JPS61280572A - Apparatus for full-automatic measurement of blood coagulation - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate the selection of process order and time setting and to achieve good usability and the enhancement of measuring accuracy, by moving a specimen container grasping catcher to each of lateral, longitudinal and up- and-down directions. CONSTITUTION:A movement element 36 moves to an X-axis direction by the rotation of the stepping motor Y fixed to a guide holding plate 22 and a DC motor Z is mounted to the lift jig 37 thereof while a catcher 45 for grasping a specimen container is fixed to a belt 44 and moved up and down by the rotation of the motor Z. Holding jigs 24, 23 are moved to an X-axis direction by the rotation of a stepping motor X and the movement element 36 also moves. The catcher 45 is made freely movable within the predetermined distances in X-, Y- and Z-directions by controlling motors X, Y, Z. The detection apparatus of the specimen container in the catcher 45 is fixed to the movement element 36 to perform desired movement.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention is a blood coagulation measuring device in the field of clinical testing, in particular, it fully automates the process from sample collection to printing out measurement results, and can be used for multiple items and multiple samples. The present invention relates to a fully automatic blood coagulation measuring device that performs coagulation measurements with high precision and quickly.

[Conventional technology]

Conventional fully automatic blood coagulation measuring devices have a structure in which sample containers are sequentially delivered circularly or linearly using a rotary sampler or a belt sampler. In these conventional devices, since a large number of samples are measured continuously, it is often necessary to keep the moving speed constant throughout. Then heating, diluting,
Dispensing, reaction, and measurement proceeded at a constant rate, and even if the measurement items were different, they were generally carried out under the same conditions.

In other words, most of them had a structure in which each step was arranged sequentially, and the sample was set on a stand and moved one after another at a constant speed.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

The conventional device described above requires adjustment between the flow of device operation and the reaction, dispensing, and measurement time settings, and the most rational settings are not necessarily made for each process. there were. Furthermore, coagulation measurements are inherently subject to variations in the length of the predetermined measurement time due to competition and combinations of various conditions.

In some cases, the reaction may not be completed within the specified time.

However, if you set it to purple for a long time, most of it will be wasted time and money.
Processing efficiency will be significantly reduced.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks.
The object of the present invention is to provide a fully automatic blood coagulation measuring device that allows easy selection of process order and time settings (just by examining the program), and that is easy to use and capable of measuring with high precision.

[Means and effects for solving the problems] The fully automatic blood coagulation measuring device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as follows:
In a blood coagulation measuring device equipped with a sample container holding plate having a large number of round holes 1 for holding sample containers, a catcher 45 for holding sample containers is moved laterally by a motor X for lateral movement, a pulley, and a belt. The motor Y for moving in the depth direction, the pulley, and the wire move the catcher 45 for gripping the sample container in the depth direction, and the motor Z for moving in the vertical direction, the pulley, and the belt move the catcher 45 for gripping the sample container in the vertical direction. The feature is that it is moved to .

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus of the present invention), and No. 21Δ is a plan view with the cover of the measuring section removed. As shown in Figure 2, the top surface of the device is provided with a number of round holes 1 into which low-height test tube-shaped sample containers are inserted, leaving a small portion of the top open. 2, a specimen cooling section 3, an incubation section 4, and a photometry section 5, and a cooling device, a constant temperature device, and a photoelectric photometer are installed directly below each of them to perform predetermined functions.

The transportation arm 6 is moved from the right end to the left end so as to completely cover the round hole 1 by an X-axis (lateral direction) drive mechanism, which will be described later. Further, the photodetector and the catcher elevating section are moved together from top to bottom by a Y-axis (depth direction) drive mechanism in the transportation arm 6. 7 is a measuring section, 8 is an operating section, 10 is a sample dispensing section, 11 is a display section, 12 is a stop switch, 13 is a power switch, and 14 is a printer.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the catcher is gripping the sample container 15. The catcher can be moved up and down by a two-axis (vertical) drive device in the catcher elevating section.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory plan view of the Y-axis drive section, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory side view of the X-axis drive section and the X-axis drive section.

Note that FIG. 5 is a side view seen from the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4.

