JP4602182B2 - Cuvette catching device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for catching a cuvette in which a specimen and a reagent are stored in a biochemical analyzer.

  Conventionally, biochemical analyzers have been used as devices for analyzing components of blood, urine and other specimens. This biochemical analyzer is configured to perform component analysis by injecting a specimen and a reagent into a cuvette and then reacting them in a reaction tank and measuring the absorbance of the reaction solution.

  By the way, in such a biochemical analyzer, a cuvette transporting the cuvette is performed in order to move the cuvette into which the sample or the reagent has been injected from the cuvette rack to the reaction vessel or to discharge the cuvette after the analysis. A device is provided. A general cuvette transporting device includes a catching device that lifts the cuvette by gripping (catching) the upper end of the cuvette with an arm in order to transfer the cuvette to a predetermined position (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Some of these catching devices are provided with a detecting means such as a reflective photosensor for detecting the cuvette on the arm in order to detect whether or not the cuvette is caught by the arm.

JP-A-8-101209 (FIG. 1)

  In the conventional catching device having the detecting means as described above, it is only possible to detect whether or not the cuvette is caught by the arm after the catching operation. Therefore, even when the cuvette is caught at a position slightly deviated from a predetermined correct position, the cuvette may be detected.In this case, a cuvette that is not correctly caught by the arm is being transported. There is a risk of falling.

  In addition, when the cuvette is not detected after the catching operation, the cause is that there is no cuvette to be caught in a predetermined storage place such as a cuvette rack or whether the cuvette has failed because the cuvette cannot be caught correctly, It is also impossible to determine whether it is any of the following. In addition, although it becomes possible to determine by providing a sensor for determining the presence / absence of a cuvette in a cuvette rack or the like, in this case, it is necessary to provide a sensor for each of a plurality of storage locations for storing a plurality of cuvettes. Because there is, it becomes a considerable cost increase.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a cuvette catching device capable of determining the presence or absence of a cuvette and the quality of a cuvette gripping state by detecting the position of an arm.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

A cuvette catching device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a device for catching a cuvette for transporting a cuvette in which a specimen and a reagent are stored in a biochemical analyzer, and includes a first arm and a first arm. A second arm which is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the first arm and capable of gripping the cuvette at a predetermined position; a driving means for rotating the second arm; have a detection means for detecting a position of the second arm, said detecting means is a transmissive photosensor of the second arm has a slit for transmitting light from the light emitting element of the photosensor In addition, a light shielding plate that blocks the light in a portion other than the slit is provided so as to rotate integrally with the second arm. When the arm is pivoted to a first position for gripping the cuvette at said predetermined position, and wherein the light passes through the slit of the light shielding plate.

  In this catching device, when the cuvette accommodated in a predetermined accommodation place such as a cuvette rack is transported to another place, the second arm is rotated with respect to the first arm by the driving means, and the cuvette is moved to the first arm. The arm and the second arm are held (caught) at a predetermined position. By the way, at the time of this catching operation, the second arm takes a different position (or operation) depending on the presence / absence of the cuvette, the holding state, and the like. That is, the position of the second arm in the gripping state is different between when the cuvette is gripped at a predetermined correct position and when the cuvette is gripped in a state shifted from the predetermined correct position. In addition, when the cuvette is not caught as a result, the catching operation is performed when the cuvette is in the storage place such as the cuvette rack and when the cuvette to be caught is not in the storage place. The operation of the second arm is different when the second arm is swung without contacting the cuvette. Therefore, in the catching device of the present invention, the position of the second arm during the catching operation is detected by the detecting means. Therefore, based on the detected position of the second arm, it is possible to determine whether the cuvette is gripped or not and whether there is a cuvette at the storage location.

In addition, when the second arm is rotated to the first position where the cuvette is held at a predetermined position, the light from the light emitting element of the photosensor passes through the slit and reaches the light receiving element, so that the cuvette is correctly Whether or not it is gripped can be determined. In addition, since the detection means is a transmissive photosensor, erroneous detection due to ambient light can be suppressed as compared with a reflection photosensor that has been conventionally used.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cuvette catching device according to the first aspect , wherein the second arm moves from the first position to a second position further advanced than the first position during the catching operation. When rotating, the light is blocked by the light shielding plate.

