Automated analyzing device, and waste liquid unit contamination determination method

Abstract

Provided is an automated analyzing device capable of preventing erroneous detection by a detecting portion for monitoring an amount of waste liquid, by detecting contamination within a measuring portion and executing a cleaning operation. An automated analyzing device 100 comprises: a pre-processing portion 101 that pre-processes a specimen; an analyzing portion 102 that analyzes the specimen; a measuring portion 103 that measures the amount of waste liquid generated by the pre-processing portion 101 and the analyzing portion 102; and a control portion 110 that controls the operation of the measuring portion 103. The measuring portion 103 includes a storage tank 201 for temporarily storing the waste liquid, and a waste liquid amount determining portion 203a, 203b for measuring the waste liquid stored in the storage tank 201. The control portion 110 determines contamination of at least the storage tank 201 of the measuring portion 103 on the basis of determination information from the waste liquid amount determining portion 203a, 203b.

Description

Automatic analyzer and method for determining contamination of waste liquid unit

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer and a method for determining contamination of a waste liquid unit.

[0002] Automated analyzers that analyze samples such as blood and urine discharge waste liquid during the analysis. Because the waste liquid may contain infectious substances, it is often accumulated in a waste liquid tank. It is also necessary to prevent the waste liquid from overflowing from the waste liquid tank.

[0003] Patent document 1 describes a technology for detecting the amount of water in a water tank and determining the degree of contamination of the water in the water tank by transmitting light from an optical sensor through the water in the tank.

[0004] WO2023110835

[0005] However, in Patent Document 1, no consideration is given to the risk of an abnormality occurring due to contamination of the optical sensor of the detection unit that detects the amount of water in the tank. When the organic solvent and the specimen are discharged into the tank of the measuring unit, there is a risk that the waste liquid flow path and the tank of the measuring unit will become contaminated due to aggregation of blood components by the organic solvent.

[0006] If the measuring tank becomes dirty, even if the waste liquid in the measuring tank has already been discharged, the device may mistakenly detect the dirt as water, determining that the measuring tank is filled with waste liquid, and running the risk of stopping.For safety reasons, the measuring unit, which stores organic waste liquid and patient samples, is designed so that users cannot manually clean it directly, and so even if the device stops due to a false detection by the detection unit, the only solution was to call a service technician.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer and a method for determining contamination of a waste liquid unit of an automatic analyzer that can prevent erroneous detection by a detection unit that monitors the amount of waste liquid by detecting contamination within the measuring unit and performing a cleaning operation, even if it is not desirable for the user to clean the measuring unit that manages the amount of waste liquid.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

[0009] The automatic analyzer comprises a pre-treatment section that pre-treats samples, an analysis section that analyzes the samples, a measuring section that measures the amount of waste liquid generated in the pre-treatment section and the analysis section, and a control section that controls the operation of the measuring section, wherein the measuring section has a storage tank that temporarily stores the waste liquid, and a waste liquid amount determination section that measures the waste liquid stored in the storage tank, and the control section determines the degree of contamination of the measuring section, or at least the storage tank, based on determination information from the waste liquid amount determination section.

[0010] In addition, a method for determining contamination of a waste liquid unit of an automatic analyzer includes a pretreatment section that pretreats samples, an analysis section that analyzes the samples, and a waste liquid unit having a storage tank that temporarily stores waste liquid generated in the pretreatment section and the analysis section, and measures the waste liquid stored in the storage tank and determines the contamination of the storage tank based on the amount of waste liquid measured.

[0011] According to the present invention, an automatic analyzer and a method for determining contamination of a waste liquid unit of an automatic analyzer can be provided that can prevent erroneous detection by a detection unit that monitors the amount of waste liquid, even in cases where cleaning of the measuring unit that manages the amount of waste liquid by the user is not desirable, by detecting contamination within the measuring unit and performing a cleaning operation.

[0012] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an automatic analyzer. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a measurement unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the flow of measuring the amount of waste liquid and detecting dirt. FIG. 3 is an internal functional block diagram of a control unit. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a plot of the water level when an optical sensor detects the water level in Example 2. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a plot of the light intensity when detecting the water level after the storage tank has become empty. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a time plot until the lower water level sensor turns OFF when discharging from the storage tank to the waste liquid tank. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the periphery of the specimen dispensing unit in Example 3. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the cleaning operation flow of the measurement unit in Example 3.

