AUTOANALYZER AND PROBE CLEANING METHOD

Abstract

A specimen is sequentially sampled by a probe, and at least one of the number of times of cleaning and a cleaning time when cleaning the probe is changed based on at least one of the number of times of sampling of the specimen by the probe and a sampling amount of the specimen.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a structural view showing a first embodiment of an autoanalyzer according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a structural view showing a cleaning mechanism in the autoanalyzer;

FIG. 3 is a view showing another structure in the autoanalyzer;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system in the autoanalyzer;

FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing a specimen sampling operation and a sampling probe cleaning operation in accordance with each sampling period in the autoanalyzer;

FIG. 6 is a view showing a sampling probe cleaning method in the autoanalyzer;

FIG. 7 is a view showing an example of a timing of additional cleaning by the autoanalyzer;

FIG. 8 is a cleaning flowchart in the autoanalyzer;

FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing a specimen sampling operation and a sampling probe cleaning operation in accordance with each sampling period in a second embodiment of an autoanalyzer according to the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a view showing an example of a timing of additional cleaning by the autoanalyzer;

FIG. 11 is a view showing weighting with respect to each specimen sampling amount in a third embodiment of an autoanalyzer according to the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a view showing another timing of additional cleaning by the autoanalyzer according to the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a view showing still another timing of additional cleaning by the autoanalyzer according to the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a view showing yet another timing of additional cleaning by the autoanalyzer according to the present invention; and

FIG. 15 is a view showing a conventional sampling probe cleaning method.

Claims

1. An autoanalyzer comprising: a probe that samples a specimen;an analysis unit that analyzes the specimen sampled by the probe;a cleaning mechanism that cleans the probe; anda probe cleaning change section that changes at least one of the number of times of cleaning and a cleaning time of the probe by the cleaning mechanism based on at least one of the number of times of sampling of the specimen and a sampling amount of the specimen by the probe.

2. The autoanalyzer according to claim 1, wherein the probe cleaning change section obtains a sampling integration amount of the specimen as the sampling amount of the specimen.

3. The autoanalyzer according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit analyzes the specimen in accordance with each of a plurality of inspection items, andthe probe cleaning change section obtains each number of times of sampling or each sampling amount in accordance with each of the plurality of inspection items, and changes at least one of the number of times of cleaning and a cleaning time of the probe by the cleaning mechanism based on at least one of each number of times of sampling and each sampling amount.

4. The autoanalyzer according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit comprises a biochemical analysis unit that performs biochemical analysis of the specimen and an immunological analysis unit that performs immunological analysis of the specimen, andthe probe cleaning change section is provided in the biochemical analysis unit.

5. The autoanalyzer according to claim 1, wherein the probe cleaning change section has a preset number of times of sampling, and adds cleaning of the probe when the number of times of sampling exceeds the set number of times of sampling or when the total number of times of sampling including the next sampling exceeds the set number of times of sampling.

6. The autoanalyzer according to claim 1, wherein the probe cleaning change section has a preset sampling integration amount, and adds cleaning of the probe when the sampling integration amount exceeds the set sampling integration amount or when the total sampling integration amount including a sampling amount in the next sampling exceeds the set sampling integration amount.

7. The autoanalyzer according to claim 1, wherein the probe cleaning change section has a preset number of times of sampling and a preset sampling integration amount, and adds cleaning of the probe when one or both a case where the number of times of sampling exceeds the set number of times of sampling and a case where the total number of times of sampling including the next sampling exceeds the set number of times of sampling are achieved and when one or both a case where the sampling integration amount exceeds the set sampling integration amount and a case where the total sampling integration amount including a sampling amount in the next sampling exceeds the set sampling integration amount are achieved.

8. The autoanalyzer according to claim 1, wherein cleaning the probe by the cleaning mechanism is carried out in accordance with each sampling period where the specimen is sampled, andthe probe cleaning change section increases the number of times of cleaning the probe when cleaning the probe.

9. The autoanalyzer according to claim 1, wherein cleaning the probe by the cleaning mechanism is carried out in accordance with each sampling period where the specimen is sampled, andthe probe cleaning change section prolongs a time required for cleaning the probe when cleaning the probe.

10. The autoanalyzer according to claim 5, 6, or 7, wherein sampling the specimen by the probe and cleaning the probe are operations in one cycle, the cycle being repeated for a plurality of number of times, andthe probe cleaning change section performs cleaning of the probe alone without executing sampling of the specimen by the probe in the next cycle when addition of the cleaning is determined.

11. The autoanalyzer according to claim 10, wherein the probe cleaning change section performs cleaning of the probe alone without executing sampling of the specimen by the probe in the plurality of continuous cycles including the next cycle.

12. The autoanalyzer according to claim 10, wherein the probe cleaning change section prolongs a time required for cleaning the probe in the next cycle.

13. The autoanalyzer according to claim 5, 6, or 7, further comprising: a plurality of specimen containers that respectively accommodate the plurality of different specimens; anda plurality of reaction containers into which the respective specimens are poured,wherein the probe repeats an operation as one cycle more than once, the operation including sampling the specimen accommodated in one of the respective specimen containers, then discharging the sampled specimen into one of the respective reaction containers, and being cleaned by the cleaning mechanism, andthe probe cleaning change section performs cleaning of the probe alone without executing sampling of the specimen in the next cycle when addition of the cleaning is determined.

14. The autoanalyzer according to claim 5, 6, or 7, further comprising: one specimen container that accommodates the specimen; anda plurality of reaction containers into which the specimen is divided and poured,wherein the probe repeats an operation as one cycle more than once, divides and pours the specimen accommodated in the specimen container into the plurality of reaction containers, and is then cleaned by the cleaning mechanism after divided pouring of the specimen into the reaction containers in a cycle having a predetermined cycle number when the number of times of repetition of the cycle reaches the predetermined cycle number, the operation including sampling the specimen accommodated in the specimen container and discharging the sampled specimen into one of the respective reaction containers, andthe probe cleaning change section performs cleaning of the probe alone without executing sampling of the specimen in a cycle following the cycle having the predetermined cycle number when effecting addition of the cleaning.

15. The autoanalyzer according to claim 14, wherein the probe cleaning change section performs weighting in accordance with each sampling amount with respect to the plurality of reaction containers, uses each weighted sampling amount to obtain a sampling integration amount of the specimen, and executes the additional cleaning when the sampling integration amount exceeds a preset sampling integration amount.

16. The autoanalyzer according to claim 2, wherein the analysis unit performs analysis of the specimen in accordance with each of a plurality of inspection items, andthe probe cleaning change section performs the additional cleaning operation when the sampling integration amount of the specimen used for at least one of the inspection items exceeds a preset amount.

17. A probe cleaning method comprising: sequentially sampling a specimen by a probe; andchanging at least one of the number of times of cleaning and a cleaning time when cleaning the probe based on at least one of the number of times of sampling of the specimen by the probe and a sampling amount of the specimen.