Automatic analysis apparatus

• US 4,731,225 A
• Filed: 08/28/1986
• Issued: 03/15/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Nittec
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Nittec
• Inventors: Wakatake, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcus, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US06/901,383
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 422/63-67, 422/100, 422/102, 436/45, 436/47, 356/246
• US Class Current: 422/65
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00435 Refrigerated reagent storage
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00544 using fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/023 forming cuvettes in situ, e.g. from plastic strip
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0465 Loading or unloading the conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/02 using a plurality of sample containers moved by a conveyor system past one or more treatment or analysis stations G01N35/0098 and G01N35/0099 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/113332 with conveyance of sample along a test line in a container or rack

Abstract

An automatic analysis apparatus of small size which meets the needs of regional hospitals or medium- or small-sized hospitals, and which is easy to handle and simple in construction. The apparatus employs reaction vessels of the disposable type so as to substantially completely prevent a problem of cross contamination while enabling a low running cost. The automatic analysis apparatus has a transfer path for transferring and guiding reaction vessels one by one in a linear manner, a reaction vessel transfer device for successively transferring the reaction vessels to a specimen discharging position, a reagent discharging position, an optical measuring position and a reaction vessel disposal position with respective predetermined timings, a specimen discharging device adapted to discharge a predetermined amount of a specimen to the reaction vessels at a specimen discharging position, a reagent discharging device adapted to discharge a predetermined amount of a reagent corresponding to a specimen being analyzed at a reagent discharging position, a stirring device for stirring a liquid in each of the reaction vessels, an optical measuring device for optically measuring the liquid in each reaction vessel, a disposal device adapted to discard, without cleaning, the reaction vessels the optical measurements on which are finished, and a central device for analyzing the data obtained by the optical measuring device.

Claims

1. An apparatus for carrying out automatic analysis of a specimen carried in a transparent reaction vessel, said apparatus comprising:

a transfer path along which reaction vessels are transferred one by one in a linear manner, said path having therealong and in the recited order a specimen discharging position, at least one reagent discharging position, a series of successive optical measuring positions, and a reaction vessel disposal position;

a reaction vessel transfer device for successively transferring reaction vessels along said transfer path for bringing successive reaction vessels to each position one at a time;

a specimen discharging device at said specimen discharging position for discharging a predetermined amount of a specimen to be analyzed into a reaction vessel at said specimen discharging position;

at least one reagent discharging device at said at least one reagent discharge position for discharging a predetermined amount of a reagent at said reagent discharging position;

a stirring device along said transfer path between said at least one reagent discharge position and the first of said series of optical measuring positions for supplying gas for stirring the liquid in each reaction vessel;

an optical measuring device for passing a beam of light through the liquid in each rotation vessel, said optical measuring device including a light source and a photoelectric element disposed on opposite sides of said transfer path in face-to-face opposed relation to each other, and a filtering device in the path of the light beam from said light source for permitting the passage of light having a specific wavelength corresponding to the specimen being analyzed, said optical measuring device being movable along said transfer path past said succession of optical measuring positions in the direction of movement of reaction vessels along said transfer path for directing the beam of light through each reaction vessel at said optical measuring positions;

an optical measuring device transfer means connected to said optical measuring device for moving said optical measuring device along said transfer path;

a control device connected to said optical measuring device and comprising means for analyzing the data obtained by said optical measuring device; and

a disposal device at said reaction vessel disposal position for discarding, without cleaning, each reaction vessel for which the optical measurements are finished.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising means for feeding reaction vessels which are in the form of a sheet made of a light transmitting synthetic resin having excellent chemical resistance and in which sheet reaction vessels are arranged in rows transversely of the sheet with slots along the opposite sides of the rows, said feeding means comprising a storage means in which the sheets are stored in a stack one on the other, means for feeding the top sheet out of said storage means, means for cutting the sheet being fed to separate rows of reaction vessels from the remainder of the sheet and place the cut off row onto said reaction vessel transfer device, and further means for cutting the rows of reaction vessels for separating reaction vessels from each other.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising means for feeding reaction vessels which are in the form of a strip made of a light transmitting synthetic resin having excellent chemical resistance and in which strip reaction vessels are arranged in a row along the strip and with slots along the opposite sides of the row, said feeding means comprising a storage means in which the sheets are stored in a coil, means for feeding the strip out of said storage means, means for cutting the strip being fed for separating individual reaction vessels from the strip one by one and placing them on said reaction vessel transfer device.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said reagent discharging device includes reagent containing vessels for containing reagent to be dispensed, and in which control device further comprises means for optically measuring the volume of reagent contained in each reagent containing vessel and determines the number of amounts of reagent which can be dispensed from such reagent containing vessel and a display means for displaying the number.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said stirring device comprises a tube through which the gas is supplied, means for inserting the free end of said tube into a reaction vessel and then withdrawing it, means for cutting off a length of tube which has been inserted into the reaction vessel, and means for feeding the tube in the direction toward its free end for replacing the cut off length.

6. An apparatus for carrying out automatic analysis of a specimen carried in a transparent reaction vessel, said apparatus comprising:

a transfer path along which reaction vessels are transferred one by one in a linear manner, said path having therealong and in the recited order a specimen discharging position, at least one reagent discharging position, a series of successive optical measuring positions, and a reaction vessel disposal position;

a reaction vessel transfer device for successively transferring reaction vessels along said transfer path for bringing successive reaction vessels to each position one at a time;

a specimen discharging device at said specimen discharging position for discharging a predetermined amount of a specimen to be analyzed into a reaction vessel at said specimen discharging position;

at least one reagent discharging device at said at least one reagent discharge position for discharging a predetermined amount of a reagent at said reagent discharging position;

a stirring device along said transfer path between said at least one reagent discharge position and the first of said series of optical measuring positions for supplying gas for stirring the liquid in each reaction vessel;

an optical measuring device for passing a beam of light through the liquid in each reaction vessel, said optical measuring device including a light source and a photoelectric element disposed on opposite sides of said transfer path in face-to-face opposed relation to each other, and a filtering device in the path of the light beam from said light source for permitting the passage of light having a specific wavelength corresponding to the specimen being analyzed, said optical measuring device being movable along said transfer path past said succession of optical measuring positions in the direction of movement of each reaction vessel along said transfer path for directing the beam of light through each reaction vessel at said optical measuring positions;

an optical measuring device transfer means connected to said optical measuring device for moving said optical measuring device along said transfer path;

said reagent discharging device including reagent containing vessels for containing reagent to be dispensed;

a control device connected to said optical measuring device and comprising means for analyzing the data obtained by said optical measuring device and means for optically measuring the volume of reagent contained in each reagent containing vessel and determining the number of amounts of reagent which can be dispensed from such reagent containing vessel and a display means for displaying the number, and

a disposal device at said reaction vessel disposal position for discarding, without cleaning, each reaction vessel the optical measurements of which are finished.

7. An apparatus for carrying out automatic analysis of a specimen carried in a transparent reaction vessel, said apparatus comprising:

a transfer path along which reaction vessels are transferred one by one in a linear manner, said path having therealong and in the recited order a specimen discharging position, at least one reagent discharging position, a series of successive optical measuring positions, and a reaction vessel disposal position;

a reaction vessel transfer device for successively transferring reaction vessels along said transfer path for bringing successive reaction vessels to each position one at a time;

a specimen discharging device at said specimen discharging position for discharging a predetermined amount of a specimen to be analyzed into a reaction vessel at said specimen discharging position;

at least one reagent discharging device at said at least one reagent discharge position for discharging a predetermined amount of a reagent at said reagent discharging position;

a stirring device along said transfer path between said at least one reagent discharge position and the first of said series of optical measuring positions for supplying gas for stirring the liquid in each reaction vessel, said stirring device having a tube through which the gas is supplied, means for inserting the free end of said tube into a reaction vessel and then withdrawing it, means for cutting off the length of tube which has been inserted into a reaction vessel, and means for feeding the tube in the direction toward its free end for replacing the cut off length;

an optical measuring device for passing a beam of light through the liquid in each reaction vessel, said optical measuring device including a light source and a photoelectric element disposed on opposite sides of said transfer path in face-to-face opposed relation to each other, and a filtering device in the path of the light beam from said light source for permitting the passage of light having a specific wavelength corresponding to the specimen being analyzed, said optical measuring device being movable along said transfer path past said succession of optical measuring positions in the direction of movement of each reaction vessel along said transfer path for directing the beam of light through each reaction vessel at said optical measuring positions;

an optical measuring device transfer means connected to said optical measuring device for moving said optical measuring device along said transfer path;

a control device connected to said optical measuring device and comprising means for analyzing the data obtained by said optical measuring device; and

a disposal device at said reaction vessel disposal position for discarding, without cleaning, each reaction vessel the optical measurements of which are finished.