Automatic analysis device and automatic analysis method

Abstract

Provided is an automatic analysis device with which reagent registration time can be reduced while complication of device structure and increased cost are avoided. An automatic analyzer 1 comprises a detection unit 521 that detects the amount of a reagent stored in a container, a stirring unit 531 that stirs the reagent stored in the container, a control unit 3 that controls the detection unit 521 and the stirring unit 531, and a storage unit 4 that stores information of the reagent. In a step for storing the information of a newly used reagent in the storage unit 4, the control unit 3 performs control so that, after the detection unit 521 detects the amount of a second reagent stored in a second reagent container 222, the operation whereby the detection unit 521 detects the amount of a first reagent stored in a first reagent container 221, and the operation whereby the stirring unit 531 stirs the second reagent are executed in parallel.

Description

Automatic analysis device and automatic analysis method

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer and an automatic analysis method.

[0002] As an example of an automatic analyzer that reacts a sample with an analytical reagent that specifically reacts with the components to be measured in the sample, such as blood, and measures the resulting reaction product primarily by spectroscopic techniques, Patent Document 1 describes a method in which a magnetic particle reagent used in an immunoassay is stirred with a stirrer and aspirated using a reagent probe.

[0003] JP 2013-217882 A

[0004] When registering a new reagent in an automated analyzer, preparation processes are often required to make the device ready for use. For example, to properly manage the remaining amount of reagent, it is necessary to check whether the initial amount of reagent filled is appropriate. Automated analyzers equipped with a liquid level detection function that uses a reagent probe to detect the liquid level of the reagent are widely used, and the filled amount of reagent is measured by detecting the liquid level of the reagent.

[0005] Furthermore, reagents containing magnetic particles, such as those used in immunoassays, must be thoroughly stirred to make them uniform, as the magnetic particles tend to settle to the bottom of the reagent container in the case of new reagents.In automated analyzers, a stirring method is generally used in which a stirring rod is immersed in the reagent container from above and rotated.

[0006] According to Patent Document 1, a stirring bar that stirs the solution by rotating is installed inside the reagent container, and the reagent can be aspirated by the reagent probe while the stirring bar is rotated from the outside of the reagent container via a detachable mechanism. By combining this method with the liquid level detection function of the reagent probe, it is thought that the time required for the reagent registration operation can be shortened.

[0007] However, the device described in Patent Document 1 requires a stirrer to be provided for each reagent container, and the stirrer is driven indirectly using a detachable mechanism, which results in complex reagent container and device structures and increased costs.

[0008] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer and an automatic analysis method that can shorten the reagent registration time while avoiding the complexity of the device structure and increased costs by using the liquid level detection function using a reagent probe and stirring technology using a stirring rod, which are commonly used in automatic analyzers.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

[0010] The automatic analyzer comprises a detection unit that detects the amount of reagent contained in a container, a stirring unit that stirs the reagent contained in the container, a control unit that controls the detection unit and the stirring unit, and a memory unit that stores information about the reagent, and in the process of storing information about a newly used reagent in the memory unit, the control unit controls the detection unit to detect the amount of the second reagent contained in the second reagent container, and then controls the detection unit to detect the amount of the first reagent contained in the first reagent container and the stirring unit to stir the second reagent in parallel.

[0011] The automatic analysis method also includes a first detection step of detecting the amount of a first reagent, a second detection step of detecting the amount of a second reagent, and a stirring step of stirring the second reagent, and after executing the second detection step in a step of storing information about a newly used reagent in a memory unit, the first detection step and the stirring step are executed in parallel.

[0012] According to the present invention, the liquid volume confirmation operation and the reagent stirring operation when registering a reagent can be efficiently performed, thereby shortening the time required for reagent registration and shortening the overall analysis operation time. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear from the description of the following examples.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an automatic analyzer of Example 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the operational flow of reagent registration. Fig. 3 is a side view showing the positional relationship of mechanisms at the start and end of reagent registration. Fig. 4 is a side view showing the positional relationship of a reagent dispensing mechanism, a reagent container, and a reagent stirring mechanism during a reagent registration operation. Fig. 5 is a side view showing the positional relationship of a reagent dispensing mechanism, a reagent container, and a reagent stirring mechanism during a reagent registration operation. Fig. 6 is a side view showing the positional relationship of a reagent dispensing mechanism, a reagent container, and a reagent stirring mechanism during a reagent registration operation. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the time required for reagent registration.

