-described reagent transport mechanism 101 accesses the reagent disk 9, the open / close cover 113 is opened and operates so that the reagent bottle 10 can be loaded into and unloaded from the reagent disk 9.

Between the reaction disk 1 and the reagent disk 9, reagent dispensing mechanisms 7 and 8 that can be rotated and moved up and down are installed, and reagent probes 7a and 8a are provided, respectively. A reagent syringe 18 is connected to the reagent probes 7a and 8a. The reagent probes 7 a and 8 a move while drawing an arc around the rotation axis, access the reagent disk 9 from the reagent probe suction port 111, and dispense the reagent from the reagent bottle 10 to the reaction container 2.

Around the reaction disk 1, a cleaning mechanism 3, a light source 4a, a spectrophotometer 4, and stirring mechanisms 5 and 6 are further arranged. A cleaning pump 20 is connected to the cleaning mechanism 3. Washing tanks 13, 30, 31, 32, and 33 are installed on the operation ranges of the reagent dispensing mechanisms 7 and 8, the sample dispensing mechanism 11, and the stirring mechanisms 5 and 6, respectively. The sample container 15 contains a test sample (specimen) such as blood, and is placed on the rack 16 and carried by the sample transport mechanism 17. Each mechanism is connected to the controller 21.

The controller 21 is composed of a computer or the like, and controls the operation of each mechanism in the automatic analyzer and performs arithmetic processing for obtaining the concentration of a predetermined component in a liquid sample such as blood or urine.

The above is the general configuration of the automatic analyzer.

The inspection sample analysis processing by the automatic analyzer as described above is generally executed in the following order.

First, the sample in the sample container 15 placed on the rack 16 transported near the reaction disk 1 by the sample transport mechanism 17 is transferred to the reaction container 2 on the reaction disk 1 by the sample probe 11 a of the sample dispensing mechanism 11. Dispense into Next, the reagent used for the analysis is dispensed from the reagent bottle 10 on the reagent disk 9 to the reaction container 2 into which the sample has been dispensed by the reagent dispensing mechanisms 7 and 8. Subsequently, the mixed solution of the sample and the reagent in the reaction vessel 2 is stirred by the stirring mechanism 5.

Thereafter, the light generated from the light source 4 a is transmitted through the reaction vessel 2 containing the mixed solution, and the luminous intensity of the transmitted light is measured by the spectrophotometer 4. The luminous intensity measured by the spectrophotometer 4 is transmitted to the controller 21 via the A / D converter and the interface. Then, calculation is performed by the controller 21, the concentration of a predetermined component in a liquid sample such as blood or urine is obtained, and the result is displayed on a display unit (not shown) or the like.

Next, the configuration of the autoloader mechanism 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the autoloader mechanism 100.

A lid 112 is attached to the reagent probe suction position of the reagent bottle 10 in order to seal the inside, and the lid 112 is generally removed and installed in the apparatus when set in the automatic analyzer. However, in recent years, there is a method in which a hole in the notch is formed in the lid 112, and the reagent probes 7a and 8a are inserted into the notch and the reagent in the reagent bottle 10 is sucked. Since the opening of the lid 112 is slightly cut in the reagent, the reagent has minimal contact with the outside air, and the deterioration of the reagent is improved as compared with the conventional case. In such a case, if the operator installs an unopened new reagent bottle 10 in the automatic analyzer, a hole is made in the lid 112 of the reagent bottle 10 and the process is automatically performed on the reagent disk 9. The autoloader mechanism 100 is a mechanism that automatically carries the reagent bottle 10 to and from the reagent disk 9 regardless of whether or not the lid 112 is removed or cut into the lid 112.

The autoloader mechanism 100 is arranged on the upper part of the reagent disk 9 and has a configuration as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the autoloader mechanism 100 includes a reagent mounting unit 103, a reagent mounting mechanism 102, a reagent transport mechanism (reagent transport unit) 101, a second cool box (reagent cool box) 110, a needle cleaning tank 108, and a needle drying port 109. , A bottle direction detection sensor 114 and an RFID sensor 115 are provided.

The reagent loading unit 103 is a part for the operator to install the reagent bottle 10 when carrying the reagent bottle 10 into the automatic analyzer. The reagent loading unit 103 is moved up and down on the FIGS. Operate in the direction. The reagent mounting unit 103 has a structure in which a plurality of reagent bottles 10 can be installed on a straight line. The reagent mounting unit 103 is configured to be able to cool a plurality of reagent bottles 10 installed in the space inside the second cool box 110. For example, the reagent loading unit 103 is a tray on which a plurality of reagent bottles 10 can be loaded. Details of the reagent loading unit 103 and the reagent loading mechanism 102 will be described later.

The second cool box 110 is a cool box for temporarily cooling the reagent bottle 10 installed in the reagent loading unit 103 together with the reagent loading unit 103 before carrying it into the reagent disk 9. Details of the structure of the second cool box 110 will be described later.

The reagent transport mechanism 101 is a mechanism for transporting the reagent bottle 10 installed in the reagent mounting unit 103 into the reagent disk 9, and includes a gripper mechanism (gripper unit) 106 that grips the reagent bottle 10, and a lid of the reagent bottle 10. The reagent bottle lid opening mechanism 104 that opens a hole 112, a vertical drive motor (not shown) that moves the gripper mechanism 106 and the reagent bottle lid opening mechanism 104 up and down, and the gripper mechanism 106 and the reagent bottle lid opening mechanism 104 are shown in FIG. A horizontal drive motor 131 that drives in the left-right direction is used as a component.

The reagent transport mechanism 101 operates in the left-right direction in FIG. 2 between the position of the reagent mounting unit 103 in FIG. That is, the reagent loading unit 103 moves up and down in FIG. 2, and the reagent transport mechanism 101 operates in the horizontal direction in FIG. 2, so that the operation directions are orthogonal to each other. In the reagent transport mechanism 101, a position where the gripper mechanism 106 grips the reagent bottle 10 and a position where the reagent bottle 10 is carried into and out of the reagent disk 9 are linearly arranged.

The reagent bottle lid opening mechanism 104 is provided with a needle 105 for cutting into the lid 112 of the reagent bottle 10. In the reagent bottle lid opening mechanism 104, the needle 105 after being cut into the lid 112 is washed in the needle washing tank 108 arranged in parallel to the operation direction of the reagent transport mechanism 101. In the next step, The cleaning water is removed by the needle drying port 109 arranged in parallel with the operation direction of the reagent transport mechanism 101, and the reagent bottle lid 112 is cut so that the reagent is not diluted with the cleaning water. ing.

The gripper mechanism 106 has a hooking claw for holding the reagent bottle 10, and holds the reagent bottle 10 by hooking the hooking claw on the notch portion of the reagent bottle 10.

2, the bottle direction detection sensor 114 and the RFID sensor 115 are arranged on the operation of the reagent mounting unit 103. The bottle orientation detection sensor 114 measures whether or not the reagent bottle 10 is installed and the installation direction. The RFID sensor 115 obtains information on the reagent in the reagent bottle 10 recorded on the RFID tag 10 a provided in the reagent bottle 10.

Next, the configuration and operation of the reagent mounting mechanism 102 including the reagent mounting unit 103 and the second cold storage 110 will be described in detail. First, the structure of the 2nd cool box 110 is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the autoloader mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of reagent bottles 10 installed in the reagent mounting unit 103 are kept cool in the second cool box 110. The second cooler 110 is configured to load and unload the reagent loading unit 103 by opening and closing the second door 201 and the first door 202 that open and close, and to seal the inside of the second cooler 110 when closed. It has become. Further, the second door 201 and the first door 202 have different door lengths. A hook roller 205 is provided inside the second cool box 110 of the first door 202.

The link 208 has one end attached to the second door 201 and the other end attached to the first door 202. Since the second door 201 and the first door 202 are connected together by the link 208, the opening / closing operation is performed by an integrated operation.

Further, a door spring 207 set to always pull the link 208 upward in FIG. 3 is attached between the link 208 and the fixed portion 110A of the second cold storage 110. That is, the second door 201 and the first door 202 are always pulled toward the second cold storage 110 via the link 208. The door spring 207 extends so that the second door 201 and the first door 202 are opened, and contracts as the second door 201 and the first door 202 are closed. The door spring 207 may be directly attached to the second door 201 or the first door 202 without using the link 208.

As shown in FIG. 4, the second door 201 can be provided with a third door 209 that covers the first door 202 when the second door 201 and the first door 202 are closed. By providing such a third door, the degree of sealing in the second cold storage 110 can be improved. In the example of FIG. 4, the connecting portion between the door spring 207 and the link 208 is arranged closer to the connecting portion between the second door 201 and the link 208 than the connecting portion between the first door 202 and the link 208. Yes. For this reason, the tension of the door spring 207 is greater on the second door 201 side, which is longer than the first door 202. Accordingly, the door spring 207 operates to bring the second door 201 into close contact with the first door 202. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another example of the opening / closing door of the autoloader mechanism 100. In FIG. 4, the link 208 is indicated by a dotted line for convenience of illustration.

In the second cooler 110, when the second door 201 and the first door 202 are closed, it is desired to stably cool the reagent bottle 10 inside the second cooler 110, so the inside is completely sealed. It is desirable to do. This is because, by maintaining a completely sealed state, it is possible to suppress the generation of condensed water due to a temperature difference from the outside air and the time required for lowering the inside of the second cool box to a specified temperature. Therefore, by pulling the link 208 so that the second door 201 and the first door 202 are not opened by the door spring 207, the sealed state inside the second cold storage 110 can be maintained even if the apparatus power is turned off. Thus, the reagent bottle 10 can be more stably cooled.

In addition, since the rotation radius of the second door 201 increases in the door arrangement of FIG. 4, the third door 209 can operate without interference even if both doors are opened simultaneously with the first door 202, but the size of the left and right doors Are the same, or when it is desired to provide the third door 209 on the first door 202, the arrangement of the links 208 may be considered.

Next, details of the reagent mounting unit 103 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a top view of the reagent mounting unit 103.

In FIG. 5, the reagent mounting unit 103 includes a main body 103 </ b> A having a space for installing the reagent bottle 10, a first roller 300, a second front roller 301 </ b> A, a second rear roller 301 </ b> B, and a third roller 302. Have A door hook groove 303 is provided on the bottom surface side of the main body 103 </ b> A, and the hook roller 205 is inserted into the door hook groove 303.

The first roller 300 is a roller that rotates and contacts the upper surfaces of the reagent loading mechanism transport surface 182 and the transport surface 182A, and is arranged in a total of four, two on the right side and two on the left side of the main body 103A. The first roller 300 allows the reagent mounting unit 103 to move smoothly.

A plurality of second front rollers 301A and second rear rollers 301B are arranged only on one side of the reagent mounting portion 103 in the moving direction, that is, on the side of the second door 201 having a long length, which is a contact target in FIG. The protrusion 103B is partly protruded from 103A in the right direction in FIG.

Two third rollers 302 are arranged on the front side in the traveling direction of the reagent mounting unit 103.

Returning to FIG. 3, the reagent loading mechanism 102 includes a reagent loading mechanism motor 180 that drives the reagent loading unit 103, a reagent loading mechanism belt 181 coupled to the reagent loading mechanism motor 180, pulleys 181 </ b> A and 181 </ b> B, and a reagent loading mechanism conveyance surface 182. And a linear guide 183 and a holding part 184 for connecting the reagent mounting mechanism belt 181 and the reagent mounting part 103.

The reagent mounting unit 103 is attached to the linear guide 183. On both sides of the linear guide 183, reagent loading mechanism transport surfaces 182 are arranged in parallel to the linear guide 183. The linear guide 183 and the reagent mounting mechanism transport surface 182 function as a transport line for the reagent mounting unit 103 to move between the installation position where the reagent bottle 10 is installed in the reagent mounting unit 103 and the second cold storage 110. .

The reagent loading mechanism belt 181 is arranged in parallel with the linear guide 183 and the like, and the reagent loading mechanism belt 181 and the reagent loading portion 103 are connected via a holding portion 184. This holding part 184 is sufficiently in contact with the packing provided on the door of the second cold storage 110 so that the portion that contacts the door of the second cold storage 110 is sufficiently kept so that the inside of the second cold storage 110 is kept at a low temperature. It has a thin structure (one metal plate, etc.). The portion of the holding unit 184 that contacts the lid of the second cold storage 110 has a structure that is sandwiched between the door and the main body of the second cold storage 110. Therefore, by making this portion sufficiently thin, airtightness is achieved. This is because it can be secured. Pulleys 181A and 181B and a reagent loading mechanism motor 180 are attached to both ends of the reagent loading mechanism belt 181. When the reagent loading mechanism motor 180 rotates, the reagent loading mechanism belt 181 rotates in conjunction with the rotation via the pulley 181A. As the reagent loading mechanism belt 181 rotates, the reagent loading portion 103 connected to the reagent loading mechanism belt 181 via the holding portion 184 operates in the vertical direction in FIG.

