Specimen examination system and conveying method

Abstract

In the specimen inspection system and the conveyance method of the present invention, in a two-dimensional conveyance line using electromagnetic conveyance technology, conveyance of carriers is performed in coordination with the length of a stopped group of carriers, the number of stop positions is reduced, and the number of simultaneous conveyances is maximized while ensuring the conveyance efficiency of the specimen inspection system. In a two-dimensional electromagnetic conveyance line in which a carrier holding a magnetized specimen is moved by generating an electromagnetic force between the carrier and a magnetized body by supplying a current to a winding of an electromagnetic circuit, the conveyance speed of the carrier carrying the specimen is made variable by changing the current of the electromagnetic circuit, the conveyance speed of the carrier is reduced, and the number of simultaneous conveyances of the carrier is increased, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the specimen inspection system as an alternative to shortening the conveyance time and the detour of the carrier during a jam.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a specimen examination system, and more particularly to a technology for conveying test tubes containing test samples. Background Technology

[0002] In analytical systems used to analyze components of biological samples collected from the human body, such as blood, plasma, serum, and urine, a conveyor line is needed to centrifuge, open, and transfer test tubes containing these biological samples to the analytical unit. One technique involves supplying current to the windings of an electromagnetic circuit in the conveyor line of this analytical system, generating an electromagnetic force between the conveyor and a magnetic carrier holding the test tube, thereby moving the carrier (Patent Document 3). Another technique employs a two-dimensional conveyor line with electromagnetic coils arranged two-dimensionally.

[0003] On the other hand, as with the aforementioned carrier, electromagnetic force technology is applied to the movement of objects. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for transporting articles using a mover that moves through electromagnetic interaction. However, in Patent Document 1, the mover operates along a stator that corresponds to a fixed transport path.

[0004] In addition, Patent Document 2 also describes a method in which the transmission element moves along a path by the magnetic attraction of one or more magnets moving along a predetermined path, causing the carrier to move on a fixed transmission path. Existing technical documents Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-075780 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-520018 Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-205698 Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-017868 Summary of the Invention The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0006] In conventional automated analytical systems consisting of a belt conveyor and an analytical unit, situations can arise where the analytical unit malfunctions or is unable to perform analysis due to reagent shortages, leading to offline setup and situations where carriers cannot be transported from the belt conveyor to the analytical unit. While this may not be a major problem in the short term, over time, the increased time that carriers remain on the belt conveyor before reaching the analytical unit hinders the transport of carriers upstream. The increased number of congested carriers affects carriers carrying samples that will be measured in the analytical unit. This blockage, preventing carrier transport, also impacts the dispensing section of the analytical unit, reducing analytical efficiency. Furthermore, as the carrier blockage persists, it can extend to the input position of the analytical unit, potentially reaching the left side of the belt conveyor near the system's input point.

[0007] Therefore, congestion can degrade the performance of the entire analysis system. Furthermore, since belt conveyors are driven by a single motor, the number of carriers that can be transported on a single belt is limited, resulting in low carrier aggregation and ineffective utilization of idle space.

[0008] On the other hand, when using a two-dimensional transmission line employing electromagnetic transmission technology, by multiplexing the transmission line, a detour path can be selected to avoid congestion points on the carrier, thus preventing blockages. However, in order to ensure the remaining two-dimensional transmission line remains operational to avoid congestion, there will be stopping points on the two-dimensional transmission line, resulting in insufficient and inefficient transmission.

[0009] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its objective is to provide a specimen examination system and a transport method that controls the transport speed of the carrier without reducing the analysis efficiency. Technical means for solving technical problems

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, this invention provides a specimen examination system in which a processing unit for specimen analysis and preprocessing is connected to a transport unit. This transport unit has multiple transport surfaces with multiple electromagnetic induction coils arranged in a two-dimensional configuration. Magnetic force is generated by allowing current to flow through the electromagnetic induction coils. The specimen examination system includes: a carrier control unit that transports the carrier by assembling a magnet into the carrier and applying current to the electromagnetic induction coils; a carrier detection unit that detects the position of the carrier moving within the transport unit; and a transport speed calculation unit that, based on the carrier detection unit's detection of the carrier's position within the transport unit, calculates the transport speed of the carrier based on the distance to the carrier's arrival position, and adjusts the transport speed of each carrier based on the calculated transport speed.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, this invention provides a transmission method based on a transmission unit. This transmission unit has multiple transmission surfaces of a carrier, each equipped with multiple electromagnetic induction coils arranged in a two-dimensional configuration. Magnetic force is generated by allowing current to flow through the electromagnetic induction coils. In this transmission method, the carrier is transmitted by assembling magnets into the carrier and applying current to the electromagnetic induction coils. The position of the carrier moving within the transmission unit is detected. The transmission speed of the carrier is calculated based on the distance from the detected position to the carrier's final destination position. The individual transmission speeds of the carriers are then adjusted based on the calculated transmission speed. Invention Effects

