Reagent storage, analytical instrument, and cooling method

Abstract

To suppress the decrease in cooling efficiency of the reagent storage compartment caused by opening the door at the opening of the enclosure. [Solution] The reagent storage chamber of the embodiment comprises a housing, a door, and a blower. The housing is formed from a storage section capable of accommodating reagent bottles under refrigerated conditions and an opening communicating with the storage section. The door switches between a closed state covering the opening and an open state opening at least a portion of the opening. The blower provides airflow from inside the storage section toward the opening.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments disclosed in the present specification and drawings relate to a reagent storage, an analyzer, and a cooling method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, automatic analyzers for clinical tests are known. An automatic analyzer mixes a fixed amount of a biological sample such as blood or urine (hereinafter referred to as a sample) with a reagent to cause a reaction, and irradiates the resulting mixture with transmitted light or scattered light to measure the light quantity, thereby determining the concentration, activity value, and the time required for change of the target substance to be measured. Such an analyzer is provided with a reagent storage for storing reagents that has a cold insulation function.

[0003] The reagent storage has an opening for taking reagents in and out, and a door provided at the opening. Reagent bottles containing reagents are stored in the reagent storage, but when the reagent bottles are inserted or removed, the door is always opened, and the temperature inside the reagent storage near the door may rise locally. In the conventional art, even if the temperature inside the reagent storage rises locally, it was not possible to increase the cooling efficiency only in that part. The temperature rise inside the reagent storage may cause deterioration of the reagents. In this case, an error of the analyzer may occur due to the deterioration of the reagents.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The problem that the embodiments disclosed herein and in the drawings aim to solve is to suppress the decrease in cooling efficiency of the reagent storage compartment caused by opening the door provided in the opening of the housing. However, the problem that the embodiments disclosed herein and in the drawings aim to solve is not limited to the above problem. Problems corresponding to the effects of each configuration shown in the embodiments described later can also be positioned as other problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The reagent storage chamber of this embodiment comprises a housing, a door, and a blower. The housing is formed from a storage section capable of accommodating reagent bottles under refrigerated conditions and an opening communicating with the storage section. The door switches between a closed state covering the opening and an open state opening at least a portion of the opening. The blower provides airflow from inside the storage section toward the opening. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram showing an analytical apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] An exploded perspective view showing a reagent cabinet according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] A flowchart illustrating the cooling method in the reagent storage chamber according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] A schematic diagram showing the results of a simulation of the temperature distribution inside the storage area when the door is open and no ventilation is being provided by the ventilation device. [Figure 5] A schematic diagram showing the results of a simulation of air circulation occurring near the opening when the door is in the open position. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The reagent storage unit, analytical apparatus, and cooling method of the embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an analytical apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a reagent cabinet 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the analytical apparatus 100 comprises a reagent cabinet 1 and an analytical mechanism 2. As shown in Figure 2, the reagent cabinet 1 houses reagent bottles a. Reagent bottles a contain predetermined reagents. The reagent cabinet 1 keeps the reagent bottles a and the reagents contained therein cool.

[0010] Analysis mechanism 2 performs analysis using reagents contained in reagent bottle a. As shown in Figure 1, analysis mechanism 2 may include, for example, a dispensing probe for dispensing reagents from reagent bottle a, a reaction tube for reacting a sample (e.g., blood or body fluids) with the reagents, a stirring unit for stirring the reaction tube, and a photometric unit for performing optical analysis of the sample-reagent mixture contained in the reaction tube. However, the specific configuration of analysis mechanism 2 is not limited to this, and any mechanism that performs analysis using reagents can be modified as appropriate. Furthermore, reagent storage 1 may be used in conjunction with a mechanism other than analysis mechanism 2, or reagent storage 1 may be used alone.

[0011] As shown in Figure 2, the reagent storage unit 1 comprises a housing 10, a door 20, a blower 30, a temperature acquisition unit 40, a control unit 50, an auto-loading mechanism 60, and a refrigerant flow path 70. The housing 10 has a reagent rack b that accommodates a plurality of reagent bottles a. The reagent rack b is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis O.

[0012] (direction definition) Here, the direction parallel to the axis of rotation O is called the Z direction or axial Z. One direction along the axial Z is called the +Z direction or upward. The direction opposite to the +Z direction is called the -Z direction or downward. A cross section perpendicular to the axial Z is called a cross section. Viewing from the axial Z is called a plan view. Viewing from the axial Z, the direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation O is called the radial direction. Along the radial direction, the direction approaching the axis of rotation O is called the radially inward direction, and the direction moving away from the axis of rotation O is called the radially outward direction. Viewing from the axial Z, the direction that circles around the axis of rotation O is called the circumferential direction.

[0013] The housing 10 has a bottomed cylindrical main body 10M and a lid 14. The main body 10M has a cylindrical wall 12 and a bottom 13. The central axis of the cylindrical wall 12 (i.e., the central axis of the housing 10) coincides with the rotation axis O described above. Hereinafter, the rotation axis O may be referred to as the central axis O.

[0014] The wall portion 12 has an inner surface 12a facing radially inward and an outer surface 12b facing radially outward. The bottom portion 13 closes the lower end of the wall portion 12. The bottom portion 13 is connected to the lower end of the wall portion 12. The bottom portion 13 has an upper bottom surface 13a facing upward and a lower bottom surface 13b facing downward.

[0015] The lid portion 14 is configured to be removable from the open end of the main body portion 10M. The lid portion 14 has a circular shape in plan view. The lid portion 14 has an upper surface 14a and a lower surface 14b. When the lid portion 14 is attached to the main body portion 10M (hereinafter referred to as the attached state), the upper surface 14a faces upward and the lower surface 14b faces downward. In the attached state, the lower surface 14b contacts the open end of the main body portion 10M. The housing 10 becomes a hollow cylindrical shape when the lid portion 14 is attached to the main body portion 10M.

[0016] The housing 10 has a storage section 15 formed inside the housing 10. The storage section 15 is a space capable of storing reagent bottles a under refrigerated conditions. The space enclosed by the inner surface 12a, the bottom upper surface 13a, and the lid lower surface 14b corresponds to the storage section 15. The storage section 15 houses the reagent bottles a when the reagent rack b is housed within it.

[0017] In the storage section 15, the reagent bottle a housed in the storage section 15 is kept cool to a predetermined temperature. A refrigerant channel 70 is formed in the housing 10 through which a refrigerant flows to cool the storage section 15. This cools the air inside the storage section 15. For example, the refrigerant channel 70 may be formed inside the bottom section 13. The refrigerant channel 70 may be formed anywhere other than inside the bottom section 13, as long as it can cool the storage section 15. However, the configuration for cooling the storage section 15 can be changed as appropriate.

[0018] The reagent storage 1 may have a rotation mechanism (not shown) that rotates the reagent rack b around the rotation axis O. The rotation mechanism may be configured to be capable of arbitrarily controlling the position of the reagent bottle a in the circumferential direction.

[0019] The housing 10 is provided with an opening 11 that communicates with the accommodating portion 15. The opening 11 is a hole that opens to the outer side surface 12b and penetrates the wall portion 12 in the radial direction. Such an opening 11 allows the accommodating portion 15 to communicate with the space outside the housing 10 (external space). However, the opening 11 does not need to penetrate the wall portion 12, and may penetrate the bottom portion 13 in the axial direction Z, or may penetrate the lid portion 14 in the axial direction Z. That is, the opening 11 may open to the bottom lower surface 13b, or may open to the lid upper surface 14a.

[0020] The door 20 is configured to be switchable between a closed state and an open state. In other words, the door 20 is configured to be openable and closable. Under the control of the control unit 50, the door 20 switches between the closed state and the open state. The closed state is a state in which the door 20 covers (closes) the opening 11. The open state is a state in which the door 20 opens at least a part of the opening 11. When the door 20 is in the open state, insertion and removal (described later) of the reagent bottle a by the auto-loading mechanism 60 becomes possible. The door 20 is provided on the outer side surface 12b. Then, the door 20 slides and moves in the circumferential direction, thereby switching between the closed state and the open state.

[0021] Note that the specific configuration and arrangement of the door 20 can be appropriately modified as long as switching between the closed state and the open state is possible. For example, the door 20 may be provided on the inner side surface 12a. When the opening 11 penetrates the bottom portion 13, the door 20 may be provided on the bottom upper surface 13a or may be provided on the bottom lower surface 13b. When the opening 11 penetrates the lid portion 14, the door 20 may be provided on the lid upper surface 14a or may be provided on the lid lower surface 14b. The door 20 may be configured to open and close by a movement other than sliding movement (for example, rotational movement, etc.).

[0022] The blower device 30 blows air from the inside of the housing portion 15 toward the opening 11. As a result, the blower device 30 blows the air cooled in the housing portion 15. The blower device 30 is provided at a position corresponding to the refrigerant flow path 70. For example, the blower device 30 may be provided on the bottom upper surface 13a at a position overlapping with the position where the refrigerant flow path 70 is formed in a plan view. The blower device 30 is provided in a portion of the bottom upper surface 13a that is located between the central axis O and the opening 11 in a plan view. More specifically, the blower device 30 may be located radially inward of the intermediate position in the radial direction between the central axis O and the inner side surface 12a.

[0023] The blower device 30 has a blowout port 31 facing the opening 11. Such a blowout port 31 realizes air blowing toward the opening 11. The blower device 30 may be, for example, a sirocco fan. However, the specific configuration of the blower device 30 is not limited as long as air can be blown from the inside of the housing portion 15 toward the opening 11, and can be changed as appropriate.

[0024] The blower device 30 may be provided at a position other than the position overlapping with the position where the refrigerant flow path 70 is formed in a plan view. The blower device 30 is preferably provided in the vicinity of the refrigerant flow path 70. As long as air can be blown from the inside of the housing portion 15 toward the opening 11, the blower device 30 may be provided at a position other than the bottom upper surface 13a. For example, the blower device 30 may be provided on the inner side surface 12a, or may be provided on the lid lower surface 14b. In either case, the blowout port 31 preferably faces the opening 11.

[0025] The reagent storage 1 may further include an auxiliary blower device 30A in addition to the blower device 30. The auxiliary blower device 30A blows air from the inside of the housing portion 15 in a direction different from the direction of air blowing by the blower device 30. The auxiliary blower device 30A may, for example, perform air blowing for circulating air throughout the housing portion 15. The auxiliary blower device 30A may, for example, perform air blowing at all times. A configuration in which the reagent storage 1 does not include the auxiliary blower device 30A that performs air blowing at all times is preferable in that evaporation of the reagent is less likely to occur.

[0026] The temperature acquisition unit 40 acquires the temperature of the housing unit 15. The temperature acquisition unit 40 is a temperature sensor. The temperature acquisition unit 40 may, for example, be provided near the opening 11 and acquire the temperature near the opening 11. The temperature acquisition unit 40 may acquire the temperature of one location in the housing unit 15, acquire the temperatures of multiple locations in the housing unit 15, or acquire the temperature distribution of part or all of the housing unit 15 as the temperature of the housing unit 15. Alternatively, the temperature acquisition unit 40 may indirectly acquire the temperature of the housing unit 15 by acquiring the temperature of a part that is in contact with the housing unit 15 (i.e., the housing 10). The temperature acquisition unit 40 outputs the acquired temperature to the control unit 50. The temperature acquisition unit 40 may continuously acquire the temperature of the housing unit 15 at all times, or it may acquire the temperature of the housing unit 15 at a specific timing (for example, when the door 20 switches from an open state to a closed state).

[0027] The autoloading mechanism 60 is a mechanism that automatically transports reagent bottle a to the reagent storage 1 and inserts and removes reagent bottle a from the storage section 15. The autoloading mechanism 60 performs such transport and insertion / removal of reagent bottle a based on the control of the control unit 50 (autoloading control function), for example. More specifically, the autoloading mechanism 60 may transport reagent bottle a containing reagent (hereinafter referred to as a new bottle) to the reagent storage 1. The autoloading mechanism 60 may also remove reagent bottle a whose amount of reagent has fallen below a predetermined value (hereinafter referred to as a reagent shortage bottle) from the storage section 15 and insert a new bottle into the storage section 15. In other words, the autoloading mechanism 60 may be a mechanism that replenishes reagent in the storage section 15 by inserting and removing reagent bottle a. The autoloading mechanism 60 inserts and removes reagent bottle a from the reagent rack b stored in the storage section 15.

[0028] The control unit (processing circuit) 50 includes at least a door control function, a temperature acquisition function, a fan control function, and an auto-loading control function. The control unit 50 realizes these functions, for example, by having a hardware processor execute a program stored in a memory device (storage circuit).

[0029] A hardware processor refers to circuits such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), programmable logic device (e.g., Simple Programmable Logic Device (SPLD) or Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD)), or Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Instead of storing programs in memory, the program can be directly embedded within the hardware processor's circuitry. In this case, the hardware processor functions by reading and executing the program embedded within the circuitry. A hardware processor is not limited to a single circuit; it can be composed of multiple independent circuits combined to implement various functions. Alternatively, multiple components can be integrated into a single hardware processor to achieve different functions.

[0030] The door control function controls the switching between the open and closed states of the door 20. For example, the door control function controls (switches) the door 20 to the open state when the auto-loading mechanism 60 inserts or removes reagent bottle a into or from the storage compartment 15. In other words, the door control function controls (switches) the door 20 to the open state when the auto-loading function causes the auto-loading mechanism 60 to insert or remove reagent bottle a. Furthermore, the door control function controls (switches) the door 20 to the closed state when the auto-loading mechanism 60 has finished inserting or removing the reagent bottle a.

[0031] The temperature acquisition function acquires the temperature of the housing unit 15. The temperature acquisition function is realized when the control unit 50 acquires the temperature output from the temperature acquisition unit 40.

[0032] The airflow control function controls the airflow provided by the air blower 30. The airflow control function causes the air blower 30 to start blowing air after, for example, the insertion and removal of reagent bottle a by the auto-loading mechanism 60 is completed and the door 20 has been switched from the open state to the closed state by the door control function. The airflow control function controls the intensity of the airflow provided by the air blower 30 based on the temperature of the storage section 15 acquired by the temperature acquisition function. Specifically, the airflow intensity may be increased if the acquired temperature is higher than a preset temperature threshold, and decreased if the acquired temperature is lower. The airflow control function may also stop the airflow provided by the air blower 30 if the acquired temperature is below the temperature appropriate for storing reagents. In this case, the generation of convection inside the reagent storage 1 is suppressed, and evaporation of reagents can also be prevented. The airflow control function may also control the airflow provided by the auxiliary air blower 30A.

[0033] The auto-loading control function controls the insertion and removal of reagent bottle a into the storage section 15 by the auto-loading mechanism 60. For example, the auto-loading control function may detect the reagent shortage bottles mentioned above. When such detection occurs, the auto-loading control function may instruct the auto-loading mechanism 60 to transport the new bottles and insert or remove the reagent bottle a as described above. The auto-loading control mechanism may also control the rotation mechanism. For example, the auto-loading control mechanism may rotate the reagent rack b around the rotation axis O by controlling the rotation mechanism so that the reagent shortage bottles face the opening 11 in the radial direction. This allows the auto-loading mechanism 60 to smoothly remove the reagent shortage bottles and insert new bottles.

[0034] Next, the processing in the reagent storage room 1 will be explained. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing in the reagent storage room 1. The processing shown in Figure 3 is started, for example, when the administrator of the reagent storage room 1 inputs instructions for analysis processing or replacement of a reagent bottle due to shortage via a terminal device (not shown) connected to the reagent storage room 1. First, the door control function opens the door 20 (step S101). Next, the auto-loading control function controls the auto-loading mechanism 60, causing the auto-loading mechanism 60 to insert and remove reagent bottle a (step S102). Next, the door control function closes the door 20 (step S103). Next, the temperature acquisition unit 40 (temperature acquisition function) acquires the temperature of the storage unit 15 (step S104). Next, the airflow control function determines whether the acquired temperature is below a threshold (step S105). When it is determined that the acquired temperature is not below the threshold (step S105; NO), the airflow control function determines the airflow intensity based on the temperature acquired by the temperature acquisition function (step S107). Subsequently, the airflow control function controls the air blower 30 based on the determined intensity, causing the air blower 30 to perform airflow based on that intensity (step S108). The process then returns to step S104, and the temperature of the housing 15 is acquired again, and the subsequent process is repeated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the acquired temperature is below the threshold (step S105; YES), the airflow control function stops the airflow (step S106). In this way, the control unit 50 terminates the process shown in Figure 3.

[0035] Next, we will explain the operation of the reagent storage room 1, which is configured as described above.

[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a simulation of the temperature distribution in the storage compartment 15 when the door 20 is open and no air is being supplied by the blower 30. In Figure 4, region A indicates the region in the storage compartment 15 where the temperature was particularly high.

[0037] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a simulation of air circulation occurring near the opening 11 when the door 20 is open. The arrows F1 and F2 in Figure 5 indicate the airflow. Arrow F1 indicates that cooled air is flowing out from the inside of the reagent storage room 1 to the outside space. Arrow F2 indicates that air that has not been cooled by the reagent storage room 1 is flowing in from the outside space into the inside of the reagent storage room 1.

[0038] Thus, the inventors of the present invention have found that when the door 20 is open, a temperature rise occurs particularly near the opening 11 due to air convection. To solve this problem, the reagent storage unit 1 employs a configuration in which the blower 30 blows air toward the opening 11, thereby actively creating air convection near the opening 11. This eliminates the temperature rise near the opening 11. By eliminating the temperature rise near the opening 11, the decrease in the cooling efficiency of the reagent storage unit 1 caused by the opening of the door 20 can be suppressed.

[0039] If ventilation is performed while the door 20 is open, an inflow of air occurs as shown by arrow F2 in Figure 5, which may hinder cooling near the opening 11. By performing ventilation after the insertion and removal of reagent bottle a is complete and the door 20 is closed rather than open, this problem can be avoided, and the temperature rise near the opening 11 can be quickly eliminated. Furthermore, by obtaining the temperature of the containment section 15 (for example, near the opening 11) and changing the ventilation intensity based on the obtained temperature, the temperature rise near the opening 11 can be eliminated more efficiently.

[0040] According to at least one embodiment described above, the reagent storage unit has a housing having a storage section capable of accommodating reagent bottles and keeping the stored reagent bottles cool, and an opening communicating with the storage section, a door that switches between a closed state covering the opening and an open state opening at least a part of the opening, and a blower that blows air from inside the storage section toward the opening, thereby suppressing a decrease in the cooling efficiency of the reagent storage unit caused by opening the door provided at the opening of the housing.

[0041] While several embodiments have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] 1 Reagent storage 2 Analysis mechanism 10 cabinets 11 Opening 15. Storage area 20 doors 30 Blower 40 Temperature acquisition section 50 Control Unit 100 Analyzer a Reagent bottle

Claims

1. A housing having a storage section capable of accommodating reagent bottles under refrigerated conditions, and an opening communicating with the storage section, A door that switches between a closed state covering the opening and an open state opening at least a part of the opening, The system includes a blower that blows air from inside the housing towards the opening, Reagent storage room.

2. The blower device blows air after the door switches from the open state to the closed state. The reagent cabinet according to claim 1.

3. The storage section is further equipped with an auto-loading mechanism for inserting and removing the reagent bottles, When the insertion and removal of the reagent bottle by the auto-loading mechanism is completed, the door switches from the open state to the closed state. The aforementioned blower blows air after the door has been switched to the closed state. The reagent cabinet according to claim 2.

4. A temperature acquisition unit that acquires the temperature of the housing unit, The system further comprises a control unit that controls the airflow intensity of the blower based on the acquired temperature, A reagent cabinet according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The control unit stops the airflow from the blower when the acquired temperature is below a threshold. The reagent cabinet according to claim 4.

6. The housing has a refrigerant flow path, and the blower is provided at a position corresponding to the refrigerant flow path. A reagent cabinet according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. A reagent storage unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The system comprises an analytical mechanism that performs analysis using reagents contained in the aforementioned reagent bottles. Analyzer.

8. A cooling method for a reagent storage room comprising a housing having a storage section capable of accommodating reagent bottles under cooling conditions, an opening communicating with the storage section, and a door that switches between a closed state covering the opening and an open state opening at least a portion of the opening, Air is blown from inside the housing towards the opening. Cooling method.

9. The air blower is operated after switching the door from the open state to the closed state. The cooling method according to claim 8.

10. The temperature of the housing is obtained, Based on the acquired temperature, the intensity of the airflow is controlled. The cooling method according to claim 8 or 9.

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