JP2014190784A - Autoanalyzer and reaction container cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an autoanalyzer having excellent cleaning effects for stains on a reaction container.SOLUTION: A autoanalyzer analyzes the components of a reaction solution obtained by dispensing a sample and a reagent to a reaction container. The autoanalyzer comprises a cleaning section that cleans the reaction container using ozone water after the analysis, and decomposes ozone water in the reaction container.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to an automatic analyzer and a method for cleaning a reaction vessel.

  The automatic analyzer is a device that generates a reaction solution by dispensing a sample and a reagent into a reaction vessel and analyzes its components.

  In general automatic analyzers, components such as proteins, inflammation markers, nitrogen compounds, enzymes, carbohydrates, lipids, electrolytes, gases, drugs, hormones, and tumor markers in biological samples such as blood and urine are automatically analyzed. Be analyzed. In a reaction container into which a biological sample, a reagent, or both are injected, the components of the reaction solution are analyzed, and then the reaction solution as a waste liquid is discharged and automatically washed. The automatically cleaned reaction vessel is used repeatedly.

  Conventionally, in this repeated use, there is a problem that dirt such as protein in blood, protein such as lipid or enzyme in a reagent is adsorbed to a reaction container, and the dirt accumulates every time it is used.

  In response to this problem, development of an alkaline cleaning agent mainly composed of a nonionic surfactant has been promoted, and an improvement in the cleaning effect against the adsorption of dirt on the reaction vessel has been attempted. There is also an automatic analyzer that performs cleaning by stirring the cleaning liquid in the reaction vessel using ultrasonic waves.

JP 2003-83989 A

  However, in recent years, there has been a demand for measurement of trace substances such as measurement of trace protein (μTP) in urine, and the above-described technique has achieved a cleaning effect that can measure trace substances in a reaction container after washing. Therefore, there is a problem that the measurement is adversely affected. In addition, in the case of using a latex-based reagent, when an alkali cleaning agent is used, the latex is adsorbed in the reaction container, which adversely affects the measurement.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer having a good cleaning effect on the contamination of the reaction vessel.

  The automatic analyzer according to the embodiment analyzes components of a reaction solution obtained by dispensing a sample and a reagent into a reaction container. The automatic analyzer includes a cleaning unit that cleans the reaction container using ozone water after the analysis and decomposes the ozone water in the reaction container.

The top view of the automatic analyzer which concerns on embodiment. The conceptual diagram of the automatic analyzer which concerns on embodiment. The functional block diagram of the automatic analyzer which concerns on embodiment. The functional block diagram of the automatic analyzer which concerns on embodiment. The flowchart showing the operation example of the automatic analyzer which concerns on embodiment. The schematic diagram showing the structure of the automatic analyzer which concerns on embodiment. The schematic diagram showing the structure of the automatic analyzer which concerns on embodiment. The schematic diagram showing the structure of the conventional automatic analyzer.

  An automatic analyzer according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Constitution]
With reference to FIGS. 1-3, the structural example of the automatic analyzer 1 which concerns on embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a plan view of the automatic analyzer 1, FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the automatic analyzer 1, and FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the automatic analyzer 1.

  The automatic analyzer 1 includes a sample unit 10, a reagent unit 20, a reaction unit 30, a measurement unit 40, a cleaning unit 50, and a control unit 60.

(Sample part)
The sample unit 10 includes a sample rack 100, a sample container 101, and a sample probe 102. The sample rack 100 is a cylindrical fixture, and stores a plurality of sample containers 101 side by side in the circumferential direction thereof. The sample rack 100 rotates in the circumferential direction in response to an instruction from the control unit 60, thereby sequentially moving the plurality of sample containers 101 to the suction position PI1. The sample container 101 stores a sample.

  Upon receiving an instruction from the control unit 60, the sample probe 102 revolves in both directions between the suction position PI1 and the discharge position PO1, and rises and falls between a predetermined position and a work position. Accordingly, the sample probe 102 moves to the suction position PI1, descends from the predetermined position to the working position, and sucks the sample from the sample container 101 moved to the suction position PI1. Thereafter, the sample probe 102 rises from the working position to a predetermined position, moves to the discharge position PO1, and discharges the sucked sample to the reaction container 301 moved to the discharge position PO1.

