AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS APPARATUS AND AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS METHOD

• US 20090009760A1
• Filed: 07/07/2008
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanayama, Shoichi, Omuro, Naoko
• Granted Patent: US 7,933,014 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/318
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/253 for batch operation, i.e. multisample apparatus analytical automats G01N35/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/534 by measuring transmission alone, i.e. determining opacity

Abstract

An automatic analysis apparatus and an automatic analysis method that can perform both spectrophometric measurements for biochemical tests and the turbidimetric immunoassay with high precision by selectively exchanging a white light or at least one monochromatic light based on analysis conditions determined by a measure condition setting unit for respective measuring object. The automatic analysis apparatus includes an irradiating direction setting unit configured to irradiate the selected white light or at least one monochromatic light based on the analysis conditions onto a reaction cuvette along the same light axis and a light detection unit having a plurality of light receiving elements in order to detect the white light of particular determined wavelength lights and the selected monochromatic light.

Claims

1. An automatic analysis apparatus including an optical unit configured to measure items in a mixed solution of an object sample and at least one reagent contained in a reaction cuvette by irradiating a light and detecting the light transmitted through the reaction cuvette, the optical unit comprising:

a light source unit including a white light source unit configured to irradiate a white light and a monochromatic light source unit configured to irradiate at least one monochromatic light;

a lighting direction setting unit configured to irradiate a light on the reaction cuvette positioned at a measuring point in the optical unit by selectively exchanging the white light or the at least one monochromatic light on a measuring light axis in the optical unit in accordance with an item to be measured;

a spectroscopic analysis unit configured to perform a spectroscopic analysis of a prescribed wavelength light with the white light or the at least one monochromatic light that are transmitted through the reaction cuvette; and

a light detection unit configured to detect the prescribed wavelength in the white light or the at least one monochromatic light and configured to perform the spectroscopic analysis.

2. The automatic analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein;

the monochromatic light source includes;

a plurality of monochromatic light sources, each of monochromatic light source irradiates a monochromatic light having a different wavelength; and

a multiplexing optical system for irradiating the white light and the at least one monochromatic light selected among the plurality of monochromatic light sources along an analysis light axis of the apparatus;

further wherein

the light detection unit is comprised of a plurality of light receiving elements for detecting lights of a prescribed wavelengths of the white light and the at least one of the plurality of monochromatic lights.

3. The automatic analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein;

the optical unit includes;

a light exchanging unit configured to selectively exchange the white light or the at least one monochromatic light; and

an irradiating direction setting unit configured to irradiate the exchanged white light or the at least one monochromatic light so as to irradiate along the same light axis.

4. The automatic analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein;

the optical unit includes an irradiation optical unit provided between the irradiating direction setting unit and the reaction cuvette;

the irradiation optical unit includes a lighting aperture diaphragm configured to set an irradiation scope onto the reaction cuvette; and

the light detection unit includes a detection aperture diaphragm configured to set a passing scope of the white light or the selected at least one monochromatic light transmitted through the reaction cuvette.

5. The automatic analysis apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

an analysis conditions setting unit configured to set lighting data for irradiating the white light or the selected at least one monochromatic light onto the reaction cuvette and each amount of the object sample and the at least one reagent for dispensing into the reaction cuvette;

a control unit configured to control operation signals of the apparatus based on analysis conditions inputted through an analysis conditions setting unit; and

wherein;

the light exchanging unit exchanges the light source to the white light based on a command signal form the control unit in accordance with the lighting data through the analysis conditions setting unit; and

the lighting aperture diaphragm determine a lighting path so as to pass the irradiated white light through the mixed solution contained in the reaction cuvette based on a control signal of the control in accordance with the amount data of the object sample and the at least one reagent determined by the analysis conditions setting unit and preliminary inputted size data of the reaction cuvette.

6. The automatic analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein;

the light exchanging unit exchanges the light source to the at least one monochromatic light based on lighting data instructed by the analysis conditions setting unit;

the detection aperture diaphragm sets an irradiation area of the monochromatic light passed though the reaction cuvette so as to pass the monochromatic light of the same scope or a similar scope of the irradiation scope determined by the lighting aperture unit.

7. The automatic analysis apparatus according to claim 5, wherein;

the control unit controls so that the lighting aperture determined by the lighting aperture diaphragm and the detection aperture determined by the detection aperture diaphragm have the same opening.

8. The automatic analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein;

the detection unit is comprised of a plurality of light receiving elements configured to detect the white light of preliminary determined wavelength lights and the at least one monochromatic light that are divided by the spectroscopic analysis unit.

9. The automatic analysis apparatus according to claim 8, wherein;

the detection unit further includes light receiving elements for using in a detection of the turbidity.

10. An automatic analysis method for measuring a mixed solution of an object sample and at least one reagent contained in a reaction cuvette by irradiating a white light or at least one monochromatic light, each irradiated from a white light source or at least one monochromatic light source in order to detect a change of color tone or a turbidity of a transmitted light passed through the mixed solution, including:

irradiating the white light or the at least one monochromatic light onto the reaction cuvette positioned at predetermined light measuring positions by selectively exchanging the white light or the at least one monochromatic light along a same measuring light axis; and

detecting the white light of particular determined wavelengths or the at least one monochromatic light transmitted through the reaction cuvette along the measuring light axis.

11. The automatic analysis method according to claim 10, further comprising;

setting an irradiating direction of the selectively exchanged white light or the at least one monochromatic light so as to irradiate on the same light axis or the same time.

12. The automatic analysis method according to claim 10, further comprising;

setting an irradiating scope of the white light or the at least one monochromatic light onto the reaction cuvette by a lighting aperture diaphragm; and

setting a passing scope of the white light or the at least one monochromatic light through the reaction cuvette by a detection aperture diaphragm.

13. The automatic analysis method according to claim 10, further comprising;

setting each amount of the object sample and the at least one reagent for dispensing into the reaction cuvette by an analysis conditions setting unit;

setting a light data for irradiating on the reaction cuvette;

setting analysis conditions for measuring items;

exchanging the light source to the white light based on the light data determined by setting the analysis conditions; and

setting a light path of the white light irradiating the reaction cuvette so as to transmit the irradiation light through the mixed solution contained in the reaction cuvette based on the amount data of the object sample and the at least one reagent determined by setting the analysis conditions.

14. The automatic analysis method according to claim 13, wherein:

exchanging the light source to the at least one monochromatic light based on the light data determined by setting the analysis conditions; and

setting a passing scope of the at least one monochromatic light passed through the reaction cuvette by a detection aperture diaphragm based on a control signal so as to transmit the same or small scope as an irradiation scope determined by setting the lighting aperture.

15. The automatic analysis method according to claim 13, further comprising:

controlling the lighting aperture determined by the lighting aperture diaphragm and the detection aperture determined by the detection aperture diaphragm to be opened under the same opening conditions.