Automatic analyzer and reagent amount display method

Abstract

To provide an automatic analyzer and a reagent amount display method which can always set an appropriate amount of a reagent regardless of a level of skill of an operator.SOLUTION: An automatic analyzer includes: a history information storage part 80 for storing history information on analysis which has been already performed; an analysis number calculation part 81 for calculating the number of unit analysis which is the number of analysis per one day of each analysis day, for each analysis item, from the history information; a classification storage part 82 for classifying and storing the number of unit analysis for each day; a reagent residual amount detection part 83 for detecting a reagent residual amount; a conversion part 84 for reading out each of the numbers of unit analysis for a predetermined period corresponding to the day of an analysis execution day from the classification storage part 82, and converting each of the read-out numbers of unit analysis into reagent used amounts, for each of the analysis items, for each of the reagents used in the analysis; and a display device 192 for displaying information related to the reagent used amount and the reagent residual amount side by side for each of the reagents.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer that includes a reaction unit that holds reaction containers into which human specimens such as blood or urine are dispensed, and a reagent supply unit that supplies reagent, and that obtains measurement information regarding a predetermined analysis item by measuring a test liquid that has been caused by mixing and reacting the specimen with a reagent supplied from the reagent supply unit to the reaction container, and a method for displaying the amount of reagent in the automatic analyzer. [Background technology]

[0002] Various types of automated analyzers have been known for some time, such as blood coagulation analyzers and analyzers using immunoassays, which are capable of obtaining measurement information for various analysis items by measuring a test liquid that has been caused by mixing and reacting a biological sample such as blood or urine with various reagents.For example, a biological sample is dispensed from a specimen container to a reaction container, and the dispensed specimen is mixed with a reagent corresponding to the analysis item to perform various measurements and analyses (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-057614 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in actual analyses performed at testing sites (hospitals, testing centers, etc.), the number of measurements for each analysis item varies depending on the day of the week, even within a week, and in general testing sites, there is a certain tendency in the number of measurements depending on the day of the week. An operator who is familiar with such tendencies can set the appropriate amount of reagent in the reagent supply unit depending on the day of the week, but an operator who is inexperienced cannot grasp the number of measurements for each day of the week, and therefore does not know the optimal amount of reagent that should be set in advance in the automatic analyzer before starting the analysis. Therefore, if the amount of reagent installed in the automatic analyzer is insufficient, the reagent may run out during the analysis, forcing the analysis to be interrupted, and the sample being analyzed may be wasted. In order to avoid such a situation, it is possible to set a considerable amount of reagent in the automatic analyzer with a margin of error, but in that case, even on days of the week when the number of analyses tends to be low, more reagent will be set, and there will often be a surplus of reagent. Since normal reagents have a limited period of use from that point once opened, it can be said that reagent operation is inefficient.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to provide an automatic analyzer and a method for displaying the amount of reagent that can always set the correct amount of reagent regardless of the skill level of the operator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides an automatic analyzer comprising a reaction unit for holding reaction vessels into which samples such as blood or urine collected from a person have been dispensed, and a reagent supply unit for supplying a reagent, and for obtaining measurement information for a predetermined analysis item by measuring a test liquid obtained by mixing and reacting a reagent supplied from the reagent supply unit with the sample, the automatic analyzer comprising a history information storage unit for storing history information on analyses that have already been performed, an analysis count calculation unit for calculating, for each analysis item, a unit analysis count, which is the number of analyses per day on each analysis day, from the history information stored in the history information storage unit, and a calculation unit for calculating the unit analysis count calculated by the analysis count calculation unit for each day of the week. a reagent remaining amount detection unit that detects the current remaining amount of each reagent in the reagent supply unit; a conversion unit that reads out from the classification memory unit the number of unit analyses over a predetermined period corresponding to the days of the week on which the analysis is performed and converts each of the read number of unit analyses into a reagent usage amount for each reagent used in the analysis, for each analysis item; and a display unit that displays information related to the amount of reagent usage converted by the conversion unit and the remaining amount of each reagent detected by the reagent remaining amount detection unit, arranged for each reagent.

