JPS6069562A - Disc for holding vessel in automatic analyzing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform analysis of multiple terms with one transfer stage and to make a device smaller and constitution simpler by constituting the device in such a way that a disc is transferred to each working position while holding reaction tubes without being unitized to a device for transferring the reaction tubes and that the colorimetric measurement is thus accomplished. CONSTITUTION:A disc 10 holds preferably reaction tubes 12 in a way as to avoid the projection thereof from the top and bottom surfaces of the disc. A mechanism for transmitting the rotational driving force required for rotating at least one turn the disc 10 in an optical measurement position, for example, a gear 14, is disposed to the body 10a of the disc 10. The disc 10 is fitted and held to a disc holder 15 having a U shape in longitudinal section. The holder 15 is rotated and controlled by a rotating means 16 such as a motor or the like. The serum contained in the sample cup 20 of a sampler 20 adjacent to the disc holder 15 is dispensed by every required amt. via a pipette device P into the reaction tubes 12 of the disc 10. The tubes 12 held by the disc 10 are subjected successively to the optical measurement as the disc 10 rotates.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a container holding disk suitable for a so-called super multi-channel automatic analyzer for automatically performing multi-item blood analysis.

Various conventional automatic analyzers of the so-called super multi-channel system have been proposed, and an example thereof will be explained based on FIG. The holder 2 is cantilevered by an endless belt 3 stretched over the holder 174 and rotated by a motor (not shown) to move the holder 2 at the required speed and timing to the blood dispensing position A1 and the reagent dispensing position °B1 optical The required number of automatic analysis units E configured to be sequentially transferred from the measurement position C to the cleaning position (4 units in the illustrated embodiment) El.

E2 r Es r E4) By installing them in parallel and controlling them simultaneously, for example, 32 items (8 items x 4
There is one that performs blood analysis of the patient (unit).

However, in such conventional automatic analyzers,
Holders 2 holding the required number of reaction tubes 1 are arranged at required intervals, one end of which is cantilever supported by the entire belt 3 to integrate them, and the automatic analysis work 2 is carried out by horizontally transporting the holders 2. Since the device is configured to perform the following operations, it requires a considerable amount of space when viewed from a two-dimensional perspective, which causes the device to become large and require a large amount of installation space. The running cost of the device is high, and since a large number of parts are required, assembly steps are complicated and maintenance is extremely difficult.

This invention was devised in view of the current situation, and its purpose is to make this type of so-called super multi-channel automatic analyzer incredibly compact without reducing its measurement accuracy. It is an object of the present invention to provide a disk for holding a container in an automatic analyzer.

In order to achieve this object, in the present invention, the entire container holding disk is provided with small container holding holes for holding a required number of containers in the main body formed in a C-shape in plan. Optical axis holes for transmitting measuring light are formed through the main body in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the main body.

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail based on the embodiments shown in FIG. 2 and below.

The disk 1 (N-t) according to this embodiment is formed into a substantially C-shaped plane as shown in FIG. 11 is opened, and each hole 11 holds a corresponding number of reaction tubes 12 as shown in FIG.
An optical axis hole 13 is opened through the main body 10at in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of each of the small holes 11 in a. In other words, each optical axis hole 13 allows the measurement light from the light source K disposed at the center of the main body 10a to pass through the same optical axis hole 13, and then pass through the serum in the reaction tube 12. Optical axis hole 13' again
It is configured to be guided to the outside of the main body 10a through.

The disk 10 is preferably held in such a manner that the reaction tube 12 does not protrude from its upper and lower surfaces. The main body 10a of the disk 10 also includes a rotational power transmission mechanism, such as a gear 14, necessary to cause the disk lO' to rotate at least once at an optical measurement position, which will be described later.
However, the power transmission mechanism such as the gear 14 is preferably formed on the outer circumferential side of the disk IO.

The disk 10 configured in this manner is fitted and held in a disk boulder 15 having a vertical cross section of 1", and the rotation of the holder 15 is controlled by a rotation means 16 such as a motor.

This control is performed via a control device (CPU).

