Automated analyzer

Abstract

Provided is an automated analyzer capable of executing a cleaning operation of a discharge nozzle, the cleaning operation utilizing a mechanism provided to the automatic analyzer and not using ultrasonic waves. A plurality of types of reagents are combined to create a cleaning liquid matched with the composition of crystals formed by the reagents. Additionally, by immersing the nozzle in the cleaning liquid in a container filled with the cleaning liquid, the crystals adhered to the nozzle are redissolved. The container has a mechanism capable of stirring, and by rotating the container to generate a current in the cleaning liquid in the container, cleaning efficiency can be improved. This cleaning operation can be performed without requiring an additional mechanism.

Description

Automatic analyzer

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an automatic analyzer that performs a cleaning operation of a nozzle that discharges a reagent.

[0002] An automatic analyzer is a device that analyzes the components and characteristics of a sample by reacting the sample (also referred to as a specimen or a sample) with a reagent and analyzing the reaction. The automatic analyzer includes a nozzle (also referred to as a probe) that discharges a reagent. In some cases, a mixed solution in which a plurality of reagents are mixed is used as the reagent. When mixing a plurality of reagents, the nozzle that discharges the reagent discharges the reagent and introduces it into a mixing container, and a stirring mechanism stirs and mixes the plurality of reagents in the mixing container.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic analyzer as a technique related to this automatic analyzer, in which a probe for a sample or a reagent can be automatically cleaned while being attached to a specimen dispensing mechanism or a reagent dispensing mechanism.

[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-121873

[0005] In Patent Document 1, a cleaning liquid is dispensed into a reaction container using a reagent probe, and the sample probe is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the reaction container into which the cleaning liquid has been dispensed. At the same time as the immersion, ultrasonic waves are irradiated from an ultrasonic stirring mechanism, and the sample probe is cleaned in a non-contact manner.

[0006] In the cleaning method of the probe in the non-contact manner by irradiating ultrasonic waves in this way, since ultrasonic waves are irradiated to the probe, there is a risk of damaging the probe and a risk that the ultrasonic element may break and the probe cannot be cleaned.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an automatic analyzer that can perform a cleaning operation of a discharge nozzle without using ultrasonic waves by using a mechanism provided in the automatic analyzer.

[0008] To solve the above problems, the automatic analyzer of the present disclosure comprises a container for holding a liquid, a liquid discharge mechanism for discharging the liquid from a nozzle into the container, a motion mechanism for generating a water flow in the liquid held in the container by moving the container, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the liquid discharge mechanism and the motion mechanism, wherein the control unit causes the liquid discharge mechanism to discharge a reagent from a reagent discharge nozzle into the container, and the motion mechanism to move the container to generate a water flow in the reagent inside the container and perform a stirring operation to agitate the reagent, wherein the control unit causes the liquid discharge mechanism to discharge a cleaning solution from a cleaning solution discharge nozzle into the container, the motion mechanism to move the container to generate a water flow in the cleaning solution inside the container, and performs a cleaning operation in which the reagent discharge nozzle is immersed in the cleaning solution inside the container with a water flow generated.

[0009] The technology disclosed herein allows for the cleaning of a dispensing nozzle using only existing mechanisms and provides a method for cleaning a dispensing nozzle without the use of ultrasound. Furthermore, by utilizing the dispensing of multiple reagents into a container, multiple cleaning solutions can be combined to create a cleaning solution. Other issues, configurations, and effects will be clarified by the following description of embodiments.

[0010] This is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the automated analyzer according to the first embodiment. This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the reagent mixing mechanism and its surroundings. This is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the reagent dispensing nozzle of the reagent dispensing mechanism during measurement. This is a flowchart showing an example of the reagent dispensing and dispensing operation during measurement. This is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the reagent dispensing nozzle according to the first embodiment during cleaning. This is a flowchart showing an example of the washing solution dispensing and dispensing operation during cleaning according to the first embodiment. This is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the reagent dispensing nozzle according to the second embodiment during cleaning. This is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the reagent dispensing nozzle according to the third embodiment during cleaning. This is a flowchart showing an example of the washing solution dispensing and dispensing operation during cleaning according to the fourth embodiment. This is a diagram showing the reagent stirring motion by the stirring mechanism according to the fifth embodiment. This is a diagram showing the reagent stirring motion by the stirring mechanism according to the sixth embodiment.