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the automatic analyzer and the automatic analysis method will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] The embodiments described below are merely examples, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, features shown or described in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments.

[0016] Furthermore, in the drawings used in this specification, identical or corresponding components are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and repeated description of these components may be omitted.

[0017] An embodiment of an automatic analyzer and an automatic analysis method will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0018] In FIG. 1, the automatic analyzer 1 is an apparatus for analyzing a sample using a reagent corresponding to a predetermined analysis item, and is composed of an analysis unit 2, a control unit 3, and a memory unit 4.

[0019] The analysis unit 2 includes a sample holding unit 11, a sample dispensing mechanism 51, a reagent holding unit 21, a reagent dispensing mechanism 52, a reagent stirring mechanism 53, a first transport mechanism 35, an incubator 41, a reaction vessel stirring mechanism 42, a reaction vessel tray 34, a second transport mechanism 36, a measurement unit 43, etc.

[0020] The specimen holder 11 is configured to hold a plurality of specimen containers 10 in a ring shape, each containing a specimen to be analyzed. During specimen dispensing, the specimen holder 11 rotates to transport the specimen container 10 to an access position of the specimen dispensing mechanism 51. The specimen holder 11 is provided with a specimen aspiration position 12, and just before the specimen dispensing mechanism 51 aspirates the specimen to be analyzed, the specimen holder 11 rotates to transport the specimen container 10 to the specimen aspiration position 12.

[0021] The specimen holder 11 may be configured so that two specimen holders 11 can be physically swapped for use. For example, the specimen holders 11 may be configured so that they can be swapped alternately, or so that specimens can be added or replaced mid-use via a small window provided in the specimen holder 11. However, the specimen holders 11 do not have to be set up by the user themselves, and may be transported using a transport mechanism or the like.

[0022] Furthermore, the system is not limited to the disk system shown in the figure, which transports sample containers by rotating them, but may be a rack system, which transports a plurality of sample containers together.

[0023] Furthermore, a specimen information reading unit 13 for reading specimen information attached to the specimen container 10 may be provided near the specimen holding unit 11, and by reading the specimen information immediately before specimen dispensing, it may be possible to verify whether the specimen container 10 is the subject of analysis.

[0024] The sample dispensing mechanism 51 is composed of a rotation drive mechanism, a vertical drive mechanism, and a dispensing probe. The rotation drive mechanism and vertical drive mechanism aspirate the sample from the sample container 10 at the sample aspirating position 12 and discharge the sample into the reaction container 30 at the sample discharging position 31. As shown in the figure, the mechanism may be configured to access each position by rotational movement, or may be configured to access each position by linear movement.

[0025] The reagent holding unit 21 is a mechanism for holding a plurality of reagent containers 22 containing reagents for reaction in the reaction container 30, and includes a reagent disk and a reagent container holder (both of which are omitted for convenience of illustration). The reagent holding unit 21 preferably has a cooling function.

[0026] Reagent container holders are arranged in a ring shape on the reagent disk, and are configured to be able to hold multiple reagent containers 22. The reagent disk has a rotation drive mechanism, and by rotation, moves each reagent container 22 to a predetermined position on the circumference.

[0027] When the reagent holding unit 21 is a disk type, the reagent holding unit 21 rotates before dispensing the reagent and transports an appropriate reagent container to the reagent aspirating position 25, allowing the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 to aspirate the reagent required for analysis. The reagent container 22 is made up of a plurality of different reagent bottles, and in this embodiment, an example will be described in which the reagent container 22 is made up of a first reagent and a second reagent containing magnetic particles.

[0028] The reagent dispensing mechanism 52 is composed of a rotation drive mechanism, a vertical drive mechanism, and a dispensing probe. The rotation drive mechanism and the vertical drive mechanism aspirate the reagent from the reagent container 22 at the reagent aspirating position 25, and discharge the reagent into the reaction container 30 at the reagent dispensing position 32. As shown in the figure, the mechanism may be configured to access each position by rotational movement, or may be configured to access each position by linear movement.

[0029] A reagent stirring mechanism 53 is set on the reagent holder 21 as stirring means for stirring the reagent contained in the reagent container 22. The reagent stirring mechanism 53 is composed of a horizontal linear drive mechanism, a vertical drive mechanism, and a stirring paddle. As shown in the figure, the mechanism may be configured to access each position by linear movement, or may be configured to access each position by rotational movement.

[0030] The reagent stirring mechanism 53 moves to the upper region of the reagent container 22 containing the magnetic particle solution to be stirred, lowers the stirring paddle of the reagent stirring mechanism 53, and stirs the magnetic particle solution by rotating the paddle. To prevent spontaneous precipitation of the magnetic particles in the solution, the reagent stirring mechanism 53 stirs the magnetic particles immediately before the reagent is dispensed. Furthermore, when the reagent is initially introduced into the automated analyzer 1, the reagent stirring mechanism 53 also stirs any magnetic particles that have solidified during storage. This operation is called the initial stirring operation.

[0031] The analysis flow will be explained below in the order of processing.

[0032] The first transport mechanism 35 has drive mechanisms in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, and a reaction vessel gripping mechanism, and moves above the reaction vessel disposal hole (omitted for convenience of illustration), incubator 41, reaction vessel stirring mechanism 42, and reaction vessel tray 34.

[0033] The second transport mechanism 36 has a rotation drive mechanism, an up-down drive mechanism, and a reaction vessel gripping mechanism, and has the function of moving the reaction vessel 30 containing a reaction liquid mixture of a sample and a reagent to each reaction vessel installation position such as a reaction vessel stirring mechanism 42 arranged on a rotation orbit, a sample ejection position 31, a reagent ejection position 32, and a reaction vessel transfer position 33.

[0034] The first transport mechanism 35 moves the reaction vessel 30 from a reaction vessel tray 34 that accommodates a plurality of reaction vessels 30 to the sample discharging position 31. The sample dispensing mechanism 51 dispenses a predetermined amount of sample into the reaction vessel 30 placed at the sample discharging position 31. The reaction vessel 30 into which the sample has been discharged is then moved to the reagent discharging position 32 by the second transport mechanism 36.

[0035] The reagent dispensing mechanism 52 dispenses a predetermined amount of the first reagent into the reaction vessel 30 placed at the reagent discharge position 32. Thereafter, the reaction vessel 30 is moved by the second transport mechanism 36 to the position of the reaction vessel stirring mechanism 42, where the mixed solution in the reaction vessel 30 is stirred.

[0036] After the reaction solution is stirred, the reaction vessel 30 is moved to the incubator 41 by the first transport mechanism 35. The incubator 41 is regulated to an appropriate temperature to hold the reaction vessel 30 and promote the reaction between the specimen and the reagent. When the first reaction process between the specimen and the reagent in the incubator 41 is completed, the reaction vessel 30 is moved to the specimen discharge position 31 by the first transport mechanism 35, and further moved to the reagent discharge position 32 by the second transport mechanism 36.

[0037] Next, the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 dispenses a predetermined amount of the second reagent into the reaction vessel 30 placed at the reagent discharge position 32. At this time, just before the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 aspirates the second reagent, the reagent stirring mechanism 53 stirs the second reagent to re-disperse the magnetic particles. After the dispensing of the second reagent is completed, the reaction vessel 30 is moved by the second transport mechanism 36 to the position of the reaction vessel stirring mechanism 42, and the mixed liquid in the reaction vessel 30 is stirred.

