JPH0126508B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a thermostatic chamber most suitable for an automatic biochemical analyzer.

In general, thermostats that use air as a constant temperature medium maintain temperature equilibrium by sealing the air circulation system and isolating it from the outside air, but if the air circulation system is open, temperature fluctuations in the outside air can occur. As a result, the accuracy of maintaining constant temperature may deteriorate. Traditionally,
In an automatic biochemical analyzer, when the measurement system is installed inside a thermostatic chamber, the air circulation system must be opened because the reaction line moves in and out of the thermostatic chamber. The above problems can be solved if the entire automatic biochemical analyzer can be installed in a constant temperature bath, but an automatic biochemical analyzer must be equipped with at least a moving reaction line, its driving device, sampling, cleaning equipment, etc. Therefore, a constant temperature chamber that is completely sealed is forced to be considerably larger, and even if it is completely sealed, the number of moving parts that cause temperature fluctuations increases, and the accuracy of maintaining constant temperature is reduced. There is a risk that it will get worse.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is intended to reduce the influence of temperature fluctuations caused by the operation of equipment attached to a reaction line and to reduce the influence of temperature fluctuations caused by outside air in an automatic biochemical analyzer. The object of the present invention is to provide a constant temperature bath that improves the accuracy of maintaining constant temperature of a sample at a reaction position and a measurement position in a reaction tube, thereby improving the accuracy of sample analysis.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the arrangement of reaction lines and thermostatic chambers in an automatic biochemical analyzer. 1 is the reaction line, the upper line in the figure (the opening of the reaction tube is facing upward)
moves from left to right in the drawing, and the lower line (with the reaction tube opening facing down) moves from right to left. 2 is a pulley for driving the reaction line, and is connected to a driving device (not shown). Reference numeral 3 denotes a constant temperature bath, which incorporates independent constant temperature devices 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d.
4 is sampling, in which a fixed amount of the specimen is dispensed into a reaction tube in the reaction line. 5 is a cleaning device. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of one block of the thermostatic chamber 3 of FIG. 1, for example, a section A to A' of the thermostatic apparatus 3b, viewed from the direction of the arrow. Constant temperature device 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d
It is assumed that the following also has the same configuration as that described below. In the figure, 6 is a reaction cassette to which, for example, four reaction tubes 7 are attached, and is movable on a slide plate 14, the details of which will be described later. The reaction tube 7 is installed in parallel with the driving direction of the reaction line 1 shown in FIG. It will move towards the back side of the top. 8a, 8
b, 8c, and 8d are wind tunnels, each including a fan 9, a heater 10, a temperature sensor 11, and a rectifying plate 1.
2 is built in, and its surroundings are covered with a heat insulating material 13. As the fan 9 rotates, air, which is a constant temperature medium, circulates through the wind tunnels 8a -> 8b -> 8c -> 8d.
In addition, a temperature sensor 11 installed near the reaction tube 7
According to the signal value, the control circuit 15 installed outside the wind tunnel
The heater 10 is controlled through the heater 10 to adjust the heating temperature of the circulating air. Incidentally, since the reaction tube 7 moves in the wind tunnel 8d in the order of constant temperature devices 3a → 3b → 3c → 3d in FIG. connected along the line. Further, the slide plate 14 is provided in an endless manner along the reaction line 1 in FIG. It is possible to move in and out of the constant temperature bath 3 along the lines.

The operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be explained. In FIG. 1, the reaction line 1 into which a fixed amount of the specimen has been dispensed in the sampling 4 is moved into the thermostatic chamber 3 by a drive device (not shown) connected to the pulley 2, and the thermostatic chamber 3a→3b→ Proceed in the order of 3c → 3d. The constant temperature chamber 3 is a constant temperature device 3a that serves as the entrance and exit of the reaction line 1.
and 3d are open to the outside air. Therefore, the influence of temperature fluctuations due to outside air is increasing at the inlet of the constant temperature device 3a and the outlet of the constant temperature device 3d. However, since the sampling 4 and the cleaning device 5 are installed outside the constant temperature bath 3, at least temperature fluctuations due to the operation of these devices do not affect the constant temperature bath 3. Next, the action inside the constant temperature bath 3 will be explained. In FIG. 2, the reaction tubes 7 installed in parallel to the driving direction of the reaction line are fixed to the reaction cassette 6, and are moved from the front surface to the back surface in the drawing along the slide plate 14 in the wind tunnel 8d. are doing. Air, which is a constant temperature medium in the wind tunnel, is moved through the wind tunnel 8a → 8b → 8c → 8d by the rotation of the fan 9.
It circulates in this order. Therefore, the air circulation path is provided perpendicularly to the driving direction of the reaction tube 7. In addition, in order to maintain a constant temperature in the wind tunnel 8d through which the reaction tube 7 moves, a temperature sensor 11 is provided in the wind tunnel 8d, and a control circuit 15 constantly controls the heating temperature of the heater 10. In order to stabilize and equalize the flow, a wind tunnel 8d
A rectifying plate 12 is installed at the inlet of the channel. Each of the thermostats 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d has the above-mentioned functions independently, so for example, the thermostatic oven 3
Assuming that the set temperature inside is 37℃, each thermostat 3a,
By individually and independently controlling the heaters 10 of 3b, 3c, and 3d using the respective temperature sensors 11, the temperature distribution within the wind tunnel 8d with respect to the driving direction of the reaction tube 7 can be set as shown in FIG. . In FIG. 3, the temperature drop is seen in the constant temperature devices 3a and 3d because the inlet of the constant temperature device 3a and the outlet of the constant temperature device 3d are open to the outside air. In addition, the temperature that reached 37°C in the constant temperature device 3a is transferred to the constant temperature device 3 along the driving direction of the reaction tube 7.
The reason why the constant temperature can be maintained up to d is because the circulation path for air, which is a constant temperature medium, is provided in a direction perpendicular to the driving direction of the reaction tube 7, so that the air passing through the wind tunnel 8d is controlled by the heater 10 of each constant temperature device. Since the temperature is constantly controlled, no temperature gradient occurs in the direction in which the reaction tube 7 is driven. In the constant temperature chamber 3 having a temperature distribution as shown in FIG. 3, a reagent dispensing nozzle is provided at 3b, for example, and the reagent is dispensed into the reaction tube 7 to color the sample, which is then measured in the constant temperature device 3c. By doing this, it is possible to maintain a constant temperature during the reaction process of the sample and at the measurement position.
Therefore, the chemical reaction rate of the sample, which is an important element of measurement accuracy, can be made uniform. After the measurement is completed, the reaction tube 7 is moved outside the thermostatic chamber 3 and is cleaned in the cleaning device 5 shown in FIG. .