16.17.18.20 are guide rods, guide salary 1
6.17 are held in parallel by guide holding plates 21.22. On the other hand, the guide rod 18.20 is attached to the guide holder 23.
24, and the guide holder 23 is slidably attached to the guide rod 16 via a bush 25. When the pulley 63 is rotated by the rotating shaft of the stepping motor Y fixed to the guide holding plate 22, the wire 27 causes the pulleys 26.28.80, 81.32.3 to rotate.
3, 34, and 35 rotate, and the mover 36 moves in the Y-axis direction (the depth direction of the device, that is, the vertical direction in FIG. 4).

The lift 37 fixed to the mover 36 includes a pulley 38.
The shafts 41 and 42 that support 40 and the DC that supports pulley 43
Motor Z is installed. Pulley 38.40.4
A belt 44 is wrapped around the sample container holding plate 45, and a sample container holding plate 45 is fixed to the belt 44, and the catcher 45 moves up and down as the stepping motor Z rotates.

The bottom plate 46 is fixed to the guide holding plate 21 , 22 and is movable along the guide bar 16 .

The guide holder 24 moves integrally with the guide holder 23 on the guide rod 17 via a roller bearing 47 and a bearing shaft 48. The mover 36 includes a bush 50 that holds the guide rod 18 and a roller bearing 5 on the guide rod 20.
1, moving along the guide rod 18.20 via the bearing shaft 52;

Pulley 28.30 connects to guide holder 23 with axis 54.55, pulley 33.34 connects to guide holder 24 with axis 56.57.
are rotatably attached to each. Pulley 31.3
2 is rotatably attached to the slider 36 with shafts 58 and 60, and the pulleys 26 and S5 are rotatably attached to the guide holding plate 22 with shafts 61 and 62.

The end of the wire 27 is fixed to the guide holding plate 21 at point A, and the wire 27 passes through the pulleys 28, 31, 30, and 26 to the pulley 63.
After being wound several times, the other end is fixed to point B of the guide floor holding plate 21 via pulleys 35, 34, 32, and 38. Pulley shafts 64, 65 shown in FIG. 5 are supported by shaft fixtures 66, 67 fixed to the bottom plate 46, and a pulley 68, 70 and a relief 1.72 are fixed to both ends of the shaft. Belt 73.74 is attached to pulley 68.71 and pulley 70.72.
The belt 73 fixes the guide holder 24 at one point, and the belt 74 similarly fixes the guide holder 23.

When the shaft 65 is given rotational driving force by the stepping motor (left/right direction).

The slider 86 also undergoes the same movement via the guide rods 18,20. Note that during this movement, only the pulleys 26, 35, and 63 do not rotate, and all the pulleys except for the other two axes rotate. As a result, the catcher 45 can be freely moved within a predetermined distance in the xlY and Z directions under the control of the stepping motors X and Y%DC motor Z. Note that a detection device (not shown) for detecting a sample container connected to the catcher 45 is fixed to the mover 36.

The pump is a tube pump, which holds a tube at two predetermined positions, separates a predetermined amount of liquid between them, and transfers the liquid by shifting the holding points by rotation of a motor. The final quantity is determined by the rotation angle of the motor. One end of the tube is guided into the reagent and diluent containers used, and the other end is guided into the sample container injection port carried by the catcher.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the device of the present invention, in which the detection section is FT
It consists of a total of eight sets of scattered light photometers: (prothrombin time) 2ffi, APTT (activated partial thromboplastin time) 4m, and two sets Fl)g (fibrinogen). Analog section includes amplifier circuit, AD conversion circuit, (LED)
It consists of a drive circuit. The display section and printing section are only for displaying and printing measured values. The sample moving part is X,
It consists of Y and Z mechanisms and motor drive circuits for movement in the X1Y and Z directions. The reagent dispensing section consists of a pump mechanism and a pump motor driver circuit. The temperature control section includes a constant temperature section (for example, 37° C.), a low temperature section, and each temperature control section. The system control section consists of a motor driver interface, an external interface, an input/output interface, and a microcomputer (processor, memory, bus). The operation section consists of a key switch and a key switch interface. The power supply section is made up of power supply circuits that supply power to each of the above sections.

In the apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, the following operations (mainly operations of the catcher) are performed.

■ Transport the APTT measurement sample from the cooling section to the incubation section.

■ Dispense the reagent from the first incubation section of APTT and transport it to the second incubation section.■ Discard the sample after APTT measurement.

