Inspection device

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an inspection device capable of presenting a user with the remaining number of times consumables can be discarded into a waste box for discarding consumables, while reducing device costs. An inspection device according to the present invention detects the amount of consumables stored in a waste box, and when the detected amount of the consumables exceeds a threshold, the inspection device calculates the remaining number of times the consumables can be discarded into the waste box until the waste box becomes full, and outputs the result (see fig. 3).

Description

Inspection Equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection device.

[0002] Inspection devices may use and discard consumables each time a test is performed. The consumables are discarded in a waste box. When the amount of consumables stored in the waste box exceeds a certain level, the operator must remove the waste box from the inspection device and discard the consumables. If the consumables overflow from the waste box at this time, the operator will come into contact with the waste. If the consumables are infectious, the operator will be at risk of infection. Therefore, it is necessary to notify the operator when the amount of waste stored in the waste box exceeds a certain level and prompt him or her to replace the waste box.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a technology for detecting the number and state of consumables by giving the consumables distinctive shapes.

[0004] Patent Document 2 addresses the issue of "providing a specimen measurement device that prevents consumables from spilling out of a container that stores the consumables and allows the container to be easily removed from the housing," and describes the following technology (see abstract): "This specimen measurement device 100 includes a housing 101, a measurement unit 10 that is disposed within the housing 101 and measures specimens using solid consumables, outlets 205, 305 for disposing of consumables after use in the measurement unit 10, a container 20 that stores the consumables discarded from the outlets 205, 305, and a drawer tray 30 that holds the container 20 and can be pulled out from the housing 101. The drawer tray 30 is configured so that the container 20 can be removed horizontally from the drawer tray 30 when pulled out from the housing 101."

[0005] Patent Document 3 describes the following technology: "An automated analyzer irradiates a mixture of a sample and a reagent in a reaction vessel with light from a light source and analyzes the sample based on the obtained light information. Disposable reaction vessels are collected in a disposal section after analysis, but if the reaction vessels are concentrated in one section of the disposal section, there is a risk of the contents spilling out. Furthermore, if the disposal section itself is vibrated to evenly distribute the reaction vessels, noise caused by the vibrations can affect the measurement results and reduce the reliability of the analysis. The automated analyzer includes a reaction vessel disposal section in which reaction vessels are disposed of after analysis, a reaction vessel transfer mechanism that transfers the reaction vessels from the reaction vessel holding section to the reaction vessel disposal section and discards them in the reaction vessel disposal section, and a control unit. The control unit controls the operation of the reaction vessel transfer mechanism so that the reaction vessels are not discarded continuously in a predetermined position in the reaction vessel disposal section. This provides an automated analyzer that can evenly distribute used reaction vessels while maintaining high analytical reliability." (See Abstract).

[0006] US2011 / 0039709A1 JP2020-101465A WO2017 / 047240

[0007] Consumables used by inspection equipment vary in shape, color, transparency, and other characteristics. Furthermore, the way consumables are stacked in a waste box is not uniform. Therefore, it is difficult to calculate the remaining number of times a consumable can be discarded in a waste box simply by detecting the height of the consumable.

[0008] The method of giving a distinctive shape to a consumable, as in Patent Document 1, places high demands on the shape of the consumable and the sensor performance. Furthermore, since information is acquired by moving the sensor, the measurement time is long. Furthermore, since a light-emitting component with a high output, such as a laser, is used as the measurement light, the safety level required for the device, such as preventing the measurement light from hitting the user's eyes, increases, leading to increased costs.

[0009] The method of providing a sensor for each waste box as in Patent Documents 2 and 3 requires space for the sensor installation, which places restrictions on the device shape. Also, the more waste boxes there are, the more sensors are required, which increases the cost of the device.

[0010] Since consumables may contain infectious liquids, the disposal box must be waterproof. For example, if the disposal box is covered with vinyl, there is a concern that the condition of the vinyl may affect the detection process.

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an inspection device that can display to the user the remaining number of times that a consumable item can be disposed of in a disposal box for disposing of the consumable item, while reducing device costs.

[0012] The inspection device of the present invention detects the amount of consumables stored in a waste box, and if the detected amount of consumables exceeds a threshold value, calculates the remaining number of times the consumables can be discarded into the waste box until the waste box is full, and outputs the result.

[0013] The inspection device according to the present invention can reduce the cost of the device and can display to the user the number of times remaining for disposing of the consumables in the disposal box for disposing of the consumables. Other objects, configurations, advantages, etc. of the present invention will become clear from the description of the following embodiments.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an inspection device 1 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dispensing unit 10. FIG. 3 is a flowchart explaining a procedure for determining the remaining number of times that consumables can be disposed of in a waste box provided in a disposal unit 18. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of operations performed by an inspection device 1 according to a second embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing how a consumables detection mechanism 23 detects the amount of waste. FIG. 6 shows examples of shapes of consumables. FIG. 7 is an example of a pre-full threshold. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing how the dispensing unit 10 moves.

[0015] 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a testing device 1 according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. The testing device 1 includes a dispensing unit 10, a consumables installation unit 11, a specimen dispensing unit 12, an extraction unit 13, a disposal unit 18, a measurement unit 14, an operation unit 15, a calculation unit 16, and a reagent holding unit 17.

[0016] The consumables installation section 11 is an area where consumables used by the testing device 1 are placed. The reagent holding section 17 holds reagents used by the testing device 1 to test samples. The dispensing section 10 aspirates samples from sample containers held by the sample dispensing section 12 and dispenses the samples into the extraction section 13. The extraction section 13 performs the extraction process required for the test. Furthermore, it dispenses the reagent held by the reagent holding section 17 into the same measurement section. A measurement process is performed on the sample. If consumables are used in the above processes, the consumables are discarded in the disposal section 18. The disposal section 18 is provided with a disposal box for each type of consumable, and the consumables are discarded in the disposal box corresponding to the type of consumable. While FIG. 1 shows an example in which seven types of disposal boxes are provided (i.e., one disposal box for each of the seven types of consumables), the types and number of disposal boxes are not limited to this.

[0017] The calculation unit 16 controls each unit included in the inspection device 1. The calculation unit 16 includes a storage device 161 (storage unit) that stores data. The operation unit 15 is a user interface that allows the user to input operation instructions to the inspection device 1 (i.e., to the calculation unit 16).

[0018] 2 is a perspective view of the dispensing unit 10. The dispensing unit 10 includes a dispensing mechanism 21, a consumables transport mechanism 22, and a consumables detection mechanism 23. The dispensing unit 10 can move in a horizontal plane toward each component of the testing device 1, and can also move vertically when dispensing liquid, transporting consumables, detecting the amount of consumables, etc.

[0019] The dispensing mechanism 21 dispenses liquid. The consumable transport mechanism 22 grips the consumable by clamping it. The dispensing unit 10 moves while the consumable transport mechanism 22 is gripping the consumable, thereby transporting the consumable. The consumable detection mechanism 23 detects the amount of consumables stored in the waste box. For example, by irradiating the waste box with light, the height of the consumables piled up in the waste box can be detected, and the amount of consumables in the waste box can be detected based on that height. Any other method may also be used to detect the amount of consumables.

[0020] 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for determining the remaining number of times that a consumable item can be disposed of in a disposal box provided in the disposal unit 18. This flowchart is executed by the calculation unit 16. This flowchart can be executed, for example, when the consumable item transport mechanism 22 is about to dispose of a consumable item in the disposal unit 18.

[0021] S31: The storage device 161 stores the following two thresholds in advance for each type of consumable: (a) a pre-full threshold for the number of discards; and (b) a pre-full threshold for the sensor output value. These thresholds are stored in advance for each type of consumable (i.e., for each waste box). The calculation unit 16 reads out these thresholds corresponding to the type of consumable being transported by the consumable transport mechanism 22 from the storage device 161. The number of discards is the cumulative number of times the consumable has been discarded into the waste box corresponding to that consumable. The sensor output value is the result of the consumable detection mechanism 23 detecting the amount of consumable in the waste box corresponding to that consumable. For example, if the type of consumable to be used in the operational sequence of the inspection process is predetermined, the consumable type can be acquired from data describing that operational sequence. It may also be acquired by any other appropriate method.

[0022] S32: The calculation unit 16 controls the dispensing unit 10 to transport the consumables to the disposal unit 18 (the disposal box corresponding to the type of consumables) and discard them in the corresponding disposal box. The calculation unit 16 counts the cumulative number of times the consumables have been discarded in the disposal box (number of discards) for each type of consumables (i.e., for each type of disposal box), and stores the results in the storage device 161.

[0023] S33: The calculation unit 16 determines whether the discard count counted in S32 exceeds the pre-full threshold (cumulative count threshold) of the discard count read out in S31. If it exceeds, proceed to S35. If it does not exceed, proceed to S34. The pre-full threshold is intended to prompt the user to replace the discard box before it becomes full of consumables. In other words, the pre-full threshold of the discard count is set to a value smaller than the cumulative count of discards that is expected to occur when the discard box becomes full.

[0024] S34: The consumables detection mechanism 23 measures the amount of consumables in the waste box corresponding to the type of consumables discarded in S32. The calculation unit 16 determines whether the measured amount of consumables exceeds the pre-full threshold (consumables amount threshold) of the sensor output value in S31. If it exceeds, proceed to S35. If it does not exceed, end this flowchart. The pre-full threshold in this step has the same meaning as the pre-full threshold in S33. However, the pre-full threshold in this step is based on the amount of consumables detected by the consumables detection mechanism 23. In other words, the pre-full threshold of the sensor output value is set to a value smaller than the amount of consumables in the waste box when the waste box is full.

[0025] S35: The calculation unit 16 calculates the remaining number of times that consumables can be further discarded from the waste box corresponding to the type of consumable discarded in S32, stores the result in the storage device 161, and presents the remaining number of times to the user via the operation unit 15 or the like. The remaining number of times can be calculated, for example, as follows: (a) When transitioning from S33 to S35, the remaining number of times can be calculated by subtracting the cumulative number of discards thus far from the number of times that the waste box is expected to become full. (b) When transitioning from S34 to S35, the remaining number of times can be calculated by subtracting the amount of consumables in the waste box measured in S34 from the amount of consumables in the waste box when the waste box is full. Specifically, the remaining number of times can be calculated by dividing the measurement result in S34 by the volume of the consumables. Alternatively, a correspondence relationship between the measurement result and the remaining number of times can be defined in advance, and the remaining number of times can be calculated according to that correspondence. Other appropriate methods can also be used.

[0026] S33-S34: Note: In FIG. 3, if the determination result in S33 is No, the process proceeds to S34. In addition, before proceeding from S33 to S34, the following determination may be made. In order to reduce the number of uses of the consumables detection mechanism 23 and prevent deterioration, it is desirable to use the consumables detection mechanism 23 only when the number of disposals reaches a certain level, and not use it until then. Therefore, if the determination in S33 is No, the accumulated number of disposals is further compared with an appropriate threshold (detection mechanism threshold). If the threshold is exceeded, the process proceeds to S34; if the threshold is not exceeded, the process ends. In other words, S34 is only performed when the accumulated number of disposals reaches a certain level. This makes it possible to prevent deterioration of the consumables detection mechanism 23 due to use.

[0027] The remaining number of times calculated in S35 can be notified to the user, for example, by displaying it on the screen of the operation unit 15. When the remaining number of times reaches 0 (or before it reaches 0), the user replaces the waste box. When the remaining number of times approaches 0, a message urging the user to replace the waste box may be displayed on the operation unit 15.

[0028] Summary of First Embodiment The inspection device 1 according to the first embodiment counts the cumulative number of times consumables have been discarded from a waste box, and when the cumulative number exceeds a pre-full threshold, calculates the remaining number of times consumables can be further discarded from that waste box and displays the result. This minimizes the number of times the waste box needs to be replaced and reduces downtime of the device.

[0029] The testing device 1 according to the first embodiment measures the amount of consumables in a waste box using the consumables detection mechanism 23 provided in the dispensing unit 10. If the measurement result exceeds the pre-full threshold, the device calculates the remaining number of times that consumables can be discarded from that waste box and displays the result. This minimizes the number of times that waste boxes need to be replaced, thereby reducing device downtime. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a consumables amount sensor for each waste box, the cost of the testing device 1 can be reduced.

[0030] The inspection device 1 according to the first embodiment sets pre-full thresholds for both the cumulative number of disposals for the waste box and the measurement results from the consumables detection mechanism 23, and if either of these exceeds the pre-full threshold, calculates the remaining number of disposals and displays it to the user. This reliably reduces the risk of waste overflowing from the waste box.

[0031] In the testing device 1 according to the first embodiment, the dispensing mechanism 21, consumables transport mechanism 22, and consumables detection mechanism 23 are integrally formed as the dispensing unit 10, and move when the dispensing unit 10 moves. This allows the single consumables detection mechanism 23 to measure the amount of consumables for all waste bins. In other words, there is no need to install a sensor for detecting the amount of consumables for each waste bin, which reduces sensor costs.

[0032] <Embodiment 2> FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the operation performed by the inspection device 1 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. In embodiment 1, an example of operation has been described in which the user is notified of the remaining number of discards before the waste box becomes full. After the user replaces the waste box, the cumulative number of discards counted by the inspection device 1 up to that point may be reset by the user via the operation unit 15, or may be automatically reset by the calculation unit 16. FIG. 4 shows an operation procedure in which the calculation unit 16 automatically resets the cumulative number of discards. This flowchart can be performed separately from the flowchart of FIG. 3. For example, it may be performed at predetermined time intervals, or it may be performed following the flowchart of FIG. 3. When this flowchart is performed for multiple consumable types, S41 to S44 may be performed for each consumable type. The other configuration is the same as in embodiment 1.

[0033] S41: The storage device 161 stores an empty determination threshold in advance for each consumable type (i.e., for each waste bin). The empty determination threshold is a threshold used to determine whether the waste bin is empty. The calculation unit 16 reads out the empty determination threshold corresponding to the consumable type from the storage device 161.

[0034] S42: The consumables detection mechanism 23 measures the amount of consumables in the waste box corresponding to the consumables type for which the empty determination threshold was read in S41. If the measurement result is equal to or less than the empty determination threshold, proceed to S43; otherwise, proceed to S44.

[0035] S43: If the measurement result in S42 is equal to or less than the empty threshold, it can be assumed that there are only a few consumables in the waste bin. Therefore, the calculation unit 16 resets the cumulative number of discards for each consumable product type corresponding to that waste bin to zero (overwriting the number of discards stored in the storage device 161 with zero).

[0036] S44: If the measurement result in S42 exceeds the empty threshold, it is assumed that the waste bin has not just been replaced (the amount of consumables in the waste bin is sufficiently large). Therefore, the calculation unit 16 leaves the cumulative number of disposals for each consumable product type corresponding to that waste bin unchanged at its current value. In other words, following the current cumulative number of disposals, the flow chart of FIG. 3 is executed.

[0037] Third Embodiment In a third embodiment of the present invention, a description will be given of specific examples of the components included in the inspection device 1. The components of the inspection device 1 are the same as those in the first and second embodiments.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing how the consumables detection mechanism 23 detects the amount of waste. When consumables are discarded in the waste box provided in the disposal unit 18, the consumables reach a certain height in the waste box. The consumables detection mechanism 23 can detect the height of the consumables in the waste box, for example, by irradiating light from above the waste box and detecting the reflected light. The height of the consumables corresponds to the amount of consumables in the waste box. Therefore, the amount of consumables can be detected. The amount of consumables may also be detected by other appropriate methods.

[0039] Figure 6 shows examples of the shapes of consumables. The shapes and sizes of consumables discarded in a waste box vary, as shown on the right side of Figure 6, and the orientation of the consumables in the waste box also varies, as shown on the left side of Figure 6.

[0040] FIG. 7 shows an example of the pre-full threshold. In S33 or S34, it is determined whether the count or measurement result exceeds the pre-full threshold. As shown in FIG. 7, the pre-full threshold is set to the amount of consumables before the waste box becomes full. Therefore, before the waste box becomes full, the user is notified of the remaining number of uses based on the result of S35. In other words, the user is prompted to replace the waste box before it becomes full.

[0041] Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the movement of the dispensing unit 10. The dispensing unit 10 can move in a horizontal plane (the XY plane in Figure 8) and also in a vertical direction (the Z direction in Figure 8). Through this movement, the dispensing unit 10 dispenses liquid and discards consumables.

[0042] <Regarding modified examples of the present invention> In the above embodiments, the consumables to be disposed of in the waste box are of any type as long as they are used at least in connection with the test performed by the testing device 1 and are disposed of in the waste box provided by the waste unit 18.

[0043] 3, if the determination result of S33 is No, the determination of S34 is further performed, but this order may be reversed. That is, if the determination result of S34 is No, the determination of S33 may further be performed. In either step, if the determination result is Yes, the process proceeds to S35, as in FIG. 3.

[0044] In the above embodiment, when the consumables transport mechanism 22 discards consumables into the waste box, the consumables detection mechanism 23 may measure the filling rates of multiple locations in the waste box and discard consumables in order of filling rate, starting with the location with the lowest filling rate. This allows consumables to be discarded preferentially from the most empty locations in the waste box.

[0045] In the above-described embodiments, the calculation unit 16 can be configured by hardware such as a circuit device that implements its functions, or can be configured by a calculation device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes software that implements its functions.

[0046] 1: Inspection device 10: Dispensing section 11: Consumables installation section 12: Sample dispensing section 13: Extraction section 14: Measurement section 15: Operation section 16: Calculation section 17: Reagent holding section 18: Disposal section 21: Dispensing mechanism 22: Consumables transport mechanism 23: Consumables detection mechanism

Claims

1. An inspection device for inspecting samples, comprising: a waste box into which consumables used in connection with the inspection are disposed; a consumable detection mechanism for detecting the amount of the consumables stored in the waste box; a calculation unit for calculating the remaining number of times the consumables can be disposed of from the waste box; and a memory unit for storing a consumable amount threshold for comparing with the amount of the consumables detected by the consumable detection mechanism, wherein if the amount of the consumables detected by the consumable detection mechanism exceeds the consumable amount threshold, the calculation unit calculates the remaining number of times the consumables can be disposed of from the waste box until the waste box is full, and outputs the result.

2. The inspection device described in claim 1, characterized in that the memory unit stores the consumable quantity threshold for each type of consumable, the waste boxes are arranged for each type of consumable, the calculation unit obtains the consumable quantity threshold corresponding to the type of consumable discarded in the waste box from the memory unit, the consumable detection mechanism detects the amount of the consumable contained in the waste box corresponding to the type of consumable discarded in the waste box, and the calculation unit calculates the remaining number of times for each type of consumable discarded in the waste box.

3. The inspection device described in claim 1, characterized in that the memory unit stores a cumulative count threshold value that is compared with the cumulative number of times the consumable has been discarded into the waste box, the calculation unit counts the cumulative number of times each time the consumable is discarded into the waste box, and if the cumulative number of times exceeds the cumulative count threshold value, the calculation unit calculates the number of times the consumable can be discarded into the waste box until the waste box is full as the remaining number of times, and outputs the result.

4. The inspection device described in claim 3, characterized in that the memory unit stores the cumulative count threshold for each type of consumable, the waste boxes are arranged for each type of consumable, the calculation unit obtains from the memory unit the cumulative count threshold corresponding to the type of consumable discarded in the waste box, the calculation unit counts the cumulative count for each waste box, and the calculation unit counts the remaining count for each waste box.

5. The inspection device described in claim 3, characterized in that the calculation unit calculates the remaining number of times when the cumulative number exceeds the cumulative number threshold even if the amount of the consumable detected by the consumable detection mechanism does not exceed the consumable amount threshold, and the calculation unit calculates the remaining number of times when the amount of the consumable detected by the consumable detection mechanism exceeds the consumable amount threshold even if the cumulative number does not exceed the cumulative number threshold.

6. The inspection device described in claim 3, characterized in that the memory unit stores a detection mechanism threshold value that is compared with the cumulative number of times the consumables have been discarded from the waste box, and the calculation unit, when the cumulative number does not exceed the cumulative number threshold value but does exceed the detection mechanism threshold value, detects the amount of the consumables using the consumable detection mechanism and compares the detection result with the consumable amount threshold, and when the cumulative number does not exceed the cumulative number threshold value or the detection mechanism threshold value, the calculation unit does not use the consumable detection mechanism and does not update the remaining number of times.

7. The inspection device according to claim 3, characterized in that the memory unit stores an empty judgment threshold value that is compared with the amount of consumables detected by the consumables detection mechanism, and the calculation unit initializes the cumulative count when the amount of consumables detected by the consumables detection mechanism is equal to or less than the empty judgment threshold value.

8. The inspection device described in claim 4, characterized in that the memory unit stores an empty judgment threshold for each waste box to be compared with the amount of consumables detected by the consumable detection mechanism, the consumable detection mechanism detects the amount of consumables contained in the waste box for each waste box, and the calculation unit initializes the cumulative number of times corresponding to the waste box containing the consumables compared with the empty judgment threshold when the amount of consumables detected by the consumable detection mechanism is equal to or less than the empty judgment threshold.

9. The inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising a consumables transport mechanism that disposes of the consumables in the waste box, wherein the consumables detection mechanism measures the amount of the consumables filled in multiple locations in the waste box, and the consumables transport mechanism disposes of the consumables in order from the location in the waste box that is filled with the least amount of the consumables.

10. The inspection device according to claim 1, further comprising a dispensing unit that dispenses liquid, and the consumables detection mechanism is configured to be integrated with the dispensing unit and move in accordance with the movement of the dispensing unit.

11. An inspection device for inspecting samples, comprising: a waste box into which consumables used in connection with the inspection are disposed; a consumable detection mechanism for detecting the amount of the consumables stored in the waste box; a calculation unit for calculating the remaining number of times the consumables can be disposed of in the waste box; and a memory unit for storing an accumulated number threshold for comparison with the accumulated number of times the consumables have been disposed of in the waste box, wherein the calculation unit counts the accumulated number each time the consumables are disposed of in the waste box, and if the accumulated number exceeds the accumulated number threshold, the calculation unit calculates the remaining number as the number of times the consumables can be disposed of in the waste box until the waste box is full, and outputs the result.

12. The inspection device described in claim 11, characterized in that the memory unit stores a consumable quantity threshold value that is compared with the amount of the consumable detected by the consumable detection mechanism, and if the amount of the consumable detected by the consumable detection mechanism exceeds the consumable quantity threshold value, the calculation unit calculates the number of times the consumable can be disposed of in the waste box until the waste box is full as the remaining number and outputs the result.

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