[0038] After the reaction solution is stirred, the reaction vessel 30 is again moved to the incubator 41 by the first transport mechanism 35, where the second reaction process is carried out. After the second reaction process is completed, the reaction vessel 30 is moved to the sample discharge position 31 by the first transport mechanism 35, and then moved to the reaction vessel delivery position 33 by the second transport mechanism 36. The reaction solution in the reaction vessel 30 is sucked into the detection unit in the measurement unit 43, where the reaction signal is measured.

[0039] After the signal measurement, the reaction vessel 30 is moved to the sample discharge position 31 by the second transport mechanism 36, and then discarded into the reaction vessel disposal hole by the first transport mechanism 35.

[0040] The above-described mechanism of the automatic analyzer 1 is referred to as an analysis operation unit.

[0041] Furthermore, the automatic analyzer 1 includes a control unit 3 that controls the operation of each device in the automatic analyzer 1, including the sample holder 11 and the sample dispensing mechanism 51, in addition to the analysis operation unit.

[0042] The control unit 3 can be configured as a computer having a display unit such as an LCD display, an input device, a storage device, a CPU, memory, etc., and may be configured as one computer or as separate computers, and is not particularly limited.

[0043] The control of the operation of each device by the control unit 3 is executed based on various programs recorded in the storage unit 4. The control processes of the operations executed by the control unit 3 may be integrated into one program, or may be separated into multiple programs, or may be a combination of these. Furthermore, some or all of the programs may be realized by dedicated hardware or may be modularized.

[0044] The above is the configuration of the automatic analyzer 1 of this embodiment.

[0045] Next, the characteristic configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and subsequent figures.

[0046] 2 shows the operational flow of reagent registration. Reagent registration includes the following steps: detecting the liquid volume of the second reagent by the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 (step S101); moving the reagent stirring mechanism 53 to its standby position (step S111); determining the liquid volume of the second reagent (step S200); detecting the liquid volume of the first reagent by the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 (step S301); moving the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 to its initial position (step S302); stirring the second reagent by the reagent stirring mechanism 53 (step S311); and moving the reagent stirring mechanism 53 to its initial position (step S312). Details of the reagent registration operation will be described below in the order of processing.

[0047] In the process of storing information about a newly used reagent in the memory unit 4, the control unit 3 controls the reagent dispensing probe 521 used as a detection unit to detect the amount of the second reagent contained in the second reagent bottle (second reagent container) 222, and then controls the reagent dispensing probe 521 used as a detection unit to detect the amount of the first reagent contained in the first reagent bottle (first reagent container) and the stirring paddle 531 used as a stirring unit to stir the second reagent contained in the second reagent bottle 222 in parallel.

[0048] The first reagent bottle (first reagent container) 221 of the reagent container 22 is positioned at a position where the reagent dispensing probe 521 of the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 can move and access it, and the second reagent bottle (second reagent container) 222 is positioned at a position where the reagent dispensing probe 521 of the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 and the stirring paddle 531 of the reagent stirring mechanism 53 can move and access it.

[0049] FIG. 3 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the reagent container 22, the reagent dispensing mechanism 52, and the reagent stirring mechanism 53 at the start and end of reagent registration.

[0050] The reagent container 22 is composed of a first reagent bottle 221 that contains a first reagent and a second reagent bottle 222 that contains a second reagent containing magnetic particles. During the reagent registration operation, the reagent container 22 is moved to a reagent dispensing position 25 that can be reached by the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 and the reagent stirring mechanism 53.

[0051] The reagent dispensing mechanism 52 has a reagent dispensing probe 521 at the tip of an arm, and can aspirate a reagent into the reagent dispensing probe 521 or dispense a reagent into the reaction vessel 30 via pressure transmission by a syringe pump and water, for example. The reagent dispensing probe 521 is configured to be able to access both the first reagent bottle 221 and the second reagent bottle 222.