[0013] An embodiment of an automatic analyzer according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014] Example 1 An example of the configuration of an automatic analyzer 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0015] The automated analyzer 100 is an apparatus for qualitatively and quantitatively analyzing specimens such as blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid, and includes a pre-processing unit 101, a separation unit 127, an analysis unit 102, a waste liquid port 105, a measurement unit 103 that measures the amount of waste liquid, a waste liquid tank 104, a control unit 110, a memory unit 109, an operation unit 111, and a display unit 112. Each unit will be described below.

[0016] The pretreatment section 101 pretreats the specimen and includes a transport path 114, a reaction disk (incubator) 120, a transport section 118, a specimen dispensing section 113, a reagent disk 122, a reagent dispensing section 123, a magnetic separation section 124, a transport section 125, an evaporation and concentration section 131, a transport section 132, and a concentrate dispensing section 133. The transport path 114 transports a specimen container 107 containing a specimen to a position accessible by the specimen dispensing section 113.

[0017] The reaction disk 120 has a plurality of openings 119 in which reaction vessels 116 are placed, and rotates to move the reaction vessels 116 to predetermined positions. The reaction disk 120 is also maintained at a predetermined temperature. The transport unit 118 transports unused reaction vessels 116 to the openings 119 and transports used reaction vessels 116 from the openings 119. The sample dispensing unit 113 dispenses sample from the sample vessel 107 to the reaction vessel 116 placed in the opening 119. The reagent disk 122 stores reagent vessels 108 containing reagents to be reacted with the sample, and rotates to move the reagent vessels 108 to predetermined positions. The reagent dispensing unit 123 dispenses reagent from the reagent vessel 108 to the reaction vessel 116 into which the sample has been dispensed. In the reaction vessel 116 into which the sample and reagent have been dispensed, the reaction between the sample and the reagent is promoted by maintaining the reaction disk 120 at a predetermined temperature, and a reaction liquid is produced. Note that some reagents contain organic solvents. Here, each dispensing mechanism is connected to a syringe via a tube, and dispenses the specimen and reagent by the operation of the syringe via the system water filled in the flow path.

[0018] The magnetic separation unit 124 uses the magnetic force of a magnet to separate the magnetic beads from the reaction solution contained in the reaction vessel 116. The transport unit 125 transports the reaction vessel 116 containing the magnetic beads from the reaction disk 120 to the magnetic separation unit 124, and transports the reaction vessel 116 from which the magnetic beads have been separated from the magnetic separation unit 124 to the reaction disk 120.

[0019] The evaporation concentration unit 131 produces a concentrated liquid by evaporating excess water in the reaction liquid contained in the reaction vessel 116. The transport unit 132 transports the reaction vessel 116 from the reaction disk 120 to the evaporation concentration unit 131. The concentrated liquid dispensing unit 133 dispenses the concentrated liquid from the evaporation concentration unit 131 to the separation unit 127.

[0020] The separation section 127 separates the target components from the concentrated liquid dispensed by the concentrated liquid dispenser 133, for example, by centrifugation.

[0021] The analysis unit 102 performs analysis by detecting the analyte components separated by the separation unit 127. Any analysis method may be used in the analysis unit 102. For example, LC-MS analysis in which a liquid chromatography (LC) and a mass spectrometer (MS) are connected, or a combination of LC analysis, biochemical analysis, and genetic analysis may be used.

[0022] Waste liquid generated in the pretreatment unit 101 and the separation unit 127 before analysis by the analysis unit 102 is discharged to the waste liquid port 105. The waste liquid discharged to the waste liquid port 105 is accumulated in the waste liquid tank 104 via the flow path 106 (first tube) and the measurement unit 103. The configuration of the measurement unit 103 will be described later with reference to FIG. 2.

[0023] The control unit 110 is connected to the pre-processing unit 101, the analysis unit 102, the separation unit 127, and the measurement unit 103, and controls the operation of each unit and receives the analysis results from the analysis unit 102. The control unit 110 is composed of, for example, an MPU (Micro Processor Unit).

[0024] The control unit 110 is also connected to the storage unit 109 , the operation unit 111 , and the display unit 112 .

[0025] The storage unit 109 stores programs and data used to control each unit, analysis results by the analysis unit 102, and the like, and is configured, for example, by a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0026] The operation unit 111 is used to input instructions from an operator, and is composed of, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and the like.

[0027] The display unit 112 displays instructions input via the operation unit 111, the status of each unit, the analysis results by the analysis unit 102, etc., and is configured, for example, by a liquid crystal monitor or a touch panel.

[0028] The configuration of the weighing unit 103 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0029] The measuring unit 103 measures the amount of waste liquid flowing into the waste liquid tank 104, and is provided above the waste liquid tank 104, and includes a storage tank 201 and an electromagnetic valve SV1.

[0030] The storage tank 201 is a container that temporarily stores the waste liquid discharged from the waste liquid port 105 via the flow path 106, and discharges the waste liquid through a pipe 202 (second pipe) connected to the bottom surface and a solenoid valve SV1 to the waste liquid tank 104. Since the waste liquid may contain organic solvents, the storage tank 201 is made of a material that is resistant to organic solvents, such as polypropylene.

[0031] The storage tank 201 is provided with an upper water level sensor 203a and a lower water level sensor 203b as sensors for detecting the water level of the stored waste liquid, and the detection signals of both sensors 203a and 203b are sent to the control unit 110. The upper water level detected by the upper water level sensor 203a is lower than the water level corresponding to the maximum volume of waste liquid that can be accumulated in the waste liquid tank 104, and is higher than the lower water level detected by the lower water level sensor 203b. The lower water level is the lowest water level of the waste liquid stored in the storage tank 201.

[0032] The upper water level sensor 203a and the lower water level sensor 203b output determination information for determining the amount of waste liquid stored in the storage tank 201, and therefore can be defined as a waste liquid amount determination unit.

[0033] It is preferable to use a sensor that does not come into contact with the liquid, such as an optical sensor or an ultrasonic sensor, to detect the level of the waste liquid. By detecting the water level without coming into contact with the liquid, a sensor that is not resistant to organic solvents can be used. When an optical sensor that irradiates light is used, an optically transparent material, such as polypropylene, is used for the storage tank 201.

[0034] The solenoid valve SV1 is a valve that opens and closes under the control of the control unit 110, is provided midway along the pipe 202, and controls the discharge of waste liquid from the pipe 202 (second pipe). When the solenoid valve SV1 is closed, the waste liquid discharged from the waste liquid port 105 is stored in the storage tank 201. When the solenoid valve SV1 is open, the waste liquid in the storage tank 201 is discharged by its own weight into the waste liquid tank 104, which is located below the measuring unit 103.

[0035] The waste liquid unit includes a storage tank 201 for temporarily storing waste liquid generated in the pretreatment section 101 and the analysis section 102, an upper water level sensor 203a, a lower water level sensor 203b, a pipe 202, and a solenoid valve SV1.

[0036] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flow of measuring the amount of waste liquid and detecting contamination, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the internal functions of the control unit 110. As shown in FIG.

[0037] 4, control unit 110 includes an overall operation control unit 1101 that controls the overall operation of pretreatment unit 101, a solenoid valve opening / closing unit 1102 that controls the opening and closing of solenoid valve SV1, a contamination determination unit 1104 that detects and determines contamination of storage tank 201, solenoid valve SV1, flow path 106, or piping 202, and a cleaning instruction unit 1105 that instructs cleaning of metering unit 103. However, for convenience of explanation, the operation control units of operation unit 111 and memory unit 109 are omitted from FIG.

[0038] 3 and 4, one cycle of measuring the amount of waste liquid after the automatic analyzer 100 starts the analysis operation will be described step by step. Here, the explanation of the flow when the upper water level sensor 203a or the lower water level sensor 203b fails will not be given.

[0039] (Step S301) Waste liquid accumulates in the storage tank 201, and the water level detection unit 1103 detects the level based on a signal from the upper water level sensor 203a.

[0040] (Step S302) The electromagnetic valve opening / closing unit 1102 of the control unit 110 opens the electromagnetic valve SV1 for t1 seconds, thereby starting the discharge of waste liquid from the measurement unit 103.

