JP5699235B2 - Blood sample processing apparatus and blood sample processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a blood sample processing apparatus and a blood sample processing method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a blood sample processing apparatus is known in which a suction tube is passed through a lid (cap) that seals a specimen container, a blood sample in the specimen container is sucked, and the sucked blood sample is processed (for example, a patent) Reference 1).

  In such a blood sample processing apparatus, for analysis, the specimen container held in an upright state is rotated to a fall state in which the bottom of the specimen container is located above the lid, and then the original upright state. In some cases, the blood sample is aspirated after repeatedly performing the overturning stirring operation such as returning to a low temperature.

  For example, the sample analyzer described in Patent Document 1 includes a hand member for holding a sample and a drive unit for rotating the hand member, and sucks a blood sample from the sample container by a suction tube. Before, the sample container is turned over and stirred by rotating the hand member holding the sample container.

  In the blood sample processing apparatus that performs such overturning stirring, in order to ensure the quantitative accuracy when a blood sample is sucked with a suction tube, the atmosphere in the specimen container that is higher than the atmospheric pressure is opened to the atmosphere. Later, a blood sample may be aspirated.

  The atmosphere is released by various methods. For example, using a suction tube having a groove extending in the longitudinal direction on the outer peripheral surface, the sample container is opened to the atmosphere before the blood sample is sucked by the suction tube. There is a device to do. In such an apparatus, when the suction tube passes through the lid of the sample container, the inside of the sample container is opened to the outside air through the groove, so that the inside of the sample container can be opened to the atmosphere.

JP 2007-139463 A

  However, when the sample container is overturned and stirred as in the sample analyzer described in Patent Document 1, depending on the type of the lid, the blood sample may remain attached to the back side of the lid of the sample container. Since the pressure in the sealed specimen container is higher than the atmospheric pressure as described above, the suction tube having a groove extending in the longitudinal direction on the outer peripheral surface with the blood sample still attached to the back side of the lid If the sample is passed through the lid of the specimen container, the blood sample adhering to the back side of the lid may leak from the upper surface of the lid through the groove of the suction tube.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and when a specimen container sealed with a lid is overturned and stirred and the lid is penetrated with a suction tube, the blood sample remains attached to the back side of the lid. An object of the present invention is to provide a blood sample processing apparatus and a blood sample processing method capable of suppressing the penetration operation of the suction tube in a state.

A blood sample processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is a blood sample processing apparatus for taking out a sample container from a rack containing a sample container with a lid for containing a blood sample, stirring the sample container, and sucking the blood sample. Te, holding the specimen container, and rise and rotatable container holder while holding the sample container, and a rotation drive unit for causing pivotal movement to the container holder, the container holder A vertical drive unit for raising, a sample suction tube for sucking a blood sample in the sample container, a penetration drive unit for penetrating the sample suction tube through the lid of the sample container, and a control unit, the control unit By controlling the vertical drive unit, the sample container is taken out from the rack, and by controlling the rotation drive unit, the bottom of the sample container is positioned above the lid at a first speed. The bottom and bottom of the lid After repeated the sample container displaceable between a second state in which the longitudinal axis is substantially along the vertical direction has location, at a second rate of slower than said first speed, said lid The specimen container is displaced from the first state to the second state so that the blood sample attached to the back side moves to the bottom side of the specimen container, and the specimen container lid in the second state is aspirated by the specimen. The penetration drive unit is controlled so as to penetrate through a tube.

In the blood sample processing apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the first state in which the bottom of the sample container is located above the lid and the second in which the bottom is located below the lid at the first speed. After the sample container is repeatedly displaced between the first state and the second state, the blood sample attached to the back side of the lid is moved from the first state to the bottom side of the sample container at a second speed lower than the first speed. The specimen container is displaced in two states, and the specimen container lid in the second state is penetrated by the specimen suction tube . By displacing the sample container at a second speed lower than the first speed, the blood sample attached to the back side of the cover of the sample container can be moved to the container bottom side. The principle of blood sample adhering to the back side of the lid flowing down into the container can be inferred as follows.

That is, the blood sample that has moved to the back side of the lid in the first state is attached to the back side of the lid in an attempt to be spherical because the surface tension acts on the interface of the blood sample. When the sample container is slowly returned from the first state to the second state, the time during which the sample container is slanted with the lid positioned above the bottom of the sample container becomes longer. When the specimen container is inclined, the surface area of the blood sample increases, the spherical shape collapses, and as a result, the surface tension decreases. That is, the pressure inside the blood sample is reduced, and the force with which molecules on the blood sample surface are pulled inward is weakened. As a result, the force to stay on the back side of the lid is weakened, and it is considered that the blood sample flows down to the bottom side of the specimen container due to the influence of gravity.

