EP-4145135-B1 - AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS DEVICE

Inventors

• SUZUKI AKIKO
• MATSUOKA SHINYA
• EBIHARA DAISUKE
• UEDA MITSUHIKO
• TOMIDA SHOJI

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20210203

Claims (3)

1. An automatic analyzer comprising: a reagent bottle installation unit (200) configured to install a reagent bottle (301) containing a reagent used for analysis; a nozzle unit (210) configured to couple a supply flow path (220) configured to connect a location where the reagent is used and an inside of the reagent bottle (301) installed in the reagent bottle installation unit (200) to the reagent bottle (301); a stopper (202) disposed on a movement path of a nozzle (400) of the nozzle unit (210) and configured to prevent the nozzle (400) from being inserted into the reagent bottle (301); a stopper control unit (131b) configured to drive and control the stopper (202); an RFID reader (350) configured to read reagent information recorded on an RFID tag (309) attached to the reagent bottle (301); and a nozzle control unit (131c) configured to control rise and drop operations of the nozzle (400), wherein when it is determined that the reagent bottle (301) is correct, the stopper control unit (131b) is configured to drive the stopper (202) by retreating the stopper (202) toward the side of the reagent bottle installation in a standby position and not to hinder the movement of the nozzle (400), when it is not determined that the reagent bottle (301) is correct, the stopper control unit (131b) is configured not to drive the stopper (202) but to hinder the movement of the nozzle (400), characterized in that the stopper control unit (131b) is further configured to move the stopper (202) to a lock position by making the stopper (202) to protrude from a side of the reagent bottle installation and to fasten the stopper (202) so as to interfere with the nozzle (400) and thus prevent the nozzle (400) from being removed from the reagent bottle (301) except for a timing at which the reagent bottle (301) is replaced, and to hinder a movement of the nozzle (400), and when replacing the reagent bottle (301), the stopper control unit (131b) is configured to place the stopper (202) so that it is disposed at a position where a lower end (402) of the nozzle (400) and a top side of the stopper (202) are in contact with each other so as to prevent the reagent in the nozzle (400) from accidentally dripping and adhering to a hand or the like of an operator who performs a replacement operation.
2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the stopper (202) is disposed at a position where a length from an upper end to a lower end of the nozzle (400) is equal to a movement distance of the nozzle (400).
3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: an RFID reader (350) configured to read reagent information recorded on an RFID tag (309) attached to the reagent bottle (301), wherein when it is determined that the reagent bottle (301) is correct, the nozzle control unit (131c) is configured to drive the nozzle (400), and when it is not determined that the reagent bottle (301) is correct, the nozzle control unit (131c) is configured not to drive the nozzle (400).

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer that uses a reagent to analyze a concentration of a predetermined component in a biological sample (hereinafter referred to as a specimen) such as blood and urine. Background Art As an example of a specimen analyzer capable of performing smooth replacement of a reagent bottle as compared to a specimen analyzer in the related art, PTL 1 discloses that a specimen analyzer includes a container installation unit configured to install a reagent bottle, an openable and closable cover provided in the reagent bottle installation unit, a solenoid configured to lock the cover at an open position, and an information processing unit configured to control locking and unlocking of the cover at the open position by the solenoid, and the cover is locked at the open position when replacing a reagent. Citation List Patent Literature PTL 1: JP-A-2011-209207 WO 2019/198493 A1 discloses an electrolyte analyzing device with the features in the preamble of present claim 1. Other conventional analyzers are described in JP 2014 134484 A, US 2008/095668 A1, US 2005/074363 A1, and US 2019/227092 A1. Summary of Invention Technical Problem An automatic analyzer that uses a reagent installed in the analyzer to analyze a specimen is known. As the reagent used in the automatic analyzer, two types of reagents, for example, a reagent prepared individually for each measurement target item (hereinafter referred to as an "assay reagent") and a reagent commonly used for various measurement target items (hereinafter referred to as a "system reagent") are often used. Of the reagents, a plurality of system reagents are often mounted according to a measurement principle of the analyzer, a cleaning method of the analyzer, and the like. Here, it is assumed that a user incorrectly removes a system reagent currently being used. In this case, since the system reagent is not supplied, the analyzer cannot continue measurement and thus stops the measurement. The user needs to install the reagent again and perform the measurement again, and thus time until an analysis result is obtained increases. In the automatic analyzer disclosed in PTL 1 described above, there is described a method in which the container installation unit capable of installing the reagent bottle containing the reagent used in the analysis and the cover for opening or closing the container installation unit are installed, and the cover portion is locked or unlocked. Further, the cover and a nozzle portion to be inserted into the reagent are configured to be interlocked with each other. A reagent type is recognized when the reagent is placed, and when the reagent type is recognized as a correct reagent type, lowering of the cover and the nozzle is permitted, and when the reagent type is not recognized as the correct reagent type, the lowering of the nozzle is prohibited to prevent incorrect installation. After the reagent is installed, rise of the cover and the nozzle is prohibited except for a timing at which the reagent is to be replaced, thereby preventing the user from incorrectly removing the reagent. However, in the automatic analyzer disclosed in PTL 1, it is necessary to use the cover that is not necessary for a purpose of installing the reagent in the analyzer. Therefore, a reagent installation unit may be large and complicated. The invention is made in order to solve the above problems, and provides an automatic analyzer that achieves the prevention of misplacement of reagent types and the prevention of removal of reagents at an incorrect timing with less space and constituent components. Solution to Problem The invention is defined in the appended claims. It includes a plurality of units for solving the above problems, and as an example, an automatic analyzer includes a stopper that is disposed on a movement path of a reagent aspiration nozzle of a nozzle unit and prevents the reagent aspiration nozzle from being inserted into a reagent bottle. Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the invention, it is possible to achieve the prevention of misplacement of reagent types and the prevention of removal of reagents at an incorrect timing with less space and constituent components. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be further clarified with the following description of embodiments. Brief Description of Drawings [FIG. 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an automatic analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention.[FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an outline of a reagent bottle containing a system reagent used in the automatic analyzer of the present invention.[FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a reagent bottle installation unit or a nozzle unit of the automatic analyzer of the present invention.[FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a r