Automatic analyzer, reagent cold storage in automatic analyzer, and reagent cold storage method

Abstract

The automatic analyzer (100) of the present invention is a device for measuring the physical properties of a reaction solution obtained by respectively injecting a sample and a reagent into a reaction container (30) and reacting them, and includes a reagent cold storage (24) for storing a reagent container (106) containing the reagent, and a heating unit arranged at the outer periphery of the reagent cold storage (24) and heating the outer periphery. Thus, an automatic analyzer, a cold storage, and a method for keeping the reagent in the automatic analyzer can be provided, which can suppress condensation outside the reagent cold storage without expanding the outer diameter of the cold storage and without affecting the temperature of the reagent.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic analysis device for mixing biological samples such as plasma, serum, urine and various reagents for analysis, a cold storage suitable for the automatic analysis device and a method for keeping the reagents in the automatic analysis device cold. Background Art

[0002] As an example of an automatic analysis device with a simple structure and reduced power consumption, Patent Document 1 describes an automatic analysis device that mixes and analyzes a sample and a reagent sucked from a suction hole arranged at the top of a reagent cold storage room, wherein the automatic analysis device has a heat absorption unit arranged at the bottom of the reagent cold storage room and cools the interior of the reagent cold storage room; and a heating unit that uses warm air generated by cooling to heat the suction hole until the temperature of the suction hole exceeds a specified temperature, wherein the heating unit is a heating pipe that allows warm air to flow from the bottom of the reagent cold storage room to the suction hole.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-0169278 Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] Conventionally, there are known automatic analyzers that mix biological samples such as plasma, serum, and urine with various reagents and analyze them. The analysis results obtained by the automatic analyzers provide a lot of information for diagnosing diseases.

[0008] The reagents used here contain various chemical components depending on their type. In order to prevent the reagent components from deteriorating during the period from when the reagents are mounted on the automatic analyzer to when the reagents are used up, the reagents need to be stored at a temperature lower than room temperature. Therefore, the automatic analyzer is equipped with a reagent cold storage in most cases.

[0009] Some parts of the reagent cold storage may condense in a high temperature and high humidity environment. For example, the reagent cold storage has a reagent outlet for taking out and inserting a reagent container and a window for reading reagent information.

[0010] In the former, when the cold air inside the cold storage leaks from the gap between the door-shaped part of the reagent outlet and the shell of the reagent cold storage, condensation may form around the joint. In addition, the window for reading reagent information in the latter is thin and cannot ensure sufficient insulation, so condensation may form on the surface of the window.

[0011] If there is a location where the cold air inside the cold storage room leaks to the outside, condensation may start from this location. In addition, when the cold air in the reagent cold storage room is conducted inside the material and cools the outer surface of the reagent cold storage room, condensation may also form on the outer surface.

[0012] As a location where condensation occurs, there is, for example, an outer peripheral side surface of a border portion of a cover of the reagent cooling storage.

[0013] The generated dew may wet surrounding parts or cause mold, etc., which may affect the device, so it is necessary to suppress such occurrence.

[0014] As a countermeasure method for preventing condensation in a reagent cooling cabinet, there is a method described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 in which a heating pipe is provided outside the reagent cooling cabinet to heat the reagent suction hole and the outer surface.

[0015] However, in this case, the outer diameter of the reagent cooler is increased by the volume occupied by the heating pipe. In particular, in small and medium-sized automatic analyzers, it is difficult to ensure space for surrounding components, and as a result, the size of the device may have to be increased.

[0016] In addition, when heating the reagent cold storage, be aware of the effect on the temperature of the reagent inside the cold storage. Depending on the distance between the heated part and the reagent, heating may greatly hinder the cooling of the reagent.

[0017] Especially in small and medium-sized automatic analyzers, the space available for measures to prevent condensation in the cold storage is limited due to the need to take into account surrounding components, so it is desired that the reagent cold storage has the minimum required outer diameter.

[0018] Therefore, in the reagent cooling storage, it is desirable to keep the internal reagent at a relatively low temperature, and at the same time, it is desirable to increase the temperature of the portion in contact with the outside air to reduce the temperature difference with the room temperature to prevent condensation. A countermeasure that takes this trade-off into account is required.

[0019] The present invention aims to provide an automatic analyzer, a cold storage and a method for keeping reagents cold in the automatic analyzer, which can suppress condensation outside the reagent cold storage without increasing the outer diameter of the cold storage and affecting the reagent temperature.

[0020] Technical means for solving technical problems

[0021] The present invention includes multiple means for solving the above-mentioned problems. If one of the examples is listed, it is an automatic analysis device for measuring the physical properties of a reaction liquid obtained after a sample and a reagent are respectively dispensed into a reaction container and reacted, comprising: a reagent cold storage, which is used to store a reagent container containing the reagent; and a heating unit, which is arranged at the outer periphery of the reagent cold storage and is located at the boundary between the shell of the reagent cold storage and the cold storage cover and heats the boundary, and the heating unit is arranged at the end of the reagent container and is located outside the end of the outer periphery of the reagent cold storage.

[0022] Effects of the Invention

[0023] According to the present invention, condensation outside the reagent cooling box can be suppressed without increasing the outer diameter of the cooling box and without affecting the temperature of the reagent. Other problems, structures and effects than those described above will become more apparent from the following description of the embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is an overall structural diagram of an embodiment of the automatic analysis device of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of a reagent cooling storage in the automatic analyzer of the embodiment.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the arrangement of the heating unit in the reagent cooling storage of the automatic analyzer of the embodiment.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a side view showing the arrangement of a power supply unit of a heating unit in a reagent cooling cabinet of the automatic analyzer of the embodiment.

[0028] Figure 5 It is a plan view showing the arrangement of the power supply unit of the heating unit in the reagent cooling storage of the automatic analyzer of the embodiment.

[0029] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the arrangement of the heating section in the reagent cooling storage of the automatic analyzer of the embodiment.

[0030] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the arrangement of the heating section in the reagent cooling storage of the automatic analyzer of the embodiment.

[0031] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the arrangement of the heating section in the reagent cooling storage of the automatic analyzer of the embodiment.

[0032] Fig. 9This is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the arrangement of the heating section in the reagent cooling storage of the automatic analyzer of the embodiment.

[0033] Fig.10 It is shown Figure 3 The reagent cold storage and Fig. 9 A diagram showing an example of temperature changes inside the cold storage and at the boundary of the cold storage in the reagent cold storage.

[0034] Fig.11 This is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the arrangement of the heating section in the reagent cooling storage of the automatic analyzer of the embodiment.

[0035] Fig.12 This is a plan view showing another example of the arrangement of the heating unit and the power supply unit in the reagent cooling storage of the automatic analyzer according to the embodiment.

[0036] Fig.13 This is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the arrangement of the heating section in the reagent cooling storage of the automatic analyzer of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] use Figures 1 to 13 Embodiments of the automatic analyzer, the cold storage, and the method for keeping a reagent cold in the automatic analyzer of the present invention will be described.

[0038] First, use Figure 1 An example of the overall configuration of an automatic analyzer will be described. Figure 1 It is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the automatic analyzer according to the present invention.

[0039] Figure 1 The automatic analyzer 100 shown is a device for measuring the physical properties of a reaction liquid obtained by respectively injecting a sample and a reagent into a reaction container 30 and reacting them, and includes: a specimen supply portion and a storage portion 2; an analysis unit 3 having a reagent disk 21 and a reaction disk 31; and a control device 1 for controlling the operation of the entire automatic analyzer 100.

[0040] The specimen supply unit and storage unit 2 are mechanisms for inserting a specimen container 10 containing a specimen therein, moving the specimen in a specimen transport path, and transporting the specimen to the analysis unit 3, and their details are omitted.

[0041] The analysis unit 3 is a unit for measuring the physical properties of the reaction liquid obtained by respectively injecting the sample and the reagent into the reaction container 30 and reacting, and mainly includes a sample transmission path 11, a sample information reading device 13, a sample dispensing mechanism 12, a reaction disk 31, a reagent cold storage 24, a reagent information reading device 23, a reagent disk 21, a reagent dispensing mechanism 22, a stirring mechanism 36, a photometric system 37, a cleaning mechanism 38, etc.

[0042] The specimen transport path 11 is a transport path for transporting the specimen container 10 supplied from the specimen supply and storage section 2 to the vicinity of a specimen dispensing mechanism 12 described later and for transporting the specimen container 10 after dispensing back to the specimen supply and storage section 2 .

[0043] The sample information reading device 13 is arranged at a predetermined position along the sample conveying path 11. The sample information reading device 13 reads the sample code fixed in the recording medium carried by the sample container 10 arranged at the opposite reading position, and detects the loading status of the sample on the sample conveying path 11 and the information of the sample.

[0044] On the reaction disk 31 , a plurality of reaction containers 30 for generating a reaction solution generated by reacting a sample (analyte) with a reagent are mounted along the circumferential direction of the disk.

[0045] The reagent disk 21 is located in the reagent cold storage 24, and a plurality of reagent containers 20 containing reagents are mounted along the circumference of the disk. Each reagent container 20 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the reagent disk 21.

[0046] The reagent disk 21 is configured to be rotatable by a driving unit (not shown). By rotating the reagent disk 21, one of the plurality of reagent containers 20 mounted thereon can be placed at a predetermined position along the circumferential direction of the disk.

[0047] In addition, the reagent cold storage 24 is a cold storage for keeping the reagent containers 106 containing the reagents cold according to the reagent disks 21, and keeps the reagents cold within a certain temperature range. Figure 1 As shown, in the case of the reagent cold storage of the analysis unit 3 for analyzing the biochemical analysis items, the reagent temperature is required to be stored in the range of 5° C. to 15° C. In contrast, in the case of the reagent cold storage of the analysis unit for analyzing the immunoassay items, the reagent temperature is required to be maintained at about 10±2° C.

