GB2121169A

GB2121169A - Analyser comprising a single apparatus for sample preparation and measurement

Info

Publication number: GB2121169A
Application number: GB08313894A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Reijo Antero Voutilainen
Original assignee: Orion Yhtyma Oy
Current assignee: Orion Oyj
Priority date: 1982-05-26
Filing date: 1983-05-19
Publication date: 1983-12-14
Also published as: FI64468C; FR2527780A1; DE3318573A1; GB8313894D0; FI64468B; JPS58214857A; FI821868A0

Abstract

In an analyser the sample cuvette (4a), the measuring cuvette (3a), the measuring site (5) and the reagents (6), as well as any other necessary materials and devices, are all situated along the path of movement of an operating arm (1). The sample and the reagents can be transferred into the measuring cuvette by means of a pipette (9) supported on arm (1), and the pipette can also be washed and dried by simple movements of the arm. The arm (1) can be raised and lowered. By means of device (2) on the arm (1) it is possible to grip a measuring cuvette (3a) to transfer it to the measuring site (5) and to return it. The sample cuvettes (4a) and the measuring cuvettes (3a) are preferably situated in ring-like cuvette holders (4, 3). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Analyser The present invention relates to an analyser and in particular to an analyser in which all steps, such as the dilution of the samples, the adding of reagents, and measuring, can be carried out in one and the same apparatus.

Combining the several different steps required for the measuring of a sample in one and the same analyser has in practice proved to be difficult.

Therefore the solution has often been to use a socalled modular structure, i.e. two separate apparatus, the preparation of the samples taking place in one and the measuring of the samples in the other. In addition to the preparing of the sample, the process intended for obtaining a result also includes the transfer of the samples to the measuring point at which measuring of absorption, scatter and fluorescence is performed on the sample. Very high precision is usually required of both the transfer and the measuring processes.

If a separate sample-preparing apparatus and measuring apparatus are used it is evident that the system as a whole will be quite expensive and complicated. This is so because many of the same parts are required for each of the two separate apparatus; in one combined apparatus only one of each part would be required. Such structural parts include the casing, the source of current, the keyboard, and some of the electronic devices, in addition to which two separate apparatus require data transfer between them, and often manual work is also involved in the use of two apparatus.

Owing to all these factors, the use of two parallel apparatus for technical reasons is not economical.

The object of the present invention is to allow all of the above-mentioned steps to be carried out in one and the same apparatus, which carries out the preparing of the samples, their measuring and their transfer, all by means of an exceptionally simple structure.

The characteristics of the invention are given in the accompanying claims.

The invention is described below in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a simplified representation of the principle of the apparatus according to the invention as seen from above, and Figure 2 depicts a side view of the same apparatus, in part in cross section along Il-Il in Figure 1.

The operation of the apparatus according to the invention is as follows: an operating arm 1, which is part of the apparatus, has been articulated at one end so as to rotate along a horizontal plane.

The radius of movement of the arm is r,. In this preferred embodiment the samples are placed in a ring-like holder 4, sample cuvettes 4a having been placed in the openings of the holder and another ring-like cuvette holder having been placed around the former ring 4, the radius of the sample ring being r3 and the radius of the cuvette ring 3, in which the measuring cuvettes 3a are, being r2. In addition, the apparatus has a measuring site 5 and tubes indicated by reference numeral 6, which contain reagents as well as pipette washing and rinsing agents. One of the above-mentioned sites may also be reserved for drying 11 the pipette.

The operation begins by the preparation of the sample for measuring. For this purpose, the operating arm 1 is transferred to above the sample cuvette 4a, at which time the pipette 9 at the outer end of the arm arrives approximately at the center of a sample cuvette. The operating arm is lowered to such an extent that the tip 7 of the pipette is somewhat immersed in the sample, whereafter the apparatus automatically sucks the sample into the pipette 9. Thereafter the arm 1 rises sufficiently, to its turning position, in which it turns somewhat, i.e. to above a measuring cuvette 3a. At this stage the sample which has been sucked in from the sample cuvette 4a is sprayed into the measuring cuvette 3a, the arm 1 is lowered until the gripping device 2 is in such a position that it can grip the upper edge of the measuring cuvette 3a.Thereafter the arm 1 is raised, the measuring cuvette 3a following along with it. Thereafter the arm is transferred to above the measuring site 5 and the cuvette is lowered to the measuring site, at which time the gripping device 2 releases its grip on it.

