Analyzer and immunoassay method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9874511-B2
Application number	US-201514669801-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2015
Priority date	Mar 27, 2014
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

An analyzer including a housing with a mutually adjacent first side and a second side, and an annular reagent holding part disposed within the housing is disclosed. An immunoassay method for measuring antigen or antibody of a measurement object contained in a sample and performed by the analyzer is also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An analyzer comprising:
a housing which has a mutually adjacent first side and a second side;
an annular reagent holding part provided within the housing;
a first cuvette transporting part configured to move a cuvette, provided along the first side on the periphery of the reagent holding part in the housing;
a second cuvette transporting part configured to move a cuvette, provided along the second side on the periphery of the reagent holding part in the housing; and
a plurality of processing units respectively arranged in the housing, and configured to receive a cuvette which is moved from the first cuvette transporting part or the second cuvette transporting part, and perform predetermined processing of the sample contained in the received cuvette,
wherein the first cuvette transporting part and the second cuvette transporting part are configured to have partially overlapping cuvette transport regions in planar view, and
the analyzer further comprises a relay part, configured to hold a cuvette, and arranged in the overlapping part of the transport region of the first cuvette transporting part and the transport region of the second cuvette transporting part.

2. The analyzer of claim 1 , wherein
the first cuvette transporting part is configured to move a cuvette which has completed processing by the processing units arranged along the first side to the relay part; and
the second cuvette transporting part is configured to move the cuvette which has been moved by the relay part to the processing units arranged along the second side.

3. The analyzer of claim 1 , wherein
the first cuvette transporting part comprises a first holding part capable of holding a cuvette, and is configured to reciprocatingly move the first holding part in a first direction extending along the first side; and
the second cuvette transporting part comprises a second holding part capable of holding a cuvette, and is configured to reciprocatingly move the second holding part in a second direction extending along the second side.

4. An analyzer comprising:
a housing which has a mutually adjacent first side and a second side;
an annular reagent holding part provided within the housing;
a first cuvette transporting part configured to move a cuvette, provided along the first side on the periphery of the reagent holding part in the housing;
a second cuvette transporting part configured to move a cuvette, provided along the second side on the periphery of the reagent holding part in the housing; and
a plurality of processing units respectively arranged in the housing, and configured to receive a cuvette which is moved from the first cuvette transporting part or the second cuvette transporting part, and perform predetermined processing of the sample contained in the received cuvette, wherein
the first cuvette transporting part comprises a first holding part capable of holding a cuvette, and is configured to reciprocatingly move the first holding part in a first direction extending along the first side,
the second cuvette transporting part comprises a second holding part capable of holding a cuvette, and is configured to reciprocatingly move the second holding part in a second direction extending along the second side,
the first cuvette transporting part is configured to reciprocatingly move the first holding part in the first direction and the second direction, and the movement range of the first holding part in the first direction is greater than the movement range in the second direction, and
the second cuvette transporting part is configured to reciprocatingly move the second holding part in the second direction and the first direction, and the movement range of the second holding part in the second direction is greater than the movement range in the first direction.

5. The analyzer of claim 4 , wherein
a transport position of the cuvette to be transported by the first cuvette transporting part is disposed within a movement range of the first holding part; and
a transport position of the cuvette to be transported by the second cuvette transporting part is disposed within a movement range of the second holding part.

6. The analyzer of claim 1 , wherein
at least one of the plurality of processing units is a reaction unit having a plurality of cuvette retaining holes each configured to hold a cuvette, the reaction unit reacting a sample contained in the cuvette.

7. An analyzer comprising:
a housing which has a mutually adjacent first side and a second side;
an annular reagent holding part provided within the housing;
a first cuvette transporting part configured to move a cuvette, provided along the first side on the periphery of the reagent holding part in the housing;
a second cuvette transporting part configured to move a cuvette, provided along the second side on the periphery of the reagent holding part in the housing; and
a plurality of processing units respectively arranged in the housing, and configured to receive a cuvette which is moved from the first cuvette transporting part or the second cuvette transporting part, and perform predetermined processing of the sample contained in the received cuvette, wherein
at least one of the plurality of processing units is a reaction unit having a plurality of cuvette retaining holes each configured to hold a cuvette, the reaction unit reacting a sample contained in the cuvette,
the reagent holding part is configured to internally accommodate and cool reagent containers, and is arranged near the center of the housing in planar view, and
the reaction unit is configured to heat the sample contained in the cuvette, and is arranged within the cuvette movement range of the first cuvette transporting part or the second cuvette transporting part, that is, at a position separated from the reagent holding part.

8. An analyzer comprising:
a housing which has a mutually adjacent first side and a second side;
an annular reagent holding part provided within the housing;
a first cuvette transporting part configured to move a cuvette, provided along the first side on the periphery of the reagent holding part in the housing;
a second cuvette transporting part configured to move a cuvette, provided along the second side on the periphery of the reagent holding part in the housing; and
a plurality of processing units respectively arranged in the housing, and configured to receive a cuvette which is moved from the first cuvette transporting part or the second cuvette transporting part, and perform predetermined processing of the sample contained in the received cuvette, wherein
at least one of the plurality of processing units is a reaction unit having a plurality of cuvette retaining holes each configured to hold a cuvette, the reaction unit reacting a sample contained in the cuvette,
a plurality of the reaction units are provided, and
at least one of the plurality of processing units is a BF separator configured to separate unreacted components in the sample contained in the cuvette, and is arranged at a position between the plurality of the reaction units.

9. An analyzer comprising:
a housing which has a mutually adjacent first side and a second side;
an annular reagent holding part provided within the housing;
a first cuvette transporting part configured to move a cuvette, provided along the first side on the periphery of the reagent holding part in the housing;
a second cuvette transporting part configured to move a cuvette, provided along the second side on the periphery of the reagent holding part in the housing; and
a plurality of processing units respectively arranged in the housing, and configured to receive a cuvette which is moved from the first cuvette tran

Assignees

• Sysmex Corp

Inventors

• Fukuju Toshikatsu
• Matsumoto Yusuke

Classifications

• G01N2035/103

  using disposable tips · CPC title

• G01N35/04 Primary

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

• G01N2035/041

  lifting items out of a rack for access · CPC title

• G01N35/025

  having a carousel or turntable for reaction cells or cuvettes · CPC title

• G01N2201/022

  Casings · CPC title