JPS6191571A - Continuous automatic analysis method and apparatus using test piece - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform all processes of dipping and reading automatically and continuously in a small size and with an inexpensive construction, by organically combining an automatic test piece operation mechanism, an automatic test piece feeding mechanism, a photometry mechanism and the like. CONSTITUTION:First, an arm 12 and a rotary section 15 of a automatic test piece operation mechanism 3 are moved with the rotation of motors 18 and 20 to bring a test piece holder 11 to the test piece withdrawing position A of the automatic test piece feeding mechanism 4. The holder 11 chucks a grasping part of the test piece 2 and closes it. Then, with the rotation of motors 18 and 20 and a shaft rotating motor 14, the holder 11 is moved to the test piece immersing position B. Then, the holder 11 is lowered to immerse the reagent surface into a liquid to be inspected for a specified time. Furthermore, with the rotation of the motors 18 and 14, the test piece 2 is lifted and the holder 11 is moved to the position C of a turntable channel 42 of a photometry mechanism 6, where the test piece 2 is separated to be placed in the channel 42. With the rotation of the turntable 41, the test piece 2 is sent to a photometry section 40 to measure. Subsequently the holder 11 returns to the position A and the same operation is repeated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention uses a Dipand Read type test piece to take out the test piece, immerse it in a test liquid, perform photometry, and perform calculations.

This invention relates to a continuous automatic analysis method and device that automatically performs all processes such as disposal.

Currently, the test piece (
In 2), as shown in FIG. 3, a reagent surface (2A) is provided from one end of a transparent plastic strip, and the other end is used as a grip portion (2B).

Note that the number of reagent surfaces (28) corresponding to the number of measurement items is provided, but standard reflective pieces may also be provided.

In addition, although the illustrated one has a small piece of filter paper impregnated with a reagent attached to it with double-sided adhesive tape as the reagent surface (2A), there are also others in which the reagent is applied together with the base material to form a film. These test pieces are originally used for the so-called Dip and Read type test, in which the concentration of the test substance is measured by immersing it in the test sample and comparing it with a colorimetric sample, but currently this read stage is Some devices have become capable of quantitative or semi-quantitative measurements, and some have automated everything from photometry to calculation, concentration display, and test piece discharge.

However, in the current situation, where the Dip stage relies on manual labor, when the number of specimens increases, the test pieces are taken out one by one from the sealed container.
Repeated tasks such as immersing a test piece in a test liquid and comparing it with a color chart, or setting it in the measuring section of an optical measuring device and discarding the test piece after measurement place a great burden on the operator. be. Moreover, since a certain reaction time is required, the operator is completely restrained during the measurement. Furthermore, if the measurement is carried out manually, the immersion time and the time from immersion to the start of measurement tend to vary and measurement errors are likely to occur. Therefore, it is desirable to perform complete automation including this Dip step.

However, in order to fully automate the process up to the Dip stage, it is necessary to develop a mechanism to take out the test pieces regularly, and a test piece automatic system that immerses the taken out test pieces in the test liquid and sets them correctly in the photometer. An operating mechanism is required. Moreover, they need to operate accurately and preferably be small and inexpensive.

The present invention was developed based on the above request, and organically combines an automatic test piece operation mechanism, an automatic test piece supply mechanism, a conventionally known photometry mechanism, etc., to perform all Dip and Read processes. This is done automatically and continuously. below,
The present invention will be explained in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the device of the present invention in its operating state, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram thereof.

The continuous automatic analyzer (1) using this test piece has an automatic test piece supply mechanism (4) surrounding the automatic test piece operation mechanism (3).
.

A sample container supply mechanism (5), a photometry mechanism (6), etc. are arranged. In addition, symbol (7) in FIG. 2 is a control unit, (
8) is an input section, and (9) is an output section.

The test piece automatic operation mechanism (3) has a test piece holder (1
1) A rotary part (15) consisting of an arm (12), an arm drive shaft (I3), and a shaft rotation motor (14) is supported by a vertical shirt (1?) and is also used for vertical drive. It is suspended by a wire (18) wound around the shaft of a motor (18) so as to be able to move up and down. In addition, a slider (16) that supports one end of the arm drive shirt (13) to prevent it from swinging is driven in the left-right direction by a wire (21) wound around the shaft of the left-right drive motor (2).This slider (16) is supported by the left and right drive shaft (22), and the whole is incorporated in the frame (23).

In addition, the test piece holder (11) of this example has a release (24).
It is a scissor mechanism (beak mechanism) that opens and closes by pushing and pulling the release (24).
), but you can also use an air cylinder.
Alternatively, the scissor mechanism may be opened and closed directly using a solenoid or an air cylinder. Further, instead of the scissor mechanism, a method of directly holding the device by air suction may be adopted. Among these, the release type is desirable because it is lightweight and strong. These releases and air pipes may be floating in other spaces passing through the arm (12). Furthermore, each of the motors (14) and (1
For 8) and (2o), a pulse motor is preferable for accurate positioning.

However, the test piece automatic operation mechanism (3) is not limited to the one shown in the figure; the arm (■2) may be connected to a motor, wire, screw,
Any structure can be used as long as it uses a cylinder or the like to move vertically, horizontally, and rotate as described later.

Next, the test piece automatic feeding mechanism (4) feeds the test pieces (2) one by one, and various structures can be considered.

In this example, the hopper (2G) into which the test piece is loaded has a bottom (28) with a test piece insertion groove (27) and two inner wall surfaces (29a) and (30a) parallel to the groove (27).
A slide base type is used in which the test piece insertion groove (27) is moved out of the hopper by sliding the bottom part (28) and has wall parts (29) and (30) including walls (29) and (30).

In addition, Fig. 4(a), (bl shows the details,
The bottom (28) is connected to the bottom (31) and the pinion gear (32).
) to the inner wall surface (29a) by the motor (33).
- While being moved left and right between (30a) (Fig. 4 (between bl) and ■), one of the test pieces (2) placed in the hopper (26) It fits into the groove (27) at the position marked ■.The detector (34)... is inserted into the groove (
27) When the test piece (2) inside is detected, the bottom part (28) moves further outward and the groove (27) stops at the test piece (2) removal position ■ (state shown in Figure 1). . In addition, the test piece (
2) is inserted face down into the groove (27), the detector (34) detects this and advances the bottom (28) further (position ■ of the groove (37)), and the reversing mechanism Lever (35)
Invert the test piece (2) toward the wall (29) and extrude it. Then, when the bottom part (28) is going backwards, fit it into the groove (27) at the lower end of the outer wall surface of the wall part, check again whether it is facing the surface at the position (■), and if it is correct, reverse it and move it to the position (■). Stop.

Here, the detector (3◇) is a light sensor such as a transmission type photointerrupter for detecting the presence or absence of the test piece (2), a reflection type photointerrupter for determining front and back sides, etc. 1 (II or used in appropriate combination, but other For example, a proximity sensor may be used to detect the height of the groove (37) to determine the presence or absence of the test piece (2) and whether it is front or back.Furthermore, the reagent surface (
A plurality of detectors (34) corresponding to each of 2A) are installed to determine the type of test piece and check for damage to the test piece, and to remove other types or defective items from the system. Good too.

Incidentally, the reversing mechanism may be omitted and the test piece holder (11) may be turned upside down when the test piece (2) is upside down; this ejection mechanism (4) also fixes the bottom part (28). Various modifications are possible, such as making the wall movable.

Alternatively, a cassette-type automatic test piece supply mechanism (4) can also be used. Figure 5 shows an example of this, in which a large number of test specimens (2) packed in a cassette (4) are pushed out one by one from the bottom with a slider (47), placed in the take-out position, and checked with a detector (48). Keep it.And,
At this position, the specimen is taken out by the specimen holder (11).