  In this way, when the stirring operation is completed, the state in which the blood sample is attached to the back side of the lid of the specimen container can be eliminated or suppressed, so that the specimen container can be removed when the suction tube is passed through the lid. It is possible to eliminate or suppress leakage of the blood sample inside the container.

In addition, the blood sample processing method according to the second aspect of the present invention includes an extraction step of taking out a specimen container from a rack containing a specimen container with a lid, and an agitation step of stirring the blood sample contained in the specimen container . A blood sample processing method including a suction step of sucking the blood sample through a specimen suction tube through the lid, wherein the stirring step is performed at a first speed with the bottom of the specimen container above the lid After repeatedly displacing the sample container between a first state located in the second state and a second state in which the bottom portion is located below the lid and the longitudinal axis is substantially along the vertical direction, Displacing the specimen container from the first state to the second state so that the blood sample attached to the back side of the lid moves to the bottom side of the specimen container at a second speed lower than the first speed. It is a feature.

  According to the blood sample processing apparatus and the blood sample processing method of the present invention, when the specimen container sealed with the lid is overturned and stirred and the lid is penetrated with the suction tube, the blood sample remains attached to the back side of the lid. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the penetration operation of the suction tube.

It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of one Embodiment of the blood sample processing apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the detail of each part of the blood sample processing apparatus shown by FIG. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows the measurement unit and sample conveyance apparatus of the blood sample processing apparatus shown by FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the piercer vicinity of the blood sample processing apparatus shown by FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the measurement unit and sample conveyance apparatus of the blood sample processing apparatus shown by FIG. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the control apparatus of the blood sample processing apparatus shown by FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at an example of the lid | cover used with a sample container from upper direction. It is the perspective view which looked at the lid | cover shown by FIG. 7 from the downward direction. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the lid | cover shown by FIG. It is a figure explaining the example of the inversion stirring operation in this invention. It is a figure explaining the state which the blood adhering to the back side of the lid | flow flows to the bottom part side. It is a front view which shows the external appearance of a piercer. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the blood sample processing method of this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the stirring operation | movement of this Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a blood sample processing apparatus and a blood sample processing method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[Blood sample processing equipment]
First, the overall configuration of the blood sample processing apparatus will be described.

  A blood sample processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a blood cell counter that counts blood cells in a blood sample collected from a subject. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first measurement unit 2 and the second measurement are performed. Two measurement units of the unit 3, a sample transport device (sampler) 4 arranged on the front side (arrow Y1 direction side) of the first measurement unit 2 and the second measurement unit 3, the first measurement unit 2, and the second measurement unit 2 And a control device 5 including a PC (personal computer) electrically connected to the measurement unit 3 and the sample transport device 4. The blood sample processing apparatus 1 is connected to a host computer 6 (see FIG. 3) by a control device 5.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the first measurement unit 2 and the second measurement unit 3 are substantially the same type of measurement units and are arranged adjacent to each other. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the second measurement unit 3 uses the same measurement principle as the first measurement unit 2 to measure the sample for the same measurement item. Furthermore, the second measurement unit 3 also measures measurement items that the first measurement unit 2 does not analyze. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the first measurement unit 2 and the second measurement unit 3 respectively include a piercer 211 (311) for sucking blood as a specimen from the specimen container 101, and the piercer 211 (311). Sample preparation units 22 and 32 for preparing detection samples from the aspirated blood, and detection units 23 and 33 for detecting blood cells of blood from the detection samples prepared by the sample preparation units 22 and 32 are included. .

  The first measurement unit 2 and the second measurement unit 3 take in the unit covers 24 and 34 that house the sample preparation units 22 and 32 and the sample container 101 into the unit covers 24 and 34, respectively. Presence / absence of the sample container transport units 25 and 35 for transporting the sample container 101 to the suction positions 600 and 700 (see FIG. 3) by the piercer 211 (311) and the sample container 101 transported to the inside by the sample container transport units 25 and 35 Are further included, and chuck portions 27 and 37 for holding the sample container 101 at the suction positions 600 and 700 (see FIG. 3). Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on the outer surfaces of the front portions 241 and 341 of the unit covers 24 and 34, the sample setting portion opening / closing buttons 28 and 38, and the priority sample measurement start buttons 29 and 39, respectively. And openings 241a and 341a through which moving parts 255d and 355d described later of the sample container transport parts 25 and 35 pass are provided.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing the vicinity of the piercer 211 (311). As shown in FIG. 4, the blood sample processing apparatus 1 includes a piercer 211 (311) that is a specimen aspirating tube, and a piercer moving section that is a penetrating drive section that penetrates the piercer 211 (311) through the lid of the specimen container 101. 212 (312). The piercer 211 (311) is formed such that its tip can penetrate a sealing lid 102 (see FIGS. 7 to 9) described later of the sample container 101. Also, as shown in FIG. 12, a groove 211a extending in the longitudinal direction of the piercer 211 (311) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the piercer 211 (311), and the piercer 211 (311) is used as a lid of the sample container 101. When penetrating, the inside of the sample container 101 is opened to the outside air through the groove 211a. The piercer moving unit 212 (312) has a function of moving the piercer 211 (311) in the vertical direction (arrow Z1 and Z2 directions). The piercer moving unit 212 (312) includes a horizontal arm 213 (313) that fixes and holds the piercer 211 (311), and a screw shaft 214 (314) that penetrates the horizontal arm 213 (313) in the vertical direction (arrow Z1 and Z2 directions). ) And a nut 215 (315) screwed into the screw shaft 214 (314). Further, the piercer moving part 212 (312) is slidably attached to the slide rail 216 (316) arranged parallel to the screw shaft 214 (314) (in the directions of arrows Z1 and Z2) and the slide rail 216 (316). The sliding member 217 (317) and the stepping motor 218 (318) are provided. Further, the horizontal arm 213 (313) is fixed to the nut 215 (315) and the sliding member 217 (317).

  The detection unit 23 (33) performs RBC detection (detection of red blood cells) and PLT detection (detection of platelets) by the sheath flow DC detection method, and performs HGB detection (detection of hemoglobin in the blood) by the SLS-hemoglobin method. It is configured as follows. The detection unit 23 (33) is also configured to perform WBC detection (detection of white blood cells) by a flow cytometry method using a semiconductor laser.

  The detection result obtained by the detection unit 23 (33) is transmitted to the control device 5 as sample measurement data (measurement result). This measurement data is data that is the basis of the final analysis results (red blood cell count, platelet count, hemoglobin content, white blood cell count, etc.) provided to the user.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the sample container transport unit 25 (35) (see FIG. 3) includes a hand unit 251 (351) that is a container holding unit that can hold the sample container 101, and the hand unit. An opening / closing part 252 (352) for opening and closing 251 (351), a vertical moving part 253 (353) for linearly moving the hand part 251 (351) in the vertical direction (arrow Z1 and Z2 directions), and a hand part 251 (351). And a stirring motor unit 254 (354) that is a rotation drive unit that moves (rotates) in a pendulum shape between the upright state and the overturned state. The stirring motor unit 254 (354) is configured to move (rotate) the hand unit 251 (351) in a pendulum shape between the upright state and the overturned state by the power of the stepping motor. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the sample container transport unit 25 (35) includes a sample container transfer unit 255 (355) that moves the sample container 101 substantially horizontally in the directions of arrows Y1 and Y2, and a barcode reading unit. 256 (356).

  The hand unit 251 (351) is disposed above the transport path of the rack 110 that the sample transport device 4 transports. Further, the hand unit 251 (351) moves downward (in the direction of arrow Z2) when the sample container 101 is transferred to the first extraction position 43a and the second extraction position 43b (see FIG. 3) by the sample transfer device 4. Thereafter, the sample container 101 is opened and closed by the opening / closing sections 252 and 352 and is held in the rack 110.

  Further, the hand unit 251 (351) removes the sample container 101 from the rack 110 by moving the gripped sample container 101 upward (in the direction of arrow Z1), and then moves in a pendulum shape by the stirring motor unit 254 (354). (For example, 10 reciprocations). Accordingly, the hand unit 251 (351) can agitate the blood in the sample container 101 to be grasped. In addition, after the stirring is completed, the hand unit 251 (351) is configured to move downward (in the direction of arrow Z2) and then open the grip of the sample container 101 by the opening / closing unit 252 (352). Specifically, the hand unit 251 (351) moves the sample to the first sample setting unit 255a (355a) moved to the sample setting position 610 (710) (see FIG. 3) by the sample container transfer unit 255 (355). The container 101 is configured to be set. As shown in FIG. 3, the first extraction position (specimen container extraction position) 43a and the sample setting position (specimen container setting position) 610 are disposed so as to overlap in plan view. The second extraction position 43b (sample container extraction position) and the sample setting position (sample container setting position) 710 are arranged so as to overlap each other.

  The opening / closing part 252 (352) is configured to open and close the hand part 251 (351) so as to hold the sample container 101 by power from the air cylinder 252a (352a).

  The vertical moving unit 253 (353) is configured to move the hand unit 251 (351) in the vertical direction (arrow Z1 and Z2 directions) along the rail 253b (353b) by the power of the stepping motor 253a (353a). ing.

  The chuck portion 27 (37) is configured to fix and hold the sample container 101 transferred to the suction position 600 (700).

  The pre-analysis rack holding unit 41 includes a rack feeding unit 411. When the rack feeding unit 411 moves in the direction of the arrow Y2, the racks 110 held by the pre-analysis rack holding unit 41 are transported one by one. It is configured to extrude onto the portion 43. The rack feeding unit 411 is configured to be driven by a stepping motor (not shown) provided below the pre-analysis rack holding unit 41. The pre-analysis rack holding unit 41 has a regulating unit 412 (see FIG. 5) in the vicinity of the rack transport unit 43, and the rack 110 once pushed onto the rack transport unit 43 returns to the pre-analysis rack holding unit 41. The movement of the rack 110 is restricted so as not to be performed.

  The post-analysis rack holding unit 42 has a regulating unit 421 (see FIG. 4) in the vicinity of the rack transporting unit 43, and the rack 110 once moved into the post-analysis rack holding unit 42 is not returned to the rack transporting unit 43 side. Thus, the movement of the rack 110 is restricted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rack transport unit 43 includes a first extraction position 43 a for providing the sample to the first measurement unit 2 and a second extraction position for providing the sample to the second measurement unit 3. 43b is configured to transport the rack 110 in order to transport the sample container 101 held in the rack 110. Further, the rack transport unit 43 includes a sample presence / absence confirmation position 43c for confirming the presence / absence of the sample container 100 in which the presence / absence detection sensor 45 accommodates the sample, and the bar of the sample container 101 in which the barcode reading unit 44 accommodates the sample. The rack 110 is transported so that the sample container 101 is transferred to the reading position 43d for reading the code.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the rack transporter 43 has two belts, a first belt 431 and a second belt 432, which can move independently of each other.

  The presence / absence detection sensor 45 is a contact-type sensor, and includes a goodwill-shaped contact piece 451 (see FIG. 5), a light emitting element (not shown) that emits light, and a light receiving element (not shown). The presence / absence detection sensor 45 is bent by the contact piece 451 coming into contact with the detection target object, and as a result, the light emitted from the light emitting element is reflected by the contact piece 451 and enters the light receiving element. It is configured as follows. Thereby, when the detection target sample container 101 accommodated in the rack 110 passes below the presence / absence detection sensor 45, the contact piece 451 is bent by the sample container 101 to detect the presence of the sample container 101. Is possible.

  The rack delivery section 46 is disposed so as to face the post-analysis rack holding section 42 with the rack transport section 43 interposed therebetween, and is configured to move horizontally in the arrow Y1 direction. Accordingly, when the rack 110 is transported between the post-analysis rack holding unit 42 and the rack sending unit 46, the rack 110 is pressed by moving the rack sending unit 46 to the post-analysis rack holding unit 42 side. It is possible to move into the post-analysis rack holder 42.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. 6, the control device 5 includes a personal computer (PC) or the like, and includes a control unit 51 (see FIG. 6) including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, a display unit 52, And an input device 53. The display unit 52 is provided to display analysis results obtained by analyzing digital signal data transmitted from the first measurement unit 2 and the second measurement unit 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the control device 5 is configured by a computer 500 mainly composed of a control unit 51, a display unit 52, and an input device 53. The control unit 51 mainly includes a CPU 51a, a ROM 51b, a RAM 51c, a hard disk 51d, a reading device 51e, an input / output interface 51f, a communication interface 51g, and an image output interface 51h. The CPU 51a, ROM 51b, RAM 51c, hard disk 51d, reading device 51e, input / output interface 51f, communication interface 51g, and image output interface 51h are connected by a bus 51i.

  The CPU 51a can execute the computer program stored in the ROM 51b and the computer program loaded in the RAM 51c. The computer 500 functions as the control device 5 when the CPU 51a executes application programs 54a, 54b, and 54c, which will be described later.

  The ROM 51b is configured by a mask ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, or the like, and stores a computer program executed by the CPU 51a, data used for the same, and the like.

  The RAM 51c is configured by SRAM, DRAM, or the like. The RAM 51c is used for reading out computer programs recorded in the ROM 51b and the hard disk 51d. Further, when these computer programs are executed, it is used as a work area of the CPU 51a.

  The hard disk 51d is installed with various computer programs to be executed by the CPU 51a, such as an operating system and application programs, and data used for executing the computer programs. A measurement process (1) program 54a for the first measurement unit 2, a measurement process (2) program 54b for the second measurement unit 3, and a sampler operation process program 54c for the sample transport apparatus 4 are also installed in the hard disk 51d. Yes. By executing these application programs 54a to 54c by the CPU 51a, the operations of the respective units of the first measurement unit 2, the second measurement unit 3, and the sample transport apparatus 4 are controlled. A measurement result database 54d is also installed in the hard disk 51d.

  The reading device 51e is configured by a flexible disk drive, a CD-ROM drive, a DVD-ROM drive, or the like, and can read a computer program or data recorded on the portable recording medium 54. The portable recording medium 54 stores application programs 54a to 54c. The computer 500 reads the application programs 54a to 54c from the portable recording medium 54, and installs the application programs 54a to 54c in the hard disk 51d. Is possible.