Also, a door lock roller 206 is attached to the holding unit 184 that connects the reagent mounting unit 103 and the reagent mounting mechanism belt 181. The door lock roller 206 will be described later.

Also, gaps 200A and 200B are provided on the left and right between the reagent loading mechanism transport surface 182 and the transport surface 182A of the second cold storage 110. The gap 200A on the side close to the second door 201 is provided to ensure the opening / closing track of the second door 201, and the gap 200B on the side close to the first door 202 is to secure the opening / closing track of the first door 202. Is provided.

In addition, it is also possible to adopt a structure in which the reagent loading mechanism transport surface 182 is extended into the second cold storage 110 and the reagent loading portion 103 is stored in the second cold storage 110. However, in order to keep the inside of the second cool box 110 closed when the second door 201 or the first door 202 is closed, the second door 201 or the first door 202 is sealed at a portion where the reagent loading mechanism transport surface 182 interferes. A new structure is needed to maintain In this case, the structure is further complicated and the number of parts is further increased. However, by providing the gaps 200A and 200B between the reagent mounting mechanism transport surface 182 and the second cold storage 110, it is only necessary to maintain the sealing degree of only the holding unit 184. And further improving the reliability of the cooling capacity.

Further, a door lock hole 203 is provided outside the second cold storage 110 of the second door 201.

Furthermore, an auxiliary conveyance surface 185 for filling a gap 200A between the reagent loading mechanism conveyance surface 182 and the conveyance surface 182A is provided inside the second cold storage 110 of the second door 201. When the second door 201 is opened, the auxiliary transport surface 185 is opened while being attached to the inside of the second door 201, and when the second door 201 is opened, a gap between the reagent loading mechanism transport surface 182 and the transport surface 182A is opened. Fill a lot of 200A. Thereby, the rail on the reagent loading mechanism conveyance surface 182 side on the right side in FIG. 3 is completed. Although the gap 200B is wide, the first roller 300 is placed on the auxiliary conveyance surface 185 of the second door 201 that opens when the reagent mounting unit 103 comes out of the second cold storage 110, and the first roller 300 By providing a plurality, the back and forth operation of the reagent mounting unit 103 can be transported without any problem.

Here, since the first roller 300 of the reagent loading unit 103 moves beyond the gaps 200A and 200B, it is desirable that the first roller 300 is larger than the gap on the reagent loading mechanism conveyance surface 182 side on the right side in FIG.

Also, by arranging the heights of the upper surfaces of the reagent loading mechanism conveying surface 182, the auxiliary conveying surface 185, and the conveying surface 182A, the reagent loading unit 103 can operate smoothly even if there are gaps 200A, 200B.

Furthermore, a door lock hole 203 is attached to the second door 201. A door lock mechanism 204 is disposed independently of the door lock hole 203. The door lock mechanism 204 is fixed to the second cold storage 110, and an insertion rod 204A (see FIG. 6) of the door lock mechanism 204 is provided outside the second door 201 when the second door 201 is completely opened. The second door 201 is prevented from being closed by the tension of the door spring 207. The door lock hole 203, the door lock mechanism 204, and the door lock roller 206 prevent the second door 201 and the first door 202 from being closed when the reagent mounting portion 103 is outside the second cold storage 110. A lock mechanism for locking the two doors 201 and the first door 202 is configured.

As shown in FIG. 6, a spring 204B is incorporated in the door lock mechanism 204, and the insertion rod 204A is movable in the vertical direction. A slope 204 </ b> C and a flat portion 204 </ b> D that receive the door lock roller 206 are provided below the door lock mechanism 204.

The lock mechanism is not limited to the combination of the door lock hole 203, the door lock mechanism 204, and the door lock roller 206. For example, the door is supported by a structure that supports the door that is opened to the maximum by a magnet, or a bellows provided in the reagent mounting portion 103. For example, a structure that locks so as not to close. By connecting the reagent mounting part 103 and the inside of the second cold storage 110 with a bellows or the like, it is possible to lock and prevent the extended bellows or the like from closing the door.

The above is the configuration of the second cold storage 110 and the reagent loading mechanism 102.

Next, the operation when the reagent mounting unit 103 is unloaded from the second cold storage box 110 by opening the second door 201 and the first door 202 will be described. Here, the downward movement in FIG. 2 is defined as the carry-out direction, and the upward movement is defined as the carry-in direction.

First, when carrying out from the state in which the reagent mounting unit 103 is contained in the second cool box 110, the reagent mounting mechanism motor 180 rotates, and the reagent mounting mechanism belt 181 rotates together so that the reagent mounting unit 103 moves in the carrying-out direction. Start moving to.

When the reagent mounting unit 103 further moves, as shown in FIG. 7, the left and right third rollers 302 attached to the reagent mounting unit 103 come into contact with the inside of the second door 201 and the first door 202, and the front in the traveling direction. The second front roller 301 </ b> A on the side contacts the first door 202.

When the reagent mounting portion 103 is moved to the front so as to further expand the second door 201 and the first door 202 from the contacted state, the second rear roller 301B on the rear side in the traveling direction as shown in FIG. Open and close at right angles by touching. Although the first door 202 is not in contact with the roller, the door 208 is opened and closed in synchronization with the second door 201 by the link 208, so the first door 202 opens at a right angle.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the second door 201 and the first door 202 are opened and closed at right angles, the insertion rod 204A of the door lock mechanism 204 is inserted into the door lock hole 203 and the second door 201 is locked. For this reason, even if it pulls with the door spring 207, the 2nd door 201 and the 1st door 202 do not close.

Next, the operation when the reagent mounting unit 103 is stored in the second cold storage 110 will be described.

First, the reagent loading mechanism motor 180 rotates in the opposite direction, and the reagent loading mechanism belt 181 rotates in the opposite direction, whereby the reagent loading section 103 starts moving in the loading direction.

When the reagent loading unit 103 further moves, the insertion rod 204A of the door lock mechanism 204 is removed from the door lock hole 203, the locked state by the lock mechanism is released, and the second door 201 and the first door 202 are operated by the operation of the door spring 207. Works in a closed way.

Further, when the state shown in FIG. 10 is reached, the hook roller 205 enters the door hook groove 303 of the reagent mounting unit 103. When the reagent loading unit 103 further moves in the second cool box 110 in the loading direction with the hook roller 205 entering the door hook groove 303, the first door 202 is moved into the door hook groove 303 as shown in FIG. While being pulled by the hook roller 205 that has entered and in contact with the third roller 302, the hook roller 205 moves in the closing direction. Further, by being pulled by the first door 202 via the link 208, the second door 201 similarly moves in the closing direction while maintaining the state in contact with the third roller 302. After that, the reagent mounting unit 103 is completely carried into the second cold storage 110, and is in a sealed state as shown in FIG. By using the door hook groove 303 and the hook roller 205 as described above, the closing direction operation of the second door 201 and the first door 202 can be supported, and the door closing direction operation can be performed more stably.

Next, details of the operation of the lock mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 13, and 14.

First, the case where the reagent mounting unit 103 moves in the carry-out direction will be described. Since the door lock roller 206 attached to the holding unit 184 moves with the movement of the reagent mounting unit 103, the door lock roller 206 and the slope 204C are brought close to each other. If the movement continues, the door lock roller 206 advances while contacting the slope 204C, so that the spring 204B begins to shrink and the insertion rod 204A is lifted upward. As the movement further proceeds, the door lock roller 206 comes into contact with the flat portion 204D, and the insertion rod 204A is completely lifted upward. In this state, since each component is arranged so that the second door 201 as shown in FIG. 8 opens vertically, the door lock hole 203 is arranged immediately below the insertion rod 204A.