  According to this configuration, when there is no cuvette to be caught in a predetermined storage location such as a cuvette rack, the light emitting element is activated when the second arm is swung and further rotated from the first position to the second position. Since the light from the instantly passes through the slit and is immediately blocked by the light shielding plate, when the cuvette is not caught, it can be easily determined whether or not the cuvette is in the accommodation place.

According to a cuvette catching device of a third invention, in the first or second invention, the first arm and the second arm are engaged with the cuvette when the cuvette is at the predetermined position. Each has a joint. According to this configuration, when the cuvette is in a predetermined position, the engaging portions of the first arm and the second arm are engaged with the cuvette, and the cuvette is correctly gripped.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The biochemical analyzer 1 of this embodiment is used for the purpose of examining cholesterol levels and the like using plasma, serum, urine and the like as specimens. The biochemical analyzer 1 is configured to react a reagent and a sample in a reaction tank, measure the absorbance of the reaction solution, and acquire a cholesterol value and the like from the obtained data.

  First, the overall configuration of the biochemical analyzer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The biochemical analyzer 1 includes a box-shaped device main body 2, a nozzle 3 for injecting a reagent or a specimen into the cuvette 10 on the device main body 2, a cuvette rack 4 for housing a plurality of cuvettes 10, and the cuvette rack 4. The cuvette transporting device 5 that takes out and transports the cuvette 10 one by one, and the reagent in the cuvette 10 that is housed in the device main body 2 and transported by the cuvette transporting device 5 reacts with the sample to analyze the components of the sample. An analysis unit 6 is provided.

  The nozzle 3 is provided in each of a reagent store (not shown) that stores a plurality of reagent bottles containing reagents and a sample store (not shown) that stores a plurality of sample tubes containing samples such as plasma, serum, and urine. One by one is provided. Each nozzle 3 is attached so as to protrude downward at the tip of an arm 7 that can move up and down and rotate about a vertical axis. Each nozzle 3 can reciprocate between the reagent store or the sample store and the cuvette 10 stored in the cuvette rack 4 by rotating the corresponding arm 7, and the reagent in the reagent bottle or The sample in the sample tube can be sucked and discharged to the cuvette 10.

  The cuvette rack 4 is provided on the apparatus main body 2, and the cuvette rack 4 is provided with a plurality of storage portions 4 a partitioned in a lattice shape. As shown in FIG. 2, each cuvette 10 is formed in a substantially quadrangular prism shape that is long in the vertical direction, and concave portions 10 a are formed in the left and right sides of the upper end portion thereof. A plurality of cuvettes 10 are inserted into the plurality of storage portions 4a of the cuvette rack 4, respectively.

  The cuvette transport device 5 includes a base member 11 extending vertically and a catching device 12 provided on the base member 11 so as to be movable up and down. The cuvette transport device 5 is driven by a drive motor (not shown) along the upper surface of the apparatus body 2. It is configured to be horizontally movable. The cuvette transport device 5 lowers the catching device 12 to the position just above the cuvette rack 4 and then catches the cuvettes 10 of the cuvette rack 4 one by one by the catching device 12 and then raises the catching device 12 again. Then, the cuvette 10 is transported from the loading / unloading port 2 a provided in the apparatus body 2 to the analysis unit 6. The catching device 12 will be described in detail later.

  Although not shown in particular, the analysis unit 6 calculates a cholesterol value or the like from the reaction unit that reacts the reagent in the transported cuvette 10 and the sample, the measurement unit that measures the absorbance of the reaction solution, and the measurement result in the measurement unit. It consists of an arithmetic unit to perform. The cuvette 10 which has been analyzed in the analysis unit 6 is taken out from the loading / unloading port 2a by the cuvette conveying device 5 and conveyed to the dust box 8.

  Next, the catching device 12 for catching the cuvette 10 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the catching device 12 includes a first arm 20, a second arm 21 provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the first arm 20, and the second arm 21. And a driving mechanism 22 (driving means).

  The first arm 20 is slidably attached to the base member 11 of the cuvette transport device 5 along the guide shaft 25 and is driven up and down by a drive motor (not shown). A protruding engagement portion 20a that can engage with the recess 10a at the upper end portion of the cuvette 10 is formed at the distal end portion (lower end portion) of the first arm 20 that extends downward.

