JPS6046385B2 - Multi-sample multi-item automatic chemical analyzer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention is a chemical analysis device that adds reagents to sample liquids such as serum collected from each subject and measures the reaction results. Note,
This relates to a device that automatically performs chemical analysis of multiple samples and multiple items by adding reagents to each of these.

When performing chemical analysis of multiple samples and multiple items, speedy processing is particularly required.

The present invention aims to provide a multi-analyte, multi-item automatic chemical analyzer that satisfies this requirement. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of one embodiment of the present invention, and is a flat transparent sheet formed integrally with concave portions arranged in a grid pattern, which is stacked and stored in a sheet feeding device 1. 2 are sent one by one to the right in the figure by the transfer means 3.

This conveying means 3 is composed of two rollers 3', a chain 3'' wound between these rollers, and a driving means for these (not shown). are loaded and transported.In addition,
Details of this reaction sheet supply device will be described later. As shown in the perspective view for explaining the reaction sheet in FIG. 2, the sheet 2 to be transferred has concave portions 4 of about 3 inches in the direction perpendicular to the direction of transfer (arrow), which are aligned in approximately 1 row in the direction of transfer. This sheet is made of a transparent material such as vinyl chloride material, and transport perforations 5 into which the claws on the chain fit are provided at both ends of the sheet in the direction of travel. One of the recesses 4 provided in this sheet has a shape as shown in FIG. 3 and functions as a reaction container, and its volume is about 700 to 1300 microliters. Each sample solution is dispensed into each reaction container 4, and the sheet 2 is placed in the direction of travel (in the direction of the arrow).
The same sample is dispensed into each row in the direction perpendicular to .
In FIG. 1, a sample liquid is drawn up from a sample container 7 in a sample rack 6 taken from a subject by a suction nozzle 8, and is dispensed through a cock-type sample dispenser 9. In this case, the suction nozzle 8 is inserted into the sample liquid container 7 by an air cylinder 10, and the sample is sucked by the suction pin 12, which is made negative pressure by the vacuum pump 11 via the cock-type dispenser 9. The liquid is measured and dispensed from the dispensing nozzle 9 of the dispenser 9. In addition, this dispensing nozzle 9
' is disposed corresponding to a concave portion of approximately 3C@ in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. 13 is a reagent tank, 14 is a reagent dispenser, and the reagent in this dispenser 14 is also the same as the above-mentioned dispenser 9.
is dispensed into the reaction vessel 4 from the dispensing nozzle 9''.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a constant temperature water circulation device, which supplies hot water at a predetermined temperature to a heater H provided along the transfer direction and close to the bottom of the reaction sheet 2 being transferred by the transfer means 3 via a vibrator 15''. The temperature of the solution in the reaction vessel 4 is maintained at a predetermined constant temperature.

16″ indicates the reaction sheet 2, dispenser 9, and heater H during transfer.
and a cover that surrounds almost the entire transport means 3 etc.,
The interior is maintained at an appropriate temperature by an electric heater 17 and a blower 18, and as a result, together with the heater H, it forms a constant temperature bath 16 that rapidly raises the temperature of the sample, promotes the reaction, and maintains the entire temperature at a uniform temperature. .

In addition, as is clear from the figure, this constant temperature bath has its opening 1
9 and 20 so that sheets can pass therethrough.
21 is the second reagent, which can be used in the dispenser 2 if necessary such as the sheet method.
2 and its nozzle 22'' to the reaction solution.

23 is a photometric means, and 24 is its light source, which corresponds to the moving path of each concave portion (reaction container) of the sheet and has an optical path that crosses the path below the path, as shown in FIG. The light guided from the light source 24 is horizontally refracted by the total reflection prism 25, passes through the reaction liquid 4'' of the reaction container 4 in the movement path of the concave portion, returns downward again, and returns to the half mirror 26. divided toward the photocell 27 by
The transmittance of the reaction liquid 4'' is spectroscopically measured using light of different wavelengths by the color filters 28 disposed at the front of each.

The output of each photocell is separately processed and output, but the explanation will be omitted here. In this case, since the reaction sheet 2 is transparent, the reaction container 4 can be used as it is as a photometric cell. 29 is a lens, and 30 is a base for these optical systems.

The reaction sheet 2 measured by these optical systems is further transferred to the right in the figure and is sent to an external storage device 31 and discharged from the discharge port 20 of the cover 16''.

In addition, 46 is the above-mentioned air cylinder 10 and dispenser 14.
, 22 and for jetting and mixing air from the nozzle 22'', and also serves as a driving source for the reaction sheet supply device described later.

5, 6, and 7 are side views of essential parts for explaining the operation of the reaction sheet supply device in the apparatus outlined above.

In the figure, the stacked reaction sheets 2 are attached to the weight 3 on the top surface.
2, it is pushed downward. On the other hand, guide holes 33 bored around each side of the reaction sheet 2 (see Fig. 2)
At this point, the rising tapered guide rod 34 penetrates and stops. 35 is an air cylinder that moves this guide rod 34 up and down.