[0011] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings used herein, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and repeated descriptions of these components may be omitted.

[0012] [First Embodiment] <Example of Automatic Analyzer Configuration> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the automatic analyzer 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the automatic analyzer 100 comprises a pre-processing unit 101, a separation unit 102, an analysis unit 103, a control device 104, an input device 105, a display device 106, and a storage device 107. The pre-processing unit 101 performs pre-processing of the sample. The separation unit 102 separates the components in the sample. The analysis unit 103 detects and analyzes the components in the solution separated by the separation unit 102. The control device 104 controls the overall operation of the automatic analyzer 100. The input device 105, the display device 106, and the storage device 107 are connected to the control device 104. The user can input instructions to the automatic analyzer 100 via the input device 105. The display device 106 displays a GUI screen for user instruction input, analysis results from the automatic analyzer 100, etc. The memory device 107 stores programs for operating the automatic analyzer 100, analysis results, and the like.

[0013] The pre-processing unit 101 includes a transport mechanism 112, a sample dispensing mechanism 113, a reaction vessel mounting rack 117, a transport mechanism 118, a reaction vessel disk 120, a reagent disk 122, a reagent dispensing mechanism 123, a magnetic separation mechanism 124, a transport mechanism 125, a reagent mixing mechanism 127, a reagent discharge mechanism 128, a system reagent storage cabinet 129, an evaporation and concentration mechanism 131, a transport mechanism 132, and a dispensing mechanism 133 for the separation unit.

[0014] The transport mechanism 112 transports the sample container 111, which contains the sample to be analyzed, to the sample dispensing position. The transport mechanism 118 transports the reaction vessel 116, which is held in the reaction vessel mounting rack 117, to the reaction vessel disk 120. The reaction vessel disk 120 has a plurality of reaction vessel mounting positions 119 for mounting the reaction vessel 116. The reaction vessel disk 120 functions as an incubator to maintain the solution in the reaction vessel 116 at a constant temperature. The reagent disk 122 holds a plurality of reagent containers 121 containing reagents. The sample dispensing mechanism 113 dispenses the sample from the sample container 111, which has been transported to the sample dispensing position, into the reaction vessel 116, which is housed in the reaction vessel mounting positions 119 on the reaction vessel disk 120.

[0015] The magnetic separation mechanism 124 separates the magnetic beads in the solution contained in the reaction vessel 116 using the magnetic force of a magnet. The magnetic separation mechanism 124 is located on the rotating orbit 126 of the reagent dispensing mechanism 123. The transport mechanism 125 transports the reaction vessel 116 between the reaction vessel disk 120 and the magnetic separation mechanism 124. The reagent mixing mechanism 127 holds a mixing container into which the reagents in the reagent container 121 are dispensed and mixed, as will be described later.

[0016] The reagent dispensing mechanism 123 is configured to dispense reagents into a reaction vessel 116 supported by a magnetic separation mechanism 124, and to aspirate the solution inside the reaction vessel 116. The reagent mixing mechanism 127 is located on the rotating orbit 126 of the reagent dispensing mechanism 123. The reagent dispensing mechanism 128 is connected to the system reagent container 130 by a tube or the like, which is located inside the automatic analyzer 100. The reagent dispensing mechanism 128 dispenses the reagent drawn up from the system reagent container 130 to the reagent mixing mechanism 127 to prepare a mixture. The reagent dispensing mechanism 123 aspirates the mixture prepared on the reagent mixing mechanism 127 and dispenses it into the reaction vessel 116 supported by the magnetic separation mechanism 124.

[0017] The user places a group of system reagent containers 130 in the system reagent storage cabinet 129. The evaporation and concentration mechanism 131 evaporates and concentrates the analyte in the reaction solution in the reaction vessel 116. The transport mechanism 132 transports the reaction vessel 116 between the reaction vessel disk 120 and the evaporation and concentration mechanism 131. The dispensing mechanism 133 for the separation unit dispenses the reaction solution in the reaction vessel 116, after evaporation and concentration, into the separation unit 102.

[0018] The separation unit 102 is, for example, a liquid chromatography (LC) system. The separation unit 102 is equipped with a column or the like to separate the components in the reaction solution. The separation unit 102 separates the components in the reaction solution and sequentially introduces the separated components into the analysis unit 103.

[0019] The analysis unit 103 is, for example, a mass spectrometer (MS). The analysis unit 103 is equipped with an electron multiplier tube and the like to perform ionization and mass analysis of the components introduced from the separation unit 102. The analysis unit 103 ionizes the components introduced from the separation unit 102, detects the amount of ions (i.e., the amount of components), and outputs the detection result to the control device 104.

[0020] The control device (control unit) 104 is composed of, for example, a hardware board and a computer. The control device 104 may be configured as hardware using a dedicated circuit board, or as software executed on a computer. When configured as hardware, it can be realized by integrating multiple arithmetic units that perform processing on a wiring board, or within a semiconductor chip or package. When configured as software, it can be realized by equipping a computer with a high-speed general-purpose CPU and executing a program that performs the desired arithmetic processing. It is also possible to upgrade existing devices using a recording medium on which this program is stored. Furthermore, these devices, circuits, and computers are connected by a wired or wireless network, and data is transmitted and received as needed.

[0021] <Example of Reagent Mixing Mechanism Configuration> Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of the reagent mixing mechanism 127 and its surroundings. The left-right direction is defined as the X-axis, the front-back direction as the Y-axis, and the height direction as the Z-axis. The right, back, and up directions are defined as the positive directions of each axis. The reagent mixing mechanism 127 comprises a plurality of mixing containers 210 and a stirring mechanism 220 (mounting section). The mixing containers 210 are mounted on the stirring mechanism 220. In Figure 2, there are four mixing containers 210, but the number is not limited to this. The mixing containers 210 are containers used to prepare a mixed solution by introducing multiple reagents into them. The operation of the reagent dispensing mechanism 123, reagent discharge mechanism 128, and stirring mechanism 220, which will be described below, is controlled by the control device 104.

[0022] The reagent dispensing mechanism 128 is equipped with vertically downward-facing dispensing nozzles 1281, 1282, and 1283. Each dispensing nozzle dispenses one type of liquid. For example, dispensing nozzle 1281 dispenses ultrapure water, dispensing nozzle 1282 dispenses organic solvents, and dispensing nozzle 1283 dispenses reagents other than organic solvents. Hereinafter, dispensing nozzles 1281, 1282, and 1283 may be referred to as reagent dispensing nozzles. The reagent dispensing mechanism 128 has a mechanism (not shown) for moving dispensing nozzle 1281 in the vertical and horizontal directions. The reagent dispensing mechanism 128 dispenses reagents drawn up from the system reagent containers 130 group into the mixing container 210 from dispensing nozzles 1281, 1282, and 1283. Depending on the component to be measured, one to three types of reagents are dispensed. During reagent dispensing, the horizontal positions of the dispensing nozzles 1281, 1282, and 1283 are controlled to be within a predetermined range from the center of the mixing container 210. The mixing container 210 and the reagent dispensing mechanism 128 may, for example, be provided for each type of reagent or mixed solution.

[0023] The stirring mechanism 220 generates a water flow in the liquid held in the mixing container 210 by moving (rotating in this embodiment) the mixing container 210. The stirring mechanism 220 is configured to stir the reagents discharged into the mixing container 210. The stirring mechanism 220 mixes the reagents discharged into the mixing container 210 by stirring each mixing container 210 separately.

[0024] The reagent dispensing mechanism 123 is equipped with a dispensing nozzle 1231 that faces vertically downward. The reagent dispensing mechanism 123 has a mechanism (not shown) for moving the dispensing nozzle 1231 in the vertical and horizontal directions. The reagent dispensing mechanism 123 draws the mixed liquid in the mixing container 210 into the dispensing nozzle 1231 and discharges it into the reaction container 116 held on the reaction container disk 120. The sample is introduced into the reaction container 116, and the mixed liquid and the sample react in the reaction container 116. When drawing in the mixed liquid, the reagent dispensing mechanism 123 lowers the dispensing nozzle 1231 into the mixing container 210. At this time, the tip of the dispensing nozzle 1231 is controlled to be located within a predetermined range with respect to the center and bottom surface of the mixing container 210. Note that the number of reagent dispensing mechanisms 123 is not limited to one; for example, a reagent dispensing mechanism 123 may be provided for each type of mixed liquid.

[0025] The following describes the challenges of the reagent dispensing mechanism 128 described above. In the system reagents used for analysis, some reagents crystallize at the reagent dispensing nozzle over time. When crystals precipitate at the dispensing nozzle, not only does the reagent dispensing performance decrease, but unintended contamination of the mixing container due to splashing of reagents during dispensing may affect the analysis results. In the following embodiment, a cleaning operation for the dispensing nozzle will be described in order to avoid such problems caused by contamination of the dispensing nozzle.

[0026] The operation to clean the discharge nozzle is performed using a different procedure than during normal measurement. Figures 3 and 4, and Figures 5 and 6 are schematic diagrams and flowcharts illustrating the differences between the operation during normal measurement and cleaning. These operations are performed by the control device 104 controlling the operation of the reagent dispensing mechanism 123, the reagent discharge mechanism 128, and the stirring mechanism 220.

[0027] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, in a normal measurement, the reagent dispensing mechanism 128 has dispensing nozzles 1281, 1282, and 1283, the dispensing nozzle that dispenses the corresponding target reagent moves directly above the mixing container 210 (Figure 3(a), S401), then descends directly above the mixing container 210 (Figure 3(b), S402), and dispenses the reagent drawn up from the system reagent containers 130 group into the mixing container 210 from the dispensing nozzles 1281, 1282, and 1283 (Figure 3(c), S403). Then, the dispensing nozzle rises (Figure 3(d), S404), moves horizontally again (S406), and the reagent in the mixing container 210 is stirred and mixed by the stirring mechanism 220 (Figure 3(e), S407). The mixed reagent is drawn from the mixing container 210 by the dispensing nozzle 1231 (S408) and dispensed into the reaction vessel 116 (S409). When dispensing multiple reagents into the mixing container 210 (S405), the dispensing nozzle moves again and dispenses the reagents into the mixing container 210. The reagents dispensed into the mixing container 210 and mixed by the stirring mechanism 220 are then drawn out of the mixing container 210 by the dispensing nozzle 1231 and dispensed into the reaction vessel 116.

[0028] Next, the cleaning operation when the discharge nozzle 1283 is the target of cleaning will be shown. Hereafter, the discharge nozzle 1283 may be referred to as the nozzle to be cleaned. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, in this cleaning operation, the discharge nozzle 1281, which acts as the cleaning solution discharge nozzle, moves (Figure 5(a), S410), descends directly above the mixing container 210 (Figure 5(b), S411), and discharges ultrapure water drawn up from the system reagent containers 130 as the cleaning solution into the mixing container 210 from the discharge nozzle 1281 (Figure 5(c), S412). Subsequently, the discharge nozzle 1281 rises (S413), and the stirring mechanism 220 stirs the ultrapure water in the mixing container 210 (S414), creating a water flow in the ultrapure water in the mixing container 210 (Figure 5(d)). Then, the nozzle to be cleaned 1283 is moved directly above the mixing container 210 (S415), lowered into the mixing container 210 (S416), and the discharge nozzle 1283 is cleaned by immersing the nozzle to be cleaned 1283 in the ultrapure water in the mixing container 210, where a water flow has been generated as described above (Figure 5(e), S417). During cleaning, the horizontal position of the discharge nozzle 1283 may be controlled to be within a predetermined range from the center of the mixing container 210, similar to when the reagent is discharged, or it may be controlled to be within a predetermined range offset from the center of the mixing container 210. Note that, between S415 and S416, the stirring motion of the mixing container 210 by the stirring mechanism 220 is stopped. After that, the discharge nozzle 1283 rises (S418), the ultrapure water remaining in the mixing container 210 is drawn into the dispensing nozzle 1231 (S419), and discarded at the waste liquid port (S420). The reagents used for washing (i.e., washing solution) may be those dispensed from the dispensing nozzles 1282 and 1283. In other words, different reagents (washing solutions) may be dispensed into the mixing container 210 from multiple types of dispensing nozzles 1281, 1282, and 1283 (washing solution dispensing nozzles). Furthermore, washing is possible whether the reagent dispensing nozzle to be washed and the dispensing nozzle that dispenses the reagent (washing solution) used for washing are different as described above, or the same. The washing efficiency can be increased by changing the rotation speed and rotation time of the stirring motion performed by the stirring mechanism 220. This washing operation can also be performed during downtime in the measurement flow, i.e., while measuring the sample.

[0029] The configuration of the first embodiment provides an automatic analyzer 100 with a unique operation for cleaning dirt adhering to the discharge nozzle 1283. Furthermore, since this cleaning operation does not use ultrasound, it not only reduces noise and damage to the nozzle caused by ultrasound, but also provides a cleaning operation without the risk of damaging the ultrasonic element.

[0030] [Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment described above, after creating a water flow inside the mixing container 210 with the stirring mechanism 220, the stirring operation of the mixing container 210 by the stirring mechanism 220 was stopped, and then the discharge nozzle 1283 to be cleaned was lowered into the mixing container 210 to immerse it in the ultrapure water inside the mixing container 210 and clean the dirt off the discharge nozzle 1283. However, it is also possible to lower the reagent discharge nozzle to be cleaned into the mixing container 210, and while the reagent discharge nozzle is immersed in the ultrapure water inside the mixing container 210, the ultrapure water inside the mixing container 210 is stirred by the stirring mechanism 220 to clean the nozzle to be cleaned. The second embodiment will describe such a method.

[0031] Figure 7 shows the cleaning operation in which the nozzle to be cleaned is lowered and immersed in the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210, while the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210 is stirred by the stirring mechanism 220. After one of the discharge nozzles 1281, 1282, or 1283 discharges the cleaning solution into the mixing container 210, the nozzle to be cleaned 1283 moves into the mixing container 210 which is filled with cleaning solution. After the nozzle to be cleaned 1283 is lowered into the mixing container 210 (Figure 7(a)), the stirring operation is performed by stirring the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210 by the stirring mechanism 220 while the nozzle to be cleaned 1283 remains immersed in the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210 (Figure 7(b)). With the operation of the second embodiment described above, dirt attached to the reagent discharge nozzle 1283 to be cleaned can be cleaned more efficiently.

[0032] [Third Embodiment] In the second embodiment, the operation of cleaning the nozzle to be cleaned was described as lowering the nozzle to be cleaned into the mixing container 210, and then cleaning the nozzle by stirring the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210 with the stirring mechanism 220 while the nozzle to be cleaned is immersed in the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210. However, in this cleaning operation, the nozzle to be cleaned can also be cleaned by lowering the nozzle to the mixing container 210 while stirring the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210 with the stirring mechanism 220 (i.e., while generating a water flow in the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210), thereby immersing the nozzle to be cleaned in the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210. The third embodiment will describe such an operation.

[0033] Figure 8 shows the cleaning operation in which the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210 is stirred by the stirring mechanism 220, the nozzle to be cleaned is lowered and immersed in the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210. After one of the discharge nozzles 1281, 1282, or 1283 discharges the cleaning solution into the mixing container 210, the nozzle to be cleaned 1283 moves into the mixing container 210 which is filled with cleaning solution. While the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210 is being stirred by the stirring mechanism 220 (Figure 8(a)), the nozzle to be cleaned 1283 is lowered into the mixing container 210 and immersed in the cleaning solution in the mixing container 210 (Figure 8(b)). The operation of the third embodiment described above allows for more efficient cleaning of the dirt attached to the reagent discharge nozzle 1283 to be cleaned.

[0034] [Fourth Embodiment] The first, second, and third embodiments described above describe the cleaning operation when using one type of cleaning solution. However, the automatic analyzer 100 has multiple types of reagents in the system reagent storage cabinet 129. Therefore, by combining the multiple types of reagents that are originally provided in the automatic analyzer 100, it is possible to create a cleaning solution that matches the reagent discharged by the nozzle to be cleaned. The fourth embodiment will describe such an operation.

[0035] Figure 9 shows a flowchart of the process of cleaning a reagent dispensing nozzle using a cleaning solution prepared by combining multiple types of reagents. As shown in Figure 9, when mixing two or more types of reagents (cleaning solutions), the reagent dispensing mechanism 128 repeatedly moves the reagent dispensing nozzle and dispenses the cleaning solution from the reagent dispensing nozzle until all of the target cleaning solution is dispensed into the same mixing container 210 (S806) (S801-S805). Once all of the cleaning solution has been dispensed into the mixing container 210 (NO in S806), the stirring mechanism 220 begins stirring the mixing container 210 (S807). Subsequent operations (S808-S812) are the same as in the first embodiment (Figure 6), so the explanation is omitted. By utilizing the operation of the fourth embodiment described above, it is possible to prepare a cleaning solution by combining multiple reagents (cleaning solutions) by dispensing multiple reagents into the mixing container 210, and to more efficiently clean the dirt attached to the reagent dispensing nozzle 1283 that is to be cleaned.

[0036] [Fifth Embodiment] In the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments described above, the stirring mechanism 220 was used to create a water flow inside the mixing container 210 and clean the reagent dispensing nozzle to be cleaned. By making the stirring motion of the mixing container 210 by the stirring mechanism 220 a precessional motion, the dirt adhering to the reagent dispensing nozzle to be cleaned can be cleaned more efficiently. The fifth embodiment will explain this.

[0037] Figure 10 shows the precession of the mixing container 210 by the stirring mechanism 220. The stirring mechanism 220 causes the mixing container 210 to rotate around its axis of rotation L, while the axis of rotation L precesses in a circular motion around the axis of rotation M, thereby generating a water flow within the mixing container 210.

[0038] [Sixth Embodiment] In the fifth embodiment described above, the operation of causing the mixing container 210 to precess using the stirring mechanism 220 was described. The stirring motion of the mixing container 210 by the stirring mechanism 220 in this washing operation may be rotational motion around a rotation axis M with rotation around the rotation axis L fixed, rather than precession. In other words, instead of rotational motion around a rotation axis L along the central axis of the mixing container 210 as in the first, second, third, and fourth embodiments described above, the central axis of the mixing container 210 may be tilted with respect to the rotation axis, and rotational motion may be performed around that rotation axis. The sixth embodiment will provide such an explanation.

[0039] Figure 11 shows the rotational motion of the mixing container 210 by the stirring mechanism 220. The stirring mechanism 220 causes the mixing container 210 to rotate around the rotation axis M while maintaining an inclination of the rotation axis L (central axis), thereby generating a water flow within the mixing container 210.

[0040] [Summary] As described above, the automatic analyzer 100 according to this embodiment comprises a container for holding liquid (mixing container 210), a liquid discharge mechanism (reagent discharge mechanism 128) for discharging the liquid from nozzles (discharge nozzles 1281, 1282, 1283) into the container, a motion mechanism (stirring mechanism 220) for generating a water flow in the liquid held in the container by moving the container, and a control unit (control device 104) for controlling the operation of the liquid discharge mechanism and the motion mechanism. The control unit (control device 104) controls the liquid discharge mechanism to discharge reagent nozzles (discharge nozzles 1281, 1282, 1283: nozzles to be washed) into the container. In an automatic analyzer 100 that dispenses a reagent and moves the container using the motion mechanism to generate a water flow in the reagent inside the container, thereby performing a stirring operation to agitate (mix) the reagent, the control unit (control device 104) dispenses a cleaning solution (which may be a reagent originally provided in the automatic analyzer 100) from the cleaning solution dispensing nozzles (dispensing nozzles 1281, 1282, 1283) into the container using the liquid dispensing mechanism, moves the container using the motion mechanism to generate a water flow in the cleaning solution inside the container, and performs a cleaning operation by immersing the reagent dispensing nozzles (nozzles to be cleaned) in the cleaning solution inside the container while a water flow is generated.

[0041] There are multiple types of the cleaning liquid discharge nozzles (discharge nozzles 1281, 1282, 1283), and each discharges a different cleaning liquid into the container.

[0042] The cleaning liquid is prepared by combining multiple types of liquids (cleaning liquids) (Fourth Embodiment).

[0043] The motion mechanism (agitation mechanism 220) causes the container to perform a rotational motion (First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Sixth Embodiments).

[0044] The motion mechanism (agitation mechanism 220) causes the container to perform a precession motion (Fifth Embodiment).

[0045] The cleaning operation can be executed during the measurement of the sample by the automatic analyzer 100.

[0046] The cleaning liquid discharge nozzle and the reagent discharge nozzle are composed of different nozzles, or the cleaning liquid discharge nozzle and the reagent discharge nozzle are composed of the same nozzle.

[0047] In the cleaning operation, the control unit (control device 104) uses the motion mechanism to move the container to generate a water flow in the cleaning liquid in the container, and after stopping the motion of the container, immerses the reagent discharge nozzle (nozzle to be cleaned) in the cleaning liquid in the container in a state where the water flow has occurred (First Embodiment).

[0048] In the cleaning operation, the control unit (control device 104) uses the motion mechanism to move the container in a state where the reagent discharge nozzle (nozzle to be cleaned) is immersed in the cleaning liquid in the container (Second Embodiment).

[0049] In the cleaning operation, the control unit (control device 104) uses the motion mechanism to move the container to generate a water flow in the cleaning liquid in the container and immerses the reagent discharge nozzle (nozzle to be cleaned) in the cleaning liquid in the container (Third Embodiment).

[0050] According to this embodiment, the dispensing nozzle can be cleaned using only existing mechanisms, and a method for cleaning the dispensing nozzle without using ultrasound can be provided. Furthermore, by utilizing the dispensing of multiple reagents into a container, multiple cleaning solutions can be combined to create a cleaning solution.

[0051] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, but includes various modifications and combinations that do not depart from its essence. Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited to embodiments having all the configurations described above, but also includes embodiments with some of those configurations omitted. It is also possible to replace some of the configurations of one embodiment with those of another embodiment, and to add configurations from other embodiments to the configuration of one embodiment. Additionally, it is possible to add, delete, or replace some of the configurations of each embodiment with those of other embodiments. Moreover, some or all of the above configurations and functions may be implemented, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Furthermore, the above configurations and functions may be implemented in software by a processor interpreting and executing programs that implement each function.

[0052] 100: Automatic analyzer 101: Pre-processing unit 102: Separation unit 103: Analysis unit 104: Control device (control unit) 105: Input device 106: Display device 107: Storage device 111: Sample container 112: Transport mechanism 113: Sample dispensing mechanism 116: Reaction vessel 117: Reaction vessel mounting rack 118: Transport mechanism 119: Reaction vessel installation position 120: Reaction vessel disk 121: Reagent container 122: Reagent disk 123: Reagent dispensing mechanism 1231: Dispensing nozzle 124: Magnetic separation mechanism 125: Transport mechanism 126: Rotating orbit 127: Reagent mixing mechanism (mounting unit) 128: Reagent dispensing mechanism (liquid dispensing mechanism) 1281: Reagent dispensing nozzle (washing solution dispensing nozzle) 1282: Reagent dispensing nozzle 1283: Reagent dispensing nozzle (washing target nozzle) 129: System reagent storage cabinet 130: System reagent container 131: Evaporation and concentration mechanism 132: Transport mechanism 133: Dispensing mechanism for separation section 210: Mixing container (container) 220: Stirring mechanism (motion mechanism)

Claims

1. An automatic analyzer comprising: a container for holding a liquid; a liquid dispensing mechanism for dispensing the liquid from a nozzle into the container; a motion mechanism for moving the container to generate a water flow in the liquid held by the container; and a control unit for controlling the operation of the liquid dispensing mechanism and the motion mechanism, wherein the control unit causes the liquid dispensing mechanism to dispensing a reagent from a reagent dispensing nozzle into the container, and the motion mechanism to move the container to generate a water flow in the reagent within the container and perform a stirring operation to agitate the reagent, wherein the control unit causes the liquid dispensing mechanism to dispensing a cleaning solution from a cleaning solution dispensing nozzle into the container, the motion mechanism to move the container to generate a water flow in the cleaning solution within the container, and performs a cleaning operation by immersing the reagent dispensing nozzle in the cleaning solution within the container with the water flow generated.

2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein there are multiple types of washing liquid dispensing nozzles, each dispensing a different washing liquid into the container.

3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the washing solution is prepared by combining multiple types of liquids.

4. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the motion mechanism causes the container to perform rotational motion.

5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the motion mechanism causes the container to perform precession.

6. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the washing operation can be performed while the automatic analyzer measures the sample.

7. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the washing solution dispensing nozzle and the reagent dispensing nozzle are composed of different nozzles, or the washing solution dispensing nozzle and the reagent dispensing nozzle are composed of the same nozzle.

8. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, in the cleaning operation, moves the container using the motion mechanism to generate a water flow in the cleaning liquid inside the container, and after stopping the movement of the container, immerses the reagent dispensing nozzle in the cleaning liquid inside the container while a water flow is generated.

9. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, in the cleaning operation, moves the container using the motion mechanism while the reagent dispensing nozzle is immersed in the cleaning solution in the container.

10. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the control unit, in the cleaning operation, moves the container using the motion mechanism to generate a water flow in the cleaning liquid inside the container and immerses the reagent dispensing nozzle in the cleaning liquid inside the container.

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