阅读说明：本技术 自动分析装置以及自动分析装置中的维护引导方法 (Automatic analyzer and maintenance guide method in automatic analyzer ) 是由 圷正志 横塚圣 三岛弘之 于 2020-03-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：控制部(114)使显示部(116)显示维护引导画面(201),该维护引导画面(201)在同一画面内排列有独立于分析模块(107、207)以及采样模块(200)的维护的引导(采样模块用显示区域(231)、第二分析模块用显示区域(230)、第一分析模块用显示区域(232))。由此,提供在连接有多个单元的自动分析装置中,能够并行地执行对任意单元的维护的自动分析装置和自动分析装置中的维护引导方法。(A control unit (114) causes a display unit (116) to display a maintenance guidance screen (201), and guidance for maintenance (a display area (231) for a sampling module, a display area (230) for a second analysis module, and a display area (232) for a first analysis module) that is independent of the analysis modules (107, 207) and the sampling module (200) is arranged on the same screen in the maintenance guidance screen (201). Thus, an automatic analyzer and a maintenance guidance method in the automatic analyzer are provided, in which maintenance of an arbitrary unit can be performed in parallel in an automatic analyzer having a plurality of units connected thereto.)

1. An automatic analyzer for analyzing a sample, the automatic analyzer comprising:

at least 1 or more analyzing units for analyzing the sample;

a transport unit that holds a plurality of sample containers containing the samples and supplies the sample containers to the analysis unit;

a display device that displays information related to maintenance of the analysis unit and the transport unit; and

a control unit that controls operations of the analysis unit and the transport unit and causes the display device to display information related to maintenance,

the control unit causes the display device to display a guide screen on which a guide independent of the maintenance of the analysis unit and the transport unit is arranged in the same screen.

2. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1,

the analysis unit and the transport unit have an in-unit control unit that controls the operation of the devices in each unit independently of the operation of the other unit,

in the guide screen, the progress of the maintenance of each cell can be displayed and the maintenance operation can be controlled independently.

3. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1,

the control unit causes a state display area for displaying the device state of each unit to be displayed on the guidance screen.

4. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1,

the control unit causes the guidance screen to display a remaining time information display area that displays the remaining time until the maintenance of each unit is completed.

5. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1,

the control unit causes the guidance screen to display a number information display area that displays the number of times of repeated maintenance operations for each unit.

6. The automatic analysis device according to claim 2,

the control unit causes the guide screen to display an instruction area in which an operation instruction can be independently given to each unit.

7. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1,

the control section provides the guidance for each unit in the same arrangement relationship as an arrangement of each unit when the automatic analysis device is viewed from a position where the guidance screen is viewed by an operator.

8. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1,

when the display device displays a global screen, the control unit causes a transition area that has transitioned to the guidance screen to be displayed in the global screen.

9. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1,

when the display device displays a maintenance screen, the control unit displays a transition area that transitions to the guidance screen in the maintenance screen.

10. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1,

when the display device displays a summary screen on which the summary of the automatic analysis device is displayed, the control unit displays a transition region that transitions to the guidance screen on the summary screen.

11. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1,

the control unit displays a selection area that displays only a guidance screen of a display target cell among the plurality of cells.

12. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1,

the control unit causes the guidance screen of the selected cell among the plurality of cells to be displayed separately.

13. The automatic analysis device according to claim 1,

when it is necessary to notify the maintenance status to the operator while the screen other than the guidance screen is displayed on the display device by the maintenance of the background execution unit, notification information is displayed.

14. A method for guiding maintenance in an automatic analyzer, the automatic analyzer comprising: at least 1 or more analyzing units for analyzing the sample; a transport unit that holds a plurality of sample containers containing the samples and supplies the sample containers to the analysis unit; a display device that displays information related to maintenance of the analysis unit and the transport unit; and a control unit that controls operations of the analysis unit and the transport unit and causes the display device to display information related to maintenance,

causing the display device to display a guidance screen in which guidance independent of the maintenance of the analysis unit and the conveyance unit is arranged within the same screen.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an automatic analyzer for performing quantitative and qualitative analyses of biological samples (hereinafter referred to as "specimens" or samples ") such as blood, plasma, serum, urine, and other body fluids, and a maintenance guidance method for the automatic analyzer, and more particularly to an automatic analyzer having a plurality of analysis units and a maintenance guidance method for the automatic analyzer.

Background

As an example of an automatic analyzer capable of displaying preparation items required before an operation for analysis in the automatic analyzer and capable of performing preparation required in advance without omission even by an operator not accustomed to the operation of the analyzer, patent document 1 describes the following: the maintenance button, the data deletion button, the reagent status button, the reagent loading button, the calibration button, and the QC button, which are disposed on the system overview screen displayed on the operation unit, change the display color to red, yellow, and the like according to the actual device status, thereby allowing the operator to recognize the preparation items required before the analysis.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent documents: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2004-028932

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

Automatic analyzers that automatically perform quantitative and qualitative analyses of samples such as blood and urine are widely used, mainly in university hospitals and clinical laboratory centers that need to process a large number of patient samples in a short time, and various automatic analyzers of large, medium, and small sizes have been developed according to their processing capabilities.

In particular, in the case of a large-sized analyzer that performs analysis processing on a plurality of samples, there is a case where a sample container containing a sample is transported to a plurality of analysis units via a transport line (transport device) while being held in a holder called a sample rack, and a laboratory technician can automatically perform the analysis processing until the analysis result is output by simply putting the rack into a sample rack input port.

In recent years, the connected analytical units are also versatile, and there are biochemical analytical units for measuring blood cholesterol and the like, immunoassay units for measuring infection and the like, and there are cases where a plurality of these different types of analytical units are connected. This makes it possible to perform a flow of measurement for a plurality of items because only a large number of samples are measured.

Further, since the automatic analyzer can be integrated, the system of connecting the automatic analyzers by a line which is a mainstream in a large scale is also applicable to a medium-sized or small-sized automatic analyzer, and is also widespread in a medium-sized hospital or the like.

On the other hand, although the analyzer does not lack regular maintenance to output a stable measurement result, the complexity of the mechanism increases with the reduction of the dedicated area of the analyzer, and the maintenance becomes difficult.

Conventionally, a manual for maintenance printed on a sheet of paper is read, and maintenance is performed by a skilled operator.

In recent years, with the rapid progress of electronics, these manuals are also provided in the form of electronic media. In this case, the manual is stored in an internal recording medium or the like of the apparatus, and the manual is referred to.

On the other hand, with the rapid increase in the total number of examinations due to the aging of minority carriers and the variety of examination types, the burden on the examination technician becomes heavy, and the number of devices that each examination technician should take charge of tends to increase. Therefore, even an operator with low skill level has to deal with this.

From these backgrounds, as described in patent document 1, not only a manual, but also a guidance function for instructing an operation procedure is incorporated into the device, and only the operation is performed in accordance with the guidance function, so that even an unskilled operator can maintain and manage the device.

For example, as a maintenance behavior of an automatic biochemical analyzer, there is a maintenance in which a plurality of maintenance items (replacement of a light source lamp, replacement of a reaction chamber (cell), cleaning of a reaction vessel, and the like) such as maintenance of an optical system are performed as a series of processes.

This maintenance must generally go through the following process: 1) turning off the light source lamp, 2) waiting until the light source lamp is cooled, 3) removing circulating water of the reaction tank, 4) cleaning the reaction tank, 5) removing the reaction chamber for photometry, 6) replacing the light source lamp, then, 7) installing the reaction chamber for photometry, 8) supplying water to the circulation of the reaction tank, 9) turning on the light source lamp, 10) waiting until the light source lamp is stabilized, 11) cleaning the reaction chamber and measuring an empty chamber (cell blank).

In each of these steps, the operator's actions such as which cover is opened and which screw is loosened are displayed step by step on the operation screen, whereby the work can be assisted.

When such a guide function is incorporated into an automatic analyzer, it is conceivable that it is very difficult to apply the guide function to an apparatus in which a plurality of analysis units as described above are connected. This is because, even in an apparatus in which a plurality of analysis units are connected, the screen of the operation unit is 1.

In contrast, for example, it is conceivable to set a screen for guidance specifically for each analysis unit. However, in such a case, in order to perform each maintenance operation, it is necessary to switch between displaying the guidance screen for the first analyzing means and the guidance screen for the second analyzing means, and then to confirm and perform the necessary operation.

Such switching work is very troublesome for the operator. The task to be currently performed may not be known due to confusion caused by repeated switching. Further, there is a high possibility of error occurrence.

Namely, there are the following problems: when performing the respective maintenance, the situation of one maintenance hinders the other maintenance, and it is difficult to perform the maintenance in parallel. As a result, there is a fear that maintenance action takes time.

In addition, although a method of providing an operation unit for each analysis unit is also considered, since various analysis apparatuses exist in an actual examination room, such a method is not practical in an automatic analysis apparatus which is advanced to be miniaturized and integrated.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analyzer capable of performing maintenance on an arbitrary unit in parallel even in an automatic analyzer to which a plurality of units are connected, and a maintenance guidance method in such an automatic analyzer.

Means for solving the problems

The present invention includes a plurality of methods for solving the above-described problems, and one example thereof is an automatic analyzer for analyzing a sample, the automatic analyzer including: at least 1 or more analyzing units for analyzing the sample; a transport unit that holds a plurality of sample containers containing the samples and supplies the sample containers to the analysis unit; a display device that displays information related to maintenance of the analysis unit and the transport unit; and a control unit that controls operations of the analysis unit and the transport unit and causes the display device to display information related to maintenance, wherein the control unit causes the display device to display a guide screen on which guidance independent of the maintenance of the analysis unit and the transport unit is arranged in the same screen.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, even in an automatic analyzer to which a plurality of units are connected, maintenance for any unit can be performed in parallel. Further, problems, structures, and effects other than those described above will be apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of an automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the global screen and a display for recommending transition from the global screen to the maintenance screen according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the maintenance screen and a transition from the screen to the maintenance guidance screen according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an overview of the overview screen and a transition from the overview screen to the maintenance guidance screen according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a maintenance guidance screen in the automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a confirmation screen in the case where maintenance is stopped on the maintenance guide screen in the automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship between a flow chart of a maintenance operation in the automatic analyzer of the present embodiment and message contents in the maintenance guidance screen.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a relationship between a flow chart of a maintenance operation in the automatic analyzer of the present embodiment and message contents in the maintenance guidance screen.

Detailed Description

An automatic analyzer and a maintenance guidance method in the automatic analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 8.

First, an example of the overall configuration of the automatic analyzer will be described with reference to fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of an automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment.

In fig. 1, an automatic analyzer 100 shown as an example in the present embodiment is roughly composed of: a plurality of (2 in the present embodiment) analysis modules 107 and 207; a sampling module 200 that transports a specimen rack on which 1 or more specimen containers that house specimens to be analyzed in the analysis modules 107 and 207 are mounted; and a control device 300 that controls the overall operation of the automatic analyzer 100.

Here, at least 1 sample container accommodating a sample to be qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed in the analysis modules 107 and 207 is mounted on the sample rack.

The specimen rack has at least: a specimen rack (hereinafter, simply referred to as a specimen rack 101) on which specimen containers storing specimens (normal specimens) to be analyzed at normal priority are mounted, and a specimen rack (hereinafter, particularly, referred to as an emergency specimen rack 101A when distinguished from the specimen rack 101) on which specimen containers storing emergency specimens having a higher degree of urgency to be analyzed and measured than the specimen rack 101 are mounted.

The sampling module 200 is a module that transports the specimen rack 101 loaded into the automatic analyzer 100 between the analysis modules 107 and 207, and includes a specimen rack supply unit 102, an emergency specimen rack loading unit 112, a transport line 104, an emergency specimen rack standby area 113, a specimen identification device 105, a rack rotator 106, a specimen rack storage unit 103, and the like.

The conveyance line 104 is a conveyance mechanism, for example, a belt conveyor, which reciprocally conveys the specimen rack 101 and the emergency specimen rack 101A.

The emergency sample rack loading unit 112 is provided adjacent to the conveyor line 104 and is a region for loading the emergency sample rack 101A.

The specimen rack supply unit 102 is provided adjacent to the transport line 104 on one end side of the transport line 104 with respect to the emergency specimen rack loading unit 112, and is a region of the specimen rack 101 for supplying a normal specimen.

The specimen rack storage unit 103 is provided adjacent to the transport line 104 on one end side of the transport line 104 with respect to the specimen rack supply unit 102, and is a region for storing the specimen rack 101.

The emergency rack standby area 113 is provided on the conveyor line 104 on the other end side of the conveyor line 104 with respect to the rack storage 103, and is an area for temporarily waiting the emergency rack 101A.

The specimen identification device 105 is a mechanism for reading and identifying an identification medium (not shown) such as an RFID or a barcode provided on the specimen rack 101 and the specimen container in order to inquire about analysis request information on a specimen stored in a specimen container mounted on the specimen rack 101 conveyed by the conveyor line 104.

A rack rotator 106 is disposed at one end of the conveyor line 104. The rack rotator 106 has 1 or more grooves 106a and 106b on which the specimen rack 101 and the like can be mounted, and is a mechanism for transferring the specimen rack 101 and the like to and from one end of the transport line 104 and one end of the dispensing lines 109 and 209 of the analysis modules 107 and 207.

For example, the rack revolving unit 106 is configured to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise, and the rotation is appropriately controlled so that the processing is started in the order in which the sample racks 101 are put, or so that the processing can be started earlier than the previously-put sample rack 101 when the sample rack 101 with a high priority is put.

The analysis modules 107 and 207 are units for sampling (dispensing) a sample contained in a sample container mounted on the sample rack 101 to perform qualitative and quantitative analysis, and each include a dispensing line 109 and 209, sample identification devices 110 and 210, reaction disks 118 and 218, sample dispensing mechanisms 108 and 208, reagent disks 119 and 219, reagent dispensing mechanisms 120 and 220, a measurement unit (not shown), and the like.

The dispensing lines 109 and 209 employ a transport mechanism capable of drawing in the specimen rack 101 from the sampling module 200 to the analysis modules 107 and 207 and transferring the reciprocating motion of the specimen rack 101 from the analysis modules 107 and 207 to the sampling module 200. For example, a belt conveyor type mechanism.

Further, although the case where a conveyor belt type conveying mechanism is used as the sorting lines 109 and 209 is exemplified, a structure in which a projection structure driven along the sorting lines 109 and 209 is fitted into a recess provided in advance in the specimen rack 101 and conveyed may be used. The same applies to the line 104.

The sample recognition devices 110 and 210 are provided adjacent to the other end sides of the dispensing lines 109 and 209, and are mechanisms for reading and recognizing identification media (not shown) such as RFID or barcode provided to the sample rack 101 and the sample containers, in order to check analysis request information for the samples stored in the sample rack 101 loaded into the dispensing lines 109 and 209.

The sample dispensing mechanisms 108 and 208 are mechanisms for dispensing a sample from a sample container of the sample rack 101 conveyed to a dispensing position on the dispensing lines 109 and 209 to a reaction container of the reaction disk 118 or 218.

The reagent dispensing mechanisms 120 and 220 are mechanisms for dispensing the reagents contained in the reagent containers on the reagent disks 119 and 219 into the reaction containers on the reaction disks 118 and 218.

The measurement unit is a mechanism for measuring a mixed solution (reaction solution) of a sample and a reagent dispensed into a reaction container and performing qualitative and quantitative analysis.

The sampling module 200 and the analysis modules 107 and 207 have intra-module controllers 107a, 207a, and 200a, respectively, which control the operations of the devices in the respective modules independently of the operations of the other modules. These in-module control units 107a, 207a, and 200a are configured to be able to operate the respective devices in the respective modules based on command signals from the control unit 114.

In the present embodiment, the analysis module 107 is assumed to be a unit for biochemical examination, and the analysis module 207 is assumed to be a unit for immunological examination, and in this case, the purpose of examination and the processing capability are different.

In addition, a measuring unit for measuring the electrolyte concentration may be provided in the analysis module 107, or a measuring unit for blood coagulation analysis may be appropriately disposed in each module according to the application.

Further, when the purpose (inspection item) is the same, a configuration can be adopted in which a plurality of analysis modules are maintained at the same processing capability by the same analysis module, and only when the purpose is different, a configuration can be adopted in which different analysis modules are connected to each other to form a plurality of analysis modules.

The control device 300 includes each of the analysis modules 107 and 207 and the sampling module 200, controls the overall operation of the automatic analyzer 100, and is a computer including a CPU, a memory, and the like.

The control device 300 includes a display unit 116, an input unit 117, a storage unit 115, a control unit 114, and the like.

The display unit 116 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and displays information such as various parameters, an input screen for setting, analysis and inspection data for initial inspection or re-inspection, and measurement results, and also displays information related to maintenance of the analysis modules 107 and 207 and the sampling module 200. Further, the display device may be a touch panel type display device which also serves as the input unit 117 described later.

The input unit 117 is constituted by a keyboard and a mouse for inputting various data such as various parameters, settings, analysis request information, instructions for starting analysis, and the like.

The storage unit 115 is a recording medium such as a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory or a magnetic disk such as an HDD, which records measurement results of samples loaded into the automatic analyzer 100, analysis request information of samples stored in sample containers mounted on each sample rack, and the like. The storage unit 115 also stores various computer programs for controlling the operation of each device in the automatic analyzer 100, setting values, various display processes described later, and the like.

The control unit 114 is a part that controls the overall operation of the automatic analyzer 100 including the control device 300, and is the CPU or the like described above.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 114 performs display control of a screen on which various information such as information on a sample, information on an analysis item, and information on an analysis result is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 116. Further, control is performed to display various screens related to the operation of the automatic analysis device 100, such as an operation screen for starting analysis, a progress status of analysis, a screen for instructing maintenance execution, information related to the progress status of maintenance, and a guidance screen for maintenance. The details of which will be described later in detail using the respective drawings.

The above is a general configuration of the automatic analyzer 100.

The analysis process of the sample by the automatic analyzer 100 as described above is generally performed in the following order.

The operator gives an analysis instruction to the automatic analyzer 100 using the display unit 116 or the input unit 117. The analysis instruction is stored in the storage unit 115 and transmitted to the target analysis module in the sampling module 200 and the analysis modules 107 and 207 via the control device 300. The module of the object performs an analysis operation as follows in accordance with the received analysis instruction.

The sampling module 200 sends the rack 101 set in the rack supply unit 102 to the transport line 104 one by one, and carries it into the rack turning unit 106.

The specimen rack 101 transferred to the rack rotator 106 is transferred to the dispensing line 109 of the analysis module 107 or the dispensing line 209 of the analysis module 207 in accordance with the measurement item requested by the control device 300.

After the sample rack 101 reaches the dispensing lines 109 and 209, the sample dispensing mechanisms 108 and 208 perform a dispensing operation on each sample mounted on the sample rack 101.

When the measurement item is a biochemical item, the sample dispensing mechanism 108 discharges the aspirated sample to a reaction vessel on the reaction disk 118. Thereafter, the reaction vessel is further added with a reagent sucked from the reagent disk 119 by the reagent dispensing mechanism 120 and stirred. Then, the measurement unit measures the absorbance or the like, and the measurement result is transmitted to the control unit 114 of the control device 300.

The reaction vessel used for the analysis is washed with water, an alkaline detergent, and an acidic detergent dispensed from a washing mechanism (not shown) and used for the next analysis.

When the measurement item is an immunization item, the reagent sucked from the reagent disk 219 by the reagent dispensing mechanism 220 is discharged to the reaction vessel on the reaction disk 218, and the sample is further added to the reaction vessel by the sample dispensing mechanism 208 and stirred. Then, after performing a process such as magnetic separation as necessary, the measurement is performed by the measurement unit, and the measurement result is transmitted to the control unit 114 of the control device 300.

The control unit 114 obtains the concentration of the specific component in the sample by arithmetic processing based on the transmitted measurement result, and performs processing for displaying the result on the display unit 116 or the like or storing the result in the storage unit 115 or the like.

Next, the details of maintenance in the automatic analyzer 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 2 and the following drawings.

First, a display screen and the like at the time of maintenance will be described with reference to fig. 2 to 6.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the global screen and a display recommending a transition from the screen to the maintenance screen. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the maintenance screen and a transition from the screen to the maintenance guidance screen. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the overview screen and a transition from the screen to the maintenance guidance screen. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the maintenance guide screen. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a confirmation screen in the case where maintenance is stopped on the maintenance guide screen.

The control unit 114 of the control device 300 performs the display control of each screen described below as described above.

The global screen 601 shown in fig. 2 is a screen displayed on the operation screen in the display unit 116 of the control device 300, and is composed of a global area that is displayed in common in all states and a local area that changes the content according to each state.

On the global screen 601 shown in fig. 2, a power button 602, a help button 603, an online manual button 604, a menu button 605, an overview button 606, a maintenance button 607, an alarm button 608, a report button 609, a start button 611, a stop button 610, a maintenance screen 301, and the like are displayed.

In the example shown in fig. 2, the global area in the global screen 601 corresponds to a portion other than the maintenance screen 301.

In detail, the maintenance screen 301 shown in fig. 3, the overview screen 401 shown in fig. 4, and the maintenance guidance screen 201 shown in fig. 5 are screens displayed in the local area on the global screen 601.

The online manual button 604 is an area for referring to an online manual. The menu button 605 is an area for displaying various menu icons.

The overview button 606 is a region for selecting display of an overview screen shown in fig. 4 described later. The maintenance button 607 is an area for selecting the display of the maintenance screen shown in fig. 3 described later.

The alarm button 608 is an area for selecting display of details of an alarm. The report button 609 is an area for selecting various reports to be displayed to the operator.

The start button 611 is an area for selecting and instructing to start execution processing, and the stop button 610 is an area for selecting and instructing to stop.

When recognizing that the start button 611 is pressed, the control unit 114 starts the analysis process. In addition, when the apparatus is placed in a state where analysis cannot be performed, such as during maintenance or warm-up, it is preferable to perform any of processes of not pressing the start button 611 or not starting analysis even when pressed and notifying an operator of the reason that analysis cannot be performed.

Further, it is preferable that the control unit 114 stops the operation of the apparatus in any state, such as when the stop button 610 is pressed, analysis and maintenance, but may stop only the analysis.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the maintenance screen 301 mainly includes a maintenance classification display area 302 and a maintenance detail information display area 303.

