Pressure control system for automatic analyzer

Abstract

Provided are a pressure control system and a pressure control method with which it is possible to automatically adjust supply pressure of washing water without requiring a cumbersome work for adjusting and setting a target pressure value. A pressure control system of an automatic analyzer 100 comprises: probes 6, 7 that dispense liquid into liquid containers 5, 24; a first pump 2 that supplies washing water to the probes 6, 7 via flow paths 17-20; a second pump 3 that is provided between flow paths 17, 18 connecting the first pump 2 and the probes 6, 7 and supplies the washing water supplied from the first pump 2 to the probes 6, 7; a pressure sensor 21 that is provided in the flow paths 18-20 between the second pump 3 and the probes 6, 7 and measures the pressure in the flow paths 18-20; and an adjustment unit 11 that adjusts at least discharge pressure of the first pump 2 on the basis of the value of the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 21.

Description

Pressure Control System of Automatic Analyzer

[0001] The present invention relates to a pressure control system of an automatic analyzer for quantitative and qualitative analysis of biological samples such as blood and urine.

[0002] In the field of clinical examinations, in order to examine samples such as patients' blood and urine in large quantities and quickly, an automatic analyzer that automatically analyzes the presence or absence and amount of specific components in the sample is used.

[0003] The automatic analyzer includes a dispensing mechanism that aspirates a specified amount of a sample or reagent and discharges it into a reaction vessel, and an analysis mechanism that analyzes the reaction solution of the sample and the reagent.

[0004] The dispensing mechanism is composed of a probe that is inserted into a liquid such as a sample or reagent and aspirates and discharges the liquid, a pump that supplies the liquid to the probe, and a flow path that connects between the probe and the pump and supplies the liquid from the pump to the probe. The dispensing mechanism inserts the probe into the liquid in the sample container or reagent container, operates the syringe to aspirate a specified amount of the liquid, moves the probe to the reaction vessel, and discharges it, thereby dispensing a specified amount of the liquid.

[0005] In order to dispense a specified amount of liquid, it is necessary to adjust the pressure in the flow path inside the probe to an appropriate range.

[0006] For example, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, the pressure in the flow path of the syringe is detected by a pressure sensor, and the operation of the water supply pump is controlled.

[0007] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-89232

[0008] In an automatic analyzer, there are a sample probe and a reagent probe in the probe. Since various samples and reagents are used, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the inside of the probe. For this reason, a technique is known in which washing water is sent at high pressure into the probe and the inside of the probe is washed at high pressure using a gear pump connected downstream of the water supply pump in addition to the water supply pump.

[0009] When using such a water supply pump and gear pump, it is necessary to adjust the pressure in the flow path within the probe to an appropriate range. Therefore, a pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure in the flow path and adjust the discharge pressure of the pump accordingly.

[0010] Patent Document 1 describes a technique in which a water supply pump is connected to a probe via a syringe and a flow path, the pressure in the probe is detected by a pressure sensor, and the pump is controlled by a control unit.

[0011] However, while Patent Document 1 shows a water supply pump, it does not show a gear pump, so the placement of the pressure sensor is not shown when using either a water supply pump or a gear pump.

[0012] Generally, when using both a water supply pump and a gear pump, it is conceivable to place a pressure sensor in the flow path near either the water supply pump or the gear pump, and control the pump using the detected pressure value.

[0013] However, because the flow path length from the pump to the probe differs depending on the model of the automated analyzer, the target pressure value must be adjusted and readjusted for each model.

[0014] Therefore, the process of adjusting and setting the target pressure value was complicated and required a significant amount of time.

[0015] The object of the present invention is to provide a pressure control system and a pressure control method that can automatically adjust the supply pressure of washing water in an automatic analyzer using multiple pumps to supply washing water, without requiring complicated adjustment and setting of target pressure values.

[0016] To achieve the above objective, the present invention is configured as follows.