Further, when the reagent loading unit 103 continues to move, the door lock roller 206 and the slope 204C come into contact with each other, and the insertion rod 204A starts to move downward due to the action of the spring 204B. Thereafter, when the door lock roller 206 and the slope 204C are separated, the insertion rod 204A is inserted into the door lock hole 203 attached to the second door 201 as shown in FIG. For this reason, the second door 201 and the first door 202 are maintained in an open state even when the compression force by the door spring 207, that is, the force in the closing direction is applied. As shown in FIG. 9, the reagent mounting unit 103 can be further moved in the unloading direction with the second door 201 and the first door 202 opened.

When the reagent loading unit 103 moves in the carry-in direction, the operation is the reverse of the previous one. First, the door lock roller 206 and the slope 204C come into contact with each other, the spring 204B contracts and the insertion rod 204A is lifted upward. When further proceeding, the door lock roller 206 comes into contact with the flat portion 204D, and the insertion rod 204A is lifted upward, and the insertion state is released as shown in FIG.

Thereafter, the door lock roller 206 and the slope 204C come into contact with each other, and the insertion rod 204A starts to move downward by the action of the spring 204B. When the door lock roller 206 and the slope 204C are separated, the state shown in FIG. The locked state by the mechanism is completely released, and the second door 201 and the first door 202 can be closed.

The above is the configuration and operation of the autoloader mechanism 100.

In addition, when it is set as the structure which supports the door opened to the maximum using a magnet for a locking mechanism, when the reagent mounting part 103 accommodates in the 2nd cold storage 110, between the location where a door and a door closely_contact | adhere magnetically. When the member is physically interrupted, the force attracted by the magnetic force is reduced below the tension of the spring, and the lock can be released. In addition, when the lock mechanism is configured to support the door that is opened to the maximum by using a bellows or the like, the bellows or the like contracts due to the movement accompanying the storage when the reagent mounting portion 103 is stored in the second cold storage 110. The door can no longer be supported and the lock can be released.

Next, the effect of this embodiment will be described.

In the present embodiment described above, the autoloader mechanism 100 is installed in the reagent mounting unit 103 and the reagent mounting unit 103 for installing a plurality of reagent bottles 10 when the reagent bottle 10 is carried into the automatic analyzer. A second cold storage 110 that cools the reagent bottle 10 together with the reagent mounting portion 103, and the second cold storage 110 opens and closes as the reagent mounting portion 103 enters and exits, and opens and closes for the reagent mounting portion 103 to enter and exit. It has doors (second door 201 and first door 202).

In order to cool the reagent bottle 10 together with the reagent mounting unit 103, it is indispensable to provide a door in the second cold storage 110 and open and close the door as necessary. By performing this door opening / closing operation in accordance with the entry / exit operation of the reagent loading unit 103 without using an actuator, it is not necessary to mount an actuator more than necessary, and the number of components can be reduced without increasing the apparatus size. Is possible. Furthermore, adjustment and maintenance can be improved, and the space for installing the apparatus can be reduced.

In addition, the second front roller 301A, the second rear roller 301B, and the third roller 302 provided in the reagent mounting unit 103 come into contact with each other, so that the second door 201 and the first door 202 are accompanied by the movement of the reagent mounting unit 103. Since the door is opened and closed, each roller and the door come into contact with each other during the opening and closing operation. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the wear and tear of the components accompanying the opening / closing operation and to perform a stable opening / closing operation over a long period of time.

Furthermore, when the reagent mounting unit 103 is outside the second cold storage 110, there is further provided a lock mechanism for locking the second door 201 and the first door 202 so that the second door 201 and the first door 202 are not closed. Prepared. In particular, as the lock mechanism, the door lock hole 203 provided on the outer side of the second door 201 and the first door 202, the door lock mechanism 204 fixed to the second cool box 110, and the reagent mounting portion 103 are moved forward and backward. When the second door 201 is opened, an insertion rod 204A of the door lock mechanism 204 is inserted into the door lock hole 203 by the door lock roller 206, so that the second door 201, By preventing the first door 202 from being closed, the second door 201 and the first door 202 can be kept open until the reagent mounting unit 103 returns into the second cold storage 110. Therefore, a structure for opening the second door 201 and the first door 202 again when the reagent mounting unit 103 returns into the second cold storage 110 becomes unnecessary, and further reduction of components and adjustment and maintenance are possible. It is possible to further improve the system and further reduce the space for installing the apparatus.

In addition, the second cool box 110 has a door spring 207 that always pulls the second door 201 and the first door 202 toward the fixed portion 110A, so that even if the apparatus power is turned off, The sealed state can be maintained, and the reagent bottle 10 can be cooled more stably.

Furthermore, since there is a gap 200A between the reagent loading mechanism transfer surface 182 and the transfer surface 182A in the second cool box 110, the configuration of opening and closing the door of the second cool box 110 becomes very easy and complicated. The inside of the second cold storage 110 can be stably cooled without using a simple structure.

In addition, since the auxiliary conveyance surface 185 for filling the gap 200A is provided inside the second door 201 and the first door 202, the operation of the reagent mounting unit 103 is smooth even if the gap 200A exists. Thus, more stable operation is possible.

Further, since the second door 201 and the first door 202 are configured with two doors that open in a double-tone manner, the hermeticity of the second cool box 110 can be improved, and the reagent bottle 10 in the second cool box 110 can be improved. The storage state can be further improved.

Further, the second door 201 and the first door 202 have the link 208 that connects the two doors, so that the opening and closing operations of the second door 201 and the first door 202 do not have to be independent operations. Opening and closing operations can be performed with a simple configuration.

Furthermore, the second door 201 has a third door 209 that covers the first door 202 when it is closed, so that it is possible to further improve the degree of sealing in the second cool box 110.

Further, the reagent mounting unit 103 is provided with a plurality of third rollers 302 on the front side and a plurality of rollers (second front roller 301A and second rear roller 301B) on the right side, so that a more stable second cool box. 110 can be opened and closed.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and applications are possible. The above-described embodiment has been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to the one having all the configurations described.

For example, in this embodiment, the gripper mechanism 106, the open / close cover 113 of the reagent disk 9, and the reagent probe suction port 111 are arranged on a straight line, but the reagent probe suction port 111 is within a range in which the reagent probes 7a and 8a can operate. If so, the arrangement is not limited to a linear form.

Further, in this embodiment, the needle 105 is described as one, but when there are two lids 112 as in the reagent bottle 10, two needles 105 are attached at intervals of the holes in the lid 112 of the reagent bottle 10. In the first operation, the reagent bottle lid opening mechanism 104 is lowered to open holes in the two lids 112 simultaneously. Further, two needle cleaning tanks 108 and needle drying ports 109 are installed at intervals of the needle 105. Thereby, since it is possible to perform cleaning and drying in one up-and-down operation, it is possible to shorten the loading time.

Further, in the present embodiment, the operations of the gripper mechanism 106 and the reagent bottle lid opening mechanism 104 are described as the vertical movement by the vertical drive motor and the horizontal movement by the horizontal drive motor 131. If the operation in the direction is possible, the installable quantity of the reagent bottles 10 that can be installed in the reagent mounting unit 103 can be increased.

The length of the second door 201 and the first door 202 is longer than that of the second door 201, but the length of the door is such that parts are arranged in the range caused by the rotation of the door. What is necessary is just to set it as the optimal length and ratio according to a condition. Furthermore, although the door has been described as being divided into two parts, the same performance can be satisfied with a single door, and in this case, the parts of the link 208 are not necessary.

Further, in this description, the example in which four first rollers 300 of the reagent mounting unit 103 are used has been described. However, the number of the first rollers 300 used is the total length and width of the reagent mounting unit 103, the second cold storage 110 and the reagent mounting. The configuration should be such that optimum conditions are satisfied by the gaps 200A and 200B on the mechanism conveyance surface 182 and is not particularly limited.