Since the sample as such is not ready for measuring, the operating arm 1 makes one or several further trips towards the left in Figure 1, fetching, after a possible wash, one or several reagents from some of the bottles 6. Some of the bottles have been reserved for washing and rinsing, and some bottle may be replaced with a device 11 for drying the tip 7 of the pipette. After measuring carried out at the measuring site 5, the arm 1 removes the measuring cuvette and transfers it to that place in the measuring cuvette ring 3 from which it was taken.

The raising and lowering of the operating arm 1 and, along with it, the gripping part 2, is carried out in a conventional manner by means of a vertical arm 8, which can be moved in the vertical direction by means of any known method or device. A telescopic structure and hydraulic or electric drive in conjunction with it are in this case the most common procedures. The raising and lowering of the pipette can also be carried out by means of an arm 10 attached to the arm 1. The arm 1 can be turned by any known system, either at the upper end or at the lower end of the arm 8, or in some cases also at about the middle of the arm. The gripping device indicated by reference numeral 2 can also be of any known type. The two-part clamping device shown by way of example in Figure 1 is only one possible device for gripping, and other devices usual in the art are also suitable for the purpose.

The sample-cuvette ring 4 and the measuringcuvette ring 3 are made in such a way that they fit one inside the other only in a certain position in relation to each other. Thus an unequivocal correspondence is obtained between the samples and the measuring cuvettes, and this correspondence remains there even if the holders are detached from each other at times.

Furthermore, it is possible to dilute the same sample in several different measuring cuvettes in the same or a different proportion, or even to treat the sample chemically in different ways. The tip 7 of the pipette 9 at the end of the operating arm 1 passes advantageously via the center points of each sample cuvette 4a - measuring cuvette 3a pair in each position. Positioning is not critical in this situation, since the pipette tip 7 entering the tube is sufficient for ensuring operation.

The ring-like sample-cuvette holder and measuring-cuvette holder are very usable structures in that, being separate, they are easy to fill with cuvettes or test tubes, whereafter the holders are placed one inside the other, and both are placed in the analyser at the same time. In a ring-like holder it is easy to transfer the cuvettes one at a time to within the reach of the operating arm, since all that is necessary is a simple rotary movement about the central point of the rings.

Such a rotary movement is easy to achieve by means of, for example, a step motor.

On the other hand, the system according to the invention is also applicable to an apparatus in which both the sample cuvettes and the measuring cuvettes constitute a unit which travels in a substantially straight double row. Thus, for example, the cuvettes can travel on the holder from one edge of the apparatus to the other edge, in which case the former consists of the cuvettes of the cuvette storage on their way to measuring and the latter of cuvettes coming from measuring. It is also possible that the samples and the measuring cuvettes are situated, as seen in Figure 1, at the left-hand edge, in which case the measuring point is situated at the extreme right-hand edge of the path of movement of the arm 1 and all the movements of the arm thus take place from the measuring point to the left.

Even though only a rotary movement of the arm is described above, also a linear movement can be used. Thus, causing the arm 1 to move along a linear path may be even easier than producing a rotary movement. Nothing prevents the use, in connection with a linear movement, of circular cuvette holders of the type described above or the movement of the cuvettes along a linear path.

It is also advantageous to include in the operation of the arm 1 according to the invention the mixing of the samples and reagents with each other. This can be achieved, for example, so that the tip 7 is situated eccentrically in the measuring cuvette and the measuring cuvette can be rotated.

Furthermore, the measuring of the liquid level can be arranged in simple manner by combining a conventional liquid-level measuring device with the pipette tip 7.

Claims

1. An analyser for carrying out clinical-chemical analyses and for carrying out the preparation of the samples, their transfer to a measuring site, their measuring, and their transfer from the measuring site, the analyser having a rotatably installed operating arm and means allowing all the reagents and devices required for the preparation, transfer and measuring of samples to be situated along the same path of movement of the arm, wherein at the end of tha arm there is (a) a pipette for the transfer of the sample, reagent and washing solutions, and (b) a gripping device for gripping cuvettes and for transferring them by lifting.

2. An analyser according to claim 1, wherein the sites for the measuring of the sample, for the placement of the reagents, and for the washing and drying of the pipette are stationary.

3. An analyser according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the measuring cuvettes are in a ring-like first cuvette holder and the sample cuvettes are in a likewise ring-like second cuvette holder, the second cuvette holder fitting inside the first cuvette holder to form a double holder ring, the inner ring being capable of being detached separately from the outer ring.

4. An analyser according to claim 3, wherein the movements of the two cuvette holders are synchronised with each other.

5. An analyser constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawing.