JP2008170340A - Method for specifying wavelength, and analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for specifying wavelength capable of simply and accurately specifying the wavelength of the light actually measured by an analyzer, and to provide the analyzer. <P>SOLUTION: The analyzer 1 is equipped with a photometric part 19 for measuring the respective absorbances of a specific sample which has absorbance characteristics, having a monotone inclination with respect to a wavelength region containing a wavelength that is a target to be measured and two kinds or above of concentrations and a specifying part 34 for calculating the inclination of the straight line, showing the relation between the concentration and absorbance of the specific sample preliminarily calculated, with respect to at least one wavelength and specifying the wavelength of the light actually measured by the photometric part 19, on the basis of the coincidence of the reference inclination that is the inclination of the straight line showing the relation of the concentration and absorbance of the specific sample, preliminarily calculated with respect to at least one wavelength and the operated inclination. The concentration range of a specific sample measured by the photometric part 19 is determined, according to the light detection sensitivity characteristics of a photometric mechanism. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wavelength specifying method and analyzer for specifying the wavelength of light actually measured by a photometric mechanism.

  Conventionally, as a device that automatically analyzes specimens such as blood and body fluids, analysis is performed by optically detecting the reaction between the reagent in the reaction container and the specimen by adding the specimen to the reaction container in which the reagent has been dispensed The device is known. In such an analyzer, the sample is analyzed based on the amount of light having a predetermined wavelength that has passed through the liquid in the reaction vessel after irradiating the reaction vessel containing the sample with light.

  By the way, in order to ensure the analysis accuracy in the analyzer, it is necessary to accurately specify the wavelength of light actually measured by the analyzer and reflect it in the measurement result. For this reason, conventionally, the array-type light receiving element receives light transmitted through a calibration filter that transmits light so as to have peaks at a plurality of predetermined wavelengths, and which light receiving element receives each peak light. In addition, a method for specifying the wavelength of light actually measured has been proposed (see Patent Document 1). Also proposed is a method for confirming how much the measurement wavelength is deviated from the photometric result of a standard sample whose result is known and the photometric result of the standard sample when the analyzer is manufactured compared to when the analyzer is manufactured. (See Patent Document 2).

JP-A-6-74823 JP 2006-162355 A

  However, when the method according to Patent Document 1 is used, the operator stops the processing of the analyzer once to specify the wavelength, and then sets a dedicated unit including a calibration filter in the analyzer. A complicated process different from the process had to be performed. Further, in the method according to Patent Document 2, when the measurement wavelength has already deviated from the desired wavelength at the time of manufacture of the analyzer, there is no means for confirming this wavelength shift, so the analyzer actually measures. It was not always possible to accurately identify the wavelength of light.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described drawbacks of the prior art, and provides a wavelength specifying method and an analyzer that can easily and accurately specify the wavelength of light actually measured by the analyzer. Objective.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an analyzer according to the present invention is an analysis apparatus for analyzing a sample based on the optical characteristics of the sample in a wavelength region including a wavelength to be specified. A measuring means for measuring the absorbance of a specific sample having an absorbance characteristic with a monotonous slope and having two or more concentrations, and the concentration and absorbance of the specific sample measured by the measuring means; Calculating means for obtaining a slope of a straight line representing the relationship between the reference, a reference slope being a slope of a straight line representing the relationship between the concentration and absorbance of the specific sample obtained in advance for one or more wavelengths, and the computing means Specific means for specifying the wavelength of light actually measured by the measurement means based on the degree of coincidence with the slope calculated by the measurement means, and the concentration range of the sample for specification measured by the measurement means is the measurement Receiving in the means Characterized in that it is determined according to the sensitivity characteristics.

  Further, the analyzer according to the present invention is characterized in that the upper limit of the concentration range of the specifying sample measured by the measuring means is determined according to the full width at half maximum of the light receiving wavelength in the measuring means.

  In the analyzer according to the present invention, the reference inclination is based on the absorbance of each concentration of the specific sample measured for each wavelength by a photometric device having a light receiving sensitivity higher than the light receiving sensitivity in the measuring means. It is required.

  The analyzer according to the present invention further includes output means for outputting the wavelength of light actually measured by the measuring means specified by the specifying means.

  In the analyzer according to the present invention, the specifying sample is a dye solution.

  Further, the wavelength specifying method according to the present invention is a wavelength specifying method for specifying the wavelength of light actually measured by the photometric mechanism, and has an absorbance characteristic having a monotonic inclination in a wavelength range including a wavelength to be specified. A measurement step for measuring each absorbance for a specific sample having two or more concentrations, and an operation for calculating a slope of a straight line indicating the relationship between the concentration and the absorbance of the specific sample measured in the measurement step The degree of coincidence between the step and a reference slope, which is a slope of a straight line indicating the relationship between the concentration and absorbance of the specific sample obtained in advance for one or more wavelengths, and the slope calculated in the calculation step A step of specifying the wavelength of light actually measured by the photometric mechanism, and the concentration range of the sample for specification measured in the measurement step Characterized in that it is determined according to the degree characteristics.

  The wavelength specifying method according to the present invention is characterized in that the upper limit of the concentration range of the specifying sample measured in the measuring step is determined according to the full width at half maximum of the light receiving wavelength in the photometric mechanism.

  Further, in the wavelength specifying method according to the present invention, the reference inclination is based on the absorbance of each concentration of the specifying sample measured for each wavelength by a photometric device having a light receiving sensitivity higher than the light receiving sensitivity in the photometric mechanism. Is required.

  The wavelength specifying method according to the present invention further includes an output step of outputting a wavelength of light actually measured by the photometric mechanism specified in the specifying step.

  In the wavelength specifying method according to the present invention, the specifying sample is a dye solution.

  According to the present invention, the specific absorbance obtained by actually measuring each absorbance of the specifying sample having two or more concentrations determined according to the light receiving sensitivity characteristics in the photometric mechanism using the same measuring method as that of a normal specimen. A photometric mechanism by comparing the slope of a straight line showing the relationship between the concentration of the sample for measurement and the absorbance with the slope of a straight line showing the relationship between the concentration of the sample for specific use and the absorbance obtained for one or more wavelengths. Since the wavelength of light to be actually measured is specified, it is not necessary to use a dedicated unit for wavelength identification. Therefore, it is possible to easily and accurately specify the wavelength of light actually measured by the photometry mechanism. .

  Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the wavelength specifying method and analyzer for specifying the wavelength of light actually measured by the photometric mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the absorbance of a specimen that is a liquid such as blood or urine. An analysis apparatus for analyzing a sample will be described as an example. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an analyzer 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the analyzer 1 dispenses a specimen and a reagent to be analyzed into a reaction container 21, respectively, and a measurement mechanism 2 that optically measures a reaction occurring in the dispensed reaction container 21; A control mechanism 3 that controls the entire analyzer 1 including the measurement mechanism 2 and analyzes the measurement result in the measurement mechanism 2 is provided. The analyzer 1 automatically performs biochemical analysis of a plurality of specimens by the cooperation of these two mechanisms.

  The measurement mechanism 2 roughly includes a sample transfer unit 11, a sample dispensing mechanism 12, a reaction table 13, a reagent storage 14, a reading unit 16, a reagent dispensing mechanism 17, a stirring unit 18, a photometric unit 19, and a cleaning unit 20.

  The sample transfer unit 11 includes a plurality of sample racks 11b that hold a plurality of sample containers 11a containing liquid samples such as blood and urine, and sequentially transfer them in the direction of the arrows in the figure. The sample in the sample container 11a transferred to a predetermined position on the sample transfer unit 11 is dispensed by the sample dispensing mechanism 12 into the reaction container 21 that is arranged and transported on the reaction table 13.

  The sample dispensing mechanism 12 includes an arm 12a that freely moves up and down in the vertical direction and rotates around a vertical line passing through its base end as a central axis. A probe for aspirating and discharging the specimen is attached to the tip of the arm 12a. The sample dispensing mechanism 12 includes a suction / discharge mechanism using a suction / discharge syringe or a piezoelectric element (not shown). The sample dispensing mechanism 12 sucks the sample with the probe from the sample container 11a transferred to the predetermined position on the sample transfer unit 11 described above, rotates the arm 12a clockwise in FIG. Dispense and dispense.

  The reaction table 13 transfers the reaction container 21 to a predetermined position in order to dispense a sample or reagent into the reaction container 21, to stir, wash or measure the reaction container 21. The reaction table 13 is rotatable about a vertical line passing through the center of the reaction table 13 as a rotation axis by driving a drive mechanism (not shown) under the control of the control unit 31. An openable and closable lid and a thermostat (not shown) are provided above and below the reaction table 13, respectively.

  The reagent storage 14 can store a plurality of reagent containers 15 in which reagents to be dispensed in the reaction container 21 are stored. In the reagent store 14, a plurality of storage chambers are arranged at equal intervals, and a reagent container 15 is detachably stored in each storage chamber. The reagent storage 14 can be rotated clockwise or counterclockwise about a vertical line passing through the center of the reagent storage 14 as a rotation axis by driving a drive mechanism (not shown) under the control of the control unit 31. The desired reagent container 15 is transferred to the reagent suction position by the reagent dispensing mechanism 17. An openable / closable lid (not shown) is provided above the reagent storage 14. In addition, a thermostatic bath is provided below the reagent storage 14. For this reason, when the reagent container 15 is stored in the reagent container 14 and the lid is closed, the reagent stored in the reagent container 15 is kept at a constant temperature, and the reagent stored in the reagent container 15 is evaporated. Denaturation can be suppressed.

  A recording medium on which reagent information related to the reagent stored in the reagent container 15 is recorded is attached to the side surface of the reagent container 15. The recording medium displays various encoded information and is optically read. A reading unit 16 for optically reading the recording medium is provided on the outer periphery of the reagent storage 14. The reading unit 16 reads information on the recording medium by emitting infrared light or visible light to the recording medium and processing reflected light from the recording medium. Further, the reading unit 16 may acquire the information of the recording medium by performing an imaging process on the recording medium and decoding the image information obtained by the imaging process.

  Similar to the sample dispensing mechanism 12, the reagent dispensing mechanism 17 includes an arm 17a to which a probe for aspirating and discharging a sample is attached to the tip. The arm 17a freely moves up and down in the vertical direction and rotates around a vertical line passing through its proximal end as a central axis. The reagent dispensing mechanism 17 sucks the reagent in the reagent container 15 that has been moved to a predetermined position on the reagent storage 14 with a probe, and rotates the arm 17a clockwise in the drawing to transport it to a predetermined position on the reaction table 13. Dispensed into the reaction vessel 21 prepared. The agitation unit 18 agitates the sample dispensed into the reaction container 21 and the reagent to promote the reaction.

  The photometry unit 19 irradiates the reaction vessel 21 transported to a predetermined photometry position with light, spectrally separates the light transmitted through the liquid in the reaction vessel 21, and measures the absorbance at a wavelength specific to the reaction solution. The measurement result by the photometry unit 19 is output to the control unit 31 and analyzed by the analysis unit 33. The photometry unit 19 has an absorbance characteristic having a monotonous inclination in a wavelength region including a wavelength to be identified, and measures each absorbance with respect to a sample for identification having two or more concentrations. The concentration range of the specifying sample measured by the photometry unit 19 is determined according to the light receiving sensitivity characteristic in the photometry unit 19. In other words, the upper limit of the concentration range of the specifying sample measured by the photometry unit 19 is determined according to the full width at half maximum of the received wavelength in the photometry unit 19.

  The cleaning unit 20 performs cleaning by sucking and discharging the mixed liquid in the reaction vessel 21 that has been measured by the photometry unit 19 by using a nozzle (not shown) and injecting and sucking cleaning liquid such as detergent and cleaning water. . Although the cleaned reaction container 21 is reused, the reaction container 21 may be discarded after completion of one measurement depending on the contents of inspection.

  Next, the control mechanism 3 will be described. The control mechanism 3 includes a control unit 31, an input unit 32, an analysis unit 33, a storage unit 35, an output unit 36, and a transmission / reception unit 37. These units included in the measurement mechanism 2 and the control mechanism 3 are electrically connected to the control unit 31.

  The control unit 31 is configured using a CPU or the like, and controls processing and operation of each unit of the analyzer 1. The control unit 31 performs predetermined input / output control on information input / output to / from each of these components, and performs predetermined information processing on this information.

  The input unit 32 is configured using a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and acquires various information necessary for analyzing the sample, instruction information for analysis operation, and the like from the outside. The analysis unit 33 performs component analysis of the sample based on the absorbance measurement result acquired from the photometry unit 19.

  The specifying unit 34 specifies the wavelength of light actually measured by the photometry unit 19. First, the specifying unit 34 obtains the slope of a straight line indicating the relationship between the concentration and absorbance of the specifying sample measured by the photometric unit 19. And the specific | specification part 34 compares the reference | standard inclination with the calculated inclination, and specifies the wavelength of the light which a measurement means actually measures. This reference slope is a slope of a straight line indicating the relationship between the concentration and absorbance of a specific sample obtained in advance for one or more wavelengths. The reference inclination is obtained for each wavelength that is a specific target. The reference inclination is obtained based on the absorbance of each concentration of the specifying sample measured for each wavelength by a photometry device having a light receiving sensitivity higher than the light receiving sensitivity in the photometry unit 19. The specifying unit 34 specifies the wavelength of light actually measured by the photometry mechanism based on the degree of coincidence between each reference inclination and the calculated inclination. In the present embodiment, a measurement process similar to the measurement process for a normal specimen is performed on two or more types of specifying samples, and the photometry unit 19 actually performs the measurement based on the absorbance of the specifying sample at each concentration. The wavelength of light to be measured is specified.

  The storage unit 35 is configured using a hard disk that magnetically stores information and a memory that loads various programs related to the process from the hard disk and electrically stores them when the analyzer 1 executes the process. Various information including the analysis result of the sample is stored. The storage unit 35 stores a reference inclination obtained in advance for one or more wavelengths. In addition, the storage unit 35 stores the concentration of the specifying sample determined according to the light receiving sensitivity characteristic in the photometry unit 19. The storage unit 35 stores the upper limit of the concentration of the specifying sample determined according to the light reception wavelength width in the photometry unit 19. The storage unit 35 may include an auxiliary storage device that can read information stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a PC card.

  The output unit 36 is configured using a display, a printer, a speaker, and the like, and outputs various information including the analysis result of the sample. The output unit 36 outputs the wavelength of light actually measured by the photometric unit 19 specified by the specifying unit 34. The transmission / reception unit 37 has a function as an interface for performing transmission / reception of information according to a predetermined format via a communication network (not shown).

  In the analyzer 1 configured as described above, the sample dispensing mechanism 12 dispenses the sample in the sample container 11a to the plurality of reaction containers 21 that are sequentially conveyed in a row, and the reagent dispensing mechanism. After 17 dispenses the reagent in the reagent container 15, the photometric unit 19 performs the spectral intensity measurement of the sample in a state where the sample and the reagent are reacted, and the analysis unit 33 analyzes the measurement result, whereby the sample The component analysis is automatically performed. In addition, a series of analysis operations are continuously and repeatedly performed by cleaning the reaction container 21 being transported after the cleaning unit 20 completes the measurement by the photometry unit 19.

  Next, the photometry unit 19 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the photometry unit 19 includes a light source 191 that irradiates light, a lens 192 that collects the light emitted from the light source 191 on the reaction vessel 21, and gratings light that has passed through the reaction vessel 21. Lenses 193 and 194 that focus on the light 195, a grating 195 that splits the light collected by the lenses 193 and 194, a slit member 196 that narrows the light split by the grating 195 for each wavelength, and light of a predetermined wavelength A photodiode array (hereinafter referred to as “PDA”) that receives light of each wavelength separated by the grating 195 by arranging photodiodes (hereinafter referred to as “PD”) that respectively detect the amount of received light in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional manner. 197). Usually, in an analyzer that biochemically analyzes a specimen such as blood or urine, wavelength light in the 570 nm band is used as one of measurement light. For this reason, in the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the wavelength is specified for light in the 570 nm band among the wavelengths received by each PD of the PDA 197. Note that the slit member 196 has a slit through which light having a width Ds of 570 nm band passes.

  First, the specifying sample used for specifying the wavelength of light in the 570 nm band will be described. Here, in the analyzer 1, the light in the 570 nm band measured by the photometry unit 19 causes a slight error from a desired wavelength due to an adjustment error. For example, if there is an error in the range of 570 to 575 nm with respect to the desired wavelength of 570 nm, in order to maintain high analysis accuracy, it is specified whether the photometry unit 19 measures light of any wavelength between 570 nm and 575 nm There is a need to.

  In the present embodiment, Acid Red, which is a dye solution, is used as a specifying sample for specifying the wavelength of light in the 570 nm band, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, Acid Red has an absorbance characteristic with a monotonous and steep slope in the range of 570 nm to 575 nm, which is a specific target. For this reason, if Acid Red is in the range of 570 nm to 575 nm, a large difference in absorbance occurs even if the absorption wavelength changes only by 1 nm. For this reason, the wavelength change of the light which acid red absorbed can be grasped | ascertained by the unit of 1 nm or less by using the light absorbency of acid red. In addition, since Acid Red has high absorbance in the range of 570 nm to 575 nm, even when diluted, it can absorb light having a wavelength of 570 nm to 575 nm to some extent that can be measured by the photometry unit 19. Therefore, when Acid Red is diluted to each concentration and the absorbance at each wavelength of 570 nm to 575 nm is measured, the relationship between the concentration and the absorbance is obtained for each wavelength. In addition, since the dye liquid used for wavelength specification has a change corresponding to the absorption wavelength change in absorbance, it is sufficient that the dye solution has an absorbance characteristic with a monotonous inclination in the wavelength range to be specified. Furthermore, since Acid Red exemplified in the embodiment has a steep absorbance characteristic in the range of 570 nm to 575 nm, which is a specific target, even if the absorption wavelength is very small, a large difference occurs in absorbance. The wavelength change of the absorbed light can be grasped in a minute unit.

  FIG. 4 shows the results obtained by measuring the absorbance of each concentration of Acid Red, which was obtained by actually diluting a stock solution having a predetermined concentration at each dilution rate, with light having a wavelength of 570 nm to 575 nm. The measurement results shown in FIG. 4 show that each acid red having a concentration of 570 nm to 575 nm is obtained by changing the dilution rate by 0.1 between 0 and 1 and diluting the stock solution having a predetermined concentration. This corresponds to the case where the absorbance is measured. As shown in FIG. 4, the relationship between the absorbance of light of each wavelength and each dilution rate of acid red can be expressed by a linear function. The straight line l570 shown in FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the absorbance of light having a wavelength of 570 nm and each dilution rate of acid red, and the straight line l571 shows the relationship between the absorbance of light having a wavelength of 571 nm and each dilution rate of acid red. The straight line l572 shows the relationship between the absorbance of light with a wavelength of 572 nm and each dilution rate of acid red, and the straight line l573 shows the relationship between the absorbance of light with a wavelength of 573 nm and each dilution rate of acid red, A straight line l574 indicates the relationship between the absorbance of light having a wavelength of 574 nm and each dilution rate of acid red, and a straight line l575 indicates the relationship between the absorbance of light having a wavelength of 575 nm and each dilution rate of acid red. The absorbance of each concentration of these acid reds was measured by a spectrophotometer having a full width at half maximum of the light reception wavelength narrower than the full width at half maximum of the light reception wavelength of the photometry unit 19 and having high light reception sensitivity.

