Electromagnetic specimen transport device, specimen analysis system, and specimen preprocessing device.

Abstract

This system suppresses fluctuations in transport speed caused by errors in the detection position of the transport container, thereby reducing liquid shaking and spillage of the sample. [Solution] An electromagnetic sample transport device is provided that transports a transport container having a magnetic material by sequentially switching the energized coils with a control device, wherein the control device sequentially energizes a first coil and a second coil adjacent to the transport direction of the transport container and transports the transport container, and continues to energize the first coil even after the transport container has passed the first coil, generating thrust in the transport direction of the transport container by energizing the second coil, and at the same time applying a braking force to the transport container in the opposite direction to the transport direction by energizing the first coil, and controls the braking force by adjusting the amount of current supplied to the first coil according to the position of the transport container between the first coil and the second coil.

Description

Technical Field

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[0003]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electromagnetic specimen transport device for transporting biological specimens (hereinafter referred to as specimens) such as blood, plasma, serum, urine, and other body fluids, a specimen analysis system using the same, and a specimen pretreatment device for performing pretreatment necessary for analysis.

Background Art

[0002] For example, in a specimen analysis system for clinical examinations, in order to examine the analysis items instructed for a specimen, a plurality of devices with different functions are connected in a transport line, and each process can be automatically executed in each device. For the purpose of streamlining the operations of a laboratory, there are cases where a plurality of analyzers in different analysis fields such as biochemistry and immunology are connected in a transport line and operated as one device. The conventional transport line mainly uses a belt drive system.

[0003] On the other hand, an electromagnetic specimen transport device is known in which a permanent magnet is provided in a transport container (container carrier) such as a holder for holding a specimen, a plurality of magnetic circuits in which coils are wound around cores are arranged, and the transport container is transported by sequentially switching the magnetic circuits that supply current to the coils to generate an electromagnetic attraction force (see Patent Document 1, etc.).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide an electromagnetic sample transport device, a sample analysis system, and a sample pre-processing device that can suppress fluctuations in transport speed due to errors in the detection position of the transport container, and suppress liquid shaking and spillage of the sample. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an electromagnetic sample transport device that transports a transport container having a magnetic material by sequentially switching which coils are energized, comprising a plurality of coils arranged along a transport surface, a drive circuit that energizes the coils, and a control device that controls the drive circuit, wherein the control device sequentially energizes a first coil and a second coil adjacent to the transport direction of the transport container and transports the transport container, and continues to energize the first coil even after the transport container has passed the first coil, generating thrust in the transport direction of the transport container by energizing the second coil, and at the same time applying a braking force to the transport container in the opposite direction to the transport direction by energizing the first coil, and controls the braking force by adjusting the amount of current supplied to the first coil according to the position of the transport container between the first coil and the second coil. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, fluctuations in transport speed due to errors in the detection position of the transport container can be suppressed, thereby preventing liquid shaking and spillage of the sample. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1]This is a schematic diagram of an electromagnetic sample transport device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the arrangement of coils in an electromagnetic sample transport device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing the current waveform and thrust waveform of a conventional example and the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure shows the characteristics of the electromagnetic forces acting on the transport container in the first and second coils, given that the transport container is located at a point between the first and second coils, for each current flowing through the first and second coils. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing the current waveform and thrust waveform of the second embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an example of a sample analysis system equipped with an electromagnetic sample transport device according to the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an example of a sample preprocessing device equipped with an electromagnetic sample transport device according to the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] <First Embodiment> -Electromagnetic Specimen Transport System- Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an electromagnetic sample transport device 1 (hereinafter referred to as transport device 1) according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The transport device 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises a plurality of coils 25 (electromagnets) arranged at predetermined intervals along a transport surface 12, a plurality of drive circuits 50 that apply voltage to the corresponding coils 25, and a control device 40 that controls these drive circuits 50. In Figure 1, among the plurality of coils 25 and drive circuits 50, a first coil 25a and a second coil 25b that are adjacent to each other, and a first drive circuit 50a and a second drive circuit 50b connected to these first coils 25a and second coils 25b, respectively, are shown. The transport device 1 transports a transport container (container carrier) 11 having a magnetic material 10 by sequentially switching the coils 25 to which voltage is applied. First, the configuration of the transport device 1 will be explained using Figure 1.

[0012] The transport container 11 is the object transported by the transport device 1. The transport container 11 is, for example, a sample holder that holds one sample container, such as a test tube or sample cell containing a liquid sample, or a sample rack that holds multiple sample containers. The transport container 11 transported by the transport device 1 is placed on the transport surface 12 and supported by the transport surface 12. The transport container 11 is equipped with a magnetic material 10. In this embodiment, the magnetic material 10 is a permanent magnet. Neodymium alloys, ferrites, etc., can be suitably used as the permanent magnet. In some cases, a soft magnetic material may be used as the magnetic material 10 instead of a permanent magnet. The magnetic flux acting on this magnetic material 10 causes the transport container 11 to slide horizontally along the transport surface 12. By switching the coil 25 that generates the magnetic flux, the transport container 11 is transported to the desired position.

[0013] The transport device 1 is equipped with at least two coils 25. The coils 25 may be arranged one-dimensionally, or they may be arranged two-dimensionally as shown in Figure 2. While keeping track of the current position of the transport container 11, the transport device transports the transport container 11 by applying voltage pulses to the coils 25 located near the transport container 11 on the transport path to the target transport position of the sample, on the forward side in the transport direction.

[0014] Each coil 25 has a cylindrical core 22 (also called teeth) made of magnetic material and a winding 21 wound around the outer circumference of the core 22, and is positioned below the transport surface 12. However, although the core 22 is cylindrical in the example in Figure 1, it is not limited to a cylindrical shape and may be, for example, a rectangular prism as illustrated in Figure 2. The magnetic flux passing through the core 22 has the property that it becomes more difficult to pass through the core 22 as it increases. Each coil 25 is positioned so that the core 22 extends in a direction perpendicular to the transport surface 12, and the end face of the core 22 can face the magnetic material 10 of the transport container 11 via the transport surface 12. By passing an electric current through the winding 21, an electromagnetic force is applied to the magnetic material 10 to move the transport container 11. In order to efficiently apply an electromagnetic force to the magnetic material 10 in order to move the transport container 11 in the desired direction, relative positional information between the magnetic material 10 and the coil 25 is necessary.

[0015] For example, in Figure 1, if the transport container 11 is directly above the first coil 25a, even if current is passed through the first coil 25a, which is located directly below the transport container 11, no force will act on the transport container 11 in the transport direction, i.e., horizontal direction. Conversely, if current is passed through the second coil 25b, which is offset from the transport container 11 in the transport direction, the electromagnetic force acting on the magnetic material 10 can generate a force that pulls the transport container 11 towards the second coil 25b. In order to control the force (attraction force) that pulls the transport container 11 in the transport direction in this way, it is necessary to accurately know the current position of the transport container 11.

[0016] Therefore, in the conveying device 1, the control device 40 calculates the detection of the position and speed of the conveying container 11. The control device 40 inputs the detection values related to the position and speed of the conveying container 11, and calculates the position and speed of the conveying container 11 based on the detection values. Examples of the detection values related to the position and speed of the conveying container 11 include, for example, a magnetic detection signal by a Hall element, a detection signal of the conveying container 11 by a physical position sensor, or a captured image of the conveying container 11 on the conveying surface 12 by a camera. For example, when a Hall element is adopted as a detector that outputs a detection value related to the position of the conveying container 11, the position of the conveying container 11 is detected by detecting the magnetism of the magnetic body 10 with the Hall element, and the speed of the conveying container 11 can be calculated from the time it takes to move between the cores 22 made of the second magnetic body.

[0017] Furthermore, as a detector that outputs a detection value related to the position of the conveying container 11, a current detector 30 that detects the current flowing through each coil 25 can also be used. For the current detector 30, those that measure the voltage of a series resistor, those using a current transformer, those using a Hall current sensor, etc. can be applied, but the type of sensor is not particularly limited as long as the coil current can be measured. The current detector 30 is a sensor implemented for feedback control of the applied voltage to the coil 25 in order to flow a target value of current through the coil 25. By calculating the position of the conveying container 11 based on the output of the current detector 30, a sensor dedicated to position detection such as the above Hall element can be omitted. In the present embodiment, an example of adopting this position detection method will be described. In the conveying device 1, the current flowing through the winding 21 in the coil 25 and its flow direction are detected by the current detector 30, and the control device 40 calculates the position of the magnetic body 10, that is, the position of the conveying container 11, based on the output of the current detector 30. The principle of the method for calculating the position of the conveying container 11 from the current flowing through the coil 25 is as follows.

[0018] For example, when the transport container 11 is positioned above the first coil 25a in FIG. 1, the magnetic flux generated by the magnetic body 10 acts on the first coil 25a. In this case, in the first coil 25a and the second coil 25b with a difference in distance from the magnetic body 10, the magnitudes of the magnetic fluxes acting from the magnetic body 10 are different. Also, for example, when a voltage is applied to the winding 21 of the first coil 25a by the corresponding drive circuit 50a to cause a current to flow, the magnetic flux generated by that current is generated in the core 22 of the first coil 25a. Therefore, when a voltage is applied to the first coil 25a in a state where the magnetic body 10 is in the vicinity, the magnetic flux by the magnetic body 10 and the magnetic flux by the current flowing in the winding 21 are generated in the first coil 25a. When a current flows through the winding 21, a magnetic field is generated around the winding 21, and the magnetic flux generated thereby is proportional to the value of the current flowing through the winding 21. This proportionality constant is called inductance. However, in a circuit having a magnetic body such as the core 22, the inductance of the winding 21 changes due to the magnetic saturation characteristics of the core 22, specifically, due to the magnitude of the magnetic flux of the magnetic body 10. This means that the inductance of the winding 21 changes depending on the position of the transport container 11, that is, the positional relationship with the magnetic body 10. Therefore, by measuring the inductance of this winding 21, the position of the magnetic body 10 on the transport surface 12 can be detected. This is the basic principle of the position detection method of the transport container 11 based on the inductance characteristics of the coil 25.

[0019] More specifically, first, the voltage V generated in the winding 21 is V=-dφ / dt…(1) represented by Here, φ is the magnetic flux and t is the time. The voltage V is represented by the amount of change in magnetic flux per unit time.

[0020] [[ID=I1]] Also, assuming the current I and the inductance L, dI / dt=(1 / L)×(dφ / dt)…(2) the relationship holds.

[0021] Therefore, from equations (1) and (2) dI / dt=-V / L…(3) the relationship holds.

[0022] In other words, when a constant voltage is applied to the winding 21, the amount of change in the current I flowing through the coil 25 over time changes depending on the magnitude of the inductance L, as shown in equation (3). This means that the way the current rises in the coil 25 when a voltage is applied is different. Therefore, when a voltage is applied to the winding 21, the inductance L can be calculated by detecting the change in the current (dI / dt) generated in the winding 21. In other words, if the inductance characteristics of the winding 21, which change depending on the positional relationship with the magnetic material 10, are known, the position of the magnetic material 10, i.e., the position of the transport container 11, can be determined by detecting the change in the current (dI / dt) generated in the coil 25 when a voltage is applied.

[0023] The basic circuit configuration for detecting the position of the transport container 11 from the current flowing through the coil 25 will now be described. First, as shown in Figure 1, a current detector 30 is provided on the connection line between the winding 21 of each coil 25 and the corresponding drive circuit 50. When a voltage is applied to the winding 21 by the drive circuit 50, a current flows through the winding 21, and this coil current flowing through the winding 21 is detected by the current detector 30 and output to the control device 40.

[0024] Furthermore, the drive circuit 50 may include, for example, a bidirectional chopper driven by a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) signal. The drive circuit 50 is connected to the power supply 55, and a predetermined current is supplied to the winding 21 of the coil 25 by duty cycle control of the power supply voltage. Each drive circuit 50 applies a voltage to the corresponding coil 25 according to the voltage command value input from the control device 40.

[0025] -Control device- The control device 40 calculates voltage command values ​​to instruct each drive circuit 50 to obtain the thrust necessary for transporting the transport container 11. The control device 40 also measures the current change dI / dt generated in the voltage-applied coil 25 based on the current value detected by the current detector 30, calculates the relative position between the coil 25 and the transport container 11, and calculates an estimated value of the current position of the transport container 11 on the transport surface 12. Furthermore, based on the calculated estimated position of the magnetic material 10, the control device 40 determines the timing for supplying current to each coil 25 in order to smoothly transport the transport container 11, and outputs voltage command values ​​to the drive circuit 50 corresponding to the coil 25 through which the current is supplied.

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the current waveform and thrust waveform of a conventional example and this embodiment. Figure 3 shows a scenario in which the first coil 25a and the second coil 25b adjacent to the transport direction A of the transport container 11 are sequentially energized, and the transport container 11 is transported in the direction of coil 25b via coil 25a. In the following description, the positional relationship between coils 25a, 25b and the transport container 11 (magnetic material 10) refers to the positional relationship of their respective centers. For example, when the transport container 11 is located directly above coil 25a, it means that the center of coil 25a and the center of the transport container 11 coincide.

[0027] To prevent liquid sloshing and spillage of the sample containers loaded in the transport container 11, it is necessary to suppress fluctuations in the thrust of the transport container 11. In Figure 3, as the transport container 11 approaches the first coil 25a, current is first supplied to the first coil 25a, generating magnetic poles of a different polarity from the magnetic material 10 built into the transport container 11. This causes the electromagnetic attractive force of the coil 25a to act on the transport container 11 as thrust (force in the transport direction A), transporting the transport container 11 in the transport direction A. The electromagnetic force of the coil 25a acting on the transport container 11 is position-dependent between the transport container 11 and the coil 25a, and if the current flowing through the coil 25a is maintained at a constant t value, it decreases as the transport container 11 approaches the coil 25a. Therefore, as shown in Figure 3, in order to keep the thrust of the transport container 11 constant, the current flowing through the coil 25a is increased as the transport container 11 approaches the coil 25a.

[0028] In conventional systems, the supply of current to the first coil 25a is terminated at the moment the transport container 11 reaches a position directly above the first coil 25a, and at the same time, current is also supplied to the second coil 25b, which is adjacent to the transport direction A of the transport container 11. In the example shown in Figure 3, the supply of current to coil 25b begins before the transport container 11 reaches coil 25a, increases as the transport container 11 approaches coil 25a, exceeds the current to coil 25a just before the transport container 11 reaches coil 25a, and reaches a peak value at the moment the transport container 11 reaches coil 25a, that is, at the timing when the current supply to coil 25a is terminated. In this way, by sequentially switching the coils that apply electromagnetic force to the transport container 11, the transport container 11 is continuously transported. Furthermore, in areas where the transport container 11 has passed coil 25a and is at a predetermined distance or more from coil 25b, if the current in coil 25b is kept constant, the electromagnetic force of coil 25b acting on the transport container 11 increases as the transport container 11 approaches coil 25b. Therefore, in areas where the transport container 11 has passed coil 25a and is at a predetermined distance or more from coil 25b, the current supplied to coil 25b is reduced as the transport container 11 approaches coil 25b, thereby keeping the thrust of the transport container 11 by coil 25a constant.

[0029] Thus, in conventional examples, the current changes abruptly when the transport container 11 passes through the first coil 25a. If there is an error in the position detection value of the transport container 11 calculated by the control device 40 while this current is changing abruptly, the position of the transport container 11 recognized by the control device 40 will differ from the actual position of the transport container 11. As a result, the desired current corresponding to the actual position of the transport container 11 will not flow through the coils 25a and 25b. Therefore, the force acting on the transport container 11 will not be kept constant, the transport speed of the transport container 11 will fluctuate, and there is a possibility that the liquid in the sample will shake. For example, in a scenario where the transport container 11 has passed through the first coil 25a and is being transported by the electromagnetic force of the second coil 25b, if the position detection value of the transport container 11 is closer to the coil 25b than the actual position, the current flowing through the coil 25b will be excessively low compared to the value that should flow, causing a sharp decrease in the speed of the transport container 11 due to a reduction in thrust, which can lead to liquid shaking and spillage of the sample.

[0030] In contrast, in this embodiment, as shown in the right-hand diagram of Figure 3, the control device 40 continues to energize the first coil 25a even after the transport container 11 has passed through the first coil 25a, and energizes coils 25a and 25b simultaneously. In other words, after the transport container 11 has passed through the first coil 25a, the control device 40 energizes the second coil 25b to generate thrust in the transport direction A on the transport container 11, and at the same time energizes the first coil 25a to apply a braking force to the transport container 11 in the opposite direction to the transport direction A. During this time, the control device 40 controls the braking force by adjusting the amount of current supplied to the first coil 25a according to the position between the first coil 25a and the second coil 25b of the transport container 11.

[0031] At this time, as shown in the right diagram of Figure 3, the control device 40 reduces the value of the current flowing through the first coil 25a to less than the value of the current flowing through the second coil 25b when the transport container 11 is positioned between the first coil 25a and the second coil 25b. This is because if the electromagnetic force from coil 25a exceeds the electromagnetic force from coil 25b, a thrust in the opposite direction to the transport direction A may be generated in the transport container 11.

[0032] Furthermore, as shown in the right-hand diagram of Figure 3, the control device 40 reduces the current flowing to the first coil 25a as the transport container 11 moves away from the first coil 25a between the first coil 25a and the second coil 25b, after the transport container 11 has passed the first coil 25a. One example of the timing for ending the energization of the first coil 25a is when the transport container 11 reaches the second coil 25b.

[0033] In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in the right-hand diagram of Figure 3, the control device 40 supplies a constant current to the second coil 25b until the transport container 11 moves a predetermined distance away from the first coil 25a. This constant current section is the section between the first coil 25a and the second coil 25b, and is a section at a predetermined distance from the first coil 25a. The end of the constant current section is, for example, the point at which current is supplied from the second coil 25b to a third coil (not shown) adjacent to it in the transport direction A.

[0034] In this embodiment, even after the transport container 11 has passed the first coil 25a, the current flowing through the second coil 25b is maintained at its peak value in a constant current section. As a result, the electromagnetic force of the second coil 25b acting on the transport container 11 increases in accordance with the displacement of the transport container 11. On the other hand, even after the transport container 11 has passed the first coil 25a, current continues to flow through the first coil 25a, and the electromagnetic force of the first coil 25a is used as a braking force to act on the transport container 11, thereby offsetting the excess thrust from the second coil 25b with the braking force. Since the magnitude of the electromagnetic force (braking force) from the first coil 25a also fluctuates depending on the position of the transport container 11, the amount of current supplied to the first coil 25a is gradually reduced as the transport container 11 moves away from the first coil 25a, so that the thrust acting on the transport container 11 remains constant. Furthermore, after the transport container 11 has passed through the first coil 25a, the magnitude of the current flowing through the first coil 25a is preferably smaller than the current simultaneously flowing through the second coil 25b, so as not to pull the transport container 11 back into the first coil 25a. This is because, in particular, in the region where the transport container 11 is closer to the first coil 25a than to the second coil 25b, even if the current flowing through the first coil 25a and the current flowing through the second coil 25b are the same value, the electromagnetic force from the first coil 25a tends to be greater than the electromagnetic force from the second coil 25b.

[0035] -effect- (1) According to this embodiment, even after passing through the first coil 25a, the first coil 25a remains energized, and the transport container 11 is subjected not only to the electromagnetic force as thrust from the second coil 25b but also to the electromagnetic force as braking force from the first coil 25a. As a result, the braking force mitigates sharp fluctuations in the electromagnetic force of the second coil 25b due to errors in the detection position of the transport container 11, suppressing fluctuations in the transport speed due to errors in the detection position of the transport container 11, and preventing liquid shaking and spillage of the sample.

[0036] (2) After the transport container 11 has passed through the first coil 25a, the magnitude of the current flowing through the first coil 25a is made smaller than the magnitude of the current simultaneously flowing through the second coil 25b, thereby preventing the transport container 11 from moving in the wrong direction.

[0037] (3) Since the magnitude of the electromagnetic force (braking force) from the first coil 25a also fluctuates depending on the position of the transport container 11, the thrust acting on the transport container 11 can be kept constant by reducing the amount of current supplied to the first coil 25a as the transport container 11 moves away from the first coil 25a after passing the first coil 25a.

[0038] (4) Figure 4 is a diagram showing the characteristics of the electromagnetic forces acting on the transport container 11 by the first coil 25a and the second coil 25b for each current flowing through the first coil 25a and the second coil 25b, under the condition that the transport container 11 is located at a certain point between the first coil 25a and the second coil 25b. In the conventional example illustrated in the left diagram of Figure 3, there is an error in the position of the transport container 11 calculated by the control device 40. For example, consider the case where the current flowing through the second coil 25b is 1.0(pu) lower than the current that should flow through the second coil 25b when the transport container 11 is in its actual position. At this time, the amount of current flowing through the second coil 25b decreases. In the conventional example, since the current flowing through the first coil 25a has ended at this point, the electromagnetic forces acting on the transport container 11 from the first coil 25a and the second coil 25b decrease discretely by F0. The simulation results showed that under certain conditions, the variation in electromagnetic force F0 was approximately 0.23(pu).

[0039] In contrast, in this embodiment, a constant current section is set from the time the transport container 11 passes the first coil 25a until it reaches a predetermined distance, and the current flowing through the second coil 25b is kept constant while the transport container 11 moves through the constant current section. Therefore, even if there is some error in the detection position of the transport container 11, the electromagnetic force due to the second coil 25b hardly fluctuates in the constant current section. On the other hand, the amount of current supplied to the first coil 25a changes according to the detection position of the transport container 11 even in the same section, but when the transport container 11 is located in a constant current section close to the first coil 25a, even if the amount of current in the first coil 25a decreases by 1.0(pu) from the amount of current that should originally flow under the same conditions as in the conventional example, the amount of fluctuation F1 of the electromagnetic force due to the first coil 25a in this embodiment will be smaller than the amount of fluctuation F0 of the electromagnetic force due to the second coil 25b in the conventional example. In this embodiment, since there is almost no fluctuation in the electromagnetic force due to the second coil 25b, the electromagnetic force acting on the transport container 11 from the first coil 25a and the second coil 25b is F1. The results obtained from the simulation showed that under the same conditions as the conventional example, F1 was approximately 0.16(pu).

[0040] This also works to the advantage of suppressing liquid shaking and spillage in the sample.

[0041] <Second Embodiment> Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the current waveform and thrust waveform of the second embodiment, and corresponds to Figure 3.

[0042] In this embodiment as well, similar to the first embodiment, after the transport container 11 passes through the first coil 25a, the second coil 25b is energized while the first coil 25a remains energized. The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that, after the transport container 11 passes through the first coil 25a, the control device 40 reduces the current flowing through the second coil 25b more gradually than the current flowing through the first coil 25a while reducing the current flowing through the first coil 25a.

[0043] Furthermore, the current in the second coil 25b in this embodiment decreases more gradually than the current in the second coil 25b in the conventional example illustrated in the left diagram of Figure 3. That is, in this embodiment, after the transport container 1 has passed the first coil 25a, the current flowing through the second coil 25b is always greater than the current that would flow through the second coil 25b if the current to the first coil 25a were stopped when the transport container 1 has passed the first coil 25a. Therefore, in this embodiment as well, after the transport container 11 has passed the first coil 25a, the thrust generated in the transport container 11 by the second coil 25b exceeds the target thrust. For this reason, the electromagnetic force from the first coil 25a is applied to the transport container 11 as a braking force to offset the excess thrust.

[0044] In other respects, this embodiment is the same as the first embodiment.

[0045] In this embodiment as well, after the transport container 11 passes through the first coil 25a, the electromagnetic force of the first coil 25a is applied to the transport container 11 as a braking force. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, fluctuations in transport speed due to errors in the detection position of the transport container 11 can be suppressed, and liquid shaking and spillage of the sample can be suppressed.

[0046] After the transport container 11 passes through the first coil 25a, the current flowing through the second coil 25b decreases more slowly than the current flowing through the first coil 25a, so that the braking force from the first coil 25a can always be kept smaller than the thrust from the second coil 25b.

[0047] Furthermore, after the transport container 11 passes through the first coil 25a, the amount of current supplied to the second coil 25b decreases more gradually compared to the conventional example. Therefore, even if an error occurs in the detection position of the transport container 11, the fluctuation in the electromagnetic force of the second coil 25b due to the error in the detection position is smaller than in the conventional example. This also works to the advantage of suppressing liquid shaking and spillage of the sample.

[0048] <Specimen Analysis System> The present invention describes a sample analysis system equipped with the transport device 1. The sample analysis system is a device that dispenses a sample and reagents into a reaction vessel, reacts them, and measures the resulting liquid.

[0049] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an example of a sample analysis system 100 equipped with a transport device 1. The sample analysis system 100 includes a loading section 101, an emergency rack loading port 113, a transport line 102, a buffer 104, an analysis section 105, a storage section 103, a display section 118, and a control unit 120.

[0050] The loading area 101 is where a sample rack 111 is installed, which stores multiple sample containers 122 for containing biological samples (specimens) such as blood and urine.

[0051] The emergency rack input port 113 is a place for inserting sample racks (CaliBracks) loaded with standard solutions or sample racks 111 containing sample containers 122 that require urgent analysis into the device.

[0052] The transport line 102 is a line for transporting the sample racks 111 installed in the loading section 101, and is composed of the transport device 1 of the first or second embodiment. In this example, the sample racks 111 correspond to the transport containers 11 described in the first and second embodiments, and a magnetic material 10 is provided at the bottom of the sample racks 111.

[0053] Buffer 104 holds multiple sample racks 111 transported by the transport line 102 so that the dispensing order of the samples in the sample racks 111 can be changed.

[0054] The analysis unit 105 analyzes the sample transported from the buffer 104. The analysis unit 105 has a configuration similar to that of an analysis unit in a typical sample analysis system.

[0055] The storage unit 103 houses the sample rack 111, which contains sample containers 122 holding samples that have been analyzed in the analysis unit 105.

[0056] The display unit 118 is a display device for displaying the results of the analysis performed by the analysis unit 105. For example, the display unit 118 displays the concentration of a predetermined component contained in the sample as the analysis result.

[0057] The control unit 120 is composed of a computer or the like and controls the operation of each mechanism of the sample analysis system 100, as well as performing calculations to determine the concentration of predetermined components in samples such as blood and urine. The control unit 120 corresponds to the control device 40 in the first or second embodiment.

[0058] The sample analysis system 100 in this example is equipped with the transport device 1 of the first or second embodiment, and can transport the sample container 122 at a stable speed. As a result, problems are less likely to occur when transporting the sample container 122, and the burden on the laboratory technician can be reduced.

[0059] <Patent Data Processing Equipment> The present invention describes a sample pretreatment device equipped with a transport device 1. The sample pretreatment device is a device that performs various pretreatments necessary for the analysis of a sample.

[0060] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of an example of a sample preprocessing device 150 equipped with a transport device 1. The sample preprocessing device 150 has a configuration similar to that of a general sample preprocessing device, except that it uses a transport device 1. For example, the sample preprocessing device 150 includes a capping unit 152, a sample storage unit 153, an empty holder stacker 154, a sample input unit 155, a centrifugation unit 156, a liquid volume measurement unit 157, a capping unit 158, a sub-sample container preparation unit 159, a dispensing unit 160, and a transfer unit 161, as well as an operation unit 163 that controls the operation of these multiple units.

[0061] The sample preprocessing device 150 is connected to a sample analysis system 100 for performing qualitative and quantitative analysis of the components of the sample, which serves as the destination for the preprocessed sample.

[0062] Multiple units of the sample preprocessing device 150, and the sample preprocessing device 150 and the sample analysis system 100, are connected by the transport device 1 of the first or second embodiment. The transport device 1 transports sample holders and sample racks that hold sample containers 122.

[0063] The sample preprocessing device 150 in this example is equipped with the transport device 1 of the first or second embodiment, and can transport the sample container 122 at a stable speed, thus reducing the likelihood of problems occurring when transporting the sample container 122 and reducing the burden on the laboratory technician.

[0064] <Additional Note> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and may include various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. For example, it is possible to replace some of the configurations with other configurations. It is also possible to delete some of the configurations of the embodiments or to add other configurations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1...Electromagnetic sample transport device, 10...Magnetic material, 11...Transport container, 12...Transport surface, 25a...First coil, 25b...Second coil, 30...Current detector (detector), 40...Control device, 50a, 50b...Drive circuit, 100...Sample analysis system, 102...Transport line (electromagnetic sample transport device), 111...Sample rack (transport container), 120...Control unit (control device), 150...Sample preprocessing device

Claims

1. An electromagnetic specimen transport device comprising a plurality of coils arranged along a transport surface, a drive circuit that energizes the coils, and a control device that controls the drive circuit, which transports a transport container having a magnetic material by sequentially switching the energized coils, The control device is When the transport container is transported by sequentially energizing the first coil and the second coil adjacent to each other in the transport direction of the transport container, the energization of the first coil is continued even after the transport container has passed the first coil. By energizing the second coil, a thrust force in the transport container is generated in the transport direction, and at the same time, by energizing the first coil, a braking force is applied to the transport container in the opposite direction to the transport direction. The braking force is controlled by adjusting the amount of current supplied to the first coil according to the position between the first coil and the second coil of the transport container. An electromagnetic specimen transport device characterized by the following features.

2. In the electromagnetic sample transport device according to claim 1, The control device is characterized in that, when the transport container is positioned between the first coil and the second coil, the value of the current flowing through the first coil is made smaller than the value of the current flowing through the second coil at the same time.

3. In the electromagnetic specimen transport device according to claim 2, The control device is characterized in that, after the transport container has passed through the first coil, the current flowing through the first coil decreases as the transport container moves away from the first coil between the first coil and the second coil.

4. In the electromagnetic specimen transport device according to claim 3, The system includes a detector that outputs a detected value relating to the position of the transport container, The control device calculates the position of the transport container based on the output of the detector. An electromagnetic specimen transport device characterized by the following features.

5. In the electromagnetic sample transport device according to claim 4, The electromagnetic specimen transport device is characterized in that the detector is a current detector that detects the current flowing through the coil.

6. In the electromagnetic specimen transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The control device is characterized by supplying a constant current to the second coil until the transport container moves a predetermined distance away from the first coil, and is an electromagnetic specimen transport device.

7. In the electromagnetic specimen transport device according to any one of claims 3-5, The electromagnetic specimen transport device is characterized in that, after the transport container has passed through the first coil, the control device reduces the current flowing through the second coil more gradually than the current flowing through the first coil while reducing the current flowing through the first coil.

8. A specimen analysis system comprising an electromagnetic specimen transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. A sample preprocessing device comprising an electromagnetic sample transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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