[0012] According to the present invention, the utilization efficiency of the two-dimensional transmission line employing the electromagnetic transmission system is improved, and the processing efficiency of the analysis device connected to the two-dimensional transmission line is fully utilized. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1A A diagram of the automatic analysis system using electromagnetic transmission technology in Embodiment 1 is shown. Figure 1B A diagram of the automatic analysis system using electromagnetic transmission technology in Embodiment 1 is shown. Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of carrier transmission using a two-dimensional electromagnetic transmission line according to Embodiment 1. Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating a transmission example of the carrier assembly of the two-dimensional electromagnetic transmission line of Embodiment 1. Figure 4 This is a diagram showing a structural example of the processing unit of the electromagnetic transmission line in Embodiment 1. Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating the logic of speed calculation for a two-dimensional electromagnetic transmission line. Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an automated analysis system using conventional belt conveyor technology. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrates the manner in which the specimen examination system and method of the present invention are implemented. In particular, as an example of a specimen examination system, an automated analysis system having an analysis unit will be described. However, the present invention is also applicable to automated specimen examination systems that do not have an analysis unit but only have pre-processing units such as thrombectomy or dispensing (see Patent Document 4).

[0015] First, use Figure 6This section explains a problem with conventional automated analysis systems. As shown in the figure, in conventional automated analysis systems consisting of a belt conveyor and an analysis unit, if the analysis unit 605 malfunctions or is unable to perform analysis due to insufficient reagents, it may fail to transmit the carrier 608 from the belt conveyor to the analysis unit 605 during offline setup. While this situation is not a significant problem in the short term, if it persists, the carrier 608 entering the analysis unit 605 will remain on the belt conveyor for an extended period. This congestion hinders the transmission of carriers upstream, increasing the number of blocked carriers and affecting the carrier 609, which carries the sample to be measured in the analysis unit 604. Because carrier 609 cannot be transmitted, this congestion also affects the dispensing function of the analysis unit 604, reducing its dispensing efficiency and consequently lowering analysis efficiency. Furthermore, due to the continued stagnation of the carrier 608, the blockage will develop to the input position of the analysis unit 604, and the blockage may then develop to the left side of the belt conveyor 602 near the input position of the automatic analysis system. [Example 1]

[0016] Example 1 is an embodiment of a specimen examination system and its transport method. In this specimen examination system, a processing unit for analyzing and preprocessing specimens is connected to a transport unit. The transport unit has multiple transport surfaces with multiple electromagnetic induction coils arranged in a two-dimensional configuration. Magnetic force is generated by allowing current to flow through the electromagnetic induction coils. The specimen examination system includes: a carrier control unit that transports the carrier by assembling a magnet into the carrier and applying current to the electromagnetic induction coils; a carrier detection unit that detects the position of the carrier moving in the transport unit; and a transport speed calculation unit that detects the position of the carrier moving in the transport unit through the carrier detection unit, calculates the transport speed of the carrier based on the distance to the carrier's arrival position, and changes the transport speed of each carrier based on the calculated transport speed.

[0017] Figure 1A , Figure 1BThis embodiment illustrates a structural example of an automated analysis system using a two-dimensional conveyor line. An automated analysis unit for performing biochemical and immunological tests is connected in parallel to the two-dimensional conveyor line, primarily receiving specimen samples from a specimen transport system and a specimen pretreatment system connected to interface 103. Furthermore, emergency specimens, precision management specimens, and calibration specimens can be received from the specimen input / receiving unit 102. Specimens input into the automated analysis system are filled with samples such as blood or urine collected from a patient and mounted on a specimen carrier equipped with a magnet. Additionally, the specimen sample container contains specimen identification information such as a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode for identifying the patient, or an RFID tag containing information about the patient and the specimen.

[0018] If these patients' samples are fed into the automated analysis system, the system reads the sample identification information via an auxiliary reader and then... Figure 4 The management terminal 401 retrieves information on whether there is a corresponding request for a specimen. If no request is found, it queries the Laboratory Information System (LIS) 108, which serves as the host computer of the examination room, to obtain the request information. Based on the request information received from the LIS 108, the management terminal 401 calculates which analytical unit will be used to measure which item, calculates the order in which the specimen will be transmitted to the analytical unit, generates destination information, and notifies the transmission line management unit 402. The transmission line management unit 402 generates path information based on the destination information.

[0019] However, the carrier detection unit 4033 within the transmission line control unit 403 monitors the position of the carriers on the two-dimensional transmission line, confirming whether any carriers that could become obstacles exist on the transmission path. This detected information is also communicated to the transmission path management unit 4021 via the carrier management unit 4022. Normally, when generating path information, the transmission path management unit 4021 can consider not selecting transmission paths that could become obstacles and calculate alternative transmission paths. However, even when generating transmission paths on a two-dimensional transmission line, physical limitations exist, and selecting alternative paths could potentially obstruct the transmission of other carriers.

[0020] Specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, multiple two-dimensional electromagnetic transmission lines 101 are connected to the back of the analysis unit 104. A black circle indicates a location 201 where a carrier carrying a test tube is present, and a white circle indicates a location 202 where no carrier is present. In the management terminal 401, the carrier 205 is planned to be transmitted to location 203 or location 204 based on the entrusted information. Location 203 is located at the very end of one of the carrier groups (buffers) on the left side of the two-dimensional transmission line connected to the analysis unit 104, and location 204 is located at the very end of another carrier group.

[0021] If, during the same time period, carrier 206 needs to use path 212 as an emergency sample, and in the management terminal 401, carrier 205 needs to use path 212, placing it at the very end of the rightmost carrier group with fewer standby carriers, this will hinder the transmission of carrier 206 and may cause a delay in the measurement results of the emergency sample.

[0022] In this scenario, carrier 206 can be transmitted first, followed by carrier 205. However, carrier 205 will remain in standby mode until carrier 206 is transmitted, and then carriers 207 and even 208 will also remain in standby mode. Because these standby times can cause congestion, even with only slight transmissions of carriers 205, 207, and 208, more samples can be introduced into the automated analysis system. For these reasons, sometimes the carriers may stop at the very end of the buffer.

[0023] like Figure 3 As shown, when multiple carriers, such as carrier 301 to carrier 302, are stationary on the transport paths selected by carriers 303, 304, and 305, carrier 302 takes 1.0 second to move two positions before carrier 306 begins to move. In other words, the downstream carrier among adjacent carriers takes 1.5 seconds to move. Therefore, 4.5 seconds pass after carrier 302 begins to move, and the position of carrier 301 becomes idle.

[0024] Therefore, in this embodiment, when transmitting to multiple carrier stalled columns, in order to prevent the stalled columns from becoming longer, the standby time calculation unit 4024 of the transmission line management unit 402 calculates the standby time of the last carrier in the stalled column based on the information detected by the carrier management unit 4022 and the number of carrier stalls.

[0025] Next, the movement time calculation unit 4023 calculates the movement speed of the carrier to be moved during the standby time of the last carrier before it moves from the arrival point, as calculated by the standby time calculation unit 4024, based on the distance from the starting point to the arrival point of the last carrier in the stationary column. Furthermore, by varying the movement speed of subsequent carriers in the same way, carrier stationaryness and the extension of the stationary carrier column can be avoided, and the number of carriers that can be transported can be increased without hindering the movement of multiple carriers. [Example 2]

[0026] On the other hand, when the moving distance of the carrier determined by the management terminal 401 is a relatively far destination spanning multiple two-dimensional electromagnetic transmission lines, the transmission path management unit 4021 confirms the status on the transmission path. If there are no carriers obstructing the path, the carrier can be transmitted at the maximum speed. The maximum speed is the speed at which the test sample inside the test tube does not splash or jump, which is 0.5-1.0 m / s. The maximum speed may vary depending on the transmission surface, the material, and the properties of the carrier. Assuming a normal transmission speed of 0.5 m / s, when the maximum speed is 1.0 m / s, the average transmission time can be reduced by approximately 1.3 seconds. This time reduction is equivalent to 75% of the moving distance of the two-dimensional electromagnetic transmission sheet when transmitted at normal speed. Therefore, increasing the speed also has its advantages.

[0027] Figure 5 An example of the processing flow of the transmission speed calculation unit 4032 of the transmission line control unit 403, which includes a transmission speed calculation unit 4032, a carrier detection unit 4033, and a carrier idle time calculation unit 4044, is shown. This processing flow is handled by the transmission line control unit 403, which pre-indicates the transmission path and idle time.

[0028] In step 502, the initial transmission speed coefficient is set to 1.0. In step 503, the transmission path indicated by the transmission path management unit 4021 is confirmed, and the travel distance is calculated. In step 504, based on the travel distance calculated in step 503, We can calculate: Movement time = Acceleration time + (Transmission distance - Acceleration / deceleration distance) ÷ Speed ​​+ Deceleration time. Here, the acceleration and deceleration times must be the splash-free acceleration of the sample material filled in the test tube as described earlier; therefore, they can be considered as fixed times.

[0029] In step 505, it is determined whether the transmission area can transmit; that is, based on the information from the carrier detection unit 4033, it is confirmed that there is no carrier up to the destination point. If a carrier exists on the transmission path up to the destination point, there are methods to use the position before that carrier as the destination point, and methods to stop at the current location. In this embodiment, the description assumes transmission to the very end of the carrier buffer section. In step 505, if a carrier exists in the middle of the transmission path, the process proceeds to step 506. On the other hand, if no carrier exists in the middle of the transmission path in step 505, the process proceeds to step 508. In step 506, it is confirmed whether there is any deviation from the information calculated by the standby time calculation unit 4024. Therefore, based on the latest information from the carrier detection unit 4033, the carrier idle time calculation unit 4034 calculates the time until the destination location becomes idle. Figure 3 The idle time of the carrier described.

[0030] The idle time of the carrier = (number of standby carriers - 1) × (time of movement of position 1 × 2) + time of movement of position 1.

[0031] In step 507, the times calculated in steps 504 and 506 are compared to determine whether the carrier's idle time is greater than its movement time. In this calculation, as mentioned above, acceleration and deceleration times are assumed to be fixed; therefore, the time in the low-speed range is compared. The conveying speed coefficient is calculated using the formula: (movement time - acceleration / deceleration time) / (carrier idle time - acceleration / deceleration time). In step 508, the conveying speed coefficient calculated in steps 502 and 507 is used to determine the conveying speed, and in step 509, a drive instruction for the carrier is issued to the two-dimensional electromagnetic conveyor line 101. Therefore, since the carrier moves before the idle time at the very end of the stationary carrier group, the carrier can be conveyed without stopping. Furthermore, if the time until the carrier is idle at the destination position is shorter than the carrier's movement time, a conveying speed higher than a predetermined value can be achieved. However, as mentioned above, this must be the highest speed at which the sample material filled into the test tube does not splash. Therefore, if the conveying speed calculated in step 508 exceeds the maximum speed, it needs to be set to the maximum speed. [Example 3]

[0032] Figure 3 The carriers 303, 304, and 305 shown are each in a state where they can operate in 1.0 second. However, if the interval between carriers 303 and 304 is two positions or less, the movement time of carrier 304 is less than 1.0 second, for example, 0.8 seconds. However, to avoid collisions between the carriers, carrier 304 does not move until the position of carrier 303, which is the destination position for carrier 304 to start moving, becomes idle. Therefore, the movement time calculation unit 4023 changes the speed of carrier 304 by referring to the movement time of the moving carrier 303, thereby avoiding collisions between the carriers.

[0033] This invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but also includes various modifications. For example, the above embodiments are detailed for ease of understanding of the invention and are not limited to having all the structures described. Furthermore, a part of the structure of one embodiment can be replaced with the structure of another embodiment, and the structure of another embodiment can be added to the structure of one embodiment. In addition, for a part of the structure of each embodiment, other structures can be added, deleted, or replaced. Label Explanation

[0034] 101 Two-Dimensional Electromagnetic Conveyor Line 102 Simultaneous Analysis System Input / Output Section 103 Interface Section Analysis units 104, 105, 106, and 107 Laboratory Information System (LIS) 108 Location of the 201 carrier 202 Positions where the carrier does not exist Arrival points of carriers 203 and 204 The starting point of carriers 205 and 206 207, 208 Moving carriers Teleportation paths 211, 212, and 213 301, 302, 306: Carriers at a standstill 304, 305: Carriers awaiting relocation 401 Management Terminal 4011 System Management Department 4012 Fault Monitoring Department 4013 Processing Capacity Computing Unit 402 Conveyor Line Management Department 4021 Transmission Path Management Department 4022 Carrier Management Department 4023 Moving Time Calculation Department 4024 Standby Time Calculation Department 403 Conveyor Line Control Department 4031 Carrier Control Unit 4032 Transmission Speed ​​Calculation Unit 4033 Carrier Detection Unit 4044 Carrier Idle Time Calculation Unit 502 Transmission Speed ​​Coefficient Setting 503 Confirmation Processing of Transmission Path Calculation and processing of the migration time of the 504 carrier Handling the determination of whether teleportation is possible in the 505 teleportation zone Calculation and processing of carrier standby time at carrier arrival point 506 The recalculation process of the 507 transmission speed coefficient 508 Calculation and processing of transmission speed based on transmission speed coefficient 509 Transmission Instruction Processing 601 conveyor belt departure 602 belt conveyor return 603 Specimen Input / Collection Department Analysis Units 604 and 605 606, 607 Carrier Buffer Section 608 Belt Conveyor Carrier.

Claims

1. A specimen examination system, comprising a processing unit for analyzing and preprocessing specimens connected to a transport unit, the transport unit having multiple transport surfaces of a carrier two-dimensionally arranged with multiple electromagnetic induction coils, and generating magnetic force by allowing current to flow through the electromagnetic induction coils, characterized in that, The specimen examination system includes: A carrier control unit that transmits the carrier by assembling a magnet into the carrier and applying current to the electromagnetic induction coil; A carrier detection unit is used to detect the position of the carrier moving in the conveying unit; The transmission speed calculation unit is used to detect the position of the carrier moving in the transmission unit by the carrier detection unit, and to calculate the transmission speed of the carrier based on the distance to the arrival position of the carrier. A carrier management unit, which manages the position and status of the carrier in the transmission unit; A transmission management unit, which manages the mobile source, mobile destination and path of the carrier; A standby time calculation unit is configured to calculate, based on information detected by the carrier management unit and according to the number of carriers that are stationary, the standby time of the last carrier in the column of stationary carriers, as the standby time until the mobile source carrier located at the mobile source can be present at the mobile destination; and The movement time calculation unit calculates the sum of acceleration time, deceleration time, and the value obtained by subtracting the acceleration / deceleration distance from the transmission distance and dividing by the speed of the carrier, as the movement time spent by the mobile source carrier moving to the mobile destination. The transmission speed calculation unit compares the movement time and the standby time, and calculates the uninterrupted transmission speed of the mobile source carrier based on the comparison result. The carrier control unit then transmits the mobile source carrier at the calculated transmission speed.

2. The specimen examination system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, If the calculation result of the standby time calculation unit determines that transmission is possible, the transmission speed calculation unit calculates the transmission speed.

3. The specimen examination system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, When both the mobile destination carrier and the mobile source carrier are simultaneously transmitted along the same path, the standby time is calculated as the time until the mobile source carrier can be present at the mobile destination after moving from the mobile destination via the mobile destination carrier.

4. The specimen examination system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, When subsequent carriers following the mobile source carrier are simultaneously transmitted along the same path, the transmission speed of the subsequent carrier is changed with reference to the travel time of the mobile source carrier.

5. A transmission method based on a transmission unit, wherein the transmission unit arranging multiple transmission surfaces of a carrier having multiple electromagnetic induction coils arranged in a two-dimensional configuration, and generating magnetic force by allowing current to flow through the electromagnetic induction coils, characterized in that... The carrier is transported by assembling a magnet into the carrier and applying current to the electromagnetic induction coil. The position of the carrier moving in the conveying unit is detected. The conveying speed of the carrier is calculated based on the distance from the detected position of the carrier moving in the conveying unit to the arrival position of the carrier. The system manages the location and status of the carrier in the transport unit, as well as the carrier's movement source, destination, and path. Based on the information detected by the carrier management unit, and according to the number of carriers that are stalled, the standby time of the last carrier in the column of stalled carriers is calculated as the standby time until the mobile source carrier located at the mobile source can be present at the mobile destination. The sum of the acceleration time, deceleration time, and the value obtained by subtracting the acceleration and deceleration distance from the transmission distance and dividing by the speed of the carrier is used as the travel time taken for the mobile source carrier to move to the mobile destination. The moving time and the standby time are compared, and the non-stop transmission speed of the mobile source carrier is calculated based on the comparison result. The mobile source carrier is then transmitted at the calculated transmission speed.

6. The transmission method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, If the calculation result based on the standby time indicates that transmission is possible, the transmission speed is calculated.

7. The transmission method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, When both the mobile destination carrier and the mobile source carrier are simultaneously transmitted along the same path, the standby time is calculated as the time until the mobile source carrier can be present at the mobile destination after moving from the mobile destination via the mobile destination carrier.

8. The transmission method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, When subsequent carriers following the mobile source carrier are simultaneously transmitted along the same path, the transmission speed of the subsequent carrier is changed with reference to the travel time of the mobile source carrier.

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