  As shown by the straight line 570 to straight line 575 in FIG. 4, the straight lines indicating the relationship between the absorbance of light of each wavelength of 570 nm to 575 nm and the respective dilution ratios of acid red have different slopes.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the result of calculating the slope a and the intercept b in the straight line corresponding to each wavelength of 570 nm to 575 nm shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the slopes a and intercepts b of the straight lines corresponding to the wavelengths of 570 nm to 575 nm have different values depending on the wavelengths of 570 nm to 575 nm. Since the value of the slope a corresponding to each wavelength is based on the measurement result by the spectrophotometer having higher light receiving sensitivity than the photometry unit 19 in the analyzer 1, it can be treated as unique to each wavelength. It is considered good. The slope a of the straight line indicating the relationship between the acid red dilution rate and the absorbance corresponding to each wavelength shown in FIG. 5 is obtained in advance and stored in the storage unit 35.

  The specifying unit 34 actually causes the photometry unit 19 to measure the absorbance of acid red at two or more dilution rates, and calculates the slope of a straight line indicating the relationship between the acid red dilution rate and the absorbance measured by the photometry unit 19. Then, by comparing the calculated inclination with the inclination a of the straight line corresponding to each wavelength shown in FIG. 5, the wavelength of the light actually measured by the photometry unit 19 is specified.

  Here, the light receiving wavelength width Ws shown in FIG. 6 is determined corresponding to the slit width Ds of the slit member 196 in the photometry unit 19. For example, the slit width on the light receiving side of a spectrophotometer that measures absorbance in advance in order to acquire the reference inclination is 0.1 mm. In this case, the light reception wavelength width is 2 nm, and the shift of the light reception wavelength is suppressed within the error of the light reception wavelength width of 2 nm. On the other hand, the slit width Ds of the slit member 196 of the photometry unit 19 is wider than that of the spectrophotometer, for example, 0.4 mm. In this case, the light reception wavelength width Ws of the photometry unit 19 is 8 nm, and the deviation width of the measurement wavelength is likely to be larger than that of the spectrophotometer.

  As shown in FIG. 6, Acid Red has an absorbance characteristic having a monotonous and steep slope in the 570 nm band that is a specific target. For this reason, when the acid red concentration is high as in the curve l11, the absorbance characteristic changes sharply and the absorbance is markedly greater than in the case where the acid red concentration is low as in the curves l12 and l13. To be high. Further, the actual output value in the photometry unit 19 is a value obtained by integrating the light amount of the wavelength light included in the light reception wavelength width Ws by the light reception wavelength width Ws. When the light receiving wavelength width Ws is wide as shown in FIG. 6, the absorbance amount of acid red at a high concentration shown in the curve l11 is an absorbance amount S11 much higher than the absorbance amount S13 of acid red at a low concentration shown in the curve l13. Will have a difference. As described above, the value obtained by integrating the light amount of the wavelength light by the light receiving wavelength width Ws becomes the output value of the photometry unit 19, and therefore, especially when the light receiving wavelength width Ws is wide, the measurement wavelength shift is very small. Even in such a case, the absorbance of acid red at a high concentration greatly fluctuates. Therefore, when the light receiving wavelength width Ws of the photometry unit 19 is wide, the absorbance of the high concentration acid red may not be accurately measured.

  The result of actually measuring the absorbance integral value of a predetermined wavelength for Acid Red at each dilution rate in the photometry unit 19 will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the dilution rate dependence of the absorbance integrated value by the photometry unit 19. In FIG. 7, the curve 11 shows the dilution rate dependence of the absorbance integrated value by the photometric unit 19, and the line 10 shows the absorbance integral value measured by the spectrophotometer having higher light receiving sensitivity than the photometric unit 19 on the straight line 10. Showing gender. When a spectrophotometer having a light receiving sensitivity higher than that of the photometry unit 19 is used, the absorbance can be accurately measured even with a high concentration Acid Red having a high dilution rate. The property is a straight line l0. On the other hand, in the photometry unit 19, since the full width at half maximum of the light receiving wavelength is wider than that of the spectrophotometer corresponding to the curve l0 and the absorbance cannot be measured accurately, the dilution rate dependency of the absorbance integral value is the dilution rate of Acid Red. Becomes a curve l1 deviating from the straight line l0 in a high density region of 0.5 or more.

