JPH06213906A - Automatic cleaning mechanism for reagent nozzle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To efficiently clean a reagent nozzle by selecting cleanser suitable for degree and type of dirts adhered to the nozzle and cleaning the nozzle. CONSTITUTION:A reagent dispensing nozzle 11 is disposed on a reagent nozzle cleaning unit 24, moved on a reagent table 9, and dispenses a suitable quantity of reagent responsive to an analytical item ordered from a controller 46 from a reagent bin. The dispensed reagent is discharged to a reaction line 8, and again returned to the unit 24. Cleaning effects of cleansers for various types of reagents are previously stored in the controller 46, the cleanser to be used is selected based on information of the controller 46, and an operation of a cleanser selecting operation unit 32 is controlled.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer,
The present invention relates to a cleaning mechanism for a reagent nozzle that sucks and discharges two or more types of reagents.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The automation of a sample test for chemically analyzing a sample such as blood has been promoted. Such a sample test involves sampling serum in blood and mixing it with a reagent to cause a reaction. An inspection is performed, and various dispensers using suction nozzles are used for dispensing the sample and the reagent. In this dispensing operation, when two or more types of reagents are handled by one dispensing nozzle, mixed contamination of the reagents occurs between each other and the reliability of the test result is reduced. In the conventional mechanism, as a means for avoiding mixed contamination of the nozzle, for example, with respect to the inner wall of the nozzle, a cleaning liquid is caused to flow into the nozzle every time the pipette is dispensed to clean the inner wall of the nozzle. In addition, the outer wall of the nozzle is cleaned in a cleaning liquid or the like or by applying a cleaning liquid or the like to the nozzle. However, in the conventional automatic cleaning mechanism, the fact that the degree of adhesion to the nozzle varies depending on the type of reagent is not taken into consideration, and since cleaning is performed with one type of cleaning liquid, it is possible to ensure efficient cleaning. It has the drawback of being difficult.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic nozzle cleaning mechanism capable of reliably and efficiently cleaning a reagent nozzle.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention resides in that an appropriate cleaning liquid is selected and cleaned for a reagent attached to a reagent nozzle.

[0005]

Since the cleaning liquid suitable for the degree and type of contamination of the nozzle is used, the nozzle can be reliably and efficiently cleaned.

[0006]

Embodiments of the automatic analyzer to which the present invention is applied will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of an automatic analyzer using the present invention. In FIG. 1, the sample probe 3 is inserted into the sample container 2 set on the sample table 1, sucked by the pipettor 4, and the sampling arm 5 is rotated and discharged into the reaction container 7. 6 is a pump.

A reaction line (reaction table) 8 in which a plurality of reaction vessels 7 are arranged in a circular shape is rotated by a half turn plus one reaction vessel in the direction of an arrow by a driving device (not shown),
The reaction container 7 from which the reagent has been discharged moves to the reagent discharging position and is stopped, and the reagent is added. To add the reagent, the reagent dispensing nozzle 11 is inserted into the reagent bottle 10 set in the reagent table 9, the reagent is sucked by the reagent pipette syringe 12, and the reagent arm 13 is rotated to move the inside of the reaction container 7. To discharge. 14 is a valve, 15 is a pump, 2
Reference numeral 4 is a reagent nozzle cleaning unit.

The reaction line 8 rotates by one half rotation plus one reaction vessel in each step, and finally rotates one rotation plus two reaction vessels in two steps. Therefore, the reaction container 7 that also serves as the measurement cell always crosses the optical axis 17 of the light source 16, and every time the reaction container 7 crosses the optical axis 17, the absorbance of the reaction liquid in the reaction container 7 is measured by the photometer 18. It Reference numeral 19 is a stirring rod, 20 is a cell cleaning mechanism, 21 is a valve, 22 is a cleaning liquid discharge pump, and 23 is a vacuum pump.

Next, the reagent nozzle cleaning mechanism will be described in detail. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the reagent nozzle cleaning mechanism. Figure 2
In the above, the reagent dispensing nozzle 11 is for aspirating and discharging the reagent, and is fixed to the reagent arm 13. The reagent dispensing nozzle 11 has a conduit 44 passing through the inside of the reagent arm 13.
Is connected to the reagent pipette syringe 12. The reagent nozzle cleaning unit 24 is mainly configured by a drainage part 45 for collecting drainage after cleaning the reagent dispensing nozzle 11 and an opening 42 through which cleaning water comes out. The opening 42 is connected to the reagent nozzle cleaning syringe 39 by a conduit 43. The cleaning liquid selection operation unit 32 includes a pump 29 for pumping various cleaning liquids, a pump 30, a pump 15 for pumping purified water and the like, and various valves for controlling the flow of the cleaning liquid and the like pumped from the pumps. The operations of the cleaning liquid selection operation unit 32, the reagent table 9, the reagent pipette syringe 12, and the reagent nozzle cleaning syringe 39 are performed by the input device 4
It is controlled by the control device 46 which has read and stored the information such as the analysis item and the reagent dispensing amount input in 7. A plurality of reagent bottles 10 can be set in the reagent table 9. The reaction line 8 is a site for reacting the sample with the reagent.

In FIG. 2, the reagent dispensing nozzle 11 is located on the reagent nozzle cleaning unit 24. After this, the reagent dispensing nozzle 11 moves to the reagent table 9 and supplies the reagent according to the analysis item ordered by the control device 46 to the reagent bottle 10.
Dispense more appropriate amount. Next, the reagent dispensed by the reagent dispensing nozzle 11 is discharged to the reaction line 8 and returns to the reagent nozzle cleaning unit 24 again. At this time, the residual liquid of the previously dispensed reagent is attached to the inner and outer walls of the reagent dispensing nozzle 11. The cleaning liquid having the excellent cleaning effect on the attached reagent is selected from the cleaning liquid 33 or the cleaning liquid 34. The cleaning effect of each cleaning liquid on various reagents is stored in the control device 46 in advance, and the control device 46.
The cleaning liquid to be used is selected based on the information, and the operation of the cleaning liquid selection operation unit 32 is controlled. Cleaning liquid 33 as an example
3 is selected, the cleaning liquid 3 stored in the cleaning liquid storage unit 36
Pump up 3 with pump 29. Next, the valve 14, the valve 25, and the valve 26 are opened, and the valve 31 is closed. The washing liquid 33 flows through the conduit to the reagent pipette syringe 12 and the reagent nozzle washing syringe 39, and the piston 40 of the reagent pipette syringe 12 and the piston 41 of the reagent nozzle washing syringe 39 operate. Then, the cleaning liquid 33 that has flowed through the conduit 44 cleans the inner wall of the reagent dispensing nozzle 11, and the cleaning liquid that has flowed through the conduit 43 exits from the opening 42 of the reagent nozzle cleaning unit 24 and is discharged from the reagent dispensing nozzle 11. Wash the exterior walls. The cleaning water after cleaning the reagent dispensing nozzle 11 is collected in the drainage unit 45. Next, the purified water 38 is pumped into the pump 1.
At 5, the pumping valve 28, the valve 31, the valve 14 and the valve 25 are opened, and the valve 26 and the valve 27 are closed. Subsequent operations are the same as for the cleaning liquid, and the reagent dispensing nozzle 1
Rinse the cleaning liquid adhering to the inner and outer walls of 1. The above cleaning operation is performed every time a reagent is dispensed.

Since the reagent dispensing nozzle 11 is washed with the washing liquid according to the type of the attached reagent, efficient washing and uniform washing effect can be obtained and the reliability of the test result can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning liquid storage units are two, that is, the cleaning liquid storage unit 36 and the cleaning liquid storage unit 37, but it is also possible to install various kinds of cleaning liquids by adding a conduit, a valve, a pump, etc. Is.

Further, the cleaning amount for cleaning the inner wall of the nozzle may be adjusted by operating the opening / closing timing of the valve or the like in accordance with the dispensing amount of the reagent dispensing nozzle.

[0015]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to reliably and efficiently clean the reagent dispensing nozzle of the automatic analyzer.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a preferred embodiment of automatic analysis using a nozzle cleaning mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a nozzle cleaning mechanism using the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 9, 13 ... Reagent table, 2 ... Reagent container, 3 ... Sample probe, 4 ... Pipette, 5 ... Sampling arm, 6, 15, 29, 30 ... Pump, 7 ... Reaction container, 8
... reaction line, 10 ... reagent bottle, 11 ... reagent dispensing nozzle, 12 ... reagent pipette syringe, 13 ... reagent arm,
14, 25, 26, 27, 28, 31 ... Valve, 16 ...
Light source, 17 ... Optical axis, 18 ... Photometer, 19 ... Stir bar, 20
... cell cleaning mechanism, 21 ... valve, 22 ... cleaning liquid discharge pump, 23 ... vacuum pump, 24 ... reagent nozzle cleaning unit, 32 ... cleaning liquid selection operation unit, 33, 34 ... cleaning liquid, 3
5 ... Purified water storage, 36, 37 ... Washing liquid storage, 38
... Purified water, etc. 39 ... Reagent nozzle washing syringe, 40, 4
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Piston, 42 ... Opening part, 43, 44 ... Passage tube, 45
... Drainage part, 46 ... Control device, 47 ... Input device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An automatic analyzer equipped with a dispensing device, a reagent supply unit, and a reaction unit for a sample and a reagent, selects a cleaning liquid having a high cleaning effect for the reagent adhering to the reagent dispensing nozzle, and cleans the nozzle. An automatic reagent nozzle cleaning mechanism characterized in that