[0007] The present invention also provides a method for displaying an amount of reagent in an automatic analyzer, which includes a reaction unit for holding reaction vessels into which samples such as blood or urine collected from a person have been dispensed, and a reagent supply unit for supplying a reagent, and which obtains measurement information for a predetermined analysis item by measuring a test liquid that has been reacted by mixing a reagent supplied from the reagent supply unit with the sample, the method comprising the steps of: storing history information regarding analyses that have already been performed; calculating a unit number of analyses, which is the number of analyses per day for each analysis item, from the history information stored in the history information storage step; and calculating the unit number of analyses calculated in the analysis number calculation step. The method includes a classification and storage step of classifying the number of analyses by day of the week and storing the number of analyses in a memory unit; a reagent remaining amount detection step of detecting the current remaining amount of each reagent in the reagent supply unit; a conversion step of reading out from the classification and storage unit the number of unit analyses over a predetermined period corresponding to the day of the week on which the analysis is performed and converting each of the read number of unit analyses into a reagent usage amount for each reagent used in the analysis for each analysis item; and a display step of displaying information related to each reagent usage amount converted in the conversion step and the remaining amount of each reagent detected in the reagent remaining amount detection step, arranged for each reagent.

[0008] According to the above-mentioned automatic analyzer and display method, the unit analysis number, which is the number of analyses per day on each analysis date, is calculated for each analysis item from the history information on the analyses already performed, the calculated unit analysis number is classified by day of the week, and each unit analysis number over a predetermined period corresponding to the day of the week on which the analysis is performed is converted into the reagent usage amount for each reagent used in the analysis for each analysis item, and information related to each converted reagent usage amount and the current remaining amount of each reagent in the reagent supply unit is displayed side by side for each reagent. Therefore, even an unskilled operator can easily see the difference between the amount of reagent estimated (or required) to be required on that day (day of the week) and the amount of reagent already installed in the automatic analyzer by the display, and therefore, by replenishing at least the amount of reagent corresponding to that difference before the start of the analysis on the analysis day, the appropriate amount of reagent can always be maintained. Therefore, it is possible to avoid inconveniences such as running out of reagent during the analysis, which forces the analysis to be interrupted and the sample being analyzed being wasted. Furthermore, such a display mode by the automatic analyzer itself does not require the automatic analyzer to be connected to a central management system that can accumulate and calculate analytical data, and is useful in facilities with few skilled laboratory technicians.

[0009] Furthermore, based on the parallel display of information related to the amount of reagent used and the amount of reagent remaining, the operator only needs to replenish the minimum amount of reagent necessary before starting the analysis on the day the analysis is to be performed, eliminating the need to set up a significant amount of reagent in the automated analyzer with a surplus in mind. This therefore avoids the inefficient reagent management that is associated with the aforementioned restrictions on reagent usage periods caused by excess reagent. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic analyzer and a method for displaying the amount of reagent that can always set an appropriate amount of reagent regardless of the skill level of an operator. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic overall external view of an automatic analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 3 is a schematic plan view showing the internal configuration of the automatic analyzer of FIG. 2. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram of a configuration for implementing a reagent amount display method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of steps of a method for displaying a reagent amount according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a first example of a display mode of the amount of reagent by the display device. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a second example of a display mode of the amount of reagent by the display device. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a third example of a display mode of the amount of reagent by the display device. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a fourth example of a display mode of the amount of reagent by the display device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic overall external view of the automatic analyzer of this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic internal configuration of the automatic analyzer of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the automatic analyzer 1 of this embodiment includes a reaction section 40 that holds a reaction vessel 54 into which a specimen such as blood or urine collected from a person is dispensed, and a reagent supply section 70 that supplies a reagent in a reagent vessel 74 to the reaction vessel 54, and obtains measurement information regarding a predetermined analysis item (test item) by reacting the reagent supplied from the reagent supply section 70 to the reaction vessel 54 with the specimen and measuring the progress of the reaction (measuring the progress of a test liquid caused by mixing the reagent and the specimen and reacting it). Specifically, the automatic analyzer 1 of this embodiment has an outer frame formed by a housing 100, and a sample processing space is defined in an upper portion inside the housing 100 (see FIG. 1).

[0013] 2, the automatic analyzer 1 includes a control unit 10, a measurement unit 30, and a display and operation unit. In this embodiment, for example, a touch screen 190 is provided as the display and operation unit.

[0014] The control unit 10 controls the overall operation of the automatic analyzer 1. The control unit 10 is configured, for example, by a personal computer (PC). The control unit 10 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 12, a random access memory (RAM) 14, a read only memory (ROM) 16, a storage 18, and a communication interface (I / F) 20, which are connected to each other via a bus line 22. The CPU 12 performs various signal processing and the like. The RAM 14 functions as a main storage device for the CPU 12. For example, a dynamic RAM (DRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), or the like may be used for the RAM 14. The ROM 16 records various startup programs and the like.

[0015] The storage 18 may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or the like. Various information such as programs and parameters used by the CPU 12 is recorded in the storage 18. Data acquired by the measurement unit 30 is also recorded in the storage 18. The RAM 14 and the storage 18 may be replaced with various storage devices, without being limited thereto. The control unit 10 communicates with external devices, such as the measurement unit 30 and the touch screen 190, via the communication I / F 20.

[0016] The touch screen 190 includes a display device 192 as a display unit, and, for example, a touch panel 194 as an operation unit or the like. The display device 192 may include, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic EL display. The display device 192 displays various screens under the control of the control unit 10. These screens may include various screens such as a display screen related to the amount of reagent described below, an operation screen of the automatic analyzer 1, a screen showing the measurement results, and a screen showing the analysis results. The touch panel 194 is provided on the display device 192. The touch panel 194 acquires an input from a user, and transmits the acquired input information to the control unit 10.

[0017] The control unit 10 may be connected via the communication I / F 20 to other devices such as a printer, a handy code reader, a host computer, and the like.

[0018] The measurement unit 30 includes a control circuit 42, a data processing circuit 44, a thermostatic bath 52, a reaction vessel 54, a light source 62, a scattered light detector 64, a transmitted light detector 66, a specimen vessel 72, a reagent vessel 74, a specimen probe 76, and a reagent probe 78. In the present embodiment, as an example, the reaction vessel 54, the scattered light detector 64, and the transmitted light detector 66 are provided in the thermostatic bath 52, but the arrangement is not limited to this.

[0019] The control circuit 42 controls the operation of each part of the measurement unit 30 based on commands from the control unit 10. Although not shown, the control circuit 42 is connected to the data processing circuit 44, thermostatic chamber 52, light source 62, scattered light detector 64, transmitted light detector 66, specimen probe 76, reagent probe 78, etc., and controls the operation of each part.

[0020] The data processing circuit 44 is connected to the scattered light detector 64 and the transmitted light detector 66, and acquires detection results from the scattered light detector 64 and the transmitted light detector 66. The data processing circuit 44 performs various processes on the acquired detection results and outputs the processed results. The processes performed by the data processing circuit 44 may include, for example, A / D conversion processing that converts the format of the data output from the scattered light detector 64 and the transmitted light detector 66 into a format that can be processed by the control unit 10.

[0021] The control circuit 42 and the data processing circuit 44 may include, for example, a CPU, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The control circuit 42 and the data processing circuit 44 may each be configured as a single integrated circuit or the like, or may be configured as a combination of multiple integrated circuits or the like. The control circuit 42 and the data processing circuit 44 may also be configured as a single integrated circuit or the like. The control circuit 42 and the data processing circuit 44 may operate in accordance with a program recorded in, for example, a storage device or a recording area in the circuit.

[0022] The specimen container 72 contains a specimen obtained, for example, from blood collected from a patient. The reagent container 74 contains various reagents used in the measurement. Any number of specimen containers 72 and reagent containers 74 may be provided. Since there are usually multiple types of reagents used in the analysis, there are generally multiple reagent containers 74. The specimen probe 76 dispenses the specimen contained in the specimen container 72 into the reaction container 54 under the control of the control circuit 42. The reagent probe 78 dispenses the reagent contained in the reagent container 74 into the reaction container 54 under the control of the control circuit 42. There may also be any number of specimen probes 76 and reagent probes 78.

[0023] The thermostatic bath 52 maintains the temperature of the reaction vessel 54 at a predetermined temperature under the control of the control circuit 42. In the reaction vessel 54, a mixture of the specimen dispensed by the specimen probe 76 and the reagent dispensed by the reagent probe 78 reacts. Note that there may be any number of reaction vessels 54.

[0024] The light source 62 irradiates light of a predetermined wavelength under the control of the control circuit 42. The light source 62 may be configured to irradiate light having different wavelengths depending on the measurement conditions. Therefore, the light source 62 may have a plurality of light source elements. The light irradiated from the light source 62 is guided by, for example, an optical fiber and irradiated onto the reaction vessel 54. The light irradiated onto the reaction vessel 54 is partially scattered and partially transmitted depending on the reaction process state of the mixed liquid in the reaction vessel 54. The scattered light detector 64 detects the light scattered in the reaction vessel 54.

[0025] The transmitted light detector 66 detects the light transmitted through the reaction vessel 54. The data processing circuit 44 The data processing circuit 44 processes information on the amount of scattered light detected by the scattered light detector 64, and processes information on the amount of transmitted light detected by the transmitted light detector 66. Either the scattered light detector 64 or the transmitted light detector 66 may operate depending on the measurement conditions. Therefore, the data processing circuit 44 may process either the information on the amount of scattered light detected by the scattered light detector 64 or the information on the amount of transmitted light detected by the transmitted light detector 66 depending on the measurement conditions. The data processing circuit 44 transmits the processed data to the control unit 10. Note that although the measurement unit 30 shown in FIG. 2 includes both the scattered light detector 64 and the transmitted light detector 66, it may include only one of them.

[0026] The control unit 10 performs various calculations based on the data acquired from the measurement unit 30. These calculations include calculation of the reaction amount of the mixed solution, and quantitative calculation of the amount and activity value of the measurement target substance in the specimen based on the reaction amount. A part or all of these calculations may be performed by the data processing circuit 44.

[0027] In this embodiment, the PC that controls the operation of the measurement unit 30 and the PC that performs the data calculation and quantitative calculation are the same control unit 10, but they may be separate. In other words, the PC that performs the data calculation and quantitative calculation may exist as a single unit.

[0028] Next, an example of a configuration for implementing a reagent amount display method according to one embodiment of the present invention and a procedure of the reagent amount display method will be described with reference to Figs. 3, the automatic analyzer 1 of this embodiment includes a history information storage unit 80 that stores history information regarding analyses that have already been performed and is transmitted from the measurement unit 30 via the communication I / F 20; a number of analyses calculation unit 81 that calculates, for each analysis item, a unit analysis number, which is the number of analyses per day on each analysis day, from the history information stored in the history information storage unit 80; a classification storage unit 82 that classifies and stores the unit analysis numbers calculated by the number of analyses calculation unit 81 by day of the week; a reagent remaining amount detection unit 83 that detects the current remaining amount of each reagent in the reagent supply unit 70 described above; a conversion unit 84 that reads out from the classification storage unit 82 the number of unit analyses over a predetermined period corresponding to the day of the week on which the analysis is performed, and converts each of the read unit analysis numbers into a reagent usage amount for each reagent used in the analysis, for each analysis item; and a required reagent amount calculation unit 85 that calculates the required amount of reagent to be replenished in the reagent supply unit 70 based on the remaining amount of reagent detected by the reagent remaining amount detection unit 83 and the reagent usage amount converted by the conversion unit 84.

[0029] Of these components, at least the history information storage unit 80, the number of analyses calculation unit 81, the classification storage unit 82, the conversion unit 84, and the required reagent amount calculation unit 85 are included in the control unit 10. In particular, in this embodiment, the history information storage unit 80 and the classification storage unit 82 may be configured by the RAM 14 and / or the storage 18, and the number of analyses calculation unit 81, the conversion unit 84, and the required reagent amount calculation unit 85 may be configured by the CPU 12.

[0030] Furthermore, the data relating to the remaining amount of reagent detected by the reagent remaining amount detection unit 83, the data relating to the amount of reagent used converted by the conversion unit 84, and the data relating to the amount of reagent required calculated by the required reagent amount calculation unit 85 are sent directly or after being converted into related data (this conversion may have already been performed by the conversion unit 84, or the conversion unit 84 may directly convert the number of unit analyses into data relating to the amount of reagent used without any conversion) and sent to the display device 192 of the touch screen 190, and the display device 192 displays information relating to the amount of reagent used, the remaining amount of reagent, and the amount of reagent required, arranged for each reagent (analysis item), as described below.

[0031] In addition, data on the remaining amount of reagent detected by the reagent remaining amount detection unit 83 and data on the amount of reagent used converted by the conversion unit 84 are also sent to the notification unit 89. When the remaining amount of each reagent detected by the remaining amount detection unit 83 is less than the amount of each reagent used converted by the conversion unit 84, the fact is notified.

[0032] The automated analyzer 1 of this embodiment also includes a period selection unit 86 for selecting the predetermined period (a predetermined period corresponding to the day of the week on which the analysis is performed) of the unit analysis count to be read out by the conversion unit 84 from the classification storage unit 82, and an analysis item input unit 87 for inputting analysis items to be performed by the measurement unit 30. In this case, the period selection unit 86 and the analysis item input unit 87 are configured by, for example, the touch panel 194 of the touch screen 190 in this embodiment.

[0033] Furthermore, when displaying information related to the amount of reagent based on such a configuration, first, as a prerequisite, history information on analyses that have already been performed is stored in history information storage unit 80 (history information storage step S1 in FIG. 4). Then, automatically when the power of automatic analyzer 1 is turned on, or based on a predetermined input via touch panel 194, analysis count calculation unit 81 of CPU 12 calculates the unit analysis count, which is the number of analyses per day on each analysis date, for each analysis item from the history information stored in history information storage unit 80 (history information storage step S1) (analysis count calculation step S2 in FIG. 4).

[0034] Thereafter, the classification storage unit 82 of the CPU 12 classifies and stores the unit analysis counts calculated by the analysis count calculation unit 81 (analysis count calculation step S2) by day of the week (classification storage step S3 in FIG. 4). During or following this, the reagent remaining amount detection unit 83 detects the current remaining amount of each reagent in the reagent supply unit 70 (reagent remaining amount detection step S4 in FIG. 4), and the operator selects a predetermined period of the unit analysis count to be read out from the classification storage unit 82 by the conversion unit 84 through the period selection unit 86 of the touch panel 194 (the predetermined period can be set arbitrarily or from a selectable unit such as one week, one month, three months, etc.), and inputs the analysis items to be performed by the measurement unit 30 through the analysis item input unit 87 of the touch panel 194 (period selection / analysis item input step S5 in FIG. 4).

[0035] Then, conversion unit 84 of CPU 12 reads out from classification storage unit 82 the number of unit analyses over a predetermined period corresponding to the days of the week on which the analysis was performed, and converts each read number of unit analyses into the amount of reagent used for each analysis item (conversion step S6 in FIG. 4). Thereafter, required reagent amount calculation unit 85 calculates the amount of reagent required to be replenished in reagent supply unit 70 based on the remaining amount of reagent detected by reagent remaining amount detection unit 83 and the amount of reagent used converted by conversion unit 84 (required reagent amount calculation step S7 in FIG. 4).

[0036] As a result, data on the remaining reagent amount detected by the reagent remaining amount detection unit 83, data on the reagent usage amount converted by the conversion unit 84, and data on the required reagent amount calculated by the required reagent amount calculation unit 85 are sent to the display device 192 of the touch screen 190, and the display device 192 displays reagent amount related information including data related to the reagent usage amount, the remaining reagent amount, and the required reagent amount, arranged for each reagent (analysis item) (display step S8 in Figure 4).

[0037] Furthermore, particularly in this embodiment, in conjunction with or independently of this display, the notification unit 89 or the CPU 12 which controls the notification unit 89 determines whether the remaining amount of each reagent detected by the reagent remaining amount detection unit 83 (reagent remaining amount detection step S4) is less than the respective reagent usage amounts converted by the conversion unit (conversion step) (step S9 in FIG. 4), and if the remaining amount of reagent is less than the converted reagent usage amounts, the notification unit 89 reports this fact (notification step S10 in FIG. 4).

[0038] 5 shows an example of a display mode of reagent amount related information by display device 192. As shown in the figure, in this display, the day of the week "today" 101 (the day of analysis; Monday in this screen) selected via touch panel 194 including period selection section 86, period average 102 (a predetermined period of the unit analysis count to be read out from classification storage section 82 by conversion section 84 (a predetermined period corresponding to the day of the week on which analysis is performed; 4 weeks in this screen), and specimen type 103 (patient specimen (S) and QC (quality control) specimen (Q) in this screen) are displayed at the top of the screen.

[0039] Furthermore, the main area 105 of the display screen displays information related to the amount of reagent used converted by the conversion unit 84, here the "number of measurements" for each day of the week (in this example where both patient samples and QC samples have been selected, this is the average number of measurements combining patient samples and QC samples) and the number of measurements per reagent container "number / bottle", arranged for each analysis item (or reagent; in this screen, analysis items A to J). In this display example, the analysis items A to J inputted via the analysis item input unit 87 are displayed in vertical columns on the display screen, and the "number of measurements" for each day of the week, etc. are displayed in horizontal columns. Of course, the measurement volume (mL) may be displayed instead of the number of measurements.

[0040] In this way, the display device 192 displays information relating to the amount of each reagent used converted by the conversion unit 84 and the remaining amount of each reagent detected by the reagent remaining amount detection unit 83, for only the analysis items inputted by the analysis item input unit 87, arranged for each reagent (analysis item); however, it may also be configured to display information for analysis items other than the analysis items inputted by the analysis item input unit 87.

[0041] In addition, in this display example, for the selected day of the week "Today" (Monday in this screen), not only the "measurement count" but also information related to the current remaining amount of each reagent in the reagent supply unit (reagent storage) 70, here the remaining measurement count of the reagent installed in the reagent storage (when the remaining measurement count differs between a two-reagent system using two reagents for one analysis item, the smaller remaining measurement count) "reagent storage", the "shortage count" obtained by subtracting the remaining measurement count from the measurement count ("measurement count" - "reagent storage"), and information related to the amount of reagent required to be replenished in the reagent supply unit (reagent storage) 70, here the number of reagent containers 74 to be replenished "replenishment count", i.e., the number obtained by multiplying the "shortage count" by "number / bottle" (the quotient is rounded up), are further displayed. When the reagent is replenished, the latest reagent amount status after replenishment may be automatically updated and displayed.

[0042] In this example display, information items related to the selected day of the week (Monday in this screen) are shaded or colored to visually distinguish it from other days of the week. Also, if there is a shortage of reagent, i.e., if the numerical value on the display screen is negative (-), the numerical value is displayed in a visually distinct manner (for example, colored red, etc.).

[0043] In this embodiment, analysis count calculation unit 81 may calculate the reanalysis frequency for each analysis item with respect to each reagent used in that analysis, and display device 192 may display information on the reanalysis frequency. In order to reduce calculation processing, required reagent amount calculation unit 85 preferably calculates the required reagent amounts only for analysis items that have been input in analysis item input unit 87 as analysis items necessary for the analysis on that day at the time of calculation.

[0044] The classification storage unit 82 may also classify and store the number of unit analyses into the number of calibrator measurements, the number of quality control sample measurements, the number of initial runs, the number of reruns, and a total number of these. In this case, the conversion unit 84 converts the number of calibrator measurements, the number of quality control sample measurements, the number of initial runs, the number of reruns, and a total number of these read from the classification storage unit 82 into reagent usage amounts for each reagent used in the analysis for each analysis item. In relation to this, the analysis count calculation unit 81 may also calculate the unit analysis number by subtracting the number of calibrator measurements and / or the number of quality control sample measurements from the analysis item.

[0045] An example of a display screen including the number of calibrator measurements is shown in Fig. 6. As shown in the figure, in this display example, Tuesday is selected as the day of the week "Today" 101 indicating the date of analysis, and therefore, for Tuesday only, not only the "number of measurements" but also the number of remaining measurements of the reagent "reagent storage", the "number of shortages", and the "number of refills" are further displayed, and since patient sample (S), QC sample (Q), and calibrator (C) are selected as sample types 103, in addition to the information items described in relation to Fig. 5, the number of calibrator measurements "CAL measurements" 107, i.e., the number of measurements required for calibration, is newly displayed in the main area 105 of the display screen.

[0046] FIG. 7 shows a first modified example of the display mode of FIG. 5. As shown in the figure, in this display example, in addition to the information items described in relation to FIG. 5, a "number after refill" 108, which is the number of measurements when the reagent is refilled according to the "number of refills", and a "remaining number" 109, which is the number of measurements that remain when the reagent is refilled in this manner, are newly displayed. Also, FIG. 8 shows a second modified example of the display mode of FIG. 5. As shown in the figure, in this display example, the maximum value for the same day of the week (here, Monday as in FIG. 5) within the selected predetermined period is displayed as the "number of measurements". Therefore, the values ​​for the "shortage number" and "refill number" are also increased compared to FIG. 5.

[0047] As described above, according to this embodiment, the unit analysis number, which is the number of analyses per day on each analysis date, is calculated for each analysis item from the history information on analyses already performed, the calculated unit analysis number is classified by day of the week, and each unit analysis number over a predetermined period corresponding to the day of the week on which the analysis is performed is converted into the reagent usage amount for each reagent used in the analysis for each analysis item, and information related to each converted reagent usage amount and the current remaining amount of each reagent in the reagent supply unit 70 is displayed side by side for each reagent. Therefore, even an unskilled operator can easily see the difference between the amount of reagent estimated (or required) to be required on that day (day of the week) and the amount of reagent already installed in the automatic analyzer 1, and therefore, by replenishing at least an amount of reagent corresponding to that difference before the start of the analysis on the analysis day, it is possible to always maintain an appropriate amount of reagent. Therefore, it is possible to avoid inconveniences such as running out of reagent during the analysis, forcing the analysis to be interrupted, and wasting the sample being analyzed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Automatic analyzer 40 Reaction section 54 Reaction vessel 70 Reagent Supply Department 80 History information storage unit 81 Analysis number calculation unit 82 Classification storage section 83 Reagent remaining amount detector 84 Conversion section 85 Calculation of required reagent amount 86 Period selection section 87 Analysis item input section 89 Notification Department 192 Display device (display section)

Claims

1. An automatic analyzer comprising a reaction unit that holds a reaction vessel into which a specimen collected from a human body has been dispensed, and a reagent supply unit that supplies a reagent, and that obtains measurement information regarding a predetermined analysis item by measuring a test liquid that has been caused by mixing and reacting the specimen with the reagent supplied from the reagent supply unit to the reaction vessel, a history information storage unit that stores history information regarding analyses that have already been performed; an analysis count calculation unit that calculates a unit analysis count, which is the number of analyses per day for each analysis item, from the history information stored in the history information storage unit; and a classification storage unit that classifies and stores the unit analysis counts calculated by the analysis count calculation unit by day of the week; a reagent remaining amount detection unit that detects the current remaining amount of each reagent in the reagent supply unit; a conversion unit that reads out from the classification storage unit the number of unit analyses over a predetermined period corresponding to the days of the week on which the analysis is performed, and converts each read-out number of unit analyses into a reagent usage amount for each reagent used in the analysis for each analysis item; a required reagent amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of reagent required to be replenished to the reagent supply unit based on the current remaining amount of each reagent detected by the reagent remaining amount detection unit and the reagent usage amount converted by the conversion unit; a display unit that displays, for each reagent, information relating to the amount of reagent used converted by the conversion unit, the remaining amount of each reagent detected by the reagent remaining amount detection unit, and the amount of reagent required to be replenished in the reagent supply unit calculated by the required reagent amount calculation unit, in a line; and An automatic analyzer comprising:

2. The automatic analyzer described in Claim 1, characterized in that the information related to the required amount of reagent includes the number of reagent containers to be replenished.

3. The automatic analyzer described in Claim 2, characterized in that the information related to the required amount of reagent includes the number of refills, the number after refill which is the number of measurements when the reagent is refilled according to the number of refills, and the remaining number which is the number of measurements remaining when the reagent is refilled.

4. The automatic analyzer described in Claim 2, characterized in that the information related to the required amount of reagent includes the number of refills and the number of measurements required for the number of calibrator measurements.

5. 5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising a period selection unit for selecting the predetermined period.

6. the classification storage unit classifies and stores the number of unit analyses into a calibrator measurement number, a quality control sample measurement number, a first test number, a retest number, and a total number of these, the conversion unit converts the number of times of calibrator measurement, the number of times of quality control sample measurement, the number of times of initial measurement, the number of times of retesting, and the total number of times thereof, which are read from the classification storage unit, into reagent usage amounts for each analysis item and for each reagent used in that analysis; 5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device is a measuring device for measuring a temperature of the sample.

7. 5. The automated analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the analysis frequency calculation unit calculates a reanalysis frequency for each analysis item with respect to each reagent used in that analysis, and the display unit displays information on the reanalysis frequency.

8. 5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising an alarm unit that notifies the user when the remaining amount of each reagent detected by the reagent remaining amount detection unit is less than the amount of each reagent used converted by the conversion unit.

9. further comprising an analysis item input section for inputting analysis items to be performed; 5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays information related to the amount of each reagent used converted by the conversion unit and the remaining amount of each reagent detected by the reagent remaining amount detection unit, for only the analysis items input by the analysis item input unit, arranged for each reagent.

10. A method for displaying the amount of reagent in an automatic analyzer, which comprises a reaction unit that holds a reaction vessel into which a specimen collected from a human has been dispensed, and a reagent supply unit that supplies a reagent, and which obtains measurement information regarding a predetermined analysis item by measuring a test liquid that has been caused by mixing and reacting the specimen with the reagent supplied from the reagent supply unit to the reaction vessel, a history information storage step of storing history information regarding analyses that have already been performed; an analysis count calculation step of calculating a unit analysis count, which is the number of analyses per day for each analysis item, from the history information stored in the history information storage step; a classification and storage step of classifying the unit analysis counts calculated in the analysis count calculation step by day of the week and storing the results in a storage unit; a reagent remaining amount detecting step of detecting the current remaining amount of each reagent in the reagent supply unit; a conversion step of reading out from the storage unit the number of unit analyses over a predetermined period corresponding to the days of the week on which the analysis is performed, and converting each read-out number of unit analyses into a reagent usage amount for each reagent used in the analysis for each analysis item; The reagent remaining amount detecting step includes a required reagent amount calculating step of calculating a required reagent amount to be replenished to the reagent supply unit based on the remaining amount of the reagent and the reagent usage amount converted in the converting step; a display step of displaying information relating to the amount of each reagent used converted in the conversion step, the remaining amount of each reagent detected in the reagent remaining amount detection step, and the amount of each reagent required to be replenished in the reagent supply unit calculated in the required reagent amount calculation step, arranged for each reagent; A method for displaying an amount of a reagent, comprising:

11. The method for displaying the amount of reagent according to claim 10, wherein the information relating to the required amount of reagent includes the number of reagent containers to be replenished.

12. A method for displaying the amount of reagent described in Claim 11, characterized in that the information related to the required amount of reagent includes the number of refills, the number after refill which is the number of measurements when the reagent is refilled according to the number of refills, and the remaining number which is the number of measurements that remain when the reagent is refilled.

13. The method for displaying the amount of reagent described in claim 11, characterized in that the information related to the required amount of reagent includes the number of refills and the number of measurements required for the number of calibrator measurements.

14. 14. The method for displaying the amount of reagent according to claim 10, further comprising a period selection step of selecting the predetermined period.

15. the classification and storage step classifies the number of unit analyses into a calibrator measurement number, a quality control sample measurement number, a first measurement number, a retest number, and a total number of these, and stores the classified numbers; the conversion step converts the number of calibrator measurements, the number of quality control sample measurements, the number of initial measurements, the number of retests, and the total number of these values ​​read from the storage unit into reagent usage amounts for each analysis item and for each reagent used in the analysis; 14. The method for displaying the amount of a reagent according to claim 10.

16. 14. The reagent amount display method according to claim 10, wherein the analysis count calculation step calculates a reanalysis frequency for each analysis item with respect to each reagent used in the analysis, and the display step displays information on the reanalysis frequency.

17. 14. The reagent amount display method according to claim 10, further comprising a notification step of notifying a user when the remaining amount of each reagent detected in the reagent remaining amount detection step is less than the amount of each reagent used converted in the conversion step.

18. further comprising an analysis item input step for inputting analysis items to be performed; 14. The reagent amount display method according to claim 10, wherein the display step displays information related to the amount of each reagent used converted in the conversion step and the remaining amount of each reagent detected in the reagent remaining amount detection step, for only the analysis items input in the analysis item input step, side by side for each reagent.

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