JP5401427B2 - Automatic analyzer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer for analyzing components contained in a sample by measuring the absorbance of a mixed solution of a sample such as blood or urine and an analytical reagent, and more particularly, a plurality of reaction containers holding the mixed solution. The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer that corrects distortion generated in the vertical direction of a reaction table arranged on the circumference and enables stable measurement of absorbance of a sample.

  In an automatic blood analyzer that analyzes components contained in a sample such as blood or urine, the sample to be measured is dispensed into a reaction container on the automatic analyzer, and then a reagent is added to the reaction container according to the measurement item. After being dispensed, the mixture is stirred and mixed, and the absorbance of the mixed solution is measured by an optical system composed of a spectroscope, a light source, a detector, and the like, and component information in the sample is acquired. A plurality of reaction vessels are arranged on a rotating reaction table, and a plurality of samples are continuously measured. In addition, the reaction container that has been analyzed is cleaned by a cleaning mechanism so that the analysis can be performed again. The optical system is configured such that the optical axis is arranged at the height of the liquid mixture, and the absorbance of the liquid mixture in the rotating reaction vessel can be continuously measured. One of the items expected from the market for automatic analyzers is to reduce the amount of sample and reagent and reduce the amount of liquid mixture, thereby reducing the burden on the patient and reducing the running cost of the analyzer. A sample or reagent microdispensing technique (Patent Document 1), a technique for measuring light stably (Patent Document 2), and the like have been proposed.

JP 2009-257990 A Japanese Patent No. 3794012

  In automatic analyzers, miniaturization of reaction vessels has been promoted as samples and reagents have been reduced. However, in order to perform stable measurement, it is necessary to secure a sufficient area for the light beam, and it is difficult to reduce the light beam. As a result, the clearance between the bottom of the reaction vessel and the liquid level of the mixed solution and the light beam is reduced. In the past, sufficient tolerance was ensured due to dimensional variation and distortion of component parts, and stable photometry was possible, but by reducing the liquid volume of the liquid mixture, insufficient clearance occurred and reacted with the light flux. Stable photometry becomes difficult due to interference with the container. In addition, while individual reaction vessels are in the direction of miniaturization, an automatic analyzer is required to have a high processing capacity, and the reaction table is becoming larger due to the increasing number of reaction vessels, and an optical system composed of a plurality of parts. In addition, it is becoming difficult to manage the stacking tolerance of the reaction table mechanism that holds the reaction vessel. Therefore, to adjust the vertical distortion of the reaction table, which had not been affected until then, to arrange the tilt adjustment mechanism with the table at the reaction table fixed part with the rotation axis for the purpose of realizing stable photometry Thus, a method for adjusting the tilt of the table has been proposed. However, as the reaction table increases in size, the required distortion correction becomes finer, and not only simple undulation but also complex distortion correction is required. In addition, a configuration of a reaction table that does not have an axis at the center, which is different from the conventional configuration due to an increase in size, can be considered. In this configuration, correction at the rotational axis position as in the previous patent document becomes difficult. It is expected that. An object of the present invention is to cope with a reduction in the amount of a mixed liquid of a sample and a reagent, and in an automatic analyzer that has a high processing capacity and an increase in size. An object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable automatic analyzer that corrects distortion and performs stable measurement.

  The configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object is as follows.

  In the automatic analyzer comprising: a reaction vessel for reacting a sample and a reagent; an analysis unit for analyzing light transmitted through the reaction vessel; and a reaction disk having a plurality of the reaction vessels arranged on a circumference. Based on the information on the shake amount stored in the storage unit and the shake amount information stored in the vertical direction of the disk, the shake of the reaction disk in the vicinity where the light of the analysis unit passes through the reaction vessel is canceled out. An automatic analyzer equipped with a pressing mechanism that presses the reaction disk in the vertical direction in the direction of the movement.

  A predetermined amount of sample and reagent are discharged into the reaction container. In the above, “react” is described, but the expression “reaction vessel for reacting sample and reagent” is used with the interpretation that the reaction starts when the sample and reagent are discharged into the same reaction vessel. It is what. That is, it can be interpreted as “reacting” with mixing without verifying whether it is actually reacting.

