Analyzer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11517636-B2
Application number	US-201816640971-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2018
Priority date	Oct 25, 2017
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

An analyzer that has a simple configuration, that is inexpensive, that can improve safety, and that can inhibit proliferation of microorganisms using ultraviolet light is realized. A first electric power switch, a second electric power switch, and a third electric power switch are connected in series between an ultraviolet LED that irradiates an interior of a shared reagent storage container with ultraviolet light and a power supply that supplies electric power to the ultraviolet LED. The first electric power switch, the second electric power switch, and the third electric power switch are configured with two contact points and a connection section that connects and disconnects the two contact points. The first electric power switch is opened when a reagent storage door is opened, and the second electric power switch is opened in response to an action of extracting an ultraviolet irradiation section from a shared reagent storage container. The third electric power switch is opened when an amount of the reagent within the shared reagent storage container is equal to or smaller than a constant value. When one of the first electric power switch, the second electric power switch, and the third electric power switch is opened, supply of the electric power to the ultraviolet LED is intercepted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An analyzer comprising:
an analysis section that analyzes a specimen within a reaction container that accommodates a reagent and the specimen;
a liquid storage container that stores a liquid for use in analysis;
an ultraviolet irradiation section that irradiates the liquid in the liquid storage container with ultraviolet light;
a power supply that supplies electric power to the ultraviolet irradiation section;
a liquid storage container storage room that stores the liquid storage container and the ultraviolet irradiation section;
a first electric power switch that closes connection between the power supply and the ultraviolet irradiation section when a storage door of the liquid storage container storage room is closed, and that opens the connection between the power supply and the ultraviolet irradiation section and stops supply of the electric power to the ultraviolet irradiation section when the storage door is opened;
a second electric power switch that closes the connection between the power supply and the ultraviolet irradiation section in a state in which the ultraviolet irradiation section is disposed in the liquid storage container, and that opens the connection between the power supply and the ultraviolet irradiation section and stops the supply of the electric power to the ultraviolet irradiation section in a state in which the ultraviolet irradiation section is extracted from the liquid storage container; and
a third electric power switch that closes the connection between the power supply and the ultraviolet irradiation section in a state in which the ultraviolet irradiation section is disposed in the liquid storage container and in which an ultraviolet generation section of the ultraviolet irradiation section is located below a liquid level of the liquid stored in the liquid storage container, and that opens the connection between the power supply and the ultraviolet irradiation section and intercepts the electric power to be supplied from the power supply to the ultraviolet irradiation section in a state in which the ultraviolet irradiation section is disposed in the liquid storage container and in which the ultraviolet generation section of the ultraviolet irradiation section is located above the liquid level of the liquid stored in the liquid storage container;
wherein
the second electric power switch is connected in series to the first electric power switch,
the third electric power switch is connected in series to the second electric power switch and the first electric power switch,
and
the third electric power switch is a weight switch that is opened or closed in response to a weight of the liquid stored in the liquid storage container.

2. The analyzer according to claim 1 , further comprising
a fourth electric power switch that is connected in parallel to the first electric power switch, the second electric power switch, and the third electric power switch, and that can supply the electric power to the ultraviolet irradiation section even when the first electric power switch, the second electric power switch, and the third electric power switch are all opened.

3. The analyzer according to claim 2 , wherein
a material that discolors by exposure to ultraviolet light is applied to an inner wall of the liquid storage container storage room.

4. The analyzer according to claim 2 , further comprising
a display section that indicates whether the ultraviolet irradiation section is generating ultraviolet light.

5. The analyzer according to claim 4 , wherein
the display section is disposed on or in each of a side surface of a housing of the analyzer and the analysis section.

6. The analyzer according to claim 1 ,
wherein
the liquid is the reagent and the liquid storage container is a reagent storage container.

7. The analyzer according to claim 6 , wherein
an ultraviolet generation direction of the ultraviolet irradiation section is an opposite direction to a direction toward the storage door.

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp
• Roche Diagnostics Operations Inc

Inventors

• YABUTANI Hisashi
• Ishida Takeshi
• Yamashita Yoshihiro
• Sakazume Taku
• Windfuhr Michaela
• Hauptmann Bernhard
• Finke Andreas

Classifications

• A61L2/10 Primary

  Ultraviolet [UV] radiation · CPC title

• G01N35/00594 Primary

  Quality control, including calibration or testing of components of the analyser · CPC title

• G01N2035/00673

  of reagents · CPC title

• C02F1/32

  with ultraviolet light · CPC title

• C02F2201/326

  Lamp control systems · CPC title