[0048] The detailed structure of the above-mentioned reagent cooling storage 24 will be described later.

[0049] The reagent information reading device 23 is provided at a predetermined position along the circumference of the reagent disk 21. The reagent information reading device 23 reads a reagent code fixed in a recording medium carried by a reagent container 20 provided at an opposite reading position. The reagent information reading device 23 reads the reagent code of the reagent container 20, thereby being able to detect the loading status of each specimen and reagent on the reagent disk 21.

[0050] The specimen dispensing mechanism 12 is provided between the specimen transport path 11 and the reaction disk 31, and the reagent dispensing mechanism 22 is provided between the reagent disk 21 and the reaction disk 31. The specimen dispensing mechanism 12 and the reagent dispensing mechanism 22 each have a movable arm and a dispensing nozzle composed of a pipetting nozzle mounted on the movable arm.

[0051] The sample dispensing mechanism 12 dispenses the sample into the reaction container 30 on the reaction disk 31, and the reagent dispensing mechanism 22 dispenses the reagent into the reaction container 30 to generate a mixed solution, i.e., a reaction solution.

[0052] When the reaction liquid is generated, the sample dispensing mechanism 12 sucks a predetermined amount of sample from the sample container 10 arranged at the sample suction position by linear motion on the sample transport path, and accommodates it in the dispensing nozzle. Then, the sample dispensing mechanism 12 performs the sample dispensing operation and discharges the sample accommodated in the dispensing nozzle into the reaction container 30 arranged at the sample discharge position by the rotation of the reaction disk 31.

[0053] On the other hand, the reagent dispensing mechanism 22 sucks a predetermined amount of reagent from the reagent container 20 set at the reagent suction position by the rotation of the reagent disk 21 and stores it in the dispensing nozzle. Then, the reagent dispensing mechanism 22 discharges the reagent contained in the dispensing nozzle into the reaction container 30 set at the reagent discharge position by the rotation of the reaction disk 31, thereby dispensing the reagent.

[0054] The stirring mechanism 36 , the photometric system 37 , the washing mechanism 38 , etc. are provided on the circumference of the reaction disk 31 together with the sample dispensing mechanism 12 and the reagent dispensing mechanism 22 so that the operation positions are shifted from each other.

[0055] The stirring mechanism 36 stirs the reaction solution generated by the sample dispensing mechanism 12 and the reagent dispensing mechanism 22 dispensed into the reaction container 30. Thus, the reaction solution in the reaction container 30 is uniformly stirred to promote the reaction.

[0056] In the photometric system 37, a light source (not shown) and an absorptometer (not shown) are arranged opposite to each other with a light measuring position through which the reaction container 30 passes in conjunction with the rotation of the reaction disk 31 being sandwiched therebetween. The photometric system 37 irradiates the reaction container 30 containing the reaction liquid and located at the photometric position between the light source and the absorptometer with the measurement light from the light source, and measures the transmitted light thereof by the absorptometer. Thus, whenever the reaction liquid in each reaction container 30 passes through the photometric position of the photometric system 37 due to the rotational displacement caused by the intermittent rotation of the reaction disk 31, its absorbance can be measured.

[0057] The cleaning mechanism 38 discards the reaction solution of the completed commissioned project analysis in the reaction container 30 installed on the reaction disk 31, and cleans the inside of the container for analysis of a new commissioned project. Through the cleaning mechanism 38, multiple reaction containers 30 installed on the reaction disk 31 can be reused in analysis.

[0058] Back to Figure 1 The control device 1 is a device that controls the operation of the entire automatic analysis device 100 , and includes a display unit 40 , an input unit 44 , a storage unit 43 , and a control unit 42 .

[0059] The display unit 40 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display that displays various parameters required for analysis, setting input screens, analysis inspection data of initial inspection or re-inspection, information on the progress of analysis, measurement results, and the like.

[0060] The input unit 44 is a device for inputting various parameters, settings, analysis request information, instructions for starting analysis, etc., and is composed of a keyboard and a mouse. When the display unit 40 is a touch panel type, the input unit is integrated with the display unit 40.

[0061] The storage unit 43 is a device for storing various parameters, settings, measurement results, analysis request information of the specimens contained in the specimen containers 10 mounted on each specimen rack, etc., and is composed of a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, a magnetic disk such as an HDD, etc. The storage unit 43 also stores various computer programs, etc., which are used to execute the control of the operation of each device in the automatic analyzer 100 and various display processing.

[0062] The control unit 42 is a computer including a CPU, a memory, etc., and controls various operations of the above-mentioned components, and performs calculation processing to obtain the concentration of a predetermined component in the sample based on the detection results obtained by the analysis unit. The control unit 42 controls the operation of each device based on various programs stored in the storage unit 43.

[0063] The control processing of the actions executed by the control unit 42 may be integrated into one program, divided into a plurality of programs, or may be a combination of these programs. In addition, part or all of the program may be implemented by dedicated hardware or may be modularized.