■ From the first incubation to the second incubation by APTT measurement.
After dispensing the reagents, start the measurement.

■ For Fbg measurement, the sample is taken from the cooling section to the dilution section and is completely diluted.

■ Transport the specimen to the gold incubation section in the dilution section of ■.

■ Discard the sample after Fbg measurement.

(2) Transport the incubated specimen for Fbg measurement to the reagent dispenser, and after receiving the dispense, subject it to measurement.

■ Transport the PT measurement sample from the cooling section to the incubation section.

θΦ Discard the sample after PT measurement.

■ After completing the PT incubation, the sample is transported to the reagent dispenser, and after the order is received, it is subjected to measurement.

The above operations are performed by adjusting the time sequentially and selecting various measurement methods. FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing one example of this, and the symbols in the figure indicate the operations of the catcher described above. In this example, parallel processing of up to seven samples is possible. The measurement, display, and printing methods are based on Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-228167 (Patent Application No. 58-108), which the applicant has already published as a patent.
429), JP-A-59-203959 (Japanese Patent Application No. 1987-203959)
-78651) according to the method of Kei. In addition, when there is an incoming sample that is being measured, the emergency sample setting unit 2 sets the sample in the emergency sample setting unit while leaving the previous sample as it is.
For example, it is possible to give priority to emergency inspections.

By using the apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to flexibly deal with variations in each specimen. For example, if it is detected from photometric information that the measurement time for a certain sample is longer than planned,
The sample can be left as it is and the next sample can be automatically transferred to a spare photometer. This can prevent erroneous measurement results or disrupt the measurement process. Further, it is possible to easily adjust the time and order of a part of the measurement process. Previously, it was not possible to change only a part of the final conditions to the final conditions without comprehensively adjusting the entire measurement system, but it is now possible to respond to emergency samples without disrupting the measurement of the previous sample.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the apparatus of the present invention can keep the heating time constant regardless of the sample processing capacity, and can perform highly sensitive measurements. Furthermore, there are few restrictions on heating time, number of sample aliquots, aliquot volume, aliquot timing, etc., allowing for flexible measurement conditions, and thereby making it possible to measure multiple items. Furthermore, even if there is a specimen whose coagulation time has been significantly prolonged, it has an excellent effect such that the measurement can be performed with almost no reduction in the number of specimens processed per hour by using an empty measuring section.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a plan view (top external view) showing an example of the fully automatic blood coagulation measuring device of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a plan view (top view) showing a state in which the cover of the measurement section in Fig. 1 is removed. ), Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the catcher catching the sample container, Figure 4 is a plan view of the Y41111i* moving part, and Figure 5 is a side view of the X-axis drive unit and the X-axis drive unit. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing an example of the operation of the apparatus of the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Round hole, 2... Emergency sample setting part, 3... Sample cooling part, 4... Incubation part, 5... Photometry part, 6... Transport arm, 7... Measuring part, 8...
・Operation section, 1゜...sample dispensing section, 11...display section,
12...Stop switch, 13...Power switch, 1
4...Printer, 15...Sample container, 16.17.
18.20... Guide rod, 21.22... Guide holding plate, 23.24... Guide holder, 25... Bush, 26... Pulley, 27... Wire, 28.3
0.31.32.33.34.35...Pulley, 36
... Mover, 37... Lifting tool, 38.40... Pulley, 41.42... Shaft, 43... Pulley, 44.
...Belt, 45...Catcher, 46...Bottom plate, 4
7... Roller bear link, 48... Bearing shaft,
50... Bush, 51... Roller bearing, 5
2... Bearing shaft, 54.55.56.57.58
．． 60.61.62...shaft, 63...pulley, 64
．． 65...Pulley shaft, 66.67...Shaft fixing tool, 6
8.7o, 71.72...Pulley, 73.74...
Belt, X, Y...Stepping motor, Z...D
C motor

Claims (1)

[Claims] l In a blood coagulation measuring device equipped with a sample container holding plate having a large number of round holes for holding sample containers, the catcher for holding the sample container is moved laterally using a motor for lateral movement, a pulley, and a belt, The motor, pulley, and wire for moving in the depth direction move the catcher for gripping the sample container in the depth direction, and the motor, pulley, and belt for moving in the vertical direction move the catcher for gripping the sample container in the vertical direction. A fully automatic blood coagulation measuring device characterized by: