Sample testing system and transport method

Abstract

The present invention performs carrier conveyance linked to the length of backed-up carrier groups in a two-dimensional conveyance line utilizing electromagnetic conveyance technology, and ensures the conveyance efficiency of a specimen inspection system while reducing idle positions so as to maximize the simultaneous conveyance quantity. In a two-dimensional electromagnetic conveyance line in which a current is supplied to a winding of an electromagnetic circuit to generate an electromagnetic force between the electromagnetic circuit and a magnet-equipped carrier that holds a test tube so as to move the carrier, a conveyance speed of the carrier to which a specimen sample is mounted can be changed by changing the current of the electromagnetic circuit, and the processing efficiency of the specimen inspection system can be enhanced by shortening the conveyance time and reducing the carrier conveyance speed so as to increase the quantity of carriers that are simultaneously conveyed as an alternative to carrier bypass during congestion.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a specimen testing system, and more particularly to a technique for transporting test tubes containing test samples. [Background technology]

[0002] Analytical systems for analyzing components of biological samples collected from humans, such as blood, plasma, serum, and urine, require a transport line to centrifuge and open test tubes containing these biological samples and transport them to the analytical unit. There is a technology for this analytical system's transport line that supplies current to the windings of an electromagnetic circuit, generating electromagnetic force between the magnet-equipped carrier that holds the test tube, and moving the carrier (Patent Document 3). There is a two-dimensional transport line that employs this technology and has electromagnetic coils arranged two-dimensionally.

[0003] On the other hand, electromagnetic force technology is applied to the movement of objects such as the above-mentioned carrier. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for transporting an object using a mover that is moved by electromagnetic interaction. However, in Patent Document 1, the mover moves along a stator that corresponds to a fixed transport path.

[0004] Patent document 2 also describes that the transport element is moved along a predetermined path by the magnetic attraction of one or more magnets which are moved along the path, with the carrier moving along a fixed transport path. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-075780 A [Patent Document 2] Special table number 2014-520018 [Patent Document 3] JP 2020-205698 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2015-017868 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In a conventional automatic analysis system consisting of a belt conveyor line and an analysis unit, when the analysis unit breaks down or is set to offline because the analysis unit is unable to perform analysis due to a lack of reagents or other reasons, the belt conveyor line may be unable to convey carriers to the analysis unit. This condition is not a major problem if it lasts for a short time, but if it continues for a long time, the carriers to be conveyed to the analysis unit will be stuck on the belt conveyor line for a long time. This stagnation of one carrier will prevent the conveyance of carriers located upstream, increasing the number of jammed carriers, and affecting carriers carrying samples that have been measured in the analysis unit. This congestion will affect the dispensing point of the analysis unit as the carriers cannot be conveyed out, reducing the analysis efficiency. If the stagnation of carriers continues, the congestion will progress to the carry-in position of the analysis unit, and may progress to the left side of the belt conveyor, which is near the input position of the automatic analysis system.

[0007] In this way, congestion can reduce the performance of the entire analysis system. In addition, since the belt transport line is driven by a single motor, the number of carriers that can be transported by one belt is limited, so the carrier concentration rate is not high and free space cannot be used effectively.

[0008] On the other hand, when a two-dimensional transport line using electromagnetic transport technology is adopted, the transport line is double-tracked, and a detour route that avoids the congestion points of the carriers can be selected to avoid congestion. However, securing an extra two-dimensional transport line to avoid congestion means that there are idle points on the two-dimensional transport line, and efficient transport cannot be achieved.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide a sample testing system and a transport method that control the transport speed of a carrier and does not reduce analysis efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a specimen testing system in which a processing unit for analyzing and pre-processing specimens is connected to a transport section in which a plurality of electromagnetic induction coils are arranged in two dimensions on a plurality of transport surfaces, and a magnetic force is generated by passing a current through the electromagnetic induction coil, the specimen testing system comprising: a carrier control means for incorporating a magnet in the carrier and transporting the carrier by applying a current to the electromagnetic induction coil; a carrier detection means for detecting the position of the carrier moving through the transport section; and a transport speed calculation unit for detecting the position of the carrier moving through the transport section using the carrier detection means and calculating the transport speed of the carrier based on the distance to the arrival position of the carrier, and the specimen testing system changes the transport speed of each of the carriers based on the calculated transport speed of the carrier.