  Light that passes through the reaction vessel is emitted from a light source, and is irradiated to the reaction vessel after adjusting the shape or the like of the light flux as necessary. In the case of the present invention, the position of the light beam emitted from the light source is fixed, and when the reaction disk swings up and down, the position of the light beam that strikes the reaction container moves up and down according to the shake. Since reaction vessels (also called reaction cells) are arranged in a row on the reaction disk, the light beam emitted from the light source of the analysis unit is continuously (series) in the reaction vessels by rotating the reaction disk. To) will be irradiated. Since the amount of shake of the reaction disk in the vertical direction may change at the stage where the reaction vessel is not installed at the time of manufacture of the reaction disk, the stage where the reaction disk is installed, and the stage where the user is trying over time, It is desirable to periodically measure and store the shake amount with a measuring instrument such as a micrometer or a laser distance meter. Further, the shake amount may be measured in real time even while the reaction disk is rotating with a laser distance meter or the like, and the shake may be corrected in real time based on the measurement result. The pressing mechanism is, for example, provided with a guide roller that sandwiches the flange portion of the reaction disk up and down and moves the position of the guide roller up and down by a motor, solenoid, piezoelectric element, etc. Any device can be used as long as the shake can be moved up and down.

  According to the present invention, even in an automatic analyzer that has a high throughput by reducing the volume of a mixture of a sample and a reagent, increasing the number of reaction vessels, and increasing the size of a reaction table, It is possible to provide an automatic analyzer that can keep the relative height relationship with the optical axis for measurement constant and can stably measure the absorbance of the sample.

An example of an automatic analysis system. An example of the reaction table distortion correction mechanism. An example of reaction table distortion correction.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an automatic analyzer embodying the present invention.

  A plurality of reaction vessels 101 for holding a mixed solution of a sample and a reagent, a reaction table 103 for holding and rotating the reaction vessels 101, and a photometer 102 for measuring the absorbance of the rotating reaction vessel 101 are arranged on the circumference. A predetermined liquid amount required for analysis of the sample 104 to be measured is dispensed into the reaction container by the sample dispensing mechanism 105 on the apparatus, and then the target is received from the reagent cold-retention mechanism 106 according to the item to be measured The reagent is dispensed by the reagent dispensing 1 mechanism 107 and the reagent dispensing 2 mechanism 108 into the reaction vessel 101 into which the sample has been dispensed, and the agitation placed on the circumference of the reaction table 103 after each dispensing is performed. Agitation and mixing are performed by the mechanism 109. The mixed liquid is rotated by the reaction table 103, and the absorbance due to the time change of the liquid mixture is measured by the photometer 102. The reaction container in which the absorbance measurement has been performed for a certain period is discarded by the cleaning mechanism 110 and the container is washed, and returned to a state where it can be used for the measurement of the sample again. FIG. 2 shows a detailed positional relationship between the reaction vessel, the reaction table, and the photometer, a change in the positional relationship when the amount of the mixed liquid is reduced, and a detailed view of the distortion correction mechanism. A mixed liquid 202 composed of a sample and a reagent is held in a reaction vessel 201, and the reaction vessel 201 is fixed on a circumference on a reaction table 203 together with a plurality of reaction vessels. The reaction table 203 is fixed to the reaction table rotation base 204, and the reaction table rotation base is rotated by an actuator or the like (not shown) to rotate the reaction vessel. During this rotating operation, light is transmitted through the light source lamp 208 to the mixed liquid 202 held in the reaction vessel 201, and the absorbance of the mixed liquid is detected by the detector 209. The reaction table rotation base is in a state where the vertical movement is restricted by the rotation roller guide (U) 205 and the rotation roller guide (D) 206, and the height of the reaction vessel 201 is also restricted. The rotating roller guide is fixed to a rotating guide 207 that can move in the vertical direction, and can be moved in the vertical direction by a vertical actuator 213. The height position of the rotation guide 207 can be detected by a linear encoder 211 and an up / down detector 212 mounted on the rotation guide 207, and vertical distortion is caused by moving up and down in accordance with the position of the reaction table 203. It is possible to offset. When the reaction table 203 is vertically distorted, the liquid level 222 and the reaction vessel bottom surface 223 of the mixed solution also move up and down in accordance with the vertical distortion of the reaction vessel. However, since the height of the light beam 221 from the light source lamp 208 is constant, the tolerance between the light beam 221 and the liquid surface 222 or the reaction vessel bottom surface 223 decreases, and stable absorbance measurement cannot be performed. Therefore, the vertical actuator 213 is driven in accordance with this distortion to cancel the vertical distortion, and the relative positional relationship between the reaction vessel 201 and the light beam 221 is kept constant, thereby enabling stable measurement. The vertical distortion of the reaction table is measured by the non-contact displacement meter 231 disposed on the upper surface of the rotating reaction vessel 201, for example, before the analysis operation is performed, and the measurement result is stored on the apparatus, and the analysis operation stage. In FIG. 5, the vertical actuator 213 is operated based on the vertical data stored previously to cancel the distortion. Further, if the vertical strain of the reaction vessel 201 is sufficiently small and it can be determined that it does not affect the analysis, the previously proposed non-contact displacement meter 231 for measuring the vertical strain must always be assembled. For example, the displacement gauge 231 is measured by previously measuring the vertical strain at the reaction vessel fixing surface 232 of the reaction table 203 at the stage of assembling the apparatus and storing the measurement result in the apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to provide an inexpensive apparatus. The vertical distortion of the reaction table 203 indicates a complicated vertical distortion as shown in the reaction table distortion A301. As shown in the figure of reaction table distortion correction 302 based on the measurement result of the vertical distortion, the relative positional relationship between the light beam 221 and the reaction vessel 201 can be kept constant by performing an operation to cancel the distortion, and the stable absorbance can be measured. And In order to effectively correct the distortion, it is effective to arrange the position of the rotating roller guide in the vicinity of the light beam position where the absorbance measurement is performed, and to reduce the distortion as much as possible.