[0017] The pressure control system of the automated analyzer comprises a probe for dispensing liquid into a liquid container, a first pump for supplying washing water to the probe via a flow path, a second pump provided between the first pump and the flow path connecting the first pump and the probe for supplying the washing water supplied from the first pump to the probe, a pressure sensor provided in the flow path between the second pump and the probe for measuring the pressure in the flow path, and an adjustment unit that adjusts at least the discharge pressure of the first pump based on the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor.

[0018] Furthermore, in a pressure control method for an automatic analyzer comprising a probe for dispensing liquid into a liquid container, a first pump for supplying washing water to the probe via a flow path, and a second pump provided between the flow path connecting the first pump and the probe for supplying the washing water supplied from the first pump to the probe, the pressure in the flow path between the second pump and the probe is measured, and the discharge pressure of at least the first pump is adjusted based on the measured pressure value.

[0019] According to the present invention, a pressure control system and a pressure control method can be provided for an automatic analyzer that uses multiple pumps to supply wash water, which can automatically adjust the supply pressure of the wash water.

[0020] Other issues, configurations, and effects will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

[0021] A schematic diagram of the overall configuration of an automatic analyzer to which the pressure control system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. A diagram illustrating the operation of the discharge pressure control according to an embodiment of the present invention. A conceptual diagram of the discharge pressure adjustment operation. A time chart of the pressure adjustment operation for the first judgment (emergency automatic adjustment mode). A time chart of the pressure adjustment operation for the second judgment (normal automatic adjustment mode). A flowchart of the pressure value determination performed before the analysis operation. A diagram illustrating the pressure range. A flowchart of the pressure adjustment operation during maintenance when the automatic analyzer is started up. A flowchart of the pressure adjustment operation during the analysis operation of the automatic analyzer.

[0022] An embodiment of the specimen transport device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0023] In the following embodiments, the components (including element steps, etc.) are not necessarily essential unless specifically indicated or considered fundamentally essential. Furthermore, in the drawings used herein, identical or corresponding components are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and repeated explanations of these components may be omitted.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of an automatic analyzer 100 to which an embodiment of the pressure control system of the present invention is applied.

[0025] In Figure 1, the water supply tank 23 is connected to the water supply pump 2 via the water supply channel 16. The water supply pump (first pump) 2 is connected to the gear pump 3 via the first channel 17, and also to the washing tanks 9 and 10. The gear pump (second pump) 3 is connected to the sample probe 6 via the second channel 18 and the third channel 19. The gear pump 3 is also connected to the reagent probe 7 via the second channel 18 and the fourth channel 20.

[0026] In the embodiment of the present invention, the discharge pressure of the first pump, the water supply pump 2, is smaller than the discharge pressure of the second pump, the gear pump 3. For example, the discharge pressure of the gear pump 3 can be set to 4 to 5 times the discharge pressure of the water supply pump 2.

[0027] The second channel 18 branches into a third channel 19 and a fourth channel 20, but a pressure sensor 21 is located in the second channel 18 upstream of the branching point into the third channel 19 and the fourth channel 20.

[0028] The sample probe 6 aspirates the sample contained in the sample container 5 placed on the sample container holder 4 and discharges it into the reaction vessel 24 (multiple reaction vessels 24 are arranged, but only one is shown in the illustration, and the others are omitted) placed on the reaction disk 1.

[0029] The reagent probe 7 draws in the reagent contained in the reagent container 22, which is placed on the reagent container holder 8, and discharges it into the reaction vessel 24, which is placed on the reaction disk 1.

[0030] The sample probe 6 discharges cleaning water, supplied by the gear pump 3, into the cleaning tank 9, thereby cleaning the inside of the sample probe 6. Similarly, the reagent probe 7 discharges cleaning water supplied by the gear pump 3 into the cleaning tank 10, thereby cleaning the inside of the reagent probe 7.

[0031] When the pressure value in the second flow path 18 detected by the pressure sensor 21 during the washing operation of the sample probe 6 or reagent probe performed during the analysis of a sample by the automatic analyzer 100 falls outside a predetermined range described later, the adjustment unit 11 adjusts the drive voltage of at least one of the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3 in accordance with the adjustment command from the determination unit 11 to adjust the discharge pressure of the washing water.

[0032] The control unit 12 includes a determination unit 13 and an operation control unit 14 that controls the operation of the automatic analyzer 100. The operation control unit 14 also controls the content of the messages displayed on the display unit 15.

[0033] Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the discharge pressure control of the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3. The adjustment unit 11 transmits the pressure value P from the pressure sensor 21 to the determination unit 13. Based on the received pressure value P, the determination unit 13 determines any abnormalities when aspirating and discharging the liquid from the sample probe 6 and the reagent probe 7, and transmits a pressure adjustment command C to the adjustment unit 11. The adjustment unit 11 supplies a drive voltage V1 to the water supply pump 2 according to the pressure adjustment command C. The adjustment unit 11 also supplies a drive voltage V2 to the gear pump 3 according to the pressure adjustment command C.

[0034] Based on the determination result from the determination unit 13, the operation control unit 14 displays an alarm or the like on the display unit 15 indicating an abnormality when the sample probe 6 or reagent probe 7 aspirates and discharges liquid.

[0035] Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram of the discharge pressure adjustment operation of the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3. In Figure 3, the automatic analyzer 100 is started from a shutdown state, and the maintenance process of the automatic analyzer 100 is executed. If there are no errors in the maintenance process, the maintenance process is completed.

[0036] Next, during the operation of the automatic analyzer 100, if the pressure sensor 21 detects a pressure value that indicates a first determination (that the pressure value needs to be adjusted during operation), the system enters emergency automatic adjustment mode, and the pressure value is automatically adjusted. In emergency automatic adjustment mode, the analysis operation by the automatic analyzer 100 is temporarily suspended, an appropriate idle cycle is generated, and the pressure value is automatically adjusted during the generated idle cycle. After the automatic pressure value adjustment is completed, the system returns to the operation state.

[0037] In the operation state, if there are no samples in the automated analyzer 100, it enters a mode for waiting for additional samples.

[0038] In the additional sample waiting mode, if a second determination (that pressure value adjustment is necessary during the additional sample waiting mode) is made, the system will switch to automatic pressure value adjustment mode. The automatic adjustment mode in the second determination can be executed during the reaction waiting period after dispensing the sample or reagent during operation, or after washing the sample probe 6 or reagent probe 7.

[0039] After the automatic adjustment is complete, the system returns to the sample waiting mode. Once a sample is added in the sample waiting mode, the system returns to operation mode.

[0040] During operation, when a shutdown operation is performed, the automatic analyzer 100 enters a shutdown state.

[0041] Figure 4A is a time chart of the pressure adjustment operation in the first determination (emergency automatic adjustment mode). In Figure 4A, after the cuvette is prepared and the sample and reagent are dispensed, the first determination is made and the discharge pressure of the water supply pump 2 and gear pump 3 is automatically adjusted. Then the operation is performed. That is, the sample and reagent are dispensed, and after waiting for a predetermined time for the reaction, the measurement is performed. After the measurement is performed, the sample and reagent are disposed of and the sample probe 6 and reagent probe 7 are washed.

[0042] Figure 4B is a time chart of the pressure adjustment operation in the second determination (normal automatic adjustment mode). In Figure 4B, the discharge pressures of the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3 are automatically adjusted until the preparation of the cuvette in the first half of one biochemistry cycle is completed. Thereafter, when the second determination described above is made during the period of dispensing the sample and the reagent, the reaction waiting step, the measurement step, and the disposal step, the discharge pressures of the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3 are automatically adjusted.

[0043] And the automatic adjustment by the second determination is executed until the vacant cycle ends when the preparation of the cuvette in the next biochemistry cycle is completed.

[0044] Figure 5 is a flowchart of the pressure value determination executed before the analysis operation during operation, and Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram of the pressure range.

[0045] In step S1 of Figure 5, the pressure value P detected by the pressure sensor 21 is transmitted to the determination unit 13 via the adjustment unit 11, and the determination unit 13 acquires the pressure value.