(Reagent part)
The reagent unit 20 includes a reagent rack 200, a reagent container 201, and a reagent probe 202. The reagent rack 200 is a cylindrical fixture, and stores a plurality of reagent containers 201 side by side in the circumferential direction. The reagent rack 200 rotates in the circumferential direction in response to an instruction from the control unit 60, thereby sequentially moving the plurality of reagent containers 201 to the suction position PI2. The reagent container 201 contains a reagent that selectively reacts with a specific component contained in the sample.

  Reagent probe 202 receives an instruction from control unit 60, revolves in both directions between suction position PI2 and discharge position PO2, and rises and falls between a predetermined position and a work position. Accordingly, the reagent probe 202 moves to the suction position PI2, descends from the predetermined position to the work position, and sucks the sample from the reagent container 201 moved to the suction position PI2. Thereafter, the reagent probe 202 rises from the working position to a predetermined position, moves to the discharge position PO2, and discharges the sucked sample to the reaction container 301 moved to the discharge position PO2.

[Reaction part]
The reaction unit 30 includes a reaction rack 300 and a reaction vessel 301. The reaction rack 300 is a cylindrical fixture, and accommodates a plurality of reaction vessels 301 side by side in the circumferential direction thereof. The reaction rack 300 rotates in the circumferential direction in response to an instruction from the controller 60, thereby sequentially moving the plurality of reaction containers 301 to the discharge position PO1 and the discharge position PO2. The reaction rack 300 moves the reaction container 301 into which the sample and the reagent are dispensed to the measurement position PM. While the reaction container 301 moves from the discharge position PO2 to the measurement position PM, the sample and the reagent in the reaction container 301 are stirred by a stirrer (not shown). Thereby, a reaction solution is produced.

(Measurement part)
The measuring unit 40 includes a photometric unit 400. The photometric unit 400 receives an instruction from the control unit 60, irradiates the stirred reaction solution with light, and measures the absorbance at a preset wavelength based on the transmitted light. The reaction rack 300 moves the reaction container 301 from the measurement position PM to the cleaning position PW1.

[Washing part]
A functional block diagram of the cleaning unit 50 is shown in FIG. The cleaning unit 50 cleans the reaction vessel 301 using ozone water and decomposes ozone water (that is, residual ozone water) in the reaction vessel 301. The cleaning unit 50 includes an ozone water cleaning unit 500, an ozone water processing unit 510, an acidic detergent cleaning unit 520, and a pure water cleaning unit 530. The ozone water cleaning unit 500 cleans the reaction vessel 301 using ozone water. The ozone water cleaning unit 500 includes a water tank 501, an ozone generator 502, and an ozone water cleaning nozzle 503. The water tank 501 contains pure water, and the pure water is supplied to the ozone generator 502 by a pump 540. The ozone generator 502 generates the supplied pure water into ozone water. The ozone water is supplied to the ozone water cleaning nozzle 503 by the pump 540.

  The ozone water cleaning nozzle 503 includes a waste liquid suction nozzle 5031 and an ozone water discharge nozzle 5032. The waste liquid suction nozzle 5031 sucks the waste liquid in the reaction vessel 301 moved to the cleaning position PW1. The ozone water discharge nozzle 5032 discharges ozone water into the reaction vessel 301. Thereby, the reaction vessel 301 is washed with ozone water. The reaction rack 300 moves the reaction container 301 from the cleaning position PW1 to the cleaning position PW2. Here, the “waste liquid” refers to a reaction solution after measuring absorbance, or a liquid present in the reaction container 301 after washing the reaction container 301.

  The ozone water treatment unit 510 cleans the reaction vessel 301 using a cleaning agent other than ozone water after cleaning using ozone water. In this embodiment, the ozone water treatment unit 510 performs both decomposition and cleaning of ozone water by using an alkaline detergent as the cleaning agent. The ozone water treatment unit 510 includes an ozone water treatment agent tank 511 and an ozone water treatment nozzle 512. The ozone water treatment agent tank 511 contains an alkaline cleaning liquid mainly composed of an alkaline detergent. The alkaline cleaning liquid is supplied to the ozone water treatment nozzle 512 by a pump 540.

  The ozone water treatment nozzle 512 includes a suction nozzle 5121 and a discharge nozzle 5122. The suction nozzle 5121 sucks the waste liquid in the reaction container 301 moved to the cleaning position PW2, and the discharge nozzle 5122 discharges the alkaline cleaning liquid to the reaction container 301. Ozone water remaining in the reaction vessel 301 is decomposed by the alkaline cleaning liquid. Further, the reaction vessel 301 is cleaned with an alkaline cleaning solution. The reaction rack 300 moves the reaction container 301 from the cleaning position PW2 to the cleaning position PW3.

  The acidic detergent cleaning unit 520 neutralizes the alkaline cleaning liquid remaining in the reaction vessel 301 and cleans the reaction vessel 301. The acidic detergent cleaning unit 520 includes an acidic detergent tank 521 and an acidic detergent cleaning nozzle 522. The acidic detergent tank 521 contains an acidic cleaning liquid whose main component is an acidic detergent. The acidic cleaning liquid is supplied to the acidic detergent cleaning nozzle 522 by the pump 540.

  The acidic detergent cleaning nozzle 522 includes a suction nozzle 5221 and a discharge nozzle 5222. The suction nozzle 5221 sucks the waste liquid of the reaction container 301 moved to the cleaning position PW3, and the discharge nozzle 5222 discharges the acidic cleaning liquid to the reaction container 301. As a result, the alkaline cleaning solution remaining in the reaction vessel 301 is neutralized, and the reaction vessel 301 is further washed with the acidic cleaning solution. The reaction rack 300 moves the reaction container 301 from the cleaning position PW3 to the cleaning position PW4.

  The pure water cleaning unit 530 rinses and cleans the reaction vessel 301. The pure water cleaning unit 530 includes a pure water tank 531 and a pure water cleaning nozzle 532. The pure water tank 531 stores pure water. Pure water is supplied to the pure water cleaning nozzle 532 by the pump 540.

  The pure water cleaning nozzle 532 includes a suction nozzle 5321 and a discharge nozzle 5322. The suction nozzle 5321 sucks the waste liquid in the reaction container 301 moved to the cleaning position PW4, and the discharge nozzle 5322 discharges pure water into the reaction container 301. Thereby, the reaction vessel 301 is rinsed and washed. The reaction vessel 301 is dried by a drying unit (not shown) and reused.

[Operation]
The cleaning of the reaction vessel 301 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

(S01: ozone water cleaning)
The control unit 60 controls the pump 540 to suck the waste liquid in the reaction vessel 301 moved to the cleaning position PW1 and discharge ozone water into the reaction vessel 301. That is, waste liquid is sucked through the waste liquid suction nozzle 5031, and ozone water is discharged through the ozone water discharge nozzle 5032. Thereby, the reaction vessel 301 is washed with ozone water. Then, the control unit 60 controls the reaction rack 300 to move the reaction container 301 from the cleaning position PW1 to the cleaning position PW2.

(S02: Ozone water treatment)
The control unit 60 controls the pump 540 to suck the waste liquid in the reaction container 301 moved to the cleaning position PW2, and discharge the alkaline cleaning liquid into the reaction container 301. That is, the waste liquid is sucked through the suction nozzle 5121, and the alkaline cleaning liquid is discharged through the discharge nozzle 5122. As a result, the ozone water remaining in the reaction vessel 301 is decomposed, and the reaction vessel 301 is further washed with an alkaline cleaning solution. Then, the control unit 60 controls the reaction rack 300 to move the reaction container 301 from the cleaning position PW2 to the cleaning position PW3.

(S03: Acid cleaning)
The control unit 60 controls the pump 540 to suck the waste liquid in the reaction container 301 moved to the cleaning position PW3 and discharge the acidic cleaning liquid into the reaction container 301. That is, the waste liquid is sucked through the suction nozzle 5221, and the acidic cleaning liquid is discharged through the discharge nozzle 5222. As a result, the alkaline cleaning solution remaining in the reaction vessel 301 is neutralized, and the reaction vessel 301 is further washed with an acidic cleaning solution. Then, the control unit 60 controls the reaction rack 300 to move the reaction container 301 from the cleaning position PW3 to the cleaning position PW4.

(S04: Rinsing cleaning)
The control unit 60 controls the pump 540 to suck the waste liquid in the reaction vessel 301 moved to the cleaning position PW4 and discharge pure water into the reaction vessel 301. That is, the waste liquid is sucked through the suction nozzle 5321 and the pure water is discharged through the discharge nozzle 5322. Thereby, the reaction vessel 301 is rinsed and washed.

(S05: Dry)
The control unit 60 controls a drying unit (not shown) to cause the waste liquid in the reaction vessel 301 to be sucked and dried. This completes the operation shown in FIG.

[effect]
The automatic analyzer 1 according to the embodiment described above includes the cleaning unit 50 that cleans the reaction vessel 301 using ozone water and further decomposes the ozone water. Thereby, the stain | pollution | contamination of the reaction container 301 can be wash | cleaned suitably with the cleaning power of ozone water, and also ozone water can be decomposed | disassembled in a short time. Therefore, it is possible to provide the automatic analyzer 1 that has a good cleaning effect on the contamination of the reaction vessel 301.

Further, after the cleaning unit 50 cleans the reaction container 301 with a cleaning agent other than ozone water after cleaning with ozone water, it is possible to further improve the cleaning effect on the contamination of the reaction container 301. .

  Further, by using an alkaline detergent as a cleaning agent other than ozone water, it is possible to perform both decomposition of ozone water and cleaning of the reaction vessel 301. As a result, it is possible to further improve the cleaning effect on the contamination of the reaction vessel 301 without increasing the number of cleaning steps.

<First Modification>
The automatic analyzer according to the first modification includes means for preventing scattering of ozone water during cleaning using ozone water.

[Constitution]
FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of the ozone water cleaning nozzle 503 of the first modification. The ozone water cleaning nozzle 503 includes a shielding member 5033. The shielding member 5033 has a lid-like configuration, and shields the opening of the reaction vessel 301 when cleaning with ozone water. This prevents the ozone water from jumping from the inside of the reaction vessel 301 to the outside. The shielding member 5033 does not necessarily need to be configured to completely shield the opening of the reaction vessel 301, and may be shielded to at least prevent the ozone water from jumping.

[effect]
In this way, by providing the ozone water cleaning nozzle 503 with the shielding member 5033 that shields the opening of the reaction vessel 301 during cleaning using ozone water, the ozone water can jump out from the inside of the reaction vessel 301. Can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to provide an automatic analyzer that can be easily maintained without attaching ozone water to surrounding members such as the reaction rack 300.

<Second Modification>
Before describing the configuration of the second modification, the configuration of a general cleaning nozzle 703 will be described with reference to FIG. The cleaning nozzle 703 sucks the waste liquid in the reaction vessel 301 and discharges the cleaning liquid. The cleaning nozzle 703 includes a suction nozzle 7031 and a discharge nozzle 7032. The suction nozzle 7031 and the discharge nozzle 7032 are formed in a concentric cylinder shape. The outer diameter of the suction nozzle 7031 is formed smaller than the inner diameter of the discharge nozzle 7032. The tip of the suction nozzle 7031 is formed to be closer to the bottom of the reaction vessel 301 than the tip of the discharge nozzle 7032.

  The suction nozzle 7031 sucks the waste liquid in the reaction vessel 301. The discharge nozzle 7032 discharges the cleaning liquid. During this discharge, the cleaning liquid is mainly discharged in the discharge direction W0. The purpose of discharging the cleaning liquid in the discharge direction W0 is to suitably clean the reaction container 301 by dissolving dirt adhering to the inner wall of the side surface of the reaction container 301 in the cleaning liquid. For this purpose, the cleaning nozzle 703 is formed in the above-mentioned concentric cylinder shape.

  On the other hand, the second modification includes an ozone water cleaning nozzle 503 formed in a simpler shape than a general cleaning nozzle 703.

[Constitution]
FIG. 7 shows a configuration of an ozone water cleaning nozzle 503 of the second modification. The ozone water cleaning nozzle 503 includes an ozone water discharge nozzle 5032 and a waste liquid suction nozzle 5031. The ozone water discharge nozzle 5032 and the waste liquid suction nozzle 5031 are formed as separate bodies as shown in FIG.

  The waste liquid suction nozzle 5031 sucks the waste liquid in the reaction vessel 301. The ozone water discharge nozzle 5032 discharges ozone water into the reaction vessel 301. At this time, ozone water is mainly discharged in the discharge direction W1. Thus, the reaction vessel 301 can be sufficiently washed with a suitable detergency of ozone water without discharging the washing liquid in the direction toward the inner wall of the side surface of the reaction vessel 301 unlike the general washing nozzle 703. it can.

[effect]
Thus, by forming the ozone water discharge nozzle 5032 and the waste liquid suction nozzle 5031 as separate bodies, it is possible to discharge the ozone water in the discharge direction W1 and clean the reaction vessel 301 suitably. Thereby, the ozone water cleaning nozzle 503 can be formed in a simpler shape than the conventional cleaning nozzle 703. Therefore, it is possible to provide an automatic analyzer with reduced equipment costs.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic analyzer 10 Sample part 20 Reagent part 30 Reaction part 40 Measurement part 50 Washing part 60 Control part 100 Sample rack 101 Sample container 102 Sample probe 200 Reagent rack 201 Reagent container 202 Reagent probe 300 Reaction rack 301 Reaction container 400 Photometry unit 500 Ozone water cleaning unit 510 Ozone water processing unit 520 Acid detergent cleaning unit 530 Pure water cleaning unit 501 Water tank 502 Ozone generator 503 Ozone water cleaning nozzle 5031 Waste liquid suction nozzle 5032 Ozone water discharge nozzle 5033 Shielding member 511 Ozone water treatment agent tank 512 Ozone water treatment nozzle 5121 Suction nozzle 5122 Discharge nozzle 521 Acid detergent tank 522 Acid detergent wash nozzle 5221 Suction nozzle 5222 Discharge nozzle 531 Pure water tank 532 Pure water wash nozzle 321 Suction nozzle 5322 Discharge nozzle 540 Pump 703 Cleaning nozzle 7031 Suction nozzle 7032 Discharge nozzle PI1 Suction position PI2 Suction position PO1 Discharge position PO2 Discharge position PM Measurement position PW1 Wash position PW2 Wash position PW3 Wash position PW4 Wash position W1 Discharge direction W1 direction

Claims (8)

In an automatic analyzer that analyzes components of a reaction solution obtained by dispensing a sample and a reagent into a reaction vessel,
An automatic analyzer comprising a cleaning unit that cleans the reaction container using ozone water after the analysis and decomposes the ozone water in the reaction container.   The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit cleans the reaction container using a cleaning agent other than ozone water after cleaning using the ozone water.   The automatic analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning unit performs both decomposition of the ozone water and cleaning using the cleaning agent by using an alkaline detergent as the cleaning agent.   The automatic analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a shielding member that shields the opening of the reaction container when the washing unit is washed with the ozone water. The cleaning unit is
An ozone water discharge nozzle for discharging the ozone water into the reaction vessel;
The automatic analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a waste liquid suction nozzle that is formed separately from the ozone water discharge nozzle and sucks waste liquid from the reaction container. In the method for washing the reaction container after the analysis in the automatic analyzer for analyzing the components of the reaction solution obtained by dispensing the sample and the reagent into the reaction container,
Washing the reaction vessel with ozone water;
Decomposing the ozone water in the reaction vessel.   The cleaning method according to claim 6, wherein a step of cleaning the reaction vessel using a cleaning agent other than ozone water is performed after the step of cleaning using the ozone water.   The cleaning method according to claim 7, wherein both the step of decomposing the ozone water and the step of cleaning using the cleaning agent are performed by using an alkaline detergent as the cleaning agent.

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