The application programs 54a to 54c are not only provided by the portable recording medium 54, but also from the external device connected to the computer 500 through an electric communication line (whether wired or wireless). It can also be provided through a communication line. For example, the application programs 54a to 54c are stored in a hard disk of a server computer on the Internet, and the computer 500 accesses the server computer to download the application programs 54a to 54c and install them on the hard disk 51d. It is also possible to do.
In addition, an operating system that provides a graphical user interface environment such as Windows (registered trademark) manufactured and sold by Microsoft Corporation is installed in the hard disk 51d. In the following description, the application programs 54a to 54c are assumed to operate on the operating system.

  The input / output interface 51f includes, for example, a serial interface such as USB, IEEE1394, RS-232C, a parallel interface such as SCSI, IDE, IEEE1284, an analog interface including a D / A converter, an A / D converter, and the like. Has been. An input device 53 is connected to the input / output interface 51f, and the user can input data to the computer 500 by using the input device 53.

  The communication interface 51g is, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) interface. The computer 500 can send and receive data to and from the first measurement unit 2, the second measurement unit 3, the sample transport apparatus 4 and the host computer 6 using a predetermined communication protocol through the communication interface 51g.

  The image output interface 51h is connected to a display unit 52 composed of an LCD or a CRT, and outputs a video signal corresponding to the image data given from the CPU 51a to the display unit 52. The display unit 52 is configured to display an image (screen) according to the input video signal.

  The control unit 51 analyzes the components to be analyzed using the measurement results transmitted from the first measurement unit 2 and the second measurement unit 3 with the above-described configuration, and also analyzes the analysis results (red blood cell count, platelet count, hemoglobin amount). , White blood cell count, etc.).

[Blood sample processing method]
Next, an embodiment of the blood sample processing method of the present invention using the blood sample processing apparatus 1 described above will be described with reference to FIGS. Since the first measurement unit 2 and the second measurement unit 3 perform analysis including sample agitation and aspiration by the same operation, the blood sample processing method by the first measurement unit 2 will be described below. Description of the blood sample processing method by the two measurement unit 3 is omitted.

  First, a rack 110 on which a specimen container 101 with a lid in which a blood sample to be analyzed is accommodated is set on the specimen transport apparatus 4 by a user. Next, when the CPU 51a of the control device 5 determines that an instruction to start analysis is given by pressing the start button or the like (step S1), the CPU 51a controls the transport of the rack 110 by the sample transport device 4, and the sample container 101 is moved to the first container. Position 1 to the extraction position (specimen container extraction position) 43a (step S2).

Next, the CPU 51a takes out the sample container 101 from the rack 110 using the hand unit 251 (step S3). Specifically, when the CPU 51a drives the vertical drive unit 253, the CPU 51a descends from above with the hand unit 251 open, and stops at the sample container holding position where the sample container 101 can be held.
Next, when the CPU 51a drives the opening / closing unit 252, the hand unit 251 is closed and the sample container 101 is held. Then, the CPU 51a drives the vertical drive unit 253 again, so that the hand unit 251 moves up while holding the sample container 101, the sample container 101 is taken out from the rack 110, and then stops at a predetermined position. In this state, the sample container 101 is in an upright state with its longitudinal axis substantially along the vertical direction.

<Stirring process>
Next, the CPU 51a performs the overturning stirring operation of the sample container 101 by driving the stirring motor unit 254 (step S4). The flow of this stirring operation will be described later with reference to FIG. In this agitation step, the hand unit 251 holding the sample container 101 performs forward / reverse rotation motion to agitate the blood sample stored in the sample container 101. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the overturning stirring operation of the sample container 101 by the hand unit 251. The sample unit 101 is held by the hand unit 251 in an upright state, and the hand unit 251 is in the overturned state. Both states are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the hand unit 251 includes a first rotation process in which the bottom of the sample container 101 rotates until the bottom of the sample container 101 is positioned above the sealing lid 102 of the sample container 101, and the sample container 101 is The overturning stirring operation including the second rotation step that reversely rotates from the overturned state to the upright state is performed.

  In the fall state, the angle θ between the longitudinal axis L of the sample container 101 and the vertical line V is about 127 degrees (see FIG. 10).

  The hand unit 251 repeats the overturning stirring operation in which the first rotation step and the second rotation step are one cycle 10 times. And the 2nd rotation process in the last cycle is performed over 0.8 second or more (this embodiment about 1.87 second). In the present embodiment, the second rotation process and the first rotation process other than the second rotation process in the last cycle are performed in a shorter time than the second rotation process in the last cycle, for example, 0.4 to 0.0. It takes about 6 seconds (in this embodiment, about 0.43 seconds). In this way, by performing the second rotation process other than the second rotation process in the last cycle in a shorter time than the second rotation process in the last cycle, the time required for the entire plurality of overturning stirring operations is shortened. can do.

  Although the blood sample adheres to the back side of the sealing lid 102 of the specimen container 101 by the overturning stirring operation, the descending step in the last cycle is performed slowly over 0.8 seconds, so that the sealing lid 102 of the specimen container 101 is obtained. The blood sample adhering to the back side of the container can be moved to the container bottom side. The principle of the blood sample adhering to the back side of the sealing lid 102 flowing down into the container can be inferred as follows.

7 is a perspective view of the sealing lid 102 as seen from above, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the same as seen from below, and FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the sealing lid 102 shown in FIGS. is there.
The sealing lid 102 is made of a synthetic resin such as silicon rubber having elasticity, and has a lid main body 103 that is inserted into the opening of the sample container 101. A concave portion or a concave portion 104 is formed on the lower surface of the lid main body 103, and a collar portion 105 is formed on the upper end of the peripheral surface of the lid main body 103. A recess or recess 106 is also formed on the upper surface of the lid main body 103, and the piercer 211 is punctured into the bottom surface 106 a of the recess 106.

  When an overturning stirring operation is applied to the container body 101 sealed with the sealing lid 102 having such a configuration, the blood sample that has moved into the recess 104 of the sealing lid 102 in the overturned state has a surface tension at the interface of the blood sample. Since it works, it adheres to the back surface 102a of the sealing lid 102 and the inner peripheral surface 103a of the lid main body 103 so as to become spherical (see FIG. 11A).

  Subsequently, when the sample container 101 is slowly returned from the fall state to the upright state over 0.8 seconds, the sealing lid 102 is positioned above the bottom of the sample container 101 as shown in FIG. In this state, the time during which the sample container 101 is inclined becomes longer. When the specimen container 101 is inclined with the sealing lid 102 positioned above the bottom of the specimen container 101, the surface area of the blood sample increases and the spherical shape collapses, resulting in a reduction in surface tension. That is, the pressure inside the blood sample is reduced, and the force with which molecules on the blood sample surface are pulled inward is weakened. As a result, the force to stay on the back side of the sealing lid 102 is weakened, and the blood sample flows down to the bottom side of the specimen container 101 due to the influence of gravity. As a result, the blood remaining attached to the back side of the sealing lid 102 It is considered that the amount of the sample can be greatly reduced (see (c) of FIG. 11).

  Table 1 shows the situation of blood leakage when the time required for the second rotation process in the last cycle is changed in various cases when performing the overturning stirring operation of 10 cycles (when the piercer penetrates the lid with the piercer after stirring, The result of examining whether or not blood leaks from the longitudinal groove formed on the surface is shown. As the sealing lid, a lid of the type shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 was used, and the amount of blood accommodated in the specimen container was 4 ml.

  Further, the overturning stirring operation was performed using a pulse motor, and the set pulse values in the second rotation step in the last cycle were the low speed value and the high speed value shown in Table 1. More specifically, the “set pulse value” refers to the number of drive pulses (pulse speed) applied to the pulse motor per second, from the set pulse value indicated by the low speed value to the set pulse value indicated by the high speed value. The pulse motor is driven so that the pulse speed is accelerated. After a predetermined time has elapsed, the pulse motor is driven so that the pulse speed is reduced from the set pulse value indicated by the high speed value to the set pulse value indicated by the low speed value. Accordingly, the hand unit is set to rotate at a low speed for a predetermined time after the start of rotation and a predetermined time before the end of the rotation, and the hand unit is rotated at a high speed for the remaining time. In other words, when the horizontal axis is time and the vertical axis is the pulse speed, the pulse value is changed so that the pulse speed changes in a trapezoidal shape. “Processing time” in Table 1 refers to the time required for the second rotation process in the last cycle, and in the experiment shown in Table 1, the second rotation process other than the second rotation process in the last cycle. And the first rotation step was performed in 0.43 seconds.

  As can be seen from Table 1, when all of the second rotation process and the first rotation process in the 10-cycle overturning stirring operation were performed in 0.43 seconds (Experiment No. 1), all of the 10 specimen containers were used. In the case where the second rotation step in the last cycle was performed in 0.94 seconds, which is 0.8 seconds or more (Experiment No. 3), the leakage of blood was observed in all 10 specimen containers. No blood leakage was observed. In addition, when the second rotation process in the last cycle was performed for 1.56 seconds which is 1.4 seconds or more (Experiment No. 5), no blood leakage was observed in all of the ten specimen containers, Moreover, even when the number of specimen containers was increased to 100, only one leaked blood was observed.

  From this, it can be seen that the amount of blood sample remaining on the back side of the lid can be greatly reduced by making the time required for the second rotation step in the last cycle 0.8 seconds or more, Furthermore, it can be seen that by setting the time to 1.4 seconds or more, the amount of the blood sample remaining on the back side of the lid can be further reduced.

Next, the flow of the overturning stirring operation of the sample container 101 will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the rotation process for turning the upright sample container 101 into the overturned state is referred to as a “first rotation process”, and the rotation process for returning the overturned sample container 101 into the upright state is referred to as a “second rotation process”. The second rotation process for returning the fallen specimen container 101 to the upright state in the last cycle is particularly referred to as a “second low-speed rotation process”.
First, the CPU 51a performs a first rotation process for rotating the sample container 101 from the upright state to the overturned state (step S41), and then performs a second rotation process for returning the sample container 101 from the overturned state to the upright state. (Step S42). The first rotation process and the second rotation process are each performed over 0.43 seconds. Next, the CPU 51a determines whether or not the overturning stirring operation in which the first rotating step and the second rotating step are one cycle has reached the ninth time (step S43), and the overturning stirring operation has not reached the ninth time. In that case, the CPU 51a repeats the operations of step S41 and step S42.

  When the overturning stirring operation has reached the ninth time, the CPU 51a performs the first rotation process again (step S44), performs the second low-speed rotation process (step S45), and returns the process. In the second low-speed rotation process in step S45, an operation is performed to return the fallen specimen container 101 to the upright state over 1.87 seconds, which is longer than the other processes.

During the stirring operation of the sample container 101, the rack 110 is retracted from the sample container take-out position 43 a, and then the sample setting unit 255 a is moved forward to a predetermined position below the hand unit 251 by driving the sample container transport unit 255.
After the stirring, the CPU 51a lowers the hand unit 251 to open the hand unit 251, whereby the sample container 101 held by the hand unit 251 is set in the sample setting unit 255a (step S5).

Next, the hand unit 251 is raised, and the sample setting unit 255a is pulled into the apparatus by driving the sample container transport unit 255 and stops at a predetermined position.
<Suction process>
Next, the CPU 51a performs a sample suction operation from the sample container 101 (step S6). Specifically, under the control of the CPU 51a, the piercer 211 is driven and lowered from above by the piercer drive unit 212 while being held by the chuck unit 27 so that the sample container 101 does not move, and the sealing lid 102 of the sample container 101 is lowered. And stop at a predetermined position. In this penetration operation, as described above, the blood sample adhering to the back side of the lid 102 during the overturning stirring operation moves to the bottom side of the container and does not remain on the back side of the lid 102. No leakage from the outer circumferential groove 211a.

After the piercer 211 stops at a predetermined position in the sample container 101, a predetermined amount of blood sample is aspirated by the piercer 211.
After the suction, the piercer 211 is raised, and the sucked blood sample is mixed with reagents in the reaction container of the sample preparation unit 22 to prepare a sample for measurement. The prepared measurement sample is then transferred to the detection unit 23 where predetermined items are detected (measured). The detection result is transmitted to the control unit 51, and the component to be analyzed is analyzed in the control unit 51. The obtained analysis result is displayed on the display unit 52.

After the piercer 211 rises, the CPU 51a performs an operation for returning the sample container 101 to the original rack 110 (step S7). Specifically, under the control of the CPU 51a, the sample setting unit 255a is moved forward again by the driving of the sample container transport unit 255, and stops at the sample container setting position.
Next, the hand unit 251 descends from above and stops at the sample container holding position.

Next, the hand unit 251 is closed to hold the sample container 101 of the sample setting unit 255a, and then the hand unit 251 is raised and stopped at a predetermined position.
While the hand 251 holding the sample container 101 is rising, the sample setting unit 255a is pulled into the apparatus by driving the sample container transport unit 255. Then, the rack 110 that has moved backward moves forward and stops at a predetermined position.

Next, the hand unit 251 is lowered, the sample container 101 is inserted into the rack 110, and then the opening / closing unit 252 is driven to open to open the hand unit 251, whereby the sample container 101 is set in the rack 110.
Next, the hand unit 251 rises. Thereafter, the CPU 51a determines whether there is a sample container containing a blood sample to be analyzed next (step S8). If there is a next sample container, the CPU 51a moves to step S2 and moves the rack 110. Next, the specimen container 101 containing the blood sample to be analyzed is placed at the specimen container removal position. In the same manner, the above-described series of operations starting from the lowering of the opened hand unit 251 is repeated. If it is determined in step S8 that there is no specimen container that contains a blood sample to be analyzed next, the CPU 51a ends the process.

  In addition, in the blood sample processing method described above, the time required for the other second rotation process and the first rotation process, except that the second rotation process performed immediately before piercing with the piercer is performed slowly over 0.8 seconds. Is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of shortening the entire processing time, the other second rotation step and the first rotation step are performed in a shorter time than the second rotation step performed immediately before piercing by the piercer. It is preferable to carry out at.

  In the above-described embodiment, the overturning stirring operation is an operation that reciprocates from the upright state to the overturned state in which the angle between the axis of the sample container and the vertical line is about 127 degrees. As long as there is a falling state located above, various falling stirring operations are possible without being limited to the illustrated operation. For example, the angle θ may be smaller than 127 degrees or larger than 127 degrees. In addition to the above space, the hand unit 251 is not rotated only in the space on one side viewed from the vertical line V as in the present embodiment, but on the other direction side viewed from the vertical line V in addition to the above space. The hand unit 251 may be rotated in the space.

  In the above-described embodiment, after the sample container 101 in the upright state is rotated in one direction to shift to the overturned state, the sample container 101 is rotated in the opposite direction to return to the original upright state. The present invention is not limited to this. For example, the sample container 101 in the upright state may be rotated in one direction to shift to the overturned state, and the sample container 101 may be further rotated in the one direction from the overturned state to return to the original upright state.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the sample container 101 is moved to the overturned state by stopping the sample container 101 once, and then the operation of returning the sample container 101 to the original upright state is repeated. Although stirring 101 is performed, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the operation of rotating the sample container 101 in the upright state to shift to the overturned state and then rotating the sample container 101 as it is without returning to the original upright state may be continuously repeated. In the case of this stirring operation, the blood remaining attached to the back surface of the lid of the sample container 101 is obtained by performing the step of returning the fallen sample container to the upright state at a lower speed than the other steps in the last cycle. The amount of sample can be reduced.

  In the above-described embodiment, the suction pipe is released into the atmosphere and moved to a predetermined suction position by a single lowering operation. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first lowering operation is performed. Other suction pipes such as a double stab-type suction pipe that moves to a predetermined suction position by performing only air release in the atmosphere, and once descending and then descending again may be used.

  In the embodiment described above, a blood cell counter is used as the blood sample processing apparatus, but a smear preparation apparatus may be used as the blood sample processing apparatus.

  In the above-described embodiment, the second rotation process performed immediately before piercing by the piercer is performed in a shorter time than the other processes, but the second rotation process performed immediately before piercing by the piercer is performed. You may carry out in the same time as a process.

  In the above-described embodiment, 10 cycles of the overturning stirring operation are performed, but other than 10 cycles, for example, 8 cycles of the overturning stirring operation may be performed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Blood sample processing apparatus 2 1st measurement unit 3 2nd measurement unit 4 Sample conveyance apparatus 5 Control apparatus 21 Sample suction part 22 Sample preparation part 23 Detection part 25 Sample container conveyance part 31 Sample suction part 32 Sample preparation part 33 Detection part 35 Sample container transport section 42 Rack holding section 43 Rack transport section 46 Rack transport section 101 Sample container 102 Sealing lid 110 Rack 211 Piercer 212 Piercer moving section 251 Hand section 254 Stirring motor section 311 Piercer 312 Piercer moving section 351 Hand section 354 Stirring motor section

Claims (7)

A blood sample processing apparatus for taking out a sample container from a rack containing a sample container with a lid for containing a blood sample, stirring the sample container, and sucking the blood sample,
A container holder that holds the sample container and can be raised and rotated while holding the sample container;
A rotation drive unit for causing the container holding unit to perform a rotation operation;
A vertical drive unit for raising the container holding unit;
A specimen suction tube for sucking a blood sample in the specimen container;
A penetrating drive for penetrating the specimen aspirating tube through the lid of the specimen container;
And a control unit, a
The control unit controls the vertical drive unit to remove the sample container from the rack, and controls the rotation drive unit to position the bottom of the sample container above the lid at a first speed. The sample container is repeatedly displaced between the first state and the second state in which the bottom is positioned below the lid and the longitudinal axis is substantially along the vertical direction, and then the first container Displacing the specimen container from the first state to the second state so that the blood sample attached to the back side of the lid moves to the bottom side of the specimen container at a second speed lower than the speed;
Controlling the penetration driving unit so as to penetrate the lid of the specimen container in the second state with the specimen suction tube;
A blood sample processing apparatus.   The blood sample processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lid has a lid main body that is inserted into the opening of the specimen container, and a concave portion is formed on a lower surface of the lid main body.   The blood sample processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a groove extending in a longitudinal direction of the sample suction tube is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the sample suction tube.   The blood sample processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blood sample is whole blood. A sample preparation section for preparing a measurement sample comprising the whole blood and a reagent;
The blood sample processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a detection unit that detects blood cells in the measurement sample. The blood sample processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container holding unit is configured to be movable up and down, and the vertical driving unit is configured to be able to lower the container holding unit. A step of taking out the sample container from the rack containing the sample container with the lid, an agitation step of stirring the blood sample stored in the sample container , and aspirating the blood sample through the sample suction tube A blood sample processing method comprising a suction step,
The stirring step includes
A first state in which the bottom of the sample container is located above the lid at a first speed; and a second state in which the bottom is located below the lid and the longitudinal axis is substantially along the vertical direction. After the sample container is repeatedly displaced between the first and second blood samples, the blood sample attached to the back side of the lid moves to the bottom side of the sample container at a second speed lower than the first speed. A blood sample processing method, wherein the specimen container is displaced from a state to the second state.

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