  The example shown above shows an outline of the case where the absorbance of the reaction vessel is stably measured, but this vertical distortion correction function is not limited to the absorbance measurement. For example, ultrasonic stirring for stirring the mixed solution The same applies to a mechanism or a mechanism that performs stirring with a spatula-shaped stir bar. For example, the stirring performance is determined by how quickly the sample at the bottom of the reaction vessel is rolled up and mixed. Management of the cell bottom height is important. For this reason, it is possible to arrange this function also in the stirring unit section to realize reliable stirring. Similarly, it is an effective function for correcting vertical distortion during the dispensing operation of the sample or reagent dispensing mechanism to the reaction container.

101, 201 Reaction vessel 102 Photometer 103, 203 Reaction table 104 Sample 105 Sample dispensing mechanism 106 Reagent cooling mechanism 107 Reagent dispensing 1 mechanism 108 Reagent dispensing 2 mechanism 109 Stirring mechanism 110 Washing mechanism 202 Mixed solution 204 Reaction table rotation base 205 Rotating roller guide (U)
206 Rotating roller guide (D)
207 Rotation guide 208 Light source lamp 209 Detector 211 Vertical encoder 212 Vertical detector 213 Vertical actuator 221 Light beam 222 Liquid surface 223 Reaction vessel bottom surface 231 Non-contact displacement meter 232 Reaction vessel fixed surface 301 Reaction table distortion state 302 Reaction table distortion correction state

Claims (2)

In an automatic analyzer comprising a reaction vessel for reacting a sample and a reagent, an analysis unit for analyzing light transmitted through the reaction vessel, and a reaction disk in which a plurality of the reaction vessels are arranged on the circumference,
A storage unit that stores information on the amount of vertical shake according to the rotation angle of the reaction disk;
Based on the shake amount information stored in the storage unit, there is provided a pressing mechanism that presses the reaction disk up and down in a direction that cancels out the shake of the reaction disk in the vicinity where the light of the analysis unit passes through the reaction vessel. An automatic analyzer characterized by that. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein
An automatic analyzer comprising a detection mechanism for detecting a vertical shake amount according to a rotation angle of the reaction disk.

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