In addition, although the example which provides the 2nd cool box 110 above the reagent disk 9 was shown in this embodiment, the position of the 2nd cool box 110 is not limited upwards. For example, it may be provided on the side of the reagent disk. However, further space reduction of the apparatus can be realized by providing it above.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Reaction disk 2 ... Reaction container 3 ... Cleaning mechanism 4 ... Spectrophotometer 4a ... Light source 5, 6 ... Stirring mechanism 7, 8 ... Reagent dispensing mechanism 7a, 8a ... Reagent probe 9 ... Reagent disk 10 ... Reagent bottle 10a ... Tag 11 ... Sample dispensing mechanism 11a ... Sample probe 13 ... Cleaning tank 15 ... Sample container 16 ... Rack 17 ... Sample transport mechanism 18 ... Reagent syringe 19 ... Sample syringe 20 ... Cleaning pump 21 ... Controllers 30, 31 ... Stirring Cleaning tank for mechanism 32 ... Cleaning tank for sample dispensing mechanism 33 ... Cleaning tank for reagent dispensing mechanism 100 ... Autoloader mechanism 101 ... Reagent transport mechanism (reagent transport section)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 ... Reagent mounting mechanism 103 ... Reagent mounting part 103A ... Main body 103B ... Projection part 104 ... Reagent bottle lid opening mechanism 105 ... Needle 106 ... Gripper mechanism (gripper part)
108 ... Needle washing tank 109 ... Needle drying port 110 ... Second cold storage (reagent cold storage)
110A ... fixing portion 111 ... reagent probe suction port 112 ... lid 113 ... opening / closing cover 114 ... bottle orientation detection sensor 115 ... RFID sensor 131 ... horizontal drive motor 180 ... reagent mounting mechanism motor 181 ... reagent mounting mechanism belt 181A, 181B ... pulley 182 Reagent loading mechanism transport surface 182A ... Transport surface 183 ... Linear guide 184 ... Holding section 185 ... Auxiliary transport surfaces 200A, 200B ... Gap 201 ... Second door 202 ... First door 203 ... Door lock hole 204 ... Door lock mechanism 204A ... Insertion rod 204B ... Spring 204C ... Slope 204D ... Flat part 205 ... Hook roller 206 ... Door lock roller 207 ... Door spring 208 ... Link (link mechanism)
209 ... Third door 300 ... First roller 301A ... Second front roller 301B ... Second rear roller 302 ... Third roller 303 ... Door hook groove

Claims (12)

1. An automatic analyzer that dispenses and reacts a sample and a reagent in a reaction vessel and measures the reacted liquid,
   A reagent disk for storing a reagent bottle containing the reagent;
   A reagent mounting unit for installing a plurality of the reagent bottles when the reagent bottles are carried into the automatic analyzer;
   A reagent cool box that cools the reagent bottles installed in the reagent loading unit together with the reagent loading unit;
   The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the reagent cooler has an opening / closing door for opening and closing of the reagent loading part that opens and closes in accordance with the movement of the reagent loading part.
2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
   The automatic analyzer is characterized in that the opening / closing door is opened / closed in accordance with the movement of the reagent mounting portion when a roller provided in the reagent mounting portion comes into contact therewith.
3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
   An automatic analyzer further comprising: a lock mechanism that locks the open / close door so that the open / close door is not closed when the reagent mounting portion is outside the reagent cooler.
4. The automatic analyzer according to claim 3,
   The lock mechanism includes a door lock hole provided outside the open / close door, a door lock mechanism fixed to the reagent cooler, and a door lock roller that moves back and forth together with the reagent mounting portion.
   When the door is opened, the door lock roller prevents the door from being closed by inserting the door lock mechanism into the door lock hole.
5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
   An automatic analysis further comprising: a reagent mounting mechanism having a driving motor for driving the reagent mounting unit, a belt connected to the driving motor, and a holding member for connecting the belt and the reagent mounting unit. apparatus.
6. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
   The reagent cold storage has a spring that always pulls the door to the main body side.
7. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
   Further comprising a transport line for the reagent mounting unit to move between an installation position where an operator installs the reagent bottle in the reagent mounting unit and the reagent cold storage;
   There is a gap between the transport line and the transport surface of the reagent mounting unit in the reagent cool box.
8. The automatic analyzer according to claim 7,
   The automatic analyzer is characterized in that an auxiliary conveyance surface for filling the gap is provided inside the open / close door.
9. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
   The automatic analyzer is characterized in that the open / close door is composed of two doors that open in double doors.
10. The automatic analyzer according to claim 9,
    The open / close door has a link mechanism for connecting two doors. An automatic analyzer.
11. The automatic analyzer according to claim 9,
    One of the two doors of the opening / closing door has a cover door that covers the other door when the door is closed.
12. The automatic analyzer according to claim 2,
    An automatic analyzer comprising a plurality of the rollers attached to the reagent mounting unit.

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