JPS5929818B2 - automatic chemical analyzer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic chemical analyzer, and particularly relates to an improvement of a desk-read type automatic analyzer.

BACKGROUND ART Discrete type automatic chemical analyzers are widely used for analyzing biological fluids, industrial wastewater, etc., which have the advantage of having little carryover (contamination from previous samples). In conventional analyzers of this type, the reagent liquid tank was placed at almost the same height as the reaction line, which caused the problem that the area around the reaction line was easily contaminated by various reagents, and it was also difficult to inspect the reaction line. The drawback was that the reagent solution tank sometimes interfered with work.

A multi-item analyzer uses many types of reagent solutions and uses many dispensers and pipettes (these are liquid pumps) to supply the reagent solutions to the reaction cups on the reaction line. It was desired that maintenance and inspection work on dispensers and the like could be performed as easily as possible. The dispenser or pipettor normally used in conventional biochemical automatic analyzers is a small syringe-type liquid pump as shown in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application No. 157982/1982 or Japanese Utility Model Application No. 51-3288. be. This type of liquid pump has a reagent discharge amount of 1 m.
The amount is very small, less than 1 liter, and the internal pressure when the liquid is discharged is only slightly higher than atmospheric pressure. As shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 50-17876, if such a liquid pump is placed at a position higher than the reaction line and reagent tank, air bubbles will enter the pump, making it difficult to degas the reaction. It becomes impossible to add the correct amount of reagent solution to the reaction container on the line, and
When the discharge operation is stopped, the inside of the flow path becomes negative pressure, causing the liquid to decline. Further, the height position of the reagent liquid tank is lower than the position of the opening end of the liquid discharge tube on the reaction line, and the greater the head difference, the greater the negative pressure based on the head difference within the reagent liquid delivery system.

The airtightness of the flow path switching valve attached to the liquid pump becomes less airtight over the years of use, gradually causing negative pressure in the flow path. When the same reagent solution is repeatedly supplied with a slight time difference, errors in the amount of reagent added due to the influence of negative pressure can be ignored. However, if a reagent solution related to a specific analysis item is not used for a long time, the influence of negative pressure in the flow path becomes large, and the reagent solution gradually backs up, leaving the open end of the liquid discharge tube within 24 hours. The amount of retreat of the reagent solution reaches 100 (1771) (tube diameter 1.
5mm). The purpose of the present invention is to facilitate maintenance and inspection of each part of an analyzer that uses multiple reagent solutions, making it easy for operators to use, and to reduce reagent addition amount errors due to retraction (return) of reagent solutions in the reagent supply channel. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic chemical analyzer that can reduce the

The characteristic configuration of the present invention is that (a) a reagent liquid tank storage part is provided in the middle part of the frame, a reaction line is provided in the upper part, and a reagent liquid feeder is provided near the front of the lower part; (b) ) Isolating the reagent solution tank storage area from the reaction line and reagent liquid feeder;
(c) The reagent liquid tank accommodating section is configured to be horizontally long so as to accommodate a plurality of reagent liquid tanks along the front surface of the frame; (d)
The reagent liquid tank accommodating section has a reagent liquid tank extraction window that allows the reagent liquid tank to be taken out and observed from the outside of the front surface.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view for explaining one embodiment of the present invention. The analyzer of this embodiment has a one-channel reaction line, and reactions corresponding to multiple items proceed within the reaction cups arranged on the reaction line, and reactions related to multiple items for each test liquid are carried out. Analysis results are obtained. In this embodiment, the upper part is above the upper plate 11;
The reagent shelf 8 sandwiched between the shelf board 12 and the shelf board 12 is the middle part, and the shelf board 1
The part below 2 is the lower part.

The frame body 1 is provided with a bottom plate 15 in addition to a top plate 11 and a shelf plate 12. Above the upper plate 11 is a reaction line 2 to which a row of reaction cups to which test liquid and reagent are added are transferred, and sample cups containing test liquid are sequentially transferred to pass through a sample suction position. A sample chamber 4, a sampling device 3 for transferring a predetermined amount of test liquid from a sample cup in the sample chamber 4 to a reaction cup on the reaction line 2, and an operation panel section 5 that can input and command analysis operating conditions, etc. and a measuring section 6 consisting of a photometer that optically measures the reaction solution in the reaction cup.
and a printer 7 that displays the analysis results of each test item corresponding to each test liquid. Upper plate 11
A cover 20 made of plastic or the like is provided over the upper reaction line, sample chamber, etc., and a side cover 21 is attached to the side of the apparatus so that it can be opened or removed.

