WO2024057426A1

WO2024057426A1 - Specimen analysis device

Info

Publication number: WO2024057426A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/034311
Authority: WO
Inventors: 忠雄藪原; 仁松村
Original assignee: 株式会社日立ハイテク
Priority date: 2022-09-14
Filing date: 2022-09-14
Publication date: 2024-03-21

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to precisely control the temperature in each storage chamber of a specimen analysis device in which a plurality of storage chambers store specimen containers, respectively. The specimen analysis device according to the present invention generates cold air (see fig. 2) such that the temperature at the bottom of the specimen container is lower than the temperature at a lid of the specimen container.

Description

Sample analyzer

The present invention relates to a sample analyzer that analyzes a sample.

At medical research institutions, hospitals, etc., the state of culture of cells or bacteria is tested based on the turbidity of samples containing cells or bacteria. In cell culture and bacterial culture, microwell plates, petri dishes, etc. are used as sample containers. A pretreated specimen, nutrients, etc. are dispensed or applied into a specimen container, and the specimen is cultured (for example, in a 35° C. environment). The specimen in the specimen container is repeatedly cultured and observed over a long period of time, and during observation, morphological changes in the specimen are quantified by image analysis or turbidity, and results are output according to the quantitative value or the amount of change over time.

In this test, the sample container will be placed inside the device for a long time. Since the inside of the sample container becomes saturated due to evaporation of the culture solution, there is a possibility that condensation may occur on the interface between the sample container and the sample container lid. In an inspection device (transmission observation) that performs optical observation of a specimen inside a specimen container from outside the specimen container, if condensation occurs on the intervening surface of a transparent member such as a lid on the top of the specimen container, light refraction may occur. This leads to deterioration of contrast and decrease in light intensity, making it difficult to accurately observe changes in the state of the specimen, leading to erroneous determination of measurement results.

Patent Document 1 describes temperature control when observing a specimen with a microscope. This document discloses a technique for blowing warm air onto the upper part of the observation plate in order to prevent dew condensation from occurring on the inner surface of the observation plate lid.

Patent No. 4116780

For example, the sample analyzer places sample containers containing samples (cells, bacteria, etc.) in each of a plurality of storage chambers, and periodically observes the samples while cultivating them. If condensation occurs on the inside of the lid of the sample container, the amount of observation light may decrease due to the condensation, and measurement accuracy may decrease. Therefore, a mechanism to prevent condensation is necessary. For example, as in Patent Document 1, it is conceivable to supply warm air to the sample container.

However, if the influence of the warm air on each storage room varies, the effect of suppressing dew condensation will also vary from storage room to storage room. Due to this, the accuracy of temperature control may be reduced for each storage chamber, and variations in measurement results may occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to accurately control the temperature inside each storage chamber in a sample analyzer in which a plurality of storage chambers each store a sample container.

The sample analyzer according to the present invention generates cold air so that the temperature of the lower part of the sample container is lower than the temperature of the sample container lid.

According to the sample analyzer according to the present invention, when a plurality of storage chambers each store a sample container, the temperature of each storage chamber can be controlled with high accuracy. Other configurations, problems, effects, etc. of the present invention will become clear from the description of the embodiments below.

1 shows a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of an analyzer 0001 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. An example of the configuration of the storage section 0003 is shown. An example of the shape of the air volume adjusting member 2116 and the air outlet 2113 is shown. Another example of the configuration of the air volume adjustment material 2116 is shown. An example of the configuration of a storage unit 0003 included in the analysis device 0001 according to the second embodiment is shown. Another example of the configuration of the storage section 0003 is shown. Another example of the configuration of the storage section 0003 is shown. Another example of the configuration of the storage section 0003 is shown. Another example of the configuration of the storage section 0003 is shown. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which the calculation unit 11 controls the temperature of each part of the analyzer 0001. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which the calculation unit 11 controls the temperature of each part of the analyzer 0001.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of an analyzer 0001 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The analyzer 0001 includes a carry-in/out section 0002, a storage section 0003, a transport section 0004, a detection section 0005, and a temperature control section 0006. The calculation unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the monitor 13 can be provided outside the analysis device 0001, or can be provided inside the analysis device 0001.

In the loading/unloading section 0002, the user can take in/take out the sample container 0007 through a door (not shown). The sample container 0007 has two parts: a sample container lower part 2110 and a sample container lid 2112, which will be described later. The lower part of the sample container 2110 is a container having a plurality of wells such as 96 wells and 384 wells, and a sample 2111 is placed in each well. Examples of specimens include biological specimens such as cells, blood, urine, bacteria, and tissue pieces. The sample container lid 2112 may be a seal, and the sample container lower portion 2110 may be a single well.

The storage unit 0003 has multiple stages of sample container storage chambers 2003 that accommodate sample containers 0007. The analyzer 0001 may have a plurality of storage units 0003. Details of the storage section 0003 will be described later.

The transport unit 0004 includes an actuator 1001, an actuator 1002, a sample container holding unit 1003, and a ball screw or belt mechanism (not shown). The sample container holder 1003 is moved in the vertical direction by an actuator 1001 and moved in the depth direction by an actuator 1002 via a ball screw or a belt mechanism. The sample container holding section 1003 can receive and deliver sample containers 0007 from the loading/unloading section 0002, the storage section 0003, and the measuring section 1005.

In the detection unit 0005, the measurement unit 1005 in the measurement unit 1004 receives the sample container 0007 from the sample container holding unit 1003, and measures the culture state of the sample 2111 in each well of the sample container 0007. Measurement methods include turbidity measurement, absorbance measurement, fluorescence measurement, and image analysis.

The temperature control unit 0006 includes a heat source 1006, a heat sink 1007, and a fan 1008. Heat from a heat source 1006 via a heat sink 1007 is supplied into the apparatus by air from a fan 1008. As a heat source, a heater, Peltier, or the like is used to heat or cool the temperature inside the analyzer 0001. Aluminum, copper, iron, stainless steel, etc. can be used for the heat sink (radiator). The temperature control unit 0006 has the role of warming the entire analyzer 0001 so that dew condensation, which will be described later, does not occur when the sample container 0007 is removed from the storage unit 0003.

When the analyzer 0001 is started, the user can install the sample container 0007 in the loading/unloading section 0002. After installation, the sample container 0007 in the loading/unloading section 0002 is transported to the measurement section 1005 of the measurement unit 1004 via the transportation section 0004. The measurement unit 1005 measures the culture state of the specimen 2111 in the specimen container 0007. The sample container 0007 after measurement is transported to the storage section 0003 via the transport section 0004. The sample measurement cycle is repeated, for example, at intervals of 20 to 30 minutes for a maximum of 18 hours. The analyzer 0001 sends the amount of change in the culture state of the specimen 2111 over time to the calculation unit 11. The calculation unit 11 outputs the measurement result estimated from the amount of change to the monitor 13 or the like. After the measurement is completed, the sample container 0007 is transported to the carry-in/out section 0002 via the transport section 0004. In this embodiment, the user installs the sample container 0007 in the carry-in/out section 0002, but the structure may be such that the carry-in/out section 0002 is eliminated and the user directly installs the sample container 0007 in the storage section 0003.

As described above, the sample container 0007 includes the sample container lower part 2110 and the sample container lid 2112. A sample 2111 is placed in each well in the lower part 2110 of the sample container. When the specimen container 0007 is installed in the storage section 0003, the thermal energy supplied to the specimen 2111 in the specimen container lower part 2110 from the material, air, etc. on the lower surface of the specimen container lower part 2110 is higher than the thermal energy supplied to the specimen container lid 2112. When the height increases, it causes dew condensation to occur on the interface between the sample container lower part 2110 and the sample container lid 2112.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the storage section 0003. The storage section 0003 includes a storage unit 2001 and a temperature control section 2002. The storage unit 2001 includes a sample container storage chamber 2003, a fan 2107, a duct 2108, and an air volume adjustment member 2116. The storage unit 0003 has multiple stages of sample container storage chambers 2003, and each sample container storage chamber 2003 stores a sample container 0007, respectively. In the figure, the sample container storage chambers 2003 have six stages, but the number of stages may be increased or decreased, or the storage chambers may be arranged horizontally.

The sample container storage chamber 2003 is surrounded by a heat insulating material 2109, an air volume adjusting material 2116, a heat insulating material 2114, a metal material 2115 on the side surface, a metal material 2117 on the top surface, and a metal material 2118 on the bottom surface. The air volume adjusting member 2116 includes an air outlet 2113. Metal materials include aluminum, stainless steel, copper, iron, titanium, etc., and insulation materials include glass wool, cellulose fiber, insulation board, wool insulation, rock wool, rigid urethane foam, beaded polystyrene foam, and phenol. Examples include, but are not limited to, forms. Resin may be used as the heat insulating material. Examples of the resin include, but are not limited to, nylon, POM, PEEK, PPS, PTFE, PVC, PE, PP, PS, and ABS.

The temperature control unit 2002 includes a cold source 2101, a heat sink 2102, a temperature sensor 2104, a fan 2103, a heat sink 2105, and a fan 2106. Thermal energy of the cold source 2101 via the heat sink 2102 is supplied to the storage unit 2001 by wind from the fan 2103. As the cold heat source 2101, a heater, chiller, Peltier, etc. can be used. A temperature sensor 2104 attached to a heat sink 2102 controls the heating or cooling temperature. As the heat sink (heat sink, heat sink), aluminum, copper, iron, stainless steel, etc. can be used. The temperature sensor 2104 uses a thermistor, a platinum resistor, an IC chip, a thermocouple, or the like, and may be installed not only in the heat sink 2102 but also in the installation space of the temperature control section, inside the duct 2108, etc.

The heat sink 2105 and the fan 2106 are configured assuming a Peltier, and serve as the heat radiation side of the Peltier. The heat sink 2105 on the heat radiation side may be installed inside the casing of the analyzer 0001 and used as an auxiliary heat source for controlling the temperature inside the apparatus. If temperature control is difficult, a heat sink 2105 may be installed in an external space (examination room, laboratory, etc.) of the analyzer 0001 to discharge heat to the outside of the apparatus.

The cold air controlled by the temperature controller 2002 is supplied into the duct 2108 via the fan 2107. The cold air supplied to the duct 2108 is supplied to the lower surface of the lower part of the sample container 2110 through the outlet 2113 of the sample container storage chamber 2003. By controlling the temperature so that the temperature around the transport section 0004 > the temperature of the cold air from the temperature control section 2002, the temperature of the specimen container lid 2112 > the temperature of the specimen 2111 in the lower part 2110 of the specimen container, and the lower part 2110 of the specimen container and the specimen Prevents condensation on the interface with the container lid 2112.

If the specimen 2111 is, for example, a bacterium, its growth is affected at temperatures above 36°C, and for some bacterial species, culture slows down at temperatures below 34°C. According to this configuration, it is possible to control the temperatures of the temperature control section 0006 and the temperature control section 2002 at a temperature at which the temperature of the storage unit 2001 does not affect the culture of the specimen 2111 (for example, 35±1° C.).

The air outlet 2113 is located between the bottom surface of the lower sample container 2110 and the top surface of the heat insulating material 2114 in the vertical direction, so that the temperature of the bottom surface of the lower sample container 2110 can reach the target temperature, and in the horizontal direction. It is desirable to arrange it between the left and right heat insulators 2109.

It is desirable that the cold air supplied from the duct 2108 at each stage is not supplied from above the sample container lower part 2110 of each stage. Alternatively, the relationship may be such that "air volume at the bottom of the sample container 0007>air volume at the top ≧0" such that "temperature of the sample container lid 2112>temperature of the lower part of the sample container 2110". Warm air may flow from the bottom of the sample container 0007 to the top.

The temperature sensor 1009 that controls the temperature control unit 0006 is preferably located at a position where it can relatively measure the temperature of the sample container lid 2112 or the space in its vicinity. Further, the temperature sensor 1009 may be placed at any position as long as a correlation with the temperature of the sample container lid 2112 in the storage section can be obtained. For example, it may be located in or near the heat sink 1007 or near the sample container lid 2112. The position and number of temperature sensors 1009 are not limited.

The temperature sensor 2104 that controls the temperature control unit 2002 is preferably located at a position where it can relatively measure the temperature of the lower part of the sample container 2110 or the space in its vicinity. Further, the temperature sensor 2104 may be placed at any position as long as a correlation with the temperature of the lower part of the sample container 2110 in the storage section can be obtained. For example, it may be located within or near the heat sink 2102 or near the lower portion of the sample container 2110. It may be located inside the temperature control unit 2002, inside the duct 2108, in a space near the air volume adjustment member 2119 (described later), etc. The position and number of temperature sensors 2104 are not limited.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the shape of the air volume adjusting member 2116 and the air outlet 2113. In order to uniformly supply cold air from the upper stage to the lower stage of the sample container storage chamber 2003, the air volume adjusting member 2116 has an air outlet 2113. The air outlet 2113 may be a square hole, an oval or circular hole, a porous hole, or the like. In other words, it is only necessary to limit the amount of air flowing into the storage chamber. The air volume adjustment material 2116 makes the air volume blown from the lower air outlet 2113 and the air volume blown from the upper air outlet 2113 uniform, and the sample 2111 in the sample container 0007 installed in the sample container storage chamber 2003 is evaporated. The amount becomes uniform from the upper stage to the lower stage (variations in the amount of evaporation are suppressed). By suppressing fluctuations in the amount of evaporation, it is possible to suppress changes in the concentration of culture fluids, drugs, etc., and fluctuations in the culture state of specimens, thereby reducing the risk of misjudgment of test results.

FIG. 4 shows another example of the configuration of the air volume adjusting member 2116. The air volume adjusting material 2116 may have a circular punched metal or a mesh-like part, but if the aperture ratio can be controlled, it may be a continuous porous material, a honeycomb structure, a material cut out in a square shape, etc. But that's fine. Regarding the amount of air supplied to the upper and lower plates of each stage, each stage is set so that the air volume at the bottom > the air volume at the top ≧0 within the range where the temperature of the sample container lid 2112 > the temperature of the lower sample container 2110 is satisfied. It is desirable that the upper part has no or few holes. The air volume adjusting material 2116 in each stage may be the same or may have a different shape for each stage. Further, in order to adjust the air volume, a member having holes may be combined with another member having holes. That is, the combination of size/number/arrangement of the openings may be adjusted so that the air volume below the sample container lid 2112 is larger than the air volume above the specimen container lid 2112.

The purpose of the heat insulating material 2114 is to reduce the loss of thermal energy of the cold air supplied to the entire bottom surface of the lower sample container 2110 and to prevent the temperature of the metal material 2118 near the lower sample container lid 2112 from decreasing. However, if there is a sufficient temperature difference between the upper and lower surfaces of the sample container 0007, the heat insulating material 2114 may be omitted.

<Embodiment 1: Summary>
The analyzer 0001 according to the present embodiment adjusts the air volume so that cold air that makes the temperature of the sample container lid 2112 higher than the temperature of the lower part 2110 of the sample container is uniformly supplied to each sample container storage chamber 2003. A material 2116 is provided. Thereby, it is possible to make the dew condensation suppressing effect uniform in each storage chamber while using a simple configuration. Therefore, variations in measurement results in each storage chamber can be suppressed. Furthermore, it becomes possible to accommodate and culture a plurality of sample containers 0007, thereby improving the processing capacity of the apparatus and reducing the burden on the user. Furthermore, by consolidating the sample containers 0007 into the storage section 0003, it is possible to reduce the size of the apparatus.

The analyzer 0001 according to this embodiment can accurately control the temperature of the specimen 2111 by combining the warm air supplied by the temperature control unit 0006 and the cold air supplied by the temperature control unit 2002. That is, since it is possible to both increase the temperature with hot air and decrease the temperature with cold air, it is possible to control the temperature more accurately than with a configuration that only supplies hot air.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of a storage section 0003 included in an analysis apparatus 0001 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 5, an air volume adjusting member 2119 is provided near the outlet 2113 in order to uniformly supply cold air from the upper stage to the lower stage in the storage section 0003. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

If the air volume adjustment material 2119 is not used, there is a possibility that the air volume of the lower air outlet 2113 is greater than the air volume of the upper air outlet 2113, and as a result, the sample in the sample container 0007 installed in the sample container storage chamber 2003 The amount of evaporation of 2111 varies between the upper and lower stages. That is, the concentration of the culture solution, drugs, etc. changes, and the culture state of the specimen also changes, so there is a risk of erroneous test results. The air volume adjustment material 2119 can reduce this risk by making the volume of cold air more uniform from the upper stage to the lower stage than in the first embodiment. The air volume control material 2119 is generally a circular punched metal or mesh-like material, but if the aperture ratio can be controlled, it may be a continuous porous material, a honeycomb structure, a rectangular shape, or other material cut out in a certain shape. But that's fine.

FIG. 6 shows another configuration example of the storage section 0003. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 6, a duct 2120 is provided within the duct 2108. An air volume adjusting member 2121 is arranged at the interface between the duct 2108 and the duct 2120. Similar to the first embodiment, an air volume adjusting member 2116 is arranged at the entrance of each stage of the storage chamber. The air

volume adjusting members

2116 and 2121 may have similar configurations, or may have different aperture ratios (eg, the air volume adjusting member 2121 has a larger aperture ratio). The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment.

The duct 2120 has the function of adjusting the pressure of the cold air. By providing the duct 2120, the influence of the axial flow of the fan 2107 can be suppressed, and the flow rate from the outlet 2113 can be made more uniform from the upper stage to the lower stage. Thereby, the amount of evaporation of the sample 2111 in the sample container 0007 can be made constant from the upper stage to the lower stage. The temperature sensor 2104 may be disposed on the surface of the air volume adjusting member 2121, and may be used to control the temperature of the cold air.

FIG. 7 shows another configuration example of the storage section 0003. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 7, in addition to the configuration described in FIG. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment. By setting the opening ratio of the air volume adjusting member 2122<the opening ratio of the air volume adjusting member 2121, it becomes possible to supply the flow rate from the air outlet 2113 more uniformly from the upper stage to the lower stage than in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows another example of the configuration of the storage section 0003. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 8, a heat insulating material 2123 is attached to at least a portion of the inner surface (and/or at least a portion of the outer surface) of the duct 2108, thereby improving robustness against temperatures from outside the storage unit 2001. I'm letting you do it. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment. With this structure, it is possible to supply cold air with minimal heat loss from the temperature control section 2002 to the bottom surface of the sample container lower part 2110 from the blow-off port 2113. may be combined.

FIG. 9 shows another configuration example of the storage section 0003. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 9, a heat source 2124, a temperature sensor 2125 for controlling the temperature of the heat source 2124, a heat source 2126, and a temperature sensor 2127 for controlling the temperature of the heat source 2126 are provided on the left and right side surfaces of the sample container storage chamber 2003. A heater, Peltier, or the like is used as the heat source 2124 and the heat source 2126. The other configurations are the same as in the first embodiment. This configuration may be combined with the configurations shown in FIGS. 5 to 8. The side surface here refers to a surface that is not at least orthogonal to the path through which the cold air passes through the sample container storage chamber 2003.

The specimen container 0007 kept warm by the storage section 0003 needs to be kept warm at about 35° C.±1° C. for culturing the specimen 2111, for example, if the specimen 2111 is bacteria. The heat source 2124 and the heat source 2126 are used to assist in the heating and improve temperature control accuracy. In order to suppress condensation, the control temperature of the heat source 2124 and the heat source 2126 is greater than the control temperature of the cold heat source 2101, and the temperature of the cold air blown to the bottom of the sample container lower part 2110 is set to be lower than the heat retention temperature of the sample container 0007. . The temperature of the heat source 2124 and the heat source 2126 is also controlled so that the temperature of the storage unit 2001 is at a temperature that does not affect the culture of the specimen 2111.

The

temperature sensors

2125 and 2127 are preferably positioned so that they can relatively measure the temperature of the sample container lid 2112 or the space in its vicinity. The

temperature sensors

2125 and 2127 may be located at any position as long as a correlation with the temperature of the sample container lid 2112 in the storage section 0003 can be obtained. For example, it may be a metal surface inside the sample container storage chamber 2003 or a cover surface of the heat source 2124 and the heat source 2126. That is, it is sufficient if the temperature of the specimen 2111 can be measured directly or indirectly.

In the above embodiments, the temperature control unit 2002 may be placed inside the duct 2108. However, if a heat exchange mechanism such as Peltier is used as the temperature control unit 2002, the position of the storage unit 0003 etc. should be adjusted as appropriate so that the low heat side (heat sink 2105, etc.) can be easily placed outside the analyzer 0001. It is desirable to do so.

<Embodiment 3>
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which the calculation unit 11 controls the temperature of each part of the analyzer 0001. This flowchart can be used in any of the configurations of FIG. 2 and FIGS. 5 to 8. This flowchart is executed by the calculation unit 11 controlling each temperature control unit.

The temperature control of the entire analyzer 0001 by the temperature control unit 0006 (left half of the flowchart) and the temperature control by the temperature control unit 2002 (right half of the flowchart) can be performed simultaneously. The temperature control by the temperature control unit 0006 is the temperature control of the entire apparatus, and in particular, the temperature control of the sample container lid 2112 in the storage unit 0003 is aimed at suppressing the occurrence of dew condensation on the lid. The temperature control by the temperature control unit 2002 is mainly control of the temperature of the sample by controlling the temperature of the lower part 2110 of the sample container.

In the temperature control procedure for the entire apparatus, the target temperature, upper limit temperature, and lower limit temperature of the sample container lid 2112 in the storage section 0003 are set, and the temperature control section 0006 heats it. The upper temperature limit and lower temperature limit may be set based on the upper and lower temperature limits that affect the growth or reaction of the specimen, or may be set based on the measurement conditions for specimen measurement determined by the measurer. However, the target temperature of the sample container lid 2112 needs to be set higher than the target temperature of the sample container lower part 2110, and it is sufficient that the temperature of the specimen container lid 2112>the temperature of the sample container lower part 2110. The upper limit temperature and lower limit temperature may be set as an allowable temperature range. There may be temperatures that are not set.

