Circular type cartridge enabling centrifugation and modular automatic analyzer using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10371709-B2
Application number	US-201715482467-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2017
Priority date	Apr 8, 2016
Publication date	Aug 6, 2019
Grant date	Aug 6, 2019

Abstract

A modular automatic analyzer using a circular type cartridge enabling centrifugation according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a main body frame; an X-axis conveying unit which reciprocally moves in an X-axis direction with respect to the main body frame; a circular type cartridge accommodating housing which is installed with respect to the X-axis conveying unit so as to be reciprocally movable in the X-axis direction by the X-axis conveying unit, a single rotation drive unit which is installed in the circular type cartridge accommodating housing and is rotated step by step at a predetermined interval or rotated at a high speed for centrifugation, a circular type cartridge which is installed at an upper surface of the circular type cartridge accommodating housing so as to be rotatably connected to the rotation drive unit and has wells disposed to be spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction of a disc-shaped main body, a tip lifting unit which picks up and moves a tip upward and downward, a measurement unit which measures a reaction in the well, a Z-axis drive unit which is provided with the tip lifting unit and the measurement unit and reciprocally operates in a Z-axis direction with respect to the main body frame, and a control unit C which controls an automatic immunity analyzer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic analyzer using a circular type cartridge enabling centrifugation, the automatic analyzer comprising:
a main body frame;
an X-axis conveying unit which reciprocally moves in an X-axis direction of forward and backward with respect to the main body frame;
a circular type cartridge accommodating housing which is installed with respect to the X-axis conveying unit so as to be reciprocally movable in the X-axis direction by the X-axis conveying unit;
a circular type cartridge which is installed at an upper side of the circular type cartridge accommodating housing, and has a centrifugation well for centrifugation of a sample, and two or more wells for testing the sample;
a single rotation drive unit which selectively rotates the circular type cartridge step by step by a predetermined interval and at a high speed for centrifugation, and is installed in the circular type cartridge accommodating housing;
a pipette tip;
a tip lifting unit configured to move the pipette tip upward and downward for testing the well;
a measurement unit which measures a reaction in the well;
a Z-axis drive unit which is provided with the tip lifting unit and the measurement unit, and reciprocally operates in a Z-axis direction with respect to the main body frame, wherein the Z-axis direction is arranged transverse to the X-axis direction;
a control unit which controls the X-axis conveying unit, the rotation drive unit, the tip lifting unit, the measurement unit, and the Z-axis drive unit so as to enable an automatic immunity analysis;
wherein the circular type cartridge accommodating housing further includes:
a hollow chamber which has a vacant interior so as to accommodate the circular type cartridge at the upper side thereof;
a fan unit having a circular type cartridge support portion configured to support the circular type cartridge such that the circular type cartridge is rotatable, and a blade portion which extends from the circular type cartridge support portion, wherein the fan unit is positioned in the hollow chamber, coupled to a central hole of the circular type cartridge by being fitted into the central hole, and is configured to generate forced convection at a lower side of the circular type cartridge; and
a heater unit which is installed around the fan unit and configured to supply a predetermined heat so that the well at the lower side of the circular type cartridge comes into an atmosphere at a predetermined temperature,

wherein the rotation drive unit is configured to simultaneously operate the circular type cartridge and the fan unit.

2. The automatic analyzer of claim 1 , wherein:
at least a pair of coupling grooves is formed at opposite positions in the central hole of the circular type cartridge so as to engage with the fan unit, and an original point indicating unit is provided at an outer side of the circular type cartridge in a radial direction of the coupling grooves so as to indicate a start point of an automatic analysis process by a movement of the two or more wells.

3. The automatic analyzer of claim 1 , wherein:
the heater unit includes a heating block which is made of a heat radiating metallic material having a shape for accommodating the well at the lower side of the circular cartridge, and a plate-shaped thermistor which is installed adjacent to the heating block, and the heater unit is installed to be spaced apart at a predetermined interval from a bottom of the hollow chamber.

4. The automatic analyzer of claim 1 , wherein:
the circular type cartridge support portion of the fan unit is disc-shaped and includes a coupling protrusion coupled to a coupling groove in the central hole of the circular type cartridge; and the fan unit includes a cartridge holder which is coupled to a center of the circular type cartridge support portion and connected to a rotating shaft of the rotation drive unit.

5. The automatic analyzer of claim 1 , wherein:
the centrifugation well is inclined radically outward in a centrifugal force direction, and includes a thin cap which covers an opening portion of the centrifugation well, such that the thin cap may be penetrated by the pipette tip in accordance with a movement of the tip lifting unit.

6. The automatic analyzer of claim 1 , wherein:
a first position sensor is located on the circular type cartridge housing for sensing an original point indicating unit located on an outer side of the circular type cartridge; and
the control unit controls the rotation drive unit in conjunction with the first position sensor for selectively rotating the rotation drive unit step by step and at a high speed so that the sample is centrifuged in the centrifugation well.

7. The automatic analyzer of claim 5 , wherein:
the circular type cartridge housing includes a tip mounting portion for attaching and detaching the pipette tip independently of the circular type cartridge accommodating chamber, and
the circular type cartridge housing further includes a position indicating unit for sensing a test position of the pipette tip and an attaching and detaching position of the pipette tip.

8. The automatic analyzer of claim 6 , wherein:
the circular type cartridge housing further includes a position indicating unit configured to detect a test position of the pipette tip and an attaching and detaching position of the pipette tip, wherein the position indicating unit is installed on a sidewall portion of the circular type cartridge housing and protrudes in a Z-axis direction with respect to the main body frame.

9. The automatic analyzer of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first door which is formed in an exterior housing of automatic analyzer in order to independently withdraw the circular type cartridge accommodating housing; and
a second door which forms a dual structure together with the first door, wherein the second door is connected to the circular type cartridge accommodating housing by means of an elastic member and moves between a test position of the pipette tip and an attaching and detaching position of the pipette tip, while the first door is fixedly held with respect to the exterior housing.

10. The automatic analyzer of claim 1 , wherein:
the main body frame has L-shaped opened structures each of which includes a base portion on which the X-axis drive unit is mounted, and a sidewall portion on which the Z-axis drive unit is mounted, such that the circular type cartridge accommodating housing is configured to be withdrawn by the X-axis drive unit in the X-axis direction to the outside of the base portion.

11. The automatic analyzer of claim 1 , wherein:
two or more circular type cartridge accommodating housings are installed in in a single exterior housing along a Y-axis direction transverse to the X-axis direction, and the circular type cartridge accommodating housings are operable independently of the single exterior housing.

12. The automatic analyzer of claim 11 , wherein:
at least one of the Z-axis drive unit, the measurement unit, and a tip lifting drive unit is coupled to a Y-axis direction conveying unit, which is moved in the Y-axis direction, in order to share at least one of the Z-axis drive unit, the measurement unit, and the tip lifting drive unit with the circular type cartridge accommodating housings in the single exterior housing.

Assignees

• I Sens Inc

Inventors

• Kim Kyungho
• Do Jae Phil
• Jung Jaewon
• Ha Jung Uk
• Shin Sang Taek
• Lee Seok-Won
• Jin Yungjoon
• Kim Yusung

Classifications

• G01N2035/00306

  Housings, cabinets, control panels (details) · CPC title

• G01N21/07

  Centrifugal type cuvettes (G01N21/09 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N2035/00504

  combined with carousels · CPC title

• B04B7/02

  Casings; Lids (shock absorbers, vibration dampers F16F) · CPC title

• B04B15/02

  for cooling, heating, or heat insulating · CPC title