Sample analyzer, kit scheduling system and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a sample analyzer and a kit scheduling system and method.The sample analyzer comprises a reagent disc, the kit scheduling system, a reaction disc, a filling mechanism, a uniform mixing disc, a cleaning disc, a cup grabbing mechanism and a measuring device, the kit scheduling system is arranged on one side of the reagent disc, and the reaction disc is arranged on the other side of the reagent disc; and the buffer box is used for buffering the kit and transferring the kit to the reagent disc. Compared with the prior art, the sample analyzer provided by the invention has the advantages that the kit can be loaded manually without shutdown, and online automatic loading of the kit is realized. Furthermore, the kit scheduling system can be used for caching the kit, so that the reagent storage quantity of the reagent disc is increased to a certain extent, the unattended time is prolonged, and meanwhile, the detection speed of an instrument is favorably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of in vitro diagnosis, and in particular relates to a sample analyzer, a reagent kit scheduling system and a method. Background Art

[0002] A chemiluminescent immunoassay analyzer is an instrument that combines chemical reactions with immune reactions to detect antigens or antibodies in a sample. The instrument usually includes: a sample loading unit, a reagent disk, a sample and reagent dispensing unit, a reaction solution mixing unit, a reaction disk, a cleaning and separation unit, and a detection unit.

[0003] During the testing process, the reagent kit in the reagent tray needs to be loaded and replenished according to different test items and the number of reagents stored in the reagent tray. The existing loading method is manual loading, that is, the reagent kit is replenished and unloaded manually when the instrument is stopped. However, the manual loading method is relatively inefficient, resulting in a decrease in the instrument's detection speed; it also reduces the instrument's automation level and increases the user's workload. Summary of the invention

[0004] The invention discloses a sample analyzer, a reagent kit scheduling system and a method to solve the problem of low efficiency in manually loading a reagent kit.

[0005] A first aspect of the present invention provides a sample analyzer, characterized in that it comprises: A reagent tray, used for carrying a reagent kit; A reagent kit dispatching system, disposed on one side of the reagent tray, for caching the reagent kit and transferring the reagent kit to the reagent tray; A reaction plate, used to carry the reaction cup and incubate the reaction solution; A filling mechanism, used to fill the sample and / or reagents in the test kit into the reaction cup; A mixing plate, used to receive the reaction cups containing samples and reagents and perform a shaking operation; A cleaning plate, used for cleaning and separating the reaction liquid; A cup grabbing mechanism, used for transferring the reaction cup between the reaction tray and the mixing tray, and / or for transferring the reaction cup between the reaction tray and the cleaning tray; The measuring device is used to detect the reaction liquid after cleaning and separation.

[0006] Optionally, the reagent disk, the cleaning disk and the mixing disk are all arranged on the peripheral side of the reaction disk.

[0007] Optionally, the reagent disk comprises an inner ring reagent disk and an outer ring reagent disk, and the inner ring reagent disk and the outer ring reagent disk are coaxially arranged.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention provides a reagent kit scheduling system, which is arranged on one side of a reagent tray, wherein the reagent tray is used to provide reagents required for sample analysis, and comprises: Reagent kit loading area; A buffer area, with a refrigeration function, for caching the test kit; A transfer device is used to transfer the reagent kit between the reagent kit loading area, the buffer area and the reagent tray.

[0009] Optionally, it is characterized in that The buffer area is mounted above one side of the reagent disk; The reagent kit loading area is arranged on one side of the buffer area; The transfer device is mounted above the reagent kit loading area, the buffer area and the reagent tray.

[0010] Optionally, at least a portion of the reagent disk is located directly below an area enclosed by the buffer area and the reagent kit loading area.

[0011] Optionally, the reagent tray is provided with a loading opening for loading the reagent kit, and the loading opening is located within the running path of the transport device, and the loading opening is close to the buffer area.

[0012] Optionally, the reagent kit loading area is provided with a plurality of reagent kit containing slots arranged in sequence; a limiting member is provided at the bottom of the reagent kit containing slot, and the limiting member is used to cooperate with the bottom structure of the reagent kit for limiting.

[0013] Optionally, the cache area is provided with a cooling cabin, and a plurality of reagent kit cache slots are provided in the cooling cabin.

[0014] Optionally, the transfer device comprises: frame; A conveying mechanism is arranged on the frame, and the conveying mechanism includes: an X-axis motion component arranged on the frame and used to drive the reagent box to move along the X-axis direction, a Y-axis motion component arranged on the X-axis motion component and used to drive the reagent box to move along the Y-axis direction, and a Z-axis motion component arranged on the Y-axis motion component and used to drive the reagent box to move along the Z-axis direction; A gripper is installed on the Z-axis motion assembly and is used to grasp and place the reagent box.

[0015] Optionally, the reagent kit loading area, the buffer area and the reagent tray are all arranged in a space enclosed by the rack.

