Automatic Analyzer Diluting Fluid Vessel Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic analyzers with flow cell-type detectors face performance issues due to unnecessary inflow of remaining liquid, requiring repeated suction and discharge operations to clear old liquid from vessels, which slows down the analysis preparation and processing.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a diluting fluid to the liquid vessel, which is then sucked into a channel and discharged to a dumping part, allowing for quicker liquid replacement and reduced repetition of suction and discharge operations by diluting the remaining liquid to prevent its inflow into the flow cell.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the amount of suction is limited within the channel capacity to prevent remaining liquid inflow into the flow cell, then the detector performance is protected, but the liquid replacement process requires repeated suction and discharge operations which slows down processing
Solution Approach 1:
A waste liquid storage container is introduced as an intermediary component between the suction nozzle and the final waste discharge point. This allows the system to temporarily store waste liquid and perform multiple suction operations without immediately discharging, enabling the suction nozzle to be refilled and reused. This mediator resolves the contradiction by allowing repeated suction cycles (improving productivity) while maintaining detector protection (reliability) through controlled waste accumulation and periodic discharge.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-fills the suction nozzle with liquid from the liquid vessel before each suction operation. This preliminary action ensures that the suction nozzle is always ready for immediate use, eliminating idle time between operations. Combined with the waste liquid storage capability, this allows continuous rapid suction operations without waiting for discharge cycles, thereby improving productivity while maintaining detector protection through the established suction volume limits.
2Reliability
If repeated suction and discharge operations are performed to clear remaining liquid from the liquid vessel, then the detector is protected from contamination, but the analysis preparation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The waste liquid storage container serves as a mediator that decouples the suction operation from the discharge operation. By allowing multiple suction cycles to accumulate waste liquid before a single discharge event, the system reduces the frequency of interruptive discharge operations. This maintains detector protection (reliability) while significantly reducing the total time spent on repeated suction-discharge cycles, thereby reducing analysis preparation time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables continuous useful action by allowing the suction nozzle to perform multiple suction operations in succession without intermediate discharge steps. The waste liquid storage container maintains continuity by buffering the waste liquid throughout these operations. This continuous suction process improves efficiency and reduces analysis preparation time while the controlled discharge mechanism ensures detector protection is maintained.
3Reliability
If the suction nozzle is refilled from the liquid vessel multiple times to discharge remaining liquid, then the detector performance is maintained, but the processing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The waste liquid storage container acts as a mediator that enables rapid successive refilling operations. By storing waste liquid temporarily, the system allows the suction nozzle to be quickly refilled multiple times without waiting for each discharge operation to complete. This intermediary storage mechanism maintains detector protection (reliability) through controlled suction volumes while dramatically increasing processing speed by eliminating discharge wait times between refilling cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-positioning the waste liquid storage container and pre-configuring the discharge mechanism before the suction-refill cycle begins. This preparation allows the suction nozzle to immediately engage in rapid successive refilling operations without setup delays. The preliminary arrangement of the waste storage system enables high-speed processing while maintaining detector protection through the established operational protocol.
Data Source
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AI summary
The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer capable of quickening the replacement of liquid in each liquid vessel, shortening the analysis preparation time, and speeding up the processing. Specifically, the automatic analyzer comprises: a suction nozzle 202; a liquid transfer syringe 203; a suction channel 205 which connects the suction nozzle 202 and the liquid transfer syringe 203; a flow cell 201 which is arranged in the middle of the suction channel 205; a detector 200 for sample analysis which is arranged in the flow cell 201; a reaction auxiliary liquid vessel 404 and a cleaning liquid vessel 405 which store liquids to be sucked in by the suction nozzle 202; means 233 for supplying a diluting fluid to the vessels 404 and 405; a cleaning tank 406 for dumping liquid remaining in the vessels 404 and 405; and a controller 119 for supplying the diluting fluid to the vessels 404 and 405 when the remaining liquid is discharged from the vessels 404 and 405 and thereafter having the diluted remaining liquid sucked into the flow cell 201 via the suction nozzle 202 and having the sucked remaining liquid discharged to the cleaning tank 406.