JP2004108842A - Automatic analyzing device and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic analyzing device having improved analyzing reliability by detecting that the amount of a liquid sample in a reaction container is a specified amount before stirring operation and canceling stirring operation to prevent a trouble such as damage to the reaction container when the specified amount is not reached. <P>SOLUTION: The amount of the liquid sample 2 in the reaction container 3 is detected by using a liquid amount detecting means such as a photometer 16 for controlling ON/OFF stirring operation in the next process. The presence or not of the liquid sample can be identified for absorbance each time a reagent is dispensed (the reaction container crosses the optical axis of the photometer), and so the stirring operation is performed without any trouble such as damage to the reaction container. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an analyzer for analyzing components of a sample by mixing a reagent or the like with a sample to be analyzed, and more particularly to an automatic analyzer having a function of stirring a reagent and the like with a sample.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As for the stirring of the sample and the reagent in the reaction vessel of the automatic analyzer, a spatula-shaped stirring rod is directly inserted into the reaction vessel, and the sample and the reagent are mixed and stirred by rotating or reciprocating the stirring rod. The way to do it is common. However, if the stir bar cannot be sufficiently washed, a large amount of water is used for washing because the reagent or sample attached to the stir bar causes a so-called carryover that affects the next analysis result. Must be used. From the viewpoint of avoiding carryover, Patent Document 1 below proposes stirring using ultrasonic waves.
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-8-146007 [0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The liquid volume of the liquid to be stirred in the reaction vessel is known before stirring if the sample and the reagent are correctly dispensed into the reaction vessel, and is controlled so that a sufficient amount for stirring is dispensed. . However, when an appropriate amount of the sample or the reagent is not dispensed due to clogging of the dispensing device or the like, it is assumed that the stirring is performed while the amount of the liquid to be stirred is insufficient. In this case, there is a possibility that a problem that the liquid to be stirred is scattered due to the rotation of the stirring rod may occur. In addition, when a sound wave is used for stirring, the temperature of the sound wave irradiation surface of the reaction vessel rises, and the reaction vessel may be damaged. In particular, when the reaction vessel is made of resin, the reaction vessel may be deformed by heat, which may cause a problem in analysis.
[0004]
An object of the present invention is to detect that the reaction liquid volume of a sample and a reagent is within a specified value range before performing stirring, and to perform no stirring operation when the reaction liquid volume is outside the specified range. An object of the present invention is to prevent the occurrence of inconveniences such as scattering of water and damage to the reaction vessel, and to maintain the reliability of analysis.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The configuration of the present invention for achieving the above object is as follows.
[0006]
A reaction vessel for reacting a sample and a reagent, a stirring unit for stirring the sample and the reagent in the reaction vessel, a light source for irradiating the reaction vessel with measurement light, and a measurement light from the light source irradiating the reaction vessel A photodetector that measures the absorbance of the sample in the reaction container by performing an absorbance measurement based on an output signal from the photodetector and analyzing the components in the liquid sample. And a liquid amount detection mechanism for determining whether the liquid amount of the mixed liquid of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount before the stirring of the reagent is performed. When it is determined that the amount of the mixed solution of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container is less than a predetermined amount, the automatic device having a control mechanism for controlling the agitating unit so that the agitating of the mixed solution is not performed. Analysis equipment. Regarding the stirring method in the stirring section, the present invention is not limited to stirring using a general stirring rod, stirring using sound pressure of sound waves, stirring for rotating the reaction vessel itself, and the like. Applicable.
[0007]
The mechanism for measuring the liquid volume of the mixture of the sample and the reagent before stirring is a liquid level detection using a dispensing probe of a dispensing mechanism (a method using a change in capacitance, a method using an ultrasonic wave, and a method using an air pressure. Method, etc.) A method using a mechanism and a method of newly providing a special liquid level detection mechanism can also be applied.
[0008]
The method of measuring the liquid volume of a mixture of a sample and a reagent using a photodetector for analysis does not require a new mechanism and does not require a special liquid volume detection step. Is most suitable for the purpose of
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples.
[0010]
FIG. 1 shows an outline of the automatic analyzer of the present invention. The reaction vessel 3 for accommodating the liquid sample 2 has a structure in which N pieces (24 pieces in FIG. 1) are arranged on the reaction disk 1 and rotated by pitch feed for each process. The suction nozzle 4 is lowered and inserted into the reaction vessel 3 at the position A by the cleaning arm 5 to suck up the liquid in the reaction vessel 3. Then, the reaction vessel cleaning liquid is injected by the water injection nozzle 6. The cleaning arm 5 moves up, the reaction disk 1 rotates 25 pitches, and stops at the position B. The suction nozzle 7 is also inserted at the position B, and purified water is injected at the water injection nozzle 8. As in the previous cycle, the reaction disk 1 rotates N + 1 pitches and stops at the position C.