[0016] In a third aspect of the present application, a reagent kit scheduling method is provided, and the reagent kit scheduling method is applied to the reagent kit scheduling system provided in any one of the implementations of the first aspect, and the method comprises: loading a first reagent kit into a reagent kit loading area; Determine whether there is an empty reagent position in the reagent tray; If there is an empty reagent position in the reagent tray, transferring the first reagent kit to the reagent tray; If there is no free reagent position in the reagent tray, the first reagent kit is transferred to the buffer area.

[0017] Optionally, before determining whether there is an empty reagent position in the reagent tray, the method further includes: Obtaining the number of second test kits stored in the reagent disk at the current moment, wherein the second test kits have the same test items as the first test kits; Determining whether the quantity of the second test kit is less than the quantity of the target test kit required by the current test plan; If the quantity of the second test kit is not less than the quantity of the target test kit required by the current test plan, transporting the first test kit to the buffer area; If the quantity of the second reagent kit is less than the quantity of the target reagent kit required by the current test plan, the step of determining whether there is an empty reagent position in the reagent tray is performed.

[0018] Optionally, before obtaining the number of the second reagent kit stored in the reagent disk at the current moment, the method further includes: Determine whether the test items of the first test kit are within the current test plan; If the detection item of the first test kit is not in the current test plan, the first test kit is transferred to the buffer area; If the detection items of the first reagent kit are within the current test plan, the step of obtaining the quantity of the second reagent kit stored in the reagent disk at the current moment is performed.

[0019] Optionally, the reagent disk includes an inner reagent disk and an outer reagent disk, and the inner reagent disk and the outer reagent disk are coaxially arranged; and transferring the first reagent kit to the reagent disk includes: Obtaining the quantity of the first reagent kit in the reagent kit loading area; Determining whether the quantity of the first test kit is an even number; If yes, the plurality of first reagent kits are evenly distributed to the inner circle reagent disk and the outer circle reagent disk.

[0020] Optionally, after obtaining the number of the second reagent kit stored in the reagent disk at the current moment, the method further includes: Obtain the remaining number of tests for each of the second reagent kits in the reagent tray at the current moment; If the remaining number of tests is zero, the empty second reagent cartridge is transported to the reagent cartridge loading area.

[0021] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the sample analyzer provided by the present application is provided with a reagent kit scheduling system, which is arranged on one side of the reagent tray and is used to transfer the reagent kit to the reagent tray. Compared with the prior art, there is no need to stop the machine to manually load the reagent kit, and the reagent kit can be automatically loaded online. Furthermore, the reagent kit scheduling system can be used to cache the reagent kit, which to a certain extent expands the reagent storage quantity of the reagent tray, increases the unattended time, and is conducive to improving the detection speed of the instrument. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a reagent kit scheduling system; Figure 2 A top view of a reagent kit scheduling system; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the reagent kit loading area; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure at the bottom of the test kit; Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the transfer device; Figure 6 A workflow diagram for a reagent kit scheduling method; Figure 7 A workflow diagram for yet another reagent kit scheduling method; Figure 8 A workflow diagram for another kit scheduling method; Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a sample analyzer.

[0023] Figure markings: 1-reagent box loading area; 11-reagent box accommodating slot; 12-reagent box bracket; 13-protective baffle; 111-limiting member; 112-reagent box detector; 113-spacer; 131-arch structure; 132-connecting part; 2-buffer area; 21-cooling chamber; 22-hatch; 211-reagent box buffer slot; 3-transfer device; 31-frame; 32-transmission mechanism; 33-gripper; 321-X-axis motion assembly; 322-Y-axis motion assembly; 323-Z-axis motion assembly; 3211-X-axis transmission member; 3212-coupling; 3213-X-axis drive motor; 3221-Y-axis transmission member; 3222-Y-axis drive motor; 3231-Z-axis drive motor; 4-reagent tray; 5-reagent box; 51-groove; 6-bottom plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The embodiments of the present invention clearly and completely describe the above technical solutions. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "front", "rear", "above", "below", etc. used to indicate the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application or simplifying the description, and are not used to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present application.

[0026] During the working process of the sample analyzer, it is necessary to select matching reagents according to the test items of the sample. In the prior art, when the reagent is consumed, it is necessary to stop the machine to add reagents, which reduces the utilization rate of the instrument and the detection speed. In order to solve this problem, reference is made to Fig. 9 As shown in the structural schematic diagram, the first embodiment of the present application provides a sample analyzer, including: a reagent tray 4, used for carrying a reagent kit; a reagent kit scheduling system 10, arranged on one side of the reagent tray 4, used for caching the reagent kit and transferring the reagent kit to the reagent tray; a reaction tray 20, used for carrying a reaction cup and incubating the reaction liquid; a filling mechanism 30, used for filling the sample and / or the reagent in the reagent kit into the reaction cup; a mixing tray 40, used for receiving the reaction cup containing the sample and the reagent and performing a shaking operation; a cleaning tray 50, used for cleaning and separating the reaction liquid; a cup grabbing mechanism 60, used for transferring the reaction cup between the reaction tray and the mixing tray, and / or, for transferring the reaction cup between the reaction tray and the cleaning tray; a measuring device 70, used for detecting the reaction liquid after cleaning and separation.

