CN110741257B - Sample analyzer and driving method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model provides a sample analyzer (100) and driving method thereof, includes air pump (1), gas storage tank group (2), sampling subassembly (3), reaction subassembly (4) and detection subassembly (5), and air pump (1) are used for establishing malleation and negative pressure in gas storage tank group (2), and malleation and negative pressure are used for: driving a sampling assembly (3) to collect a biological sample; and/or driving the reaction component (4) to process the biological sample to form a liquid to be tested, the reaction component (4) comprising at least one reaction cell; and/or driving the liquid to be detected by the detection component (5) so as to obtain a detection signal. The sample analyzer (100) is relatively low cost.

Description

Sample analyzer and driving method thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of medical instruments, in particular to a sample analyzer and a driving method of the sample analyzer.

Background

Existing sample analyzers require a variety of different drive pressures for providing different drive pressures to the various lines in the sample analyzer. The driving pressure typically includes at least two positive pressures and at least two negative pressures. The sample analyzer can establish positive pressure and negative pressure simultaneously by adopting a double-head air pump with large flow and large volume. The positive pressure output establishes the highest positive pressure through a pressure release valve, and other lower positive pressure adopts different pressure regulating valves to regulate the output; the negative pressure output establishes the negative pressure with the highest vacuum degree through the flow limiting pipe, and other negative pressures with lower vacuum degrees are output by adopting an overflow valve. However, the driving pressure in the sample analyzer of the above-described scheme always needs to be driven by a double-head air pump, and the cost is high.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a sample analyzer with low cost and a driving method of the sample analyzer.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical scheme:

in one aspect, a sample analyzer is provided, including air pump, gas storage tank group, sampling assembly, reaction unit and detection assembly, the air pump is used for establish positive pressure and negative pressure in the gas storage tank group, positive pressure with the negative pressure is used for:

driving the sampling assembly to collect a biological sample;

and/or driving the reaction component to process the biological sample to form a liquid to be tested, the reaction component comprising at least one reaction cell;

and/or driving the liquid to be detected by the detection component so as to obtain a detection signal.

The air pump is connected with the second air storage tank through a second control valve and is used for establishing a first negative pressure in the second air storage tank.

The air pump is a single-head pump and is used for establishing pressure for the first air storage tank when the first control valve is switched on and the second control valve is switched off, and establishing pressure for the second air storage tank when the first control valve is switched off and the second control valve is switched on.

The air pump is a single-head pump or a double-head pump and is used for establishing pressure for the first air storage tank and the second air storage tank when the first control valve is conducted and the second control valve is conducted.

The sample analyzer further comprises a controller and a pressure sensor group, wherein the pressure sensor group is used for detecting the pressure in the gas storage tank group and feeding back signals to the controller, and the controller controls the actions of the air pump, the first control valve and the second control valve according to the signals.

Wherein, be equipped with at least one pressure break valve on the flow path of sample analysis appearance, first malleation is used for driving the pressure break valve.

The sample analyzer further comprises a waste liquid pool and a liquid pump, wherein the waste liquid pool is connected with the second air storage tank, and the liquid pump is used for pumping waste liquid in the waste liquid pool.

Wherein, be equipped with first float switch in the waste liquid pond for detect the liquid level in the waste liquid pond.

The sample analyzer further comprises a buffer tank, wherein the buffer tank is connected between the second air storage tank and the waste liquid tank and is used for preventing waste liquid in the waste liquid tank from flowing backwards into the second air storage tank.

And a second float switch is arranged in the second air storage tank and used for detecting the liquid level in the second air storage tank.

The sample analyzer further comprises a waste liquid pool and a liquid pump, wherein the liquid pump is used for pumping waste liquid in the waste liquid pool and establishing negative pressure in the waste liquid pool.

Wherein, the waste liquid pond is connected the reaction subassembly, the waste liquid pond is used for collecting the waste liquid of reaction subassembly.

The gas storage tank group further comprises a third gas storage tank, and the first gas storage tank is connected with the third gas storage tank through a third control valve and used for establishing second positive pressure in the third gas storage tank through first positive pressure.

The sample analyzer further comprises a sixth control valve and a first flow limiting piece, wherein the sixth control valve is connected between the third air storage tank and the first flow limiting piece, and the first flow limiting piece is used for releasing partial pressure in the third air storage tank.

The sample analyzer further comprises a sheath liquid pool and a flow chamber, wherein an outlet of the sheath liquid pool is connected with a sheath liquid inlet of the flow chamber, and the third air storage tank is communicated with the sheath liquid pool and used for pushing sheath liquid in the sheath liquid pool to flow into the flow chamber.

The controller is coupled with the third control valve and is used for disconnecting the third air storage tank from the first air storage tank through the third control valve when sheath liquid in the sheath liquid pool flows into the flow chamber.

The pressure sensor group is further connected with a third pressure sensor, and the third pressure sensor is used for detecting the pressure in the third air storage tank and/or the sheath liquid pool when the third control valve disconnects the first air storage tank from the third air storage tank and the sheath liquid in the sheath liquid pool flows to the flow chamber.

The gas storage tank group further comprises a fourth gas storage tank, and the first gas storage tank is connected with the fourth gas storage tank through a fourth control valve and used for establishing a third positive pressure in the fourth gas storage tank through a first positive pressure.

The sample analyzer comprises a liquid storage tank and a first reaction tank, wherein the liquid storage tank is connected with the first reaction tank, and the fourth gas storage tank is communicated with the liquid storage tank and is used for pushing reagents in the liquid storage tank into the first reaction tank.

The sample analyzer further comprises a quantitative pump, wherein the quantitative pump is provided with a diaphragm, a liquid chamber and an air chamber, the liquid chamber and the air chamber are arranged on two sides of the diaphragm, the quantitative pump is connected with the air storage tank group, when the liquid chamber is communicated with the air storage tank group, the diaphragm is pushed to move towards the air chamber by positive pressure, and when the air chamber is communicated with the air storage tank group, the diaphragm is pushed to move towards the liquid chamber by positive pressure.

The sample analyzer comprises a liquid storage tank and a first reaction tank, and the liquid chamber is connected between the liquid storage tank and the first reaction tank.

The gas storage tank group further comprises a fifth gas storage tank, and the second gas storage tank is connected with the fifth gas storage tank through a fifth control valve and used for establishing second negative pressure in the fifth gas storage tank through the first negative pressure.

The sample analyzer further comprises a seventh control valve and a second flow limiting piece, wherein the seventh control valve is connected between the fifth air storage tank and the second flow limiting piece, and the second flow limiting piece is used for releasing partial pressure in the fifth air storage tank.

The sample analyzer further comprises a second reaction tank, and the fifth air storage tank is communicated to an outlet of the second reaction tank.

In another aspect, there is also provided a driving method of a sample analyzer, the driving method including:

driving an air pump to establish positive pressure and negative pressure in the air storage tank group; and

the positive pressure and the negative pressure drive a flow path of the sample analyzer.

Wherein, the "drive air pump establishes positive pressure and negative pressure in the gas storage tank group" includes:

the air pump is driven to respectively establish a first positive pressure in the first air storage tank and a first negative pressure in the second air storage tank.

When the absolute value of the first positive pressure is smaller than a first threshold value, the air pump is driven to build pressure in the first air storage tank, so that the absolute value of the first positive pressure reaches the first threshold value.

When the absolute value of the first positive pressure is larger than or equal to a first threshold value and the absolute value of the first negative pressure is smaller than a second threshold value, the air pump is driven to build pressure in the second air storage tank, so that the absolute value of the first negative pressure reaches the second threshold value.

And when the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure is larger than or equal to a first threshold value and smaller than a third threshold value and the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure is larger than or equal to a second threshold value, the air pump is driven to build pressure in the first air storage tank, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure reaches the third threshold value.

When the absolute value of the first positive pressure is larger than or equal to a third threshold value, and the absolute value of the first negative pressure is larger than or equal to a second threshold value and smaller than a fourth threshold value, the air pump is driven to build pressure in the second air storage tank, so that the absolute value of the first negative pressure reaches the fourth threshold value.

And when the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure is larger than or equal to a third threshold value and smaller than a fifth threshold value and the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure is larger than or equal to a fourth threshold value, the air pump is driven to build pressure in the first air storage tank, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure reaches the fifth threshold value.

Wherein the first positive pressure establishes a second positive pressure within the third air reservoir.

Wherein the second positive pressure pushes sheath fluid in the sheath fluid reservoir into the flow chamber.

Before the second positive pressure pushes the sheath liquid in the sheath liquid pool to enter the flow chamber, the third air storage tank and the first air storage tank are disconnected.

And when the second positive pressure pushes sheath liquid in the sheath liquid pool to enter the flow chamber, detecting the pressure change of the second positive pressure by a third pressure sensor.

Wherein the first positive pressure establishes a third positive pressure within a fourth air reservoir.