  The second arm 21 has a substantially inverted L-shape when viewed from the front, and is pivotally supported by the first arm 20 at an upper portion thereof. The distal end (lower end) of the second arm 21 extends downward so as to face the distal end of the first arm 20. In addition, a protruding engagement portion 21 a that can be engaged with the recess 10 a at the upper end portion of the cuvette 10 is formed at the distal end portion of the second arm 21 as in the first arm 20 described above. When the second arm 21 is rotated in the clockwise direction of FIG. 3 so that the distal end of the second arm 21 approaches the distal end of the first arm 20, the engaging portions 20a, 21 a engages with the recess 10 a at the upper end of the cuvette 10, and the cuvette 10 is grasped (caught) by the two arms 20 and 21.

  The drive mechanism 22 includes a circular cam 26 that contacts the second arm 21 and a cam drive motor 27 that rotationally drives the cam 26. The cam 26 is attached to the back side of a cam mounting plate 28 integrally connected to the first arm 20 so as to be rotatable about an eccentric shaft 29. Further, the lower end of the cam 26 is in contact with the left side portion of the flange portion 21 b that protrudes horizontally from the upper end of the second arm 21. Therefore, when the cam 26 is rotationally driven by the cam drive motor 27, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the second arm 21 in contact with the cam 26 also rotates in conjunction with it.

  By the way, whether the engaging portions 20a and 21a of the arms 20 and 21 are engaged with the concave portion 10a of the cuvette 10 and the cuvette 10 is correctly gripped by the two arms 20 and 21, respectively. The position of is different. In other words, if the position of the second arm 21 in the gripping state can be detected, not only the conventional determination of whether or not the cuvette 10 is caught, but also whether or not the cuvette 10 is caught at the correct position. Can also be determined. Therefore, the catching device 12 of the present embodiment is configured to detect the position of the second arm 21 that rotates during the catching operation. The configuration will be described below.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a sensor mounting plate 30 is fixed to the upper end portion of the cam mounting plate 28, and the sensor mounting plate 30 has a light emitting element and a light receiving element arranged to face each other. The left and right transmissive photosensors 31 and 32 are attached with a predetermined distance therebetween. Here, since the cam mounting plate 28 is integrally connected to the first arm 20, the two photosensors 31 and 32 are fixedly provided to the first arm 20. On the other hand, a light shielding plate 33 extending upward is provided at the rear portion of the second arm 21, and the light shielding plate 33 rotates integrally with the second arm 21. The light shielding plate 33 has a slit 33a at its upper end, passes between the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the two photosensors 31, 32, and emits light from the light emitting element at a portion other than the slit 33a. It is provided to shut off.

  Of the two photosensors 31 and 32, the left photosensor 31 is a sensor that detects the standby state of the second arm 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the photosensor 31 blocks the light from the light emitting element by the upper left corner of the light shielding plate 33 only when the second arm 21 is in the standby position before the catching operation. It arrange | positions so that the board 33 may be detected. As shown in FIG. 4, when the second arm 21 rotates, the light is not blocked by the light shielding plate 33 and the light shielding plate 33 is not detected.

  The right photo sensor 32 is a sensor that detects the position of the second arm 21 during the catching operation. As shown in FIG. 3, when the second arm 21 is in the standby position, the light from the light emitting element 32a is blocked by the light shielding plate 33 and does not reach the light receiving element 32b (OFF state). From this state, as shown in FIG. 4, the second arm 21 is driven clockwise by the cam 26, and the engaging portions 20 a and 21 a of the two arms 20 and 21 are engaged with the concave portion 10 a of the cuvette 10. When the second arm 21 reaches the gripping position (first position) to be combined, the cuvette 10 is normally gripped by the two arms 20 and 21, but at this time, the slit 33a is connected to the light emitting element 32a. Light reaching between the light receiving elements 32b, the light from the light emitting element 32a passes through the slit 33a and reaches the light receiving element 32b (ON state).

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the cuvette 10 is gripped at a position shifted downward from the correct gripping position between the arms 20 and 21 (the position in FIG. 4). When the engaging portions 20a and 21a of the arms 20 and 21 are not engaged, the second arm 21 comes into contact with the non-recessed portion above the recessed portion 10a. The position is slightly delayed from the gripping position shown in FIG. 4 (a position slightly shifted in the counterclockwise direction). In this state, the position of the slit 33a is also shifted in the counterclockwise direction with respect to the case where the cuvette 10 is normally gripped, so that the light from the light emitting element 32a is blocked by the light shielding plate 33. The sensor 32 is turned off.
Therefore, when the photosensor 32 is ON, it can be determined that the cuvette 10 is held at a predetermined correct position between the two arms 20 and 21.

  Furthermore, according to this configuration, when the cuvette 10 cannot be caught, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of the cuvette 10 in each storage portion 4a (see FIG. 1) of the cuvette rack 4. When the catching operation is performed in a state where there is no cuvette 10 to be caught in the storage portion 4a, the second arm 21 is swung away because there is no cuvette 10 between the two arms 20 and 21, as shown in FIG. Then, the position is rotated from the grip position (first position) in FIG. 4 to a position (second position) that is further clockwise than the grip position. During this operation, when the second arm 21 reaches the gripping position, the light from the light emitting element 32a of the photosensor 32 instantaneously passes through the slit 33a and is turned on. Since the position of the slit 33a is shifted by rotating in the clockwise direction, the light from the light emitting element 32a is immediately blocked by the light shielding plate 33, and the photosensor 32 is turned off.

On the other hand, when the cuvette 10 is in the storage portion 4a of the cuvette rack 4, the second arm 21 comes into contact with the cuvette 10 and does not turn any further. It does not turn off immediately after the sensor 32 is turned on.
Therefore, when the photosensor 32 is turned OFF immediately after being turned ON, it can be determined that the cuvette 10 cannot be caught because the cuvette 10 is not in the cuvette rack 4.

  Since the sensor 32 for detecting the position of the second arm 21 is a transmissive photosensor, it is less susceptible to disturbance light than conventional reflective photosensors, and erroneous detection can be suppressed. There is an advantage.

  In the catching device 12 described above, the position of the second arm 21 during the catching operation is detected by the photosensor 32. Therefore, since the quality of the grip state of the cuvette 10 can be determined based on the detected position of the second arm 21, the cuvette 10 is not transported while being gripped in an insufficient state, and the cuvette 10 is transported during transport. There is no risk of falling. Further, when the cuvette 10 is not caught, the presence or absence of the cuvette 10 in the cuvette rack 4 can be determined based on the change (operation) of the position of the second arm 21.

  In addition, the form which can apply this invention is not restricted to embodiment mentioned above, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. For example, as a sensor for detecting the position of the second arm, other types of sensors such as a reflective photosensor and a proximity sensor can be adopted in addition to the transmissive photosensor. Further, the shape of the cuvette is not limited to a prismatic shape, and for example, the present invention can be applied to a catching device that catches a cylindrical cuvette.

It is a partially expanded perspective view of the biochemical analyzer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part perspective view of a cuvette conveyance apparatus. It is a front view of a catching device (standby state). It is a front view of a catching device (gripping state). It is a front view of a catching device (insufficient grip state). It is a front view of a catching device (state where it cannot catch because there is no cuvette).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Biochemical analyzer 10 Cuvette 12 Catching device 20 1st arm 20a Engagement part 21 2nd arm 21a Engagement part 22 Drive mechanism 32 Photosensor 33a Slit 33 Light-shielding plate

Claims (3)

An apparatus for catching a cuvette for transporting a cuvette in which a specimen and a reagent are stored in a biochemical analyzer,
A first arm;
A second arm that is pivotally provided with respect to the first arm and is capable of gripping the cuvette at a predetermined position with the first arm;
Driving means for rotating the second arm;
Possess a detecting means for detecting a position of the second arm to rotate during catching operation, a
The detection means is a transmissive photosensor,
The second arm has a slit that transmits light from the light emitting element of the photosensor, and a light shielding plate that blocks the light in a portion other than the slit so as to rotate integrally with the second arm. Provided,
In the catching operation, when the second arm rotates to the first position for gripping the cuvette at the predetermined position, the light passes through the slit of the light shielding plate, and the cuvette catching is characterized in that apparatus. The light is blocked by the light shielding plate when the second arm is rotated from the first position to a second position further advanced than the first position during the catching operation. The cuvette catching device according to claim 1 . 3. The cuvette catching according to claim 1, wherein each of the first arm and the second arm has an engaging portion that engages with the cuvette when the cuvette is in the predetermined position. 4. apparatus.

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