JPH0481637A - Dilution system for measuring electrolyte - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automate a dilution system by using a dilution cell having upper and lower openings and connecting the introduction of a sample and a diluent, the introduction of stirring compressed air and the lead-out of the diluent to the openings by a change-over means. CONSTITUTION:A dilution valve 4 moves a rotor to the right in a drawing to connect the line on the side of a stator connected to a sampling pipette 2 to the line Y2 on the side of the rotor and a pump changing valve 9 moves the rotor to the right in the drawing to connect the line Y1 of the rotor to the line Y2 of the stator. A specimen is set to the line Y2 between the valve 4 and the valve 9 by the sucking operation of a pump 10. Thereafter, the valve 4 is moved to the position shown in the drawing and the valve 9 moves the rotor to the left in the drawing to connect the line B1 on the side of the rotor to the line Y2 on the side of the stator and the specimen and a diluent are introduced into a dilution cell 5 by the emitting operation of a dilution pump 11. When the specimen and the diluent are introduced into the dilution cell 11, the valve 4 moves the rotor to the left in the drawing and a mixing valve 7 is opened to stirr the content in the dilution cell 5 by compressed air.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention involves weighing a sample such as blood or urine, diluting it to a predetermined ratio with a diluent, and introducing the diluted sample into an electrolyte measurement system to determine the ion selectivity. Na'', K'''' in serum and plasma by electrode method
C1 - Concerning a dilution system for electrolyte measurement for measuring concentration.

[Conventional technology]

In the dilution system for electrolyte measurement, which measures the concentration of Na'', K'''', and CI in serum and plasma using an ion-selective electrode method using a flow electrode, when the concentration of the sample is measured as it is, the following various results are detected. There is a problem. Because of the high concentration,
It is necessary to thoroughly clean the electrodes, but even then, the degree of deterioration of the electrodes is severe. Furthermore, the longer the entire channel system is, the larger the amount of sample used will be. Furthermore, since semi-solid components such as proteins and lipids are included, a volume error occurs, resulting in a large measurement error. Therefore, a method is generally adopted in which the sample is diluted at a fixed ratio with a diluent and then measured.

[Invention or problem to be solved]

However, in conventional systems, in order to dilute the sample, the sample and diluent are generally placed in a dilution container and stirred using a stirring bar, which poses problems such as draining, washing, and contamination of the diluted sample. As a result, the structure tended to become more complex.

Furthermore, in electrolyte measurement, the potential measured by the electrodes is minute, so in order to improve measurement accuracy, it is necessary to electrically insulate the electrodes and the sample to be measured from the outside. In particular, when measuring a diluted sample, a dispensing mechanism from the dilution unit is required, and electrical insulation from this becomes a problem.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a dilution system for electrolyte measurement that is capable of measuring diluted electrolytes using a closed system and a simple configuration. Another object of the present invention is to facilitate dilution stirring and to easily insulate the measurement system.

[Means to solve the problem]

To this end, the present invention provides a dilution system for electrolyte measurement that weighs a sample, dilutes it to a predetermined ratio with a diluent, and introduces the diluted sample into an electrolyte measurement system, which comprises a dilution cell having an opening at the top and bottom, a sample and a diluent. a first air introduction means for introducing pressurized air for stirring the sample and the diluent; a derivation means for introducing the diluted sample into the electrolyte measurement system;
A second air introduction means for introducing pressurized air for cleaning, and a line switching means connected to the upper and lower openings of the dilution cell, and the switching means introduces a sample diluent into the lower opening of the dilution cell. It is characterized in that the means is configured to switch and connect the lines of the first air introduction means and the derivation means, and to switch and connect the second air introduction means and the atmosphere opening and closing lines to the upper opening. be.

[Effect]

In the dilution system for electrolyte measurement of the present invention, a dilution cell having upper and lower openings is used, and switching means is used to introduce pressurized air for introducing and stirring the sample and diluent, and to draw out the diluent through the upper and lower openings of the dilution cell. Since the connecting lines are switched, the dilution system can be easily automated by operating the switching means.