[0052] The reagent dispensing probe 521 is also used as a liquid level detector having a liquid level detection function. The liquid level detection function can be implemented, for example, using a capacitance method. The control unit 3 monitors the change in capacitance when the reagent dispensing probe 521 comes into contact with the liquid level of the reagent while lowering the reagent dispensing mechanism 52, and can stop the lowering of the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 based on the monitoring results. This makes it possible to detect the height of the reagent liquid level, i.e., the amount of liquid in the reagent bottle, and to perform a reagent aspirating operation with the reagent dispensing probe 521 immersed a predetermined distance below the liquid level.

[0053] The reagent stirring mechanism 53 includes a stirring paddle 531 that functions as a stirring unit. The stirring paddle 531 is configured to be accessible to the second reagent bottle 222. The stirring paddle 531 has a propeller-shaped tip, and by driving it to rotate, it stirs the second reagent in the second reagent bottle 222. In addition, the control unit 3 can control the rotation speed and rotation time of the stirring paddle 531 to be variable depending on the amount of liquid in the second reagent bottle 222.

[0054] 4 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the reagent container 22, the reagent dispensing mechanism 52, and the reagent stirring mechanism 53 after the first operation of the reagent registration operation has been performed. When the reagent registration operation starts, the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 first moves to the position of the second reagent bottle 222 and detects the liquid volume of the second reagent by lowering the reagent dispensing probe 521 (step S101 in FIG. 2). In parallel with this, the controller 3 controls the reagent stirring mechanism 53 to move to a standby position near the second reagent bottle 222 (step S111).

[0055] FIG. 5 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the reagent container 22, the reagent dispensing mechanism 52, and the reagent stirring mechanism 53 during the operation after the liquid volume of the second reagent is detected. In FIG. 5, the step of determining the liquid volume of the second reagent (step S200) corresponds to the case where the liquid volume is within a predetermined range. The reagent dispensing mechanism 52 moves from the second reagent bottle 222 to the position of the first reagent bottle 221 and detects the liquid volume of the first reagent by lowering the reagent dispensing probe 521 (step S301). After the liquid volume detection operation of the first reagent is completed, the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 moves to its initial position (step S302). Meanwhile, in parallel with the operation of the reagent dispensing mechanism 52, the reagent stirring mechanism 53 performs an operation of stirring the second reagent (step S311) and then moves to its initial position (step S312).

[0056] To enable such control, the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 and the reagent stirring mechanism 53 are shaped and positioned so as not to collide with each other when accessing the first reagent bottle 221 and the second reagent bottle 222, respectively.

[0057] FIG. 6 is a side view showing the positional relationship between the reagent container 22, the reagent dispensing mechanism 52, and the reagent stirring mechanism 53 during the operation after the liquid volume of the second reagent is detected. FIG. 6 corresponds to a case where the liquid volume of the second reagent is not within the predetermined range in step S200, which determines the liquid volume of the second reagent. As in FIG. 5 , the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 moves from the second reagent bottle 222 to the position of the first reagent bottle 221 and detects the liquid volume of the first reagent by lowering the reagent dispensing probe 521 (step S301). After the liquid volume detection operation of the first reagent is completed, the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 moves to its initial position (step S302). Meanwhile, the controller 3 controls the reagent stirring mechanism 53 to move directly to its initial position without stirring the second reagent (step S312).

[0058] 2, it is desirable to wash the inner and outer walls of the reagent dispensing probe 521 in a reagent probe washing tank (not shown for convenience of illustration) immediately after the liquid volume detection operation for each reagent is completed. Also, it is desirable to wash the stirring paddle 531 in a stirring paddle washing tank (not shown for convenience of illustration) immediately after the reagent stirring operation is completed. In this case, the reagent probe washing tank and the stirring paddle washing tank are provided so that the path along which the reagent dispensing mechanism 52 moves between the first reagent bottle 221 and the reagent probe washing tank does not interfere with the path along which the reagent stirring mechanism 53 moves between the second reagent bottle 222 and the stirring paddle washing tank.

[0059] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0060] Figure 7 is a diagram showing the time required for reagent registration. Figure 7(a) shows an example different from this embodiment, in which reagent mixing is performed after both the liquid volume detection operations for the first and second reagents have been completed, while Figure 7(b) shows a case in which the control of this embodiment is performed. Comparing the two, in Figure 7(b) the reagent mixing operation (step S311) can be started earlier than in Figure 7(a), thereby reducing the time required to complete the entire reagent registration operation by ΔT.

[0061] Furthermore, by moving the reagent stirring mechanism 53 to the vicinity of the second reagent bottle 222 in advance (step S111), the time required for the reagent stirring operation (step S311) itself can be shortened, thereby further shortening the overall required time.

[0062] In addition, by skipping the reagent stirring operation (step S311) if the amount of second reagent liquid is not within a predetermined range, it is possible to prevent the reagent from splashing due to the stirring operation if the liquid amount is too small, or to prevent insufficient stirring if the liquid amount is too large.

[0063] That is, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the liquid volume confirmation operation and reagent stirring operation during reagent registration can be efficiently performed, shortening the time required for reagent registration and shortening the overall analysis operation time.

[0064] <Others> The present invention is not limited to the above-described examples, and includes various modifications. The above-described examples have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those having all of the described configurations.

[0065] It is also possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of one embodiment to the configuration of another embodiment.It is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment.

[0066] 1...Automatic analyzer, 2...Analysis unit, 3...Control unit, 4...Memory unit, 10...Sample container, 11...Sample holder, 12...Sample suction position, 13...Sample information reader, 21...Reagent holder, 22...Reagent container, 25...Reagent suction position, 30...Reaction container, 31...Sample discharge position, 32...Reagent discharge container, 33...Reaction container delivery position, 34...Reaction container tray, 35...First transport mechanism, 36...Second transport mechanism, 41...Incubator, 42...Reaction container stirring mechanism, 43...Measuring unit, 51...Sample dispensing mechanism, 52...Reagent dispenser Dispensing mechanism, 53... reagent stirring mechanism, 221... first reagent bottle, 222... second reagent bottle, 521... reagent dispensing probe (liquid level detection unit), 531... stirring paddle, S101... operation of detecting liquid level of second reagent by reagent dispensing mechanism, S111... operation of moving reagent stirring mechanism to standby position, S200... step of determining liquid level of second reagent, S301... operation of detecting liquid level of first reagent by reagent dispensing mechanism, S302... operation of moving reagent dispensing mechanism to initial position, S311... operation of stirring second reagent by reagent stirring mechanism, S312... operation of moving reagent stirring mechanism to initial position

Claims

1. A detection unit that detects the amount of a reagent contained in a container, a stirring unit that stirs the reagent contained in the container, a control unit that controls the detection unit and the stirring unit, and a storage unit that stores reagent information, wherein the control unit, in a step of storing information of a newly used reagent in the storage unit, after the detection unit detects the amount of a second reagent contained in a second reagent container, controls to execute in parallel an operation of the detection unit detecting the amount of a first reagent contained in a first reagent container and an operation of the stirring unit stirring the second reagent. An automatic analyzer characterized by this.

2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls so as not to execute an operation of the stirring unit stirring the second reagent when the amount of the second reagent is out of a predetermined range. An automatic analyzer characterized by this.

3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls to move the stirring unit to the vicinity of the second reagent container while the detection unit is detecting the amount of the second reagent contained in the second reagent container. An automatic analyzer characterized by this.

4. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects the amount of the first reagent and the amount of the second reagent using a reagent dispensing probe that aspirates and discharges the reagent. An automatic analyzer characterized by this.

5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the first reagent container is arranged at a position where the detection unit can move and access, and the second reagent container is arranged at a position where the detection unit and the stirring unit can move and access. An automatic analyzer characterized by this.

6. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the second reagent contains magnetic particles. An automatic analyzer characterized by this.

7. A first detection step of detecting the amount of a first reagent, a second detection step of detecting the amount of a second reagent, and a stirring step of stirring the second reagent, and in a step of storing information of a newly used reagent in a storage unit, after executing the second detection step, executing the first detection step and the stirring step in parallel. An automatic analysis method characterized by this.

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