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EP-4354150-B1 - AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS DEVICE

EP4354150B1EP 4354150 B1EP4354150 B1EP 4354150B1EP-4354150-B1

Inventors

  • HORIE YOSUKE
  • OCHI MANABU
  • SAEGUSA TAKASHI
  • KAWAHARA TETSUJI
  • SUZUKI YOICHIRO
  • SAKATA KENSHIRO

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20220414

Claims (6)

  1. An automated analyzer comprising: a dispensing mechanism (14, 15) including a nozzle (21, 22) that dispenses a reagent or a specimen and a dispensing arm (201) that moves the nozzle (21, 22); a cleaning tank (26, 27) for cleaning the nozzle (21, 22); and an automated analyzer control unit that adjusts a position of the nozzle (21, 22), wherein the automated analyzer executes an analysis process of analyzing a mixed liquid of the reagent and the specimen, the mixed liquid being held in a reaction cell, at the dispensing mechanism (14, 15), a stop position of the nozzle (21, 22) is set, the stop position being a position at which the nozzle (21, 22) stops moving in the analysis process, the dispensing mechanism (14, 15) includes an imaging device (202) disposed on the dispensing arm (201), at the dispensing mechanism (14, 15), at least one position at which an image of the nozzle (21, 22) is taken is set as predetermined one or plural imaging positions (407, 412), wherein the automated analyzer control unit moves the nozzle (21, 22) to the one or plural imaging positions (407, 412) of the nozzle (21, 22), and takes the image of the nozzle (21, 22), using the imaging device (202), at the imaging position (407, 412), and the imaging position (407, 412) is a position to which the nozzle (21, 22) is allowed to move and is a position different from the stop position, wherein the stop position includes a suction position at which the nozzle (21, 22) sucks the reagent or the specimen from a container holding the reagent or the specimen, a delivery position at which the nozzle (21, 22) delivers the reagent or the specimen to the reaction cell, and a cleaning position at which the nozzle (21, 22) is cleaned and wherein when taking an image of the cleaning tank (26, 27), the container, or the reaction cell as an imaging target, using the imaging device (202), characterized in that the automated analyzer control unit takes an image of the imaging target at a position at which the nozzle (21, 22) and the imaging target do not overlap in a taken image of the imaging target.
  2. The automated analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the imaging position (407, 412) is a position at which a background of a front end of the nozzle (21, 22) is a blank background in an image of the nozzle (21, 22) that is taken by the imaging device (202).
  3. The automated analyzer according to claim 1, wherein when taking an image of the imaging target, using the imaging device (202), the automated analyzer control unit moves the nozzle (21, 22) from the imaging position (407, 412) to the position at which the nozzle (21, 22) and the imaging target do not overlap, at a speed lower than a speed of moving the nozzle (21, 22) in the analysis process.
  4. The automated analyzer according to claim 1, comprising a cover that covers at least one of the cleaning tank (26, 27), the container, and the reaction cell, wherein the imaging position (407, 412) is covered with the cover when the automated analyzer carries out the analysis process.
  5. The automated analyzer according to claim 1, comprising a cover that covers at least one of the cleaning tank (26, 27), the container, and the reaction cell, wherein the imaging position (407, 412) is on the cover.
  6. The automated analyzer according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the imaging positions (407, 412) are set, and when a position of a front end of the nozzle (21, 22) cannot be detected from an image of the nozzle (21, 22) that is taken at one imaging position (407, 412) of the plurality of imaging positions (407, 412), the automated analyzer control unit takes an image of the nozzle (21, 22) at a different imaging position (407, 412) of the plurality of imaging positions (407, 412).

Description

Technical Field The present invention relates to an automated analyzer that mixes a specimen and a reagent to conduct a component analysis. Background Art The automated analyzer dispenses a specimen (sample) and a reagent in a small container (reaction cell), mixes them together, and analyzes components of the sample. Because the automated analyzer dispenses the sample and reagent by repeatedly using the same nozzle, the nozzle is replaced with new one in every half year or one year, from the viewpoint of maintaining dispensing accuracy. The automated analyzer, which uses a slender nozzle whose front end is small in diameter, causes the nozzle to suck the sample held in a sample tube and the reagent held in a reagent container and deliver the sample and reagent to the reaction cell, and cleans the front end of the nozzle in a cleaning tank. The nozzle is inserted into the sample tube of a slender shape, the reagent container having a narrow opening for the purpose of preventing evaporation of the reagent, the reaction cell that is a small container, and the cleaning tank having a cleaning hole allowing the nozzle to pass therethrough. These containers and cleaning tank each have an opening (hole) through which the nozzle passes, and this opening is small. When the nozzle is inserted into these containers and cleaning tank, therefore, the position of the nozzle needs to be aligned with the position of the opening through which the nozzle passes. Conventionally, the position of the nozzle and the position of the opening through which the nozzle passes are adjusted by a skilled operator in order to prevent a drop in dispensing accuracy and scattering of a cleaning solution that are caused by a positional shift in the horizontal direction. In addition, every time the nozzle is replaced with a new nozzle, the horizontal position of the new nozzle needs to be adjusted because different nozzles have their respective centers of the nozzle front ends at different positions due to different degrees of warping resulting from manufacturing variations. PTL 1 discloses an adjustment system for an automated analyzer which adjustment system can suppress a difference in adjustment quality that arises between a skilled operator and an unskilled operator. This adjustment system includes an imaging device (camera) that takes an image of an adjustment target object, and acquires information indicating a current position of the adjustment target object (an arm having a nozzle), based on the image taken by the imaging device. To adjust the position of the nozzle using the imaging device, position coordinates of the front end of the nozzle and position coordinates of the opening through which the nozzle passes need to be extracted. A sample nozzle has stop positions at the sample tube, the reaction cell, and the cleaning tank, respectively, and at these stop positions, the nozzle sucks/delivers the sample and is cleaned. A reagent nozzle has stop positions at the reagent container, the reaction cell, and the cleaning tank, respectively, and at these stop positions, the nozzle sucks/delivers the reagent and is cleaned. It is required at each stop position that the position of the nozzle be aligned highly accurately with the opening of the container or cleaning tank, the opening allowing the nozzle to pass therethrough (the opening is hereinafter referred to as "adjustment target"). PTL 2 discloses a nozzle tip position measuring device that measures the position of a nozzle tip of a spotting device that drops a minute amount of liquid onto a substrate such as a glass plate. PTL 3 discloses an ink jet device and a method for producing a biological assay substrate by releasing a plurality of substances onto the substrate. Citation List Patent Literature PTL 1: WO 2013/122013 APTL 2: JP 2005049197 APTL 3: US 2008305969 A1 Summary of Invention Technical Problem To efficiently adjust the position of the nozzle in the horizontal direction at a plurality of stop positions of the nozzle, it is preferable that an arm having the nozzle be provided with an imaging device and that a positional shift between the nozzle and the adjustment target be detected, using an image captured by the imaging device. However, the image captured by the imaging device disposed on the arm contains not only the image of the nozzle but also an image of the adjustment target present at the same imaging distance at which the nozzle is present. When the front end of the nozzle is detected from a taken image of the front end of the nozzle, if an image of the adjustment target is included in the image, especially, if an image of a part with large contrast changes or irregularities is present at the back of the front end of the nozzle, such an extra image affects image processing, making it difficult to extract coordinates of the front end of the nozzle highly accurately by image processing. When the adjustment target is detected from an image of the adjustment target,