[0046] Next, in step S2, the determination unit 13 determines whether or not the acquired pressure value P is within the first pressure range (M ± a kPa), which is the specified pressure value range shown in Figure 6. M represents the ideal pressure value. If the pressure value P is not within the first pressure range, the process proceeds to step S5, and the determination unit 13 outputs an alert to the display unit 15 via the operation control unit 14. Then, the display unit 15 displays that the pressure value P is not within the first pressure range.

[0047] In step S2, if the pressure value P is within the first pressure range, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0048] In step S3, the determination unit 13 determines whether or not the acquired pressure value P is within the second pressure range (M ± b kPa), which is the specified pressure value range shown in Figure 6. If the pressure value P is not within the second pressure range, the process proceeds to step S6, and the determination unit 13 performs the first determination described above, entering the emergency automatic adjustment mode, and the discharge pressures of the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3 are automatically adjusted. Then, the determination before the dispensing operation ends, and the dispensing operation starts.

[0049] In step S3, if the pressure value P is within the second pressure range (M ± bkPa), proceed to step S4.

[0050] In step S4, the determination unit 13 determines whether the acquired pressure value P is within the third pressure range (M ± cKpa), which is the specified pressure range shown in Figure 6. If the pressure value P is not within the third pressure range, the process proceeds to step S7, where the determination unit 13 performs the second determination described above, enters automatic adjustment mode, and the discharge pressures of the water supply pump 2 and gear pump 3 are automatically adjusted. Then, the determination before the dispensing operation is completed, and the dispensing operation begins.

[0051] In step S4, if the pressure value P is within the third pressure range (M ± cKpa), the pre-dispensing operation check is completed and the dispensing operation is started.

[0052] As shown in Figure 6, the relationship between aKpa, bKpa, and cKpa is aKpa > bKpa > cKpa.

[0053] Figure 7 is a flowchart of the pressure adjustment operation during startup maintenance of the automatic analyzer 100.

[0054] In step S1a of Figure 7, the operation control unit 14 of the control unit 12 turns OFF the voltage to the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3.

[0055] Next, in step S2a, the adjustment unit 11 outputs the drive voltage for the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3 at the pressure adjustment value d.

[0056] Then, in step S3a, the adjustment unit 11 acquires the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor 21.

[0057] Next, in step S4a, the determination unit 13 determines whether the pressure value acquired by the adjustment unit 11 is within the specified range described above. If the determined pressure value is within the specified range, the pressure adjustment is completed.

[0058] In step S4a, if the determined pressure value is not within the specified range, the process proceeds to step S5a, where the adjustment unit 11 controls the adjustment command and the discharge pressure of the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3 according to the adjustment command C. At this time, the pressure adjustment is performed by PID control or the like so that the discharge pressure falls within the third pressure range described above.

[0059] Next, in step S6a, the adjustment unit 11 determines whether the adjustment control of the discharge pressure was successful. If the adjustment control was not successful, in step S8a, the operation control unit 14 outputs (displays) an alarm to the display unit 15.

[0060] If the adjustment control is successful in step S6a, the pressure adjustment value d is updated in step S7a and stored in the memory of the determination unit 13. Then the pressure adjustment is completed.

[0061] Figure 8 is a flowchart of the pressure adjustment operation during the analysis operation of the automatic analyzer 100.

[0062] In step S1b of Figure 8, the adjustment unit 11 controls the discharge pressure of the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3 according to the adjustment command C. At this time, the pressure adjustment is performed by PID control or the like so that the discharge pressure falls within the third pressure range described above.

[0063] Next, in step S2b, the adjustment unit 11 determines whether the adjustment control of the discharge pressure was successful. If the adjustment control was unsuccessful, in step S4b, the operation control unit 14 outputs (displays) an alarm to the display unit 15.

[0064] If the adjustment control is successful in step S2b, the pressure adjustment value d is updated in step S3b and stored in the memory of the determination unit 13. Then the pressure adjustment is completed.