As explained above, according to the present invention, in an automatic biochemical analyzer, even though the air circulation path of the thermostatic chamber is opened to the outside air at the entrance and exit of the reaction line,
In order to equalize the chemical reaction rate of the sample necessary for measurement, it is possible to provide a highly accurate constant temperature bath that maintains a constant temperature at least during the reaction process of the sample and at the measurement position.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 4, members having the same functions as those shown in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 4, 8e, 8f, 8g, 8h, and 8i are wind tunnels, respectively. 7 is a reaction tube, which is installed in the same manner as in the embodiment shown in FIG. In other words, it moves in the wind tunnel 8i from the front surface to the back surface in the drawing. 10a and 10b are heaters, which are not shown but are controlled to keep the temperature inside the wind tunnel 8i constant. 12 is a current plate, and 16a and 16b are fans for circulating air.

The operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be explained. As the fans 16a and 16b rotate, air, which is a constant temperature medium, flows through the wind tunnel 8e→
Cycles from 8f or 8g to 8h to 8i. Heater 1
The functions of 0a, 10b and the current plate 12 are the same as in the embodiment of FIG. By circulating the air as described above, for example, if the set temperature in the thermostatic chamber 3 is set to 37°C, the temperature distribution in the driving direction of the reaction tube 7 in the wind tunnel 8i will be the same as in the embodiment shown in FIG. The temperature distribution shown in FIG. 3 can be obtained.
The reason for this is that, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. Heaters 10a and 1 of the constant temperature device
This is because the temperature is constantly controlled by 0b, so no temperature gradient occurs in the driving direction of the reaction tube 7. Furthermore, according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the circulation system path is provided in a direction perpendicular to the parallel direction of the four reaction tubes installed in parallel to the driving direction of the reaction tubes 7. It does not affect temperature fluctuations in the parallel direction of the four reaction tubes, and in other words, it is possible to improve the accuracy of maintaining a constant temperature for each of the four reaction tubes.

Although the present invention has been described in detail above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and includes various modifications without changing the gist of the present invention. It goes without saying that each member can be replaced with another member having the same function. For example, in the embodiments described above, air was used as the constant temperature medium, but an air flow of gas or the like may also be used.

As explained above, according to the present invention, in an automatic biochemical analyzer, a plurality of thermostatic devices are installed in the thermostatic chamber while the thermostatic medium circulation system of the thermostatic chamber is opened to the outside air at the entrance and exit of the reaction line. ,
By installing the circulation system for the constant temperature medium of each constant temperature device in a direction that intersects the driving direction of the reaction tube, the influence of temperature fluctuations caused by outside air can be absorbed by the constant temperature device near the entrance and exit of the reaction line in the constant temperature chamber. ,
At least in the reaction process and measurement position of the sample, it is possible to improve the accuracy of maintaining a constant temperature, thereby making the chemical reaction rate of the sample uniform, and improving the accuracy of sample analysis.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of a reaction line and a constant temperature bath. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the section A to A' of the thermostatic chamber in FIG. 1, viewed from the direction of the arrow. Third
The figure is a diagram showing the temperature distribution in the thermostatic oven, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the thermostatic oven showing another embodiment of the present invention. 1...Reaction line, 2...Pulley, 3...Thermostat, 3
a, 3b, 3c, 3d... constant temperature device, 4... sampling, 5... washing device, 6... reaction cassette, 7... reaction tube, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e, 8f, 8
g, 8h, 8i...wind tunnel, 9...fan, 10,10
a, 10b...Heater, 11...Temperature sensor, 12...
Current plate, 13...insulating material, 14...sliding plate, 15
...control circuit, 16a, 16b...fan.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an automatic biochemical analyzer, a plurality of constant temperature devices are installed in series along the driving direction of a reaction tube containing a sample, and each constant temperature device has a wind tunnel in which a constant temperature medium is circulated, and a circulation drive means to circulate the constant temperature medium. and a heating control means for heating the constant temperature medium and keeping the heating temperature at a predetermined temperature, and a part of the wind tunnel of each constant temperature device is connected along the drive direction of the reaction tube to form a drive system for the reaction tube. The accuracy of maintaining the constant temperature of the sample in the reaction tube is improved by forming a constant-temperature medium circulation path in a direction crossing the drive path of the reaction tube using each circulation drive means. A constant temperature bath featuring: