Automatic analyzer

• US 9,797,827 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2015
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Orihashi, Toshihide, Takano, Masaki, Miyaki, Mariko, Tokunaga, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): AMIN, MUSTAFA A
• Application Number:
  US14/850,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20150377771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0091 GUI [graphical user interfaces]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/31 Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry G01N21/72 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00722 Communications; Identification

Abstract

A display is provided for an automatic analyzer to display statistics such as measurement results. A width of a display in a window that displays statistics may be adjusted and the amount of information to be displayed on the display is changed according to a level of detail of the information which the operator wants to confirm. Sample information, measurement results, and detailed information related to the measurement results are simultaneously displayed without a subwindow being displayed in overlapped form in the limited display area.

Claims

1. An automatic analyzer comprising:

an analyzing unit to measure a plurality of component concentrations in a plurality of biological samples;

a computer including a processor, a memory, and an input device; and

a display device connected to the computer,

wherein the memory stores instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

display, on the display device, a plurality of categories of information including a sample list and a measurement result list, and control horizontal sizes of respective panes of the sample list and the measurement result list that are displayed simultaneously on a same screen without overlap,

simultaneously display the sample list and the measurement result list in;

a first screen mode that displays the sample list including a first number of display items within a first pane and the measurement result list including a second number of display items within a second pane, and

a second screen mode that displays the sample list including a third number of display items within the first pane and the measurement result list including a fourth number of display items within the second pane, where the third number of display items is less than the first number of display items and the fourth number of display items is greater than the second number of display items, and where the horizontal size of the first pane of the sample list is smaller than in the first screen mode and the horizontal size of the second pane of the measurement result list is larger than in the first screen mode,

receive an input from the input device to display, on the display device, detailed information of one of the biological samples as the display items in the measurement result list selected by the input device from the display items of the sample list,

display a first button simultaneously in the first mode with the sample list and the measurement result list on the display,

receive the input from the input device of a single instance of a selection of the first button,

upon receiving the single instance of the selection of the first button, control the display device to change from the first screen mode to the second screen model,

control the display device to display the sample list and the measurement result list in;

a third screen mode that displays the sample list including a fifth number of display items, the measurement result list including a sixth number of display items, and a reaction process monitor indicating data of reaction results of the reaction related to the selected one of the biological samples, and where the fifth number of display items is less than the first number of display items and the sixth number of display items is less than the second number of display items, and where the horizontal size of the sample list is smaller than in the first screen mode and the horizontal size of the measurement result list is smaller than in the first screen mode,

wherein the second screen mode displays a second button for the input device to instruct the computer to control the display device to change from the second screen mode to the third screen mode, and

wherein the computer controls the display device to change from the second screen mode to the third screen mode upon selection of the second button by the input device.

2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein:

at least one of a sample measurement status, a sample ID, a sample name, and a sample setup position number of the respective biological samples are included as the display items in the sample list, and

at least one of an analytical item name information, a first test value information, a retest value information, an information of a data alarm related to the first test value, an information of a data alarm relating to the retest value, an information of a sample-dispensing time corresponding to the first test value, and an information of a sample-dispensing time corresponding to the retest value of the respective biological samples are included as the display items in the measurement result list.

3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein:

the computer further controls the display device to display a sample measurement status continuously as one of the display items in the sample list in the second screen mode.

4. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein:

the input device is a mouse, and

the computer controls the display device to display scroll bars next to each of the sample list and the measurement result list in the first screen mode and the second screen mode.

5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein:

the second screen mode displays a third button for the input device to instruct the computer to control the display device to change from the second screen mode to the first screen mode, and

the computer controls the display device to change from the second screen mode to the first screen mode when instructed by the input device.

6. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein:

the third screen mode displays a fourth button for the input device to instruct the computer to control the display device to change from the third screen mode to the first screen mode or the second screen mode, and

the computer controls the display device to change from the third screen mode to the first screen mode or the second screen mode upon selection by the input device.

7. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the analyzing unit includes:

a reaction disk which holds a plurality of reaction vessels thereon;

a sample probe which dispenses the biological samples into the reaction vessels;

a reagent dispensing probe which dispenses a plurality of reagents into the reaction vessels;

a light source which irradiates the reaction vessels containing the reagents and the biological samples with light; and

a photometer which measures an intensity of light from the reaction vessels containing the reagents and the biological samples corresponding to the component concentrations.

8. A method of an automatic analyzer, the automatic analyzer comprising:

a reaction disk which holds a plurality of reaction vessels thereon;

a sample probe which dispenses biological samples into the reaction vessels;

a reagent dispensing probe which dispenses a plurality of reagents into the reaction vessels;

a light source which irradiates the reaction vessels containing the reagents and the biological samples with light; and

a photometer which measures an intensity of light from the reaction vessels containing the reagents and the biological samples corresponding to the component concentrations, the method comprising;

displaying, on a display device, a plurality of categories of information including a sample list and a measurement result list, and control horizontal sizes of respective panes of the sample list and the measurement result list that are displayed simultaneously on a same screen without overlap;

simultaneously displaying the sample list and the measurement result list in;

a first screen mode that displays the sample list including a first number of display items within a first pane and the measurement result list including a second number of display items within a second pane; and

a second screen mode that displays the sample list including a third number of display items within the first pane and the measurement result list including a fourth number of display items within the second pane, where the third number of display items is less than the first number of display items and the fourth number of display items is greater than the second number of display items, and where the horizontal size of the first pane of the sample list is smaller than in the first screen mode and the horizontal size of the second pane of the measurement result list is larger than in the first screen mode;

receiving the input from the input device to display, on the display device, detailed information of one of the biological samples as the display items in the measurement result list selected by the input device from the display items of the sample list;

displaying a first button simultaneously in the first mode with the sample list and the measurement result list on the display;

receiving an input from the input device of a single instance of a selection of the first button;

upon receiving the single instance of the selection of the first button, control the display device to change from the first screen mode to the second screen mode; and

controlling the display device to display the sample list and the measurement result list in;

a third screen mode that displays the sample list including a fifth number of display items, the measurement result list including a sixth number of display items, and a reaction process monitor indicating data of reaction results of the reaction related to the selected one of the biological samples, and where the fifth number of display items is less than the first number of display items and the sixth number of display items is less than the second number of display items, and where the horizontal size of the sample list is smaller than in the first screen mode and the horizontal size of the measurement result list is smaller than in the first screen mode,

wherein the second screen mode displays a second button for the input device to instruct the computer to control the display device to change from the second screen mode to the third screen mode, and

wherein the computer controls the display device to change from the second screen mode to the third screen mode upon selection of the second button by the input device.