[0041] (Step S303) The water level detection unit 1103 confirms that the waste liquid level in the storage tank 201 has dropped sufficiently by checking that the lower water level sensor 203b is OFF.

[0042] (Step S304) The solenoid valve control unit 1102 controls the solenoid valve SV1 so that it closes t1 seconds after it opens, thereby stopping the discharge of waste liquid.

[0043] (Step S305) The contamination determination unit 1104 detects contamination of the storage tank 201, the solenoid valve SV1, the flow path 106, or the piping 202 from the information obtained by the water level detection of the measuring unit 103. The contamination detection method sets a threshold value for the amount of light detected by the upper water level sensor 203a or the lower water level sensor 203b, and determines whether contamination has occurred based on the set threshold value. (Step S306) The contamination determination unit 1104 warns the user of contamination of the storage tank 201, the solenoid valve SV1, the flow path 106, or the piping 202. The warning is displayed on the display unit 112, for example.

[0044] (Step S307) The weighing unit 103 issues a cleaning instruction to the cleaning instruction unit 1105 of the control unit 110. The cleaning instruction unit 1105 causes the display unit 112 to display the cleaning instruction.

[0045] When a cleaning instruction is issued during an analysis operation, the cleaning process may be performed automatically after the analysis operation is completed, or the analysis operation may be temporarily suspended and the cleaning operation may be performed before the analysis operation is resumed. Furthermore, a function may be provided that prevents the next analysis operation from starting unless the user performs a cleaning operation using the maintenance function. A detailed example of the cleaning operation will be described in Example 3.

[0046] Here, the waste liquid measurement cycle is repeated during operation of the automatic analyzer 100 in which the waste liquid is generated, and the number of times the measurement cycle is performed is stored in the memory unit 109, thereby enabling management of the amount of waste liquid discharged.

[0047] As in the first embodiment described above, even if cleaning of the measuring unit that manages the amount of waste liquid by the user is not desirable, it is possible to provide an automatic analyzer and a method for determining whether the waste liquid unit of the automatic analyzer is dirty, which can detect the degree of dirt in the storage tank 201, flow path 106, piping 202, and solenoid valve SV1 of the measuring unit 103 that manages the amount of waste liquid and automatically clean the measuring unit 103. (Example 2) Next, Example 2 will be described.

[0048] The overall configuration of the automatic analyzer 100 in the second embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, and therefore illustrations and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] In Example 1, the configuration of the automatic analyzer 100 and the flow of measuring waste liquid were described. In Example 2, an example will be described in which more detailed operations are performed regarding the function of detecting contamination of the measuring unit 103 and performing a cleaning operation, that is, an example will be described in which it is determined whether the contamination can be eliminated by a cleaning operation or whether the contamination requires a service technician to replace the storage tank. The water level sensors (upper water level sensor 203a, lower water level sensor 203b) of the measuring unit 103 are optical water level sensors. However, the water level sensors of the measuring unit 103 do not necessarily have to be optical water level sensors, and may be sonic sensors or capacitance sensors.

[0050] The water level detection principle of the optical water level sensor will be outlined below with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows a plot of the light intensity of the water level sensor attached to the measuring unit 103, with the vertical axis representing the light intensity and the horizontal axis representing the timing of light intensity measurement.

[0051] When there is liquid in the storage tank 201, the amount of light received changes as the light is absorbed by the liquid. This is used to determine the water level by determining whether the amount of light detected is higher than the threshold T1, that there is no water level at the height being monitored (when there is no liquid), or whether the amount of light detected is lower than the threshold T1, that there is a water level at the height being monitored (when there is liquid).

[0052] Here, the water level sensor may transmit only information on the presence or absence of the water level to the control unit 110, or may transmit information on the amount of light to the storage unit 109 and record and manage the amount of change in the amount of light over time.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a light intensity plot when detecting the water level after the storage tank 201 has become empty, and shows an example of determining the degree of contamination of the storage tank 201 by monitoring the light intensity.

[0054] In Figure 6, the horizontal axis indicates the timing of water level detection after the storage tank 201 becomes empty, and the vertical axis indicates the light intensity of the lower water level sensor 203b, the threshold value T2 for determining that the measuring unit 103 is dirty, and the threshold value T1 for detecting whether or not there is a water level.

