JPH0743365A - Sample container check method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] A special sample container that holds a sample consisting of body fluid and has a bar code that displays the sample number, and that cannot be dispensed or is not dispensed in the automatic dispensing line. Provided is a sample container check method capable of surely taking out a sample container when taking out the sample container from the sample storage. [Structure] A special sample container that cannot be automatically dispensed or is not automatically dispensed is searched in the storage, and the barcode of the sample container is read by the portable barcode reader. Whether or not the read sample number corresponds to the sample number stored in the storage medium and is in accordance with the taking-out order is determined by the determination means provided in the barcode reader. If not applicable, an alarm is issued by an alarm device attached to the bar code reader.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention finds, from a specimen storage container, a specimen container that has not been dispensed or cannot be dispensed by an automatic dispensing line among specimens composed of body fluids such as blood, plasma, serum and urine. The method relates to a sample container check method for surely taking out a sample container when manually dispensing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art First, a sample processing flow will be described with reference to FIG. 3 showing a dispensing / inspection system including an automatic dispensing line developed by the present applicant. At a hospital or the like, a sample container 1 containing a sample (generally, a test tube-shaped one that is stoppered) is provided with the test instruction information, the ordering source, etc., as shown in FIG. The label 2 displaying the converted sample number is attached and sent to the sample laboratory, while the necessary items described in the sample inspection request form 3 are input to the host computer 4 at the sample laboratory online or the like.

At a sample laboratory, a fixed number (for example, 1
The sample containers 1 of 10 columns and 5 columns in total (50 columns each) are set in the sample container rack 9. At this time, the bar code portion of the sample number is automatically detected by the optical reader 22 every time one column is set. And read the rack number 21 of the sample container rack 9 separately from the optical reader 20.
The read information (rack number 21 and position information in the rack of the sample container 1) is transferred to the auxiliary host computer 25 via the terminal computer 23 in association with the sample number 21, and the information is stored here. I'll do it.

As shown in FIG. 5, a rack 9 in which a sample container 1 read by such a reading device is set
2 main lines 30 are provided on the safety side in consideration of a failure, and dispensing lines 32a to 32j, which are branched from the main line 30 and have predetermined objects to be dispensed, are provided. Each of the injection lines 32a to 32j is equipped with an automatic pipetting machine 33.

An optical reader 35 for reading the sample container rack number 21 is provided at each branch of the main line 30. In addition, near the downstream side of the optical reader 35,
If the sample container rack 9 having the rack number read by the optical reader 35 contains the sample container 1 to be dispensed on the corresponding dispensing line, the dispensing line 32a to
An air cylinder 36, for example, is provided as an actuator in order to flow the sample container rack 9 to 32j.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, each main line 30
Is provided with a terminal computer 31, which relays information and performs line control between the automatic pipetting machine 33, the optical reader 35, the air cylinder 36, and the auxiliary host computer 25.

When dispensing from the sample container 1 in the sample container rack 9 set in the automatic dispensing machine 33 to the dispensing container 6 in the dispensing container rack 12, the worker 8 automatically dispenses the sample. 33
For each computer, the rack number 21 of the sample container rack 9 and the rack number 24 of the dispensing container rack 12 are read by the attached computer, and the dispensing computer is instructed to enter a dispensing operation by key input. Thereby, the computer attached to the pipetting machine dispenses the sample of the sample container 1 to be dispensed from the sample container rack 9 from the auxiliary host computer 25 to the dispensing container 6 via the terminal computer 31 of the main line 30. . When all the dispensing containers 6 set in the dispensing container rack 12 are full, the worker carries out the dispensing container 12 along the route shown by the dotted line B. When there is nothing in the sample container 1 set in the sample container rack 9 to be dispensed in the dispensing line, the sample container rack 9 is returned to the main line 30 and flows downstream. The sample container rack 9 for which the dispensing has been completed is carried out along the route indicated by the solid line C and stored in the sample storage.

In the above-mentioned dispensing work, when the dispensing container 6 to be dispensed is not dispensed or is insufficient, the specimen cannot be sucked up into the pipe for suction of the dispenser. Or an insufficient amount is detected by the optical means for monitoring the liquid level in the pipe for suction or by the fact that the pressure in the cylinder for suction does not become negative pressure. In this case, the sample container The pre-dispensing sample position information including the rack number 21 and the coordinate position is stored, and stored in the dispensation failure area of the auxiliary host computer 25. Regarding the dispensation failure amount, the dispensation in the dispensation container rack 12 is performed. Samples to be dispensed are sequentially injected into the injection container 6 from a young coordinate portion so that an empty dispensing container does not occur on the way. Then, when the dispensing is completed for all the dispensing containers 6 in each dispensing container rack 12, the auxiliary host computer 25 dispenses the dispensing container rack 12 including the dispensing container rack number and its coordinate position. The rear sample position information is stored in association with the sample number.

The dispensing container rack 12 in which the dispensing containers 6 for automatic analysis are set by performing the dispensing work as described above causes the automatic analyzer 13 to perform automatic analysis under each terminal computer 50. . Terminal computer 5 of automatic analyzer 13
0 indicates the auxiliary host computer 2 in the dispensing operation
The analysis operation is performed based on the information stored in 5. on the other hand,
For dispensing containers that perform manual inspection 11, refer to Manual inspection 11
The sorting 51 is performed for each place to perform, and the second dispensing container rack 14 is divided. Further, for a sample to be subjected to a particularly strict weighing, the precise automatic dispensing machine 15 performs accurate weighing and the manual inspection 11 is performed.

In such a dispensing and inspection system,
For a frozen sample or a plurality of samples in which the order to be analyzed is determined in advance, those that cannot be flown to the automatic pipetting line shown in FIG. 5 are processed by the auxiliary host computer 25 (also in the terminal computer 50). Enter the sample numbers in order of (Good), and, as described above, the sample container 1 that could not be dispensed (in this way, the sample container that is not dispensed by the automatic dispensing line from the beginning or cannot be dispensed) The designated sample container will be referred to as a special sample container.)
Also, the sample numbers are stored in regard to, and a list 57 in which these are integrated and ordered is output. In a sample laboratory, the number of samples per day is as large as 100,000, and the number of special sample containers output to the list 57 may reach 10,000.

The operator takes out the special sample container 1 from the sample container rack 9 stored in the sample storage 52 shown in FIG. 3 according to the list 57 and manually dispenses it. However, the sample container 1 may be misplaced due to an operator's mistake or the like. In order to eliminate such a mistake, the applicant of the present application has a rule in the sample container 1 as shown in FIG. Marks 56 such as easy-to-read animal names and human names are added to the sample number 55, and not only the sample number in the list 57 and the sample number added to the sample container 1 but also the mark 56 is matched. However, even if such a method is used, it is a work by a person, and it is the current situation that a mistake is made.

[0012] In view of the above problems, the present invention is such that among the sample containers containing a sample consisting of body fluid and having a bar code indicating the sample number, it becomes impossible or impossible to dispense in an automatic dispensing line. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sample container check method capable of surely taking out a sample container when taking out an unfilled special sample container from a sample storage.

[0013]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a sample container containing a sample of a body fluid and having a bar code indicating the sample number, which is not dispensed in an automatic dispensing line. Among the sample containers in the sample storage, the special sample container is stored in a storage medium in which the sample numbers of the special sample containers that can be dispensed and / or not dispensed are stored in order in the storage medium. The barcode of the sample container is read by the portable barcode reader, the read sample number corresponds to the sample number stored in the storage medium, and the reading order is followed. Judgment is made by the judgment means provided in the bar code reader,
If not applicable, an alarm is provided by the alarm device attached to the barcode reader.

[0014]

In the present invention, the bar code of the sample number of the special sample container which has not been dispensed or cannot be dispensed is automatically read by the bar code reader, and the bar of the sample is discriminated by the judging means attached to the bar code reader. It is checked whether the code and the extraction order correspond to the sample to be taken out, and if they are incorrect, an alarm is issued, so that the operator can recognize that the taken out sample container is incorrect and the sample container The mistake of taking out is prevented.

[0015]

1A shows an example of a portable bar code reader 60 used in the present invention. The bar code reader 60 uses a battery as a power source and has a reader 61 for reading the bar code 54 of the sample container 1. On the other hand, the auxiliary host computer 25 outputs the list 57 in which the special sample container 1 is extracted, and outputs the special sample container 1 to the recording medium 62 such as a proppy disk in the same order as the list 57. The barcode reader 60 is provided with the special sample container 1 mounted on the main body so that it can be read, or is provided with a reading means for the recording medium 6 as a separate body. Further, the bar code reader 60 is read out from the judging means 64 shown in the functional block diagram of FIG. It has a means (program) for judging whether or not the sample numbers read by are identical. Further, the barcode reader 60 has an alarm device 63 that issues an alarm when the determination unit 64 determines that an incorrect sample number is read. The alarm device 63 is composed of a buzzer, a lamp, or the like, but the alarm may be issued by a character or mark on the display panel.

FIG. 2 shows the bar code reader 60 shown in FIG.
It is a figure which shows the flow of the check process of the special sample container 1 by use, the worker enters into the sample storage 52 shown in FIG. 1, and the corresponding sample container rack 9 (this sample container rack 9 is , The respective special sample containers 1 are placed on the corresponding shelves where the range of the sample container numbers is added so that the operator can easily find them, and the special sample container 1 is extracted (S1) and read. The bar code 54 of the sample number of the sample container 1 is read by the container 61, and the determination means 64 determines whether or not the read sample number is the number of the relevant sample recorded in the recording medium 62 in order, If applicable, the next sample container is taken out, the read address of the sample on the recording medium is incremented by one, and the next sample number is read. If the sample number does not belong to the corresponding sample container, an alarm is issued by the alarm device 63. The operator recognizes from the alarm that the wrong sample container has been taken out, reviews the list 57, returns the sample container that was taken out by mistake to the original position, and takes out the corresponding sample container.

In the above embodiment, the sample containers that could not be dispensed on the automatic dispensing line and the sample containers that were not dispensed on the automatic dispensing line from the beginning are listed together.
It was decided to output with 7 but these are separate list 57
You may make it output by. It is also possible to provide a plurality of auxiliary host computers 25 or terminal computers 50 that output such a list 57 and output the list 57 for each computer 25 or 50. The alarm device 63 may be provided separately from the barcode reader 60, or the alarm device 63 may be provided integrally with the reader 61. In addition, the alarm device 63 and the reader 6
It is electrically connected to 1 as an integral or separate body,
These may be wirelessly exchanged with the reader 61.

[0018]

According to the present invention, when the special sample container that cannot be dispensed or is not dispensed in the automatic dispensing line is taken out from the sample storage, the number of the special sample container taken out corresponds to it. If it is not, an alarm is issued, so it is possible to prevent the mistaken removal of the special sample container.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of a portable barcode for carrying out the method of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a functional block diagram thereof.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of processing of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram showing a sample dispensing and testing system of the prior application.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a label attached to a sample container and a description content.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an automatic dispensing line of a prior application.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Sample Container 2 Label 54 Bar Code 60 Portable Bar Code Reader 61 Reader 62 Recording Medium 63 Alarm Device

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Akira Ochi 1-34-5 Koenji Minami, Suginami-ku, Tokyo Inside BM LLC

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A sample number of a special sample container that cannot be dispensed or is not dispensed in an automatic dispensing line among the sample containers containing a sample consisting of body fluid and having a bar code indicating the sample number It is stored in a storage medium, the storage medium is attached to a portable bar code reader, the special sample container is searched for among the sample containers in the sample storage, and the bar code of the sample container is stored in the portable bar code. It is read by the reader, and it is determined by the determination means provided in the barcode reader whether or not the read sample number corresponds to the sample number stored in the storage medium and is in the removal order. ,
A method for checking a sample container, characterized in that an alarm is provided by an alarm device attached to the bar code reader when not applicable.