Automated analyzer

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an automatic analysis device that suppresses flicker and conforms to the standard of medical electrical equipment. To this end, the automatic analysis device of the present invention comprises: a thermostatic bath for storing thermostatic water for holding a mixed solution of a sample and a reagent in a reaction container at a predetermined temperature; the heater is used for heating the constant-temperature water; and a control unit that controls the heater, in the automatic analysis device, a and b are fixed lengths and a < b, where a (ms) is a pulse width of an on signal, which is a control signal for turning on the heater, and b (ms) is a pulse width of an off signal, which is a control signal for turning off the heater.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic analysis device. Background Art

[0002] In an automatic analysis device for qualitative and quantitative analysis of a specified component contained in a sample such as blood, in order to ensure the reproducibility of the analysis, it is necessary to make the sample and the reagent react under the same conditions, and generally, a thermostat for maintaining a reaction vessel in which the sample and the reagent react at a constant temperature is provided. Constant temperature water is stored in the thermostat, and the temperature of the constant temperature water is maintained by repeatedly turning on / off a heater for heating the constant temperature water.

[0003] However, the on / off of the heater also causes a relatively large change in the power consumption of the entire automatic analysis device. Therefore, a method for equalizing the power consumption in the automatic analysis device is considered. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for reducing the maximum value of the power consumption by making the timing of turning on the heater of the automatic analysis device not overlap with that of the cold storage. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-83978 Summary of the Invention Technical Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Regarding the standard "IEC60601-1-2:2014" for medical electrical equipment including an automatic analysis device, in recent years, restrictions on voltage fluctuations and flicker (basic standards: IEC61000-3-3, IEC61000-4-15) have been required. The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is effective in suppressing the magnitude of voltage fluctuations generated in the automatic analysis device itself, but depending on the frequency of power consumption fluctuations accompanying the on / off of the heater (specifically, when the power consumption fluctuations are around 8 to 10 Hz), it may not meet the above standards.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analysis device that suppresses flicker and meets the standards for medical electrical equipment. Technical Solution for Solving the Technical Problem

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, in the automatic analysis device of the present invention: a thermostat that stores thermostatic water for maintaining a mixture of a sample and a reagent in a reaction vessel at a specified temperature; a heater that heats the thermostatic water; and a control unit that controls the heater. In the automatic analysis device, when the pulse width of a conduction signal, which is a control signal for turning on the heater, is a (ms) and the pulse width of a disconnection signal, which is a control signal for turning off the heater, is b (ms), a and b are fixed lengths and a < b. Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, an automatic analysis device that suppresses flicker and meets the standards for medical electrical equipment can be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 It is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of the automatic analysis device according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 It is a block diagram of the temperature control system. Figure 3 It is a diagram showing the output timing of a control signal for turning on / off the heater. Figure 4 It is a diagram showing the relationship between the control signal for the heater and the actual on / off state of the heater. Figure 5 It is a diagram showing the actual on / off state of the heater when the pulse width of the conduction signal is 10 ms or more in Comparative Example 1. Figure 6 It is a diagram showing the actual on / off state of the heater when the pulse width of the disconnection signal is 10 mm or less in Comparative Example 2. Figure 7 It is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of the automatic analysis device according to Embodiment 2. Figure 8 It is a schematic structural diagram of the temperature control system of Embodiment 2. Figure 9 It is a diagram showing the output timing of a control signal for turning on / off the heater and a load in Embodiment 2. Figure 10 It is a diagram showing the output timing of a control signal for turning on / off the heater and a cold storage in Embodiment 3. Figure 11 It is a diagram showing the output timing of a control signal for turning on / off the heater and a cold storage in Embodiment 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Example 1

[0011] First, use Figure 1 to illustrate the basic structure of the automatic analysis device. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the brief structure of the automatic analysis device according to Example 1. The automatic analysis device 100 is a device for measuring a liquid formed by mixing a sample such as a patient's blood or urine with a reagent. As Figure 1 shown, it mainly includes a sample transfer mechanism 104, a sample dispensing mechanism 101, a reagent dispensing mechanism 106, a thermostat 111, a heater 114, a cold storage 109, a stirring mechanism 113, a measurement unit (a light source 107, a spectrophotometer 110, etc.), a cleaning mechanism 105, and a controller 102.

[0012] The sample transfer mechanism 104 transfers a rack 103 carrying a sample container such as a blood collection tube containing a sample to be analyzed to the sample dispensing (suction) position. The sample dispensing mechanism 101 dispenses the sample in the sample container into the reaction container 112 located at the sample discharge position. The reagent dispensing mechanism 106 dispenses the reagent in the reagent container 108 (reagent bottle) into the reaction container 112 located at the reagent discharge position. The thermostat 111 stores constant temperature water and immerses the reaction container 112 mounted on the reaction disk 116 in the constant temperature water. In addition, a mixed solution of the sample and the reagent is stored in the reaction container 112, and the temperature of this mixed solution is controlled by the constant temperature water in the thermostat 111 to be maintained at the target temperature to promote the chemical reaction between the sample and the reagent. The heater 114 heats the constant temperature water in the thermostat 111. The interior of the cold storage 109 has a rotatable reagent disk to keep the reagent stored in the reagent container 108 provided on the reagent disk cold. The stirring mechanism 113 stirs the sample and the reagent dispensed into the reaction container 112. The measurement unit includes a light source 107 and a spectrophotometer 110 to measure the absorbance, etc. of the mixed solution (reaction solution) in the reaction container 112. The cleaning mechanism 105 cleans the reaction container by discharging and sucking the cleaning solution with the reaction container 112 located at the cleaning position. The controller 102 controls the operations of each mechanism and performs analysis processing, etc. based on the measurement results in the measurement unit.

[0013] The analysis process of the sample performed by the automatic analysis device is generally executed in the following order. First, when the rack 103 carrying the sample container is inserted into the loading section or the like, the rack 103 is transferred to the sample dispensing (suction) position by the sample transfer mechanism 104. The sample in the sample container mounted on the rack 103 that has reached the sample dispensing (suction) position is dispensed into the reaction container 112 of the thermostat 111 (reaction disk 116) by the sample dispensing mechanism 101. In addition, according to the analysis items commissioned for the sample, the sample is dispensed the necessary number of times.

[0014] Next, the reagent dispensing mechanism 106 sucks the reagent used in the analysis from the reagent container 108 in the cold storage 109 and discharges the reagent into the reaction container 112 into which the sample has been previously dispensed. Next, the stirring mechanism 113 stirs the mixed solution of the sample and the reagent in the reaction container 112. Then, the light source 107 generates light, and the spectrophotometer 110 measures the photometric value of the transmitted light when the generated light passes through the reaction container 112 containing the stirred reaction solution. The information regarding the photometric value measured by the spectrophotometer 110 is sent to the controller 102. Then, the controller 102 performs calculations using the received information, calculates the concentration of the specified component in the sample, causes the display unit to display the result, or causes the storage unit to store the result.

[0015] Next, a specific method for controlling the heater 114 of the constant temperature water in the heating thermostat 111 will be described.

[0016] Figure 2 It is a block diagram of the temperature control system. As Figure 2 shown, a temperature sensor 117 such as a thermistor is provided in the thermostat 111, and the temperature of the constant temperature water is fed back to the control unit 118 (temperature control board). Based on the measured value of the temperature sensor 117, the control unit 118 outputs a control signal for switching the conduction / non-conduction (ON / OFF) of the heater 114 at a specified timing. Based on the control signal issued by the control unit 118, the relay board 119 switches the energization and non-energization of the AC power supply 120 (commercial power supply) and the heater 114. That is, by appropriately switching the conduction and non-conduction of the heater 114, the control unit 118 can maintain the constant temperature water in the thermostat 111 at a specified temperature, for example, 37.0 ± 0.1 °C.

[0017] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing the output timing of the control signal for turning the heater on / off. When the automatic analyzer is started, in order to quickly heat the constant temperature water to the specified temperature, the control unit 118 only outputs a control signal for turning on the heater 114 (hereinafter simply referred to as "on signal"), causing the heater 114 to continuously be in the on state. After the temperature of the constant temperature water rises to the specified temperature, the control unit 118 changes the number of pulses of the on signal included in the constant time according to the degree of temperature drop of the constant temperature water, thereby maintaining the temperature of the constant temperature water.

[0018] As Figure 3As shown, during the temperature maintenance operation of the constant-temperature water, after the control unit 118 outputs a one-time conduction signal, it does not continuously output a conduction signal, but outputs a control signal (hereinafter simply referred to as "disconnection signal") to disconnect the heater 114. However, even if the conduction signal is not continuously output, when the pulse width of the conduction signal is long, the conduction state of the heater 114 may be continuous. If the conduction state of the heater 114 is continuous, the switching period of the conduction / disconnection state of the heater 114 becomes long. If it is set as a frequency, it may drop to around 8 Hz to 10 Hz. As a result, the variation in power consumption in the heater 114 becomes the main cause of flicker, and sometimes it cannot be applied to items related to the voltage variation and flicker limits (basic standards: IEC61000-3-3, IEC61000-4-15) in the standard "IEC60601-1-2:2014" for medical electrical equipment (hereinafter simply referred to as "IEC standard"). Therefore, in this embodiment, when the pulse width of the conduction signal is set to a (ms) and the pulse width of the disconnection signal is set to b (ms), a and b are fixed lengths and a < b (in the Figure 3 example, a = 9, b = 12).

[0019] Figure 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the control signal for the heater and the actual conduction / disconnection of the heater. Here, the relay board 119 of this embodiment has a zero-crossing function, and this zero-crossing function switches the supply of the AC voltage from the AC power supply 120 at the timing of the zero-crossing point. Therefore, when the AC power supply 120 is 50 Hz, since it is 10 ms from zero-crossing point to zero-crossing point, the conduction / disconnection state of the heater 114 can be switched at the shortest interval of 10 ms. Assuming that the conduction / disconnection state of the heater 114 is switched every 10 ms, the period from the first conduction state to the second conduction state is 20 ms. If it is set as a frequency, it is around 50 Hz, so it can be far from 8 Hz to 10 Hz. That is, the pulse width of the control signal for the heater 114 is preferably around 10 ms.

[0020] Next, Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 are used to illustrate the reason why when the AC power supply 120 is 50 Hz, the pulse width of the conduction signal is shorter than 10 ms and the pulse width of the disconnection signal is longer than 10 ms.

[0021] Figure 5 is a diagram showing the actual conduction / disconnection state of the heater when the pulse width of the conduction signal is 10 ms or more as Comparative Example 1. As Figure 5As shown, if the pulse width of the conduction signal is extended to more than 10 ms, then during the period from the rise to the fall of the conduction signal, the phase sometimes includes the zero-crossing points of two AC power supplies 120. In this case, even if the control signal indicates conduction → disconnection, the actual conduction / disconnection state of the heater 114 becomes conduction → conduction. If the conduction state of the heater 114 is continuous, the switching period of the conduction / disconnection state of the heater 114 becomes longer. If it is set as a frequency, it is close to 8 Hz to 10 Hz, and it may not meet the IEC standard. Therefore, it is desirable that the pulse width of the conduction signal is shorter than 10 ms.

[0022] Figure 6 FIG. is a diagram showing the actual conduction / disconnection state of the heater when the pulse width of the disconnection signal is 10 mm or less as Comparative Example 2. As Figure 6 shown, if the pulse width of the disconnection signal is shortened to 10 mm or less, then during the period from the rise to the fall of the disconnection signal, the phase of the zero-crossing point of the AC power supply 120 is sometimes not included. In this case, even if the control signal indicates disconnection → conduction, the actual conduction / disconnection state of the heater 114 becomes conduction → conduction. If the conduction state of the heater 114 is continuous, the switching period of the conduction / disconnection state of the heater 114 becomes longer. If it is set as a frequency, it is close to 8 Hz to 10 Hz, and it may not meet the IEC standard. Therefore, it is desirable that the pulse width of the disconnection signal is longer than 10 ms.

[0023] The above description is premised on the case where the AC power supply is 50 Hz, but the same idea can also be applied in the case where the AC power supply is 60 Hz. That is, in the case where the AC power supply is 60 Hz, since it is 8.3 ms from zero-crossing point to zero-crossing point, it is desirable that the pulse width of the conduction signal is shorter than 8.3 ms and the pulse width of the disconnection signal is longer than 8.3 ms. If they are generalized, when the pulse width of the conduction signal is a (ms), the pulse width of the cut-off signal is b (ms), and the frequency of the AC power supply is S (Hz), it can be said that it is desirable to set a < 500 / S and 500 / S < b.

[0024] Here, the conduction state of the heater 114 is not continuous, which helps to suppress the excessive temperature of the constant temperature water. On the other hand, if the pulse width of the disconnection signal is extended, then during the period from the rise to the fall of the disconnection signal, the phase of the zero-crossing point of the AC power supply 120 can include two. Therefore, in this case, the actual disconnection state of the heater is continuous. However, even in the case of continuously outputting the disconnection signal, it is desirable that the sum of the total output time of the continuous disconnection signal and the output time of the conduction signal is less than 100 ms. Thus, the period from the first conduction state to the second conduction state is less than 100 ms. If it is set as a frequency, it is greater than 10 Hz. Therefore, the variation in the power consumption of the heater 114 can meet the IEC standard.

[0025] In addition, in the automatic analysis device of Embodiment 1, the pulse width of the conduction signal was set to 9 ms, and the pulse width of the disconnection signal was set to 12 ms, and a flicker test based on the IEC standard was actually performed. As a result, Plt (long-term flicker value) as a measured value was 0.583, which is smaller than the limit value of Plt in the IEC standard, i.e., 0.65, and it was confirmed that it complies with the IEC standard. Embodiment 2

[0026] Embodiment 1 is an embodiment that suppresses flicker from the viewpoint of frequency during power consumption variation, while Embodiment 2 is an embodiment that suppresses flicker from the viewpoint of magnitude (variation amount) during power consumption variation.

[0027] Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the automatic analysis device according to Embodiment 2. As Figure 7 shown, the automatic analysis device of Embodiment 2 is different from the automatic analysis device of Embodiment 1 shown in Figure 1 and further includes a power-consuming load 115. As an example of the load 115, assume a resistor that converts electricity into heat or the like.

[0028] Figure 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of the temperature control system of Embodiment 2. As Figure 8 shown, the heater 114 and the load 115 are controlled by a common control unit 118. When the heater 114 is switched to the off state, the control unit 118 outputs a control signal to the load 115 so as to become conductive with a constant time constant. In addition, as Figure 7 shown, the load 115 is provided in a place different from the constant temperature bath 111, so even if the load 115 becomes conductive, it does not affect the temperature of the constant temperature water.

[0029] Figure 9 is a diagram showing the output timing of the control signal for turning on / off the heater and the load in Embodiment 2. As Figure 9 shown, in Embodiment 2, when the heater 114 is in the on state, the load 115 is in the off state, and when the heater 114 is in the off state, the load 115 is in the on state. In this way, by controlling so that the on / off timing of the heater 114 and the load 115 is in antiphase, it is possible to suppress the power consumption variation of the entire automatic analysis device 100.

[0030] In addition, in the automatic analysis device of Embodiment 2, a flicker test based on the IEC standard was actually conducted, and the result was that Plt was 0.95. When the load 115 was not used, since Plt was 1.27, it was also confirmed through Embodiment 2 that there was an effect of improving Plt. Therefore, in cases where the capacity of the heater 114 is large, etc., when Plt is not less than the limit value only in Embodiment 1, if Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 are combined, it is possible to make Plt less than the limit value. Embodiment 3

[0031] Embodiment 3 is also an embodiment that suppresses flicker from the viewpoint of the magnitude (variation amount) during power consumption variation. However, in Embodiment 3, as the load consuming power, the heat pump cooling unit of the cold storage 109 was assumed. In addition, the heat pump cooling unit has a condenser, a radiator, a compressor, a fan, etc. for circulating the refrigerant, and supplies cold air into the cold storage 109.

[0032] Figure 10 It is a diagram showing the output timing of the control signal for turning on / off the heater and the cold storage in Embodiment 3. As Figure 10 shown, in Embodiment 3, when the heater 114 is in the on state, the cold storage 109 (for example, the compressor of the heat pump cooling unit) is in the off state, and when the heater 114 is in the off state, the cold storage 109 is in the on state. In this way, by controlling the on / off timing of the heater 114 and the cold storage 109 to be out of phase, it is possible to suppress the power consumption variation of the entire automatic analysis device 100. In addition, it also has the advantage of being able to effectively utilize the power consumption for suppressing flicker for cooling in the cold storage 109. Embodiment 4

[0033] Since the on / off timing of the heater and the load is out of phase in Embodiments 2 and 3, it is necessary to make the switching period of the on / off state the same for the heater and the load. In contrast, in Embodiment 4, even when the switching period of the on / off state is different for the heater and the load (cold storage), it is possible to improve Plt.

[0034] Figure 11 It is a diagram showing the output timing of the control signal for turning on / off the heater and the cold storage in Embodiment 4. In Embodiment 4, as Figure 11 shown, the switching period of the cold storage (load) is twice that of the heater. However, the timing when the load (cold storage) changes from off to on is set not to overlap with the timing when the heater changes from off to on. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an effect of suppressing the power consumption variation of the entire automatic analysis device 100 to a certain extent.

[0035] In addition, the above-described Embodiments 1 to 3 are detailed descriptions for facilitating the understanding of the present invention and are not limited to having all the structures described. Further, a part of the structure of a certain embodiment can be replaced with the structure of other embodiments, and the structure of other embodiments can also be added to the structure of a certain embodiment. In addition, for a part of the structure of each embodiment, other structures can be added, deleted, or replaced. Reference Numeral Explanation

[0036] 100 Automatic analysis device 101 Sample dispensing mechanism 102 Controller 103 Rack 104 Sample transfer mechanism 105 Cleaning mechanism 106 Reagent dispensing mechanism 107 Light source 108 Reagent container 109 Cold storage 110 Spectrophotometer 111 Thermostatic bath 112 Reaction vessel 113 Stirring mechanism 114 Heater 115 Load 116 Reaction plate.

Claims

1. An automatic analysis device, comprising: A thermostatic bath that stores thermostatic water for maintaining a mixture of a sample and a reagent in a reaction vessel at a specified temperature; A heater that heats the thermostatic water; and A control unit that controls the heater. The automatic analysis device is characterized in that When the pulse width of a conduction signal, which is a control signal for turning on the heater, is a (ms) and the pulse width of a disconnection signal, which is a control signal for turning off the heater, is b (ms), a and b are fixed lengths and a < b.

2. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1, characterized in that The control unit changes the number of the conduction signals included in a constant time according to the temperature of the thermostatic water.

3. The automatic analysis device according to claim 2, characterized in that After outputting the conduction signal, the control unit outputs the disconnection signal without continuously outputting the conduction signal.

4. The automatic analysis device according to claim 3, characterized in that When continuously outputting the disconnection signal, the sum of the total output time of the continuous disconnection signals and the output time of the conduction signal is less than 100 (ms).

5. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1, characterized in that It further includes a relay board that switches the energization and non-energization between an AC power supply and the heater, The relay board has a zero-crossing function of switching the supply of an AC voltage from the AC power supply at the timing of the zero-crossing point.

6. The automatic analysis device according to claim 5, characterized in that When the frequency of the AC power supply is S (Hz), a < 500 / S and 500 / S < b.

7. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1, characterized in that It further includes a load that consumes power, When the heater is on, the load is off, and when the heater is off, the load is on.

8. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1, characterized in that It further includes a load that consumes power, The timing when the load changes from off to on does not overlap with the timing when the heater changes from off to on.

9. The automatic analysis device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that The load is a cooling unit of a cold storage for preserving reagents.

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