[0055] When waste liquid is not present in the area where the lower water level sensor 203b, an optical water level sensor, emits light, the control unit 110 estimates the degree of contamination of the storage tank 201 from the amount of light received by the lower water level sensor 203b. If the amount of light received is equal to or less than the first light amount threshold T2, the control unit 110 determines that the storage tank 201 is contaminated. In Figure 6, the black circle represents the amount of light at a predetermined timing, the black square represents the amount of light at the contamination detection level, and the black triangle represents the amount of light after the cleaning operation. The x mark represents the amount of light after the cleaning operation, and indicates the amount of light at which a warning must be issued to prompt a service technician to replace the storage tank.

[0056] A light intensity below threshold T2 (black squares indicate light intensity at the contamination detection level) is determined to be a light intensity at the contamination detection level, and the automatic analyzer 100 outputs the warning described in step S306 of Figure 3 and performs a cleaning operation on the measuring unit 103. After the cleaning operation on the measuring unit 103, when the storage tank 201 is empty, the light intensity of the lower water level sensor 203b is also monitored in the same way, and it is confirmed that a light intensity exceeding threshold T2 is detected.

[0057] If the amount of light after the cleaning operation falls below threshold T2, it is determined that a level of dirt that cannot be ignored in future when monitoring the water level has adhered to the inner wall of the storage tank 210 (if the amount of light after the cleaning operation is marked with an X), and the control unit 110 outputs a warning urging a service technician to replace the storage tank, and controls the device to perform a cleaning operation every time an analysis operation is completed until the storage tank is replaced by a service technician.

[0058] The light intensity value used to determine the degree of dirtiness through light intensity monitoring may be the light intensity at a predetermined time t1 when the storage tank 201 is empty. Here, the amount of detergent to be used in the next cleaning operation and the cleaning time may be automatically adjusted based on the light intensity after the cleaning operation. For example, since the smaller the deviation between the light intensity after the cleaning operation and the threshold value T2, the dirtier the storage tank 201 is, the smaller the deviation between the light intensity after the cleaning operation and the threshold value T2, the more detergent is consumed and the longer the cleaning time is set.

[0059] FIG. 7 shows an example of determining the degree of contamination by monitoring the waste liquid speed, in particular, determining the degree of contamination of the electromagnetic valve SV1 that controls the flow of waste liquid from the storage tank 201 to the waste liquid tank 104.

[0060] 7 shows the time until the lower water level sensor 203b turns OFF, the elapsed time t1 from when the solenoid valve SV1 opens, and the threshold value T3 at which the solenoid valve SV1 is determined to be dirty when the waste liquid is discharged from the storage tank 201 to the waste liquid tank 104. If the time until the lower water level sensor 203b turns OFF is t2, the time t1 during which the solenoid valve SV1 is open is set so that the relationship of the following equation (1) holds.

[0061] t2<t1 (1) If the time t2 until the lower water level sensor 203b turns OFF exceeds the threshold value T3, it is determined that the solenoid valve SV1 has become dirty and the rate at which the waste liquid flows into the waste liquid tank 104 has decreased, and the automatic analyzer 100 outputs a warning and performs a cleaning operation on the measuring unit 103. After the cleaning operation, when the storage tank 210 is empty, the light intensity of the lower water level sensor 203b is also monitored, and it is confirmed that the time t2 until the lower water level sensor 203b turns OFF falls below the threshold value T3.

[0062] If t2 after the cleaning operation exceeds threshold value T3, it is determined that the solenoid valve SV1 is contaminated to a level that cannot be ignored in the future when the waste liquid is discharged to the waste liquid tank 104, and a warning urging a service technician to replace the storage tank is displayed on the display unit 112. Then, the control unit 110 controls the automatic analyzer 100 to perform a cleaning operation every time an analysis operation ends until the solenoid valve SV1 is replaced by a service technician.

[0063] Here, the amount of detergent to be consumed next time and the washing time may be automatically adjusted based on the frequency of the washing instruction. For example, since it can be seen that the higher the frequency of the washing instruction, the greater the amount of accumulated dirt, the detergent consumption amount is increased and the washing time is set longer as the frequency of the washing instruction increases. Also, the time from when the storage tank 201 is empty until the upper water level sensor 203a detects waste liquid may be monitored, and the process of the detection time increasing over time may be stored to estimate the degree of dirt in the flow path 106.

[0064] According to the above-mentioned Example 2, it is possible to obtain the same effect as Example 1, and also to determine whether the dirt can be removed by a cleaning operation or whether the dirt requires a service technician to replace the storage tank, thereby providing an automatic analyzer and a method for determining the dirt level of the waste liquid unit of an automatic analyzer that can more appropriately remove the dirt.

[0065] Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described.

[0066] In the third embodiment, a specific example of automatic cleaning of the measuring unit 103 using the sample dispensing unit 113 will be described, which is an automatic cleaning operation performed after detecting the degree of contamination of the measuring unit 103 described in the second embodiment.

[0067] 8, the role of each point accessed by the specimen dispensing unit 113 will be described. The specimen dispensing unit 113 is equipped with a dispensing probe, a rotation mechanism, and a vertical drive mechanism, and is positioned so that the dispensing probe can access the specimen container 107, the opening 119 which is the specimen dispensing position, the detergent tank 701, the outer washing water tank 702, and the drying port 703.

[0068] The detergent tank 701 is provided with a detergent port through which detergent is supplied to clean the inner walls of the dispensing probe of the sample dispensing unit 113. The external washing water tank 702 is provided with an external washing water port for cleaning the outer walls of the dispensing probe of the sample dispensing unit 113 with a cleaning solution. The drying port 703 is provided for drying the dispensing probe of the sample dispensing unit 113 after cleaning the dispensing probe of the sample dispensing unit 113 in the detergent tank 701 or the external washing water tank 702. In addition, the detergent tank 701 and the external washing water tank 702 are provided with waste liquid ports that connect the cleaning liquid to the waste liquid port 105, so that the cleaning liquid can be supplied to the measurement unit 103 via the waste liquid port.

[0069] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a flow of the cleaning operation of the measuring unit 103 in the third embodiment.

[0070] The trigger for performing the cleaning operation may be a cleaning instruction issued when contamination is detected as described in step S305 of FIG. 3, or a user-initiated command to operate the maintenance function of the automatic analyzer 100 from the display unit 112.

[0071] (Step S901) The control unit 110 opens the electromagnetic valve SV1 for t1 seconds, empties the waste liquid from the measuring unit 103, and causes the waste liquid to flow into the waste liquid tank 104.

[0072] (Step S902) The lower water level sensor 203b checks the water level to confirm that the waste liquid has been emptied from the measuring unit 103. If it is determined that there is no water level (OFF), the process proceeds to step S903, and if it is determined that there is a water level (ON), the process proceeds to step S911.

[0073] (Step S903) The sample dispensing probe of the sample dispensing unit 113 aspirates the detergent. At this time, the detergent may be aspirated from the detergent tank 701, or the user may inject the detergent into the sample container 107, transport the sample container 107 to the aspirating position via the transport path 114, and then aspirate the detergent.

[0074] (Step S904) The sample probe of the sample dispensing unit 113 discharges the detergent aspirated in step S903 and the system water circulating inside the pretreatment unit 101 into the external washing water tank 702. The cleaning liquid obtained by diluting the detergent discharged from the sample probe of the sample dispensing unit 113 with the system water in the external washing water tank 702 flows into the measuring unit 103 and is stored in the storage tank 201.

[0075] (Step S905) The control unit 110 stores the number of times the detergent and system water have been dispensed in the memory unit 109 and determines whether the specified amount of liquid has been dispensed. If the specified amount of liquid has been dispensed, the process proceeds to step S906. If the specified amount of liquid has not been dispensed, the process returns to step S904. Here, the cleaning liquid, which is a mixture of detergent and system water, functions to clean the metering unit 103. When cleaning the storage tank 201, at least the cleaning liquid must be dispensed so that the water level is higher than the upper water level sensor 203a. Furthermore, the ratio of detergent to system water can be optimized and the dilution rate of the cleaning liquid can be adjusted depending on the results of the determination of the degree of dirt (level of dirt) described in Example 2.

[0076] (Step S906) The upper water level sensor 203a checks whether the cleaning liquid is at a level higher than the position of the upper water level sensor 2203a. If it is determined that there is a water level (ON), the process proceeds to step S907, and if it is determined that there is no water level (OFF), the process proceeds to step S911.

[0077] (Step S907) Control unit 110 leaves measuring unit 103 for a predetermined time with the cleaning liquid in storage tank 201 of measuring unit 103. Here, the leaving time (the time for storing the cleaning liquid in storage tank 201) can be adjusted and optimized depending on the degree of contamination of storage tank 201.

[0078] (Step S908) The control unit 110 opens the solenoid valve SV1 for t1 seconds to drain the cleaning liquid from the storage tank 201 and starts monitoring with the lower water level sensor 203b. The cleaning liquid is drained into the waste liquid tank 104. Here, the lower water level sensor 203b measures the time it takes for the sensor to no longer detect the water level (turns OFF) and transmits this information to the memory unit 109, so that the degree of contamination can be estimated as described in the second embodiment.

[0079] (Step S909) The lower water level sensor 203b checks the water level to confirm that the cleaning liquid in the measuring unit 103 has been discharged to the waste liquid tank 104. If it is determined that there is no water level (OFF), the cleaning operation is completed, and if it is determined that there is a water level (ON), the process proceeds to step S911.

[0080] (Step S910) As described in Example 2, the weighing unit 103 checks whether the dirt has been washed away. If the dirt has been sufficiently washed away, the washing operation is completed. If the dirt has not been sufficiently washed away, the process proceeds to step S912. (Step S911) The control unit 110 determines that there is some abnormality in the upper water level sensor 203a, the lower water level sensor 203b, or the solenoid valve SV1, and issues an instruction to stop the device.

[0081] (Step S912) The control unit 110 urges the user by displaying on the display unit 112 that the user should have a service technician replace the storage tank 201, the solenoid valve SV1, the flow path 106, or the piping 202. In other words, if the amount of light detected by the upper water level sensor 203a or the lower water level sensor 203b, which is an optical water level sensor, after cleaning the storage tank 201, the first pipe 106, the second pipe 202, or the solenoid valve SV1 is less than a predetermined amount of light, the control unit 110 causes the display unit 112 to display that the storage tank 201 should be replaced.

[0082] The automatic cleaning operation may be performed using another mechanism. For example, cleaning water may be injected into the metering unit 103 using the reagent dispensing unit 123 and the reagent container 108 filled with detergent. According to the third embodiment described above, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment. In addition, it is possible to provide an automatic analyzer and a method for determining whether a waste liquid unit of an automatic analyzer is dirty, which are capable of performing a cleaning operation without an additional cleaning mechanism when dirt on the metering unit 103 (dirt on the storage tank 201, the first tube 106, the second tube 202, or the solenoid valve SV1) is detected.

[0083] The above describes the embodiments of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and the components may be modified within the scope of the gist of the invention. Furthermore, multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments may be appropriately combined. Furthermore, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the above embodiments.

[0084] 100: Automatic analyzer, 101: Pretreatment unit, 102: Analysis unit, 103: Measuring unit, 104: Waste tank, 105: Waste port, 106: Flow path (first tube), 107: Sample container, 108: Reagent container, 109: Memory unit, 110: Control unit, 111: Operation unit, 112: Display unit, 113: Sample dispensing unit, 114: Transport path, 116: Reaction container, 118: Transport unit, 119: Opening, 120: Reaction disk, 122: Reagent disk, 123: Reagent container Dispensing unit, 124...magnetic separation unit, 125...transport unit, 127...separation unit, 131...evaporation concentration unit, 132...transport unit, 133...concentrated liquid dispensing unit, 201...storage tank, 202...piping (second pipe), 203a...upper water level sensor, 203b...lower water level sensor, 701...detergent tank, 702...external washing water tank, 703...drying port, SV1...solenoid valve, 1101...overall operation control unit, 1102...solenoid valve opening / closing unit, 1103...water level detection unit, 1104...contamination determination unit, 1105...washing instruction unit

Claims

1. An automatic analyzer comprising: a pretreatment section that pretreats samples; an analysis section that analyzes the samples; a measurement section that measures the amount of waste liquid generated in the pretreatment section and the analysis section; and a control section that controls the operation of the measurement section, wherein the measurement section has a storage tank that temporarily stores the waste liquid; and a waste liquid amount determination section that measures the waste liquid stored in the storage tank, and the control section determines the degree of contamination of the measurement section, or at least the storage tank, based on determination information from the waste liquid amount determination section.

2. An automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the measuring unit has a waste liquid port for discharging the waste liquid, a second pipe for discharging the waste liquid from the storage tank, and an electromagnetic valve provided in the second pipe for controlling the discharge of the waste liquid from the second pipe; the storage tank temporarily stores the waste liquid sent from the waste liquid port via the first pipe; and the control unit determines the contamination of the storage tank, the first pipe, the second pipe, or the electromagnetic valve based on determination information from the waste liquid amount determination unit.

3. An automatic analyzer according to claim 2, further comprising a display unit, wherein the control unit displays a warning on the display unit when it determines that the storage tank, the first tube, the second tube, or the solenoid valve is dirty.

4. An automatic analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the waste liquid amount determining unit comprises an optical water level sensor that detects the upper and lower water levels in the storage tank.

5. An automatic analyzer according to claim 4, wherein the control unit, when the waste liquid is not present in the area where the optical water level sensor emits light, estimates the degree of contamination of the storage tank from the amount of light received by the optical water level sensor, and determines that the storage tank is contaminated if the amount of light received is below a first light intensity threshold.

6. An automatic analyzer according to claim 4, wherein the control unit estimates the degree of contamination based on information on the elapsed time from when the discharge of the waste liquid from the second tube begins until the water level falls below the lower water level, and if the elapsed time is greater than a second light intensity threshold, determines that the solenoid valve is contaminated.

7. An automatic analyzer according to claim 4, characterized in that the control unit calculates the deviation between the rate at which the waste liquid fills up to the upper water level from an empty state of the storage tank and the rate expected from the analysis operation of the analysis unit, and determines that the first tube is contaminated if the calculated deviation is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

8. An automatic analyzer according to claim 4, characterized in that when the control unit determines that the storage tank, the first tube, or the second tube is dirty, it supplies cleaning liquid from the pre-treatment unit to the measuring unit via the waste liquid port, thereby cleaning the storage tank, the first tube, the second tube, or the solenoid valve.

9. An automatic analyzer according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning liquid is a detergent diluted with system water circulating inside the pre-treatment section 101.

10. An automatic analyzer according to claim 8, further comprising a display unit, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to indicate that the storage tank should be replaced if the amount of light detected by the optical water level sensor after cleaning the storage tank, the first tube, the second tube, or the solenoid valve is less than a predetermined amount of light.

11. An automatic analyzer according to claim 6, further comprising a display unit, wherein the control unit, when determining that the solenoid valve is dirty, causes the display unit to display a warning urging the user to replace the solenoid valve.

12. An automatic analyzer according to claim 9, wherein the control unit adjusts the dilution rate of the cleaning liquid depending on the degree of contamination of the measuring unit.

13. An automatic analyzer according to claim 8, wherein the control unit controls the opening and closing of the solenoid valve so as to discharge the cleaning liquid after storing the cleaning liquid in the storage tank for a predetermined time.

14. An automatic analyzer according to claim 12, wherein the control unit adjusts the time for which the cleaning liquid is stored in the storage tank depending on the degree of contamination of the storage tank.

15. A method for determining contamination of a waste liquid unit of an automatic analyzer equipped with a pretreatment section for pretreating samples, an analysis section for analyzing the samples, and a waste liquid unit having a storage tank for temporarily storing waste liquid generated in the pretreatment section and the analysis section, the method comprising: measuring the waste liquid stored in the storage tank; and determining the contamination of the storage tank based on the amount of waste liquid measured.

16. A method for determining contamination of a waste liquid unit of an automatic analyzer as described in claim 15, wherein the waste liquid unit has: a waste liquid port for discharging the waste liquid; a second pipe for discharging the waste liquid from the storage tank; and an electromagnetic valve provided in the second pipe for controlling the discharge of the waste liquid from the second pipe; the storage tank temporarily stores the waste liquid sent from the waste liquid port via the first pipe; and the method for determining contamination of the waste liquid unit of an automatic analyzer, characterized in that the method determines contamination of the storage tank, the first pipe, the second pipe, or the electromagnetic valve based on the measured amount of the waste liquid.

Images