On the other hand, the lower surface of the bottommost one 2a of the stacked reaction sheets 2 is supported at its tip by a rotating lever device 36 that supports and separates the sheet. Figure 6 A, a″, B, b″
, c are operation explanatory diagrams and reference diagrams of the rotary lever device, and Figure A
, b are plan views drawn with the left side facing upward in FIGS. 5 and 7, and with the pulse drive air motor 40 omitted.
Figures a'' and b'' are side views seen from the right side in Figures 5 and 7. FIG. c is a perspective view showing the relationship between the support lever 37 and the wedge-shaped lever 39. The support lever 27 is always shown in Figure A.
, a'', its tip comes into contact with the lower surface of the peripheral edge of the sheet 2 and supports the second group of laminated sheets (see Figures c and 7). In this state, the guide rod 34 rises. After the horizontal movement of the sheet 2a is restricted by the guide hole 33, the shaft 38 of the rotary lever device is rotated 90 degrees in the direction of the arrow in FIG. A wedge-shaped lever 39, which is attached to the shaft 38 at right angles to the support lever 7 and has a wedge shape 39'' in the thickness direction on a part of its peripheral edge, rotates in the same way, as shown in b''.
The tip of the wedge-shaped lever 39 is the bottom sheet 2 of the laminated sheet 2.
a and the next sheet 2b. On the other hand, since the support lever 37 has escaped as shown in Figure b, only the bottommost sheet 2a is separated (the state shown in Figure 5).
. Next, the shaft 38 of the rotary lever device 36 is reversely rotated by 90 degrees in the direction of the arrow in FIG. On the other hand, in parallel with this operation, when the guide rod 34 is lowered by the air cylinder 35 from the state shown in FIG. 5 to the state shown in FIG. The position of the separated reaction sheet 2a is regulated by the guide hole 33, so that the transport perforation 5 of the sheet 2a correctly fits into the pawl 41 of the conveyor chain 3'' of the transport means and the seventh
The conveyance of the sheet 2a is started in the state shown in the figure. At this time, the perforations 5 of the sheet are kept securely engaged with the claws 41 by the presser roller 42, but the roller 42 is configured so that the shaft 44 moves forward and backward by the air cylinder 43, As it rises, the arm 45 integrated with this lifts up the air cylinder 43 and the claw 41
The rollers 42 are easily separated from the rollers 42, and the rollers 42 are retracted and do not interfere with the descent of the sheet 2. By repeating the above operations, the stacked sheets are separated one by one and sent into the constant temperature chamber one by one by the transfer means. The air motor 40 and the like are driven by a separately provided air source 46, and their operating procedures are determined by a separate control device as temporal operating procedures in the overall operation. The explanation of is omitted.

The above reaction sheet supply device is a detail of the reaction sheet supply device of the main unit shown in Fig. 1. By providing this device, the stacked reaction sheets are continuously fed out one by one, and This makes it possible to dispense a large number of specimen samples.

As described in detail above, the present invention stacks and stores sheets in which reaction vessels and containers for dispensing sample liquids, such as serum, obtained from a large number of specimens are arranged, and quickly separates and supplies the samples. After dispensing the liquid and reagents, quickly bringing the temperature to the specified reaction temperature and maintaining it, and measuring it spectroscopically,
It is possible to provide a multi-analyte, multi-item automatic chemical analyzer that processes used sheets in an orderly and prompt manner.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a reaction sheet, FIG. 3 is an explanatory perspective view of a reaction liquid container, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a measuring section. FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 are explanatory diagrams of the reaction sheet supply device, respectively. 1... Reaction sheet supply device, 2... Reaction sheet, 3
. . . Transfer means, 4. Reaction container, 9. Dispenser,
14... Reagent dispenser, 16... Cover, 23... Detector, 31... Release device, 33... Guide hole, 34...
...Guide rod, 36...Rotary lever device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A large number of sheets of transparent material having a large number of recesses arranged in a grid pattern are separated one by one and are transferred horizontally by a transfer means, while samples and reagents are placed in the recesses. In a device in which the absorbance of the reaction liquid (mixed reaction liquid of sample and reagent) in each recess is measured by a photometric means placed in the transfer path while dispensing sequentially,
At least two guide holes are bored in the periphery of the above-mentioned sheets, and tapered guide rods are passed through the guide holes of these sheets from below to transport these sheets, especially the bottom sheet. a lever that controls the position relative to the means and supports the lower surface of the lowest sheet at its tip; and a wedge-shaped separation lever that inserts from the tip of the wedge between the bottom sheet and the sheet immediately above it. A sheet separating device is provided in which a rotatable vertical shaft is attached perpendicularly to each other, and the separated sheets are lowered one by one along the guide rod by rotation of this shaft, thereby providing a transport means. A multi-analyte, multi-item automatic chemical analyzer characterized by being equipped with a sheet feeding device that supplies sheets.