The liquid storage tank is connected with the first reaction tank, and the fourth air storage tank is communicated with the liquid storage tank to provide driving force for the reagent in the liquid storage tank to enter the first reaction tank.

The first negative pressure builds a second negative pressure in the fifth air storage tank.

And the fifth air storage tank is communicated with the outlet of the second reaction tank so as to pump out the liquid in the second reaction tank by utilizing the second negative pressure.

The process of driving the air pump to establish the first positive pressure in the first air storage tank comprises the following steps of:

the air pump establishes a first positive pressure with the absolute value of pressure larger than a first preset value in the first air storage tank, and the first air storage tank is conducted to the atmosphere, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure is reduced to the first preset value;

And/or the number of the groups of groups,

the process of driving the air pump to establish the first negative pressure in the second air storage tank comprises the following steps of:

the air pump establishes a first negative pressure with the absolute value of pressure larger than a second preset value in the second air storage tank, and the second air storage tank is conducted to the atmosphere, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the second negative pressure is reduced to the second preset value;

and/or the number of the groups of groups,

the process of establishing the second positive pressure in the third air storage tank by the first positive pressure comprises the following steps:

the first air storage tank and the third air storage tank are conducted, so that the first positive pressure builds pressure in the third air storage tank to form a second positive pressure with the absolute value of the pressure being larger than a third preset value; the third air storage tank is conducted to the atmosphere, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the second positive pressure is reduced to the third preset value;

and/or the number of the groups of groups,

the process of establishing the second negative pressure in the fifth air storage tank by the first negative pressure comprises the following steps:

the fifth air storage tank and the second air storage tank are conducted, so that the first negative pressure builds pressure in the fifth air storage tank to form a second negative pressure with the absolute value of the pressure being larger than a fourth preset value; and switching on the fifth air storage tank to the atmosphere to reduce the absolute value of the pressure of the second negative pressure to the fourth preset value.

The quantitative pump of the sample analyzer comprises a liquid chamber and an air chamber, wherein the liquid chamber is connected with the liquid storage tank and the first reaction tank, and the driving method further comprises the following steps:

the liquid storage tank is communicated with the positive pressure so as to push liquid in the liquid storage tank into the liquid chamber by utilizing the positive pressure; and

the air chamber is communicated with the positive pressure so as to push the liquid in the liquid chamber to the first reaction tank by utilizing the positive pressure.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the following beneficial effects:

the sample analyzer establishes positive pressure and negative pressure in the gas storage tank group through the air pump, and then uses the positive pressure and the negative pressure in the gas storage tank group as main driving force of the sample analyzer, thereby being capable of replacing a large-flow air pump in the prior art and reducing the cost and the energy consumption of the sample analyzer. Meanwhile, the sample analyzer can adopt the air pump with small volume, so that the whole volume of the sample analyzer can be reduced.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, the drawings that are needed in the embodiments will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and other drawings may be obtained by those skilled in the art without the inventive effort.

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a sample analyzer provided by the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a part of the structure of the sample analyzer shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of another part of the structure of the sample analyzer shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of still another part of the structure of the sample analyzer shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of still another part of the structure of the sample analyzer shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of still another part of the structure of the sample analyzer shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of still another part of the sample analyzer shown in fig. 1.

FIG. 8 is a graph of pressure change in a third reservoir of the sample analyzer of FIG. 1.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is apparent that the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

Referring to fig. 1, an embodiment of the present invention provides a sample analyzer 100. The sample analyzer 100 may be used to perform biological sample analysis, which may be blood, urine, etc.

The sample analyzer 100 comprises an air pump 1, an air storage tank group 2, a sampling component 3, a reaction component 4 and a detection component 5. The air pump 1 is used for establishing positive pressure and negative pressure in the air storage tank group 2. The positive and negative pressures are for: driving the sampling assembly 3 to collect a biological sample; and/or driving the reaction component 4 to process the biological sample to form a liquid to be tested, wherein the reaction component 4 comprises at least one reaction tank; and/or driving the liquid to be detected by the detection component 5 to obtain a detection signal.

In this embodiment, the sample analyzer 100 establishes positive pressure and negative pressure in the gas storage tank set 2 through the gas pump 1, and then uses the positive pressure and negative pressure in the gas storage tank set 2 as main driving forces of the sample analyzer 100, so that the sample analyzer 100 can replace the large-flow gas pump 1 in the prior art, and the cost and energy consumption of the sample analyzer 100 are reduced. Meanwhile, since the sample analyzer 100 can employ the air pump 1 of a small volume, the overall volume of the sample analyzer 100 can be reduced.

It will be appreciated that the air pump 1 and the air reservoir set 2 can form part of the drive assembly of the sample analyser 100. The drive assembly may be used to drive various flow paths (including gas and liquid paths) and devices in the sample analyzer 100. The sample analyzer 100 further includes a waste treatment assembly for collecting and discharging waste in the sample analyzer 100. The sampling assembly 3 may comprise a sampler for collecting and dispensing biological samples.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2 together, as an alternative embodiment, the gas storage tank set 2 includes a first gas storage tank 21 and a second gas storage tank 22. The air pump 1 is connected to the first air tank 21 via a first control valve 23 for establishing a first positive pressure in the first air tank 21. The first positive pressure is used to provide the primary positive pressure driving force for the sample analyzer 100. The first control valve 23 is used for communicating or cutting off the air pump 1 and the first air tank 21. The air pump 1 is connected to the second air tank 22 through a second control valve 24 for establishing a first negative pressure in the second air tank 22. The first negative pressure is used to provide the primary negative pressure driving force for the sample analyzer 100. The second control valve 24 is used for communicating or cutting off the air pump 1 and the second air storage tank 22.

In one embodiment, the air pump 1 is a single-head pump, and is configured to build pressure for the first air tank 21 when the first control valve 23 is turned on and the second control valve 24 is turned off, and build pressure for the second air tank 22 when the first control valve 23 is turned off and the second control valve 24 is turned on.

In this embodiment, the air pump 1 is a single-head pump for unidirectional pressure building, which is capable of building pressure for the first air tank 21 or building pressure for the second air tank 22 at the same time, so that the cost of the single-head pump for unidirectional pressure building is low, which is beneficial to further reducing the cost of the sample analyzer 100.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the air pump 1 may be a single-head pump or a double-head pump for pressurizing the first air tank 21 and the second air tank 22 when the first control valve 23 is turned on and the second control valve 24 is turned on. In this embodiment, the air pump 1 is a single-head pump or a double-head pump capable of realizing bidirectional pressure building, and is capable of building up pressure for the first air tank 21 and the second air tank 22 at the same time, so as to increase the pressure building speed of the sample analyzer 100, and facilitate the increase of the detection speed of the sample analyzer 100. Of course, the air pump 1 that builds up pressure in both directions may build up pressure for the first air tank 21 alone or for the second air tank 22 alone at the same time.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2 together, as an alternative embodiment, the sample analyzer 100 further includes a controller 6 and a pressure sensor set 7. The pressure sensor group 7 is used for detecting the pressure in the gas storage tank group 2 and feeding back a signal to the controller 6. The controller 6 controls the actions of the air pump 1, the first control valve 23 and the second control valve 24 according to the signals.

The pressure sensor group 7 includes a plurality of pressure sensors, which may be respectively disposed in a plurality of air tanks of the air tank group 2, for example, a first pressure sensor 71 disposed in the first air tank 21 and a second pressure sensor 72 disposed in the second air tank 22. The pressure sensors can monitor the pressures in the air storage tanks in real time.

The controller 6 is used to control both the air pump 1, the first control valve 23 and the second control valve 24, and other components in the sample analyzer 100. The controller 6 is capable of controlling the workflow of the sample analyzer 100 and processing the detection signal to form an analysis result.

For example, the first pressure sensor 71 monitors the pressure of the first positive pressure in the first air tank 21 in real time, and when the pressure of the first positive pressure is insufficient and the pressure needs to be established, the controller 6 controls the first control valve 23 to communicate the air pump 1 with the first air tank 21, the air pump 1 works, and the air pump 1 builds up the pressure in the first air tank 21 to increase the pressure of the first positive pressure. When the first pressure sensor 71 detects that the pressure of the first positive pressure reaches the requirement, the controller 6 controls the first control valve 23 to cut off the air pump 1 and the first air storage tank 21, and the air pump 1 stops working.

The process of the air pump 1 for building the pressure in the first air storage tank 21 is as follows: the air pump 1 first establishes a first positive pressure in the first air tank 21, the absolute value of the pressure of which is greater than a first preset value. And then the first air storage tank 21 is conducted to the atmosphere, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure is reduced to the first preset value. Since the initial pressure value of the first positive pressure established by the air pump 1 in the first air tank 21 is greater than the first preset value, the pressure value of the first positive pressure can be maintained in a state greater than the first preset value even if overshoot and rebound occur, and then the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure is reduced to the first preset value by releasing a portion of the first positive pressure, so that the first positive pressure has an accurate pressure value after the completion of the pressure establishment process. In short, the pressure building process can eliminate two phenomena of overshoot and rebound, and accurate pressure building is realized.

The second pressure sensor 72 monitors the pressure of the first negative pressure in the second air tank 22 in real time, when the pressure of the first negative pressure is insufficient and needs to be established, the controller 6 controls the second control valve 24 to communicate the air pump 1 with the second air tank 22, the air pump 1 works, and the air pump 1 builds up pressure in the second air tank 22, so that the pressure of the first negative pressure is reduced. When the second pressure sensor 72 detects that the pressure of the first negative pressure reaches the requirement, the controller 6 controls the second control valve 24 to cut off the air pump 1 and the second air storage tank 22, and the air pump 1 stops working.

The process of the air pump 1 building up the pressure in the second air storage tank 22 is as follows: the air pump 1 first establishes a first negative pressure with an absolute value greater than a second preset value in the second air storage tank 22. And then the second air storage tank 22 is conducted to the atmosphere, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure is reduced to the second preset value. The pressure building process can eliminate two phenomena of overshoot and rebound, and realizes accurate pressure building.

Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2 together, as an alternative embodiment, at least one pressure break valve 8 is disposed on the flow path of the sample analyzer 100, and the first positive pressure is used to drive the pressure break valve 8. The pressure break valve 8 may be pneumatically driven, for example, by the first positive pressure, wherein the pressure break valve 8 is connected to the first air tank 21.

In this embodiment, since the internal passage of the pneumatically driven pressure break valve 8 is smooth, contamination of the fluid in the pipeline can be reduced when the pressure break valve 8 is disposed in the pipeline.

In one embodiment, the pressure break valve 8 may be disposed between the reaction component 4 and the detection component 5, the liquid to be detected formed by the reaction component 4 enters the detection component 5 through the pressure break valve 8, and the pressure break valve 8 can reduce pollution to the liquid to be detected, so as to ensure accuracy of a detection result of the sample analyzer 100.

In another embodiment, the pinch-off valve 8 may be provided on a line in the waste treatment assembly. Because the fluid impurity that flows in the pipeline in the waste liquid treatment subassembly is more, ordinary valve member is easy to pile up the jam because of impurity and leads to life very short, this embodiment the pressure break valve 8 is because the inside passageway is smooth, consequently can reduce the risk of pile up the jam by impurity, life is longer.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2 together, as an alternative embodiment, the sample analyzer 100 further includes a waste liquid tank 91 and a liquid pump 92. The waste liquid tank 91 is connected to the second air tank 22, and the liquid pump 92 is used for pumping the waste liquid in the waste liquid tank 91 and creating a negative pressure in the waste liquid tank 91. The waste tank 91 and the liquid pump 92 are part of the waste treatment assembly.

In this embodiment, when the second air tank 22 is connected to the waste liquid tank 91, a negative pressure environment is established in the waste liquid tank 91 by using the first negative pressure, and the waste liquid tank 91 extracts the waste liquid in the sample analyzer 100 by the internal negative pressure thereof, so as to collect the waste liquid. Because the waste liquid in the waste liquid tank 91 is pumped out of the machine by the liquid pump 92 for discharging, the pressure in the waste liquid tank 91 is not required to be switched, and the waste liquid tank 91 can always maintain a negative pressure state, so that the waste liquid tank 91 can continuously pump the waste liquid in the sample analyzer 100 through the negative pressure in the waste liquid tank, the waste liquid collecting action and the waste liquid discharging action of the waste liquid treatment assembly can be performed in parallel and are not interfered with each other, the waste liquid treatment efficiency of the waste liquid treatment assembly is high, and the whole machine measurement speed of the sample analyzer 100 is high. Negative pressure is always kept in the waste liquid tank 91, positive-negative pressure switching is not needed, so that the increase of air consumption caused by positive-negative pressure switching can be avoided, and the small-flow air pump 1 can better meet the driving requirement of the sample analyzer 100. Since the liquid pump 92 can timely discharge the waste liquid in the waste liquid tank 91, the risk of the waste liquid or air bubbles in the waste liquid tank 91 flowing backward into the second air tank 22 or the air pump 1 can be reduced, so that the sample analyzer 100 can work normally for a long time.

It will be appreciated that while the use of the liquid pump 92 to expel waste liquid and assist in creating pressure effectively reduces the probability of waste liquid backflow, various components may fail or the waste liquid line may be blocked, and thus the sample analyzer 100 adds an anti-backflow device to further reduce the risk of waste liquid backflow.

In the first embodiment, a first float switch 911 is provided in the waste liquid tank 91 for detecting the liquid level in the waste liquid tank 91. When the first float switch 911 floats, a sensor mounted on the first float switch 911 detects a change in potential indicating that the first float switch 911 has floated in the waste liquid tank 91. If the time of continuous floating exceeds the set value, the alarm stops the measurement, thereby preventing the waste liquid from flowing backward into the second air tank 22. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in this embodiment, the first float switch 911 is in a continuous detection state. In other embodiments, the first float switch 911 may also be in an intermittent detection mode, for example, detecting whether the first float switch 911 is floating at a preset time point, and if so, an alarm stops the measurement.

In a second embodiment, the sample analyzer 100 further comprises a buffer reservoir 93. The buffer tank 93 is connected between the second air tank 22 and the waste liquid tank 91, and the buffer tank 93 is used for preventing the waste liquid in the waste liquid tank 91 from flowing backward into the second air tank 22. The buffer tank 93 may be a low inlet and high outlet liquid storage tank.

In the third embodiment, a second float switch 221 is provided in the second air tank 22 for detecting the liquid level in the second air tank 22. When the second float switch 221 floats, the sensor installed on the second float switch 221 detects the potential change, that is, the liquid in the second air tank 22 has entered, the alarm is immediately given, and the measurement is stopped. Likewise, a float switch for measuring the liquid level can also be provided in other gas reservoirs and/or liquid reservoirs and/or waste liquid reservoirs.

It will be appreciated that the three embodiments described above may also be combined with each other to form a more effective anti-backflow device.

Optionally, a stop valve is disposed between the waste liquid tank 91 and the second air tank 22, and is used for communicating or cutting off the waste liquid tank 91 and the second air tank 22.

Optionally, the waste liquid tank 91 is connected to the reaction component 4, and the waste liquid tank 91 is used for collecting waste liquid of the reaction component 4. The reaction assembly 4 comprises at least one reaction tank, and the waste liquid tank 91 is connected to an outlet of the reaction tank and is used for collecting waste liquid in the reaction tank.

Optionally, a stop valve may be disposed between the waste liquid tank 91 and the liquid pump 92. The shut-off valve may also be modified to be a one-way valve or omitted when the liquid pump 92 has sealing properties.

Optionally, the sample analyzer 100 further includes a second waste liquid tank 94 and a switching member 95, the second waste liquid tank 94 is used for collecting waste liquid discharged under positive pressure driving, the switching member 95 is connected between the second waste liquid tank 94 and the waste liquid tank 91, and the switching member 95 is used for communicating or cutting off the second waste liquid tank 94 and the waste liquid tank 91. The second waste reservoir 94 has an interface to atmosphere. When the switching member 95 communicates the second waste liquid tank 94 with the waste liquid tank 91, the waste liquid in the second waste liquid tank 94 enters the waste liquid tank 91 under the action of pressure difference.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, as an alternative embodiment, the air storage tank set 2 further includes a third air storage tank 25. The first air tank 21 is connected to the third air tank 25 via a third control valve 26 for establishing a second positive pressure in the third air tank 25 by means of a first positive pressure. The second positive pressure is less than or equal to the first positive pressure.

A third pressure sensor 73 is provided in the third air tank 25 for detecting the pressure in the third air tank 25. The controller 6 is connected to the third control valve 26 for controlling the action of the third control valve 26. When the third pressure sensor 73 detects that the pressure of the second positive pressure in the third air tank 25 is insufficient, the controller 6 controls the third control valve 26 to communicate the third air tank 25 with the first air tank 21, and the first positive pressure builds up in the third air tank 25 to raise the pressure of the second positive pressure. When the third pressure sensor 73 detects that the pressure of the second positive pressure reaches the demand, the controller 6 controls the third control valve 26 to cut off the third air tank 25 from the first air tank 21.

Optionally, the sample analyzer 100 further comprises a sixth control valve 252 and a first restrictor 253. The sixth control valve 252 is connected between the third air tank 25 and the first restrictor 253. The first restrictor 253 is used to relieve a portion of the pressure within the third air reservoir 25.

The process of establishing the second positive pressure in the third air tank 25 by the first air tank 21 through the first positive pressure is as follows: the third control valve 26 conducts the first air tank 21 and the third air tank 25, so that the first positive pressure builds up pressure in the third air tank 25 to form a second positive pressure with an absolute value of pressure greater than a third preset value; the sixth control valve 252 conducts the third air tank 25 and the first flow limiting member 253, and the first flow limiting member 253 releases a part of the pressure in the third air tank 25, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the second positive pressure is reduced to the third preset value. The pressure building process can eliminate two phenomena of overshoot and rebound, and realizes accurate pressure building.

Optionally, the first restrictor 253 is a restrictor tube, restrictor valve or restrictor orifice.

Optionally, the third control valve 26 and/or the sixth control valve 252 are stop valves or two-position two-way valves.

Optionally, the sample analyzer 100 further comprises a sheath fluid reservoir 51 and a flow chamber 52. The outlet of the sheath fluid reservoir 51 is connected to the sheath fluid inlet of the flow chamber 52. The third air tank 25 is connected to the sheath liquid tank 51, and is used for pushing the sheath liquid in the sheath liquid tank 51 to flow into the flow chamber 52. The outlet of the flow chamber 52 is provided with an optical detection assembly 53 for detecting the number of cells by optical detection. The optical detection assembly 53 may be part of the detection assembly 5. The liquid to be measured entering the flow chamber 52 is detected by the optical detection component 53 under pressure driving to obtain a detection signal.

In this embodiment, since the second positive pressure in the third air tank 25 can achieve accurate pressure establishment through the pressure establishment process described above, the second positive pressure can stably push the sheath liquid into the flow chamber 52 while satisfying the preset condition, so that the optical detection component 53 can obtain an accurate detection result by detecting the liquid to be detected.

Optionally, the controller 6 is coupled to the third control valve 26 for disconnecting the third air tank 25 from the first air tank 21 by the third control valve 26 when the sheath fluid in the sheath fluid reservoir 51 flows into the flow chamber 52.

Optionally, the third pressure sensor 73 of the third air tank 25 is further configured to detect the pressure in the third air tank 25 and/or the sheath fluid reservoir 51 when the third control valve 26 disconnects the first air tank 21 from the third air tank 25 and the sheath fluid in the sheath fluid reservoir 51 flows to the flow chamber 52.

In this embodiment, since the first air tank 21 does not supplement the second positive pressure in the third air tank 25, the second positive pressure is continuously reduced when the sheath fluid is driven, and thus the change of the second positive pressure detected by the third pressure sensor 73 can accurately feed back the flowing state of the sheath fluid, so that a reliable reference can be provided for the detection result of the optical detection component 53, and the detection result provided by the sample analyzer 100 is reliable.

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 4, as an alternative embodiment, the air storage tank set 2 further includes a fourth air storage tank 27, and the first air storage tank 21 is connected to the fourth air storage tank 27 through a fourth control valve 28, so as to establish a third positive pressure in the fourth air storage tank 27 through a first positive pressure. The third positive pressure is less than or equal to the first positive pressure. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a third positive pressure may also be established in the fourth reservoir 27 by the third reservoir 25 if the pressure build-up rate and stability of the second positive pressure are not required.

A fourth pressure sensor 74 is provided in the fourth air tank 27 for detecting the pressure in the fourth air tank 27. The controller 6 is connected to the fourth control valve 28 for controlling the action of the fourth control valve 28. When the fourth pressure sensor 74 detects that the pressure of the third positive pressure in the fourth air tank 27 is insufficient, the controller 6 controls the fourth control valve 28 to communicate the fourth air tank 27 with the first air tank 21, and the first positive pressure builds up in the fourth air tank 27 to raise the pressure of the third positive pressure. When the fourth pressure sensor 74 detects that the pressure of the third positive pressure reaches the demand, the controller 6 controls the fourth control valve 28 to cut off the fourth air tank 27 from the first air tank 21. Similarly, a similar pressure build-up process to that of the third air tank 25 may be used to build up pressure for the fourth air tank 27, and the pressure build-up process may eliminate both overshoot and rebound, so as to achieve accurate pressure build-up.

Optionally, the sample analyzer 100 includes a liquid storage tank 41 and a first reaction tank 42, and the liquid storage tank 41 is connected to the first reaction tank 42. The fourth air storage tank 27 is communicated with the liquid storage tank 41, and provides driving force for the reagent in the liquid storage tank 41 to enter the first reaction tank 42. The reservoir 41 may be used to store reagents such as diluents, hemolysis agents or dyes. The first reaction tank 42 may be: a reaction cell for processing a biological sample to form a test solution for detecting a hemoglobin count, a reaction cell for processing a biological sample to form a test solution for detecting a white blood cell count (and/or nucleated red blood cell class and/or basophilic granulocyte class), a reaction cell for processing a biological sample to form a test solution for detecting a white blood cell class, a reaction cell for processing a biological sample to form a test solution for detecting a red blood cell count, or a reaction cell for processing a biological sample to form a test solution for detecting a reticulocyte count.

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 5, as an alternative embodiment, the sample analyzer 100 further includes a dosing pump 43. The fixed displacement pump 43 has a diaphragm 431, and a liquid chamber 432 and a gas chamber 433 located on both sides of the diaphragm 431. The fixed displacement pump 43 is connected to the gas storage tank assembly 2, and the gas storage tank assembly 2 is capable of providing the positive pressure to the fixed displacement pump 43. For example, the fixed displacement pump 43 is connected to the fourth air tank 27 in the air tank group 2, and the fourth air tank 27 provides the third positive pressure to the fixed displacement pump 43. When the liquid chamber 432 is communicated with the gas storage tank group 2, the positive pressure pushes the diaphragm 431 to move towards the air chamber 433, and when the air chamber 433 is communicated with the gas storage tank group 2, the positive pressure pushes the diaphragm 431 to move towards the liquid chamber 432. When the diaphragm 431 moves toward the air chamber 433, the volume of the liquid chamber 432 increases, the liquid enters the liquid chamber 432, and the liquid suction is completed by the constant displacement pump 43. When the diaphragm 431 moves toward the liquid chamber 432, the volume of the liquid chamber 432 decreases, and the liquid flows out of the liquid chamber 432, and the constant displacement pump 43 discharges the liquid.

In this embodiment, the liquid sucking action and the liquid discharging action of the quantitative pump 43 are completed by the positive pressure driving, that is, the quantitative pump 43 adopts a bidirectional positive pressure driving mode, so that the driving difficulty is small, and the air consumption of the air storage tank set 2 is reduced, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the sample analyzer 100. Meanwhile, since the constant delivery pump 43 does not need to be driven by negative pressure, the sample analyzer 100 can accurately control the positive pressure environment, thereby being beneficial to stably controlling the action of the constant delivery pump 43 and avoiding unstable liquid suction action and liquid discharge action of the constant delivery pump 43 caused by unstable negative pressure environment.

In another embodiment, the fixed displacement pump 43 may also be connected to the first air tank 21, and the first air tank 21 provides the first positive pressure to the fixed displacement pump 43. In yet another embodiment, the dosing pump 43 may be connected to the third air tank 25, and the third air tank 25 provides the second positive pressure to the dosing pump 43.

Optionally, the sample analyzer 100 includes a liquid reservoir 41 and a first reaction cell 42. The liquid chamber 432 is connected between the liquid storage tank 41 and the first reaction tank 42. The fixed displacement pump 43 can quantitatively feed the reagent in the liquid reservoir 41 into the first reaction tank 42. The dosing pump 43 can also provide a standby reagent for the first reaction tank 42 when the reagent in the liquid storage tank 41 is insufficient, so that the first reaction tank 42 can be continuously supplied with liquid, thereby improving the detection speed of the sample analyzer 100. The sample analyzer 100 may further include a control valve 45, where the control valve 45 is connected to the liquid reservoir 41, the first reaction tank 42, and the liquid chamber 432, for communicating and shutting off. For example, the control valve 45 may be configured to connect the liquid reservoir 41 to the liquid chamber 432 and disconnect the first reaction tank 42 from the liquid chamber 432, so that the liquid in the liquid reservoir 41 enters the liquid chamber 432, and the constant displacement pump 43 sucks liquid; alternatively, the control valve 45 may be connected to the liquid chamber 432 and cut off the liquid reservoir 41 from the liquid chamber 432, the liquid in the liquid chamber 432 enters the first reaction tank 42, and the liquid is discharged from the constant delivery pump 43.

In one embodiment, the reservoir 41 is used to store a diluent, a hemolysis agent, or a dye or the like. The first reaction tank 42 is a reaction tank for processing a biological sample to form a test solution for detecting a hemoglobin count, a reaction tank for processing a biological sample to form a test solution for detecting a white blood cell count (and/or nucleated red blood cell classification and/or basophilic granulocyte classification), a reaction tank for processing a biological sample to form a test solution for detecting a white blood cell classification, a reaction tank for processing a biological sample to form a test solution for detecting a red blood cell count, or a reaction tank for processing a biological sample to form a test solution for detecting a reticulocyte count.

In one embodiment, the reservoir 41 is configured to store a diluent, the liquid chamber 432 stores the diluent, and the dosing pump 43 is configured to temporarily provide the diluent to the first reaction tank 42 when the diluent in the reservoir 41 is insufficient, so as to ensure that the diluent is continuously provided to the first reaction tank 42, so as to increase the detection speed of the sample analyzer 100.

Specifically:

when the control valve 45 communicates the liquid storage tank 41 with the liquid chamber 432, the diluent in the liquid storage tank 41 enters the liquid chamber 432 to form a spare diluent. When the first reaction tank 42 needs the diluent, if the diluent in the liquid storage tank 41 is sufficient, the control valve 45 communicates the liquid storage tank 41 with the first reaction tank 42, and the diluent in the liquid storage tank 41 enters the first reaction tank 42. If the diluent in the liquid storage tank 41 is insufficient, the control valve 45 disconnects the liquid storage tank 41 from the first reaction tank 42 and connects the liquid chamber 432 with the first reaction tank 42, and the spare diluent in the liquid chamber 432 enters the first reaction tank 42 to continuously provide the diluent for the first reaction tank 42. At this time, the liquid storage tank 41 can timely draw the diluent from the reagent tank to be replenished. For example, the reservoir 41 communicates with the second air tank 22 to draw dilution liquid from the reagent tank using the first negative pressure. When the diluent in the liquid storage tank 41 is enough, the control valve 45 communicates the liquid storage tank 41 with the first reaction tank 42 again, and the liquid storage tank 41 continues to provide the diluent for the first reaction tank 42. In other embodiments, the back-up diluent in the liquid chamber 432 may also be directly drawn from the reagent cartridge.

Referring to fig. 1, 2, 6 and 7, as an alternative embodiment, the gas tank set 2 further includes a fifth gas tank 29, and the second gas tank 22 is connected to the fifth gas tank 29 through a fifth control valve 210, so as to establish a second negative pressure in the fifth gas tank 29 through the first negative pressure. The absolute value of the pressure of the second negative pressure is smaller than or equal to the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure.

A fifth pressure sensor 75 is provided in the fifth air tank 29 for detecting the pressure in the fifth air tank 29. The controller 6 is connected to the fifth control valve 210, and is configured to control the action of the fifth control valve 210. When the fifth pressure sensor 75 detects that the pressure of the second negative pressure in the fifth air tank 29 is insufficient, the controller 6 controls the fifth control valve 210 to communicate the fifth air tank 29 with the second air tank 22, and the second negative pressure builds up in the fifth air tank 29, so that the pressure of the second negative pressure is reduced. When the fifth pressure sensor 75 detects that the pressure of the second negative pressure reaches the demand, the controller 6 controls the fifth control valve 210 to cut off the fifth air tank 29 and the second air tank 22.

Optionally, the sample analyzer 100 further includes a seventh control valve 292 and a second flow restrictor 293, the seventh control valve 292 being connected between the fifth air reservoir 29 and the second flow restrictor 293. The second flow restrictor 293 is used to relieve some of the pressure within the fifth air reservoir 29.

The process of establishing the second negative pressure in the fifth air tank 29 by the second air tank 22 through the second negative pressure is as follows: the fifth control valve 210 conducts the second air tank 22 and the fifth air tank 29, so that the second negative pressure builds up in the fifth air tank 29 to form a second negative pressure with an absolute value of pressure greater than a fourth preset value; the seventh control valve 292 connects the fifth air tank 29 and the second flow limiting member 293, and the second flow limiting member 293 releases a part of the pressure in the fifth air tank 29, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the second negative pressure is increased to the fourth preset value. The pressure building process can eliminate two phenomena of overshoot and rebound, and realizes accurate pressure building.

Optionally, the second flow restrictor 293 is a flow restrictor tube, a flow restrictor valve, or a flow restrictor orifice.

Optionally, the fifth control valve 210 and/or the seventh control valve 292 is a shut-off valve or a two-position two-way valve.

Optionally, the sample analyzer 100 further includes a second reaction tank 44, and the fifth air tank 29 is connected to an outlet of the second reaction tank 44. When the outlet of the second reaction tank 44 is connected to the fifth air tank 29, the liquid in the second reaction tank 44 flows into the fifth air tank 29 under the driving of the second negative pressure.

For example, an impedance detecting component 54 is disposed at the outlet of the second reaction tank 44, for detecting the number of red blood cells by impedance method (coulter principle). The second reaction cell 44 is a reaction cell for processing a biological sample to form a test solution for detecting a red blood cell count. The impedance method adopts a time metering method for quantification (namely, statistical volume=flow through a detection aperture and statistical time), and the flow through the detection aperture determines the detection volume due to fixed statistical time, so that the measurement result is directly influenced. The impedance sensing assembly 54 is part of the sensing assembly 5. The sample analyzer 100 is configured to drive the liquid to be detected in the second reaction tank 44 to pass through the impedance detection assembly 54 by the second negative pressure by establishing the stable and accurate second negative pressure in the fifth air tank 29, so that the liquid to be detected is detected by the impedance detection assembly 54 to obtain a detection signal, and therefore, the flow rate of the liquid to be detected passing through the impedance detection assembly 54 is stable, so that the detection result of the impedance detection assembly 54 on the liquid to be detected is more accurate and reliable.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the fifth control valve 210 is directly connected to the second air reservoir 22. In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 7, the fifth control valve 210 is connected to the second air tank 22 via the waste liquid tank 91 (and the buffer tank 93). The second air tank 22 is communicated with the waste liquid tank 91, and the waste liquid tank 91 has the same or similar pressure as the second air tank 22, that is, the pressure in the waste liquid tank 91 is the first negative pressure or is close to the first negative pressure. At this time, the second negative pressure may be established in the fifth air tank 29 by the pressure in the waste liquid tank 91. The waste liquid tank 91 is also used for collecting waste liquid in the fifth air tank 29. The waste liquid in the waste liquid tank 91 can be discharged by a liquid pump 92.

Referring to fig. 1 to 8, the embodiment of the invention further provides a driving method of the sample analyzer 100, which can be applied to the sample analyzer 100 described in the above embodiment.

The driving method includes:

the air pump 1 is driven to establish positive pressure and negative pressure in the air storage tank group 2; and

the positive pressure and the negative pressure drive the flow path of the sample analyzer 100.

In this embodiment, the driving method establishes positive pressure and negative pressure in the gas storage tank set 2 through the gas pump 1, and then uses the positive pressure and negative pressure in the gas storage tank set 2 as the main driving force of the sample analyzer 100, so that the large-flow gas pump 1 in the prior art can be replaced, and the cost and energy consumption of the sample analyzer 100 are reduced. Meanwhile, since the driving method can employ the air pump 1 of a small volume, the entire volume of the sample analyzer 100 can be reduced.

As an alternative embodiment, the "driving the air pump 1 to establish positive and negative pressure in the air tank group 2" includes: the air pump 1 is driven to establish a first positive pressure in the first air tank 21 and a first negative pressure in the second air tank 22 respectively.

The operation of establishing the first positive pressure and the operation of establishing the first negative pressure of the air pump 1 may be performed in a staggered manner or may be performed simultaneously. The first positive pressure is used to provide the primary positive pressure driving force for the sample analyzer 100. The first negative pressure is used to provide the primary negative pressure driving force for the sample analyzer 100.

Optionally, the process of driving the air pump 1 to establish the first positive pressure in the first air tank 21 includes:

the air pump 1 establishes a first positive pressure with an absolute value of pressure greater than a first preset value in the first air storage tank 21; and

and the first air storage tank 21 is communicated to the atmosphere, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure is reduced to the first preset value.

In this embodiment, the process of establishing the first positive pressure can eliminate two phenomena of overshoot and rebound, so as to realize accurate pressure establishment.

Optionally, the process of driving the air pump 1 to establish the first negative pressure in the second air tank 22 includes:

The air pump 1 establishes a first negative pressure with an absolute value of pressure larger than a second preset value in the second air storage tank 22; and

and the second air storage tank 22 is conducted to the atmosphere, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the second negative pressure is reduced to the second preset value.

In this embodiment, the process of establishing the first negative pressure can eliminate two phenomena of overshoot and rebound, so as to realize accurate pressure establishment.

As an alternative embodiment, when the air pump 1 of the sample analyzer 100 uses a low-cost single-head pump for pressure build-up in one direction, the air pump 1 needs to build pressure for the first air tank 21 and the second air tank 22 separately, and the principle of building pressure for the first air tank 21 and the second air tank 22 is as follows:

the pressure of the first positive pressure P1 in the first air tank 21 is divided into three pressure levels: a first threshold A1, a third threshold A2 and a fifth threshold A3, wherein the first threshold A1 is smaller than the third threshold A2 (A1 < A2), and the third threshold A2 is smaller than the fifth threshold A3 (A2 < A3). The pressure of the first negative pressure P2 in the second air tank 22 is divided into two pressure levels: a second threshold B1 and a fourth threshold B2, the second threshold B1 being smaller than the fourth threshold B2 (B1 < B2).

When the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure P1 is smaller than the first threshold A1 (|P1| < A1), the priority is highest, the positive pressure is established at the moment, and when the pressure reaches the first threshold A1 (|P1|gtoreq A1), the pressure establishment process is ended.

When the absolute value of the actual pressure of the first negative pressure P2 is smaller than the second threshold B1 (|P2| < B1), the priority is second highest, the negative pressure is built at the moment, and when the pressure reaches the second threshold B1 (|P2|not smaller than B1), the building process is finished.

When the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure P1 is larger than or equal to the first threshold A1 and smaller than the third threshold A2 (A1 is smaller than or equal to |P1| < A2), the priority is third high, positive pressure is established at the moment, and when the pressure reaches the third threshold A2 (P1|is larger than or equal to A2), the pressure establishment process is ended.

When the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure P2 is larger than or equal to the second threshold B1 and smaller than the fourth threshold B2 (B1 is smaller than or equal to |P2| < B2), the priority is fourth highest, the negative pressure is built up at the moment, and when the pressure reaches the fourth threshold B2 (|P2|is larger than or equal to B2), the build-up process is finished.

When the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure P1 is larger than or equal to the third threshold A2 and smaller than the fifth threshold A3 (A2 is smaller than or equal to |P1| < A3), the priority is fifth high, positive pressure is established at the moment, and when the pressure reaches the fifth threshold A3 (P1|is larger than or equal to A3), the pressure establishment process is ended.

In other words:

when the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure P1 is smaller than a first threshold value A1 (|p1| < A1), the air pump 1 is driven to build pressure in the first air storage tank 21, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure P1 reaches the first threshold value A1 (|p1|gtoreq 1).

When the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure P1 is greater than or equal to a first threshold value A1 (|p1|gtoreq.a1) and the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure P2 is smaller than a second threshold value B1 (|p2| < B1), the air pump 1 is driven to build pressure in the second air storage tank 22, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure P2 reaches the second threshold value B1 (|p2|gtoreq.b1).

When the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure P1 is larger than or equal to a first threshold A1 and smaller than a third threshold A2 (A1 is smaller than or equal to |P1| < A2), and the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure P2 is larger than or equal to a second threshold B1 (B1 is smaller than or equal to |P2|), the air pump 1 is driven to build pressure in the first air storage tank 21, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure P1 reaches the third threshold A2 (P1|is larger than or equal to A2).

When the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure P1 is larger than or equal to a third threshold A2 (A2 is smaller than or equal to |P1|), and the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure P2 is larger than or equal to a second threshold B1 and smaller than a fourth threshold B2 (B1 is smaller than or equal to |P2| < B2), the air pump 1 is driven to build pressure in the second air storage tank 22, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure P2 reaches the fourth threshold B2 (|P2|is larger than or equal to B2).

When the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure P1 is larger than or equal to a third threshold A2 and smaller than a fifth threshold A3 (A2 is smaller than or equal to |P1| < A3), and the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure P2 is larger than or equal to a fourth threshold B2 (I P2|is larger than or equal to B2), the air pump 1 is driven to build pressure in the first air storage tank 21, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure P1 reaches the fifth threshold A3 (P1|is larger than or equal to A3).

In this embodiment, the driving method reasonably and skillfully sets the timing and the degree of the air pump 1 to establish the first positive pressure and the first negative pressure according to the urgency of the sample analyzer 100 on the first positive pressure and the first negative pressure, so that the first positive pressure and the first negative pressure can better realize the driving function. It will be appreciated that the pressure build-up process of the first air tank 21 and the second air tank 22 is preferably monitored at any time to ensure smooth operation of the sample analyzer 100.

Optionally, the sample analyzer 100 further includes a waste liquid tank 91 and a liquid pump 92, the waste liquid tank 91 is connected to the second air tank 22, and the liquid pump 92 is used for pumping the waste liquid in the waste liquid tank 91 and creating a negative pressure in the waste liquid tank 91.

The pressure-building action of the liquid pump 92 and the pressure-building action of the air pump 1 are independent from each other. The rules for the liquid pump 92 to drain the waste liquid and to establish the negative pressure are as follows:

The pressure of the first negative pressure P2 in the second air tank 22 further includes two pressure levels: a sixth threshold B3 and a seventh threshold B4, the fourth threshold B2 being smaller than the sixth threshold B3 (B2 < B3), the sixth threshold B3 being smaller than the seventh threshold B4 (B3 < B4).

When the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure P2 is smaller than the sixth threshold B3 (|p2| < B3), the liquid pump 92 is started, so that the liquid pump 92 discharges the waste liquid in the waste liquid tank 91 and builds a negative pressure in the waste liquid tank 91; and

and when the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure is greater than or equal to the seventh threshold B4 (P2 is greater than or equal to B4), the liquid pump 92 is turned off.

In this embodiment, since the fourth threshold value is smaller than the sixth threshold value, the liquid pump 92 is in a state of discharging waste liquid and assisting in pressure build-up most of the time, the liquid pump 92 can timely discharge waste liquid in the waste liquid tank 91, and the waste liquid tank 91 is in a nearly empty state, so that waste liquid or air bubbles and the like can be prevented from flowing backward into the second air tank 22 and the air pump 1, so that the sample analyzer 100 can normally operate for a long time. Since the liquid pump 92 can assist in establishing the negative pressure, the problem of insufficient negative pressure flow rate which may occur in the small flow rate of the air pump 1 can be solved. Because the waste liquid in the waste liquid tank 91 is pumped out of the machine by the liquid pump 92 for discharging, the pressure in the waste liquid tank 91 is not required to be switched, and the waste liquid tank 91 can always maintain a negative pressure state, so that the waste liquid tank 91 can continuously pump the waste liquid in the sample analyzer 100 through the negative pressure in the waste liquid tank, the waste liquid collecting action and the waste liquid discharging action of the waste liquid treatment assembly can be performed in parallel and are not interfered with each other, the waste liquid treatment efficiency of the waste liquid treatment assembly is high, and the whole machine measurement speed of the sample analyzer 100 is high. Negative pressure is always kept in the waste liquid tank 91, positive-negative pressure switching is not needed, so that the increase of air consumption caused by positive-negative pressure switching can be avoided, and the small-flow air pump 1 can better meet the driving requirement of the sample analyzer 100.

As an alternative embodiment, the first positive pressure establishes a second positive pressure within the third reservoir 25. The second positive pressure is less than or equal to the first positive pressure.

Optionally, the process of establishing the second positive pressure in the third air tank 25 by the first positive pressure includes:

the first air tank 21 and the third air tank 25 are conducted, so that the first positive pressure builds up pressure in the third air tank 25 to form a second positive pressure with an absolute value of pressure larger than a third preset value; and

and the third air storage tank 25 is conducted to the atmosphere, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the second positive pressure is reduced to the third preset value.

In this embodiment, the process of establishing the second positive pressure can eliminate two phenomena of overshoot and rebound, so as to realize accurate pressure establishment. As shown in fig. 8, line segment 01, line segment 02, line segment 03 in fig. 8 represent the process of changing the second positive pressure, and as can be seen from fig. 8, the above-mentioned pressure-building method may accurately build the second positive pressure at the third preset value P.

Optionally, when the second positive pressure is lower than the third preset value, the first air tank 21 and the third air tank 25 are turned on, so that the second positive pressure reaches the third preset value.

As an alternative embodiment, the second positive pressure pushes sheath fluid in the sheath fluid reservoir 51 into the flow chamber 52. The driving method uses the accurate second positive pressure to push the sheath fluid, which is beneficial to the optical detection component 53 arranged in the flow chamber 52 to obtain an accurate detection result. The sheath fluid reservoir 51 may be in communication with the third reservoir 25 such that the pressure within the sheath fluid reservoir 51 is the same as the third reservoir.

Optionally, before the second positive pressure pushes the sheath fluid in the sheath fluid reservoir 51 into the flow chamber 52, the third air tank 25 is disconnected from the first air tank 21.

In this embodiment, since the third air tank 25 is disconnected from the first air tank 21, the first air tank 21 does not supplement the second positive pressure in the third air tank 25, so that the fluctuation width of the second positive pressure is small, and the second positive pressure can stably drive the sheath fluid, which is beneficial for the optical detection assembly 53 to obtain an accurate detection result. It will be appreciated that when the third air tank 25 is connected to the first air tank 21 for pressure build-up, the sheath fluid reservoir 51 and the flow chamber 52 may be disconnected by a shut-off valve. After the third air tank 25 is disconnected from the first air tank 21, the stop valve is opened, so that the second positive pressure pushes the sheath fluid in the sheath fluid reservoir 51 into the flow chamber 52.

Alternatively, "the second positive pressure pushes the sheath liquid in the sheath liquid reservoir 51 into the flow chamber 52", and the pressure change of the second positive pressure is detected by the third pressure sensor 73. Since the first air tank 21 does not supplement the second positive pressure in the third air tank 25, the second positive pressure is continuously reduced when the sheath fluid is driven, and thus the change of the second positive pressure detected by the third pressure sensor 73 can accurately feed back the flowing state of the sheath fluid, so that a reliable reference can be provided for the detection result of the optical detection component 53, and the detection result provided by the sample analyzer 100 is reliable.

Optionally, when the pressure change of the second positive pressure does not meet a preset condition, an alarm is given. If the pressure change of the second positive pressure does not meet the preset condition, the action of the second positive pressure pushing the sheath fluid in the sheath fluid reservoir 51 to flow out is unstable, which directly affects the accuracy of the detection result of the sample analyzer 100. At the moment, the driving method gives an alarm, and can remind a user that the corresponding detection result is inaccurate. If the pressure variation of the second positive pressure meets a preset condition, the detection result of the sample analyzer 100 is accurate. Thus, the sample analyzer 100 to which the driving method is applied can provide a reliable detection result.

Optionally, the driving method may perform corresponding maintenance (cleaning or pressure re-build-up, etc.) on the sample analyzer 100 after the alarm, so as to ensure the accuracy of the detection result of the next detection.

In one embodiment, a pressure curve is formed according to the pressure variation, and when the slope of the pressure curve is not within a preset range, it is determined that the pressure variation does not meet a preset condition. When the slope of the pressure curve is within the preset range, it is determined that the pressure change meets a preset condition, and the second positive pressure pushes the sheath fluid in the sheath fluid reservoir 51 to flow out stably. As shown in fig. 8, the line segment 04 represents the pressure variation of the second positive pressure, when the slope of the line segment 04 is within the preset range, the pressure variation is determined to satisfy the preset condition, and when the slope of the line segment 04 is not within the preset range, the pressure variation is determined to not satisfy the preset condition.

In another embodiment, a pressure value data set is formed according to the pressure change, and when a difference value of data in the pressure value data set is not within a preset range, it is determined that the pressure change does not meet a preset condition. When the difference value of the data in the pressure value data set is within the preset range, it is determined that the pressure change meets the preset condition, and the second positive pressure pushes the sheath fluid in the sheath fluid reservoir 51 to flow out stably.

As an alternative embodiment, the first positive pressure establishes a third positive pressure within the fourth air reservoir 27. The third positive pressure is less than or equal to the first positive pressure.

Optionally, the liquid storage tank 41 is connected to the first reaction tank 42, and the fourth air storage tank 27 is connected to the liquid storage tank 41, so that the reagent in the liquid storage tank 41 is pushed into the first reaction tank 42 by the third positive pressure.

Optionally, when the third positive pressure is lower than a fifth preset value, the first air tank 21 and the fourth air tank 27 are turned on so that the third positive pressure reaches the fifth preset value.

As an alternative embodiment, the first negative pressure builds up a second negative pressure in the fifth air reservoir 29. The absolute value of the pressure of the second negative pressure is smaller than or equal to the absolute value of the pressure of the first negative pressure.

Optionally, the process of establishing the second negative pressure in the fifth air tank 29 by the first negative pressure includes:

the fifth air tank 29 and the second air tank 22 are conducted, so that the first negative pressure builds up pressure in the fifth air tank 29 to form a second negative pressure with an absolute value of pressure larger than a fourth preset value; and

and the fifth air storage tank 29 is conducted to the atmosphere, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the second negative pressure is reduced to the fourth preset value.

In this embodiment, the process of establishing the second negative pressure can eliminate two phenomena of overshoot and rebound, so as to realize accurate pressure establishment.

Optionally, when the second negative pressure is lower than a fourth preset value, the second air tank 22 and the fifth air tank 29 are turned on to make the second negative pressure reach the fourth preset value.

Optionally, the fifth air tank 29 is connected to the outlet of the second reaction tank 44, so that the liquid in the second reaction tank 44 can be pumped out by the second negative pressure. When the outlet of the second reaction tank 44 is connected to the fifth air tank 29, the liquid in the second reaction tank 44 flows into the fifth air tank 29 under the driving of the second negative pressure.

In this embodiment, an impedance detecting unit 54 for detecting the number of red blood cells by an impedance method (coulter principle) may be provided at the outlet of the second reaction tank 44. Because the second negative pressure is accurate, when the second negative pressure drives the liquid to be detected in the second reaction tank 44 to pass through the impedance detection assembly 54, the flow of the liquid to be detected passing through the impedance detection assembly 54 is stable, so that the detection result of the impedance detection assembly 54 on the liquid to be detected is more accurate and reliable.

As an alternative embodiment, the dosing pump 43 of the sample analyzer 100 includes a liquid chamber 432 and a gas chamber 433. The liquid chamber 432 is connected to the liquid storage tank 41 and the reaction tank. The driving method further includes:

the reservoir 41 communicates with the positive pressure to push the liquid in the reservoir 41 into the liquid chamber 432 by the positive pressure; and

the air chamber 433 communicates with the positive pressure to push the liquid in the liquid chamber 432 toward the reaction tank using the positive pressure.

In this embodiment, the liquid sucking action (the liquid in the liquid storage tank 41 enters the liquid chamber 432) and the liquid discharging action (the liquid in the liquid chamber 432 flows to the reaction tank) of the quantitative pump 43 are driven by the positive pressure (for example, the first positive pressure, the second positive pressure or the third positive pressure), that is, the quantitative pump 43 adopts a bidirectional positive pressure driving mode, so that the driving difficulty is small, the air consumption of the air storage tank set 2 is reduced, and the energy consumption of the sample analyzer 100 is reduced. Meanwhile, since the constant delivery pump 43 does not need to be driven by negative pressure, the sample analyzer 100 can accurately control the positive pressure environment, thereby being beneficial to stably controlling the action of the constant delivery pump 43 and avoiding unstable liquid suction action and liquid discharge action of the constant delivery pump 43 caused by unstable negative pressure environment.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more detailed description of embodiments of the invention, wherein the principles and embodiments of the invention are explained in detail using specific examples, the above examples being provided solely to facilitate the understanding of the method and core concepts of the invention; meanwhile, as those skilled in the art will have variations in the specific embodiments and application scope in accordance with the ideas of the present invention, the present description should not be construed as limiting the present invention in view of the above.

Claims (39)

1. The sample analyzer is characterized by comprising an air pump, an air storage tank group, a sampling assembly, a reaction assembly, a detection assembly and a waste liquid pool;

the gas storage tank group comprises a first gas storage tank, a second gas storage tank, a third gas storage tank and a fifth gas storage tank; the air pump is connected with the first air storage tank and used for establishing first positive pressure in the first air storage tank; the air pump is connected with the second air storage tank and used for establishing a first negative pressure in the second air storage tank; the first air storage tank is connected with the third air storage tank and is used for establishing a second positive pressure in the third air storage tank through a first positive pressure; the second air storage tank is connected with the fifth air storage tank and is used for establishing second negative pressure in the fifth air storage tank through the first negative pressure;

The plurality of pressures within the gas storage tank assembly are for:

driving the sampling assembly to collect a biological sample;

driving the reaction assembly to process the biological sample to form a liquid to be tested, wherein the reaction assembly comprises at least one reaction tank;

driving the liquid to be detected by the detection component so as to obtain a detection signal; the method comprises the steps of,

and driving the waste liquid into the waste liquid pool.

2. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein the air pump is connected to the first air reservoir via a first control valve and the air pump is connected to the second air reservoir via a second control valve.

3. The sample analyzer of claim 2 wherein the air pump is a single head pump for pressurizing the first air reservoir when the first control valve is on and the second control valve is off and pressurizing the second air reservoir when the first control valve is off and the second control valve is on.

4. The sample analyzer of claim 2, wherein the air pump is a single-head pump or a double-head pump for pressurizing the first air tank and the second air tank when the first control valve is turned on and the second control valve is turned on.

5. The sample analyzer as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a controller and a pressure sensor set for detecting a pressure within the gas storage tank set and feeding back a signal to the controller, the controller controlling the actions of the gas pump, the first control valve and the second control valve in accordance with the signal.

6. The sample analyzer of any of claims 2-5, wherein at least one pinch-off valve is disposed in a flow path of the sample analyzer, and wherein the first positive pressure is used to actuate the pinch-off valve.

7. The sample analyzer of claim 2, further comprising a liquid pump, wherein the waste reservoir is connected to the second gas reservoir, and wherein the liquid pump is configured to pump waste from the waste reservoir.

8. The sample analyzer of claim 7, wherein a first float switch is disposed within the waste reservoir for detecting a liquid level within the waste reservoir.

9. The sample analyzer of claim 7, further comprising a buffer reservoir connected between the second reservoir and the waste reservoir, the buffer reservoir configured to prevent waste within the waste reservoir from flowing back into the second reservoir.

10. The sample analyzer of any of claims 7-9, wherein a second float switch is disposed within the second reservoir for detecting a liquid level within the second reservoir.

11. The sample analyzer of claim 2, further comprising a liquid pump for pumping waste liquid from the waste liquid reservoir and creating a negative pressure within the waste liquid reservoir.

12. The sample analyzer of any one of claims 7-9, 11, wherein the waste reservoir is coupled to the reaction module, the waste reservoir being configured to collect waste from the reaction module.

13. The sample analyzer of claim 2, wherein the first reservoir is connected to the third reservoir by a third control valve.

14. The sample analyzer of claim 13, further comprising a sixth control valve coupled between the third reservoir and the first flow restrictor, and a first flow restrictor for releasing a portion of the pressure within the third reservoir.

15. The sample analyzer of claim 13 or 14, further comprising a sheath fluid reservoir and a flow chamber, wherein an outlet of the sheath fluid reservoir is connected to a sheath fluid inlet of the flow chamber, and wherein the third reservoir communicates with the sheath fluid reservoir for pushing sheath fluid within the sheath fluid reservoir into the flow chamber.

16. The sample analyzer of claim 15, further comprising a controller coupled to the third control valve for disconnecting the third reservoir from the first reservoir via the third control valve when sheath fluid within the sheath fluid reservoir flows into the flow chamber.

17. The sample analyzer of claim 15, further comprising a third pressure sensor coupled to detect a pressure within the third reservoir and/or the sheath fluid reservoir when the third control valve disconnects the first reservoir from the third reservoir and sheath fluid within the sheath fluid reservoir flows to the flow chamber.

18. The sample analyzer of claim 2, wherein the reservoir set further comprises a fourth reservoir, the first reservoir being connected to the fourth reservoir by a fourth control valve for establishing a third positive pressure within the fourth reservoir by a first positive pressure.

19. The sample analyzer of claim 18, wherein the sample analyzer comprises a reservoir and a first reaction cell, the reservoir being connected to the first reaction cell, the fourth reservoir being in communication with the reservoir for pushing reagents in the reservoir into the first reaction cell.

20. The sample analyzer of claim 18, further comprising a metering pump having a diaphragm and liquid chambers and air chambers on opposite sides of the diaphragm, wherein the metering pump is coupled to the set of air reservoirs, wherein the third positive pressure pushes the diaphragm in a direction toward the air chambers when the liquid chambers are in communication with the set of air reservoirs, and wherein the third positive pressure pushes the diaphragm in a direction toward the liquid chambers when the air chambers are in communication with the set of air reservoirs.

21. The sample analyzer of claim 20, wherein the sample analyzer comprises a reservoir and a first reaction cell, the fluid chamber being connected between the reservoir and the first reaction cell.

22. The sample analyzer of claim 2, wherein the second reservoir is connected to the fifth reservoir by a fifth control valve.

23. The sample analyzer of claim 22 further comprising a seventh control valve connected between the fifth reservoir and the second flow restrictor for releasing a portion of the pressure within the fifth reservoir.

24. The sample analyzer of claim 22 or 23, further comprising a second reaction cell, wherein the fifth reservoir is in communication with an outlet of the second reaction cell.

25. A driving method of a sample analyzer, the driving method comprising:

driving an air pump to establish positive pressure and negative pressure in the air storage tank group; and

the positive pressure and the negative pressure drive a flow path of the sample analyzer; wherein the sample analyzer comprises an optical flow cell through which the positive pressure driven sheath fluid wraps the sample such that the sample is detected to obtain an optical detection signal;

wherein, the "drive air pump establishes positive pressure and negative pressure in the gas storage tank group" includes:

the air pump is driven to respectively establish a first positive pressure in the first air storage tank and a first negative pressure in the second air storage tank;

the first positive pressure establishes a second positive pressure in a third air storage tank, and the first negative pressure establishes a second negative pressure in a fifth air storage tank;

wherein the "the positive pressure and the negative pressure drive the flow path of the sample analyzer" includes: the positive pressure and the negative pressure drive the sampling assembly to collect biological samples, the reaction assembly is driven to process the biological samples to form liquid to be detected, the liquid to be detected is driven to be detected by the detection assembly to obtain detection signals, and the waste liquid is driven to enter the waste liquid pool.

26. The driving method as set forth in claim 25, wherein when the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure is smaller than a first threshold value, the air pump is driven to build up pressure in the first air tank so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure reaches the first threshold value.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein when the absolute value of the first positive pressure is equal to or greater than a first threshold value and the absolute value of the first negative pressure is less than a second threshold value, the air pump is driven to build pressure in the second air tank so that the absolute value of the first negative pressure reaches the second threshold value.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the air pump is driven to build pressure in the first air tank when the absolute value of the first positive pressure is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a third threshold and the absolute value of the first negative pressure is equal to or greater than a second threshold, so that the absolute value of the first positive pressure reaches the third threshold.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein when the absolute value of the first positive pressure is equal to or greater than a third threshold value, and the absolute value of the first negative pressure is equal to or greater than a second threshold value and less than a fourth threshold value, the air pump is driven to build in the second air tank so that the absolute value of the first negative pressure reaches the fourth threshold value.

30. The driving method as set forth in claim 25, wherein when the absolute value of the first positive pressure is equal to or greater than a third threshold and less than a fifth threshold, and the absolute value of the first negative pressure is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold, the air pump is driven to build in the first air tank so that the absolute value of the first positive pressure reaches the fifth threshold.

31. The method of any one of claims 25-30, wherein the second positive pressure pushes sheath fluid within the sheath fluid reservoir into the flow chamber.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the third reservoir is disconnected from the first reservoir prior to the second positive pressure pushing sheath fluid in the sheath fluid reservoir into the flow chamber.

33. The driving method according to claim 32, wherein a pressure change of the second positive pressure is detected by a third pressure sensor when the second positive pressure pushes the sheath liquid in the sheath liquid pool into the flow chamber.

34. The drive method of any one of claims 25-30, wherein the first positive pressure establishes a third positive pressure within a fourth air reservoir.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the reservoir is connected to a first reaction tank, and the fourth reservoir is in communication with the reservoir to provide a driving force for reagents in the reservoir to enter the first reaction tank.

36. The driving method according to any one of claims 25 to 30, wherein an outlet of the fifth air tank to the second reaction tank is conducted to pump out the liquid in the second reaction tank using the second negative pressure.

37. The driving method as claimed in claim 36, wherein:

the process of driving the air pump to establish a first positive pressure in the first air storage tank comprises the following steps:

the air pump establishes a first positive pressure with the absolute value of pressure larger than a first preset value in the first air storage tank, and the first air storage tank is conducted to the atmosphere, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the first positive pressure is reduced to the first preset value;

and/or the number of the groups of groups,

the process of driving the air pump to establish the first negative pressure in the second air storage tank comprises the following steps of:

the air pump establishes a first negative pressure with the absolute value of pressure larger than a second preset value in the second air storage tank, and the second air storage tank is conducted to the atmosphere, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the second negative pressure is reduced to the second preset value;

and/or the number of the groups of groups,

the process of establishing the second positive pressure in the third air storage tank by the first positive pressure comprises the following steps:

the first air storage tank and the third air storage tank are conducted, so that the first positive pressure builds pressure in the third air storage tank to form a second positive pressure with the absolute value of the pressure being larger than a third preset value; the third air storage tank is conducted to the atmosphere, so that the absolute value of the pressure of the second positive pressure is reduced to the third preset value;

And/or the number of the groups of groups,

the process of establishing the second negative pressure in the fifth air storage tank by the first negative pressure comprises the following steps:

the fifth air storage tank and the second air storage tank are conducted, so that the first negative pressure builds pressure in the fifth air storage tank to form a second negative pressure with the absolute value of the pressure being larger than a fourth preset value; and switching on the fifth air storage tank to the atmosphere to reduce the absolute value of the pressure of the second negative pressure to the fourth preset value.

38. The drive method of any one of claims 25-30, wherein the dosing pump of the sample analyzer comprises a liquid chamber and a gas chamber, the liquid chamber connecting a liquid reservoir and a first reaction cell, the drive method further comprising:

the liquid storage tank is communicated with the positive pressure so as to push liquid in the liquid storage tank into the liquid chamber by utilizing the positive pressure; and

the air chamber is communicated with the positive pressure so as to push the liquid in the liquid chamber to the first reaction tank by utilizing the positive pressure.

39. The driving method as recited in any one of claims 25-30 wherein an alarm message is output when liquid is detected in said second reservoir.