JPH06249860A - Automatic analyzing device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To increase the amount of sample to be dispensed so that it can be applied to analysis items of trace components and analyzes requiring high accuracy. [Structure] The movement trajectory of the pipettor 14 is the first reagent line 1
3, two points (P1, P9) on the reaction line 5 and the sample line 6 are configured so as to cross each other, and react the dispensing of a large amount of the sample from the sample line 6 and the reagent from the reagent line 13. As a structure that can be applied to reaction vessels located at two points (P1, P9) on the line, only one of the two reaction vessels can be dispensed in the same analysis cycle. Usually, the pipettor 14 dispenses a reagent into the reaction container at the position P1, and if the reaction container assigned to the position P9 has analytical conditions requiring the dispensing of the reagent or sample at the position P9, the P1 The analysis condition of the reaction container assigned to the position is delayed by one analysis cycle to the rear reaction container to execute the analysis operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer used in the fields of clinical biochemical examination and food analysis.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an automatic analyzer, a sample line in which sample containers are arranged, a reagent line in which reagent containers are arranged, a reaction line in which reaction containers are annularly arranged and conveyed, and a sample in the sample line is divided into reaction containers. Analysis with at least a sample sampling mechanism to inject, a reagent dispensing mechanism to dispense a reagent from a reagent line into a reaction vessel, and a photometer to measure the absorbance of the reaction solution consisting of the sample and reagent dispensed into the reaction vessel Section and a control section that controls the operation of each section and calculates the concentration or activity value of the test component in the sample from the measured value from the photometer. Single-line multi-analysis (abbreviated as single multi) There is a system-type automatic analyzer.

In such a single multi-automatic analyzer, the reaction line moves half a turn and one reaction container or one rotation and one reaction container at regular intervals, and in the meantime, the reaction line in each reaction container is moved. A photometer performs an absorbance measurement on the reaction solution. In this method, sample dispensing and reagent dispensing are performed within one analysis cycle in which one reaction container moves. The roles of the sample sampling mechanism that sucks the sample from the sample container and dispenses it into the reaction container and the reagent dispensing mechanism that sucks the analytical reagent and dispenses it into the reaction container are defined.

[0004]

The ratio of the sample amount to the reagent amount in the reaction solution is about 1/100 to 1/15 in the case of analysis items in the conventional clinical biochemical test field. It was Therefore, in the sample sampling mechanism,
It is measured in the range of several tens of μl and the reagent dispensing mechanism in the range of 10 to 500 μl. Only one type of reagent may be dispensed, or two or more types may be dispensed. The minimum amount required for photometry of the test liquid in which the sample and reagent are mixed is approximately 2
It is about 50 to 400 μl.

However, as the level of demand from clinicians rises and high analysis accuracy is demanded, if the sample is dispensed according to the conventional conditions by the sample sampling mechanism, the amount of sample is small, The required accuracy cannot be obtained. Further, under the conventional conditions, the amount of sample is so small that it is not possible to deal with a new trace analysis item such as Cu or Zn containing only a trace amount of a test component or an immune item. . If it is attempted to satisfy such a desired condition by increasing the dispensing amount of the sampling mechanism, on the contrary, there is a demerit that the measurable range is narrowed under the analytical condition that a minute amount needs to be dispensed.

Therefore, the present invention is applicable to not only analysis by sample dispensing using a sample sampling mechanism similar to the conventional one but also analysis of trace components and analysis requiring high accuracy by increasing the amount of sample to be dispensed. The purpose is to be able to deal with.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the reagent dispensing mechanism can be used for both reagent dispensing and sample dispensing. Then, the dispensing operation is controlled so that the sample dispensing by the reagent dispensing mechanism and the reagent dispensing do not overlap in one cycle. Therefore, in the present invention, a sample sampling mechanism dedicated to dispensing the sample on the sample line into the reaction container is provided,
The reagent dispensing mechanism that dispenses the reagent on the reagent line into the reaction container is configured so that the movement path of the pipettor of the reagent dispenser can move so as to intersect at two intersections on the reaction line, the reagent line and the sample line. It enables both reagent dispensing and sample dispensing. Along with this, the control unit only samples one of the dispensing positions in one analysis cycle for the main dispensing position and the sub-dispensing position at the two intersections on the reaction line on the movement path of the pipettor. Or analysis conditions that enable the dispensing of reagents, normally dispense reagents to the main dispensing position, and the reaction container assigned to the sub-dispensing position requires dispensing of the reagent or sample at the sub-dispensing position. In the case of 1, the analysis conditions assigned to the main dispensing position in the same analysis cycle are controlled so that the analysis processing is delayed for one analysis cycle in the reaction container behind.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 schematically shows an analysis unit in an automatic analyzer according to an embodiment. The reaction vessels 4 are annularly arranged around the reaction disk 2, and the reaction disks 2 rotate counterclockwise as indicated by the arrows, so that the reaction lines 5 are turned one by one at regular time intervals (several seconds). Move it clockwise.

Around the reaction disk 2, a sample sampling mechanism, a reagent dispenser for the first reagent, and a reagent dispenser for the second reagent, and not shown in the drawing, A multi-wavelength photometer for measuring the absorbance of the reaction liquid, a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the reaction container after completion of the reaction, a stirring mechanism for stirring the reaction liquid in the reaction container after reagent dispensing, and the like are provided.

The sample sampling mechanism includes a sample line 6 in which sample bottles 8 are arranged along the circumference of a turntable,
A sample pipettor 10 for dispensing the sample from the sample line 6 to the reaction container at the position P0 of the reaction line 5 is provided.
The reagent dispenser for the first reagent includes a first reagent line 13 in which a reagent bottle 18 is arranged along the circumference of a turntable 16 and a pipettor 14, and the movement path of the pipetter 14 is first.
Two points on the reagent line 13 and the reaction line 5 (P1, P
9), and the sample line 6 are configured to cross each other. Of the two intersections P1 and P9 on the reaction line 5, the position of P1 close to the sample dispensing position P0 by the sample sampling mechanism is the main dispensing position, and the position of P9 far from P0 is the secondary dispensing position. The pipettor 14 can perform both functions of sample dispensing from the sample line 6 and reagent dispensing from the reagent line 13.

The reagent dispenser for the second reagent comprises a reagent container 26, a second reagent line 21 and a pipettor 22 arranged along the circumference of a turntable 24, and the second reagent line 21.
Dispense the above reagent into the reaction vessel. Reference numerals 12, 20, and 28 are cleaning bottles for cleaning the pipettes 10, 14, and 22, respectively.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The sample in the normal analysis mode sample line 6 is dispensed to the sample dispensing position P0 using the sample sampling pipettor 10. When the reaction container reaches the main dispensing position P1, the reagent in the first reagent line 13 is dispensed by the pipetter 14. The second reagent is dispensed by the pipettor 22 from the second reagent line 21 to the reaction container at the position P36.

Special analysis mode I This is an analysis mode in the case where a large amount of sample is required as in the case of analysis items of trace components. Sample sampling pipettor 10
Is not used, the sample on the sample line 6 is dispensed to the reaction container by the pipetter 14 when the reaction container reaches the main dispensing position P1. The first reagent is dispensed by the pipette 14 from the reagent container on the first reagent line 13 when the reaction container reaches the sub-dispensing position P9. The second reagent is dispensed from the reagent container on the second reagent line 21 to the reaction container at the position P36 by the pipetter 22 as in the normal analysis mode.

Special analysis mode II This analysis mode is also an analysis mode that requires a large amount of sample. At the main dispensing position P1, the first reagent is dispensed from the reagent container on the first reagent line 13 by the pipetter 14, and when the reaction container reaches the sub-dispensing position P9, the sample line 6
Is dispensed into the reaction container by the pipetter 14. The second reagent is transferred to the second reagent by the pipette 22 as in the normal analysis mode.
The reagent container on the reagent line 21 is dispensed into the reaction container at the position P36.

When the reagent or sample is dispensed to the reaction container at the sub-dispensing position P9 in the special analysis modes I and II, the reagent cannot be dispensed to the reaction container at the main dispensing position P1. When the reaction container is at the sample dispensing position P0, the sample dispensing by the sample sampling pipetter 10 is not performed, and the analysis condition cracked in the reaction container is shifted backward by one analysis cycle to perform the analysis operation. Above 3
Sample (S) and first reagent (R1) in one analysis mode
Table 1 collectively shows the dispensing operation of the second reagent (R2).

[0016]

[Table 1] In Table 1, a circle indicates that the dispensing operation is performed, and a minus indicates that the dispensing operation is not performed.

[0017]

According to the present invention, the sample can be dispensed by using the reagent dispensing mechanism in addition to the normal dispensing using the sample sampling mechanism. It is possible to increase the ratio of the sample dispensing amount.
As a result, the following effects can be achieved. (1) Analysis accuracy is improved. (2) Analysis of trace components, which was previously impossible, is now possible, opening new fields of inspection. (3) The measurable concentration range is expanded by combining with the re-inspection performed by changing the sample amount. (4) When the sample types are different, such as serum, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid, the required sampling amount differs because the concentrations may differ by orders of magnitude even in the analysis of the same component. In such a case, it was not possible to cope with the conventional automatic analyzer which cannot significantly change the sample dispensing amount, but in the present invention, since the same component can be analyzed using the same reagent, the reagent container It enables efficient use of the installation space.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an analysis unit of an embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 reaction disk 4 reaction container 5 reaction line 6 sample line 8 sample bottle 10 sample sampling pipetter 13 first reagent line 14 pipetter 21 second reagent line

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A sample line in which sample containers are arranged, a reagent line in which reagent containers are arranged, a reaction line in which reaction containers are arranged in an annular shape and is conveyed, and sample sampling in which a sample in the sample line is dispensed into the reaction container. Mechanism, a reagent dispensing mechanism that dispenses a reagent in a reagent line into a reaction container, and an analysis unit having at least a photometer for measuring the absorbance of a reaction solution composed of a sample and a reagent dispensed in the reaction container, and In an automatic analyzer equipped with a control unit that controls the operation of each unit and calculates the concentration or activity value of the test component in the sample from the measurement value from the photometer, the reagent dispensing mechanism is a movement path of the pipettor. Is provided with a reagent dispenser that can move so as to intersect at two intersections on the reaction line, the reagent line and the sample line, and is configured to be capable of both reagent dispensing and sample dispensing, The control unit uses the two intersections as the main dispensing position and the sub-dispensing position to enable the dispensing of the sample or the reagent at only one of the dispensing positions in one analysis cycle, and normally the reagent is dispensed at the main dispensing position. Dispense to the position and analyze the reaction container assigned to the main dispensing position if the reaction container assigned to the sub-dispensing position has analytical conditions that require reagent or sample dispensing at the sub-dispensing position. An automatic analyzer characterized in that the conditions are delayed for one analysis cycle in a reaction container located at the rear of the analysis processing.