By the way, although the sample container supply mechanism (5) and the photometry mechanism (6) in this example incorporate conventionally known ones, various other modifications can be considered.The sample container supply mechanism (5) in this example is of a turntable type, and the sample turntable (3G) is provided with a number of ports (38) on its circumference for receiving sample containers (37), and a motor (3G).
38), it is rotated in forward and reverse directions. If this sample turntable (3G) is made detachable so that it can be replaced sequentially, a large amount of samples can be processed efficiently. On the other hand, the photometric mechanism (6) includes a photometric section (40) and a photometric section (40).
), the reaction turntable (41) serves as a support for guiding the test piece (2)...
1) is provided with a plurality of radial grooves (42) as test piece mounting locations, and is intermittently rotated in a fixed direction by a motor (43). The photometering section (4) is placed above a certain position where the groove (42) stops.The photometering section (40)
4) and a tension mechanism (45) for moving the test piece (2).

Next, the measurement operation by the above example device (1) will be explained.

First, the arm (I2) of the automatic test piece operation mechanism (3) moves outward (leftward in the figure) by the rotation of the motor (20), and at the same time, the rotating part (15) descends by the rotation of the motor (18). The test piece holder (11) is equipped with a test piece automatic supply mechanism (
4) Come to the test piece (2) take-out position (A). At this time, the test piece holder (11) is open and closed after holding the grip part of the test piece (2) in its mouth. Next, each motor (18) (
20) rotates in the reverse direction, and then the shaft rotation motor (14
) rotates, and the test piece holder (11) comes to the test piece immersion position (B). The test piece holder (11) is lowered as it is, and the reagent surface (28) is immersed in the test liquid for a predetermined time.

Next, the motor (18) rotates to pull up the test piece (2), and then the motors (18) and (10) rotate to move the test piece holder (11) into the turntable groove (42) of the photometry mechanism (6).
) to position (C), and here the test piece (2) is released and placed in the groove (42). The test piece (2) is sent to the photometry section (4) as the turntable (41) rotates and is measured.The test piece holder (11) then returns to position A and repeats the same operation. .

The operations of these mechanisms (3), (4), (5), and (6) are respectively controlled by a microcomputer in a control section (7). This microcomputer also calculates the concentration of each test substance from the reflectance and displays the results on the display section (48
). Also, the symbols in Figure 2 (5 is a printer,
(51) is an external output, and (52) is a keyboard.

Next, we will explain the liquid level detection mechanism (l).
Since the test piece (2) is automatically inserted into the sample container (37), if there is not enough sample liquid, the reagent surface (two people) will not be immersed, and if there is too much, the immersion time will be longer and accurate measurement will not be possible. Therefore, the liquid level is detected in advance before immersion in order to adjust the degree of insertion of the test piece (2) or to warn of a shortage of the test liquid. This liquid level detection is carried out by a long and short two
This is done using book electrodes (54) and (55). Note that the nozzle arm (53) is driven by a nozzle motor (56), and each electrode (54) and (55) is cleaned in a cleaning tank (57) after each measurement. The longer electrode (54) also serves as a suction nozzle, and the sample liquid sucked from here is transferred to the specific gravity unit (
58), the specific gravity is measured. However, if suction is performed prior to immersing the test piece (2), the liquid level will drop, so it is possible to predict this amount in advance, or to detect the liquid level first, then immerse it, and then perform suction afterwards. These operations are preferably performed by controlling the rotation of the turntable (No. 3).The liquid level may also be detected by an optical sensor using reflected light.

As described in detail above, the present invention holds and lifts the gripping portions of the test strips supplied one by one from the supply device, and inserts the reagent side of the test strip into the sample liquid in the sample containers that are sequentially fed. This is a continuous automatic analysis method and apparatus using a test piece, in which the lifted test piece is set on a test piece support table after being immersed in the test piece for a predetermined time, and then photometry is performed on the drug surface for a predetermined time. Therefore, the test piece was taken out using a Dipand Read type test piece.

Since immersion in the test liquid, photometry, calculation, disposal, etc. can all be performed automatically, the burden on the operator is greatly reduced compared to the conventional method where the dipping step is left to the human hands. Since the immersion time and the time from immersion to the start of measurement do not vary, measurement errors do not occur, and the operator only needs to inject the test liquid into the sample container, resulting in labor savings. Further, without using a special test piece for an automatic analyzer, a test piece that can be used for visual inspection can be used as is in this continuous automatic analyzer, which is highly versatile.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram thereof, Fig. 3 is a side view of a test piece, and Fig. 4 (a
1 is a perspective view showing an automatic test strip supply mechanism; FIG. 5B is a partial vertical cross-sectional view, and FIG. 1... Continuous automatic analyzer 2... Test piece 2A... Reagent surface 2B... Gripping part 3... Test piece automatic operation mechanism 4... Test piece automatic supply mechanism 5... Sample container Supply mechanism 6...Photometry mechanism 7...Control unit 10...Liquid level detection mechanism 11 Test piece holder 12...Arm 13...Arm drive shaft 14...Shaft rotation motor 17. ... Shaft 18 ... Vertical drive motor 20 ... Left and right drive motor 22 ... Left and right drive shaft 24 ... Release 25 ... Solenoid 26 ... Hopper 27 ... Test piece insertion groove 2nd...Bottom 29...Wall surface 29a...Inner wall surface 30...Wall surface 30a...Inner wall surface 34...Detector 35...Lever 36 of the reversing mechanism...Sample turntable 40 ... Photometry section (6) 41 ... Reaction turntable (6) 44 ... Optical system 46 ... Cassette 53 ... Nozzle arm 54 ... Long electrode (suction nozzle) 55 ...・Short electrode 56... Nozzle motor 58... Specific gravity unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Take out the test pieces one by one from the test piece automatic supply mechanism, hold the test pieces by the test piece automatic operation mechanism, transfer them to the upper part of the sample containers that are sent sequentially, and remove the test pieces one by one from the test piece automatic supply mechanism. It is immersed in the test liquid in the container, pulled up after a predetermined time, transferred to the upper part of the test piece holder, then set on the test piece holder, released from holding the test piece, and after a predetermined time, the reagent surface is automatically removed. A continuous automatic analysis method using a test piece characterized by photometry. 2. A continuous automatic analysis method using a test piece according to claim 1, wherein the test piece is held by a scissor mechanism at the tip of the drive arm. 3. Prior to immersion of the reagent surface, the height of the sample liquid level in the sample container is measured, and the insertion depth of the test piece is determined according to the measured height. Continuous automatic analysis method using the test piece described in Section 1. 4. A test characterized by comprising an automatic test piece supply mechanism and an automatic test piece operation mechanism that holds the test piece taken out from the mechanism, immerses it in the test liquid, and sets it on a test piece support stand. Continuous automatic analyzer using pieces. 5. The automatic test piece supply mechanism, sample container supply mechanism, and photometry mechanism are arranged around the automatic test piece operation mechanism, which has a test piece holder at the tip of the arm that is driven horizontally, vertically, and rotationally by the rotation of the motor. , and controls the rotation of the motor so that the test piece holder sequentially moves to the test piece take-out position of the test piece automatic supply mechanism, the test piece immersion position of the sample container supply mechanism, and the test piece placement position of the support stand of the photometry mechanism. In addition, a control unit that controls driving of an automatic test piece operation mechanism, a drive of a sample container supply mechanism, a support stand of a photometry mechanism and a photometry unit, and an operation unit that inputs and outputs input and output from the control unit. Fourth
Continuous automatic analyzer using the test piece described in Section 1. 6. In the automatic test piece feeding mechanism, the hopper into which the test piece is fed has a bottom part with a test piece insertion groove and a wall part including two inner wall surfaces parallel to the groove, and the bottom part is slid to open the test piece insertion groove. A continuous automatic analyzer using the test piece according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the test piece is moved out of the hopper. 7. A continuous automatic analyzer using the test piece according to claim 4 or 5, which is provided with a liquid level detection mechanism on the side of the sample container supply mechanism. 8. A continuous automatic analyzer using the test piece according to claim 7, wherein the liquid level detection mechanism comprises two electrodes and an electrode drive motor. 9. A continuous automatic analyzer using the test piece according to claim 8, wherein one of the electrodes is a suction nozzle.