[0011]
At the position C, the suction nozzle 9 is inserted and the purified water is sucked. Thereafter, as in the previous cycle, the reaction disk 1 rotates N + 1 pitches and stops at position D. At the position D, the sample is dispensed from the sample container 11 to the reaction container 3 by the sample dispensing mechanism 10. As in the previous cycle, the reaction disk 1 rotates N + 1 pitches and stops at the position E. At the position E, the reagent 13 is added to the reaction container 3 by the reagent dispensing mechanism 12.
[0012]
The reagent dispensing mechanism 12 performs suction in the sequence shown in FIG. (1) The reagent nozzle 15 moves down to detect the liquid level. (2) The reagent nozzle 15 is further lowered to a height that matches the designated suction amount, and the reagent 13 is sucked. (3) After suctioning the reagent, the position where the liquid level detection is turned off when the reagent nozzle 15 is raised is calculated, and it is confirmed that the suction of the specified suction amount has been completed. With these confirmations, although indirect, the dispensing at the position E can be performed, and it can be estimated that a specified amount of the liquid sample 2 exists in the reaction vessel 3.
[0013]
The reaction is started in the reaction container 3 by dispensing the reagent at the position E. As in the previous cycle, the reaction disk 1 makes one revolution. On the way, since the reaction vessel 3 crosses the optical axis 19 between the light source 17 and the photometer 16 as shown in FIG. 3, the absorbance is measured at that timing.
[0014]
When the prescribed liquid sample 2 is not contained in the reaction container 3 due to some trouble, light from the light source 17 of the photometer 16 is reflected by the reaction container 3 and cannot be transmitted, and as shown in FIG. , Which is usually 1 ABS, becomes 3 ABS or more, indicating an abnormal value.
[0015]
At the position F of the next cycle, the liquid sample 2 is stirred by the ultrasonic stirring element 18, but the stirring operation is not performed on the liquid sample 2 showing the abnormal value. If the stirring is performed by the ultrasonic stirring element while the liquid sample is insufficient, the temperature of the reaction vessel rises, causing a problem. Particularly, in the case of a reaction vessel made of resin, there is a possibility that the worst case may cause thermal deformation of the reaction vessel.
[0016]
In the conventional automatic analyzer, the absorbance measurement by the photometer is not performed before the stirring is performed. This is because measuring the absorbance in a state where the sample and the reagent are not sufficiently mixed does not make sense from the viewpoint of analysis. In the above embodiment of the present invention, not from the viewpoint of analysis, but from the viewpoint of whether a prescribed amount of liquid is contained in the reaction vessel, the absorbance measurement is performed at a timing where the absorbance measurement has not been performed so far, and the result is It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not to perform stirring based on. Even in the case of measuring the absorbance, the above example is an excellent method in that the amount of the liquid sample can be detected without reducing the overall analysis speed because it is not necessary to particularly reduce the rotation speed of the reaction disk. is there.
[0017]
FIG. 5 shows the flow of processing after the determination of the stirring operation. When it is determined using the photometer 16 that the liquid amount of the liquid sample 2 is at the specified amount, the actual operation is performed after the stirring operation is performed in the next step and the reaction time has elapsed. If the liquid amount of the liquid sample 2 is not the prescribed amount, an alarm specifying the reaction vessel and a retest request are output, and the retest operation starts. The item for which an alarm has been issued is specified on the screen when the analysis data list screen is called as shown in FIG. If the liquid volume is insufficient, the retest operation may be automatically started, or a screen as shown in FIG. 6 may be displayed so that the operator can determine whether or not to retest the same sample. May be.
[0018]
In the case of conventional spatula agitation or suction and agitation agitation, even if the agitation operation is performed while the liquid sample 2 is insufficient, no damage to the reaction vessel occurs. However, since the stirring conditions are set assuming that the liquid sample amount is the specified value, when the liquid sample is below the specified value, the rotation speed of the stirring rod for spatula stirring is too large and the liquid sample is scattered. Problems may occur. In this case, since the stirring member is contaminated with the liquid sample 2, a cleaning step is required, and a problem occurs in that a large amount of cleaning water is required. That is, regardless of the stirring method, it is important to confirm that the liquid to be stirred has a specified amount before stirring, and to stop the stirring if the amount is less than the specified amount.
[0019]
Further, in the above, whether or not the liquid sample has a specified amount is confirmed by the output of the photometer, but the liquid level detection function of the reagent nozzle 15 may be used. Since this method requires time for liquid level detection, the analysis efficiency may be reduced, but the effect of the invention is obtained in that damage to the reaction vessel and the like can be prevented.