The serum contained in the sample cup 21 of the sampler 2o adjacent to the disk holder 15 is transferred to the reaction tube 12 of the disk IO held by the disk holder 15 through the pipette device P't-. It is dispensed into the required lids. This pipette device-P has a sample cup 21
The required number of pipettes pl, pz... corresponding to the opening diameter of
Pn, each pipette P1. P2e・・P
n is the upper part of the sample cup 21, and at the serum suction position, the serum is gathered in close proximity (bundled) and guided up and down to aspirate the entire required amount of serum in the sample cup 21. At the note position, it is expanded at each required interval,
After the valley pipettes Pt, P2, . At this time, the same biben)
PI, P2...Pn are the first
A required amount of reagent or diluent R1 is dispensed into the corresponding reaction tube 12.

In this case, if the number of pipettes PI, P2 and Pn is smaller than the number of reaction tubes 12 held in the main body 10a of the disk lO, for example, if the number of pipettes is 8 and the number of reaction tubes 12 is
When the number of disc holders 15 is 32, the number of disc holders 15 is 32.
The control device (C
PU), the same serum is dispensed into all 32 reaction tubes 12. However, in order to shorten this dispensing operation time, it is possible to provide a plurality of pipette devices P and drive and control them simultaneously.

For example, as shown in FIG.
, PB, PC, PD are arranged 7', and when each pipette device P has 8 pipettes and the number of reaction tubes 12 held in the main body 10a of the disk 100 is 32, serum a is M4 figure θ via pipette device Phk
The serum C is transferred to the eight reaction tubes 12 in the range shown in FIG.
The serum d is passed through the pipette device PD into the eight reaction tubes 12 in the range shown in FIG.
2, each pipette is unfolded to dispense each serum into the corresponding reaction tube 12. By performing these operations on four disks 10, it is possible to dispense serum corresponding to the desired number of analysis items.

In addition, pipets (PI, P2...P) after each dispensing work have been completed.
Of course, the sample was washed with a pipette washer (not shown).

In this way, the reaction tube 12 into which the serum and the like are dispensed is transferred to the disk l0Vi constant temperature transfer path 30 which holds the reaction tube 12 . As this replacement work means, a variety of known machines can be applied, such as manual work or known mechanical means, such as a transfer mechanism consisting of a combination of a belt conveyor and a gripping device that operate at the required timing.

The constant temperature transfer path 30 is formed in a tit-shaped cylinder shape, and the inner diameter of the circuit 30 is formed to be approximately the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the disk 10. The bottom side opening 32 of the circuit 30 and the υ circuit 30
transferred within.

The disk 10 transferred to the constant temperature transfer path 30 in this manner is pushed upward via the rL7ζ push-up mechanism 31, which is directed near the bottom of the circuit 30. This pushing-up action is carried out at such a timing that the transfer operation of the next disk 100 into the circuit 30 is not hindered, that is, the main body 10a is pushed up by the high dimension.

At this time, the disk 10 that has been pushed upward is placed inside the opening 30 of the 11111 section of the circuit 30, and is held by a claw body 33 such as a spring claw that allows the disk 10 to rise but prevents it from descending. . That is, the disks 10 transferred into the transfer path 30 are firstly pushed up and transferred in a state in which they are stacked vertically in the circuit. During the process of being pushed up and transferred in sequence, the blood and the like held on each disk 10 is kept warm by the biological moist layer. In other words, the constant temperature transfer path 30 is a heating means 34 using an electric heater, hot water circulation, etc.
The blood serum and the like held in the circuit 30 and the transferred disk 10 are heated and maintained at the body temperature.

When the disk 10 is thus transferred to the top of the constant temperature transfer path 30, the disk 10 is transferred to a measurement transfer path 40, which is also a vertical cylindrical shape and is adjacent to the constant temperature transfer path 30. This transfer operation can be performed manually or by a mechanical mechanism such as a known horizontal extrusion mechanism.

The disk 1o transferred to the measurement transfer path 40 is sequentially and intermittently transferred downward along the transfer path 40 one step at a time (by the height of the disk main body 10a) at a required timing. This transfer is performed by pulling out the disks IO one by one from the bottom of the transfer path 4o at the same required timing.

Further, when the disk IO is transferred to the measurement transfer path 4o, the notch 10' of the disk IO is transferred to the transfer path 4o.
After positioning is performed by fitting into a protrusion 41 provided at the top of the 0, the posture is controlled by a known rotary posture correction device (not shown), for example, so as to be transferred downward.

Further, after the positioning work of the disk 10 is performed, and when the disk 10 is stopped until it is transferred downward, a second reagent or a second reagent is added corresponding to the analysis item as shown in FIG. The diluent R2 is supplied to the control device t (CPU)
The required amount is dispensed via a pipette device P' which is driven and controlled by.

In the middle of the measurement transfer path 40, an optical measurement section 41 is installed at the required number of stages (
In the illustrated embodiment, four stages) are arranged.

The optical device disposed at each step of the optical measuring section 41 includes a support stand 42 shaped like a cross-section, and an optical device disposed at a vertical portion of the support stand 41 corresponding to each step. , light sources 43, 43, . . . that irradiate measurement light L in the horizontal direction, and light sources 43, 43-, . The measured light sensitivity received by the element 44 is converted into a voltage corresponding to the received light level and inputted to the control device (CPU), where a predetermined data analysis is performed and stored. Alternatively, it may be displayed on a display or printed out as required.

In addition, by making the light source light B disposed in each step part have different wavelengths in accordance with the analysis items, various measurements can be performed almost simultaneously.

Further, at each step of the optical measuring section 41, a pair of driving gears are provided which mesh with the gears 14 of the disk body 10a that have been transferred to the same position, and cause the disk 10 to make at least one rotation at the same step. 45, 45' are arranged,
The rotation of the gears 45 and 45' is controlled via a motor M' (c) which is driven and controlled by a control device (CPU) so that the disk IO accurately returns to its original position.

Therefore, each reaction tube 12 held on the disk 10 is
Optical measurements are sequentially performed by rotating the disk 10.

The optical measurement is completed in this way, and the disk IO that has arrived at the bottom of the measurement transfer path 40 is transferred to the cleaning device W position inside the transfer path 4υ via a known pushing device 50. At this time 1, a support stand 42 is erected at the center of the disk body 10a, but the diameter f of the body of the support stand 42 is smaller than the opening dimension F of the notch 10' of the main body 10a. Since the main body 10a is formed on the support base 42
It will not get caught and become unable to come out, and will be smoothly transferred to the cleaning position.

At the cleaning position, all the serum isolines contained in each reaction tube 12 of the disk 10 are discarded, and the reaction tube 12 is thoroughly cleaned through a known cleaning device W such as an ultrasonic cleaning device, and then returned to the disk holder. 15 and provided for reuse. Incidentally, in order to improve the cleaning accuracy, it is possible to do so by arranging a plurality of cleaning apparatuses W as shown in FIG.

As explained above, in this invention, the disk which holds the required number of reaction tubes containing blood etc. dispensed one by one can transfer the reaction tubes without being integrated with the reaction tube transfer device. The system is configured so that colorimetric measurements are performed by transferring the sample to each work site required for automatic serum analysis while it is being held, so that automatic analysis allows multi-item analysis to be performed in one transfer process. As a result, the entire device can be made into a large shed without expanding horizontally, and the device can be configured simply, making it easy to handle, with fewer breakdowns and less maintenance. You can easily manufacture discs that can be made easily.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration of an automatic analyzer according to a conventional super multi-channel method, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a disk according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the disk and a sampler. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of a distribution mode when blood in a sample cup is dispensed into a reaction tube of a disk,
Fig. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing the overall mechanism of an automatic zero analyzer suitable for applying this disc, Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the transport state of the disc in the measurement transport path of the equipment, and Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall mechanism of an automatic zero analyzer suitable for applying this disc. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line ■--■, and FIG. 8 is a plan layout view of the entire device. 10... Disc 10 a... Main body 11... Holding hole 12... Reaction tube 13... Optical axis hole

Claims (1)

[Claims] The main body, which is formed into a C-shape in plan, has a container holding hole for holding the required number of containers, and an optical axis hole for transmitting measurement light in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the small hole. A disk for holding a container in an automatic analyzer that is opened through this matter.