JPS6049258B2 - Sample sorter in automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sample sorter that automatically sorts samples to be used when using an automatic analyzer.

Automatic analyzers are devices that continuously analyze and measure a large number of samples to be analyzed in general chemistry, medicine, biochemistry, pharmacy, and other fields, and various types of devices are known. In particular, clinical chemistry analysis, which is carried out in hospitals, laboratories, etc., involves the analysis and measurement of proteins, sugars, cholesterol, urea, and other substances in serum. The reality is that it is being done. Clinical chemical analysis involves collecting a certain amount of serum sample, diluting it with an appropriate diluent or diluting it with an appropriate reaction reagent solution, thoroughly mixing and stirring to prepare a test solution, and then After keeping this at an appropriate temperature for an appropriate period of time, other reaction reagents are added as required to advance the reaction, and after an appropriate amount of time has passed, it is supplied to a colorimeter or other analytical/measuring device for predetermined analytical measurements. All of these steps are automatically performed by the automatic analyzer to obtain analytical results with good measurement accuracy and reproducibility. On the other hand, continuous testing of various components in the serum of a large number of patients who are examined every day is performed by applying the same analytical processing procedure to a large number of similar samples, such as in syphilis testing and anti-Rh antibody testing for pregnant women. It is also often done.

Therefore, hospitals, research laboratories, etc. have a huge amount of samples to examine, and if they are not analyzed and processed efficiently, not only will it be impossible to obtain a qualified clinical diagnosis, but the speed of analysis will not be able to keep up with the progress of the patient's disease. This often leads to frightening situations, such as not being able to receive appropriate treatment, or the collected sample changing over time and losing its value as an analysis sample, or obtaining erroneous analysis results. be. This kind of analysis is not limited to the above-mentioned clinical chemistry analysis, but can also be applied to general organic chemistry, especially sewage treatment problems, by repeatedly analyzing a large number of samples and organizing the data in an integrated manner. This makes it possible to understand the essential chemical and physical behavior. In order to deal with the above-mentioned problems, various measures have been taken in the past, and the technical problem of how to increase the analysis speed without reducing accuracy has been the subject of much attention.

In other words, by making many improvements to the above-mentioned automatic analyzer, it has been possible to increase the number of measurement items and adopt a mechanism for simultaneous processing in order to meet the demand for ``processing large amounts of samples faster'', and to achieve certain results. is now possible, but this. There are limits to improvements to the equipment side, and it is impossible to speed up the speed infinitely, and in order to handle the increasing number of samples day by day, there are still ways to increase the scale of the equipment and handle multiple processes. It's just that. In view of the above-mentioned reality, the present invention was conceived from a slightly different perspective and with the aim of increasing the sample analysis speed. The object of the present invention is to obtain a sorting machine that can quickly sort according to measurement items aimed at.

4 An example of the operation in an automatic analyzer is shown in the schematic block diagram in Figure 1.
is a storage unit for storing the sample to be analyzed and measured, for example, serum in the case of clinical chemistry analysis, and the sample to be analyzed and measured is stored in the rack 2 as shown in Fig. It is housed in 3. The rack 2 is provided with a hole 4 in its side surface so that the serum can be viewed from the outside. rack 2
is automatically transferred by a sample transfer mechanism such as a conveyor device as shown by the arrow, and automatic analysis is performed during this time, and when the sample reaches the sample extraction section 5, the desired analysis measurement is completed. Now, the collected analysis samples (hereinafter referred to as specimens) are usually collected with completely different measurement items, conditions, etc. in a state of pregnancy intention. Ideally, when samples are collected, they should be sorted and grouped into categories according to the required measurement items, but there are cases where there are thousands of samples, and it is difficult to categorize and group them manually. Moreover, it is not a good idea because it is easy to make mistakes due to confusion. Therefore, normally, consecutive serial numbers are added to the collected specimens, and the accompanying data, that is, measurement items, conditions, numbers, etc., are written on a worksheet by the inspector's hand, and then a card 6 etc. Generally, data is stored in the storage device 8 using a data input device 7 such as a card reader.The storage medium of the storage device 8 may be a magnetic tape such as a cassette, but it is usually a disk-shaped disk called a floppy disk. A magnetic micro-storage device is used.Accordingly, during actual operation, the storage device 8 is driven, and its output indicates various items, conditions, numbers, etc. for analysis and measurement.9 1 is a test liquid turret containing various test liquids for causing a reaction, and 10 is an automatic dispensing machine for mixing and reacting a specimen and a sample.

11 is a control system, and 12 is an output printer.

Now, when the samples with serial numbers are sequentially conveyed to the rack 2 by a conveyor device or the like and reach just below the automatic pipetting machine 10, the floppy disk 8 is simultaneously driven to send the samples to the control system 11. The automatic dispensing machine 10 instructs the measurement number, measurement item conditions, etc., and in accordance with these instructions, the automatic dispensing machine 10 performs a mixing reaction between the sample and the reagent. It is made up of various devices (not shown) for sucking and diluting the sample from the reagent turret 9, sucking and discharging the sample, and washing the reaction tube.

The reaction of the test liquid mixed in this way progresses and completes while maintaining predetermined conditions such as temperature and time, and the control system 11 uses an analytical measurement device such as a colorimeter or the like to monitor the results. The measurement is analyzed, the results are determined, and the results are printed out by an output device and a printer 12 connected thereto. As can be seen from the above overview, automatic analyzers have traditionally been
It is a revolutionary technology that automatically processes all the various operations that used to be done manually, and has many advantages in terms of processing speed, accuracy, reproducibility, and other reliability. Although it is widely used, it has not only these advantages but also some disadvantages. In other words, the samples collected are arbitrary and random;
Since it is normal that analysis and measurement must be performed one after another, an automatic analyzer is required to always repeat a certain operation. Since we do not know what kind of specimen will come in next, automatic pipetting machines, for example,
Operations such as mixing reaction, discharging, and washing must be performed at least once for each specimen, and whether or not to actually aspirate the specimen and reagent and perform the mixing reaction is subject to instructions from the floppy. It is. The processing speed of an automatic analyzer is determined by its design; for example, if you are using a device that can process 24 bodies per hour, the floppy instructions will be halved to 12.
If there is only 0, the number of processed samples after 1 hour is 1.
There are 20 samples, and the remaining 1 sample will be sent to the next stage of analysis and measurement equipment. Therefore, the actual operating time of the device in this case is 30 minutes, and the remaining three minutes are wasted. This is contrary to the objective of increasing the number of samples processed per hour, that is, ``handling a large amount of samples more quickly'' mentioned at the beginning, and has been an obstacle to the demand for further improvement in efficiency. The present invention eliminates the above-mentioned drawbacks of conventional automatic analyzers and increases the operating rate of the equipment to 100%.
The purpose of this invention is to maximize processing efficiency by increasing the efficiency of the process, and this objective is achieved by installing the sample sorter according to the present invention in the front stage of the automatic analyzer. be.

FIG. 3 diagrammatically shows the concept and time course of the sample sorter according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the main parts.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a sample supply machine, and the collected samples are assigned serial numbers, arranged in a rack 2, and stored in 21''.

On the other hand, 22 is a sample sorting machine, and empty racks are stored in the 22'' portion, and the sorted samples are obtained in the 22'' portion. Data accompanying the collected specimen, ie, measurement items, conditions, numbers, etc., are read into a magnetic storage device, for example, the floppy disk 8, by the same means as in the case of FIG. 1 described above. Reference numeral 23 denotes a control system, which has a function of instructing to drive the specified number conveyor transfer mechanism 2, step conveyor transfer mechanism 24'', and sample replacement mechanism section 25, respectively, in response to signals from the floppy disk.

To make the explanation more concrete, let's say that among the samples stored in rack 2 in 2, the sample numbers to be subjected to the next analysis are 1, 5, 10, 15, etc. Suppose there is.