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, before performing the stirring, it is detected that the reaction liquid amount of the sample and the reagent is within a specified value range, and when the reaction liquid amount is out of the specified range, the stirring operation is not performed. Problems such as scattering and damage to the reaction vessel are prevented from occurring, and the reliability of the analysis can be maintained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of one embodiment of a stirring control method in an automatic analyzer according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a method for confirming a reagent suction amount according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a liquid sample detection method according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a concentration measurement waveform according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart after a stirring operation is determined according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an analysis data screen according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Reaction disk, 2 ... Liquid sample, 3 ... Reaction container, 4,7,9 ... Suction nozzle, 5 ... Wash arm, 6,8 ... Water injection nozzle, 10 ... Sample dispensing mechanism, 11 ... Sample container, 12: reagent dispensing mechanism, 13: reagent, 14: reagent bottle, 15: reagent nozzle, 16: photometer, 17: light source, 18: ultrasonic stirring element, 19: optical axis.

Claims (8)

A reaction vessel for reacting a sample with a reagent,
A stirring unit for stirring the sample and the reagent in the reaction vessel,
A light source for irradiating the reaction vessel with measurement light,
A photodetector that measures measurement light from the light source applied to the reaction vessel,
In an automatic analyzer that performs absorbance measurement based on an output signal from the photodetector and analyzes components in the liquid sample,
Before the stirring of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container by the stirring unit, the liquid amount for determining whether the liquid amount of the mixture of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container is equal to or more than a predetermined amount. Equipped with a detection mechanism,
When the liquid amount detection mechanism determines that the liquid amount of the mixed liquid of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container is less than a predetermined amount, control for controlling the stirring unit so that the mixed liquid is not stirred. An automatic analyzer comprising a mechanism. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1,
The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the stirring section performs stirring using sound waves. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 or 2,
The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the liquid amount detection mechanism determines a liquid amount of a mixed liquid of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container based on an output signal of the light detector. The automatic analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
When the liquid amount detection mechanism determines that the liquid amount of the mixed liquid of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container is less than a predetermined amount, the subsequent analysis operation on the sample is stopped, and the other sample is stopped. While continuing the analysis operation,
An automatic analyzer having a function of issuing an alarm indicating that the sample could not be analyzed. The automatic analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
When the liquid amount detection mechanism determines that the liquid amount of the mixed liquid of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container is less than a predetermined amount, the subsequent analysis operation on the sample is stopped, and the other sample is stopped. While continuing the analysis operation,
An automatic analyzer having a function of displaying, when a list of analysis results on an analysis sample is displayed, a sample that could not be analyzed to that effect. The automatic analyzer according to claim 5,
When a list of the analysis results for the analysis sample is displayed, regarding the sample that could not be analyzed, the reaction vessel No. An automatic analyzer characterized by having a function of displaying. A plurality of reaction vessels for reacting a sample and a reagent arranged on a circumference, a reaction disk for rotating the reaction vessels,
A stirrer provided near the reaction disk, for stirring the sample and the reagent in the reaction vessel,
A light source provided in the vicinity of the reaction disk, for irradiating the reaction vessel with measurement light, and a light detector provided in the vicinity of the reaction disk for measuring measurement light from the light source applied to the reaction vessel; With
In an automatic analyzer that performs absorbance measurement based on an output signal from the photodetector and analyzes components in the liquid sample,
Before the stirring of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container by the stirring unit, when the reaction container on the reaction disk crosses the light detector, captures the output signal of the light detector, A liquid amount detection mechanism that determines whether the liquid amount of the mixed liquid of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container is equal to or more than a predetermined amount based on the output signal,
When the liquid amount detection mechanism determines that the liquid amount of the mixed liquid of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container is less than a predetermined amount, control for controlling the stirring unit so that the mixed liquid is not stirred. An automatic analyzer comprising a mechanism. A mixing step of mixing the sample and the reagent;
A stirring step of stirring the mixture of the sample and the reagent,
A measuring light irradiation step of irradiating the sample and the mixture of the reagent with the measuring light,
A measurement step of detecting the measurement light applied to the mixture of the sample and the reagent,
An absorbance measurement step of performing absorbance measurement based on an output signal of the measurement light detected in the measurement step,
Before performing the stirring of the mixed solution of the sample and the reagent in the stirring step, perform a liquid amount detecting step of determining whether the liquid amount of the mixed solution is equal to or more than a predetermined amount,
When the liquid amount of the sample and the reagent is determined to be less than a predetermined amount in the liquid amount detecting step, stirring of the mixed liquid is not performed.

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