The reaction line cover and the sample chamber cover are left uncovered only in the vicinity of the sampling section. Front pillar 1
A shelf plate 12 is welded to the middle of 3, on which a reagent shelf 8 isolated from the reaction line 2 is placed. Further, a plurality of L-shaped guide rails 14 are provided in the middle of the front and rear columns 13, and a computer unit 9 and a power supply unit 10 are housed therein so that they can be pulled out. Inlets for a drain pipe 16, a water pipe 17, a distilled water pipe 18, and a compressed air pipe 19 are attached to the bottom plate 15, but these pipes may be attached to the left side depending on the installation room of the device. is also possible. Since the reagent shelf 8 has an opening on the front as shown in the figure, it is possible to take out and take out each reagent tank from the front and to replace it. Further, the remaining amount of each reagent solution in the reagent shelf can be observed from the front outside during analysis operation. A transparent opening/closing lid may be provided on such an opening forming the reagent solution tank extraction window. Beneath the reagent shelf 8, a pipette chamber 22 is attached to a double-fold door so that it can be inspected from both sides.

This pipette chamber serves to aspirate a certain amount of the reagent solution in the reagent solution tank on the reagent shelf and supply it to the reaction cup on the reaction line 2 along with a certain amount of the sample biological fluid through the sampling device. It is a collection of multiple arrays.
A pipette is a type of liquid pump. Pipettuta room 2
At the back of 2, a temperature controller 24 for keeping the bath in reaction line 2 at a constant temperature, and an air compressor 25 for supplying compressed air for drying the reaction cup are housed in a sound-absorbing wooden box and are installed in drawers that can be inspected. . A liquid pump 26 for pumping distilled water for washing the reaction cup is placed next to it so that it can be pulled out and inspected. The liquid pump 26 is shown in dotted lines inside the dispenser chamber 23 in FIG. The dispenser chamber 23 has a dispenser chamber 23 consisting of a liquid pump that sucks and discharges the reagent liquid in the reagent liquid tank of the reagent shelf, in order to add the reagent corresponding to each test item to the reaction cup in the middle of the reaction line 2. There are a lot of them, one on each side, and they are attached to double doors.

In the operating state, the door to which the pipette chamber 22 and the dispenser chamber 23 are attached is closed, so the large number of pipettes 1 and the large number of dispensers 1 arranged on these doors are aligned almost in a straight line, and therefore, the pipette chamber 22 and the dispenser chamber 23 are arranged in a substantially straight line. The liquid containers will be arranged along the front. With such an arrangement, even if a cover is provided on the front surface of the lower section, the operating states of the large number of liquid feeders can be easily observed by opening the cover. In this embodiment, the parts that handle liquid openly, the measurement part, and the operation/display part are all installed on the top plate 11, other units are arranged for easy handling and inspection, and the reagent shelf can hold a large number of containers. The analyzer is now very convenient to handle, as it is placed on the front for easy replacement.

Furthermore, since the overall appearance of this device has few irregularities, it has become possible to pack and transport it almost as is. 2 is a perspective view showing the left side of the embodiment device of FIG. 1. FIG. This figure shows that when the right side of the device must be installed close to the wall of the room, piping can be installed on the left side. Also, Pipettuta Room 22
The door with the attached door is in a closed state, that is, in a state in which the device is normally used. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the vicinity of the reaction line of this example.

A number of reaction cups 27 are inserted into an endless chain 28,
By rotating the sprockets 29 at both ends, the thermostatic bath 30 is moved stepwise in the direction of the arrow. After the reaction liquid in the reaction cup, which has been colorimetrically measured by a photometer at position A, is discarded into a waste liquid tank 31, the reaction cup 27 is guided by a guide plate 32 and sent in an inverted state. During this time, each reaction cup is sequentially washed with water spouted from tap water nozzle 33 and distilled water nozzle 34, and dried with warm air from air nozzle 35 passed through heater 36. The nozzle 37 shown above the reaction line 2 in FIG. 3 communicates with the pipette 38 in the pipette chamber 22, and sucks a predetermined amount of biological fluid in the sample cup 39 in the sample chamber 4 into the nozzle 37. and discharged into the reaction cup 27.

