JPH1073601A - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To confirm that detergent supply and washing are performed normally. SOLUTION: The control unit confirms that the detergent dispensing is normal by the measured absorbance at a specific wavelength at the detergent washing point being equal to or more than a predetermined value.
A washing confirmation unit 32 for confirming that washing is normal by measuring the absorbance at a specific wavelength at a water washing point or a water blank measurement point at a predetermined value or less.
And

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer for measuring the concentration or activity value of a target component in a sample containing multiple components such as serum and urine, and more particularly, to washing and reusing a reaction vessel also serving as a cuvette. The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automatic analyzer for washing and reusing a cuvette is composed of a sample sampling mechanism for dispensing a sample into a reaction container for reacting the sample with a reagent, a reagent injection device for injecting the reagent into the reaction container, An absorptiometer for measuring the absorbance of the reaction solution in the reaction vessel, a washing mechanism for the reaction vessel, a warm water tank for keeping the reaction solution in the reaction vessel, and a plurality of the reaction vessels, A moving mechanism for moving at least between a sample dispensing position, a reagent injection position, an absorbance measurement position, and a washing position, and a control unit that controls the operation of each unit and calculates the concentration or activity value of the sample based on the absorbance from the absorptiometer. And

In the washing of cuvettes with such an automatic analyzer, detergent washing is performed at some of a plurality of washing points using an acidic detergent and / or an alkaline detergent. In the cuvette washing, for example, 0.7 ml of washing water per cuvette is used, 400 tests are performed per hour, and if this is operated continuously for 8 hours a day, the amount of washing water per day is 0. 7 (ml) × 400 × 8 = 2.24 (l / day), which requires a large amount of washing water. A structure is employed in which only a required amount of a few μl of detergent is mixed into the washing water line. Also, to prevent reverse contamination that affects the reaction solution due to the detergent remaining in the cuvette, it is not used depending on the combination with the reagent, or it is possible to selectively supply such as using a specific detergent. . The detergent used for washing has been removed by washing the cuvette with water.

[0004]

The operation of supplying the detergent to the washing water line in the order of several μl tends to be unstable because the amount of the detergent is very small. However, the conventional automatic analyzer has no means for confirming whether the detergent is supplied normally. Also, it has not been confirmed that the washing with water after the detergent washing is performed reliably. Therefore, the present invention confirms that the detergent supply is normal,
It is an object of the present invention to be able to confirm that the removal of the detergent by washing with water is performed normally.

[0005]

In the automatic analyzer according to the present invention, the washing mechanism is such that the detergent used has absorption for light of a specific wavelength, and the absorptiometer is used at the washing point at the water washing point. Alternatively, the absorbance is measured at a specific wavelength at which the detergent absorbs at the water blank measurement point.

[0006] Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the controller confirms that the detergent dispensing is normal by the fact that the measured absorbance at a specific wavelength at the detergent washing point is a predetermined value or more. 30 and a washing confirmation unit 32 for confirming that the washing is normal by measuring the absorbance at a specific wavelength at the water washing point or the water blank measurement point at a predetermined value or less. 27
Is an absorptiometer.

[0007] The detergent used in the present invention is a detergent which itself has an absorption for a specific wavelength, or a detergent which does not have such an absorption is added with a dye which has an absorption for a specific wavelength.

The operation is performed as shown in FIG.
(A) is an operation for confirming whether or not the detergent supply is normal, and Abs is used as an absorbance as a reference for the determination.
1 is set in advance and the absorbance Ab at the detergent washing point is set.
If s is Abs1 or more, it is confirmed that the supply of the detergent is normal. If the condition is not satisfied, a warning is displayed.

(B) is an operation for confirming that the detergent has been removed by washing with water after washing with the detergent, and comparing the absorbance at the water washing point or the water blank measurement point with the absorbance Abs2 as a preset reference. If it is less than that, it is determined that the water is washed properly, and if the condition is not satisfied, a warning is displayed.

[0010]

FIG. 3 shows an example of an automatic chemical analyzer to which the present invention is applied. Reference numeral 2 denotes a reaction disk, and cuvettes 4 serving also as reaction containers are arranged in a row along a cuvette roller 3 to form an annular reaction line 5.
A sample sampling mechanism 6 is arranged near the reaction line 5 to inject the sample into the cuvette. In the sample sampling mechanism 6, the sample cups 7 are arranged along the circumference of the sampling table 8, and a sample dispenser 9 is arranged for dispensing a sample from the sample cup 7 at the sample suction / collection position 13. . A dispensing nozzle 10 is provided at the tip of the sample dispenser 9, and the dispensing nozzle 10 moves along a movement path 11 between the cuvette at the sample dispensing position 14 and the sample cup at the sample aspirating and collecting position 13. I do. A cleaning pot 12 is provided on the moving path 11 and the nozzle 10
Can be washed.

A reagent injection device 16 is arranged near the reaction line 5 for injecting a reagent into the cuvette.
In the reagent injection device 16, a reagent container 17 is arranged along the circumference of the reagent tray 18, and a reagent dispenser 19 for dispensing a reagent from the reagent container 17 at the reagent suction / collection position 23.
Is arranged. A dispensing nozzle 20 is provided at the tip of the reagent dispenser 19, and the dispensing nozzle 20 moves along the movement path 21 between the cuvette at the reagent dispensing position 24 and the reagent container at the reagent suction and sampling position 23. I do. A cleaning pot 22 is arranged on the moving path 21 so that the nozzle 20 can be cleaned.

A washing and dehydrating device 2 is further provided on the reaction line 5.
6 and an absorptiometer 27 along the reaction line 5. The reaction line 5 rotates intermittently in the direction of arrow 15. Although not shown in the figure, a warm water tank for keeping the reaction solution in the cuvette 4 under the reaction line 5 is provided. In addition, a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of each unit and calculates the concentration or activity value of the specimen based on the absorbance from the absorptiometer 27 is also provided.

When the measurement is performed in the two-reagent system, another reagent injection device having the same configuration as the reagent injection device 16 is arranged along the reaction line. A first reagent is dispensed from the one reagent injector to the cuvette 4 and a second reagent is dispensed from the other reagent injector at each reagent injection position.

A plurality of washing nozzles are arranged in the washing and dehydrating unit 26 along the reaction line 5 so as to suck a reaction solution, supply and discharge a washing solution, supply water for measuring a cuvette blank, and discharge and dry the water. The process is performed sequentially. Pure water or a detergent solution is used as the cleaning liquid. Sample dispensing, reagent dispensing, stirring, and cuvette washing during one cycle are performed when the reaction disk is stopped, and optical reading of the detergent, water, and reaction solution in the cuvette by the absorptiometer 27 is performed when the reaction disk is rotated.

FIG. 4 shows a cleaning mechanism. Cuvette 4 is P
1 → P2 →... → Px in the order of a fixed period, and P1
And detergent washing at the point P2, washing with water at the points P3 to P5, and water blank measurement at the point P5. At the point of P7, the sample is dispensed and P
At point 8, the reagent is dispensed. In the case of a two-reagent system, each reagent is dispensed at two reagent dispensing points. Thereafter, the absorbance in the cuvette is measured by the absorptiometer 27, the reaction solution is drained to the point of Px, and the process proceeds again to P1, P2,.

In the measurement of the absorbance of the cuvette, the absorptiometer 27 is fixed, and the measurement is performed when the cuvette moves at its position. Since the cuvette passes through the position of the absorptiometer 27 for each cycle, it can be measured at any point. In one embodiment, the detergent is supplied to the cuvette in addition to the conventional absorbance measurement at the first wavelength for measuring the reaction at a water blank measurement point and at a predetermined point in the reaction of the reaction solution. P
The absorbance is measured at the second wavelength at which the detergent has absorption at points 1, 1 and P2 and at points P3 and P4 in the water wash or at point P5 in the water blank measurement.

As cleaning probes of the cleaning mechanism 26, respective probes 40-1 and 40-2 for supplying a first detergent 50 and a second detergent 52, and a probe 40 for supplying water.
After the water blank measurement, a probe 42 for draining water from the cuvette is provided. 44 is a sample probe of the dispensing nozzle 10 for supplying a sample, and 46 is a reagent probe of the dispensing nozzle 20 for dispensing a reagent. The reagent probe 46 aspirates the reagent from the reagent container 17, dispenses it into a cuvette, and is washed by the washing pot 22.