[0027] This embodiment realizes online automatic loading of the reagent kit by adding a reagent kit scheduling system. Further, the reagent kit scheduling system can be used to cache the reagent kit, which to a certain extent expands the reagent storage quantity of the reagent tray, increases the unattended time, and is conducive to improving the detection speed of the instrument.

[0028] In order to increase the detection speed of the instrument, the reaction disk 20 is provided with multiple circles, for example, 6 circles, each circle has 49 holes, and a total of 294 holes. The number of holes is only an example and should not be used as a limitation to the present application.

[0029] In this embodiment, the reaction disk 20 rotates and stops at fixed time intervals (which can also be hole intervals or angle intervals). After the reaction cup is loaded onto the reaction disk 20, the sample is added when the reaction disk 20 rotates and stops at the sample adding position, and the reagent is added when the reaction disk 20 rotates and stops at the reagent adding position. After the sample and reagent are added, the sample is transferred to the mixing disk 40 for mixing, and then returned to the reaction disk 20 for incubation or other operations. In order to increase the detection speed of the instrument as much as possible, the time from the reaction cup leaving the reaction disk to returning to the reaction disk is less than or equal to one rotation and stop cycle of the reaction disk 20 (i.e., a fixed time interval). For example, in the n-1th rotation and stop cycle, the reaction disk 20 rotates and stops at the mixing entry position, and the reaction cup is transferred from the mixing entry position to the in-out position of the mixing disk 40, and the mixing disk 40 rotates to the mixing position for mixing; in the nth rotation and stop cycle, the reaction disk 20 rotates to the mixing exit position, at which time the reaction cup returns to the in-out position, and the cup grabbing mechanism transfers the reaction cup to the reaction disk. In this embodiment, the hole interval between the mixing inlet position and the mixing outlet position corresponds to one rotation stop cycle.

[0030] In this embodiment, the reagent disk, cleaning disk and mixing disk are all arranged on the peripheral side of the reaction disk. This arrangement makes the space compact and increases space utilization. On the other hand, the distance between the components is shortened, which is conducive to optimizing the paths of the components.

[0031] Optionally, the sample analyzer further includes: a cup arranging device 80, which is used to output disordered reaction cups into an orderly and upright state. A cup grabbing mechanism 60 is also provided between the cup arranging device 80 and the reaction disk 20, and the cup grabbing mechanism 60 is used to transfer the reaction cups between the reaction disk and the cup arranging device 80.

[0032] Optionally, the reagent tray comprises an inner reagent tray and an outer reagent tray, and the inner reagent tray and the outer reagent tray are coaxially arranged. The arrangement of the double reagent tray is conducive to increasing reagent positions without increasing the area of ​​the instrument.

[0033] Reference Figure 1 As shown in the structural schematic diagram, the second embodiment of the present invention provides a reagent kit scheduling system, which is arranged on one side of a reagent tray 4, and the reagent tray 4 is used to provide reagents required for sample analysis, including: a reagent kit loading area 1; a buffer area 2, which has a refrigeration function and is used to cache the reagent kit; a transport device 3, which is used to transport the reagent kit between the reagent kit loading area 1, the buffer area 2 and the reagent tray 4.

[0034] In this application, the side where the operator loads reagents and checks the operation of the instrument is referred to as the "operation side". The position close to the operation side is referred to as the front side of the instrument, and the position far from the operation side is referred to as the back side of the instrument.

[0035] In the prior art, an operator stands on the operating side and manually loads the reagent kit into a reagent tray. However, in a fully automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer, many components such as a reaction tray, a reagent tray, and a cleaning tray need to be arranged in a specific instrument space. In order to arrange the space reasonably, the reagent tray is usually arranged at a position away from the operating side. For the operator, loading the reagent kit is time-consuming and laborious.

[0036] In the embodiment of the present application, the reagent kit loading area 1 is arranged near the operation side. The operator only needs to load the reagent kit into the reagent kit loading area 1, and the transfer device 3 transfers the reagent kit to the reagent disk 4 and / or the buffer area 2.

[0037] The buffer area 2 is arranged at the rear side of the reagent box loading area 1. To facilitate the transfer operation of the transfer device, the buffer area 2 and the reagent box loading area 1 are arranged at the same horizontal position. If the reagent box is transferred from the reagent box loading area 1 to the buffer area 2, it can be stored in the buffer area 2 for a period of time, such as 24 hours, and then the transfer device 3 transfers the reagent box in the buffer area 2 to the reagent tray 4 at an appropriate time according to the needs of the instrument.

[0038] In actual applications, according to the test plan, a certain number of reagent kits can be pre-stored in cache area 2. After the current test plan is completed, the reagents required for the next test plan are preferentially supplied by the reagent kits in cache area 2, thereby increasing the unattended time.

[0039] It can be seen from the above technical solution that the reagent kit scheduling system provided by the present application is arranged on one side of the reagent tray 4, including a reagent kit loading area 1, a buffer area 2 and a transport device 3, the transport device 3 is used to automatically transport the reagent kit in the reagent kit loading area 1 to the buffer area 1 and / or the reagent tray 4, and in addition, the transport device 3 is also used to transport the reagent kit in the buffer area 2 to the reagent tray 4, compared with the prior art, there is no need to stop the loading of the reagent kit, and the online automatic loading of the reagent kit is realized. Further, the buffer area 2 has a refrigeration function and can be used for short-term caching of the reagent kit, which expands the reagent storage quantity of the reagent tray 4 to a certain extent, increases the unattended time, and is conducive to improving the detection speed of the instrument.

[0040] In addition, in this embodiment, the traditional manual unloading method of the reagent kit is replaced by an automatic unloading method. When there is an empty reagent kit in the reagent tray 4, the transport device 3 directly transports the empty reagent kit to the reagent kit loading area 1, and then manually removes it. In this process, the operator does not need to search for the empty reagent kit in the reagent tray, and avoids contact with the reagent tray 4, which reduces the workload of the operator and realizes the function of automatically unloading the reagent kit from the reagent tray 4.

[0041] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown in the structural schematic diagram, in order not to increase the floor space of the instrument, the embodiment of the present application sets the buffer zone 2 above one side of the reagent disk 4, the reagent kit loading zone 1 is set on one side of the buffer zone, and the transfer device 3 is set above the reagent kit loading zone 1, the buffer zone 2 and the reagent disk 4, thereby forming a three-layer structure in space. Furthermore, at least a portion of the reagent disk 4 is located directly below the area enclosed by the buffer zone 2 and the reagent kit loading zone 1, and the first layer structure for setting the reagent disk 4, the second layer structure for setting the reagent kit loading zone 1 and the buffer zone 2, and the third layer structure for setting the transfer device 3 are formed in sequence from bottom to top, and the three-layer structure is compactly arranged in space to improve space utilization.

[0042] Further, the reagent kit loading area 1 is close to the operation side, and other components may be arranged below the reagent kit loading area 1. The buffer area 2 and the reagent kit loading area 1 are both long strips, and for the convenience of operation, the buffer area 2 and the reagent kit loading area 1 are arranged at the same height.

[0043] The reagent tray 4 is provided with a loading opening 41 for loading the reagent kit, and the loading opening 41 is located in the running path of the transport device 3. In practical applications, the buffer area 2 and the reagent tray 4 are staggered so that these openings can work normally.

[0044] In one feasible manner, at least a portion of the reagent disk 4 is exposed in the L-shaped area enclosed by the cache area 2 and the reagent reagent loading area 1, and the loading opening 41 of the reagent disk 4 is close to the cache area 2, so that the path between the cache area 2 or the reagent reagent loading area 1 and the loading opening 41 is relatively close.

[0045] Reference Figure 3 As shown in the structural schematic diagram, the reagent kit loading area 1 is provided with a plurality of reagent kit containing slots 11 arranged in sequence, and the plurality of reagent kit containing slots 11 are provided on a reagent kit bracket 12. In this embodiment, 8 reagent kit containing slots 11 are provided, and the reagent kit can be placed in the reagent kit containing slots 11 manually. The reagent kit containing slots 11 include an inlet on the front side and an outlet on the top, the inlet is used to manually push the reagent kit into the reagent kit containing slot 11, and the outlet is used to take the reagent kit out of the reagent kit containing slot 11, and the inlet and the outlet are both matched with the shape and size of a reagent kit.

[0046] A limiting member 111 is disposed at the bottom of the reagent container 11. In this embodiment, the limiting member 111 may be a spring plunger. Figure 4 As shown in the structural schematic diagram, a groove 51 is provided at the bottom of the reagent box 5, and the reagent box 5 slides from the entrance to the inside of the reagent box receiving groove 11. When the reagent box 5 slides into place, the limiting member 111 cooperates with the groove 51 at the bottom of the reagent box to limit the reagent box.

[0047] like Figure 3 As shown, in order to timely feedback the signal that the reagent kit is in place after the reagent kit is placed in the reagent kit receiving slot 11, the present embodiment is provided with a reagent kit detector 112 on the inner wall of the reagent kit receiving slot 11 away from the operating side. The device can be a micro switch or other components with an in-place detection function. After the reagent kit is successfully placed in the reagent kit receiving slot 11, the end of the reagent kit away from the operating side contacts the micro switch. The micro switch can transmit the signal that the reagent kit is in place to the controller, and the controller responds to the signal. In one achievable manner, after each reagent kit receiving slot 11 is filled with reagent kits, the transfer device 3 transfers the reagent kits one by one to the buffer area 2. In another achievable manner, after a signal that one of the reagent kits is successfully in place is sent, the transfer device 3 can grab and transfer the corresponding reagent kit. The mode of grabbing and carrying the reagent kit by the transfer device 3 is set according to actual needs.

[0048] When the operator places the reagent kit in the reagent kit loading area 1, due to the fast movement speed of the transfer device 3, in order to prevent the transfer device 3 from accidentally injuring the operator's hand, a protective baffle 13 is set in the reagent kit loading area 1. The protective baffle 13 is connected by several arch structures 131. The area enclosed by the arch structure 131 and the bottom of the reagent kit receiving groove 11 serves as the entrance of the reagent kit. Each connecting part 132 of the arch structure 131 extends into the interior of the reagent kit receiving groove 11, and the bottom end of the connecting part 132 abuts against the spacing part 113 between two adjacent reagent kit receiving grooves 11. The protective baffle 13 can be used to limit the depth to which the operator's fingers extend inward when placing the reagent kit.

[0049] Since the reagent kit enters the reagent kit containing groove 11 in a sliding manner, in order to avoid instrument loss caused by wear, the bottom end of the reagent kit containing groove 11 is made of wear-resistant material to extend its service life.

[0050] The measuring speed of current machines is relatively fast, and higher requirements are placed on the speed of supplying and unloading reagent kits. Therefore, a buffer area 2 is provided in the embodiment of the present application, and the reagent kits in the reagent kit loading area 1 can be transported to the buffer area 2. The buffer area 2 can refrigerate a large number of reagent kits for a short period of time and provide the reagent kits to the reagent tray 4.

[0051] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown in the structural schematic diagram, the buffer area 2 includes a cooling chamber 21 and a cover 22 for closing the cooling chamber 21, and a plurality of reagent kit buffer slots 211 are arranged in the cooling chamber 21. In this embodiment, 6 rows of reagent kit buffer slots 211 are arranged, each row includes 4 reagent kit buffer slots 211, and a total of 24 reagent kit buffer slots 211. The number of the above reagent kit buffer slots 211 is only an example, and the number or grouping can be changed according to the space limitation of the instrument.

[0052] In the buffer area 2 , two hatch covers 22 are provided. The hatch covers 22 are located on the top of the cooling compartment 21 and are used to close the cooling compartment 21 to ensure the refrigerated temperature in the cooling compartment 21 .

[0053] Reference Figure 5 As shown in the structural schematic diagram, the transfer device 3 in this embodiment includes a frame 31 and a conveying mechanism 32 arranged on the frame 31, the frame 31, the reagent reagent loading area 1 and the buffer area 2 are all mounted on the bottom plate 6, a plurality of frames 31 are arranged on the bottom plate 6, the top of the frame formed by the plurality of frames 31 is in a quadrilateral shape, and the conveying mechanism 32 is arranged on the top of the frame formed by the frames 31, so that the conveying mechanism 32 is arranged above the reagent reagent loading area 1 and the buffer area 2.

[0054] like Figure 5 As shown, the conveying mechanism 32 is a gantry arm structure, including an X-axis motion component, a Y-axis motion component and a Z-axis motion component. The X-axis motion component is arranged on the frame 31, the Y-axis motion component is arranged on the X-axis motion component, and the Z-axis motion component is arranged on the Y-axis motion component. The conveying mechanism 32 is suitable for three-dimensional movement in horizontal and vertical directions.

[0055] Reference Figure 5 As shown in the structural diagram, the X-axis motion assembly 321 includes: two groups of X-axis transmission members 3211 arranged in the X direction, a coupling 3212 arranged between the two groups of X-axis transmission members 3211, and an X-axis drive motor 3213 for driving the coupling 3212. The coupling 3212 rotates under the drive of the X-axis drive motor 3213, thereby driving the X-axis transmission member 3211 to translate in the X-axis direction. Both ends of the Y-axis motion assembly 322 are fixedly connected to the two groups of X-axis transmission members 3211, respectively, and the two groups of X-axis transmission members 3211 translate synchronously, driving the Y-axis motion assembly 322 to translate in the X-axis direction.

[0056] The Y-axis motion component 322 includes: a Y-axis transmission component 3221 and a Y-axis driving motor 3222 , wherein the Y-axis driving motor 3222 is used to drive the Y-axis transmission component 3221 to translate in the Y-axis direction, thereby driving the Z-axis motion component 323 to translate on the Y-axis motion component 322 .

[0057] The Z-axis motion assembly 323 includes: a Z-axis transmission member (not shown in the figure) and a Z-axis drive motor 3231, wherein the Z-axis drive motor 3231 is used to drive the Z-axis transmission member to rise and fall in the Z-axis direction, thereby driving the gripper 33 to rise and fall in the Z-axis direction.

[0058] The transmission member can be a chain, a belt or other parts used for continuous transmission. In this embodiment, a belt is used as the transmission member. The belt has a simple structure and good elasticity, can mitigate impact and vibration, and moves smoothly without noise. In the embodiment of the present application, a semi-circular drag chain is respectively arranged on the X, Y, and Z axes. One end of the drag chain is fixed, and the other end moves with the transmission member. Cables and other components are arranged inside the drag chain to play the role of traction and protection of the cables.

[0059] Reference Figure 2 As shown in the structural diagram, the width of the rack 31 in the Y-axis direction is slightly larger than the diameter of the reagent disk 4, and the reagent kit loading area 1, the buffer area 2 and the reagent disk 4 are closely arranged inside the rack 31 to save space.

[0060] In this embodiment, the reagent kit is provided with 4 reagent slots and a magnetic bead bottle, and each reagent slot can be used to place different reagents.

[0061] Reference Figure 6 As shown in the work flow diagram, the third embodiment of the present invention provides a reagent kit scheduling method, comprising the following steps: Step 101: Load the first reagent kit into the reagent kit loading area.

[0062] In this step, the reagent kit loading area is close to the operating side, and the first reagent kit can be loaded manually by the operator. In addition, it can also be loaded by an automatic control device arranged on one side of the analyzer, for example, a mechanical arm is arranged on one side of the analyzer. The reagent kit loading area is provided with at least 8 reagent kit receiving slots, each of which is provided with a reagent kit detector, and the reagent kit detector feeds back the information of the first reagent kit being in place to the controller in real time.

[0063] Step 102: Determine whether there is an empty reagent position in the reagent tray.

[0064] In this embodiment, the reagent tray is provided with double circles, with 24 reagent positions in the outer circle and 12 reagent positions in the inner circle, so the inner and outer double circles have a total of 36 reagent positions. After receiving the arrival information fed back by the reagent kit detector, the controller determines whether there are idle reagent positions in the reagent tray, and if there are idle reagent positions in the reagent tray, the operation of S103 is executed; if there are no idle reagent positions in the reagent tray, the operation of step 104 is executed.

[0065] Step 103: If there is an empty reagent position in the reagent tray, transfer the first reagent kit to the reagent tray.

[0066] In this embodiment, the reagent disk includes an inner ring reagent disk and an outer ring reagent disk, and the inner ring reagent disk and the outer ring reagent disk are coaxially arranged; step 103 specifically includes the following steps: Step 1031, obtaining the quantity of the first reagent kit in the reagent kit loading area.

[0067] In this embodiment, after the first reagent box is fully loaded, the number is counted and transported. Label information for identification is set on the surface of the first reagent box. After the controller receives the arrival information fed back by the reagent box detector, it controls the transport device to move to the position of the first reagent box and performs the operation of scanning the label, thereby obtaining the parameter information of the first reagent box. In addition to the test items of the first reagent box, the parameter information also includes the number of tests of the first reagent box.

[0068] Step 1032, determining whether the quantity of the first reagent kit is an even number.

[0069] In this step, the first reagent kit is usually loaded in pairs. If the number of the first reagent kit is an even number, the operation of step 1033 is performed. If the number of the first reagent kit is an odd number, it can be allocated in the following two cases: one case is that the second reagent kit in the reagent disk is an odd number, just after the first reagent kit is transferred to the reagent disk, the number of reagent kits in the inner and outer double-circle reagent disks is kept equal; the other case is that the second reagent kit in the reagent disk is an even number, then consider transferring an extra reagent kit to the buffer area for temporary storage, or transfer a third reagent kit from the buffer area to the reagent disk, so as to keep the number of reagent kits in the inner and outer double-circle reagent disks equal. Among them, the first reagent kit, the second reagent kit and the third reagent kit are all used for the same test item.

[0070] Step 1033: if yes, then distribute the plurality of the first reagent kits evenly to the inner circle reagent disk and the outer circle reagent disk.

[0071] The scheduling method provided in this embodiment is applied to a fully automatic chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer with a high detection speed. In order to obtain a high detection speed, two reagent dispensing mechanisms are provided, and the two reagent dispensing mechanisms can respectively perform the operation of drawing reagents within the same rotation and stop cycle. In order to improve the utilization rate of space, the present application configures the two reagent dispensing mechanisms to draw reagents from the inner and outer reagent discs, respectively. Therefore, when the number of reagent kits in the inner and outer double-circle reagent discs is equal, the amount of reagents consumed by the inner and outer double circles can also be kept consistent, which is convenient for the subsequent unloading and reloading of the reagent kits, and always maintains the high-speed operation of the instrument.

[0072] Step 104: If there is no free reagent position in the reagent tray, the first reagent kit is transferred to the buffer area.

[0073] The transfer operations in step 103 and step 104 are both performed by a transfer device. In this embodiment, only one transfer device is provided. If multiple first reagent kits need to be transferred, they need to be performed sequentially in a time sequence.

[0074] Compared with the prior art, the reagent kit scheduling method provided in this embodiment does not require manual loading of the reagent kit by stopping the machine, and realizes online automatic loading of the reagent kit. Furthermore, the buffer area can be used for short-term buffering of the reagent kit, which to a certain extent expands the reagent storage quantity of the reagent tray, which is conducive to improving the detection speed of the instrument.

[0075] In the present application, the first test kit, the second test kit and the third test kit are not used to indicate the type, quantity, etc. of the test kits, but are only used to describe the test kits in different areas.

[0076] Reference Figure 7 As shown in the work flow diagram, the embodiment of the present invention provides another reagent kit scheduling method, comprising the following steps: Step 201: Load the first reagent kit into the reagent kit loading area.

[0077] Step 202: Obtain the number of second reagent kits stored in the reagent disk at the current moment, where the second reagent kits correspond to the same test items as the first reagent kit.

[0078] Optionally, after obtaining the number of the second reagent kit stored in the reagent disk at the current moment, the following steps are further included: Step 2021, obtaining the remaining number of tests of each of the second reagent kits in the reagent disk at the current moment; Step 2022: If the remaining number of tests is zero, the empty second reagent kit is transferred to the reagent kit loading area.

[0079] In this embodiment, each second reagent kit is monitored in real time, and each reagent kit is in a fully loaded state before being transferred to the reagent tray. The number of tests corresponding to the fully loaded state is determined, for example, 200 times, and each time the reagent dispensing mechanism draws a reagent, one time is subtracted until the remaining number of tests is zero. When there is an empty second reagent kit on the reagent tray, if there is no free slot in the reagent kit loading area, the empty second reagent kit can be temporarily stored in the reagent tray and transferred when there is a free slot in the reagent kit loading area.

[0080] Step 203: determine whether the quantity of the second test kit is less than the quantity of the target test kit required by the current test plan.

[0081] In this embodiment, the current test plan usually corresponds to a test plan within a time period, for example, the number of samples that need to be tested within 24 hours and the planned test items. According to the number of samples that need to be tested and the test items, the calculated amount of the test kits corresponding to the planned test items can be calculated. In order to ensure the continuity of the test, at least two more test kits are usually added on the basis of the calculated amount. Therefore, the calculated amount + n is used as the number of target test kits required for the current test plan, where n is a set value, for example, n=2.

[0082] In this step, if yes, the operation of step 204 is performed. If the number of the second reagent kit is not less than the number of the target reagent kit, it means that there are enough reagents in the reagent tray for the current test plan. In this case, the first reagent kit is transferred to the buffer area. When the next test cycle starts, the reagent kit in the buffer area is preferentially transferred to the reagent tray, thereby improving the loading efficiency and increasing the unattended time.

[0083] Step 204: If the quantity of the second reagent kit is less than the quantity of the target reagent kit required by the current test plan, the step of determining whether there are any free reagent positions in the reagent tray is performed.

[0084] Step 205: If there is an empty reagent position in the reagent tray, transfer the first reagent kit to the reagent tray.

[0085] Step 206: If there is no free reagent position in the reagent tray, the first reagent kit is transferred to the buffer area.

[0086] In the above workflow, step 201 performs the same operation as step 101, and steps 204 to 206 perform the same operation as steps 102 to 104, which will not be described in detail here.

[0087] Reference Figure 8 As shown in the work flow diagram, the embodiment of the present invention provides another reagent kit scheduling method, comprising the following steps: Step 301: Load the first reagent kit into the reagent kit loading area.

[0088] Step 302: Determine whether the detection items of the first test kit are within the current test plan.

[0089] If yes, then the operation of step 304 is performed. If the detection item of the first reagent kit is not in the current test plan, then the first reagent kit is transferred to the buffer area.

[0090] In this step, the reagent kit in the reagent tray is used to provide the reagents required for sample analysis. If the detection item of the first reagent kit is not in the current test plan, it does not need to be transferred to the reagent tray. At this time, the buffer area can be used to store the first reagent kit.

[0091] Step 303: If the detection items of the first reagent kit are within the current test plan, the step of obtaining the number of the second reagent kit stored in the reagent disk at the current moment is performed.

[0092] Step 304: Obtain the number of second reagent kits stored in the reagent disk at the current moment, where the second reagent kits correspond to the same test items as the first reagent kit.

[0093] Step 305: Determine whether the quantity of the second test kit is less than the quantity of the target test kit required by the current test plan.

[0094] Step 306: If the quantity of the second test kit is not less than the quantity of the target test kit required by the current test plan, the first test kit is transferred to the buffer area.

[0095] Step 307: If the quantity of the second reagent kit is less than the quantity of the target reagent kit required by the current test plan, the step of determining whether there are any free reagent positions in the reagent tray is performed.

[0096] Step 308: If there is an empty reagent position in the reagent tray, transfer the first reagent kit to the reagent tray.

[0097] Step 309: If there is no free reagent position in the reagent tray, the first reagent kit is transferred to the buffer area.

[0098] In the above workflow, step 301 performs the same operation as step 201, and steps 303 to 309 perform the same operation as steps 202 to 207, which will not be described in detail here.

[0099] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the patent. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A sample analyzer, characterized in that: include: A reagent tray, used for carrying a reagent kit; A reagent kit dispatching system, disposed on one side of the reagent tray, for caching the reagent kit and transferring the reagent kit to the reagent tray; A reaction plate, used to carry the reaction cup and incubate the reaction solution; A filling mechanism, used to fill the sample and / or reagents in the test kit into the reaction cup; A mixing plate, used to receive the reaction cups containing samples and reagents and perform a shaking operation; A cleaning plate, used for cleaning and separating the reaction liquid; A cup grabbing mechanism, used for transferring the reaction cup between the reaction tray and the mixing tray, and / or for transferring the reaction cup between the reaction tray and the cleaning tray; The measuring device is used to detect the reaction liquid after cleaning and separation.

2. The sample analyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reagent disk, the cleaning disk and the mixing disk are all arranged on the peripheral side of the reaction disk.

3. The sample analyzer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reagent disc comprises an inner ring reagent disc and an outer ring reagent disc, and the inner ring reagent disc and the outer ring reagent disc are coaxially arranged.

4. A reagent kit scheduling system, characterized in that: Arranged on one side of a reagent disk (4), the reagent disk (4) is used to provide reagents required for sample analysis, the system comprising: Reagent kit loading area (1); A buffer area (2), used for caching the reagent kit; A transfer device (3) is used to transfer the reagent kit between the reagent kit loading area (1), the buffer area (2) and the reagent tray (4).

5. The reagent kit scheduling system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The buffer area (2) is mounted above one side of the reagent disk (4); The reagent kit loading area (1) is arranged on one side of the buffer area (2); The transfer device (3) is mounted above the reagent kit loading area (1), the buffer area (2) and the reagent tray (4).

6. The reagent kit scheduling system according to claim 5, characterized in that: At least a portion of the reagent disk (4) is located directly below the area enclosed by the buffer area (2) and the reagent kit loading area (1).

7. The reagent kit scheduling system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The reagent tray (4) is provided with a loading opening (41) for loading the reagent kit, the loading opening (41) being located within the running path of the transfer device (3), and the loading opening (41) being close to the buffer area (2).

8. The reagent kit scheduling system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The reagent kit loading area (1) is provided with a plurality of reagent kit containing slots (11) arranged in sequence; a limiting member (111) is provided at the bottom of the reagent kit containing slots (11), and the limiting member (111) is used to cooperate with the bottom structure of the reagent kit for limiting.

9. The reagent kit scheduling system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The buffer area (2) is provided with a cooling chamber (21), and a plurality of reagent kit buffer slots (211) are provided in the cooling chamber (21).

10. The reagent kit scheduling system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transfer device (3) comprises: Rack(31); A conveying mechanism (32) is arranged on the frame (31), and the conveying mechanism (32) comprises: an X-axis motion component arranged on the frame (31) and used to drive the reagent box to move along the X-axis direction; a Y-axis motion component arranged on the X-axis motion component and used to drive the reagent box to move along the Y-axis direction; and a Z-axis motion component arranged on the Y-axis motion component and used to drive the reagent box to move along the Z-axis direction; A gripper (33) is mounted on the Z-axis motion assembly and is used to grip and place the reagent box.

11. The reagent kit scheduling system according to claim 10, characterized in that: The reagent kit loading area (1), the buffer area (2) and the reagent tray (4) are all arranged in a space enclosed by the rack (31).

12. A reagent kit scheduling method, characterized in that: The method comprises: loading a first reagent kit into a reagent kit loading area; Determine whether there is an empty reagent position in the reagent tray; If there is an empty reagent position in the reagent tray, transferring the first reagent kit to the reagent tray; If there is no free reagent position in the reagent tray, the first reagent kit is transferred to the buffer area.

13. The reagent kit scheduling method according to claim 12, characterized in that: Before determining whether there is an empty reagent position in the reagent tray, the following steps are also included: Obtaining the number of second test kits stored in the reagent disk at the current moment, wherein the second test kits have the same test items as the first test kits; Determining whether the quantity of the second test kit is less than the quantity of the target test kit required by the current test plan; If the quantity of the second test kit is not less than the quantity of the target test kit required by the current test plan, transporting the first test kit to the buffer area; If the quantity of the second reagent kit is less than the quantity of the target reagent kit required by the current test plan, the step of determining whether there is an empty reagent position in the reagent tray is performed.

14. The method for dispatching a reagent kit according to claim 13, characterized in that: Before obtaining the number of the second reagent kit stored in the reagent disk at the current moment, the method further includes: Determine whether the test items of the first test kit are within the current test plan; If the detection item of the first test kit is not in the current test plan, the first test kit is transferred to the buffer area; If the detection items of the first reagent kit are within the current test plan, the step of obtaining the quantity of the second reagent kit stored in the reagent disk at the current moment is performed.

15. The method for dispatching a reagent kit according to claim 12, characterized in that: The reagent tray comprises an inner reagent tray and an outer reagent tray, and the inner reagent tray and the outer reagent tray are coaxially arranged; and transferring the first reagent kit to the reagent tray comprises: Obtaining the quantity of the first reagent kit in the reagent kit loading area; Determining whether the quantity of the first test kit is an even number; If yes, the plurality of first reagent kits are evenly distributed to the inner circle reagent disk and the outer circle reagent disk.

16. The method for dispatching a reagent kit according to claim 13, characterized in that: After obtaining the number of the second reagent kit stored in the reagent disk at the current moment, the method further includes: Obtain the remaining number of tests for each of the second reagent kits in the reagent tray at the current moment; If the remaining number of tests is zero, the empty second reagent cartridge is transported to the reagent cartridge loading area.

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