In the heating procedure by the temperature control unit 0006, heating is turned off when the sample container lid 2112 reaches or exceeds the target temperature. However, overshoot after heating is turned off is below the upper limit temperature, and undershoot is above the lower limit temperature. Furthermore, when the sample container lid 2112 becomes lower than the target temperature, it is heated by the temperature control section 0006. Instead of measuring the temperature of the sample container lid 2112 itself, the temperature near the sample container lid 2112 from which a correlation can be obtained may be measured. That is, it is sufficient if the temperature of the sample container lid 2112 can be measured directly or indirectly.

In controlling the temperature of the lower part of the sample container 2110, a target temperature, upper limit temperature, and lower limit temperature of the lower part of the sample container 2110 are set, and the temperature is controlled by the temperature control unit 2002. The upper temperature limit and lower temperature limit may be set based on the upper and lower temperature limits that have no effect on the specimen, or may be set based on the measurement conditions for specimen measurement determined by the measurer. However, the sample temperature needs to be set lower than the temperature of the sample container lid 2112. In this flow, the temperature of the entire apparatus is set via the temperature of the sample container lid 2112, so the lower part 2110 of the specimen container is cooler than the temperature of the specimen container lid 2112. Therefore, in the flow, it is expressed as cooling by the temperature control section 2002.

In the cooling procedure performed by the temperature control unit 2002, when the lower part 2110 of the sample container falls below the target temperature, cooling is turned off. However, the undershoot after cooling off should be above the lower limit temperature, and the overshoot should be below the upper limit temperature. Furthermore, when the sample container lower part 2110 reaches a target temperature or higher, it is cooled by the temperature control section 2002. If there is a possibility that the temperature of the sample container lower part 2110 will be higher than the temperature of the sample container lid 2112 depending on the temperature to be set, the temperature of the specimen container lid 2112 > the temperature of the specimen container lower part 2110 will be adjusted by cooling by the temperature controller 2002. It is necessary to control it so that

Examples of settings for each temperature include the following: target temperature of sample container lid 2112 35.5°C, upper limit temperature 36.0°C, lower limit temperature 35.0°C; target temperature 34 of sample container lower part 2110 .5℃, upper limit temperature 35.0℃, lower limit temperature 34.0℃.

The lower limit temperature of the sample container lid 2112 can be used, for example, when determining control parameters. For example, when determining the interval of one loop cycle on the left side of FIG. 11, the lower limit temperature of the sample container lid 2112 may be used as a reference.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which the calculation unit 11 controls the temperature of each part of the analyzer 0001. This flowchart can be used in the configuration of FIG. This flowchart is executed by the calculation unit 11 controlling each temperature control unit.

Temperature control of the entire analyzer 0001 by the temperature control section 0006 (left in FIG. 11), temperature control by the temperature control section 2002 (center in FIG. 11), and temperature control by the heat sources 2124 and 2126 (right in FIG. 11) can be performed simultaneously. can. The temperature control by the temperature control unit 0006 can be mainly performed to control the temperature of the analyzer 0001 as a whole. The temperature control by the temperature control unit 2002 is mainly a control of the temperature of the lower part of the sample container 2110 (sample) in the storage unit 0003. The temperature control by the

heat sources

2124 and 2126 is temperature control that mainly suppresses the occurrence of condensation on the lid by controlling the temperature of the specimen container lid 2112. By controlling the temperature in this manner, it is possible to achieve higher temperature control accuracy than the temperature control shown in FIG.

In the temperature control procedure for the entire device, the target temperature, upper limit temperature, and lower limit temperature of the analyzer 0001 are set, and the temperature control unit 0006 heats it. The upper temperature limit and lower temperature limit may be set based on the upper and lower limits of temperatures that affect the specimen, or may be set based on the measurement conditions for specimen measurement determined by the measurer. The upper limit temperature and lower limit temperature may be set as an allowable temperature range.

In the heating procedure by the temperature controller 0006, when the target temperature of the analyzer 0001 is reached or higher, the heating is turned off. When the lower temperature of the sample container 2110 reaches the lower limit temperature or lower, the temperature control section 0006 heats it. When considering the influence of the internal temperature of the apparatus during transport and measurement of the specimen, it is preferable to set the heating when the temperature reaches the lower limit temperature of the lower part 2110 of the specimen container. If the influence of temperature during transportation and measurement of the specimen is not taken into account, heating may be performed at a temperature lower than the target temperature of the analyzer 0001. Therefore, depending on the user's condition setting, the step at the bottom left in FIG. 11 may be "below the lower limit temperature of the lower part of the sample container" or "below the target temperature of the analyzer".

In the temperature control procedure by the temperature control unit 2002, the target temperature (target temperature of the sample), upper limit temperature, and lower limit temperature of the sample container lower part 2110 are set, and the temperature is controlled by the temperature control unit 2002. The upper temperature limit and lower temperature limit may be set based on the upper and lower temperature limits that have no effect on the specimen, or may be set based on the measurement conditions for specimen measurement determined by the measurer. However, the temperature of the lower part of the sample container 2110 (sample temperature) needs to be lower than the temperature of the sample container lid 2112. In this flow, the sample container lower part 2110 is cooled down to a temperature lower than the temperature of the sample container lid 2112, so in the flow, it is expressed as cooling by the temperature control unit 2002.

In the temperature control by the temperature controller 2002, when the lower part 2110 of the sample container falls below the target temperature, cooling is turned off. However, when the cooling is turned off, the undershoot is equal to or higher than the lower limit temperature, and the overshoot is lower than the upper limit temperature. Furthermore, when the sample container lower part 2110 reaches a target temperature or higher, it is cooled by the temperature control section 2002.

In controlling the temperature of the sample container lid 2112, a target temperature of the sample container lid 2112 (target temperature of the sample container lower part 2110), an upper limit temperature, and a lower limit temperature are set, and the sample container lid 2112 is heated by

heat sources

2124 and 2126. The lower limit temperature of the sample container lid 2112 is set so that it can be controlled higher than the temperature of the lower portion 2110 of the sample container. That is, it is only necessary to realize that the temperature of the sample container lid 2112>the sample container lower part 2110.

In the temperature control procedure using the

heat sources

2124 and 2126, when the sample container lid 2112 reaches or exceeds the target temperature, heating is turned off. However, overshoot after heating is turned off is below the upper limit temperature, and undershoot is above the lower limit temperature. Furthermore, when the temperature of the sample container lid 2112 falls below the target temperature, it is heated by

heat sources

2124 and 2126. Since the heat source is located near the sample container 0007, temperature adjustment can be performed with high precision. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the temperature while taking into account the temperature influence caused by the temperature control section 0006 and the temperature influence caused by the temperature control section 2002. If the temperature of the sample container lower part 2110 is higher than the temperature of the sample container lid 2112 depending on the set temperature, heat the sample container with the

heat sources

2124 and 2126 so that the temperature of the specimen container lid 2112 > the temperature of the specimen container lower part 2110. is necessary.

Examples of settings for each temperature include the following: target temperature of analyzer 0001: 35.0°C, upper limit temperature: 35.3°C, lower limit temperature: 34.5°C; target temperature of sample container lower part 2110: 35.0°C. 0°C, upper limit temperature 35.3°C, lower limit temperature 34.5°C; target temperature of sample container lid 2112 35.5°C, upper limit temperature 36.0°C, lower limit temperature 35.3°C.

<About modifications of the present invention>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace some of the configurations of each embodiment with other configurations.

In the above embodiment, the air outlet 2113 is configured by opening the entire surface of the sample container storage chamber 2003, and the size and position of the opening of the air volume adjusting material (2116, etc.) are adjusted to open the sample container lid 2112. The temperature can also be higher than the temperature of the sample container lower part 2110. That is, the combination of the air outlet 2113 and the air volume adjusting material (2116, etc.) may provide the same effect as the above embodiment.

In the above embodiment, the calculation unit 11 may display the temperature measured by each temperature sensor, the air volume (and/or wind pressure) of each part, etc. on the monitor 13. Other information useful to the user may also be presented.

In the above embodiments, the arithmetic unit 11 can be configured by hardware such as a circuit device that implements the function, or software that implements the function is executed by an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). It can also be configured by

0001 Analyzer 0002 Loading/unloading section 0003 Storage section 0004 Transport section 0005 Detection section 0006 Temperature control section 0007 Sample container 1001 Actuator 1002 Actuator 1003 Sample container holding section 1004 Measurement unit 1005 Measurement section 1006 Heat source 1007 Heat sink 1008 Fan 1009 Temperature sensor 20 01 Storage unit 2002 Temperature control unit 2003 Sample container storage chamber 2101 Cold source 2102 Heat sink 2103 Fan 2104 Temperature sensor 2105 Heat sink 2106 Fan 2107 Fan 2108 Duct 2109 Insulating material 2110 Sample container lower part 2111 Sample 2112 Sample container lid 2113 Air outlet 2114 Insulating material 2115 Metal material 2 116 Air volume adjustment material 2117 Metal material 2118 Metal material 2119 Air volume adjustment material 2120 Duct 2121 Air volume adjustment material 2122 Air volume adjustment material 2123 Insulation material 2124 Heat source 2125 Temperature sensor 2126 Heat source 2127 Temperature sensor