[0011] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a transport method using a transport section in which a plurality of carrier transport surfaces are arranged with a plurality of electromagnetic induction coils arranged two-dimensionally, and magnetic force is generated by passing a current through the electromagnetic induction coils, in which a magnet is incorporated into the carrier, the carrier is transported by applying a current to the electromagnetic induction coil, a position of the carrier moving through the transport section is detected, a transport speed of the carrier is calculated based on the distance from the detected position of the carrier moving through the transport section to an arrival position of the carrier, and the transport speed of each of the carriers is changed based on the calculated transport speed of the carrier. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the utilization efficiency of a two-dimensional transport line employing an electromagnetic transport system, and to fully utilize the processing efficiency of an analysis device connected to the two-dimensional transport line. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an automatic analysis system using electromagnetic transport technology according to a first embodiment. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an automatic analysis system using electromagnetic transport technology according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of carrier transportation on a two-dimensional electromagnetic transportation line according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of transportation of a carrier group on a two-dimensional electromagnetic transport line according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a processing section of an electromagnetic conveying line according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining speed calculation logic of a two-dimensional electromagnetic transport line. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows an automated analysis system using a conventional belt conveying technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, the sample testing system and method of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In particular, an automated analysis system having an analysis unit will be described as an example of the sample testing system, but the present invention can also be applied to a sample testing automation system that does not have an analysis unit and has only a pre-processing unit for uncapping, dispensing, etc. (see Patent Document 4).

[0015] First, the problem of the conventional automatic analysis system will be described with reference to FIG. 6. As shown in the figure, the conventional automatic analysis system consisting of a belt conveyor line and an analysis unit will be in a situation where the carrier 608 cannot be conveyed from the belt conveyor line to the analysis unit 605 when the analysis unit 605 breaks down or when the analysis unit 605 is in a state where analysis cannot be performed due to a lack of reagents or other reasons and is set to offline. This state is not a big problem if it lasts for a short time. However, if this state continues for a long time, the carrier 608 to be conveyed to the analysis unit 605 will be stuck on the belt conveyor line for a long time. This stagnation of one carrier will prevent the conveyance of carriers located upstream, increasing the number of carriers that are jammed, and affecting the carrier 609 carrying the sample that has been measured by the analysis unit 604. This congestion will affect the dispensing point of the analysis unit 604 because the carrier 609 cannot be conveyed out, and will reduce the dispensing operation of the analysis unit 604 and ultimately the analysis efficiency. If the carriers 608 continue to be stuck, the congestion may progress to the loading position of the analysis unit 604, and further to the left side of the belt transport section 602, which is near the input position of the automatic analysis system. EXAMPLES

[0016] Example 1 is a sample testing system in which a processing unit for analyzing and pre-processing samples is connected to a transport section in which a plurality of electromagnetic induction coils are arranged in two dimensions on a plurality of transport surfaces, and a magnetic force is generated by passing a current through the electromagnetic induction coil, and the sample testing system is equipped with a carrier control means for incorporating a magnet in the carrier and transporting the carrier by applying a current to the electromagnetic induction coil, a carrier detection means for detecting the position of the carrier moving in the transport section, and a transport speed calculation unit for detecting the position of the carrier moving in the transport section by the carrier detection means and calculating the transport speed of the carrier depending on the distance to the arrival position of the carrier, and the sample testing system changes the transport speed of each of the carriers based on the calculated transport speed of the carrier, and a transport method thereof.

[0017] 1A and 1B show an example of the configuration of an automatic analysis system using the two-dimensional conveying line of this embodiment. An automatic analysis unit for performing biochemical and immunological tests is connected in parallel to the two-dimensional conveying line, and specimen samples are mainly carried in from a specimen conveying system and a specimen pretreatment system connected to an interface unit 103. Urgent specimens, quality control specimens, calibration specimens, etc. can be put in from a specimen input / storage unit 102. The specimens put in the automatic analysis system are filled with specimens such as blood and urine collected from patients, and are mounted on specimen carriers equipped with magnets. In addition, specimen containers are provided with specimen identification information such as a one-dimensional barcode or two-dimensional barcode for identifying the patient, or an RFID tag on which information for identifying the patient and the specimen is written.

[0018] When these patient samples are input into the automated analysis system, the automated analysis system reads the sample identification information with an attached reader and searches for request information for the corresponding sample on the management terminal 401 shown in Fig. 4. If there is no request information, it queries the Laboratory Information System (LIS) 108, which is the laboratory host, to obtain test request information. Based on the request information received from LIS 108, the management terminal 401 calculates which items will be measured at which analysis units, calculates the order in which the samples will be transported to the analysis units, creates destination information, and notifies the transport line management unit 402. The transport line management unit 402 generates route information from the destination information.

[0019] However, the carrier detection means 4033 in the transport line control unit 403 grasps the position of the carrier on the two-dimensional transport line and checks whether there is a carrier that is an obstacle on the transport path. This detected information is also notified to the transport path management unit 4021 via the carrier management unit 4022. Normally, when the transport path management unit 4021 generates route information, it is considered to calculate an alternative transport path without selecting the transport path that is an obstacle. However, there is a physical limit to the number of transport paths that can be created on the two-dimensional transport line, and selecting an alternative path may interfere with the transport of another carrier.

[0020] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, a plurality of two-dimensional electromagnetic transport lines 101 are connected to the rear of the analysis unit 104. Positions 201 in which a carrier carrying a test tube is present are indicated by black circles, and positions 202 in which no carrier is present are indicated by white circles. Based on the request information, the management terminal 401 plans to have carrier 205 transport to position 203 or position 204. Position 203 is the end of one of the left carrier groups (buffers) that are stalled on the two-dimensional transport line connected to the analysis unit 104, and position 204 is the end of the other carrier group.

[0021] During the same time period, if carrier 206 attempts to use route 212 for an urgent sample, management terminal 401 may prevent carrier 206 from being transported if carrier 205 attempts to use route 212 to position itself at the end of the right group of carriers, which has fewer waiting carriers, and this may result in a delay in the measurement results of the urgent sample.

[0022] In this case, it is also possible to transport carrier 206 first, and then carrier 205 after carrier 206. However, carrier 205 will have to wait until carrier 206 is transported, and carrier 207 and then carrier 208 following carrier 205 will also have to wait. Since these waiting times will cause congestion, it is better to transport carriers 205, 207, and 208 even if only a little, so that more specimens can be brought into the automatic analysis system. For the above reasons, the carriers may be stopped at the end of the buffer.

[0023] 3, when multiple carriers such as carrier 301 to carrier 302 are stalled on the transport path selected by carrier 303, carrier 304, and carrier 305, it takes 1.0 second for carrier 302 to move two positions, and then carrier 306 starts moving. In other words, it takes 1.5 seconds for the adjacent carrier located downstream to move. Therefore, it takes 4.5 seconds for the position where carrier 301 was located to become vacant after carrier 302 starts moving.

[0024] Therefore, in this embodiment, when multiple carriers are transported to a queue where the carriers are stagnating, in order to prevent the queue from becoming longer, the waiting time calculation unit 4024 of the transport line management unit 402 calculates the waiting time for the last carrier in the queue where the carriers are stagnating, based on the information detected by the carrier management unit 4022, from the number of stagnant carriers.

[0025] Next, a movement time calculation unit 4023 calculates the movement speed of the carrier from the distance from the starting point to the arrival point, which is the end of the line where the carrier is stagnated, so that the carrier is moved within the waiting time for the last carrier to move from the arrival point, which is calculated by a waiting time calculation unit 4024. Furthermore, by making a similar change in the movement speed for the subsequent carrier, it is possible to increase the number of carriers that can be transported without impeding the movement of multiple carriers, while avoiding carrier stagnation and extension of the stagnant carrier line. EXAMPLES

[0026] On the other hand, in the case of a long destination where the moving distance of the carrier determined by the management terminal 401 spans multiple two-dimensional electromagnetic transport lines, the transport path management unit 4021 checks the state on the transport path, and if there are no carriers that are obstructing the path, the carrier can be transported at the maximum speed. The maximum speed is 0.5-1.0 m / s, which is a speed at which the test sample inside the test tube does not scatter or bounce. The maximum speed may change depending on the material and compatibility of the transport surface and the carrier. If the normal transport speed is 0.5 m / s and the maximum speed is 1.0 m / s, the transport time can be shortened by about 1.3 seconds on average. This shortened time is equivalent to 75% of the moving distance of the two-dimensional electromagnetic transport tiles when transported at the normal transport speed. In this way, it can be seen that there is an advantage in increasing the speed.

[0027] 5 shows an example of a processing flow of the transport speed calculation unit 4032 of the transport line control unit 403 having a transport speed calculation unit 4032, a carrier detection means 4033, a carrier idle time calculation unit 4044, etc. This processing flow is processed by the transport line control unit 403, and the transport path and waiting time are specified in advance.

[0028] In step 502, the conveying speed coefficient is set to 1.0 as an initial value. In step 503, the conveying route instructed by the conveying route management unit 4021 is confirmed, and the moving distance is calculated. In step 504, from the moving distance calculated in step 503, It can be calculated as follows: Travel time = Acceleration time + (Transport distance - Acceleration / deceleration distance) ÷ Speed ​​+ Deceleration time. Here, the acceleration time and deceleration time must be accelerations that do not cause the specimen sample to scatter when it is filled into the test tube, as explained above, so the fixation time can be considered.

[0029] In step 505, it is judged whether the transport section is transportable or not, that is, it is confirmed that there is no carrier by the destination point based on the information of the carrier detection means 4033. If a carrier is present on the transport path by the destination point, there is a method of setting the position before the carrier as the destination point, or a method of stopping the carrier on the spot. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the carrier is transported to the end of the carrier buffer section. In step 505, if a carrier is present on the transport path, the process proceeds to step 506. On the other hand, if a carrier is not present on the transport path in step 505, the process proceeds to step 508. In step 506, in order to confirm whether there is any deviation from the information calculated by the waiting time calculation unit 4024, the carrier vacant time calculation unit 4034 calculates the time until the destination position becomes vacant from the latest information of the carrier detection means 4033, and the carrier vacant time described in FIG. 3.

[0030] Carrier free time = (number of waiting carriers - 1) x (time to move one position x 2) + time to move one position.

[0031] In step 507, the times calculated in step 504 and step 506 are compared to calculate whether the carrier free time is greater than the moving time. As described above, this calculation assumes that the acceleration time and deceleration time are fixed times, so the time in the low-speed section is compared. The conveying speed coefficient is calculated as follows: conveying speed coefficient = (movement time - acceleration and deceleration time) / (carrier free time - acceleration and deceleration time). In step 508, the conveying speed coefficient calculated in steps 502 and 507 is used to determine the conveying speed, and in step 509, an instruction to drive the carrier is given to the two-dimensional electromagnetic conveying line 101. As a result, the carrier moves by the time the rearmost position of the stagnant carrier group becomes free, so that the carrier can be conveyed without stopping. In addition, in a situation where the time until the carrier at the conveying destination position becomes free is shorter than the carrier movement time, it is possible to move the conveying speed faster than the specified value. However, as described above, it is necessary to set the maximum speed at which the specimen sample filled in the test tube does not scatter. Therefore, if the conveying speed calculated in step 508 exceeds the maximum speed, it is necessary to set it to the maximum speed. EXAMPLES

[0032] 3 are in a state in which each of the carriers 303, 304, and 305 can operate in 1.0 second. However, when the distance between the carriers 303 and 304 is two positions or less, the movement time of the carrier 304 is less than 1.0 second, for example, 0.8 seconds. However, in order to avoid collisions between the carriers, the carrier 304 does not start moving until the position where the carrier 303 is located, which is the destination position, becomes vacant. Therefore, the movement time calculation unit 4023 refers to the movement time of the carrier 303 during movement, and changes the speed of the carrier 304, thereby making it possible to avoid collisions between the carriers.

[0033] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and further includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is also possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with the configuration included in another embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 101 Two-dimensional electromagnetic transport line 102 Simultaneous analysis system loading and storage area 103 Interface section 104, 105, 106, 107 Analysis Unit 108 Laboratory Information System (LIS) 201 Positions with careers 202 Positions with no career 203, 204 Career milestones 205, 206 Starting your career 207, 208 Carrier on the move 211, 212, 213 Conveyor path 301, 302, 306 Stagnant career 304, 305 Carriers waiting to move 401 Management terminal 4011 System Management Department 4012 Trouble Monitoring Department 4013 Processing Capacity Calculation Department 402 Transport Line Management Department 4021 Transport Path Management Department 4022 Career Management Department 4023 Travel time calculation section 4024 Wait time calculation section 403 Conveyor line control section 4031 Carrier control means 4032 Conveyor speed calculation unit 4033 Carrier detection means 4044 Carrier idle time calculation unit 502 Conveyor speed coefficient set 503 Checking the transport path 504 Carrier travel time calculation processing 505 Judgment process for transport availability to transport area 506 Calculation process of carrier waiting time at carrier arrival point 507 Recalculation of conveying speed coefficient 508 Calculation process of conveying speed from conveying speed coefficient 509 Transport Instruction Processing 601 Belt conveyor line 602 Belt conveyor line return 603 Sample input / storage section 604, 605 Analysis Unit 606, 607 Carrier buffer section 608 Belt conveyor carrier

Claims

1. A sample testing system in which a plurality of electromagnetic induction coils are arranged in two dimensions on a plurality of carrier transport surfaces, and a processing unit that performs analysis and pre-processing of samples is connected to a transport unit that generates a magnetic force by passing a current through the electromagnetic induction coils, a carrier control means for incorporating a magnet in the carrier and applying a current to the electromagnetic induction coil to transport the carrier; a carrier detection means for detecting a position of the carrier moving on the transport section; a conveyance speed calculation unit that detects a position of the carrier moving on the conveyance section by the carrier detection means and calculates a conveyance speed of the carrier according to a distance to an arrival position of the carrier; a carrier management unit that manages the position and state of the carrier in the transport unit; a transport path management unit that manages the origin, destination, and path of the carrier; a waiting time calculation unit that calculates a waiting time until a source carrier located at the source can be present at the destination; a travel time calculation unit that calculates a travel time required for the source carrier to travel to the destination, the transport speed calculation unit compares the moving time with the waiting time, and calculates a transport speed at which the source carrier does not stagnate based on the comparison result, and the carrier control means transports the source carrier at the calculated transport speed. A specimen testing system comprising:

2. (delete)

3. The specimen testing system according to claim 1, When it is determined that the conveyance is possible based on the calculation result of the waiting time calculation unit, the conveyance speed calculation unit calculates a conveyance speed. A specimen testing system comprising:

4. The specimen testing system according to claim 1, In a case where a destination carrier located at the destination and the source carrier are transported simultaneously on the same route, the waiting time is calculated as a time until the destination carrier moves from the destination and the source carrier becomes able to be present at the destination. A specimen testing system comprising:

5. The specimen testing system according to claim 4, when a subsequent carrier following the source carrier is transported simultaneously on the same route, the transport speed of the subsequent carrier is changed by referring to the travel time of the source carrier; A specimen testing system comprising:

6. A conveying method using a conveying unit in which a plurality of electromagnetic induction coils are arranged two-dimensionally on a plurality of conveying surfaces of a carrier, and a magnetic force is generated by passing a current through the electromagnetic induction coils, A magnet is incorporated in the carrier, and a current is applied to the electromagnetic induction coil to transport the carrier; Detecting a position of the carrier moving in the transport section; calculating a transport speed of the carrier according to a distance from the detected position of the carrier moving through the transport section to an arrival position of the carrier; Manage the position and state of the carrier in the transport section, and the origin, destination, and route of the carrier; Calculating a waiting time until a source carrier located at the source can be present at the destination; Calculating a travel time required for the source carrier to travel to the destination; comparing the moving time with the waiting time, calculating a transport speed at which the source carrier will not stagnate based on the comparison result, and transporting the source carrier at the calculated transport speed; A transport method comprising:

7. (delete)

8. The conveying method according to claim 6, If it is determined that the conveyance is possible based on the calculation result of the waiting time, a conveyance speed is calculated. A transport method comprising:

9. The conveying method according to claim 6, In a case where a destination carrier located at the destination and the source carrier are transported simultaneously on the same route, the waiting time is calculated as a time until the destination carrier moves from the destination and the source carrier becomes able to be present at the destination. A transport method comprising:

10. The conveying method according to claim 9, when a subsequent carrier following the source carrier is transported simultaneously on the same route, the transport speed of the subsequent carrier is changed by referring to the travel time of the source carrier; A transport method comprising:

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