[0064] In addition, Figure 1 In the description, a structure in which one analysis unit 3 is connected to one sample supplying section and storage section 2 is described, but the automatic analysis apparatus may also be one in which two or more analysis units are connected to the sample supplying section and storage section 2.

[0065] When two or more analysis units are connected, the configuration of the analysis units is not particularly limited, and Figure 1In addition to the analysis unit for biochemical analysis shown in the figure, an analysis unit for immunoassay can also be connected. In addition, a measurement unit for measuring electrolyte concentration, a unit for analyzing blood coagulation, etc. can be appropriately added to the analysis unit to be connected. In addition, it can also be composed of multiple identical analysis units.

[0066] Next, we will use Figures 2 to 13 The structure of the reagent cooling storage 24 of the automatic analyzer 100 of this embodiment will be described in detail. Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a reagent cooling storage according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a method of arranging heaters.

[0067] like Figure 2 As shown, the reagent cooling storage 24 is mainly composed of a housing 101 having a function of cooling the reagent, a cooling storage cover 102 , and a heater 110 .

[0068] The housing 101 includes a cooling pot 107 for cooling the reagent container 106 and a cold storage insulation material 115 provided on the outer peripheral side of the cooling pot 107 .

[0069] A flow path (not shown) through which a refrigerant can flow is formed inside the cooling pot 107, and the refrigerant flows through the flow path to cool the air inside the reagent cooling storage 24. The refrigerant is typically water, but may also be air or the like.

[0070] like Figure 3 As shown, the cooling storage cover 102 includes a lower cover 113 covering the upper surface side of the cooling pot 107 , a cover heat insulating material 114 provided on the upper surface side of the lower cover 113 , and an upper cover 112 covering the upper surface side of the cover heat insulating material 114 .

[0071] like Figure 2 As shown, a reagent suction hole 103 is provided in the cold storage cover 102, and a reagent probe 104 of the reagent dispensing mechanism 22 enters the reagent suction hole 103 from the outside of the reagent cold storage 24 to suck the reagent inside the reagent cold storage 24. The reagent is moved along the circumference by a rotation drive system 105 provided at the lower center of the housing 101, so that each reagent can enter and be sucked from the same reagent suction hole.

[0072] Heater 110 is disposed as a heating unit at the outer periphery of reagent cooling container 24 and at boundary 108 between housing 101 and cooling container cover 102. Heater 110 directly heats boundary 108 to increase the surface temperature above the condensation temperature (dew point), thereby suppressing condensation.

[0073] The heater 110 is a heating wire such as a nickel-chromium alloy wire having a diameter of about 2 mm, and generates heat by Joule heat.

[0074] like Figure 3 As shown, the heater 110 is preferably arranged at the end of the reagent container 106 and outside the end 106A on the outer peripheral side of the reagent cooling box 24. It is more preferable to arrange the heater 110 outside the end 107A on the outer peripheral side of the cooling pot 107 for cooling the inside of the reagent cooling box 24.

[0075] In addition, if Figure 3 As shown, the heater 110 is provided on the cold storage cover 102 side of the boundary portion 108. At this time, a groove in which the heater 110 can be arranged is provided on the outer peripheral side of the upper surface of the lower cover 113.

[0076] The heater 110 is surrounded and fixed by the members constituting the reagent cooling storage 24. Figure 3 The lower cover 113 is surrounded and fixed by the first rib 119A for fixing the cover heat insulating material 114, the second rib 119B provided at the outermost peripheral portion of the upper surface side of the lower cover 113, and the upper covers 112 and 112A.

[0077] The width of the groove for fixing the heater 110 formed by the first rib 119A and the second rib 119b is preferably greater than the cross-sectional width of the heater 110 (for example, about 3 mm). In addition, its height is preferably more than 1 times and less than 1.5 times the height of the heater 110. Thus, the heater 110 is configured so that the shape of the cross section does not change to avoid damage, and does not fly out of the cold storage cover 102. In this method, there is no need to add other components for configuration, so the heater 110 can be easily configured at the boundary portion 108.

[0078] Since the first rib 119A also serves to fix the cover heat insulating material 114 , its height is preferably the same as the higher one of the cover heat insulating material 114 and the heater 110 .

[0079] In this embodiment, the effect of suppressing condensation can be obtained without relying on the outer diameter size of the heater housing 101. The outer diameter size depends only on the thickness of the cold storage insulation material 115, and the thickness can be the thickness required to prevent condensation on the surface of the cold storage insulation material 115 due to the cold and heat from the cooling pot 107. Condensation can be suppressed under the outer dimensions when the thickness of the cold storage insulation body 115 is set to the minimum required limit.

[0080] The cold storage insulation material 115 is made of a material having a low thermal conductivity such as expanded polystyrene.

[0081] In addition, the lid heat insulating material 114 is made of a material having a low thermal conductivity such as expanded polystyrene, similarly to the cold storage heat insulating material 115 .

[0082] The lower cover 113 is made of a material having hardness and low thermal conductivity, such as ABS resin.

[0083] The upper cover 112 is not particularly limited, but is made of ABS resin or the like like the lower cover 113 .

[0084] Figure 4 and Figure 5 An example of a method of arranging a power supply portion of the heating source of the heater 110 is shown. Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the reagent cooling storage 24 as viewed from the side of the automatic analyzer 100. Figure 5 This is a diagram when the reagent cooling storage 24 is viewed from the upper surface side of the automatic analyzer 100 .

[0085] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the heater 110 provided in the boundary portion 108 protrudes to the outside from a step portion 118A provided on a part of the outer periphery and is connected to a heater power supply portion 117 to heat the entire circumference of the reagent cooling container 24 .

[0086] It is preferable that the output of the heater power supply unit 117 be fixed to a necessary minimum output.

[0087] For example, under the temperature and humidity at the upper limit of the guaranteed range of operation of the automatic analyzer 100 (for example, the temperature is 32 degrees and the humidity is 80%), the heater output that does not cause condensation in the area centered on the side of the second rib 119B of the reagent cold storage 24 is experimentally determined, thereby determining the required minimum output of the present invention.

[0088] However, the output of the heater power supply unit 117 does not need to be the minimum required, and at least one of the internal and external temperatures of the reagent cooling storage 24 may be measured, and control may be performed by using at least one of these measured values.

[0089] In addition, if Figure 5 As shown, the heater 110 does not necessarily need to heat the entire circumference, as long as it heats at least a portion of the outer circumference of the cold storage. However, in order to effectively suppress condensation, it is preferred to heat at least half a circle, and more preferably 3 / 4 of a circle.

[0090] Figure 6 An example of different configuration methods of the heater 110 is shown. Figure 6 In the other configurations shown, Figure 3 Similarly to the configuration of , the heater 110 also directly heats the boundary portion.

[0091] exist Figure 6In the illustrated embodiment, the upper end surface of the first rib 119C and the upper end surface of the second rib 119B are arranged on the same plane, and the heater 110 is fixed by the lower cover 113, the first rib 119C, the second rib 119B and the upper cover 112A.

[0092] The portion of the upper cover 112A where the heater 110 is fixed has a flat planar shape.

[0093] The width of the groove formed by the first rib 119C and the second rib 119B between the upper cover 112A and the lower cover 113 is preferably larger than the cross-sectional width of the heater 110 , and its height is preferably greater than 1 times the height of the heater 110 and less than 1.5 times the height of the heater 110 .

[0094] Figure 7 One example of different configuration methods of the heater 110 is shown.

[0095] exist Figure 7 In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , a step portion 118A is provided on the lower surface side of the outer peripheral portion of the cover heat insulating material 114A, and a groove for arranging the heater 110 is formed between the lower cover 113 and the cover heat insulating material 114A. Figure 6 In the same manner as shown, the groove is formed by the first rib 119C and the second rib 119B.

[0096] Should Figure 7 In the manner shown, the heater 110 is fixed by the lower cover 113, the first rib 119C for fixing the cover insulating material 114 formed on the upper surface side of the lower cover 113, the second rib 119B arranged at the outermost peripheral portion of the upper surface side of the lower cover 113, and the step portion 118A of the cover insulating material 114A.

[0097] The width of the groove formed by the first rib 119C and the second rib 119B is preferably Figure 6 In the same manner, the cross-sectional width of the heater 110 is larger than that of the heater 110 , and the height thereof is preferably greater than 1 times and less than 1.5 times the height of the heater 110 .

[0098] Figure 8 One example of different configuration methods of the heater 110 is shown.

[0099] exist Figure 8 In the illustrated embodiment, the heater 110 is fixed by the lower cover 113 and the groove provided in the upper cover 112C. Thus, even when the groove structure is not formed in the lower cover 113, the heater 110 for heating the boundary portion 108 can be provided.

[0100] Fig. 9 One example of a method of arranging the heater 110 is shown.

[0101] exist Fig. 9 In the illustrated embodiment, the heater 110A is located at the end of the reagent container 106 and outside the end 106A on the outer peripheral side of the reagent cooling box 24, but is arranged inside the end 107A on the outer peripheral side of the cooling pot 107 for cooling the inside of the reagent cooling box 24. In this case, the recessed portion 118B for arranging the heater 110A is provided on the entire circumference of the lower surface side of the cover heat insulating material 114B.

[0102] Even in such an arrangement, the boundary portion 108 can be heated by heat transfer in the cold storage cover 102. On the other hand, since the heater 110A is close to the inside of the reagent cold storage 24, there is a problem that attention should be paid to the temperature of the reagent.

[0103] Will use Fig.10 The specific temperature influence is described.

[0104] Fig.10 Shown in Figure 3 and Fig. 9 The arrangement of the heaters 110 and 110A affects the temperature of the reagent and the temperature of the boundary portion 108 when the output of the heaters 110 and 110A is changed.

[0105] Should Fig.10 The data shown is based on Figure 3 , Fig. 9 An example of data obtained by analyzing the temperature of each part of the structure

[0106] exist Figure 3 In the case of the method shown, Fig.10 As shown in FIG. 1 , the temperature of the boundary 108 increases as the output of the heater 110 increases, but the temperature of the reagent remains almost unchanged. This shows that there is a distance between the reagent inside the reagent cold storage 24 and the heater 110 on the outer periphery of the cold storage cover 102, and even if the output of the heater 110 increases, there is almost no effect on the temperature of the reagent. In addition, the output of the heater 110 required to make the temperature of the boundary 108 reach above the dew point is only 0.9 [W / m].

[0107] On the other hand, Fig. 9 In the case of the method shown in FIG. 1 , it can be seen that the temperature of the boundary portion 108 increases as the output of the heater 110A increases, but Figure 3 Compared with the method shown in the figure, the rate of change is smaller. Figure 3 Compared with the method Fig. 9 The output of the heater 110A required for the temperature of the boundary portion 108 to reach the dew point or higher in the illustrated embodiment needs to be 4.0 [W / m] or higher.

[0108] In addition, it can be seen that Figure 3 Compared with the method shown in the figure, the reagent temperature is affected and increases by 1.2°C. Therefore, it is desirable to take measures such as lowering the temperature of the refrigerant flowing in the cooling pot 107 by a corresponding value or increasing the corresponding flow rate.

[0109] According to the above example, it is known that by making the outer diameter of the circle where the heater 110 is provided larger than the outer end 107A of the cooling pot 107 , the effect of reducing the influence of the reagent temperature increase and heating the boundary portion 108 can be effectively obtained.

[0110] Fig.11 An example of different configuration methods of the heater 110 is shown. Fig.11 In the other configurations shown, Figure 3 Similarly to the configuration of , the heater 110 also directly heats the boundary portion.

[0111] exist Fig.11 In the illustrated embodiment, the heater 110 is not disposed on the upper side of the lower cover 113A, but is disposed on the side of the lower cover 113A and on the upper surface of the cold storage insulation material 115. Even in such an arrangement, condensation can be prevented.

[0112] Fig.12 and Fig.13 A different example of the heating unit of the boundary portion is shown.

[0113] Relative to Figure 3 The strip heater 110 is arranged on the circumference of the boundary portion 108, such as Fig.12 and Fig.13 As shown, a heat conductive material 120 having high thermal conductivity is arranged on the same circumference of the boundary portion 108 of the reagent cooling container 24 instead of the heater 110, and one or more heat generating parts 121 for heating the heat conductive material 120 are connected.

[0114] As the heat conductive material 120 , a ring made of aluminum, copper, or the like, a sheet formed of a base material having high heat conductivity, or the like can be used.

[0115] The details of the heat generating unit 121 are not particularly limited, and the heat generating unit 121 may be composed of a material for converting electricity into Joule heat, a power source, and the like, similarly to the heater 110 .

[0116] Although in Fig.12 and 13 It is recorded that the heat conductive material 120 is configured to replace Figure 3 In the case of the heater 110, the thermal conductive material 120 may be arranged in Figure 6 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9 , Fig.11 At the position of the heater 110 in.

[0117] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0118] The automatic analysis device 100 of the present embodiment described above is a device for measuring the physical properties of a reaction liquid obtained by respectively injecting a sample and a reagent into a reaction container 30 and reacting them. The automatic analysis device 100 includes a reagent cold storage 24 for storing a reagent container 106 containing a reagent, and a heater 110, 110A or a heat conductive material 120 arranged on the periphery of the reagent cold storage 24 and heating the periphery.

[0119] According to the above structure, compared with the automatic analyzer of the conventional structure, it is possible to suppress the generation of condensation in the boundary parts 118 such as the outer periphery of the lower cover 113, the outer periphery of the upper covers 112, 112A, 112B, 112C, and 112D near the lower cover 113, and the outer periphery of the upper end side of the cold storage heat insulation material 115, which is considered to be caused by the air in the gap of the cold storage cover 102 leaking to the outside of the reagent cold storage 24 due to the cold air of the reagent cold storage 24. In addition, since the heater 110 and the like are arranged at the outer periphery of the reagent cold storage 24, it is not necessary to increase the outer diameter of the reagent cold storage 24. Through these effects, condensation can be suppressed using a structure having a minimum required outer diameter.

[0120] Furthermore, since the heater 110 and the like are disposed at the end of the reagent container 106 and outside the end 106A on the outer peripheral side of the reagent cooling storage 24, it is possible to suppress the reagent itself from being heated, thereby achieving energy saving.

[0121] In addition, since the heater 110 and the like are arranged on the outside of the end 107A on the outer peripheral side of the cooling pot 107 for cooling the inside of the reagent cold storage 24, the reagent itself can be more reliably prevented from being heated, and since the area heated by the heater 110 and the like can be arranged on the side of the boundary portion 118, energy saving of heating output and cooling output can be more reliably achieved.

[0122] Furthermore, since the heater 110 and the like are fixed by members constituting the reagent cooling storage 24, there is no need to separately manufacture members for fixing the heater 110 and the like, and the reagent cooling storage 24 can be manufactured more easily, thereby reducing costs.

[0123] In addition, the reagent cold storage 24 has a cooling pot 107 for cooling the reagent container 106, a cold storage insulation material 115 arranged on the outer peripheral side of the cooling pot 107, a lower cover 113 covering the upper surface side of the cooling pot 107, a cover insulation material 114 arranged on the upper surface side of the lower cover 113, and an upper cover 112, 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D covering the upper surface side of the cover insulation 114 as components. Since the heater 110 and the like are arranged on the upper surface side of the outer peripheral portion of the lower cover 113, when the cooled air in the gap between the lower cover 113 and the cover insulation material 114 leaks, it can be effectively heated, thereby more effectively suppressing the occurrence of condensation.

[0124] In addition, the heater 110, etc. are surrounded by the lower cover 113, the first rib 119A for fixing the cover insulation material 114, the second rib 119B arranged at the outermost peripheral portion of the upper surface side of the lower cover 113, and the upper covers 112, 112A, so that the heater 110, etc. can be fixed by a simple structure, which can be easily manufactured and reduce costs.

[0125] Furthermore, since the upper end surfaces of the first rib 119C and the second rib 119B are arranged on the same plane, there is an advantage that the shape of the lower cover 113 does not require a rib (first rib 119A) with a high aspect ratio, and the processing of the lower cover 113 becomes easy.

[0126] In addition, the step portion 118A is arranged on the lower surface side of the outer periphery of the cover insulation material 114A, and the heater 110 and the like are surrounded by the lower cover 113, the first rib 119C for fixing the cover insulation material 114 formed on the upper surface side of the lower cover 113, the second rib 119B arranged on the outermost periphery of the upper surface side of the lower cover 113, and the step portion 118A of the cover insulation material 114A, so that the advantages of the lower cover 113 and the upper cover 112A being simple in shape and easy to process can be obtained.

[0127] Furthermore, since the heater 110 and the like are surrounded by the lower cover 113 and the groove provided in the upper cover 112C, the heater 110 and the like can be fixed with a simple structure, and manufacturing can be facilitated and costs can be reduced.

[0128] Furthermore, the heating unit includes the strip heater 110 and the heater power supply unit 117 for supplying current to the heater 110 , so that the outer peripheral boundary 108 of the reagent cooling container 24 can be uniformly heated with a simple structure, and condensation can be more effectively suppressed.

[0129] Furthermore, the heating unit includes the heat conductive material 120 disposed at the outer periphery of the reagent cooling container 24 and the heat generating unit 121 for providing heat to the heat conductive material 120 . Therefore, by locally ensuring a space for arranging the heat generating unit 121 , condensation can be suppressed without increasing the outer diameter of the housing 101 .

[0130] Furthermore, by setting the output of the heater power supply unit 117 and the heat generating unit 121 to the minimum necessary level, it is possible to achieve energy saving and more effectively suppress condensation.

[0131] In addition, the outputs of the heater power supply unit 117 and the heating unit 121 are made to meet the condition that condensation will not occur on the periphery of the reagent cold storage 24 at the upper limit temperature and humidity of the operation guarantee range of the automatic analysis device 100, thereby achieving energy saving while more effectively suppressing condensation on the periphery of the reagent cold storage box 24, regardless of the working environment of the automatic analysis device 100.

[0132] <Others>

[0133] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible. The above-described embodiments are described in detail to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and the present invention is not limited to necessarily including all the described structures.

[0134] For example, by adding structures similar to the heater 110 and the power supply unit 117 for the heater, or the heat conductive material 120 and the heat generating unit 121 to the periphery of the reagent cooler 24 of the automatic analyzer 100 already used by the customer and fixing them, condensation on the periphery of the reagent cooler 24 can be effectively suppressed even in the existing automatic analyzer 100.

[0135] Description of symbols

[0136] 1. Control device

[0137] 2Specimen supply and storage

[0138] 3 Analysis Unit

[0139] 10 specimen containers

[0140] 11 Specimen transport path

[0141] 12 Specimen dispensing mechanism

[0142] 13. Sample information reading device

[0143] 20 Reagent Containers

[0144] 21 Reagent disk

[0145] 22 Reagent dispensing mechanism

[0146] 23. Reagent information reading device

[0147] 24 Reagent cold storage

[0148] 30 reaction vessels

[0149] 31 reaction plate

[0150] 36 stirring mechanism

[0151] 37 Metering System

[0152] 38 Cleaning mechanism

[0153] 40 Display unit

[0154] 42 Control Department

[0155] 43 Storage

[0156] 44 Input section

[0157] 100 Automatic analysis device

[0158] 101 Housing

[0159] 102 Cold storage cover

[0160] 103 Reagent suction hole

[0161] 104 Reagent Probe

[0162] 105 Rotary drive system

[0163] 106 Reagent Container

[0164] 106A End

[0165] 107 Cooling pot (cooler)

[0166] 107A Outer end

[0167] 108 Border Department

[0168] 110, 110A heater (heating wire, heating part)

[0169] 112, 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D upper cover (second cover)

[0170] 113, 113A lower cover (first cover)

[0171] 114, 114A, 114B cover insulation material

[0172] 115 Cold storage insulation materials

[0173] 116 Foam insulation material

[0174] 117 Heater power supply unit (power supply, heating unit)

[0175] 118A Step

[0176] 118B concave part

[0177] 119A, 119C first rib

[0178] 119B Second rib

[0179] 120 thermal conductive material (heating part)

[0180] 121 heating unit (heating unit).

Claims

1. An automatic analysis device for measuring the physical properties of a reaction solution obtained by respectively injecting a sample and a reagent into a reaction container and reacting them, characterized in that: include: A reagent cold storage, which is used to store a reagent container containing the reagent, and includes a shell having a function of keeping the reagent cold, and a cold storage cover, wherein the shell has a cooling pot for cooling the reagent container, and a reagent suction hole is provided in the cold storage cover, and a reagent probe of a reagent dispensing mechanism enters the reagent suction hole from the outside of the reagent cold storage to suck the reagent inside the reagent cold storage; as well as a heating unit provided at an outer peripheral portion of the reagent cooling storage and located at a boundary portion between the shell of the reagent cooling storage and the cooling storage cover and heating the boundary portion; The reagent container is arranged along the circumference of the reagent disk arranged in the reagent cold storage. The heating unit is disposed at an end of the reagent container and outside an end of an outer peripheral side of the reagent cold storage in a radial direction of the reagent disk, and the heating unit is disposed outside an end of an outer peripheral side of the cooling pot for cooling the interior of the reagent cold storage.

2. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1, characterized in that The heating unit is fixed by a member constituting the reagent cooling storage.

3. The automatic analysis device according to claim 2, characterized in that The reagent cold storage includes the cooling pot, a cold storage insulation material provided on the outer peripheral side of the cooling pot, a first cover covering the upper surface side of the cooling pot, a cover insulation material provided on the upper surface side of the first cover, and a second cover covering the upper surface side of the cover insulation material as the components. The heating portion is provided on an upper surface side of an outer peripheral portion of the first cover.

4. The automatic analysis device according to claim 3, characterized in that The heating portion is surrounded by the first cover, a first rib for fixing the cover heat insulating material, a second rib provided at the outermost peripheral portion on the upper surface side of the first cover, and the second cover.

5. The automatic analysis device according to claim 4, characterized in that The upper end surface of the first rib and the upper end surface of the second rib are arranged on the same plane.

6. The automatic analysis device according to claim 3, characterized in that A step portion is provided on the lower surface side of the outer peripheral portion of the cover heat insulating material. The heating portion is surrounded by the first cover, a first rib for fixing the cover insulating material formed on the upper surface side of the first cover, a second rib provided at the outermost peripheral portion on the upper surface side of the first cover, and the step portion of the cover insulating material.

7. The automatic analysis device according to claim 3, characterized in that The heating portion is surrounded by the first cover and a groove provided on the second cover.

8. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1, characterized in that The heating part comprises a strip-shaped heating wire and a power source for supplying current to the heating wire.

9. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1, characterized in that The heating unit includes a heat conductive material provided on an outer peripheral portion of the reagent cooling box, and a heat generating unit that supplies heat to the heat conductive material.

10. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1, wherein: The output of the heating unit is set to a necessary minimum.

11. The automatic analysis device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The output of the heating unit is based on the condition that condensation does not occur on the outer periphery of the reagent cooling storage at the upper limit temperature and humidity of the operation guarantee range of the automatic analyzer.

12. A method for keeping reagents cool in an automatic analysis device, characterized in that: A heating portion for heating the boundary portion is provided at the outer periphery of the reagent cold storage and at the boundary portion between the shell of the reagent cold storage and the cold storage cover. The reagent cold storage is used to store a reagent container containing a reagent that reacts with a sample, and the reagent container is arranged along the circumference of a reagent disk provided in the reagent cold storage. The shell of the reagent cold storage has a cooling pot for cooling the reagent container, and a reagent suction hole is provided in the cold storage cover. A reagent probe of a reagent dispensing mechanism enters the reagent suction hole from the outside of the reagent cold storage to suction the reagent inside the reagent cold storage. In the radial direction of the reagent disk, the heating unit is arranged at the end of the reagent container and outside the end of the outer peripheral side of the reagent cold storage, and the heating unit is arranged outside the end of the outer peripheral side of the cooling pot for cooling the interior of the reagent cold storage. The inner side of the reagent cooling storage is cooled, and the boundary portion of the reagent cooling storage is heated by the heating unit, so that the temperature of the inner side of the reagent cooling storage storage satisfies the storage condition of the reagent.

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