JPS62170851A - chemical analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate waste of a sample by drawing out a pipette from in a sample liquid on the way of a cycle, when a total sample quantity of an item to be analyzed is absorbed. CONSTITUTION:A sample is absorbed by inserting a pipette into a sample container 5, and the sample is analyzed by repeating a cycle for feeding its absorbed sample and reagents 13b-13e to each reaction system 14b-14e of plural channels which are prepared. A control device 8 compares a total sample quantity required for all items to be analyzed, with the quantity corresponding to the total sample quantity of the first cycle, when absorbing the sample in the first cycle, and compares the quantity corresponding to the total sample quantity required for all the remaining items, with the total sample quantity of its cycle, when absorbing the sample in other cycle than the first cycle. Also, in both cases, where the former is larger than the latter, the pipette remains inserted in the sample during its cycle, and where the former is smaller than the latter, a control is executed so that the pipette is drawn out from the sample, when the sample of the quantity of the former is absorbed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a chemical analysis device that reduces the amount of sample loss.

[Prior Art] A biochemical analyzer is usually designed to be able to analyze multiple items for one specimen. In such a biochemical analyzer for multi-item analysis, a pipette is inserted into a sample container to aspirate the sample, and the sample is sent to each reaction system of a plurality of prepared channels. Analyzing the given items.

By the way, normally, in such a biochemical analyzer for multi-item analysis, one cycle involves feeding the sample to the reaction system of each prepared channel, and the pipette is not used during each cycle. A side that is inserted into a sample in a sample container, and at the end of each cycle, it is removed from the sample or inserted depending on whether the required amount of sample for all items to be analyzed has been aspirated. What you keep is controlled. Therefore, for example, in a biochemical analyzer equipped with 4 channels, if you are trying to analyze four items or less, even if you are analyzing two items, you will always need one cycle, that is, one item.

After aspirating the samples necessary for two items, additional samples for two additional items will be aspirated. For example, when trying to analyze 7 items, the pipette is inserted into the sample for 2 cycles, that is, after 7 samples have been aspirated, the pipette is inserted into the sample until 1 more item is aspirated. It remains as it is.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In this way, if the pipette is inserted into the sample in the sample container until the end of the cycle, an amount of sample unnecessary for analysis will also be aspirated. This conflicts with the situation in which the smallest possible amount of sample is collected and analyzed using a minute amount of sample for reasons such as reducing the burden on the subject.

The present invention is aimed at solving such problems.

[Means for solving the problem] Therefore, the present invention repeats a cycle of inserting a pipette into a sample container, aspirating a sample, and sending the aspirated sample to the reaction system of each of a plurality of prepared channels. In a device configured to analyze a sample, when aspirating the sample in the first cycle (or comparing the total sample amount required for all items to be analyzed with the amount corresponding to the total sample amount in the first cycle, When aspirating a sample in a cycle other than the cycle t, compare the amount corresponding to the total sample amount required for all remaining items with the total sample amount for that cycle, and if the former is larger than the latter, the pipette is removed during the cycle other than t. is inserted into the sample, and if the former is less than the latter, the pipette is equipped with a mechanism to pull out the pipette from the sample after suctioning the sample of the former.

[Example] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a biochemical analyzer shown as an example of the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is a sample dispensing valve, which is composed of a stator 2 and a rotor 3. As shown in FIG. 2, there are nine openings a on the same radius of the upper surface of the stator 2.

bl+ b2+cI+c2. dl, C2, el, C
2. Five openings a', b-, c-, d-, e- are made on the same radius of the surface in contact with the rotor.

openings a and a' are connected by conduit A, and opening b
1 conduit B1 and b2 conduit B2 are opening b-, opening C1
The conduits C1 and C2 of C2 intersect at the opening C', the conduit D1 of the opening d1 and the conduit D2 of C2 intersect at the opening d', and the conduit E+ of the opening e1 and the conduit E2 of C2 intersect at the opening e'. An opening f' is formed on the same radius as the above-mentioned radius on the surface of the rotor 3 in contact with the stator, and an opening f is formed on the other surface, and these openings are connected by a conduit F. A pipette 5 is connected to the opening a via a flexible tube T+ and a pipette drive mechanism 4 that moves the pipette vertically and horizontally. 6 is a sample container, and 7 is a waste liquid tank. The pipette drive mechanism 4 is operated by a command from a control device 8. A pump 9 is connected to the frontage f via a flexible tube T2. Reference numeral 10 denotes a flow path switching device that switches the flow path S to uniformly connect the opening p connected to the pump and the opening q connected to the cleaning container 11, or to connect the opening p and the closed opening r. . The pump 9 is actuated by a pump control mechanism 12 which is actuated by a command from the control device @8. The above openings b1 and b2, C+ and C2, d+ and C2, e
l and C2 are each bare, and each channel b
1 + CI + di r 01 has reagent liquid feeding mechanism 1
3b, 13c, 13d, and 13e are connected, and b2.
C2* C2, ez has 1 channel reaction mechanism 14b
, the 2-channel reaction mechanism 140, the 3-channel reaction mechanism 14d, and the 4-channel reaction mechanism 14e are connected.

A case in which, for example, seven items are analyzed using such an apparatus will be described below.

Initially, as shown in FIG. 1, the flow path S of the flow path switching device 10 is switched to connect the opening p and the closed opening r, as shown by the solid line.
The rotor 3 of the sample dispensing valve 1 is rotated so that the openings a' and f- overlap. In this state, the control device 8
is the total sample amount of 7 items x 7, which is the set sample amount,
1st sample required for 1 cycle item (1st item to 4th item)
Total sample amount up to the item) and pipette holding capacity ff1s
o (amount of sample entering tube T1 and conduit A from the tip of pipette 5). At this time, X7 > (S.

+81), the control device 8 causes the pipette drive mechanism 4 to
A command is sent to insert the pipette 5 into the sample in the sample container 6 during the sample suction time of the cycle. Then, according to the command from the control device, the pump 9 is operated by the pump drive mechanism 12.
The total sample amount S1 for items 1 to 4 is in the conduit F, and the pipette holding capacity So is in the pipette 5. tube T
1 and conduit A. Immediately after this suction is completed, the control device 8 subtracts the sum (St + So) of the one-cycle sample volume S1 and the pipette holding volume ffl So from the set sample IX7 (X7- (St
+5o)) and the sample amount of the second cycle, i.e. 5th and 6th
．． Compare the total sample IS 2 of the 7th and 1st items. At this time, (X7 (St +So))<
82, in the second cycle the sample was
(St + So)) The pipette 5 is inserted into the sample in the sample container 6 until it is aspirated (X? - (St + 5o))
A command is given to the pipette drive mechanism 4 to immediately remove the sample from the sample after suctioning the amount of the sample. This command causes the pump 9 to further move (X7'(St +So
) Aspirate the amount of sample.

First, what if X? < (So +St), according to the command from the control device 8, the pipette 5 is aspirated until the sample is aspirated x7 (at this time, the sample amount S1 for one cycle is aspirated so as to be accommodated in the conduit F). is inserted into the sample in the sample container 6, and after aspirating x7 amount of sample, it is immediately removed from the sample.

Then, during the second cycle of suction, the sample amount of the second cycle is obtained from the sample contained in the conduit A, that is, the amount of sample 5.6.
Aspirate the total sample 11 S 2 of 7 items into conduit F.

Next, the operation after aspirating the samples for the four items will be described. That is, as shown in FIG. 3(a), f' is the opening b'
Rotate the rotor 3 so that it overlaps with the And pump 9
The amount of sample required for the first item 1 is discharged into the conduits B1 and 82 by the discharge action. From then on, in the same way, Figure 3 (b
), (c).

As shown in (d), f' is sequentially opened c-, d-.

Rotate the rotor 3 so that it overlaps with e'. Then, due to the discharge action of the pump 9, the second. Third. 4. Pour the amount of sample required for item 1 into conduits C1 and 02, D+.

Discharge into B2, El, and B2. Then, the rotor is rotated to a position where the opening f' does not overlap with any opening, and in this state, the reagent liquid feeding mechanisms 13b, 13c, 13d
, 13e, and conduit B1. B2, C1, C
2, Dl, B2, El.

1 channel reaction mechanism 14b, 2 together with the sample in B2
It is sent to the channel reaction mechanism 140, the 3-channel reaction mechanism 14d, and the 4-channel reaction mechanism 140, and the first to fourth items are analyzed by each reaction mechanism.

Then, a cleaning liquid is flowed from each of the reagent feeding mechanisms to the lines to each of the reaction mechanisms to clean the lines connecting the reagent mechanisms to the reaction mechanisms. Also, as mentioned above, (X7- (St +S
The operation after aspirating the sample of o)) will be explained.

That is, the rotor 3 rotates so that the opening f' is again connected to the openings Row, b-, and c- in sequence, and the conduits B1°82 and Ct are connected, respectively.
, C, z, Dt, the amount of sample required for the fifth, sixth, and seventh items is discharged into B2 by the operation of the pump, passes through the process described above, and is transferred to the one-channel reaction mechanism 14b, The 5th item, the 6th item, and the 7th item in the 2-channel reaction mechanism 14c and the 3-channel reaction mechanism 14d.
An analysis of the items is performed. Then, in the same manner as above, the line connecting the reagent mechanism to the reaction mechanism is cleaned.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the rotor 3 rotates so that the opening f' overlaps with e'. At this time, the flow path S of the flow path switching device 10
is switched to connect apertures p and q. Further, the pipette 5 is inserted into the waste liquid tank 6. In this state,
By the operation of the pump 9, the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid container 1 is sucked and discharged, and the cleaning liquid is discharged into the tube T2. The sample lines of conduits F, A and tube T1 are cleaned. Then, the above series of steps is repeated according to the number of items to be analyzed again.

[Effects of the Invention] In the present invention, regardless of the cycle, once the total sample amount of the item to be analyzed has been aspirated, the pipette is removed from the sample liquid in the sample container during the cycle, so there is no waste of samples.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a biochemical analyzer shown as an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a partially detailed diagram of this equipment, and Figures 3 and 4 supplement the explanation of the operation of the equipment. This is a diagram for 1: Sample dispensing valve 2: Stator 3: Rotor 3 a, b+, bz, C+, C21dl +
d 2 + e l + C2, a − + b ′,
C-+ d', e-, f-, f, p, r: opening A,
B+. B2, C+, C2, D+, D2, E+, E2
F + conduit T+, T2: tube
4: Pipette drive mechanism 5: Pipette 6: Sample container 7: Waste liquid tank 8: Control device 9: Pump 10: Channel switching device S: Channel 11: Washing container 12
: Pump control mechanism 13b.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an apparatus configured to analyze a sample by repeatedly inserting a pipette into a sample container to aspirate the sample and sending the aspirated sample to the reaction system of each of a plurality of prepared channels, the first cycle When aspirating a sample, compare the total sample amount required for all items to be analyzed with the amount corresponding to the total sample amount of the first cycle, and when aspirating a sample in a cycle other than the first cycle, calculate the total amount required for all remaining items. Compare the amount corresponding to the sample amount with the total sample amount for that cycle, and if the former is larger than the latter, insert the pipette into the sample during that cycle, and if the former is less than the latter, insert the pipette into the sample. A chemical analyzer equipped with a mechanism that removes the pipette from the sample after aspirating the same amount of sample.