Detergent probes 40-1 and 4 of the cleaning probe
In order to supply detergent from 0-2, water discharge pipes 51, 5
A mechanism is provided for supplying a fixed amount of detergent to a part of 3 through a four-way manifold. Specifically, the first detergent 5
In order to supply 0, a detergent line 55 crossing the water discharge pipe 51 connected to the probe 40-1 via a four-way manifold 54 is provided, and the detergent line 55 is provided with valves 56, 58 before and after the manifold 54. Have been. One end of the detergent line 55 is connected to the first detergent 50, and the other end is connected to a vacuum drain line. Similarly, in order to supply the second detergent 52, a water discharge pipe 53 connected to the probe 40-2 is provided with a detergent line 63 intersecting via a four-way manifold 62, and the detergent line 63 is provided before and after the manifold 62. Valve 64, 6
6 are provided. One end of the detergent line 63 is the second
, And the other end is connected to a vacuum drain line.

At the time of washing with a detergent, a valve of a predetermined detergent line is once opened, the detergent is filled in the four-way manifold, and the detergent is extruded with washing water and discharged into the cuvette while being diluted. For example, if 3.5 μl of the stock solution of detergent and 0.7 ml of washing water are supplied, the dilution becomes 0.5%.

Now, as an example, the first detergent 50 has a wavelength of 6.
04 nm blue absorption, the second detergent 52 has a wavelength of 480 n
Those having m orange absorption shall be used. At the detergent washing point P1, the absorbance at a wavelength of 604 nm is measured, and at the detergent washing point P2, the wavelength is 480 nm.
The absorption at is measured. Water washing point P3 or P
4, or at a water blank measurement point P5, a wavelength of 604 n
The absorbance is measured at m and a wavelength of 480 nm. Based on these absorbance measurements, it is confirmed whether the detergent is normally supplied and whether the water washing is normal, as shown in FIG.

As a countermeasure against contamination, the reagent probe 46 may be washed with a detergent when analysis is not being performed. In this case, the detergent used for washing the reagent probe 46 is also used as a detergent having an absorption for a specific wavelength, the detergent is discharged into a cuvette, and the absorbance of the detergent is measured by an absorptiometer, whereby the detergent of the probe is measured. It is possible to confirm that the washing is performed reliably.

The sample probe 44 and the stirrer may also perform detergent washing. In this case, the detergent washing can be similarly confirmed by discharging the detergent into a cuvette and measuring the absorbance. As a detergent used in the present invention, by using a substance having no absorption at a wavelength at which measurement is performed in a normal analysis, for example, a substance having no absorption at a wavelength of 900 nm or less, the water washing after the detergent washing is temporarily insufficient. In this case, it is possible to avoid affecting the analysis.

[0023]

According to the present invention, it is possible to confirm the detergent washing operation and the water washing operation after the detergent washing. When using an acid detergent and an alkali detergent as a detergent, by using those having different absorption wavelengths in the acid detergent and the alkali detergent,
It is possible to prevent mistakes and mistakes in installing the type of detergent by mistake. Detergent shortage can also be detected, thereby eliminating the need to provide a residual sensor on the detergent bottle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a control unit according to the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a flowchart showing an operation for confirming detergent supply, and FIG. 2B is a flowchart showing an operation for confirming water washing.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of an automatic chemical analyzer to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram mainly showing a cleaning mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 Cuvette 26 Cleaning Mechanism 27 Spectrophotometer 40-1, 40-2 Detergent Probe 40-3-40-5 Water Supply Probe 50 First Detergent 52 Second Detergent

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A sample sampling mechanism for dispensing a sample into a reaction container for reacting the sample with a reagent, a reagent injection device for injecting the reagent into the reaction container, and measuring an absorbance of a reaction solution in the reaction container. An absorptiometer, a washing mechanism for the reaction vessel, a warm water tank for keeping the reaction solution in the reaction vessel, and a plurality of the reaction vessels, and the reaction vessels are at least sample dispensing positions, reagents. A movement mechanism for moving between the injection position, the absorbance measurement position and the washing position,
A control unit that controls the operation of each part and calculates the concentration or activity value of the specimen based on the absorbance from the absorptiometer, the washing mechanism uses a detergent that absorbs a specific wavelength of light. The absorptiometer, even at the detergent washing point, is to measure the absorbance at the specific wavelength even at the water washing point or water blank measurement point, the control unit, the control unit at the detergent washing point A detergent confirming unit for confirming that the detergent dispensing is normal by the absorbance measurement value at a specific wavelength being equal to or more than a predetermined value, and the absorbance measurement value at the specific wavelength at a water washing point or a water blank measurement point being predetermined. A washing confirmation unit that confirms that washing is normal by being below the value,
An automatic analyzer comprising: