Automatic Analyzer Reaction Container Maintenance Without Stopping Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automatic analyzers require stopping the analysis operation to perform maintenance tasks like soaking and washing of reaction containers, especially in 24-hour operations where the start button is not pressed continuously, making it impossible to maintain reaction containers without halting analysis.
Innovation Solution
An automatic analyzer with a mechanism to soak and wash reaction containers during continuous analysis operations by using a detergent dispensation mechanism to wash reaction containers without stopping the analysis, allowing for scheduled maintenance cycles that do not interrupt the analysis process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If reaction container maintenance (soaking and washing) is performed using conventional methods, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but analysis operation must be stopped
Solution Approach 1:
The reaction containers are divided into multiple groups, with each group undergoing maintenance at different time points. This segmentation allows the maintenance process to be distributed across multiple analysis cycles rather than requiring all containers to be maintained simultaneously, thus avoiding complete operation stoppage while ensuring regular cleaning of all containers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs maintenance on reaction containers in advance during idle periods within analysis cycles. By proactively cleaning containers before they are needed for the next analysis round, the system ensures cleaning effectiveness is maintained without interrupting the overall analysis workflow.
2Reliability
If undiluted detergent washing is performed for 10 minutes, then cleaning quality is improved, but maintenance time increases to 15 minutes requiring operation stop
Solution Approach 1:
The maintenance operation is structured as periodic action occurring at predetermined intervals during analysis cycles. By scheduling maintenance periodically rather than continuously, the system achieves thorough cleaning of each container group while distributing the time loss across multiple shorter intervals, preventing complete operation stoppage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous analysis operation by performing maintenance on container groups in sequence during idle periods. This ensures that while some containers are being cleaned, other containers remain available for analysis, maintaining the continuity of useful action throughout the system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables maintenance of reaction containers, including soaking and washing, without completely stopping the analysis, even during continuous operation, thereby minimizing degradation in processing capability and preventing interruptions in 24-hour analysis operations.
Implementation Method 1
a dedicated detergent is supplied to a reaction container without dilution and the container is soaked and washed
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an automatic analyzer capable of automatically executing necessary maintenance while performing an analysis without causing an operator to stop the analysis by the analyzer for maintenance of reaction containers. A biochemical automatic analyzer uses absorbance data to calculate measurement values. Owing to this, maintenance for keeping reaction containers clean (generally once a week) is essential to ensure reliability of the obtained absorbance data. However, it takes 30 minutes or more to conduct the maintenance (including cell blank measurement) and an increase in work time in a busy test room is to be addressed. The automatic analyzer includes a storage unit storing the reaction containers of cleaning target by day unit in such a manner that all the reaction containers mounted on a reaction disk are to be cleaning target within a plurality of days, and a control unit exerts a control in such a manner that during an operation state after the sample of analysis object is dispensed to the reaction containers, a sample of analysis object in each of the reaction containers is analyzed, and not the sample but a detergent is dispensed to the reaction containers of cleaning target of an appointed day, the reaction containers of cleaning target of the appointed day being stored in the storage unit, to soak and wash the reaction containers for a certain time. Furthermore, the number of the reaction containers to be washed per day is made variable according to a permissible duration of time for which an analysis processing capability of the analyzer degrades so that it is possible to apply the analyzer to various facilities.