Automatic analyzer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11525838-B2
Application number	US-201816646206-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 28, 2018
Priority date	Dec 5, 2017
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

In an automatic analyzer in which required maintenance can be executed efficiently, without omission, an operation control unit controls operations of an analysis module (ISE, AU1, AU2) including a sample vessel transport mechanism, a reagent vessel transport mechanism, a reaction vessel transport mechanism, a sample dispensing mechanism, and a reagent dispensing mechanism, and of a display unit, and analyzes a sample accommodated in a reaction vessel. The operation control unit stores a validity period for each maintenance item of the analysis module (ISE, AU1, AU2) and an execution time for each maintenance item in a memory, displays an execution time together with an identification representation of execution priority level based on the expiration dates on the display unit, rearranges the display order of the maintenance items on the basis of the execution priority level, in accordance with an operator's instruction inputted through an operation input portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An automatic analyzer comprising:
a plurality of analysis modules each including:
a sample vessel transport mechanism for transporting sample vessels;
a reagent vessel transport mechanism for transporting reagent vessels;
a reaction vessel transport mechanism including a reaction bath and operative to transport reaction vessels;
a sample dispensing mechanism for dispensing a sample in the reaction vessel; and
a reagent dispensing mechanism for dispensing a reagent in the reaction vessel;
a display unit;
an operation input portion;
a memory;
an operation control unit that controls the operations of the plurality of analysis modules and the display unit, and that conduct an analysis of the sample placed in the reaction vessel,
wherein the operation control unit is configured to:
stores, in the memory, for each of a plurality of maintenance items of the analysis modules, an expiration date of performing maintenance and a maintenance execution time indicating a time when maintenance was performed,
display, on the display unit, the maintenance execution time along with identification information indicating an execution priority based on the expiration date,
simultaneously display, on the display unit, the individual maintenance items of each of the plurality of analysis modules, the maintenance execution time for each of the maintenance items and a mark for each maintenance item, the mark identifying an analysis module for which the maintenance item corresponds,
receive an input via the operation input portion indicating to rearrange a display order of the displayed maintenance items,
rearrange the display order of the maintenance items based on an execution priority, which is based on the respective execution times of the maintenance items, and
display the rearranged maintenance items on the display unit.

2. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the operation control unit is configured to execute the maintenance items by controlling the sample vessel transport mechanism, the reagent vessel transport mechanism, the reaction vessel transport mechanism, the sample dispensing mechanism or the reagent dispensing mechanism according to the display order of maintenance items displayed on the display unit.

3. The automatic analyzer according to claim 2 ,
wherein the operation control unit is configured to display some expired maintenance items, of the maintenance items, differently from other maintenance items.

4. The automatic analyzer according to claim 3 ,
wherein the operation control unit is configured to, at start-up of the automatic analyzer, automatically execute the maintenance items.

5. The automatic analyzer according to claim 3 ,
wherein when an action of the operator is required for some of the maintenance items, the operation control unit is configured to display a request for the operator's action at the display unit.

6. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the operation control unit is configured to, for each of the analysis modules, display the expired maintenance items differently than the other maintenance items.

7. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the operation control unit is configured to rearrange the maintenance items in a display order based on the marks and display the rearranged items at the display unit.

8. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 ,
wherein as to the same maintenance item common to the plural analysis modules, the operation control unit is configured to store, in the memory, the expiration date and execution time of the common maintenance item on a per-analysis-module basis.

9. The automatic analyzer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the operation control unit is configured to:
display respective names of each of the plurality of analysis modules and the plurality of maintenance items in column and row directions.

10. The automatic analyzer according to claim 9 ,
wherein the operation control unit is configured to rearrange the display order of the maintenance items based on the marks.

11. The automatic analyzer according to claim 9 ,
wherein the marks represent, for each of the maintenance items per analysis module, whether a maintenance item in question is in a normal state, in a state of caution of the maintenance expiration date, or in a state that the maintenance expiration data has elapsed.

Assignees

• Hitachi High Tech Corp
• Roche Diagnostics Operations Inc
• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Ha Chikook
• ABOUELSOUD Mohamed

Classifications

• G01N35/1002 Primary

  Reagent dispensers · CPC title

• G01N2035/0094

  optimisation; experiment design · CPC title

• G01N35/04

  Details of the conveyor system {(G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence)} · CPC title

• G01N35/00732

  Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers · CPC title

• G01N35/0092

  Scheduling · CPC title