Either by operating the conveyor transfer mechanisms 24, 24'' or manually, first set the racks so that their tips are lined up on the A-N straight line shown in the figure.This is the starting line and the sorting machine is started to drive. However, since the sample number and measurement items mentioned above have already been loaded into the floppy disk 8, the sample number 1 is outputted to the control system 23.
The control system 23 drives the racks 24 and 24'' to transfer the sample with the designated number to a predetermined position. At this time, the conveyor transfer mechanisms 24 and 24'' use slightly different transfer means. 24 drives the conveyor so that it stops only at the position specified by the specified number output from the floppy disk 8, and 2' drives the conveyor to stop in sequence at all positions where sample containers such as test tubes in the rack should exist. This is a step-by-step conveyor transfer mechanism that drives the conveyor as follows. Sample No. In the case of 1, as mentioned above, in response to the instruction from the control system 23, 24 and 24'' are activated to stop the two racks at the positions shown in the figure, and at the same time, the sample exchange mechanism section 25 starts to operate.The manner of this operation is such that the arm 26 first moves to the sample supplying machine 21 side and replaces the sample container directly above the No. 1 sample container in the rack with the head 2.
7 comes to a stop, it descends gently, grips the sample container firmly, then rises and moves to the sample alignment machine side, where it picks up the sample container No. 7 on the rack. After the replacement head stops at the l-th position, it descends gently, stores the sample container in the rack, releases its grip, ascends, rotates ``θ'' again, and stops at the center position. The rack replacement of the No. 1 sample container is completed, but next, the conveyor transfer mechanism 24 moves the rack on the specimen supply machine side to the next sample to be measured and analyzed specified by the container. The non-stop knob moves the rack to the position of sample no. 5. On the other hand, the rack on the sample alignment machine side is moved to the position of sample no.
Move step by step. Similarly, No. l
By sequentially performing O and NOl operations, only the samples to be measured and analyzed are transferred from the rack on the sample supply machine side to the rack on the sample alignment machine side, and the racks that have been replaced are The specimens are taken out into the 2-inch and 22-inch sections, and transferred to the next stage of processing. In the figure, blank circles indicate empty racks, and circles with diagonal lines indicate containers containing specimens. As you can see in the figure, the 2-bi rack is
Only the sample to be measured remains missing, 22"
The unique feature of this rack is that all the racks are filled with samples to be measured and analyzed. Figures 3 and 4
In the embodiment shown in the figure, one element of the present invention is to make the operating characteristics of the conveyor transfer mechanisms 24 and 2C different, and various means for this purpose can be considered. Specimens for which numbers are not specified are allowed to pass at a normal speed, and the conveyor is stopped only when specified, that is, when a predetermined signal is detected. When
In other words, it is only necessary to advance the conveyor the length of one sample only when a predetermined signal is sensed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of one embodiment of the part constituting the sample exchange mechanism. The movement of the piston rod 28, which moves up and down by a piston drive device (not shown) driven by a signal from the control system, is controlled by the arm 26. and fixed fulcrum 29
Redirected by! A clamp part 30 is provided at the tip of the arm and has an arbitrary shape that opens and closes in conjunction with the vertical movement of the arm and has the function of grasping a sample container, and a clamp part 30 that is set to be rotatable in any desired direction. It consists of a base portion 31. The tip of the clamping part 30 may have a structure in which a sponge-like cushioning material 33 is installed on the inner surface of the main body 332 as shown in FIG. to achieve the same purpose. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of yet another embodiment, in which the mechanism of the sample replacement mechanism section 25 in the embodiments described so far is omitted to simplify the structure.

Here, 40 is a rack on the side of the specimen supply machine, in which sample containers 41 for collected specimens are housed with serial numbers attached to them, as in the previous example. The rack 40 is placed on a conveyor device 42 having holes 43 . The conveyor device transports the racks in the direction of the arrow. On the other hand, 44 is a rack on the side of the sample alignment machine, and its operation is controlled by a conveyor device 45 that stops so that a sample container can be stored directly below the hole 43.

If desired, the conveyor device 42 is similar to the one in the embodiment of FIG.
4, and the conveyor device 495 also corresponds to 24''. 46 is a piston rod that moves up and down by a piston drive device (not shown) driven by a signal from the control system 23.

In this embodiment, when the specimen with the designated number comes directly below the piston rod 46 by the conveyor device 42 and rack 40, it stops, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 7A. Next, by pushing down the piston rod, the specimen passes through the hole 43 and is replaced into the rack on the specimen sorting machine side, resulting in the state shown in FIG. B. After the piston rod has risen and returned to its original position, the conveyor device 42 starts to continuously transfer the sample to the next designated number indicated by the floppy disk, and the conveyor device 45 uses the next sample. In order to store the item, we will perform a step-by-step transfer of just one item. In this example, cushioning materials 47, 47'' are provided on the inner wall of the portion of the rack that accommodates the sample containers to prevent the test tubes serving as sample containers from falling suddenly. 47, 4
7'' may be, for example, a helical spring material, or a sponge-like material or rubber material with appropriate elasticity.When the piston rod does not push down the sample container, it stays in the rack and is pushed down. Only then should the container be provided with a suitable thickness of material of such hardness that it can be transferred to the lower rack. It is possible to prevent sudden movement, spillage of samples, damage to containers, etc.The specimen sorter in the automatic analyzer according to the present invention has been described above based on the embodiment, but when using this device Therefore, it is possible to bring about many advantages.

In other words, in order to quickly process many measurement items, it becomes possible for automatic analyzers with sophisticated and complex mechanisms to remove wasteful samples that are not included in the measurement items and then analyze them. Therefore, the operating efficiency of the automatic analyzer is 1
00%, there is no useless operation at all, and with this comes the advantage that the necessary analytical measurement data can be obtained extremely quickly. This is because the sample sorting machine associated with this device has a relatively simple mechanism, so it is possible to perform a sorting process that is much faster than the analysis speed of an automatic analyzer. The time loss caused by performing the automatic screening according to the invention before entering into operation is not a problem. Furthermore, the effect can be further enhanced when a plurality of sample sorters according to the present invention are used in parallel or in series. In other words, the collected samples can be sorted by sequentially passing them through sample sorters with different sorting criteria depending on the measurement item, or if there are many samples, multiple machines can be used in parallel to increase work efficiency, or once automatically It is possible to use methods such as replacing only the floppy disk of a device that has completed sorting, performing automatic sorting for another item again, and increasing measurement efficiency by subjecting each classified sample to a separate automatic analyzer. be. Furthermore, it is also possible to combine the conveyor device used in the automatic analyzer and the conveyor device on the sample alignment machine side of the device according to the present invention to integrate the two, thereby further improving work efficiency. . As explained in detail above, the specimen sorter in the automatic analyzer according to the present invention is used in various laboratories, hospitals, etc. where it is required to continuously analyze a large number of analyte samples. It is expected that it will be more effective as a result, and will greatly contribute to increasing work efficiency.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of operation in an automatic analyzer, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the state of sample containers stored in a rack, and Fig. 3 explains the operation mode of the specimen sorter according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the main parts thereof, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the part constituting the specimen exchange mechanism, and FIG. 6 is another embodiment constituting the scoop part. The example diagram, FIG. 7, is a partially sectional view showing another embodiment of the specimen replacement mechanism section. 1... Sample, 2... Rack, 3...
... Sample container, 4 ... Hole, 5 ...
Sample extraction part, 6... Card, 7...
・Data input device, 8... Magnetic storage device, 9.
...Test solution turret, 10...Automatic dispensing machine, 11...Control system, 12...Printer, 21...Sample supply machine, 22... ...Sample alignment machine, 23...Control system, 24...Specified number conveyor transfer device, 2/4''...Step-by-step conveyor transfer device, 25...・Specimen exchange mechanism section, 26...
... Arm, 27 ... Replacement head, 28
... Zeston rod, 29... Fulcrum, 30...
. . . Clasp portion, 31 . . . Base portion, 33 . . . Sponge material, 40 . . . Supply mechanism rack, 41 . . .
・Sample containers 42, 45...conveyor device, 43...
... Hole section, 44 ... Specimen alignment machine side rack, 46
...Piston rod, 47,47''...Buffer material.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A rack for loading a plurality of sample containers containing specimens to be analyzed and measured, and a conveyor device for transporting the racks;
The main components are an automatic dispenser and reagent turret that are installed in the middle of the conveyor device to suck in, discharge, and mix samples and reagents, and a control system that commands, measures, judges, and outputs these operations. In an automatic analyzer, a rack for loading sample containers at the front stage of the conveyor device is moved by a sorting machine consisting of a sample supply machine, a sample alignment machine, a sample exchange mechanism, and a control system including a storage device that controls these. When automatically sorting only containers to be measured and analyzed, two conveyor devices, each forming a part of a sample supply machine and a sample arrangement machine, are arranged in parallel, and the conveyor machine on the supply machine side is connected to the control system. The conveyor device on the sorting machine side has a step-by-step transfer mechanism that stops for each sample container, and the conveyor device on the sorting machine side has a step-by-step transfer mechanism that stops only the specified container designation number at a predetermined position. The loaded racks are sequentially accommodated on the conveyor device on the feeder side, while empty racks are placed on the alignment machine side, and when each rack stops at the predetermined position, the sample replacement mechanism moves the racks onto the feeder side. A specimen sorting machine in an automatic analyzer, characterized in that only the specimens to be analyzed and measured are sequentially arranged in the rack on the arrangement machine side by replacing the sample containers in the empty racks on the arrangement machine side. 2. The rack on the specimen supply machine side shall be constructed so that the sample container passes through it vertically, have a hole with a sufficient area for the specimen container to pass through, and transport only the designated number of the specimen to be stopped at a predetermined position. Empty racks on the sample alignment machine side are loaded onto a conveyor device with a step-by-step transfer mechanism that stops directly below the hole so that sample containers can be stored. A sample replacement mechanism in which a sample container on the feeder side is pushed into a rack on the alignment machine side from above by a piston drive device that moves up and down when the conveyor device stops at the predetermined position, thereby replacing the sample container. A sample sorting machine in an automatic analyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that the sample sorting machine is a part of the automatic analyzer.