JPH04900Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The present invention is a sample container mount for transporting and storing a plurality of sample containers mounted in a row.
The present invention relates to a sample container mount that is resistant to dirt and can withstand cleaning, and has a function of accurately identifying one mount and another in a short time, and a function of accurately identifying a sample container within the mount in a short time.

[Conventional technology]

As a stand for sample containers, for example,
There is one described in Publication No. 193437. When this sample container mount is supplied to the sample analyzer one sample at a time using a mount supply device, as a method for identifying each sample container within the same mount, after the tip of the mount is recognized, the mount is Each time the sample is transferred, a count is added by a computer program built into the sample analyzer. With this method, if the position of the pedestal is changed due to operator carelessness, or if the pedestal supply device malfunctions, the order of the sample containers in the pedestal becomes unknown, so the pedestal cannot be replaced. Once it has been manually reversed and returned to the starting position, the measurement must be started by restarting the feeding device. At this time, the above-mentioned count addition is performed in order for the sample analyzer to recognize the order of the sample containers within the mount so that the measured samples can be skipped and the unmeasured samples can be measured from the beginning.

Further, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-247137, in a rack having a large number of storage openings 2 in series, both a sample container 7 and a cell 8 filled with a reagent are stored in the opening 2, and the cell 8 is The lid displays a barcode that identifies the reagents within each individual cell.
A code display surface 5 is provided at one end of the upper surface of the rack, and a rack with a sample identification code 9 for identifying the sample in the sample container 7 is written on the code display surface 5.

In addition, some of the more sophisticated feeding devices include
Some systems provide sophisticated systems that supply mounts to multiple sample analyzers, or automatically transport the mounts back and remeasure the sample if the measurement results indicate that the sample is unique. In such cases, it is necessary to identify the multiple mounts used;
Furthermore, during reverse transfer, the latest sample identification number obtained by adding counts must be corrected by temporarily subtracting counts.

[The problem that the idea attempts to solve]

In all of the above-mentioned conventional mounts, it is impossible to identify the mount itself. Therefore, it is not possible to identify a special mount loaded with an emergency sample, a quality control sample, or the like. Furthermore, if an additional mount is inserted in the middle or the arrangement of the mounts is changed after measurement, that is, if the order in which the samples are measured is changed, it becomes difficult to associate the samples with the measurement results. In addition, in order to identify the sample container in the mount by adding and subtracting counts using a program, in addition to that program, there are cases where the mount is inadvertently moved or the tip of the mount is recognized due to malfunction of the supply device. If this is not possible, a program for detecting them is also required, and the program configuration becomes extremely complicated, resulting in a long time required to develop a program for the sample analyzer. Furthermore, the more sophisticated the system, the more complex the recovery procedures in the event of an abnormality become, making the operation method more difficult to understand.

Furthermore, the rack described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 60-247137 is based on the basic premise that if you move n pitches, you will reach the n-th container.
If you accidentally move the rack,
I don't know which container I'm in.

In that case, programs such as the above-mentioned return operation and abnormality detection will be required. Even if a barcode is pasted on the container, there is a problem in that it takes time to read all the barcodes from the beginning until reaching the desired container.

Further, although the identification object is a barcode, barcodes are detected optically, so they are susceptible to dirt and their identification ability deteriorates. Additionally, it is vulnerable to water, so there is a problem that it is not suitable for cleaning.

The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned points.A ferromagnetic material is closely arranged on the longitudinal side of the pedestal in accordance with the pedestal's identification code, and holes are provided for mounting sample containers in rows. By closely arranging ferromagnetic material on the longitudinal sides of the gantry in the same pitch and in the order of the sample containers, the gantry itself can be quickly and accurately identified, and the sample containers inside the gantry can be accurately identified in a short time. The object of the present invention is to provide a stand for sample containers that can be easily identified, is resistant to dirt, and is resistant to cleaning.

[Means to solve the problem]

The sample container stand of the present invention is shown in Figures 1 and 2.
To explain with reference to the figure, on a sample container mount 12 for mounting, transporting and storing a plurality of sample containers 11 in a row, the sample containers are mounted at positions corresponding to the mounting positions of the sample containers. It is characterized by the fact that ferromagnetic material 15 is placed in close contact with each other to identify the sequence and the stand.

As the ferromagnetic material 15, for example, magnets may be used and these magnets may be embedded, a polymer film printed with a ferromagnetic material may be adhered in an identifiable format, or a readable/writable magnetic tape may be used. I use it.

[Effect]

As shown in FIG. 3, when the pedestal 12 is supplied to the sample analyzer by the pedestal supply device 16, a portion of the pedestal supply device 16 that is opposed to the ferromagnetic material 15 placed in close contact with the pedestal reacts with the ferromagnetic material. A magnetic sensor 20 is provided to identify the pedestal and the sample container.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, unless there is a specific description, the materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in this example are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. This is just an illustrative example.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention having a sample container identification function within the same mount. Reference numeral 11 denotes a sample container, in which a sample to be measured is placed. A sample container mounting section 13 is provided on the pedestal 12, and the sample containers 11 can be transported and stored in a row. On the longitudinal side surface of the substrate 14 at the bottom of the pedestal 12, at a position corresponding to the sample container mounting part 13,
In the same order as the sample container mounting part 13, the ferromagnetic material 15
is embedded in binary format. FIG. 2 shows an example of how the ferromagnetic material 15 is arranged. Note(1)
~(10) indicates the sample container number.

As the ferromagnetic material 15, a magnet, a polymer film printed with a ferromagnetic material in an identifiable format, a readable/writable magnetic tape, etc. are used, and these are embedded or bonded.

Next, a case in which the pedestal of the present invention is supplied using a pedestal supply device and a sample is measured by a sample analyzer will be described based on FIGS. 3 and 4.
The sample analyzer is, for example, a blood cell counter in the field of clinical testing, and in this case, the sample in the sample container is blood containing an anticoagulant.

In FIG. 3, 16 is a gantry supply device;
This is a device that automatically supplies a pedestal 12 on which a sample container 11 is attached to a sample collection section 17 of a sample analyzer. The sample collection unit 17 is normally located above the gantry supply device 16 and descends downward during collection.

The frames are first set in a row in the stockyard 18. When the gantry supply device 16 is started,
The first mount is transferred to the front row of the stockyard (the front side in FIG. 3), and then moved from left to right in FIG. 3 toward the sample collection section 17 of the sample analyzer. The transfer is performed by the pitch between the sample containers in synchronization with the cycle in which the measurement of one sample is completed. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
A sample container identification section 21 having a magnetic sensor 20 is provided, and the position and order of the sample containers 11 can be recognized with good reproducibility by the proximity of the ferromagnetic material 15 embedded in the pedestal.

The configuration and direction for identifying the order of samples within the same mount have been described above.
It goes without saying that it is possible to add by a method similar to that shown in the figure. By using both in combination, all sample containers can have their own unique identification codes. FIG. 5 shows an example of a method of arranging the ferromagnetic material 15 in this case.

[Effect of idea]

Since the present invention is configured as described above,
It produces the following effects.

(1) A ferromagnetic material indicating the mounting order of the sample containers is provided at a position corresponding to the mounting position of the sample container on the rack. As a result, the position and order of the sample containers can be accurately recognized in a short time with good reproducibility. Therefore, even if the rack is inadvertently moved, the container position can be accurately recognized very easily. That is, it can be recognized directly.

(2) The pedestal of the present invention has a ferromagnetic material closely arranged on the side of the pedestal in a format corresponding to the sample container, and the sample container identification section of the pedestal supply device reads the identification code of the pedestal itself and the order of the sample containers within the same pedestal. Since the identification code of the holder can be directly read, it is now possible to identify the holder itself, which was previously impossible, and it is also possible to perform count addition, count subtraction, and abnormality detection, which were necessary to identify the order of sample containers within the same holder. This eliminates the need for other programs, which simplifies program development and shortens the period. Furthermore, since there is a one-to-one correspondence between the sample number of the sample and the sample container, it is extremely easy to search for the sample after the measurement is completed.

(3) When using readable/writable magnetic tape, a combination of reading and writing devices can be used to designate a specific mount and sample in advance and perform a special supply method or measurement method, or, for example, after the measurement. It is also possible to write information that the sample is a unique sample and perform special processing based on that information.

(4) Since samples such as blood are attached to the stand, the stand gradually becomes dirty as it is used. However, since the identification material is not a bar coat like in the past, but a ferromagnetic material, the identification ability does not deteriorate. Furthermore, if the stand remains dirty, it is unsanitary and there is a risk of disease infection, so it is necessary to clean it to remove dirt. Even in such a case, there is no problem with the ease of the present invention. In other words, since the identification object is made of ferromagnetic material, it is resistant to stains and can withstand cleaning.

As described above, the present invention has noteworthy features and is particularly useful for automating sample analysis devices.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the sample container mount of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view showing an example of the arrangement of the substrate and ferromagnetic material at the bottom of the mount in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an example of a state in which the mount of the sample container of the present invention is supplied to the sample analyzer by the mount supply device; FIG. 4 is an enlarged side view of the area around the magnet and magnetic sensor in FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view showing an example of the arrangement of ferromagnetic materials when the pedestal has a self-other identification function and a sample container identification function in the pedestal. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Sample container, 12... Frame, 13... Sample container mounting part, 14... Substrate, 15... Ferromagnetic material, 16... Frame supply device, 17... Sample collection part, 18... Stockyard, 20... Magnetic sensor, 21... Sample container identification unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. On a sample container stand 12 for mounting, transporting and storing a plurality of sample containers 11 in a row, a sample container is placed at a position corresponding to the mounting position of the sample container 11. A mount for a sample container, characterized in that a ferromagnetic material 15 is closely arranged to identify the mounting order and the mount. 2. The mount for a sample container according to claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic material 15 is a magnet, and arranging the ferromagnetic material in close contact with each other is embedding the magnet. 3. A mount for a sample container according to claim 1, which is a utility model, and has a polymer film printed with a ferromagnetic material in an identifiable form adhered thereto as the ferromagnetic material 15. 4. The sample container mount according to claim 1, wherein the ferromagnetic material 15 is a readable/writable magnetic tape.