Automatic analyzer with opening / closing door

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer excellent in usability, robustness, and low cost with respect to an opening / closing door.SOLUTION: An automatic analyzer includes an apparatus housing having a front opening, a door unit having a horizontal hinge shaft on a lower side of the front opening, the door unit being rotatable between a substantially upright closed door position and an open door position where the door unit is open toward a front side, the door unit including an engaged portion, a movable base horizontally movable back and forth between an internal position in the apparatus housing and an external position where the movable base protrudes toward the front opening, the movable base including an engaging portion, and a drive unit configured to drive the movable base. The engaging part controls the turning operation of the door means in such a manner that an acting force balanced with a turning energizing force by the dead weight of the door means is applied to the part to be engaged.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer for performing sample analysis, and more particularly to an automatic analyzer having an opening and closing door. [Background technology]

[0002] Some automated analyzers automatically open and close their covers and doors whenever samples or reagents are placed inside the housing or when measured samples or specimens are removed. Doors equipped with dedicated drive sources and power transmission mechanisms increase the number of components, as well as the risk of increased costs and equipment trouble. For this reason, a method for automatically opening and closing doors has been proposed, as in Patent Document 1, which utilizes a movable platform (plate insertion section) on which samples and reagents are placed and its drive unit. In this configuration, the movable platform pushes open the door via a hinge shaft to open it. When the movable platform returns to the back of the device, the spring inside the hinge shaft or attached to the door contracts to close the door. However, if the door is enlarged to avoid interference with samples or reagents on the movable platform or to improve usability when placing samples, the weight of the door increases, and the distance between the hinge shaft and the center of gravity of the door also increases, significantly increasing the moment required to close the door. One solution is to strengthen the spring used to close the door, but this requires increasing the rigidity and size of related components, including the hinge shaft, leading to increased costs. Furthermore, springs can deteriorate with repeated use and no longer be able to perform their intended functions, which can easily lead to equipment problems. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2023-544397 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer that has excellent usability, robustness, and low cost with respect to the opening and closing door. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the automatic analyzer of the present invention that solves the problem is an automatic analyzer comprising: an apparatus casing having a front opening; door means having a horizontal hinge axis at the bottom edge of the front opening and rotatable between a substantially upright closed door position and an open door position open to the front front side, the door means having an engaged portion; a movable base on which analytical consumables, reagents, and specimens can be placed and which moves horizontally back and forth between an internal position within the apparatus casing and an external position protruding toward the front opening, the movable base having an engaging portion; and a drive unit that drives the movable base, wherein the engaging portion controls the rotational movement of the door means in a manner that applies to the engaged portion a force that balances the rotational force due to the door means' own weight.

[0006] In the above-described embodiment, the driving force and braking force for the door opening and closing operations are based on the drive unit that drives the movable base, both during the door opening and closing operations. Because the door opening and closing operations are mechanically linked to the operation of the movable base, sequence design for linking the door opening and closing operations with the operation of the movable base is unnecessary, contributing to saving design resources. Since a dedicated drive source for door opening and closing is not required, it is highly cost-effective. Furthermore, the rotational biasing force due to the weight of the door means acting on the engagement portion of the movable base is received by the entire movable base fixed to the housing, without the intervention of a spring, resulting in a robust structure that ensures excellent robustness even when the door is made larger for usability.

[0007] The movable platform may be provided with an abutment portion that abuts against any abutted portion of the door means when the door is closed, and it is preferable to use a low-resilience elastic material as the material for the abutment portion, as this will absorb the impact when it abuts against the abutted portion.

[0008] When the abutting portion strikes any abutted portion of the door means in the closed state, the door means is pushed forward and tilts, and at the same time, the rotational biasing force due to its own weight acts to initiate an accelerated forward tilt. However, if the positions of the engaging portion and the engaged portion are preset so that the engaging portion is positioned to control the rotational movement of the door means in a manner that applies a force to the engaged portion that balances the rotational biasing force just before the abutment, the engaging portion will absorb the rotational biasing force due to its own weight, and from that point on, the forward movement of the movable base will control the opening movement of the door means. The opening speed of the door means can be controlled solely by the sliding speed of the movable base. On the other hand, if the movable base is retracted backward during the above-mentioned door opening operation or after the door opening operation is completed, the engaging portion will push the engaged portion against the rotational biasing force, thereby transitioning to the closing operation. In this case, the closing speed of the door means can also be controlled solely by the sliding speed of the movable base.

[0009] The position of the engaged part can be designed by adjusting the distance from the hinge axis, as long as a force that balances the rotational biasing force is applied to the engaged part just before it hits the hinge axis. If the distance from the hinge axis is made longer, the sensitivity of the door opening and closing operation to the movement of the movable base will decrease, making the operation slower, and conversely, if the distance from the hinge axis is made shorter, the sensitivity of the door opening and closing operation to the movement of the movable base will increase, making the operation faster.

[0010] As one aspect of the engaging portion, a rolling roller that can rotate in the forward and backward directions is provided at one end of the movable base near the front, which is preferable because it allows for a smooth engaging surface with the engaged portion during opening and closing operations.

[0011] One particularly preferred embodiment of the door means is configured to include a door element and a bracket that integrally supports the door element and fixes it to the hinge shaft, with the engaged portion being integrally disposed on the bracket. This increases the degree of freedom in designing the door element and provides a robust structure via the bracket. The bracket can be made of a metal that has excellent rigidity, durability, and workability, and is suitable for connection to the hinge shaft and for disposing the engaged portion.

[0012] A preferred form of the engaged part is a member consisting of a hook piece having an approximately U-shaped cross section, with an outer flat surface corresponding to the back of the approximately U-shaped part and a rounded chamfered corner portion corresponding to the corner of the approximately U-shaped part, which are configured to form a sliding engagement surface for the rolling roller as the engaging part.

[0013] It is desirable that the device housing and / or the bracket have an engaging means for engaging and holding the device housing and the bracket when the door means is in the closed position. A configuration including a magnetic engaging means is particularly preferable as the engaging means. In the closed door position, the door means can be maintained in a stable, approximately upright position at the front opening of the device housing via the bracket by the magnetic engaging means. When the abutting portion hits the bracket with an appropriate force, the magnetic engagement is easily released, allowing the door to be opened. Conversely, during the door closing operation, the bracket approaches the front opening, and eventually, as the magnetic engagement occurs, the door means returns to its original closed position.

[0014] In addition to the above configuration, the automated analyzer of the present invention can further include a flap door having a hinge shaft on the upper edge of the front opening and a closed position in a substantially hanging state, and a rotation transmission mechanism that transmits rotation in the same direction between the hinge shaft provided on the lower edge of the front opening and the hinge shaft provided on the upper edge. With this configuration, when the door means having the hinge shaft provided on the lower edge of the front opening transitions from the closed position to an opening operation by tilting forward, the flap door transitions from the closed position to an opening operation by swinging toward the back of the device. By enlarging the opening on the front of the device while swinging the upper flap door toward the back of the device housing, the user's field of view is not obstructed, ensuring usability. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10A to 10C are side views illustrating an operation procedure of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 10A to 10C are side views illustrating an operation procedure of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 10A to 10C are side views illustrating an operation procedure of an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] In the following embodiment, the present invention is applied to an apparatus that automatically performs processes from pre-treatment and purification for extracting nucleic acids from a sample to genetic testing. However, the present invention is not limited to genetic testing apparatuses, but is also applicable to general automated analyzers in general, such as immunodiagnostic apparatuses and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire automated analyzer of this embodiment (door open), and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the entire automated analyzer of this embodiment (door closed). This embodiment is composed of a movable base 100 that can slide back and forth relative to the analyzer 001, a sample / reagent placement section 200 for placing samples and reagents on the movable base 100, a door means 300 that allows the user to access the inside of the analyzer, a magnetic attachment section 400 that maintains the closed state by magnetic attachment when the door means 300 is closed, a rotation transmission mechanism 500 that transmits rotational motion when the door means 300 opens and closes, and an upper door 600 whose rotational motion is linked to that of the door means 300 by transmitting power from the rotation transmission mechanism 500. Details of each element are described below.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the details of the movable base 100. The movable base 100 is a base placed parallel to the floor of the apparatus and is reversibly moved, i.e., reciprocated, in the front-to-rear direction of the apparatus by a drive unit 120. In this embodiment, the drive unit 120 uses a stepping motor 123 as a drive actuator, a pulley 121 and a timing belt 122 as means for transmitting driving force to the base 100, and a linear guide 124 as a guide for linear movement. However, the above configuration of this embodiment is not required as long as a mechanism that meets the required specifications, such as a servo motor, sliding screw, or linear bushing, is used. As an engagement part of the movable base, a rotatable roller 130 is attached to the front of the base 100 relative to the apparatus 001. A contact part (pusher) 140 is attached to the front of the base 100 relative to the apparatus. In this embodiment, the pusher 140 is made of a sponge-like material to reduce contact noise upon contact. However, from a functional standpoint, pusher 140 does not need to be a sponge, and the shape of base 100 may be modified so that base 100 itself serves as pusher 140.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the details of the specimen / reagent setting unit 200. The specimen / reagent setting unit 200 mainly refers to the upper surface of the movable base 100. In this embodiment, a specimen cartridge 230 containing a specimen and a reagent cartridge 240 containing a reagent are set at desired positions on the specimen setting rack 210 and the reagent setting rack 220, respectively, and then each rack is set at desired positions on the upper surface of the base 100, enabling operations from pretreatment to genetic testing. In this case, in order to set the specimen cartridge 230 and the reagent cartridge 240 at desired positions, the specimen setting rack 210 and the reagent setting rack 220 preferably have setting guide mechanisms such as engagement grooves and stoppers. Furthermore, in order to set the specimen setting rack 210 and the reagent setting rack 220 at desired positions on the base 100, it is preferable to provide positioning pins, partition plates, etc. on the upper surface of the base 100. However, as long as the sample cartridge 230 and the reagent cartridge 240 can be placed anywhere on the top surface of the base 100, there is no need to stick to the above configuration. For example, by providing a groove on the top surface of the base 100, the sample cartridge 230 and the reagent cartridge 240 can be set directly on the top surface of the base 100 without going through the sample setting rack 210 and the reagent setting rack 220.

[0021] 5 and 6 are perspective views showing the details of the door mechanism 300. A hinge shaft 310 is located near the front end of the device and near the floor of the device. In this embodiment, two bearing holders 313 are attached to the floor of the device, and the shaft 310 can rotate via bearings 312 attached to each bearing holder 313. The shaft 310 is connected to the door element 340 via a bracket 320. In conjunction with the rotational movement of the shaft 310, the door element 340 can reversibly open toward the front of the device or close toward the rear of the device. Furthermore, the contact portion 150 on the bracket is shaped so that it contacts the pusher 140 when the movable platform protrudes toward the front of the device, but does not contact the roller 131 of the movable platform engagement portion 130. In this embodiment, the engagement portion 330, which is integrally disposed on the bracket, is a U-shaped component with chamfered corners. When the movable base protrudes to the front of the device, the rotation of the engaged portion 330 in the door opening direction is controlled by the presence of the roller 130.

[0022] 7 is a perspective view showing the details of the magnetic attachment means 400. The magnetic attachment means 400 is composed of a magnetic catch 410, which is a magnetic body fixed to the floor of the apparatus, and a magnetic catch receiver 420, which is magnetically attachable and fixed to the bracket 320 of the door means 300. The magnetic catch 410 and the magnetic catch receiver 420 are positioned so that they can be magnetically attached to each other when the door means 300 is closed, and they serve to maintain the door closed state until an external force is applied to the door means 300. However, as long as they can fulfill the above-mentioned functions, the magnetic catch 410 and the magnetic catch receiver 420 do not necessarily have to be fixed to the floor of the apparatus and the bracket 320, and may be fixed to the apparatus housing and the door member 340, for example.

[0023] 8 is a perspective view showing the details of the rotation transmission mechanism 500. The rotation transmission mechanism 500 is a mechanism in which a pulley 510 attached to the right end of the shaft 310 of the door means transmits rotation linked to the operation of the door means 300 to a pulley 530 located above the pulley 510 via a timing belt 520. However, unlike this embodiment, if a sufficient opening can be obtained with the door means 300 alone, the rotation transmission mechanism 500 may not be necessary.

[0024] 9 and 10 are perspective views showing the details of the upper door (flap door) 600. A hinge shaft 610 is located near the front end of the device and at the top of the device. In this embodiment, two bearing holders 613 are attached to the device housing, and the shaft 610 can rotate via bearings 612 attached to each bearing holder 613. The shaft 610 is connected to the upper door 600 via a bracket 620, allowing it to move in conjunction with the rotational movement of the shaft 610. In addition, a pulley 530 is attached to the right end of the shaft 610 (FIG. 9), allowing the upper door 600 to move in conjunction with the rotational movement associated with the opening and closing of the door unit 300. However, because the upper door 600 and the door unit 300 are out of phase with each other, when the door unit 300 opens by tilting toward the front of the device, the upper door 600 opens by springing up toward the rear of the device. This state can be maintained without placing excessive strain on the drive unit of the movable platform by designing the weight of the upper door 600 to be smaller than the weight of the door unit 300. If a sufficient opening can be obtained with the door means 300 alone, the upper door 600, like the rotation transmission mechanism 500, may be omitted.

[0025] Next, the operation of the series of door-opening and door-closing operations will be explained with reference to the drawings. Figures 11 to 13 are side views explaining the operation procedure of this embodiment, with the right side of the drawings being the front of the device.

[0026] FIG. 11 shows the door means 300 in a closed state, immediately before the closed state is released, or immediately before the door returns to the closed state. First, consider FIG. 11 as showing the state immediately before the closed state is released. When a user instructs the automated analyzer 001 to open the door in some way, such as by pressing the door open / close button on the monitor, the movable base 100 moves toward the front of the device. At this time, the roller 130 moves so as to contact the outer flat surface of the engaging portion 330, which has a U-shaped cross section with the opening facing downward. Also, in FIG. 11, the roller 130 appears to be positioned further forward than the pusher 140, but as can be seen in FIG. 6, the roller 130 is positioned so as not to interfere with the bracket 320. In other words, the pusher 140, located at the front end of the movable base 100, abuts against the bracket 320. The resulting moment releases the magnetic contact between the magnetic catch 410 and the magnetic catch receiver 420 in the magnetically attached portion 400 (FIG. 7), thereby releasing the door means 300 from the closed state.

[0027] FIG. 12 shows the state in which the door means 300 is transitioning to an open state or a closed state. First, consider the state in which the door means 300 is transitioning to an open state. After the closed state is released as described above, the door means 300 attempts to tilt toward the front of the device around the hinge shaft 310 due to its own weight. As the movable base 100 advances, the contact position of the U-shaped engaged portion 320 that contacts the roller 130 shifts from the outer flat portion of the engaged portion 330 with a U-shaped cross section to the R-chamfered corner portion. At this time, the roller 130 supports the door means 300 via the bracket engaged portion 330, and the movable base 100 moves toward the front of the device, controlling the speed at which the door means 300 opens. In other words, if the movable base 100 moves slowly toward the front of the device, the opening speed of the door means 300 will also slow down. Conversely, if the movable base 100 moves quickly toward the front of the device, the opening speed of the door means 300 will also increase. However, the speed cannot be faster than when the door means 300 opens under its own weight.

[0028] FIG. 13 shows the door means 300 in an open state, immediately after transitioning to the open state, or immediately before transitioning to the closed state. During the door-opening operation, the contact position of the U-shaped engaged portion 320 transitions from the rounded, chamfered corner to the outer flat portion corresponding to the back of the U-shape facing left of the opening. When the movable base 100 moves sufficiently toward the front of the device, the door 340 of the door means 300 comes into contact with the floor, maintaining the open state. At this point, the movable base 100 may stop at this position, or may move further toward the front of the device in consideration of usability for loading and unloading specimens and reagents.

[0029] Next, the sequence of operations until the door means 300 is closed from the open state is shown below. Figure 13 can be considered to show the state immediately before the door means 300 transitions to the door closing operation. This is the same state as immediately after transitioning to the open door state during the door opening operation. When the user instructs the automatic analyzer 001 to close the door in some way, such as by pressing the door open / close button on the monitor, the movable base 100 moves toward the rear of the device. At this time, the roller 130 abuts against the rear part of the U-shaped bracket engagement portion 330.

[0030] Figure 12 can be considered to show the state in which door means 300 is transitioning to a closed state. When movable base 100 moves toward the rear of the device from the open state of Figure 13, roller 130 begins to press bracket engaged portion 330, and the door means 300 transitions to an operation of lifting up around hinge shaft 310. At this time, as with the door opening operation, the speed at which door means 300 is closed can be controlled by adjusting the speed at which movable base 100 moves toward the rear of the device.

[0031] Figure 11 can be considered to show the state immediately after door means 300 has transitioned to the closed state. When movable base 100 moves further toward the rear of the device from the door-closed transition state of Figure 12, door element 340 becomes perpendicular to the floor surface, and door means 300 can maintain the closed state by magnetically attaching magnetic portion 400 (Figure 7). As a result, movable base 100 is no longer needed for the door closing operation of door means 300, and can therefore move further to the measurement operation position at the rear of the device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 001 Automatic analyzer 100 Movable base (base) 120 Drive unit 121 Pulley 122 Timing belt 123 Stepping motor 124 Linear Guide 130 Engagement part (roller) 140 Contact part (pusher) 150 Abutted part 200 Sample and reagent storage area 210 Sample placement rack 220 Reagent rack 230 Sample Cartridge 240 Reagent Cartridges 300 Door Means 310 Hinge shaft 312 bearing 313 Bearing holder 320 Bracket 330 Engaged part 340 Door parts 400 Magnetic attachment means (magnetic catch) 420 Magnetic catch holder 500 Rotation transmission mechanism 510 Pulley 520 timing belt 530 Pulley 600 flap door (upper door) 610 Hinge shaft 612 Bearing 613 Bearing holder 620 Bracket

Claims

1. a device housing having a front opening; a door means having a horizontal hinge shaft at the lower edge of the front opening and rotatable between a substantially upright closed position and an open position opened toward the front face, the door means having an engaged portion; a movable base that is horizontally movable between an internal position in the device housing and an external position protruding toward the front opening side, the movable base having an engaging portion; a drive unit that drives the movable table; In an automatic analyzer comprising: The automatic analyzer is characterized in that the engaging portion controls the rotational movement of the door means in such a manner that an acting force that balances the rotational biasing force due to the weight of the door means is applied to the engaged portion.

2. 2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein said movable platform is provided with an abutting portion that abuts against any abutted portion of said door means when said door is closed.

3. 3. The automatic analyzer of claim 2, wherein the positions of the engaging portion and the engaged portion are set so that when the abutting portion butts against the engaged portion, the engaging portion is in a position that controls the rotational movement of the door means in a manner that applies a force to the engaged portion that is balanced with the rotational biasing force due to the weight of the door means.

4. 4. The automatic analyzer according to claim 3, wherein the movable base has a rolling roller as the engaging portion, the rolling roller being rotatable in the forward direction and provided at one end of the movable base near the front.

5. 5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 4, wherein the door means comprises a door element and a bracket that integrally supports the door element and fixes it to the hinge shaft, and the engaged portion is disposed integrally with the bracket.

6. The automatic analyzer of claim 5, wherein the engaged portion is a member consisting of a hook piece having an approximately U-shaped cross section, and an outer flat portion corresponding to the back of the approximately U-shaped portion and a rounded chamfered corner portion corresponding to the corner of the approximately U-shaped portion form a sliding engagement surface for the rolling roller.

7. 6. The automatic analyzer according to claim 5, wherein said device housing and / or said bracket are provided with fastening means for fastening and holding said device housing and said bracket together when said door means is in the closed door position.

8. 8. The automated analyzer of claim 7, wherein said fastening means includes magnetic fastening means.

9. a flap door having a hinge shaft parallel to the hinge shaft of claim 1 at an upper edge of the front opening and having a substantially hanging state as a closed door position; a rotation transmission mechanism that transmits rotation of both hinge shafts in the same direction; The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 , further comprising:

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