Automatic diagnostic analyzer for liquid sample

Abstract

To increase the efficiency of an analyzer, minimize the size of the analyzer, and reduce the workload on an operator who operates the analyzer.SOLUTION: A device for automatic analysis of a liquid sample is provided with a sample tray, at least two reagent trays, at least two reaction trays, and at least two measuring devices. The sample tray is arranged at the center of an analysis area. The at least two reaction trays are arranged adjacent to the sample tray. The at least two reagent trays are arranged adjacent to the reaction trays. The at least two measuring devices are arranged adjacent to the reaction trays. A dispensing device is between a sample disk and the at least two reaction trays. The dispensing device is between each of the at least two reagent trays and the reaction tray corresponding thereto.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for the automated analysis of liquid samples, having an analysis area comprising a sample tray for receiving sample vessels, at least one reagent tray for receiving reagent vessels, at least one reaction tray for receiving reaction vessels, and at least one measuring device for measuring physical or chemical properties of the liquid sample treated with the reagent in the reaction vessel. [Background technology]

[0002] As automation advances in the fields of medical and veterinary diagnostics, automated liquid analysis devices, commonly known as analyzers, are becoming increasingly common. These analyzers automatically extract reagents from reagent containers, combine the reagents with the samples to be analyzed, and then perform the analysis in a reaction container. Therefore, analyzers typically have a sample tray, a reagent tray, and a reaction tray, each with slots for receiving and holding the respective containers.

[0003] The process of extracting a reagent or sample and transferring it into a reaction vessel is usually performed by an automated dispensing device. Such an automated dispensing device often includes a dispensing arm with a dispensing needle connected to a pump unit for drawing liquid into the dispensing needle and expelling the liquid from the needle again. The dispensing arm can move in the XY direction or rotate over a work area where a sample tray, a reagent tray, and / or a reaction tray are arranged.

[0004] Analytical instruments typically include a measurement device for measuring a physical or chemical parameter (process parameter) of the reaction mixture in the reaction vessel, using a measurement technique such as spectrophotometry, colorimetry, ion-selective electrode, coagulation, or immunoassay.

[0005] The area covered by the aforementioned devices for performing diagnostic analyses is the analysis area, in which a sample tray, at least one reagent tray, at least one reaction tray, measurement devices, and pipetting devices for transferring liquids between other devices are placed.

[0006] An example of an analytical device is disclosed in International Publication WO 2011 / 061118. To achieve maximum sample throughput, the analytical device has exactly three rotatable disks: a sample disk, a reagent disk, and a reaction disk, at least three pipetting devices, and a measuring device. To increase efficiency, the device operates in successive operating cycles, each with a defined operating mode. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] There is a constant demand for more efficient automation of analytical instruments. Furthermore, there is also a demand for smaller instruments to save space in laboratories where analytical instruments are installed. There is also a desire to reduce the burden on operators of analytical instruments. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to the present invention, the above object is achieved by various aspects, which will be described in detail below. Typically, the devices of the present invention have in common that they include an analysis area, which includes a sample tray for receiving a sample container containing at least one liquid sample, at least one reagent tray for receiving a reagent container containing at least one reagent, at least one reaction tray for receiving a reaction container, at least one measuring device for measuring physical or chemical properties of the liquid sample treated with a reagent in the reaction container, at least one dispensing device for transferring the liquid sample from the sample container in the sample disk to the reaction container, and at least one dispensing device for transferring a reagent from a reagent container in the reagent disk to the reaction container.

[0009] In the context of the present invention, the term "sample" is used to refer to any material prepared for the purpose of an analytical procedure and containing a substance to be diagnostically analyzed. Examples of samples include whole blood, purified blood, preserved blood, etc., as well as body fluids such as urine and concentrated solutions.

[0010] The apparatus of the present invention is capable of carrying out different analytical processes. In a preferred embodiment, the physical or chemical property measured by the at least one measuring device is selected from an immunoassay, a clinical chemistry assay, a coagulation assay or an ion selective electrode assay in a reaction vessel.

[0011] First aspect: arrangement of components

[0012] In order to increase efficiency, minimize the size of the device, and reduce the workload of the operator who operates the analytical device, the present invention provides a number of technical solutions.

[0013] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed an automated liquid sample analyzer comprising an analysis area comprising a sample tray for receiving sample containers, at least two reagent trays for receiving reagent containers, at least two reaction trays for receiving reaction containers, and at least two measurement devices for measuring physical or chemical properties, wherein the sample tray is positioned in the center of the analysis area, the at least two reaction trays are positioned adjacent to the sample tray, the at least two reagent trays are positioned adjacent to the reaction tray, and the at least two measurement devices are positioned adjacent to the reaction tray, and between the sample disk and each of the at least two reaction trays there is a dispensing device for transferring liquid samples from sample containers in the sample tray to reaction containers in the reaction tray, and between each of the at least two reagent trays and its corresponding reaction tray there is a dispensing device for transferring reagents from reagent containers in the reagent tray to reaction containers in the reaction tray.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment, in the apparatus of the present invention, the sample tray is in the form of a rotatable sample disk, at least two reagent trays are in the form of rotatable reagent disks, and at least two reaction trays are in the form of rotatable reaction disks or static reaction rings arranged adjacent to the sample tray, and the dispensing device is in the form of a swivel dispensing arm having an axis of rotation at one end of the dispensing arm around which the other end of the dispensing arm is movable along a circular orbit, and the axis of rotation of the dispensing device is located between the sample disk and each reaction disk / ring, or between each reagent disk and its corresponding reaction disk / ring.

[0015] According to a first aspect of the present invention, the sample tray is preferably provided in the form of a rotatable sample disk located in the center of the analysis area. The "analysis area" is the area of ​​the apparatus of the present invention in which the sample tray, reagent tray, reaction tray, and dispensing device are located. In a preferred embodiment, the analysis area is planar, and the devices are arranged side by side. The "center" of the analysis area is defined by a quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, or higher polygon formed by imaginary lines connecting the rotation axes of the reagent tray and the reaction tray. According to the present invention, the sample tray is located in the center of the analysis area if the rotation axis of the sample tray passes through the center of the analysis area defined by the quadrilateral, pentagon, hexagon, or higher polygon formed by imaginary lines connecting the rotation axes of the reagent tray and the reaction tray.

[0016] In the present invention, the term "disk" refers to a circular tray that provides slots for receiving liquid containers such as sample containers, reagent containers, reaction containers, etc. In contrast, the term "ring" refers to a specific circular liquid container tray where, in a perspective view of the circular tray from above, the ring body extends between two concentric circles, thereby creating a central hole whose size is defined by the inner radius of the ring, where the inner radius of the ring is at least 30% of the outer radius of the ring.

[0017] In one embodiment, the sample tray is in the form of a sample disk having slots for receiving sample vessels, said slots being arranged in parallel along the outer periphery of the disk. In an alternative embodiment, the sample tray is in the form of a sample disk having receiving pockets for receiving an elongated sample vessel rack, the rack having 2 to 20 slots for receiving sample vessels, said slots being arranged along the central length of the rack. Arranged side by side along the longitudinal axis, the receiving pockets are oriented radially on the sample disk.

[0018] The "dispensing device" according to the present invention has a dispensing needle connected to a pumping unit for drawing liquid into the dispensing needle and expelling the liquid from the dispensing needle again. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dispensing device comprises a pivoting dispensing arm. One end of the pivoting arm has a rotation axis around which the other end of the dispensing arm is movable along a circular path, thereby defining a working zone of the dispensing device. This allows the dispensing needle to be moved to reagent containers, sample containers and / or reaction containers.

[0019] Preferably, at least one rotation axis of the dispensing device is disposed between the sample disk and each reaction disk or reaction ring. Preferably, at least one rotation axis of the dispensing device is disposed between each reagent disk and its corresponding reaction disk or reaction ring.

[0020] The arrangement of components according to the specific embodiment of the present invention described above allows for the execution of at least two different diagnostic analysis processes in the same analytical device. In particular, immunoassays and clinical chemistry assays can be combined in the same analytical device, and two different analysis processes can be performed because there are at least two reagent trays for receiving the reagent containers required for each analytical procedure. Furthermore, there are two separate reaction trays for each analytical procedure, and at least two measurement devices required for each procedure. This ensures that all these devices are at least duplicated. However, there is only one sample tray located in the center of the analysis area. Therefore, two different analysis processes can be performed on samples provided in a single sample tray.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the analysis area is located within a housing, and in a further preferred embodiment, the housing of the device is provided with a loading port for receiving sample containers and reagent containers, either individually or pre-packed in racks, and the loading port is equipped with a robotic arm for transporting the sample containers and reagent containers, either individually or in the form of pre-packed racks, from the loading port to the sample tray and / or reagent tray.

[0022] A loading port including a robotic arm has the beneficial effect of eliminating the need for an analyzer operator to manually load new samples and / or new reagents into the sample tray or reagent tray. Typically, manually changing samples and / or reagents requires stopping all movement in the analysis area to avoid contact with moving parts such as the dispenser arm and / or rotating disk. Clearly, stopping all movement in the analysis area leads to delays in processing. Therefore, having a loading port with a robotic arm for transporting sample and reagent containers to the sample tray and / or reagent tray is beneficial in that the movement of the robotic arm can be coordinated with any automated movement in the analysis area.

[0023] Furthermore, the robotic arm has the beneficial effect of being able to transfer liquid containers from one liquid container tray to another tray as needed. For example, calibration liquids or controls are typically placed in sample containers on the sample tray so that they are included in the analytical process. However, between calibration steps, when sample containers containing calibration liquids or controls must be placed in the sample tray, it is preferable to keep the calibration liquids / controls cooled. To that end, the robotic arm can transfer sample containers containing calibration liquids / controls from the sample tray, which is typically not cooled, to one of the reagent trays, which is typically cooled.

[0024] In some embodiments, the device comprises an access control unit for coordinating access to the central sample tray by the robotic arm in the loading zone and by the analytical components located throughout, in particular the control unit determining the access rules and the time slots allowed for the various requesting units (robot arm, analytical unit).

[0025] The control unit is connected to different components of the analytical device via a signal transmission connection, such as a wired or Bluetooth connection. Through this connection, the robotic arm and the analytical unit (e.g., immunoassay unit, clinical chemistry unit) can communicate. In particular, through this connection, the robotic arm and the analytical unit can request a time slot for access to the central sample tray to deposit sample containers or sample container racks onto the sample tray, retrieve them from the same sample tray, or deposit sample aliquots onto sample containers placed on the sample tray. Preferably, a time slot request is associated with a duration attribute, which defines the duration when the time slot is requested. Even more preferably, a time slot request is associated with a priority attribute, which defines at least two priority levels (e.g., high / low), where a higher priority level indicates that allocation of the time slot within the defined duration is essential for proper operation, and a lower priority level indicates that allocation of the time slot within the defined duration is not essential for proper operation. The control unit then analyzes all requests, optionally including duration and / or priority level attributes, and calculates the optimal workflow for allocating a particular time slot to each access request. Finally, relevant information regarding each time slot is communicated by the control unit to each of the requesting units.

[0026] In these embodiments, the housing, if present, is defined by a floor, a ceiling, a rear wall, side walls, and a front wall. In a preferred embodiment, the loading port is located in the front wall of the housing. Preferably, the loading port is located midway between the left and right edges of the front wall. do.

[0027] In some embodiments, the loading port is designed to receive new sample containers and / or new reagent containers that are manually placed in the loading port by an operator of the analytical device, either individually or in the form of pre-packed racks. The robotic arm then picks up the containers / racks and transports them to the sample tray and / or reagent tray. Conversely, empty containers / racks are removed from the sample tray and / or reagent tray by the robotic arm and transported to the loading port, where they can be removed by an operator. As a result, the "loading port" of the present invention is not only a "loading port" but also an "unloading port."

[0028] In certain embodiments of the invention, the device comprises a conveyor for transporting sample and / or reagent containers, either individually or in pre-packed racks, to and from the loading port, the conveyor extending horizontally from the loading port to the left and / or right side along the wall of the housing in which the loading port is located.

[0029] In this application, the term "loading port" refers to the area on the wall of the device where sample / reagent containers / racks are placed by an operator or a conveyor to be picked up by a robotic arm. In contrast, the term "loading zone" refers to the area on the conveyor outside the loading port where an operator may place sample / reagent containers / racks.

[0030] In some embodiments, one end of the conveyor is outside the loading port and the other end of the conveyor reaches into the loading port, and at the end outside the loading port there is a loading zone where multiple sample and / or reagent containers can be placed on the conveyor either individually or in pre-packed racks, and the conveyor transports the containers / racks one by one into the loading port. Furthermore, such a conveyor can transport used or empty sample and / or reagent containers removed from the sample or reagent disk and placed in the loading port by a robotic arm to the outer end of the conveyor. In such cases, the conveyor is bidirectional, and the loading zone also serves as the unloading zone.

[0031] In other embodiments, one end of the conveyor is external to the left of the loading port and the other end of the conveyor extends along the wall to the right of the loading port, In these embodiments, the loading and unloading zones of the conveyor are separate, i.e., the loading zone is on one side of the loading port and the unloading zone is on the other side.

[0032] In certain embodiments, there are two separate conveyors on the same horizontal level, one on the left side and one on the right side, facing each other at the loading port. In other certain embodiments, there are three separate conveyors on the same horizontal level, one starting on the left side of the loading port, one starting on the right side of the loading port, and one positioned inside the loading port.

[0033] In certain embodiments, there is at least one horizontal conveyor that reaches the edge of the wall of the analyzer housing where the loading port is located, for transporting liquid containers, either individually or mounted in a rack, to a second analyzer that stands next to the edge of the wall of the analyzer housing, where the second analyzer is an analyzer according to the present invention that includes a conveyor that reaches the loading port from the edge of the wall of the analyzer housing, allowing the liquid containers to be transported from the first analyzer to the second analyzer for further analysis.

[0034] In certain embodiments, two or more analytical devices of the present invention share a single conveyor or multiple horizontally arranged conveyors for transporting liquid containers, either individually or in racks, from one analytical device to another.

[0035] The term "robotic arm" refers to a movable transport device having an end effector for transporting sample and / or reagent vessels, either individually or in the form of a rack loaded with sample and / or reagent vessels. In one embodiment, the robotic arm has a pivoting element at one end through which an axis of rotation passes, around which an end effector located at the other end of the pivoting element relative to the axis of rotation can move along a circular trajectory.

[0036] In a further preferred embodiment, the pivoting arm can be moved along a vertical axis, and in a further preferred embodiment, the pivoting element or the entire robot arm can be moved along a horizontal axis, and in particular, it is preferred that the pivoting element can be moved along both a vertical axis and a horizontal axis.

[0037] All possible movements about the rotation axis, along the vertical axis, and along the horizontal axis define a working zone of the robotic arm in which the end effector can be moved to sample and / or reagent vessels in the loading port and to slots in the sample and / or reagent trays for receiving sample or reagent vessels. To minimize the required working zone, the rotation axis is preferably located between the sample disc and at least two reagent discs.

[0038] In certain embodiments, the robotic arm comprises an end effector having at least two fingers movable relative to one another for grasping and transporting sample and reagent containers, either individually or in pre-packed racks.

[0039] In certain embodiments of the invention, the housing of the analytical device comprises a base and an openable hood, with the analysis area located on top of the base and the hood completely covering the analysis area when closed. In these embodiments, the loading port is preferably located in the front wall of the base or the hood, or extends across both the base and the front wall of the hood.

[0040] Regardless of which of the aforementioned alternatives is implemented, the loading port allows samples and / or reagents to be loaded into the analyzer without opening the hood. Furthermore, samples and / or reagents can be placed in the loading port at any time. There is no need to wait for a specific time slot in which the sample and / or reagent can be loaded into the analyzer. Whenever there is a time slot available for loading a sample or reagent into a corresponding tray of the analyzer, the robotic arm can grab the sample or reagent from the loading zone and transport it to the corresponding tray.

[0041] To distinguish samples and different reagents, sample containers and reagent containers can have labels with 1D codes (bar codes), 2D codes (matrix codes) or RFID (Radio-frequency identification). Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment, the loading zone is provided with a 1D code reader, a 2D code reader and / or an RFID reader to identify the samples and / or reagents that the operator places in the loading zone. Before transporting the container to its destination, a robotic arm moves the grasped container to the reader and performs the corresponding transport action based on the information read from the code.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the control unit is connected to a 1D code reader, a 2D code reader, and / or an RFID reader in the loading zone via a signal transmission connection, such as a wired or Bluetooth connection. Through this connection, the control unit can receive information about each container placed in the loading port. According to this information, the control unit can determine whether to place the container in the sample tray or the reagent tray. Information about the designated position of the container is then transmitted by the control unit to the robot arm.

[0043] In some embodiments, each reagent container is individually placed in the loading port or on the conveyor. In other embodiments, the reagent containers are placed on a reagent container rack, which is then placed in the loading port or on the conveyor. Alternatively, the robotic arm grasps the reagent containers but leaves the reagent rack on the conveyor, or the robotic arm grasps the entire rack including the reagent containers. The same alternatives apply to grasping sample containers / sample container racks.

[0044] In some embodiments, the sample tray, reagent tray, and reaction tray and the loading port are elements enclosed by a single housing, however, in some embodiments, the housing is configured as physically separable units, one of which includes the sample tray and the loading port, and the other of which includes the combination of the reagent tray, reaction tray, and one measurement device, respectively.

[0045] The physically separable units have individual housings that are fixedly combined to form a compact analytical device, on top of which a sample tray, at least two reagent trays, at least two reaction trays, and at least two measurement devices are arranged. Preferably, a cover hood is provided on top of the compact analytical device via a hinge, and the cover hood covers the entire top of the analytical device, i.e., all of the units.

[0046] In some specific embodiments, there is a combination of one immunoassay unit and one clinical chemistry unit. In other embodiments, two immunoassay units or two clinical chemistry units are combined. In some embodiments, three, four, five, six, seven, or eight units are combined, and for each combination of two units, there is one loading zone used for that combination of two units.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device is arranged in the analyzer in accordance with at least one of the following symmetry rules: with respect to the side walls of the analyzer housing, the rotation axis of the sample disk is on the center line between the side walls, with respect to the side walls of the analyzer housing, the center line of the loading opening is on the center line between the side walls, the center position of the robot arm is on the center line of the loading opening, the rotation axes of the first reagent disk on one side and the second reagent disk on the other side are at the same distance from the center line between the side walls of the analyzer housing, the rotation axes of the first reaction disk or carrier ring on one side and the second reaction disk or carrier ring on the other side are at the same distance from the center line between the side walls of the analyzer housing, The rotation axis of the first rotating dispensing device between the first reagent disk and the corresponding reaction disk / ring on one side and the rotation axis of the second rotating dispensing device between the second reagent disk and the corresponding reaction disk / ring on the other side are at the same distance from the center line between the side walls of the analytical device housing, and the rotation axis of the first rotating dispensing device between the sample tray and the first reaction disk / ring on one side and the rotation axis of the second rotating dispensing device between the sample tray and the second reaction disk / ring on the other side are at the same distance from the center line between the side walls of the analytical device housing.

[0048] Interchange of the immunoassay unit and the clinical chemistry unit is facilitated by having the devices arranged within the analyzer according to one or more of the following rules of symmetry:

[0049] If the sample tray is a sample disk, the diameter of the disk is within the range of 30 cm to 60 cm. If the reagent tray is a reagent disk, the diameter of the disk is within the range of 30 cm to 60 cm. If the reaction tray is a reaction disk / ring, the diameter of the disk is within the range of 30 cm to 60 cm.

[0050] To minimize the size of the analytical device of the present invention, the reaction tray is positioned adjacent to the central sample disk, and the reagent disk is positioned adjacent to the reaction tray. The term "adjacent" should be understood to define the shortest distance between the outer edges of the two devices, which distance is in the range of 5 cm to 15 cm, preferably in the range of 5 cm to 10 cm.

[0051] According to the present invention, the dispensing device is provided between the sample tray and each reaction tray or between each It is located between the reagent tray and the corresponding reaction tray. The term "between" is understood to define that the working zone of a dispensing device located between the two devices can reach the containers of both the two devices.

[0052] In a preferred embodiment with a pivoting dispensing device, the working zone of the pivoting dispensing device has a radius of 5 cm to 15 cm, within which a dispensing needle of the dispensing device positioned between the sample disk and the reaction disk can be moved to both a sample container in the sample disk and a reaction container in the reaction disk.

[0053] Second aspect of the invention: static reaction ring

[0054] When performing an immunoassay, the reaction mixture must be incubated under defined conditions to allow time for the target molecule and antibody to react. The incubation is particularly carried out under predetermined temperature conditions. Therefore, the reaction vessel containing the reaction mixture is usually placed in a regulated incubator for a certain period of time.

[0055] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an analytical device including an immunoassay unit, in which incubation is performed in a reaction tray provided in the form of a static reaction ring. The static reaction ring has incubation slots for receiving reaction vessels, the slots being arranged in parallel in the circumferential direction of the ring. A transport ring having at least one transport slot for receiving and transporting the reaction vessels is arranged concentrically around the outside of the static reaction ring, the slot being arranged at the same height as the slots of the static reaction ring. The transport ring has at least one pusher for transporting the reaction vessels back and forth from at least one transport slot of the transport ring to one of the incubation slots of the static reaction ring by horizontal movement of the reaction ring on the radial axis.

[0056] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the slots of the static reaction ring are made of metal. Preferably, the static reaction ring is a one-piece metal ring having the slots for receiving the reaction vessels as an integral part thereof.

[0057] In a specific embodiment of the invention, the static reaction ring has a single row of slots arranged side by side circumferentially around the outer periphery of the ring. In an alternative embodiment, the static reaction ring has a first row of slots arranged side by side circumferentially around the outer periphery of the ring and a second row of slots arranged side by side circumferentially in a direction toward the central axis of the ring.

[0058] A heating device is provided for heating the metallic slot or the one-piece metallic ring that includes the slot as an integral part to condition the static reaction ring, and the heating device has means for controlling and maintaining the temperature of the static reaction ring within the range of 20°C to 50°C.

[0059] In some embodiments, the reaction vessels are cuvettes having a base area with long and short sides, and each long side of the cuvette is oriented along a radial axis of the reaction disk, and thus the slots in the static reaction ring have their long sides oriented along the radial axis of the static reaction ring.

[0060] The transport ring is rotatably arranged around the static reaction ring, and the transport ring has one, two, three or four slots for receiving reaction vessels, and the transport ring has pushers arranged in each slot for reciprocatingly transporting the reaction vessels from the corresponding slots in the transport ring to one of the slots in the static reaction ring by horizontal movement on the radial axis of the reaction ring.

[0061] In some specific embodiments of the present invention, the outer side of the conveying ring in the radial direction has at least one external slot for receiving a reaction vessel, and the external slot is at the same height as the conveying slots in the conveying ring for receiving and conveying the reaction vessel, so that the reaction vessel can be reciprocated from the slot in the conveying ring to the external slot by horizontal movement of the conveying ring on the radial axis. In these embodiments, the conveying ring has at least one pusher for reciprocating the reaction vessel from the at least one conveying slot in the conveying ring to one of the external slots by horizontal movement of the conveying ring on the radial axis.

[0062] The aforementioned external slots are provided as parking locations for further processing of the reaction mixture within the reaction vessel, such as bead separation, agglutination analysis, mixing, washing of the reaction vessel, etc.

[0063] To maintain the temperature within the circular static reaction ring and to prevent the heated reaction ring from warming the reaction mixture in a reaction vessel placed in one of the external slots, a circular thermal isolation housing is provided around the reaction ring, the cross section of which has the shape of an upside-down "U."

[0064] Third aspect of the invention: circular measuring chamber

[0065] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an analytical apparatus having at least one measuring device for measuring optical properties of a liquid sample treated with a reagent in a reaction vessel, the at least one measuring device comprising: a rotatable conveying cylinder having a cylinder wall and a cylinder top and having at least one slot in the cylinder wall for receiving a reaction vessel; a cylindrical housing having a cylinder wall and a cylinder top and arranged concentrically around the conveying cylinder, the cylindrical housing having at least one slot for inserting and / or ejecting a reaction vessel from the at least one slot of the conveying cylinder; and a photodetector for detecting light emitted from a liquid in the reaction vessel inserted in the at least one slot of the conveying cylinder.

[0066] By rotation of the transport cylinder, at least one slot for receiving a reaction vessel can be moved from a loading position to a detection position and further to an unloading position. In some embodiments, at least one processing position is provided where a reagent is added to the reaction mixture, and in the direction of movement, such processing position is between the loading position and the detection position.

[0067] The cylindrical housing and the conveying cylinder are designed to provide a loading opening for loading a reaction vessel into the at least one slot when the conveying cylinder is in a loading position relative to the at least one slot. The cylindrical housing and the conveying cylinder are designed to provide a discharge opening for discharging the reaction vessel from the at least one slot when the conveying cylinder is in a discharge position relative to the at least one slot. Furthermore, the cylindrical housing and the conveying cylinder are designed to hold the reaction vessel in the at least one slot in a position immediately in front of an optical opening provided in the cylinder wall of the cylindrical housing when the at least one slot is in a light detection position, so that light emitted from the liquid in the reaction vessel passes through the optical opening and reaches the optical detector disposed on the other side of the optical opening.

[0068] The circular measurement chamber of the present invention is specifically designed to measure the optical properties of liquid samples when the light intensity to be detected is low and precise quantification is required. An example of an assay where the light intensity to be detected is quite low and precise quantification is required is a CLIA (chemiluminescence immunoassay). In such cases, the measurement must be performed in complete darkness to prevent extraneous photons from reaching the detector.

[0069] An example of a highly sensitive photodetector required in such a case is a PMT detector having a photomultiplier tube.

[0070] The rotatable transfer cylinder precisely fits within the cylindrical housing, providing a very small clearance that minimizes backlash when the transfer cylinder is rotated within the housing. In some embodiments, the maximum distance between the outer periphery of the transfer cylinder wall and the inner periphery of the cylindrical housing wall is 1 mm or less. This is to ensure a light-tight arrangement so that when a reaction vessel is loaded into the transfer cylinder, light potentially incident at the loading position does not reach the photodetector at the detection position.

[0071] The number of slots in the conveying cylinder wall is preferably 1, 2 or 3. In those embodiments, if the conveying cylinder has two slots, the two slots are arranged at opposite positions on the outer periphery of the conveying cylinder, i.e., at an angle of 180° relative to each other. In those embodiments, if the rotatable conveying cylinder has three slots for receiving reaction vessels, the slots are preferably arranged in the cylinder wall at an angle of 120° relative to each adjacent slot on the outer periphery of the conveying cylinder.

[0072] By orienting the slot as described above, the risk of photons reaching the loading position to the detection position is minimized. Furthermore, the risk of photons reaching the detection opening from the loading opening is minimized in preferred embodiments of the invention where vertical fins protrude above or below the horizontal surface of the transport cylinder and / or cylindrical housing.

[0073] In some embodiments, several vertical fins extend linearly and parallel to one another from one edge of a corresponding surface to an opposing edge of that surface, hi certain embodiments, a first set of vertical fins extends linearly and parallel to one another from one edge of each surface to an opposing edge of that surface, and a second set of fins also extends linearly and parallel to one another from one edge of each surface to an opposing edge of that surface, intersecting the first set of fins at an angle in the range of 30° to 90°.

[0074] In other particular embodiments, the vertical fins are arranged concentrically, and in particularly particular embodiments, the vertical fins are arranged concentrically protruding upward from the outer surface of the top of the conveying cylinder and / or protruding downward from the inner surface of the top of the cylindrical housing, and the fins are arranged concentrically around the axis of rotation of the conveying cylinder.

[0075] In some embodiments, the cross section of the fins is rectangular, triangular, semicircular, or a combination thereof. In certain embodiments, when there are fins on opposing surfaces, such as both the outer surface of the top of the transfer cylinder and the inner surface of the cylindrical housing, the fins may be designed so that they coincide, and adjacent fins are either aligned peak to peak or engage each other, such that the peaks of the fins on one surface reach into the gaps between the fins on the other surface, and vice versa.

[0076] A further embodiment is characterized in that the cylindrical housing has one loading port for inserting the reaction vessel into a slot of the conveying cylinder and one unloading port for unloading the reaction vessel from at least one slot of the conveying cylinder, the loading port being located at the cylinder top of the cylindrical housing and the unloading port being located in the cylinder wall of the cylindrical housing.

[0077] It should be noted that any feature that one skilled in the art may gather from the present specification, drawings and claims, even if described only in connection with certain further features, may be combined individually as well as with any other combination of features or groups of features disclosed in this specification, unless expressly excluded or technical conditions make such a combination impossible or meaningless. An exhaustive and explicit discussion of possible feature combinations has been omitted for the sake of brevity and readability of the specification and claims.

[0078] In particular, it should be noted that features that are stated in the context of one of the above-mentioned aspects of the invention may be combined with features that are stated in the context of another of the above-mentioned aspects of the invention.

[0079] Furthermore, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description, which are illustrative of embodiments, exemplarily present possible configurations of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art will easily understand that all other structures having the features or combinations of features according to the present invention as recited in the claims also fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. A comprehensive and explicit presentation of all possible embodiments has been omitted merely for the sake of brevity and readability of this specification. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0080] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the upper surface of an analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from above. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the static reaction ring of the analytical device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a circular measurement chamber of an analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the circular measurement chamber shown in FIG. 3 in the analyzer according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0081] 1 is a perspective view of the top surface of an analyzer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Two reagent trays 5 and 6 are arranged in an analysis area 2 of this analyzer 1, and both of these reagent trays 5 and 6 are in the form of rotatable disks. Furthermore, two reaction trays 9 and 10 are arranged in the analysis area 2, with one reaction tray 9 being in the form of a rotatable reaction disk and the other reaction tray 10 being in the form of a static reaction ring 10.

[0082] The rectangle formed by the dashed lines connecting the rotation axes of the reagent trays 5 and 6 and the rotation axes of the reaction trays 9 and 10 defines the center of the analysis area 2. The rotation axis of the sample tray 3 passes through the center of the analysis area 2. In this way, the sample tray 3 is disposed in the center of the analysis area 2.

[0083] Two reagent trays 5 and 6 are located adjacent to the sample tray 3, respectively on the right and left sides of the sample tray 3. Furthermore, two reaction trays 9 and 10 are provided adjacent to the sample tray 3, one on the right side and one on the left side.

[0084] Dispensing devices 15 and 16 are provided between the sample tray 3 and the two reaction trays 9 and 10, respectively. Furthermore, two dispensing devices 17 are provided between the reaction tray 9 and the reagent tray 5, and one dispensing device 18 is provided between the reaction tray 10 and the reagent tray 6. The dispensing devices 15 and 16 between the sample tray 3 and the reaction trays 9 and 10 are for transferring liquid samples from the sample container 4 in the sample tray 3 to the reaction containers 11 and 12 in the reaction trays 9 and 10. The dispensing devices 17 and 18 between the reagent trays 5 and 6 and the reaction trays 9 and 10 are for transferring reagents from the reagent containers 7 and 8 in the reagent trays 5 and 6 to the reaction containers 11 and 12 and the reaction trays 9 and 10.

[0085] The dispensing devices 15, 16, 17, and 18 are in the form of pivoting dispensing arms having a rotation axis 19 at one end around which a dispensing needle 20 at the other end of the dispensing arm can move along a circular path. The rotation axis 19 of the dispensing devices 15, 16, 17, and 18 is disposed between the sample disk 3 and each of the reaction trays 9 and 10, or between each of the reagent trays 5 and 6 and the corresponding reaction tray 9 or 10.

[0086] Adjacent to each reaction tray 9, 10 are measurement devices 13, 14. The measurement device 14 adjacent to the reaction tray 10 is a PMT detector with a photomultiplier tube for measuring chemiluminescence in immunoassays. The measurement device 13 adjacent to the reaction tray 9 is a photometer for measuring the optical properties of clinical chemistry reaction mixtures. The sample tray 3 has receiving pockets 28 for receiving long sample container racks 24, each with five slots for receiving sample containers 4, arranged in parallel along the longitudinal axis of the rack. The receiving pockets 28 are radially oriented on the sample tray 3. In this embodiment, there are ten receiving pockets 28. Therefore, when fully filled, the sample tray 3 of this embodiment can carry ten sample container racks, each with five slots. As a result, the sample tray 3 can accommodate a total of up to 50 sample containers.

[0087] The reagent tray 6 has 14 receiving pockets for receiving reagent container racks, each of which has three slots for receiving reagent containers 8. The reagent container racks are oriented radially on the outer periphery of the disk of the reagent tray 6.

[0088] The disk of the reagent tray 5 has 24 pockets for receiving the reagent container racks 23, and each of the reagent container racks has two slots for receiving the reagent containers 7. The pockets for receiving the reagent container racks are arranged in two rows: one row on the outer peripheral side of the disk of the reagent tray 5 and one row on the central side of the disk of the reagent tray 5.

[0089] The reaction tray 9 has approximately 100 slots around the outer periphery of its disk for receiving reaction vessels 11. In this embodiment, the reaction vessels are cuvettes for optical analysis of the reaction mixtures contained therein. Rotation of the disk of the reaction tray 9 allows each reaction vessel 11 to be transported to a photometer 13 for measuring the optical properties of the reaction mixture contained therein.

[0090] The reaction tray 10 is a static reaction ring, and a transport ring 30 for transporting the reaction vessels 12 to and from the static reaction ring 10 is concentrically arranged on the outside of the static reaction ring.

[0091] 1 , the illustrated embodiment of the analyzer 1 has an analysis area arranged on a plane inside a housing 21, where the housing 21 has a loading port 22 in a front wall 26 of the housing 21. The loading port 22 is for receiving sample containers 4 and reagent containers 7, 8, either individually or pre-packed in racks 23, 24. The loading port 22 is equipped with a robotic arm 25 for transporting the sample containers 4 and reagent containers 7, 8, individually or in the form of pre-packed racks 23, 24, from the loading port 22 to the sample tray 3 or the reagent trays 5, 6. Furthermore, the robotic arm 25 can transport the sample containers from the sample tray 3 to the reagent trays 5, 6, or vice versa. In these embodiments, if the reagent trays 5, 6 are cooled, the sample rack 24 carrying sample containers filled with controls can also be transferred to the cooling reagent trays 5, 6 to extend the life of the controls.

[0092] In the illustrated embodiment, the robotic arm 25 is a pivotable arm having an axis of rotation at one end around which the other end is movable along a circular path. At the end of the arm opposite the axis of rotation, the robotic arm has an end effector for grasping and transporting sample and reagent containers, either individually or in pre-packed racks.

[0093] The robotic arm 25 can move along a horizontal axis from the left side (where the reagent tray 6 is located) to the right side (where the reaction tray 5 is located) to deposit or take reagent containers / racks or reagent trays 5, 6 from the reagent trays 5 or 6. Furthermore, the robotic arm 25 can move along a vertical axis to pick up containers / racks from the height of the loading port 22, which is lower than the height of the analysis area 2, transport them to the height of the analysis area, and place them, for example, in the reagent trays 5 or 6.

[0094] The mobility along the horizontal and vertical axes, in addition to the circular motion of the pivoting arm, enables the robotic arm 25 to move the end effector within the work zone, where the end effector can grasp sample and / or reagent containers, either individually or in pre-packed racks, from the loading port 22, reagent trays 5, 6 and / or sample tray 3, transport them to or from one of the devices and / or place them into one of the devices.

[0095] The front wall 26 of the housing 21 is provided with a horizontal recess for a conveyor 27 that passes through the loading port 22 and reaches from left to right. The containers / racks to be loaded into the sample tray 3 and / or reagent trays 5, 6 are placed on the conveyor 27, which transports them to the loading port 22 where a robotic arm 25 picks up the containers / racks and carries them into the analysis area.

[0096] FIG. 2 shows details of the static reaction ring 10 of a specific embodiment of the analytical device 1 of the present invention. The static reaction ring 10 has slots 29 for receiving reaction vessels 12, which are arranged in parallel around the circumferential direction of the static reaction ring 10. A transport ring 30 having one slot 31 for receiving a reaction vessel 12 is arranged concentrically around the outside of the static reaction ring 10, and the slot 31 is arranged at the same height as the slot 29 of the static reaction ring 10. Therefore, a pusher 32 arranged on the transport ring 30 can transport a reaction vessel 12 from the transport ring slot 31 to one of the slots 29 of the static reaction ring 10 by horizontal movement on the radial axis of the static reaction ring 10. The same pusher 32 can also remove reaction vessels 12 from the slot 29 of the static reaction ring and transport them to the transport slot 31 and the transport ring 30.

[0097] 2, the exterior of the conveying ring is provided with an external slot 46. The external slot 46 is for receiving a reaction vessel 12, which can be placed into the external slot 46 by a pusher 32, either by horizontal movement directly from the conveying ring 13, or by horizontal movement from the static reaction ring 10 through the conveying ring 30 to the external slot 46.

[0098] 2, the external slot 46 is a parking position for further processing of the reaction mixture inside the reaction vessel 12 placed in that parking position. The further processing may be, for example, a mixing step, a magnetic bead separation step, or some other further processing step.

[0099] In the particular embodiment shown, the static reaction ring 10 has a single row of slots 29 arranged side-by-side circumferentially around the outer periphery of the ring.

[0100] Figures 3 and 4 show a circular measurement chamber according to a particular embodiment of the analytical device of the invention: Figure 3 is a perspective view of the circular measurement chamber including in particular a cylindrical housing 37, and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the same measurement chamber without the cylindrical housing 37.

[0101] The measuring device 14 shown in Figures 3 and 4 is for measuring the optical properties of a liquid sample treated with a reagent in a reaction vessel 12. The measuring device 14 comprises a rotatable transport cylinder 33 surrounded by a cylindrical housing 37. On one side of the measuring device 14 is provided a photodetector 41 for detecting light emitted from the liquid in a reaction vessel 12 inserted into one of the slots 36 of the transport cylinder 33.

[0102] The rotatable transfer cylinder 33 has a cylinder wall 34 and a cylinder top 35, and the cylinder wall 34 is provided with three slots 36 for receiving the reaction vessels 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the three slots 36 for receiving the reaction vessels 12 are arranged in the cylinder wall at an angle of 120°.

[0103] The conveying cylinder 33 is rotatable and surrounded by a cylindrical housing 37. The cylindrical housing 37 has a cylindrical housing wall 38 and a cylindrical housing top 39. The cylindrical housing 37 is concentrically arranged around the conveying cylinder 33 and has one opening 43 for inserting the reaction vessel 12 into the slot 36 of the conveying cylinder 33 and one opening 44 for ejecting the reaction vessel 12 from the slot 36 of the conveying cylinder 33.

[0104] 3 and 4, vertical fins 42 are provided protruding upward from the conveying cylinder top 35. The vertical fins 42 are arranged concentrically on a circle centered on the rotation axis of the conveying cylinder 33. Furthermore, the fins 42 have triangular cross sections that match adjacent fins arranged on opposite surfaces of the cylindrical housing top 39. In particular, adjacent fins engage with each other such that the apex of a fin on one surface reaches into the gap between fins on the other surface, and vice versa. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 1. Automatic analyzer for liquid samples (analyzer) 2 Analysis Area 3 Sample Tray 4 Sample containers 5 First Reagent Disk 6 Second Reagent Disk 7 First reagent container 8 Second reagent container 9 Reaction Disc 10 Reaction Ring 11 First reaction vessel 12 Second reaction vessel 13 First Measuring Device 14 Second Measuring Device 15 First dispensing device 16 Second dispensing device 17 First dispensing device 18 Second dispensing device 19 Rotation axis 20 Dispensing Needles 21 Housing 22 Loading port 23 Reagent rack 24 sample racks 25 Robot Arm 26 Front wall 27 Conveyor 28 Pockets to accommodate sample racks 29 Slot for receiving reaction vessel 30 Carrying ring 31 Slot for receiving reaction vessel 32 Pusher 33 Conveying cylinder 34 Cylinder wall 35 Cylinder top 36 Slot in cylinder wall for receiving reaction vessel 37 Cylindrical housing 38 Cylindrical housing wall 39 Cylindrical housing top 41 Photodetector 42 vertical fin 43 Loading port for inserting reaction vessel 44 Outlet for discharging the reaction vessel 45 Side wall 46 External slots to accept reaction vessels

Claims

1. A device (1) for the automated analysis of liquid samples, said device comprising an analysis area (2), The analysis area (2) is provided with a sample tray (3) for receiving a sample container (4) containing at least one liquid sample, at least one reagent tray (5, 6) for receiving a reagent container (7, 8) containing at least one reagent, at least one reaction tray (9, 10) for receiving a reaction container (11, 12), at least one measuring device (13, 14) for measuring physical or chemical properties of the liquid sample treated with a reagent in the reaction container (11, 12), at least one dispensing device (15, 16) for transferring the liquid sample from the sample container (4) in the sample tray (3) to the reaction container (11, 12), and at least one dispensing device (17, 18) for transferring a reagent from the reagent container (7, 8) in the reagent tray (5, 6) to the reaction container (11, 12), At least one of the at least one reaction trays (9, 10) is in the form of a static reaction ring (10) having slots (29) for receiving the reaction vessels (12), the slots (29) are arranged in parallel in the circumferential direction of the static reaction ring (10), a transport ring (30) having at least one slot (31) for receiving the reaction vessels (12) is arranged concentrically around the outside of the static reaction ring (10), the slot (31) is arranged at the same height as the slots (29) of the static reaction ring (10), and the transport ring (30) has at least one pusher (32) for transporting the reaction vessels (12) from the at least one slot (31) of the transport ring (30) back to one of the slots (29) of the static reaction ring (10) by horizontal movement on the radial axis of the static reaction ring (10).

2. The apparatus described in claim 1, characterized in that the conveying ring has one, two, three or four slots (31) for receiving the reaction vessels (12), and a pusher (32) arranged in each slot (31) for transporting the reaction vessels (12) from the corresponding slots (31) of the conveying ring (30) to one of the slots (29) of the static reaction ring (10) and back by horizontal movement on the radial axis of the reaction ring (10).

3. An apparatus as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that there is at least one external slot (46) on the outside of the conveying ring (30) for receiving the reaction vessel (12), and the at least one external slot (46) is at the same height as the at least one slot (31) of the conveying ring (30) for receiving the reaction vessel (12), so that by horizontal movement of the conveying ring (30) on the radial axis, the reaction vessel (12) can be transported from the slot (31) of the conveying ring (30) to and back from the at least one external slot (46) for receiving the reaction vessel (12).

4. An apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the slot of the static reaction ring is made of metal or the static reaction ring is an integral metal ring having a slot for receiving the reaction vessel as an integral part.

5. The apparatus described in Claim 4, characterized in that it has a heating device for heating the static reaction ring, which has a metallic slot or a metallic one-piece static reaction ring having a slot as an integral part thereof, and the heating device has means for controlling and maintaining the temperature of the static reaction ring in the range of 20 to 50°C.

6. An apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the static reaction ring has a single row of slots arranged in parallel circumferentially around the outer periphery of the ring, or the static reaction ring has a first row of slots arranged in parallel circumferentially around the outer periphery of the ring and a second row of slots arranged in parallel circumferentially in a direction toward the central axis of the ring.

7. An apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the conveying ring is rotatably arranged around the static reaction ring, the conveying ring has one, two, three or four slots for receiving the reaction vessel, and the conveying ring has pushers arranged one in each slot for transporting the reaction vessel back and forth from the corresponding slot of the conveying ring to one of the slots of the static reaction ring by horizontal movement on the radial axis of the static reaction ring.

8. An apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that there is at least one external slot on the radial outside of the conveying ring for receiving the reaction vessel, and the at least one external slot is at the same height as the conveying slot in the conveying ring for receiving and transporting the reaction vessel so that the reaction vessel can be transported back and forth from the slot in the conveying ring to the external slot by horizontal movement on the radial axis of the conveying ring, and the conveying ring has at least one pusher for transporting the reaction vessel back and forth from at least one of the conveying slots in the conveying ring to one of the external slots by horizontal movement on the radial axis of the conveying ring.

9. An apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a circular thermal isolation housing is provided around the reaction ring, and the cross section of the circular thermal isolation housing has an inverted "U" shape.

10. An apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises a housing (21) having a loading port (22) for receiving the sample containers (4) and the reagent containers (7, 8) individually or pre-packed in racks (23, 24), and the loading port (22) is provided with a robot arm (25) for transporting the sample containers (4) and the reagent containers (7, 8) from the loading port (22) to the sample tray (3) or the reagent tray (5, 6) individually or in the form of a pre-packed rack (23, 24).

11. The device described in Claim 10, characterized in that the loading port is equipped with a 1D code, 2D code and / or RFID reader.

12. An apparatus as described in claim 10 or 11, characterized in that it is provided with a conveyor (27) for transporting the sample containers and / or reagent containers, either individually or in the form of pre-packed racks, to or from the loading port.

13. An apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the physical or chemical property measured by at least one of the measuring devices is the result of an immunoassay, a clinical chemistry assay, an agglutination assay, or an ion-selective electrode assay.

14. At least one of the measuring devices (14) is for measuring optical properties of a liquid sample treated with a reagent in a reaction vessel (12), the measuring device comprising: a rotatable conveying cylinder (33) having a cylinder wall (34) and a cylinder top (35), the cylinder wall being provided with at least one slot (36) for receiving the reaction vessel (12); and a cylindrical housing (37) having a cylindrical housing wall (38) and a cylindrical housing top (39), the cylindrical housing wall (38) being provided with a cylindrical housing top (39), the cylindrical housing wall (38) being provided with a cylindrical housing top (39), the cylindrical housing wall (38) being provided with a cylindrical housing top (39), the cylindrical housing wall (38) being provided with a cylindrical housing top (39), the cylindrical housing top (39) being provided with a cylindrical housing wall (38) and a ...

14. The device according to claim 1, further comprising: a cylindrical housing (37) arranged in a cylindrical shape and provided with at least one opening (43, 44) for inserting and / or ejecting a reaction vessel (12) into and / or from said at least one slot (36) of said conveying cylinder (33); and a photodetector (41) for detecting light emitted from a liquid in a reaction vessel (12) inserted into said at least one slot (36) of said conveying cylinder (33).

15. A vertical fin (42) is provided on the conveying cylinder (33) and / or the cylindrical housing.

15. The device according to claim 14, characterized in that it projects upward or downward from the horizontal surface of the ring (37).

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