At this time, the pipette 38 is inserted into the reagent liquid tank 4 in the reagent shelf 8.
The reagent liquid in 0 is discharged from the nozzle 37 into the reaction cup 27 following the discharge of the biological fluid. This nozzle 37 is the first
A sample cup 3 is prepared by the sampling device 3 shown in the figure.
9 is reciprocated between the sample chamber 4 where it is placed and the reaction line. A moving reaction cup 27 is placed on the side of the reaction line 2.
A side wall (the side wall 50 shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, which will be explained later) is provided which is higher than the top surface, and forms a long and narrow room together with the waste liquid tank 31 and the cover 20 shown in FIG. There is.

However, only the portion where the nozzle 37 of the sampling device goes in and out up and down is open. Therefore, no spouted water or reagents are scattered to the outside. Furthermore, water vapor and reagent vapor coming out of the constant temperature bath 30 and the reaction cup 27 are directly exhausted to the outside by installing an exhaust pipe approximately in the center of the elongated chamber surrounding the reaction line, although not shown in the figure. The exhaust gas at this time is conveniently energized by the hot air used to dry the reaction cup, and there is no risk of hot air leaking and heating the electrical system. Washing water nozzle 33 used in the reaction line,
34 and the air nozzle 35 are connected to the upper plate 11 and the waste liquid tank 31.
It is inserted through a small hole made in the. In this way, liquid and gas will not leak outside the reaction line and can be appropriately discharged outside the installation room. 4 is a perspective view showing the frame portion of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

The frame 1 has a frame composed of a top plate 11, a bottom plate 15, a shelf plate 12, and a number of pillars 13 for supporting and fixing them. Top plate 1
1 is provided with a mounting plate 51 for mounting a cover 20 covering the side wall 50 of the reaction line 2 shown in FIG. 3 and each unit on the upper plate. A large number of guide rails 14 are provided on the pillars 13 and the bottom plate 15, on which each of the above-mentioned units is installed so that they can be drawn out. The above-mentioned respective members can be easily and inexpensively connected and fixed by joining the two members face to face and performing electrical spot welding.

The above-mentioned member is manufactured by using a steel plate having a thickness of 3.2 mu, for example, and cutting the steel plate and pressing it into U-shape, L-shape and Z-shape. Conventional frames use thick L steel, U steel, etc. as pillars and connect them to the plate using wire welding, screws, or bolt nuts, which takes time to process, is expensive, and is heavy. It was getting bigger. On the other hand, with this frame, both ends of the column are bent or an L-shaped plate is spot welded between the column and the plate to be joined, and the joints between surfaces are always spot welded, making it inexpensive and lightweight. A frame can be constructed. FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the frame shown in FIG. 4.

The column 13 on the back is made in the shape of a U-shaped groove, and the top plate 11 and the bottom plate 15 are welded together at their surface joints. Moreover, the U-shaped groove of this column is very convenient for passing various types of piping and electrical wiring through it. FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the right side of the frame shown in FIG. 4.

This figure mainly shows the shape of the bottom plate 15 and the state of the bottom of the device. As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom plate 15 is a plate with a central portion cut out, and both ends thereof are bent into a U shape and closed by a U-shaped plate 52, so that it has a strong structure. Casters (not shown) used for moving the device are attached to this box-shaped area. The bottom is also sturdy enough to allow the device to be lifted and transported. 7 is a right side view of the upper part of the frame shown in FIG. 4. FIG.

A side wall 50 for housing the reaction line 2 and a mounting plate 51 for attaching the cover 20 are spot welded onto the top plate 11. The mounting plate 51 serves both to attach a hinge for opening and closing the cover 20 and to reinforce the front surface of the upper plate 11. The frame described above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7 is advantageous in that it requires relatively little processing and can be manufactured lightweight and inexpensively.

The automatic biochemical analyzer of the embodiment described above is a device for multi-item testing having one channel of reaction lines, but it may also be a device having multiple channels of reaction lines.

However, in this case, it must be possible to measure simultaneously with multiple measuring instruments. According to the embodiment described above, the effects listed below can be obtained.

(1) The reagent liquid tank storage section is located in the middle section, isolated from the reaction line and sample chamber in the upper section.
There is no chance of contaminating the reaction line or sample chamber area when exchanging reagent solutions.

Further, the gas generated from the reagent liquid tank does not corrode the metal parts of the device and does not cause electrical insulation defects. (2) The reagent tank housing section is configured so that the reagent tank can be observed from the outside of the front, so it is easy to check the remaining amount of reagent solution in the reagent tank even while the analyzer is operating. This can be confirmed and the reagent tank can be replaced if necessary.

Further, since the front surface of the reagent liquid tank accommodating section is formed so that the reagent liquid tank can be taken in and taken out, the reagent liquid tank can be easily replaced. (3) The reagent liquid feeder is arranged in the lower part and positioned below the reagent liquid tank, so when the reagent liquid feeder sucks the reagent liquid from the reagent liquid tank, the reagent liquid backs up due to the head. The reagent solution can be reliably sucked in a short time by the negative pressure generated in the liquid feeder, and the reagent solution can be reliably supplied.

(4) Since the plurality of reagent liquid feeders are arranged along the front surface, the operating state of each liquid feeder can be easily observed, and maintenance and inspection of the liquid feeders can be easily performed.

(5) Since the photometer is placed in the upper part along with the reaction line, the influence of vibration sources such as an air compressor and the temperature influence of heat sources can be reduced, and measurement accuracy can be improved.

(6) Parts that handle liquids, such as reaction lines and sample chambers, are installed on the top plate and are separated from electrical systems and parts that dislike moisture, thus preventing accidents caused by moisture or chemicals.

Furthermore, since the reaction line is housed in a box-shaped container to prevent hot air from leaking to other parts, the efficiency of drying the reaction cup is improved. (7) All units in the analyzer are constructed so that they can be pulled out from the front and sides, making maintenance and inspection easy. Since the water supply/drainage and drying air inlets can be installed on either side, the other side and back side can be installed closer to the wall, reducing the installation area and simplifying the installation work. (8) The members that make up the framework of the frame are pressed steel plates of the same thickness, and are assembled by face-to-face welding.
Equipment weight can be reduced by approximately half.

(9) Since the liquid feed pump is located at the lowest part of the flow path system, air bubbles generated in the flow path system are unlikely to get mixed into the liquid feed pump.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the plurality of reagent liquid feeders are arranged below the reagent liquid tank group and the reaction line, so that the influence of air bubbles can be prevented, and the height of the reaction line and the reagent liquid tank can be reduced. Since the difference in position can be made small, it is possible to reduce the phenomenon in which the reagent liquid retreats within the flow path pipe based on the pressure difference due to the head difference, and thus the reagent liquid can be reliably supplied.

In addition, since the reagent liquid tank storage section is isolated from the reaction line and sample cup storage section, it will not be a hindrance when inspecting the reaction line, and the vicinity of the reaction line and sample chamber will not be contaminated with reagent liquid. Furthermore, the reagent tank storage area is arranged horizontally along the front of the frame in the middle section, and the reagent tank extraction window is placed on the front side, so the operator does not have to bend over when replacing reagents, and there are many The remaining amount of reagent solution can be easily observed, making the operator's work easier.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic biochemical analyzer that is an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the left side of the device in FIG.
Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the vicinity of the reaction line in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the structure of the frame in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a rear perspective view of the frame in Fig. 4. , FIG. 6 is a right sectional view of the frame shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is a right side view of the upper part of the frame shown in FIG. 1... Frame, 2... Reaction line, 3.
・・・・・・Sap】Jinging device, 4...Sample chamber, 5...Operation unit, 7...Printer, 8...Reagent shelf, 9... Computer unit, 10... Power supply unit, 11...
...Top board, 12...Shelf board, 13...
...Column, 14...Guide rail, 15...
...Bottom plate, 16...Drain pipe, 17...
Water pipe, 18... Distilled water pipe, 19...
Air tube, 22... Pipettuta chamber, 23...
...Dispenser room 27...Reaction cup,
38... Pipette, 39... Sample cup, 40... Reagent liquid tank.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an automatic chemical analyzer that adds test solutions and reagents to multiple reaction cups and optically measures the reaction solution using a photometer, the middle part of the frame has a container isolated from the upper and lower parts. A reagent liquid tank accommodating part is provided, a reaction line for transferring the reaction cup is provided in the upper part, and a reaction line for supplying the reagent in the reagent liquid tank to the reaction cup is provided near the front of the lower part. A plurality of reagent liquid feeders are arranged, and the reagent liquid tank accommodating part is configured to be horizontally long so as to be able to accommodate a plurality of reagent liquid tanks along the front surface of the frame, and the reagent liquid tank accommodating part An automatic chemical analysis apparatus characterized in that the reagent liquid tank is provided with a reagent liquid tank take-out window that allows the reagent liquid tank to be taken out and observed from the outside of the front surface.