Automatic analyzer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9274133-B2
Application number	US-201213360202-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2012
Priority date	Jul 29, 2009
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the analyzer includes a reagent driving disk that accommodates a reagent configured for analysis and that transports the reagent to a desired position, and a fixed disk that has a reagent stand-by position in which to make a reagent container containing the reagent, temporarily stand by, and a magnetic particles stirring position for stirring magnetic particles. A portion of the reagent stand-by position is constituted by a loading system. A reagent container moving unit moves reagent containers containing the reagent, between the reagent driving unit and the fixed disk, according to analytical request status. Providing in a part of the fixed disk the loading system constructed so that reagent containers containing the reagent can be mounted therein during operation enables changing of reagent containers, irrespective of an operational status of the reagent driving disk, and the system to having cold-storage functionality.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for providing reagents within an analyzer, wherein said apparatus for providing reagents comprises:
a turntable having an axis of rotation and configured to store thereon a plurality of reagent container assemblies in an arrangement of at least one arcuate row, wherein each of the plurality of reagent container assemblies has at least two container sections, each of which has an inner volume to contain a particular reagent, and which container sections are arranged side-by-side in a row on a straight radial line and are connected to form a unitary cassette type assembly,
at least one treatment zone for treating reagent container assemblies stored on said turntable, said treatment zone is defined within the circumference of the turntable and has a surface area less than the surface area of the turntable, and
treatment means comprising pipetting means and agitating means, where said treatment means treat reagent container assemblies positioned in said treatment zone, and said pipetting means and said agitating means are movable along a rectilinear operational path that extends within the circumference of the turntable, wherein said treatment zone is radially aligned with the rectilinear operational path of said pipetting means and said agitating means, and said treatment zone has a surface area less than the surface area of the turntable, and wherein
said turntable comprises
compartments arranged to accommodate the reagent container assemblies at predetermined locations on the turntable so as to form said arrangement of at least one arcuate row of reagent container assemblies corresponding to the arrangement of said compartments,

a circular first turntable partition that is adjustable by rotation so as to selectively move respective ones of the compartments in predetermined positions for disposing reagent container assemblies in predetermined positions in and out of said treatment zone and said first turntable partition is centered around the axis of rotation and carrying said arcuate row of compartments, and
a fixed second turntable partition arranged radially adjacent to said first turntable partition and carrying a first compartment for accommodating a reagent container assembly therein, wherein said second turntable partition is fixed without a motor and is incapable of rotation with respect to the axis of rotation such that said first compartment remains located in the treatment zone,
said first turntable partition is rotatable relative to the fixed second turntable partition about said axis of rotation so as to selectively adjust a compartment of said first turntable partition in radial alignment with said first compartment of the fixed second turntable partition in a mutual transfer position in which a reagent container assembly is radially shiftable by a container shift mechanism between said aligned compartments in said treatment zone, said container shift mechanism comprising a shifting arm extending out from said axis of rotation and comprising a gripping element rotatable about a longitudinal axis of said shifting arm between an engagement position and a release position, and
said pipetting means is movable along the rectilinear operational path to access at least one of reagent container assemblies positioned in a predetermined position in said treatment zone,
said agitating means is movable along the rectilinear operational path and configured to access in the treatment zone a reagent container assembly accommodated in the first compartment of the fixed second turntable partition in order to agitate a content of the container assembly in the first compartment, and
said first turntable partition is operable to provide reagent container assemblies in the treatment zone for being treated by said pipetting means independently of the operation of the agitating means and out of the treatment zone by rotation.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first circular turntable partition is arranged radially outward of the second turntable partition with regard to the axis of rotation.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a second gripping element rotatable about said longitudinal axis of said shifting arm between said engagement position and said release position, said second gripping element located between said first gripping element and said axis of rotation along said arm.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the container shift mechanism and the pipetting means are simultaneously operable in order to simultaneously treat separate reagent container assemblies with the container shift mechanism and the pipetting means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said second turntable partition carries a plurality of compartments including said first compartment for accommodating reagent container assemblies in an arrangement of an arcuate row radially adjacent said arcuate row of compartments of the first turntable partition, wherein at least two of the compartments of said second turntable partition are radially alignable with respective compartments of the first turntable partition in mutual transfer positions.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said container shift mechanism is movable around the axis of rotation selected angular positions corresponding to angular positions of the radial alignment of compartments aligned in their mutual transfer positions.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the compartments of the first turntable partition and at least one of the compartments of the second turntable partition are aligned to dispose reagent container assemblies contained therein on a straight radial line when positioned relative to each other in said predetermined positions in the treatment zone, and that said apparatus for providing reagents further comprises a driving and guiding means for selectively moving said pipetting means to reagent container assemblies positioned relative to each other in said predetermined positions in the treatment zone.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein said pipetting means comprise at least two pipetting units and in that said driving and guiding means are adapted to selectively move each pipetting unit according to a specific treatment program.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the agitating means and the pipetting means are simultaneously operable in order to simultaneously treat separate reagent container assemblies with the agitating means and the pipetting means.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the turntable has a radial inner center including the axis of rotation, and wherein a cleaning station for cleaning treatment means and a drain channel for draining cleaning fluid, and wherein said drain channel is arranged in the area of said radial inner center, between three separate driving means of said container shift mechanism, each of said driving means providing movement for an aspect of said container shift mechanism along a different direction.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein said agitator means is movable between a working position to agitate fluid in a reagent container assembly positioned in the first compartment and at least one other position outside of said container assembly.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pipetting means and agitating means are movable independently from each other along the rectilinear operational path.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the treatment means comprises a frame fixed radially outward of the turntable and which extends above the turntable so as to moveably d

Assignees

• Kraemer Reinhold
• Sakairi Susumu
• Sattler Stephan
• Takahashi Katsuaki
• Roche Diagnostics Operations
• Hitachi High Tech Corp

Inventors

• Kraemer Reinhold
• Sakairi Susumu
• Sattler Stephan
• Takahashi Katsuaki

Classifications

• Y10T436/11

  Automated chemical analysis · CPC title

• G01N2035/0465

  Loading or unloading the conveyor · CPC title

• G01N35/10 Primary

  Devices for transferring samples {or any liquids} to, in, or from, the analysis apparatus, e.g. suction devices, injection devices {(G01N35/0099 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G01N2035/0425

  Stacks, magazines or elevators for plates · CPC title

• G01N2035/00435

  Refrigerated reagent storage · CPC title