[0065] As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, a gear pump 3 (second pump) is connected to a water supply pump 2 (first pump) via a first flow path 17, and a sample probe 6 and a reagent probe 7 are connected to the gear pump via a second flow path 18. A pressure sensor 21 for detecting the pressure in the second flow path is placed in the second flow path 18, and the discharge pressure of the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3 is adjusted by the adjustment unit 11 based on the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 21.

[0066] Therefore, in a pressure control system for an automated analyzer that uses multiple pumps to supply washing water, a pressure sensor 21 can be placed near the sample probe 6 and the reagent probe 7, providing a pressure control system and pressure control method that can automatically adjust the supply pressure of washing water without the need for complicated target pressure value adjustment settings.

[0067] Furthermore, the timing for adjusting the discharge pressure of the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3 can be set based on the analysis schedule, allowing the pressure adjustment to be automatically performed during downtime in the analysis operation of the automatic analyzer 100, thereby avoiding interruptions to the analysis operation.

[0068] Here, the operation control unit 14 creates and stores the analysis schedule for the automatic analyzer 100. If the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor 21 falls outside the first target pressure range, the operation control unit 14 modifies the analysis schedule so that, after the sample probe 7 or reagent probe is last used in the analysis schedule, the adjustment unit 11 adjusts the discharge pressure of at least one of the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3.

[0069] Furthermore, the operation control unit 14 creates and stores the analysis schedule for the automatic analyzer 100. When the pressure value from the pressure sensor 21 falls outside the second target pressure range, the operation control unit 14 modifies the analysis schedule so that the adjustment unit 11 adjusts the discharge pressure of at least one of the water supply pump 2 and gear pump 3 during a time period in the analysis schedule where the interval between the use of the sample probe 6 or reagent probe 7 and its next use is longer than the time required for the adjustment unit 11 to adjust the discharge pressure of at least one of the water supply pump 2 and gear pump 3.

[0070] Furthermore, the operation control unit 14 creates and stores the analysis schedule for the automatic analyzer 100. If the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor 21 falls outside the third pressure range, the operation control unit 14 adjusts the discharge pressure of at least one of the water supply pump 2 and the gear pump 3 by the adjustment unit 11 before starting any analyses that have not yet been started in the analysis schedule, and modifies the analysis schedule so that the analysis is started after the discharge pressure adjustment.

[0071] (Other embodiments) In the embodiments described above, the pressure sensor 21 was placed in the second flow path 18, but the pressure sensor 21 can also be placed in the third flow path 19 or the fourth flow path 20 that branch off from the second flow path 18. By doing so, the pressure sensor 21 can be placed closer to the sample probe 6 or reagent probe 7, making it possible to measure the discharge pressure of the sample probe 6 or reagent probe 7 more accurately.

[0072] Furthermore, pressure sensors 21 can be placed in both the third flow path 19 and the fourth flow path 20. In this case, two pressure sensors 21 will be placed, and the adjustment unit 11 may calculate the average value of the pressure values ​​measured by the two pressure sensors 21 and control the discharge pressure based on the average value. Alternatively, the discharge pressure may be controlled based on the lower of the pressure values ​​measured by the two pressure sensors 21.

[0073] In the above-described embodiment, a gear pump 3 was used as the second pump, but it is possible to use a pump other than a gear pump as the second pump.

[0074] Furthermore, in the example described above, the adjustment unit 11 can also be configured to control the discharge pressure of either the water supply pump 2 or the gear pump 3 based on the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor 21.

[0075] In this case, the adjustment unit 11 can also be configured to adjust the discharge pressure of the first pump, the water supply pump 2, so that the output value of the pressure sensor 21 falls within the second pressure range, which is the first target pressure range. Alternatively, the adjustment unit 11 can be configured to adjust the discharge pressure of the second pump, the gear pump 3, so that the output value of the pressure sensor 21 falls within the third pressure range, which is the second target pressure range.

[0076] In this invention, the sample container 5 and the reaction vessel 24 are collectively referred to as liquid containers.

[0077] Furthermore, the sample probe 6 and the reagent probe 7 are collectively referred to as probes.

[0078] 1...Reaction disk, 2...Water supply pump, 3...Gear pump, 4...Sample container holder, 5...Sample container, 6...Sample probe, 7...Reagent probe, 8...Reagent container holder, 9, 10...Washing tank, 11...Adjustment unit, 12...Control unit, 13...Determination unit, 14...Operation control unit, 15...Display unit, 16...Water supply channel, 17...First channel, 18...Second channel, 19...Third channel, 20...Fourth channel, 21...Pressure sensor, 22...Reagent container, 23...Water supply tank, 24...Reaction vessel, 100...Automatic analyzer, C...Pressure adjustment command, P...Pressure value, V1, V2...Drive voltage

Claims

1. A pressure control system for an automated analyzer comprising: a probe for dispensing liquid into a liquid container; a first pump for supplying washing water to the probe via a flow path; a second pump provided between the first pump and the probe via a flow path for supplying the washing water supplied from the first pump to the probe; a pressure sensor provided in the flow path between the second pump and the probe for measuring the pressure in the flow path; and an adjustment unit that adjusts at least the discharge pressure of the first pump based on the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor.

2. A pressure control system for an automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the discharge pressure of the second pump 3 based on the output value of the pressure sensor.

3. A pressure control system for an automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the discharge pressure of the first pump so that the output value of the pressure sensor falls within a first target pressure range.

4. A pressure control system for an automatic analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the discharge pressure of the second pump so that the output value of the pressure sensor falls within the second target pressure range.

5. A pressure control system for an automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the discharge pressure of the first pump is less than the discharge pressure of the second pump.

6. A pressure control system for an automatic analyzer according to claim 1, comprising a determination unit that determines an abnormality when the probe aspirates and discharges the liquid based on the output value of the pressure sensor.

7. A pressure control system for an automatic analyzer according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the discharge pressure of the cleaning water from at least one of the first pump and the second pump by the adjustment unit when the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor during the cleaning operation of the probe performed during analysis falls outside the specified pressure range.

8. A pressure control system for an automatic analyzer according to claim 7, comprising an operation control unit for controlling the operation of the automatic analyzer, wherein the operation control unit creates and stores an analysis schedule for the automatic analyzer, and when the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor falls outside a first target pressure range, the operation control unit modifies the analysis schedule so that, after the probe is last used in the analysis schedule, the adjustment unit adjusts the discharge pressure of at least one of the first pump and the second pump.

9. A pressure control system for an automatic analyzer according to claim 7, comprising: an operation control unit for controlling the operation of the automatic analyzer, wherein the operation control unit creates and stores an analysis schedule for the automatic analyzer, and when the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor falls outside a second pressure range, the operation control unit modifies the analysis schedule so that the adjustment unit adjusts the discharge pressure of at least one of the first pump and the second pump during a time period in the analysis schedule where the interval between the time the probe is used and the time it is used again is longer than the time required for the adjustment unit to adjust the discharge pressure of at least one of the first pump and the second pump.

10. A pressure control system for an automatic analyzer according to claim 7, comprising an operation control unit for controlling the operation of the automatic analyzer, wherein the operation control unit creates and stores an analysis schedule for the automatic analyzer, and when the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor falls outside a third pressure range, the operation control unit adjusts the discharge pressure of at least one of the first pump and the second pump by the adjustment unit before starting any analysis that has not yet been started in the analysis schedule, and modifies the analysis schedule so that the analysis is started after the discharge pressure adjustment.

11. A pressure control system for an automatic analyzer according to claim 6, comprising a display unit that displays an alarm indicating the abnormality determined by the determination unit.

12. A pressure control method for an automatic analyzer comprising: a probe for dispensing liquid into a liquid container; a first pump for supplying washing water to the probe via a flow path; and a second pump provided between the flow path connecting the first pump and the probe, for supplying the washing water supplied from the first pump to the probe, wherein the pressure in the flow path between the second pump and the probe is measured, and the discharge pressure of at least the first pump is adjusted based on the measured pressure value.

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