Furthermore, since pressurized air is introduced into the dilution cell and the sample and diluent are stirred by the air, stirring without contamination is possible. Furthermore, using a four-way switching means in the lead-out section, the dilution cell side is switched and connected to the flow cell and drain of the electrolyte measurement system, and the flow cell of the electrolyte measurement system is connected to the internal standard solution while the dilution cell side is connected to the drain. By switching the connection to the introduction line, the dilution system can be electrically isolated from the measurement system.

〔Example〕

Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a dilution system for electrolyte measurement according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a sampling cup 1 is a container that stores a sample such as blood or urine.

The sampling pipette 2 moves a sampling nozzle back and forth between the sampling cup 1 and the cleaning lid 3 to aspirate a specimen, discharge a diluted liquid to the cleaning lid 3, and aspirate the discharged diluted liquid. The sampling pump IO weighs and transfers the sample, and the dilution pump 11
It is used to dilute the sample, clean the dilution cell 5, etc. The drain air valve 6 is a solenoid valve that supplies pressurized air for draining or cleaning the dilution cell 5. The mixing air valve 7 is a solenoid valve that supplies pressurized air for stirring the dilution cell 5. is for adjusting the pressure of pressurized air for stirring.

The ion selective electrode 21 is an electrode for selectively measuring Na, CI ion activities, and the comparison electrode 22 is a reference electrode for extracting the potential of each ion electrode. The flow cell 23 is a cell for guiding a standard solution or sample to each electrode surface. The standard solution pump 27 is a pump for transferring the standard solution from the internal standard solution tank 31 to the pot 29, and the waste solution pump 26 is a pump for transferring the standard solution and sample into the flow cell 23 and draining it to the waste solution tank 32. The comparison outer cylinder liquid pump 25 is a pump for transferring the comparison outer cylinder liquid from the comparison outer cylinder liquid tank 33 to the flow cell 23. The bot 29 is a container that receives the standard solution to be transferred to the flow cell 23, and has a function of cutting off the flow path from the standard solution supply system during measurement.

The dilution cell 5 has openings at the top and bottom, and is used to mix the specimen and diluent with pressurized air.The upper opening is opened to the atmosphere, and the specimen, diluent, and cleaning fluid (diluent) are introduced through the lower opening. is introduced, the upper opening is closed, the sample and diluent are stirred with pressurized air from the lower opening, the upper opening is opened to the atmosphere, the waste liquid pump 26 is operated, and the sample and diluent are stirred from the lower opening. Transfer the diluted sample.

The pump change valve 9 is a rotary type valve consisting of a stem S on the upper side and a rotor R on the lower side in the figure. By moving (rotating) the rotor R in the left-right direction in the figure, a switching position is established in which the line Y1 is selectively connected to A, B, and C on the stator S side, and the sampling pump 10 and the dilution pump 11, switching between suction and discharge is performed. Similarly, the dilution valve 4 is a rotary type valve consisting of a stator S on the upper side and a rotor R on the lower side in the figure. By moving (rotating) the rotor R in the left-right direction in the figure, the lower openings of the dilution cell 5 connected to the stator S side are opened at A and B on the rotor R side.
, having a switching position selectively connected to C;
Changes the diluted liquid's stirring, transfer, drainage, etc. The four-way change valve 13 connects and switches between the dilution system and the measurement system, and is configured to cut off the flow path from the dilution system during measurement.

Next, the measurement flow will be explained.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of the measurement flow.

Since the weighing of the specimen starts with the dilution system filled with diluent, the operation for setting the initial state will be explained. When the pump change valve 9 is in the illustrated position, the diluent tank 30 communicates with the sampling pump 10 and the dilution pump 11, and the other line B1 of the dilution pump 11 is blocked, so the sampling pump 10 and the dilution pump 11 are connected. The diluent is sucked from the diluent tank 30 by the suction operation of the solution pump 11. Therefore, after suctioning the diluent, the rotor R of the pump change valve 9 is shifted to the left in the figure, and the line Y1 on the rotor R side is connected to the line Y3 of the stator S. In this state, the line Yl connected to the other side of the sampling pump IO is closed on the stator S side of the pump change valve 9.

Therefore, by the discharge operation of the sampling pump IO, the diluent is discharged from the line Y3 through the dilution valve 4 to the sampling pipette 11-2 side. Thereafter, the pump change valve 9 is returned to its original position and a suction operation and a similar discharge operation are performed again, so that the dilution system is evacuated and filled with diluent, which is further discharged from the sampling pipette 2. Therefore, by setting the sampling pipette 2 to the cleaning lid 3 side, the cleaning lid 3 is also filled with the diluent.

From the above state, proceed to weighing the specimen, replacing the internal standard solution, and measuring as follows. Note that the dilution valve 4, pump change valve 9, and four-way change valve 13 start in the illustrated state.

First, the sampling pump 10 performs a predetermined stroke suction operation with the sampling pipette 2 positioned in the space, and then performs a similar suction operation in the order of the sampling cup 1, the space, and the cleaning jar 3. As a result, in the line from sampling pipette 2 to dilution valve 4,
This means that the holium corresponding to the suction stroke of the sampler pump 10 contains the following: diluent - air - sample - air - diluent. The purpose of insulating both sides of the weighed specimen from the diluent with air is to prevent the specimen from diffusing into the diluent due to direct contact between the specimen and the diluent.

On the other hand, during this time, the standard solution pump 27 is started to transfer the standard solution to the pot 29, and then the waste solution pump 26 and the comparative external cylinder liquid pump 25 are used to transfer the standard liquid and the comparative external cylinder liquid to the flow cell 23.

Next, the dilution valve 4 moves the rotor to the right in the figure and connects the line on the stator side to which the sampling pipette 2 is connected to the line Y2 on the rotor side, and the pump change valve 9 moves the rotor to the right side in the figure. Move to the right in the figure and connect the rotor line Y1 and the stator line Y2. Then, the sample is set on the line Y2 between the dilution valve 4 and the pump change valve 9 by the suction operation of the sampling pump 10. Thereafter, the dilution valve 4 is moved to the illustrated position, and the pump change valve 9 moves the rotor to the left in the figure to connect line B1 on the rotor side and line Y2 on the stator side, and the dilution pump The sample and the diluent are introduced into the dilution cell 5 by the discharge operation of step 11. In this case, the amount of diluent introduced into the dilution cell 5 is determined by the dilution pump 11.
For example, when diluting 20 times, if the sampling pump 10 weighs 10 μm, the discharge stroke of the dilution pump 11 is determined so that a diluent of 190 μm is introduced into the dilution cell 5. will be determined.

When the sample and diluent are introduced into the dilution cell 5, the dilution valve 4 moves the rotor to the left in the figure, opens the mixing air valve 7, and stirs the inside of the dilution cell 5 with pressurized air. In this case, since the upper line of the dilution cell 5 is closed on the rotor side of the dilution valve 4, pressurized air is supplied and stirred until the pressure within the dilution cell 5 is balanced.

When the stirring is finished, the dilution valve 4 moves the rotor further to the left in the figure and connects the bottom line of the dilution cell 5 to the four-way change valve I3 side, and the four-way change valve 13 moves the rotor further to the left in the figure. The diluted sample is connected to the line on the fourth side, and the waste liquid pump 26 is operated to transfer the diluted sample to the flow cell 23 and introduce it into the ion-selective electrode 21. In this case, the upper opening of the dilution cell 5 is connected to a drain air valve 6, and the drain air valve 6 is opened to the atmosphere.

It goes without saying that the internal standard solution is measured after the internal standard solution has been replaced and after the stabilization time has elapsed and before the diluted sample is introduced into the electrode.

After the diluted sample is introduced into the electrode and the stabilization time has elapsed, the four-way change valve 13 is returned to the illustrated state to shut off the flow system and the sample is measured, followed by cleaning using the internal standard solution. Execute.

On the other hand, after the diluted sample has been transferred to the flow cell 23, the dilution cell 5 is cleaned by a cleaning mode. in this case,
Using, for example, a diluent as the washing water, switch the dilution valve 4 and introduce it from the lower opening in the same way as the sample.
Thereafter, pressurized air is introduced from the drain air valve 6 through the upper opening and drained from the four-way change valve 13 to the drain through the lower opening.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the process may be set such that one washing is required, or the number of washings is increased in the case of a highly concentrated specimen such as urine. Further, the diluent valve 4 and the pump change valve 9 may each be constituted by one rotary type valve, or may be constituted by being divided into a plurality of valves.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically dilute and stir the sample, and during measurement,
Since the flow path can be insulated from others, electrically stable measurements can be made and measurement accuracy can be improved. Further, since the pressurized air is used for stirring, it is possible to avoid the problem of contamination caused by using a stirring device or the like. Using a dilution cell with openings at the top and bottom, a switching means is used to switch the lines connected to the top and bottom openings of the dilution cell to introduce the sample and diluent, introduce pressurized air for stirring,
Since the diluent is drawn out, the device can be simplified and the dilution system can be automated by operating the switching means.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing one embodiment of the dilution system for electrolyte measurement according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the measurement flow. 1... Sampling cup, 2... Sampling pipette, 3... Washing lid, 4... Dilution valve, 5... Dilution cell, 6... Doll-in air valve,
7... Mixing air valve, 8... Resistance tube, 9...
... Pump change valve, 10... Sampling pump, 11... Dilution pump, 13... Four-way change valve, 21... Ion selective electrode, 22
... Reference electrode, 23 ... Flow cell, 25 ... Comparison external cylinder liquid pump, 26 ... Waste liquid pump, 27 ... Standard solution pump, 29 - Pot, 30 ... Diluent liquid tank,
31. Internal standard solution tank, 32... Waste solution tank, 33
... Comparison external cylinder liquid. Applicant: JEOL Co., Ltd. Agent: Patent attorney: Ryukichi Abe (7 others) No. 1 sampling and dilution section Fixed section detection section

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A dilution system for electrolyte measurement that weighs a sample, dilutes it to a predetermined ratio with a diluent, and introduces the diluted sample into an electrolyte measurement system, which includes a dilution cell with openings on the top and bottom, into which the sample and diluent are introduced. A sample diluent introduction means, a first air introduction means for introducing pressurized air for stirring the sample and the dilution, a derivation means for introducing the diluted sample into the electrolyte measurement system, and a first air introduction means for introducing pressurized air for cleaning. 2 air introduction means, and line switching means connected to the upper and lower openings of the dilution cell, and the switching means connects the sample dilution liquid introduction means, the first air introduction means and the lead-out line to the lower opening of the dilution cell. 1. A dilution system for electrolyte measurement, characterized in that the lines of the means are switched and connected, and the second air introduction means and the atmosphere opening and closing lines are switched and connected to the upper opening. (2) The derivation means switches and connects the dilution cell side to the flow cell and drain of the electrolyte measurement system, and switches and connects the flow cell of the electrolyte measurement system to the internal standard solution introduction line with the dilution cell side connected to the drain. The dilution system for electrolyte measurement according to claim 1, further comprising four-way switching means. (3) In dilution mode, a predetermined amount of sample and diluent are sequentially introduced into the dilution cell from the sample diluent introduction means, and then pressurized air is introduced into the dilution cell from the first air introduction means for stirring processing. and introduce the diluted sample into the electrolyte measurement system through the derivation means, introduce the cleaning liquid from the sample diluent introduction means into the dilution cell in the cleaning mode, and introduce pressurized air from the second air introduction means and pass it through the derivation means. The dilution system for electrolyte measurement according to claim 2, characterized in that the cleaning liquid is led out to a drain.