Claims

A sample analyzer that analyzes a sample,
a storage unit that stores a sample container containing the sample;
A temperature control unit that generates cold air;
a first duct through which the cold air passes;
an air outlet that supplies the cold air passing through the first duct to a region below the sample container in the storage section;
Equipped with
The sample container has a lower portion of the sample container and a sample container lid that covers the upper surface of the lower portion of the sample container,
The sample analyzer is characterized in that the temperature control section generates the cold air so that the temperature of the lower part of the sample container is lower than the temperature of the sample container lid.
The sample analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising a first air volume adjusting member that adjusts the volume of the cold air that the blower outlet supplies to the storage section.
Inside the storage section, two or more storage chambers for storing the sample containers are arranged adjacently,
The air outlet is constituted by two or more openings that respectively supply the cold air to each of the storage chambers,
The sample analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the first air volume adjusting member is configured to equalize the air volume supplied by each of the openings.
The sample analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the blower outlet is configured so that the cold air passes below a lower portion of the sample container.
The air outlet is
The cold air is introduced into the storage chamber from a position below the lower part of the sample container.
or
The volume of the cold air passing below the lower part of the sample container is larger than the volume of the cold air passing above the lower part of the sample container.
The sample analyzer according to claim 3, wherein the sample analyzer is configured to be at least one of the following.
The opening is
Provided only at a portion of the entrance surface through which the cold air is introduced into the storage chamber, below the lower portion of the sample container;
or
Of the entrance surface through which the cold air is introduced into the storage chamber, the total area of the openings provided in a part below the lower part of the sample container is equal to the total area of the openings provided in a part above the lower part of the sample container. larger than the total area of the openings,
The sample analyzer according to claim 3, wherein the sample analyzer is configured to be at least one of the following.
The sample analyzer according to claim 3, wherein inside the storage chamber, a heat insulating material is arranged below a location where the sample container is placed.
The sample analyzer further includes:
a second duct that adjusts the pressure of the cold air that the first duct supplies to the storage section;
a second air volume adjusting material disposed between the first duct and the second duct and adjusting the air volume of the cold air;
The sample analyzer according to claim 1, comprising:
The sample analyzer further includes:
a second duct that adjusts the pressure of the cold air that the first duct supplies to the storage section;
a second air volume adjusting member disposed between the first duct and the second duct and adjusting the air volume of the cold air;
Equipped with
The sample analyzer according to claim 2, wherein an aperture ratio of the first air volume adjustment material is different from an aperture ratio of the second air volume adjustment material.
The sample analyzer further includes a third air volume adjusting member disposed between the second duct and the air outlet and adjusting the air volume of the cold air,
The sample analyzer according to claim 8, wherein an aperture ratio of the second air volume adjustment material is larger than an aperture ratio of the third air volume adjustment material.
The sample analyzer according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the inner surface of the first duct or at least a portion of the outer surface of the first duct is covered with a heat insulating material.
The storage unit includes a heat source and a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the heat source on a side surface that is not perpendicular to the direction in which the cold air is introduced from the outlet,
The sample analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the control temperature of the heat source is higher than the control temperature of the temperature control section.
The sample analyzer further includes an air current generation device that generates an air current in the first duct that spans each of the storage chambers,
The sample analyzer according to claim 3, wherein the temperature control section is arranged within the first duct.
The temperature control section is
a first temperature controller that controls the temperature of the sample container lid by supplying warm air into the housing of the sample analyzer;
a second temperature control device that controls the temperature of the lower part of the sample container by supplying the cold air to the storage section;
Equipped with
The sample analyzer further includes a calculation unit that controls the temperature control unit,
The sample analyzer according to claim 4, wherein the calculation section controls the temperature adjustment section so that the temperature of the sample container lid is higher than the temperature of the lower part of the sample container.
The temperature control section is
a first temperature control device that controls the temperature of the lower part of the sample container by supplying the cold air to the storage section;
a second temperature control device that controls the temperature of the sample container lid by supplying warm air to the storage section using the heat source;
Equipped with
The sample analyzer further includes a calculation unit that controls the temperature control unit and the heat source,
The sample analyzer according to claim 12, wherein the calculation unit controls the temperature adjustment unit and the heat source so that the temperature of the sample container lid is higher than the temperature of the lower part of the sample container.
The specimen is a biological specimen,
The sample analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the temperature control unit supplies the cold air having a temperature at which the biological sample can grow.