In the maintenance classification display area 302, for each of the maintenance items No.305, information of maintenance classified into each category in the maintenance classification 306 is shown.

For example, "user maintenance" including maintenance such as replacement, cleaning, and reset of various components, "inspection" for inspecting the operation of each mechanism such as each dispensing mechanism and each disk, "preliminary maintenance" for managing the expiration date for each component unit of each module, "service maintenance" including dedicated maintenance performed by a service person, "regular maintenance" including necessary maintenance performed regularly on a daily basis, a weekly basis, a monthly basis, and the like are displayed.

In the maintenance detail information display area 303, module information 308 indicating maintenance required for each module corresponding to the maintenance item No.305 shown in the maintenance classification display area 302, behavior information 309 indicating a behavior mainly required, and date and time information 310 indicating information on the date and time of implementation are displayed.

In each block information 308 of fig. 3, "E" denotes the analysis block 207, "S" denotes the sampling block 200, and "C" denotes the analysis block 107.

In fig. 3, only date information is shown as date-and-time information 310, but more detailed information may be displayed up to the time of day.

Here, the operator selects maintenance to be performed on the apparatus (for example, optical system maintenance No.8 indicated by an area of a broken line a in fig. 3), and can instruct maintenance start by pressing a start button 611 or the like displayed at the time of selection.

Here, in the present embodiment, the control unit 114 also causes the maintenance guidance button 614 for making a transition to the maintenance guidance screen 201 to be displayed on the global screen 601 when the display unit 116 displays the global screen 601.

For example, the operator checks the execution state of maintenance of each module in the actual apparatus on the maintenance screen 301 shown in fig. 3, and selects the maintenance guidance button 614 when checking necessary guidance and executing the operation. This enables the user to move to the maintenance guide screen 201 of fig. 5, which will be described later.

Further, when a screen other than the maintenance guidance screen 201, such as the maintenance screen 301 shown in fig. 3, is displayed during the maintenance of each module by the operator, the control unit 114 preferably displays the notification information when the maintenance performed in the background is completed and the next operation by the operator is necessary.

As a method of notifying the notification information, for example, a method of displaying the maintenance button 607 shown in the global area and the maintenance guidance button 614 on the global screen 601 in a color and pattern differentiated manner can be used. Further, in addition to this embodiment, a screen that shows a message for recommending a transition to the maintenance guidance screen 201 may be displayed by a pop-up window or the like.

At this time, when the screen to be displayed is other than the maintenance screen 301, for example, when the screen is a screen to request analysis, the operator first moves to the maintenance screen 301 shown in fig. 3 by pressing the maintenance button 607 of the global area. The screen may be shifted to the maintenance guidance screen 201 by pressing the maintenance guidance button 614 in order to confirm the operation required thereafter.

Further, although the description has been given of the case where the maintenance guidance button 614 for shifting to the maintenance guidance screen 201 is displayed in the local area displayed on the maintenance screen 301 as shown in fig. 2, the maintenance guidance button 614 can be displayed in the global area. For example, it can be displayed between the maintenance button 607 and the alarm button 608, and the like.

Further, by selecting the off button 615, the screen can be returned to the previous screen.

The overview screen 401 shown in fig. 4 is a screen for grasping an overview of the execution state of maintenance, and is mainly composed of a layout display area 402 and a state display area 403 as shown in fig. 4.

The layout display area 402 represents the modules in the same layout as the actual configuration. In fig. 4, "E module (immunization) 408" indicates the analysis module 207, "S module 410" indicates the sampling module 200, and "C module (biochemistry) 409" indicates the analysis module 107.

The layout display area 402 displays the respective modules in a manner that can be visually recognized by being classified according to the respective patterns or color sections shown in the detailed information display area 405.

The status display area 403 indicates more detailed information of each module.

When the overview screen 401 is displayed, the operator can confirm the execution state of maintenance of each module in the actual apparatus, and when the operator performs an operation by confirming necessary guidance, the operator can shift to a screen of fig. 5 to be described later by selecting the maintenance guidance button 404.

Further, by selecting the off button 407, the screen can be returned to the previous screen.

Next, a maintenance guidance screen in the automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 5.

The maintenance guide screen 201 shown in fig. 5 is a screen displayed on the operation screen of the display unit 116 of the control device 300. As shown in fig. 5, the maintenance guidance screen 201 includes a sampling module display area 231, a second analysis module display area 230, a first analysis module display area 232, and a close button 248.

The sunroof module display area 231 shown in fig. 5 is an area for displaying guidance for maintenance of the sampling module 200, the second analysis module display area 230 is an area for displaying guidance for maintenance of the analysis module 207, and the first analysis module display area 232 is an area for displaying guidance for maintenance of the analysis module 107.

As shown in fig. 5, on the maintenance guide screen 201, a sampling module display area 231, a second analysis module display area 230, and a first analysis module display area 232 are arranged in the same screen.

In the maintenance guide screen 201, the sampling module display area 231, the second analysis module display area 230, and the first analysis module display area 232 are displayed in the same arrangement as the arrangement of the units (actual device layout) when the automatic analysis device 100 is viewed from the position where the operator views the maintenance guide screen 201.

In each module display area, a module name display area 242, a state display area 243, a remaining time/count information display area 244, a guidance information display area 245, a next button 246, and a stop button 247 are displayed.

An inherent name capable of identifying each module is displayed in the module name display area 242.

The status display area 243 displays the status (device status) of the device of the corresponding module.

In the remaining time/count information display area 244, the remaining time of the maintenance operation of each corresponding module or the number of times of operation counting in the inspection function for performing the repetitive operation is displayed. Fig. 5 shows an example in which the remaining time information is displayed in the remaining time/count information display area 244, as an example.

In the case where the remaining time is displayed in the remaining time/count information display area 244, it is preferable that the remaining time is displayed in a case where the time until the end is fixed during the execution of the maintenance operation, and in a case where the number of times of execution of the repeated operations and the time until the end are fixed are predetermined.

In addition, it is preferable that the number of times of the operation is displayed is a case where the end time of the maintenance operation is not determined. For example, the number of times of pending operations, operations whose time until the maintenance is completed is not determined in advance, such as a case where 100 times of operations are performed in a certain period a, a case where 10 times of operations are performed in a period B, and a case where the time of each operation is not fixed.

In the guidance information display area 245, guidance provided to the operator is displayed for the maintenance action of the corresponding module.

The next button 246 is a selection area that causes the maintenance action of the corresponding module to migrate to the next step. The stop button 247 is a selection area for interrupting the maintenance operation for the corresponding module.

The stop button 247 is preferably capable of being pressed when the maintenance process has to be interrupted. The stop button 247 is preferably effective during the maintenance operation, and can interrupt the maintenance operation when pressed.

For example, in the maintenance guidance screen 201 shown in fig. 5, when the operator selects the stop button 247 when the maintenance for a specific module is stopped, the confirmation screen 501 shown in fig. 6 is displayed as a pop-up window.

The confirmation screen 501 shows an instruction as to which module the maintenance can be stopped, together with a message confirming whether or not the maintenance can be stopped.

After confirming the confirmation screen 501, the operator can select the OK button 502 when continuing the stop and can select the cancel button 503 when canceling the stop. This can prevent an operator from instructing a stop of maintenance on an unexpected module due to an operation error or the like.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the next button 246 is configured to be effective (not to be pressed) only in a situation where necessary operations are completed and the progress can be made to the next one. This prevents the next step from being erroneously performed during the maintenance operation.

The guide information display area 245 can display the progress of maintenance of each module on the maintenance guide screen 201, and can independently control the maintenance operation of each module by the next button 246 and the stop button 247.

As described later with reference to fig. 7 and 8, the maintenance guidance screen 201 shown in fig. 5 shows a situation in which a plurality of modules coexist, such as a case in which an operator performs manual operation and a case in which the operator needs to wait for the operation of the apparatus.

Specifically, the analysis module 107 waits for the light source lamp to be cooled down (described later in step S703 of fig. 7), and displays necessary information in the state display area 243, the remaining time/count information display area 244, and the guidance information display area 245 of the first analysis module display area 232 for guidance maintenance.

At this time, since the lamp of the light source is being cooled, the next step cannot be performed unless a predetermined time has elapsed. Therefore, until the time elapses, the next button 246 is configured to be disabled (cannot be pressed).

On the other hand, the analysis module 207 is in a state of cleaning the reaction tank (similar to the state described later in step S704 of fig. 7), and necessary information is displayed in the state display area 243 and the guidance information display area 245 of the second analysis module display area 230 for guidance maintenance, respectively.

At this time, since there is no time that needs to be waited for, time is not displayed in the remaining time/count information display area 244. Further, since the next step can be entered if the manual operation by the operator is completed, the next step button 246 is enabled (can be pressed).

In this way, in the automatic analysis device including a plurality of modules, by displaying information necessary for the execution and management of maintenance of each module on the same screen, an operator can confirm at a glance which module is in what state of progress, how much time is required, and what the next necessary operation is, and thus can perform the operation while grasping the situation.

Further, since the operation instruction can be transmitted independently to each module by operating the button displayed on the same screen, when maintenance is performed on one module, there is no fear of an operation error due to switching of the screen or the like, and processing can be performed reliably without affecting the operation on the other module.

In the above configuration, the configuration in which various information of all the modules of the analysis module 107, the sampling module 200, and the analysis module 207 is displayed has been described, but it is also possible to configure such that only information of a desired module can be confirmed by providing a selection button (selection area) such as a check box or a sub-screen for selection that selects only one or 2 or more modules among them so as to display them.

In the present embodiment, guidance is always indicated by a text message, but images or moving images may be pasted as long as the guidance information display area 245 allows, or buttons or the like for activating information for voice guidance may be provided.

Next, a flow of maintenance guidance in the automatic analyzer according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 7 and 8. Fig. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing the relationship between the maintenance operation flowchart and the message content on the maintenance guidance screen.

Here, as an example, a case will be described where maintenance of an optical system including a series of operation steps for replacing a light source lamp and a reaction chamber in an analysis module 107 as a biochemical analysis module, cleaning of a reaction tank, supply of circulating water, and stabilization of temperature during reaction is performed.

In fig. 3, the operator selects maintenance to be performed by the above-described operation and instructs execution of the maintenance, the maintenance is started (step S701).

First, confirmation of start of maintenance and necessary operations are displayed in the guidance information display area 245 in the maintenance guidance screen 201 shown in fig. 5 (G1), and the operator is confirmed whether or not the request needs to be started for actual maintenance. Here, the operator presses the next button 246 shown in fig. 5, and starts the processing after step S702.

Next, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 turns off the light source lamp as maintenance is started (step S702). Since the light source lamp generates heat as it is energized, there is a risk of scalding if the operator touches it immediately after the light source lamp is turned off. Therefore, it is necessary to wait until cooling.

Next, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 sets a standby time for the cooling time of the light source lamp (step S703). However, if there is no guidance information, it is not clear to the operator who is not particularly accustomed to maintenance what the apparatus is going on during the standby time or when it is waiting.

Therefore, at this time, the light source lamp is turned off and the standby time is required as a message in the guidance information display area 245 of the maintenance guidance screen 201 shown in fig. 5 (G2). Accordingly, since the time required for standby generally takes about 15 minutes as a whole, the specific remaining time information is displayed in the remaining time/count information display area 244.

If the standby time is over, the control section 114 of the control device 300 automatically shifts to step S704.

Subsequently, the controller 114 of the controller 300 removes the plug of the reaction tank to drain the reaction tank (step S704). It usually takes about 10 minutes until all the water in the reaction tank is discharged. Therefore, similarly to the above, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 displays the fact that the reaction tank is draining and the required standby time is displayed as a message in the guidance information display area 245 of the maintenance guidance screen 201 shown in fig. 5 (G3). Accordingly, the information on the specific remaining time is displayed in the remaining time/count information display area 244.

If the standby time elapses and the water discharge operation is ended, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 automatically proceeds to step S705.

Subsequently, the reaction vessel is cleaned by the operation of the operator (step S705). Therefore, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 displays a message that the reaction tank is completely drained and the reaction chamber is removed and cleaned as necessary operations in the guidance information display area 245 of the maintenance guidance screen 201 shown in fig. 5, and when the operation is completed, the control unit causes the next button 246 to be pressed (G4).

At this time, the operator operates in accordance with the guidance, presses the next button, and the process proceeds to step S706.

Next, the light source lamp is replaced by an operation of the operator (step S706). Therefore, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 displays a message to perform replacement of the light source lamp as a necessary operation and to urge the next button 246 to be pressed when the operation is completed, in the guidance information display area 245 of the maintenance guidance screen 201 shown in fig. 5 (G5).

At this time, the operator operates in accordance with the guidance, presses the next button, and the process proceeds to step S707.

Subsequently, the reaction chamber is replaced by an operation of the operator (step S707). Therefore, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 displays a message to perform exchange of cuvettes as a necessary operation and to urge the next button 246 to be pressed when the exchange is completed in the guidance information display area 245 of the maintenance guide screen 201 shown in fig. 5 (G6).

At this time, the operator operates in accordance with the guidance, presses the next button, and the process proceeds to step S708 shown in fig. 8.

Next, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 supplies water to the reaction tank to plug the reaction tank (step S708). At this time, the controller 114 of the control device 300 displays the supply of water to the reaction tank and the required standby time as messages (G7). Accordingly, the information on the specific remaining time is displayed in the remaining time/count information display area 244.

If the standby time elapses and the water supply operation is ended, control unit 114 of control device 300 automatically proceeds to step S709.

Next, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 automatically turns on the light source lamp (step S709). Here, since the light source lamp is normally simply energized and the light amount is unstable, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 waits for the elapse of the standby time until stabilization (step S710). Further, the temperature of water in the reaction tank immediately after the water supply is low, and therefore, the water cannot be used immediately for measurement of the specimen. Therefore, it is also necessary to provide a standby time until the temperature of the reaction tank is raised.

However, as described above, if there is no guidance information, it is not clear to the operator who is not used to maintenance what the apparatus is going on during the standby time or when it is waiting. Therefore, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 displays the turned-on light source lamp, the standby time required for stabilization, and the standby time required until the water temperature of the reaction tank becomes stable as messages in the guidance information display area 245 of the maintenance guidance screen 201 shown in fig. 5 (G8). Accordingly, the information on the specific remaining time is displayed in the remaining time/count information display area 244.

If the standby time has elapsed and the stabilization of the water temperatures of the light source lamp and the reaction tank is completed, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 automatically proceeds to step S711.

Next, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 is in the final step of performing a series of maintenance operations, and performs cleaning of the reaction chamber after replacement and measurement of each empty chamber value for which measurement is possible (step S711).

At this time, the control unit 114 of the control device 300 displays these operations and the required waiting time until completion as a message in the guidance information display area 245 of the maintenance guidance screen 201 shown in fig. 5 (G9). When the processing of this step is completed, the maintenance is ended.

The steps from step S701 to step S711 described above are displayed in the status display area 243 of the maintenance guide screen 201 shown in fig. 5. For example, step S705 represents "reaction tank cleaning", and step S710 represents status display such as "light source lamp is on standby at constant temperature".

The effects of the present embodiment will be described below.

The automatic analyzer 100 of the present embodiment described above includes: at least 1 or more analysis modules 107, 207 for analyzing the sample; a sampling module 200 that holds a plurality of sample containers containing samples and supplies the sample containers to the analysis modules 107 and 207; a display unit 116 that displays information related to maintenance of the analysis modules 107 and 207 and the sampling module 200; and a control unit 114 that controls the operations of the analysis modules 107 and 207 and the sampling module 200 and causes the display unit 116 to display information related to maintenance, wherein the control unit 114 causes the display unit 116 to display a maintenance guidance screen 201, and the maintenance guidance screen 201 aligns guidance independent of maintenance of the analysis modules 107 and 207 and the sampling module 200 within the same screen.

Thus, the maintenance behavior of each module can be performed in parallel without hesitation by following the guidance for each module in the maintenance guidance screen 201.

Therefore, even an operator who is not used to maintenance can easily confirm without confusion which module needs to be operated, or what the current state is. Further, if the operator is a highly skilled operator, the progress status can be grasped only by checking the state displayed in the state display area 243 without checking all the messages displayed in the guide information display area 245. Thus, maintenance work can be made more labor-saving than in the past.

The analysis modules 107 and 207 and the sampling module 200 have an intra-module control unit that controls the operation of the devices in each module independently of the operation of the other modules, and the maintenance guidance screen 201 can display the progress of maintenance of each module and control the maintenance operation independently, so that maintenance can be performed efficiently without being affected by the operation such as maintenance of the other modules.

Further, by causing the state display area 243 for displaying the device state of each module to be displayed on the maintenance guide screen 201, the control unit 114 can easily grasp the progress of maintenance of the module and the device state, and can perform maintenance operation more easily and comprehensibly.

Further, the control unit 114 displays the remaining time/count information display area 244, which displays the remaining time until the maintenance of each module is completed, on the maintenance guide screen 201, so that the operator can easily grasp how much space is left until the next work, and therefore, the maintenance work can be performed more efficiently.

Further, the control unit 114 displays the remaining time/count information display area 244, which displays the number of times of repeated maintenance operations of each module, on the maintenance guide screen 201, so that the operator can easily grasp how much margin is left until the next operation is performed, and therefore, the maintenance operation can be performed more efficiently.

Further, the control unit 114 can efficiently perform the maintenance operation of the module without being affected by various operations of other modules by displaying the next button 246 and the stop button 247, which can independently instruct the operations of the respective modules, on the maintenance guide screen 201.

Further, the control unit 114 provides guidance for each module in the same arrangement relationship as the arrangement of each module when the automatic analyzer 100 is viewed from the position where the operator views the maintenance guide screen 201, so that the operator viewing the maintenance guide screen 201 can more intuitively grasp which module the guidance is directed to, and therefore can perform maintenance operation more easily and comprehensibly.

Further, when the global screen 601 is displayed on the display unit 116, the control unit 114 can provide a method for facilitating transition to the maintenance guide screen 201 to the operator by displaying the maintenance guide button 614 for transition to the maintenance guide screen 201 on the global screen 601.

Further, the control unit 114 can provide a method of facilitating transition to the maintenance guide screen 201 by displaying the maintenance guide button 404 transitioning to the maintenance guide screen 201 in the overview screen 401 when the maintenance guide button 614 transitioning to the maintenance guide screen 201 is displayed in the maintenance screen 301 and when the overview screen 401 displaying the overview of the automatic analyzer 100 is displayed in the display unit 116 when the maintenance screen 301 is displayed in the display unit 116.

Further, the control unit 114 displays the selection area displayed on the maintenance guide screen 201 for displaying only the module to be displayed among the plurality of modules and displays the maintenance guide screen 201 for the selected module among the plurality of modules separately, so that the operator can concentrate on the maintenance operation for the module, and thus the convenience for the operator can be improved.

Further, when the control unit 114 needs to notify the operator of the maintenance status while the module maintenance is performed in the background and the screen other than the maintenance guide screen 201 is displayed on the display unit 116, the control unit can recommend the operator to shift to the maintenance guide screen 201 and perform the confirmation of the operation to be performed next by displaying the notification information. Therefore, the operator can smoothly and reliably perform necessary operations without omission.

The effect of the present invention is particularly effective when 2 or more analysis modules are connected to the sampling module.

Further, even if the structures of the analysis modules are the same, the progress of maintenance is not necessarily the same. Therefore, even in the case of the same configuration, it is possible to easily confirm the progress of maintenance of a plurality of modules on the same screen, and to simultaneously instruct and execute a plurality of different maintenance operations, thereby contributing to shortening the time period of non-analysis associated with the entire maintenance operations.

< Others >

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications can be made. The above-described embodiments are described in detail to explain the present invention easily and understandably, and are not limited to having all the configurations described.

For example, although the configuration in which 1 sampling module is connected to 2 analysis modules has been described in the above embodiment, an automatic analyzer including 3 or 4 analysis modules and a greater number of analysis modules may be used.

In the case where 3 or more analysis modules are connected in this way, it is also preferable to display the analysis modules in the same arrangement as the arrangement of the respective units (actual device layout) when the automatic analysis device 100 is viewed from the position where the maintenance guide screen 201 is displayed.

The analysis module and the sampling module may be configured as 1 device, respectively.

In the above-described embodiment, the automatic analyzer using the specimen rack 101 capable of mounting a plurality of specimen containers has been described, but the specimen is not necessarily conveyed by the specimen rack 101, and the automatic analyzer may be configured to use a specimen rack on which only 1 specimen container is mounted, or may be configured to have a specimen tray on which a specimen is directly mounted.

Description of the reference numerals

100 automatic analyzer

101 specimen rack

101A: emergency sample rack

102 specimen rack supply unit

103 a specimen rack storage section

104 conveying line

105 specimen identification device

106 frame gyrator

106a, 106b, slots

107, 207 analysis Module (analysis Unit)

107a, 200a, 207a, control part in module

108. 208: sample dispensing mechanism

109, 209 dispensing line

110, 210 specimen identification device

112 emergency specimen rack input part

113 emergency sample rack standby area

114 control part

115 storage part

116 display part (display device)

117 input part

118, 218 reaction disk

119, 219 reagent tray

120, 220 reagent dispensing mechanism

200 sampling module (conveying unit)

Maintenance guide screen (guide screen) 201

230 display area for second analysis module

231 display area for sampling module

232 display area for first analysis module

242 Module name display area

243 status display area

244: remaining time/count information display area (remaining time information display area, number information display area)

245 guide information display area

246 next step button (indication area)

247: stop button (indicating area)

248, 407, 615 closing button

300 control device

301 maintenance screen

302 maintaining a classification display area

303 maintenance detailed information display area

305: maintenance item numbering

306 maintenance classification

308 information of each module

309 behavior information

Date and time information 310

401 overview Screen

402 laying out a display area

403 status display area

404 maintenance guide button (migration zone)

405 detailed information display area

408E Module (immune)

409C module (biochemistry)

410: S module

501 confirmation screen

502 OK button

503: cancel button

601 global picture

602 power supply button

603 help button

604 on-line handbook button

605 menu button

606 overview button

607 maintenance button

608 alarm button

609 report button

610 stop button

611, start button 614, maintenance guide button (migration area).