Automated analyzer

Abstract

The automatic analysis device analyzes a specimen by using a reaction between the specimen and a reagent, and is provided with: a housing part which has a first part capable of transmitting light from the outside and a second part capable of transmitting light toward the outside, and which is capable of housing a plurality of consumables used in the automatic analysis device; a light-emitting unit that is disposed outside the accommodating unit and emits first light to the inside of the accommodating unit via the first portion; a first light-receiving unit that is disposed outside the housing unit and receives second light from inside the housing unit via a second portion; and a control device that determines that the accommodating part is in a full state when the amount of light received by the first light receiving part is greater than a predetermined threshold value. As a result, erroneous detection due to diffuse reflection of light can be suppressed, and the full state can be accurately detected.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Automatic analyzers, such as biochemical analyzers and immunoassay analyzers, automatically perform the entire process from measuring the target component to outputting the results by reacting blood, urine, or other biological samples (specimens) with an analytical reagent that specifically reacts with the target component in the sample in a reaction vessel, quantitatively detecting the complex generated by the reaction. In such automated analyzers, once a consumable container, such as a reaction vessel, has been used in the analysis unit, it is placed in a designated storage unit and discarded.

[0003] On the other hand, as a technology for detecting the storage status of empty containers such as PET bottles in a storage unit, there is known a technology described in, for example, Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses an empty container recovery device that stores empty containers such as PET bottles introduced from an inlet into a collection bin provided within the device, and includes a detection unit for detecting empty containers in the collection bin. In this empty container recovery device, a plurality of optical detection units are provided above the collection bin for detecting empty containers collected in the collection bin. The plurality of optical detection units are arranged so that their optical axes intersect within a plane of the maximum storage position within the collection bin. Prior art literature Patent Literature

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-91546 Summary of the Invention Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0005] In the above-mentioned prior art, a light-emitting element such as an LED or laser diode is used as a light source to irradiate measurement light. At the same time, a light-receiving element such as a PSD or COMS paired with the light source receives the reflected measurement light from the object to be measured. A triangulation distance sensor is used to measure the distance to the object by analyzing the image position on the light-receiving element that changes with the distance position of the object to be measured, or a time-of-flight distance sensor is used to measure the short time from irradiation of the measurement light to reception and convert the time difference into distance. This is used to detect that the container is full due to the use of a container.

[0006] However, in small containers such as reaction vessels used in automatic analyzers, measurement light is diffusely reflected on the surface. Therefore, triangular distance sensors or time-of-flight distance sensors may erroneously detect distances and fail to accurately detect the fullness of the container.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer capable of suppressing erroneous detection due to diffuse reflection of light and accurately detecting a full state. Technical means for solving technical problems

[0008] The present application includes multiple means for solving the above-mentioned problems, but if one example is cited, an automatic analysis device is disclosed, which uses the reaction between the specimen and the reagent to analyze the specimen, including: a container, which has a first part that can allow light from the outside to pass through, and a second part that can allow light toward the outside to pass through, and can accommodate multiple consumables used in the automatic analysis device; a light-emitting part, which is arranged outside the container and irradiates the first light to the inside of the container via the first part; a first light-receiving part, which is arranged outside the container and receives the second light from the inside of the container via the second part; and a control device, which determines that the container is full when the amount of light received by the first light-receiving part is greater than a predetermined threshold. Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress erroneous detection due to diffuse reflection of light and accurately detect a full state. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 It is a diagram schematically showing the overall structure of an automatic analyzer. Figure 2 This is a perspective view that extracts and shows the waste storage part of the waste unit together with related structures. Figure 3 It is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state of a waste storage portion fixed to a waste portion and related structures, and is a view showing a state viewed from the front side of the automatic analyzer. Figure 4 It is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state of the waste storage portion fixed to the waste portion and related structures, and is a view showing a state viewed from the right side of the automatic analyzer. Figure 5 It is a longitudinal sectional view showing a waste storage portion fixed to a waste portion and related structures, and is a view showing a state in which the waste storage portion is fully filled. Figure 6Graph showing the relationship between the amount of waste accumulated in the waste storage unit and the amount of light received by the light receiving unit. Figure 7 It is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state of a waste storage portion fixed to a waste portion and related structures, and is a view showing a state viewed from the front side of the automatic analyzer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Below, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the following examples illustrate the case where an automatic analyzer is equipped with an analysis unit, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in addition to the analysis unit, the present invention may also be applied to an automatic analyzer that includes one or more detection units for a biochemical system, immune system, or other analysis items, or includes these detection units in place of the analysis unit. Similarly, the automatic analyzer is not limited to being configured with a single analysis module. The present invention may also be applied to a configuration where, for example, two or more analysis modules capable of measuring various identical or different analysis items or a pretreatment module for performing pretreatment are connected via a transmission device.

[0012] <Implementation Method 1> Reference Figures 1 to 6 Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described.

[0013] Figure 1 101 is a diagram schematically illustrating the overall structure of the automatic analyzer according to this embodiment. In the following description, a coordinate system is used, wherein when the automatic analyzer 101 is viewed from the front, the coordinate system has an X-axis extending from the left side to the right side, a Y-axis extending toward the rear, and a Z-axis extending upward.

[0014] exist Figure 1 In the figure, the automatic analysis device 101 is roughly composed of a sample conveying mechanism 102, a sample dispensing mechanism 104, a reagent storage 105, a reagent dispensing mechanism 106, an incubator 107, an unused reaction container storage unit 108, a container conveying unit 109, an analysis unit 110, a waste unit 112, a waste conveying unit 114, a control device 115, and an operation unit 116.

[0015] The specimen to be analyzed (blood, urine or other biological samples) is contained in a specimen container 103 and is transported to the automatic analyzer 101 by a specimen transport mechanism 102 such as a conveyor belt or a rack carrier, and is transported to a position (specimen dispensing position) for dispensing the specimen by a specimen dispensing mechanism 104 having a dispensing pipette for dispensing the specimen.

[0016] A plurality of consumable reaction containers 108 a are placed in an unused reaction container storage unit 108 and are supplied to the automatic analyzer 101 via a container transport unit 109 . The reaction container 108 a is made of, for example, a transparent member and has a test tube-like shape having a circular bottom. The reaction containers 108 a placed in the unused reaction container storage unit 108 are gripped one by one by the container transport unit 109 and then transported to the specimen discharge position by operations such as ascending / descending / horizontal movement.

[0017] The container transport unit 109 is configured to be movable in the X-, Y-, and Z-axis directions to enable the reaction container 108a to be moved to, for example, the specimen discharge position. Furthermore, the container transport unit 109 is configured to be rotatable, allowing the reaction container 108a to be transported to positions other than the specimen discharge position. Specifically, the transport range of the reaction container 108a includes the container placement position (the reaction container setting portion 107a on the incubator 107), the analysis position (the analysis unit 110), and the container disposal position (the reaction container disposal port 111, described later). The reaction container 108a is then transported to these positions.

[0018] The specimen dispensing mechanism 104 moves to the upper region of the specimen and aspirates the specimen. It then moves to the upper region of the reaction vessel 108a, which has been transported by the vessel transport unit 109 to the specimen discharge position, and discharges the specimen into the reaction vessel 108a. The specimen dispensing mechanism 104 then cleans the nozzle of the dispensing pipette using a cleaning mechanism (omitted for simplicity of illustration). If a replaceable needle is used instead of a nozzle, the needle can be replaced using a needle replacement mechanism.

[0019] The incubator 107 is formed into a disk-like shape that is freely rotatable about a vertical central axis and supported by the central axis. It has a plurality of reaction vessel mounting portions 107a disposed near the outer periphery for engaging reaction vessels 108a. By rotating the incubator 107 about the central axis, each reaction vessel 108a engaged with the reaction vessel mounting portion 107a can be moved to a predetermined position, such as a reagent discharge position.

[0020] The reagent storage 105 has a cylindrical shell that is freely rotatable around a vertical central axis and supported by the central axis, and has an inner hollow space. A plurality of reagent containers (omitted for simplicity of illustration) are radially held along the inner wall of the shell to form a reagent holding portion.

[0021] The reagent dispensing mechanism 106 is configured to aspirate reagents from a reagent container and move them to a predetermined position. The reagent dispensing mechanism 106 moves to the upper area of ​​a reagent of a predetermined type that has been moved to the reagent dispensing position in the reagent reservoir 105, aspirates a predetermined amount of reagent using a dispensing pipette, then moves to the upper area of ​​a reaction container 108a in the incubator 107 and discharges the reagent into the reaction container 108a that has been moved to the reagent discharge position by the incubator 107.

[0022] After the sample and the predetermined reagent are dispensed and a predetermined reaction time has passed, the reaction container 108a, which generates a reaction solution, is moved to the analysis unit 110 by the container transport unit 109. The analysis unit 110 performs analysis processing such as detecting the concentration of the detection target in the reaction solution.

[0023] The waste container 112 has a structure related to the disposal of used reaction vessels 108a. The reaction vessels 108a and the like, which are transferred from the reaction vessel disposal hole 111 provided at the container arrangement position of the automatic analyzer 101 via the waste conveyor 114, are stored in the waste storage portion 113. The used reaction vessels 108a, which contain reaction liquids that have completed analytical processing, are moved by the container conveyor 109 to the upper area of ​​the reaction vessel disposal hole 111, dropped into the reaction vessel disposal hole 111, and then disposed of in the waste storage portion 113 via the waste conveyor 114.

[0024] Here, the structures of the automatic analyzer 101, such as the specimen conveying mechanism 102, the specimen dispensing mechanism 104, the reagent storage 105, the reagent dispensing mechanism 106, the incubator 107, the unused reaction container storage section 108, the container conveying section 109, the analyzing section 110, the waste section 112, and the waste conveying section 114, are referred to as the analyzing action section.

[0025] The control device 115 controls the overall operation of the automatic analyzer 101, including the various devices within the analysis operation unit, and includes an operation unit 116 for inputting various settings and operation commands. The control device 115 is composed of, for example, a hardware substrate and a computer, and includes a control unit 115a, a storage unit 115b such as a hard disk, a determination unit 115c, a counter 115d, and the like.

[0026] The control unit 115a can be configured as hardware using a dedicated circuit substrate, or as software executed on a computer. In the case of hardware, this can be achieved by integrating multiple computing units that perform processing onto a wiring substrate, or into a semiconductor chip or package. In the case of software, this can be achieved by mounting a high-speed general-purpose CPU on a computer and executing a program for performing the desired computing processing. Existing devices can also be upgraded using a storage medium containing this program. Furthermore, these devices, circuits, and computers are connected via a wired or wireless network to enable appropriate data transmission and reception.

[0027] The storage unit 115 b stores, for example, control parameters corresponding to each unit, sample information related to various samples, and the like.

[0028] The determination unit 115c, for example, compares detection signals from various sensors with control parameters stored in the storage unit 115b to determine the magnitude relationship. If it determines that a predetermined condition is satisfied, it performs a determination process such as outputting an alarm signal. Specifically, it performs a waste fullness detection process (described in detail later) in which it detects that the waste storage unit 113 of the waste unit 112 is full due to the used reaction container 108a and notifies the operator of the detection.

[0029] The counter 115d performs counting processing, for example, counting the number of reaction containers 108a discarded into the reaction container discard hole 111 (discarded number) from above the control action of the automatic analyzer 101, and sends the number information (or information indicating upward counting) to the storage unit 115b.

[0030] The operating unit 116 is composed of a display unit 126a, such as a monitor, and an input unit 116b, such as a mouse or keyboard. The display unit 116a displays various information, including settings stored in the storage unit 115b, input screens for these settings, specimen information, analysis results, and alarms. Alternatively, a device such as a touch panel with both display and input functions can be used as the operating unit 116.

[0031] Next, a waste fullness detection process in the waste section 112 of the automatic analyzer 101 will be described.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional diagram that extracts and shows the waste storage part of the waste part together with the related structure. Figure 3 and Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a waste container fixed to a waste container and its associated structure, Figure 3 The figure shows the situation viewed from the front side of the automatic analyzer. Figure 4 The situation viewed from the right side is shown.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, the waste container 113 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with the sides and bottom covered by a planar member extending along any one of the X, Y, and Z axes. It has an opening 201 on the top surface corresponding to the outlet of the waste conveyor 114, and an opening 202 on the side surface. The waste container 113 is capable of accommodating a plurality of consumables, such as reaction vessels 108a, used in the automatic analyzer 101.

[0034] The opening 201 functions as an inlet for inserting waste, such as used reaction vessels 108a, conveyed via the waste conveyor 114 into the waste storage unit 113. It also functions as a light-transmitting portion (second portion) that allows light to pass through. The waste conveyor 114 is positioned above the opening 201, allowing the conveyed reaction vessels 108a to land at a predetermined location within the waste storage unit 113 (e.g., near the center of the bottom surface).

[0035] The opening 202 functions as a handle for convenient operation of the waste container 113 and as a light-transmitting portion (first portion) that allows light from the outside to pass through. In this embodiment, the opening 202 is illustrated as an example. However, for example, a recessed portion may be formed from a transparent member to function as both a handle and a light-transmitting portion, or an observation window may be formed from a transparent member to function as at least a light-transmitting portion. The waste container 113 is secured by a waste container holder (omitted for simplicity of illustration).

[0036] The waste storage section 113 is configured such that the ratio of depth (Y-axis direction): width (X-axis direction): height (Z-axis direction) as viewed from the front of the automatic analyzer 101 is, for example, approximately 3:2:4. Furthermore, the ratio of the width of the opening 202 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) to the width of the waste storage section 113 is, for example, approximately 3:5, and the ratio of the width of the opening 202 in the height direction (X-axis direction) to the width of the waste storage section 113 in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) is, for example, approximately 1:11.

[0037] The waste container 112 includes a light emitting unit 301, which is positioned opposite an opening 202 on the side of the waste container 113 and emits light (first light) into the waste container 113 (the container) through the opening 202 (the first position); and a light receiving unit 302 (the first light receiving unit), which is positioned opposite an opening 201 above the waste container 113 and receives light (second light) from inside the waste container 113 (the container) through the opening 201 (the second position).

[0038] The light emitting unit 301 is a component that emits diffuse light into the interior of the waste storage unit 113 and is, for example, a light emitting diode. The wavelength of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 301 is not limited to the visible light band and may also be in the invisible light band, such as infrared or ultraviolet light. However, if a laser with high directivity and convergence is used as the light emitting unit 301, diffuse reflection may occur, and appropriate reflected light may not be obtained. Therefore, it is preferable to use a light source that emits diffuse light, such as a light emitting diode or a light bulb. The light emitting unit 301 can be positioned in a direction that illuminates the interior of the waste storage unit 113 from the outside through the opening 202, and can be positioned at a predetermined angle relative to the X and Y axes. Furthermore, by emitting light each time the counter 115d counts, for example, the light emitting unit 301 can be prevented from deteriorating.

[0039] The light receiving unit 302 is a component that receives and detects light emitted from the interior of the waste storage unit 113 through the opening 201 to the exterior. For example, it is a photosensor composed of a semiconductor device or the like. The light receiving unit 302, using a photodetector and circuit elements, converts the received light into a voltage signal having a magnitude corresponding to the amount of light received, and transmits this voltage signal to the control device 115. The light receiving unit 302 is positioned above the opening 201 so as not to obstruct the waste conveyor 114 from conveying waste to the waste storage unit 113. In other words, it is positioned above the waste conveyor 114. The light receiving unit 302 can be positioned in a direction where light emitted from the interior of the waste storage unit 113 through the opening 201 is most likely to enter. For example, the light receiving unit 302 can be positioned in a location where waste, such as used reaction vessels 108a, introduced through the waste conveyor 114, is likely to accumulate within the waste storage unit 113.

[0040] The light emitting unit 301 and the light receiving unit 302 are arranged so that the optical axis of the light (first light) emitted from the light emitting unit 301 and the optical axis of the light received by the light receiving unit 302 (in Figure 4 In the embodiment, the optical axis of the light scattered by the waste (second light) is directed in a different direction. This can prevent the light emitted from the light emitting unit 301 from being directly received by the light receiving unit 302.

[0041] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, when the amount of waste (reaction container 108a) in the waste storage unit 113 is less than a predetermined amount (hereinafter referred to as an underfilled state), a portion of the light irradiated from the light emitting unit 301 that is reflected by the inner side surface of the waste storage unit 113 enters the light receiving unit 302.

[0042] On the other hand, Figure 5As shown, when waste (reaction containers 108 a) are accumulated in the waste storage section 113 and exceed a predetermined amount (hereinafter referred to as a full state), in addition to the light that enters the light receiving section 302 in the unfilled state, part of the light reflected by the surface layers of the reaction containers 108 a accumulated inside the waste storage section 113 and the light that passes through the surface layers of the accumulated reaction containers 108 a and is reflected by the reaction containers 108 a in the deeper portion enter the light receiving section 302.

[0043] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing the relationship between the amount of waste (reaction container) accumulated (accumulation height) in the waste storage unit and the amount of light received by the light receiving unit (voltage signal).

[0044] like Figure 6 As shown, when the waste container 113 is not full, only a portion of the reflected light from the inner surface of the waste container 113 enters the light receiving unit 302, resulting in a relatively low light intensity (voltage signal) at the light receiving unit 302. Furthermore, as the height of the reaction vessels 108a stacked in the waste container 113 increases and the waste container 113 approaches fullness, the amount of light reflected from the surfaces of the reaction vessels 108a increases, increasing the amount of light entering the light receiving unit 302 and causing a higher voltage signal to be observed. Specifically, since the degree of accumulation of the reaction vessels 108a in the waste container 113 can be quantitatively determined based on the voltage signal, which increases in proportion to the amount of light received by the light receiving unit 302, the voltage signal value when the waste container 113 is full of reaction vessels 108a can be experimentally determined, set as a threshold value (threshold voltage), and compared with the threshold value to determine whether the waste container 113 is full.

[0045] The determination unit 115c of the control device 115 compares the voltage signal received by the light receiving unit 302 with a predetermined threshold voltage stored in the storage unit 115b. If the voltage signal from the light receiving unit 302 is greater than the threshold voltage, that is, if the accumulation amount of the reaction container 108a in the waste storage unit 113 exceeds a predetermined amount, the determination unit 115c determines that the waste storage unit 113 is full. If the determination unit 115c determines that the waste storage unit 113 is full, it causes the display unit 116a to display a warning urging replacement of the waste storage unit 113 and, if necessary, stops the functions of the analysis unit 110 and other units.

[0046] Furthermore, the determination unit 115c may use not only the voltage signal from the light receiving unit 302 but also the number of discarded reaction containers 108a (waste) counted by the counter 115d as a factor in determining whether the waste storage unit 113 is full. Specifically, if the voltage signal exceeds a threshold voltage and the number of discarded reaction containers 108a obtained through counting exceeds a predetermined threshold (number threshold), the waste storage unit 113 is determined to be full.

[0047] The effects of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

[0048] When a light-emitting element such as an LED or laser diode is used as a light source to irradiate measurement light, a light-receiving element such as a PSD or COMS paired with the light source receives the reflected measurement light from the object being measured. A triangulation-based distance sensor measures the distance to the object by analyzing the image position on the light-receiving element that changes with the distance to the object, or a time-of-flight distance sensor measures the short time from irradiation to reception of the measurement light and converts the time difference into distance. When detecting that a container is full due to a used container, small containers such as reaction vessels used in automated analyzers cause diffuse reflection of the measurement light on their surfaces. Consequently, triangulation-based or time-of-flight-based distance sensors may erroneously detect the distance and fail to accurately detect the fullness of the container.

[0049] In this regard, in this embodiment, in an automatic analyzer 101 that analyzes a specimen using a reaction between the specimen and a reagent, the structure includes: a storage portion (e.g., a waste storage portion 113) having a first portion (e.g., an opening 202) that allows light from the outside to pass through, and a second portion (e.g., an opening 201) that allows light toward the outside to pass through, and capable of accommodating a plurality of consumables (e.g., reaction vessels 108a) used in the automatic analyzer 101; a light-emitting portion 301 that is arranged outside the storage portion and irradiates a first light into the interior of the storage portion via the first portion; a first light-receiving portion (e.g., a light-receiving portion 302) that is arranged outside the storage portion and receives a second light from the interior of the storage portion via the second portion; and a control device 115 that determines that the storage portion is full when the amount of light received by the first light-receiving portion is greater than a predetermined threshold value. Therefore, it is possible to suppress erroneous detection caused by diffuse reflection of light and accurately detect the full state.

[0050] <Implementation Method 2> Reference Figure 7 Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described.

[0051] This embodiment shows a case where a light receiving unit is further included to directly measure the light intensity of the light emitting unit. In this embodiment, the same components as those in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

[0052] Figure 7 It is a longitudinal sectional view showing a state of a waste storage portion fixed to a waste portion and related structures, and is a view showing a state viewed from the front side of the automatic analyzer.

[0053] like Figure 7 As shown, the waste storage section 113A has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with the sides and bottom covered by a planar member along any one of the X, Y, and Z axes, and has an opening 201 provided on the upper surface so as to correspond to the outlet of the waste conveying section 114; and openings 202 provided on the side surfaces at positions opposite to each other.

[0054] The opening 201 functions as an inlet for inserting waste, such as used reaction vessels 108a, conveyed via the waste conveyor 114 into the waste storage unit 113A. It also functions as a light-transmitting portion (second portion) that allows light to pass through. The waste conveyor 114 is positioned above the opening 201, allowing the conveyed reaction vessels 108a to land at a predetermined location within the waste storage unit 113A (e.g., near the center of the bottom surface).

[0055] Opening 202 functions as a handle for convenient operation of waste storage unit 113A and as a light-transmitting portion (first portion) that allows light from the outside to pass through. Furthermore, opening 203 functions as a handle for convenient operation of waste storage unit 113 and as a light-transmitting portion (third portion) that allows light to pass through toward the outside. While this embodiment illustrates the provision of openings 202 and 203, for example, a recessed portion may be formed of a transparent member to function as both a handle and a light-transmitting portion, or an observation window may be formed of a transparent member to function as at least a light-transmitting portion.

[0056] The waste container 112 includes a light emitting unit 301 disposed at a position facing the opening 202 on the outside of the waste container 113A and emitting light (first light) into the interior of the waste container 113A (the container) through the opening 202 (a first location); a light receiving unit 302 (a first light receiving unit) disposed at a position facing the opening 203 on the outside of the waste container 113A and receiving light (second light) from the interior of the waste container 113A (the container) through the opening 201 (a second location); and a light receiving unit 302 (a second light receiving unit) disposed at a position facing the opening 203 on the outside of the waste container 113A and receiving light (the first light from the light emitting unit 301) from the interior of the waste container 113A (the container) through the opening 203 (a third location).

[0057] The light receiving unit 303 is a component that receives and detects light emitted from the interior of the waste storage unit 113A through the opening 203 to the exterior. For example, it is a photosensor composed of a semiconductor device. The light receiving unit 303 converts the received light into a voltage signal corresponding to the amount of received light using a photodetector and circuit elements, and transmits this voltage signal to the control device 115. The light receiving unit 303 can be positioned toward the light emitting unit 301, so that the light (first light) emitted by the light emitting unit 301 can easily enter the interior of the waste storage unit 113A through the opening 203.

[0058] The determination unit 115c of the control device 115 compares the voltage signal received by the light receiving unit 302 with a predetermined threshold voltage stored in the storage unit 115b. If the voltage signal from the light receiving unit 302 is greater than the threshold voltage, that is, if the accumulation amount of the reaction container 108a in the waste storage unit 113A exceeds a predetermined amount, the determination unit 115c determines that the waste storage unit 113 is full. If the determination unit 115c determines that the waste storage unit 113 is full, it causes the display unit 116a to display a warning urging replacement of the waste storage unit 113 and, if necessary, stops the functions of the analysis unit 110 and other units.

[0059] Furthermore, determination unit 115c compares the voltage signal obtained by light receiving unit 303 with a threshold voltage associated with degradation (degradation threshold voltage) predetermined and stored in storage unit 115b. If the voltage signal from light receiving unit 303 is less than the degradation threshold voltage, that is, if the measured value of the light intensity of light emitting unit 301 is less than a predetermined value, determination unit 115c determines that the light emitting element of light emitting unit 301 has degraded. If determination unit 115c determines that the light emitting element of light emitting unit 301 has degraded, it causes display unit 116a to display a warning urging maintenance of light emitting unit 301 and, if necessary, disables functions of analysis unit 110 and other units.

[0060] Furthermore, the determination unit 115c may use not only the voltage signal from the light receiving unit 302 but also the voltage signal from the light receiving unit 303 as a factor in determining whether the waste storage unit 113 is full. Specifically, if the voltage signals from both the light receiving units 302 and 303 exceed a threshold voltage, the waste storage unit 113 is determined to be full.

[0061] The other structures are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0062] In the present embodiment configured as described above, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0063] Furthermore, since deterioration of the light emitting unit 301 can be detected, the full state can be detected more accurately.

[0064] <Note> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications or combinations within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the present invention is not limited to all the structures described in the above-described embodiments, but also includes structures in which part of the structure is deleted. In addition, each of the above-described structures, functions, etc. can also be implemented by, for example, using integrated circuit design to implement part or all of them. In addition, each of the above-described structures, functions, etc. can also be implemented using software by having a processor interpret and execute a program that implements the respective function. Label Description

[0065] 101 Automatic analyzer, 102 Sample transport mechanism, 103 Sample container, 104 Sample dispensing mechanism, 105 Reagent storage, 106 Reagent dispensing mechanism, 107 Incubator, 107a Reaction container setting unit, 108 Unused reaction container storage unit, 108a Reaction container, 109 Container transport unit, 110 Analysis unit, 111 Reaction container disposal port, 112 Disposal unit, 113, 113A Waste storage units, 114 Waste transport unit, 115 Control device, 115a Control unit, 115b Storage unit, 115c Determination unit, 115d Counter, 116 Operation unit, 116a Display unit, 116b Input unit, 201, 202, 203 Openings, 301 Light emitting unit, 302, 303 Light receiving units.

Claims

1. An automatic analysis device for analyzing a sample by utilizing a reaction between the sample and a reagent, characterized in that: include: a housing portion having a first portion capable of transmitting light from the outside and a second portion capable of transmitting light toward the outside, and capable of accommodating a plurality of consumables used in the automatic analyzer; a light emitting portion, the light emitting portion being arranged outside the housing portion and emitting a first light into the interior of the housing portion via the first portion; a first light receiving portion, the first light receiving portion being arranged outside the housing portion and receiving the second light from the interior of the housing portion via the second portion; as well as A control device determines that the storage portion is in a full state when the amount of light received by the first light receiving portion is greater than a predetermined threshold value.

2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein The optical axis of the first light and the optical axis of the second light face different directions.

3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein The first portion is arranged on the side of the accommodation portion, The second portion is arranged above the accommodation portion.

4. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein The light emitting portion is arranged on the side of the accommodation portion, The first light receiving portion is arranged above the accommodation portion.

5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein The second portion is arranged at a position that does not hinder the conveying unit from conveying the consumables to the storage unit.

6. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein The apparatus further includes a counter for counting the number of the consumables accommodated in the accommodation portion. When the number of consumables counted by the counter reaches a predetermined threshold number, the control device notifies an operator of the automatic analyzer of a warning indicating that the storage section is full.

7. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein The apparatus further includes a counter for counting the number of the consumables accommodated in the accommodation portion. When the number of consumables counted by the counter reaches a predetermined threshold value, or when the amount of light received by the first light receiving unit exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the control device determines that the storage unit is full.

8. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein The housing further includes a third portion that is disposed opposite to the first portion and capable of transmitting light directed toward the outside. The device further includes a second light receiving portion, which is arranged outside the housing portion in a manner opposite to the light emitting portion and receives the first light from the inside of the housing portion via the third portion. The control device determines whether the light intensity of the first light irradiated from the light emitting unit is a predetermined light intensity based on the light intensity received by the second light receiving unit.

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