  For this reason, it is preferable to prepare acid red with the dilution rate of the area | region which can measure a light-absorbency correctly and does not deviate from the straight line 10 instead of the dilution rate of the area | region which deviates from the straight line 10 like P15 in FIG. In the case of FIG. 7, the dilution ratio that does not deviate from the straight line l0 is 0 to 0.4, and therefore, each dilution ratio of the specifying sample may be determined with the dilution ratio 0.4 as the upper limit. In the case of FIG. 7, for example, the specifying sample having a dilution rate of 0.1 shown at point P11, the specifying sample having a dilution rate of 0.2 shown at point P12, and the dilution rate of 0.3 shown at point P13. Any two of the identification sample and the identification sample having a dilution ratio of 0.4 shown at point P14 are used.

  Specifically, with reference to FIG. 8, processing contents in which the specifying unit 34 specifies the wavelength will be described. For example, according to the upper limit of the dilution rate range of the specific sample shown in FIG. 7, the absorbance of acid red with a dilution rate of 0.1, acid red with a dilution rate of 0.2, and acid red with a dilution rate of 0.4 is measured in the photometry unit 19. A case where measurement is performed will be described as an example. In this case, the specifying unit 34 absorbs the absorbance of Acid Red at a dilution rate of 0.1 shown at point P21 in FIG. 8, the absorbance of Acid Red at the dilution rate of 0.2 shown at point P22, and the dilution rate of 0.4 shown at point P24. A straight line l21 passing through the points P21, 22 and P24 is obtained based on the absorbance of Acid Red, and the slope a of the straight line l21 is calculated. After calculating the slope a of the straight line l21, the specifying unit 34 refers to the slope of each wavelength shown in FIG. 5 from the storage unit 35, and determines the wavelength with which the calculated slope matches. In this case, since the specifying unit 34 has calculated that the slope of the straight line l21 is 2.886, it is determined that the straight line l21 corresponds to light having a wavelength of 571 nm as indicated by the arrow Y21, and the photometry unit 19 actually performs measurement. The wavelength of the light to be specified is 571 nm.

  Further, after the predetermined period has elapsed, for example, according to the upper limit of the dilution rate range of the specifying sample in FIG. 7, the absorbance of acid red having a dilution rate of 0.3 and acid red having a dilution rate of 0.4 was measured by the photometry unit 19. The case will be described. In this case, the specifying unit 34 uses points P33 and P34 based on the absorbance of Acid Red with a dilution rate of 0.3 shown in Point P33 and the absorbance of Acid Red with a dilution rate of 0.4 shown in Point P34. A straight line l31 passing through is obtained, and an inclination a of the straight line l31 is calculated. After calculating the slope a of the straight line l31, the specifying unit 34 refers to the slope of each wavelength shown in FIG. 5 from the storage unit 35, and determines the wavelength with which the calculated slope matches. In this case, since the specifying unit 34 calculates that the slope of the straight line l31 is 2.563, there is no matching slope in FIG. However, since the slope of the straight line l31 is 2.563, the specifying unit 34 can determine that it corresponds to the range of 573 nm to 574 nm that is closest to the slope a of the straight line l31.

  Then, the specifying unit 34 uses the slopes of 573 nm and 574 nm that are closest to the calculated slope “a” of the straight line l31 to specify the corresponding wavelength in detail by calculating the difference and ratio of the calculated slope “a”. do it. For example, the specifying unit 34 obtains a difference value between the calculated inclination a (2.563) of the straight line l31 and the inclination a (2.6365) of the wavelength 573 nm. Next, the specifying unit 34 calculates a difference value between the calculated slope a (2.563) of the straight line l31 and the slope a (2.6365) of 573 nm and the slope a (2.4899) of 574 nm that are closest. . The specifying unit 34 determines the slope a (2.563) of the straight line l31 and the slope a (2.6365 of the wavelength 573 nm) with respect to the difference value between the slope a (2.6365) of 573 nm and the slope a (2.4899) of 574 nm. For example, the wavelength corresponding to the straight line l31 can be obtained in units of 0.1 μm. In the case of the straight line l31 in FIG. 8, the difference value between the slope a (2.563) of the straight line l31 and the slope a (2.6365) at the wavelength of 573 nm is the slope a (2.6365) of 573 nm and the slope of 574 nm. It occupies a ratio of 0.5 with respect to the difference value from a (2.4899). Therefore, the specifying unit 34 can specify that the wavelength of the light actually measured by the photometry unit 19 is 573.5 nm based on the straight line l31 as indicated by the arrow Y31. As a result, it can be confirmed that the wavelength of the light actually measured by the photometry unit 19 is shifted by 2.5 nm to the higher wavelength side than the previous wavelength identification time when the straight line l21 corresponding to 571 nm is calculated. Thus, in the analyzer 1, it is possible to absolutely acquire a wavelength shift of the light measured by the photometry unit 19.

  Next, the wavelength specifying process in the analyzer 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the specifying unit 34 determines whether or not the photometric unit 19 has been instructed to specify the wavelength of light actually measured based on the instruction information input from the input unit 32 (step S <b> 9). S2). This wavelength specifying instruction is performed when, for example, a selection column for specifying wavelength is selected from a menu column displayed on the display screen constituting the output unit 36 by an operation of the input unit 32 by the operator. The instruction information for specifying the wavelength of the photometry unit 19 is input to the control unit 31 from 32.

  The specifying unit 34 repeats the determination in step S2 until the photometry unit 19 determines that the specification of the wavelength of the light actually measured is instructed, and if it is determined that the wavelength specification is instructed (step S2: Yes), the photometry unit Based on the upper limit of the concentration range of the specifying sample determined according to the light receiving sensitivity characteristic of No. 19, the recommended dilution ratio of the specifying sample is output to the output unit 36 (step S4). The operator refers to each dilution rate output from the output unit 36 and prepares a sample for identification. Then, the specifying unit 34 instructs the photometric unit 19 to measure the absorbance of the wavelength specifying sample such as acid red diluted at each dilution rate, and the photometric unit 19 performs the absorbance measurement of the wavelength specifying sample (step S6). ), Output the measurement result. Next, the specifying unit 34 acquires each dilution rate of the wavelength specifying sample measured by the photometry unit 19 based on the information input from the input unit 32 (step S8). And the specific | specification part 34 acquires the straight line which shows the relationship between the dilution rate of the sample for wavelength specification, and the light absorbency of the sample for wavelength specification (step S10), and calculates the inclination of this straight line. Next, the specifying unit 34, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, obtains the slope of the straight line of each wavelength indicating the relationship between the dilution rate of the specifying sample and the absorbance obtained in advance for one or more wavelengths as reference wavelength information. As from the storage unit 35 (step S12). Then, the specifying unit 34 determines the wavelength of light actually measured by the photometry unit 19 based on the degree of coincidence between the slope of the straight line acquired in step S10 and the slope of each wavelength acquired as reference wavelength information in step S12. Is specified (step S14). The output unit 36 outputs the wavelength specified by the specifying unit 34 (step S16). The operator can recognize the wavelength of the light actually measured by the photometry unit 19 in the analyzer 1 by confirming the specific wavelength output by the output unit 36, and the correction process of the photometry result can be performed more than before. Can be done appropriately.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the wavelength of the light actually measured by the photometry unit 19 is accurately determined by using the slope of the straight line indicating the relationship between the absorbance and the concentration specific to each wavelength in the specifying sample. Can be identified. Further, in the present embodiment, the measurement process similar to the measurement process for the normal specimen is performed on the dedicated specifying sample, and the wavelength of the light actually measured by the photometry unit 19 is specified. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, the dedicated unit for wavelength identification that has been necessary in the prior art is unnecessary, and it is not necessary to perform complicated processing different from normal analysis processing. It becomes possible to easily specify the wavelength of light to be measured. Further, in the present embodiment, the concentration of the specifying sample is determined according to the light receiving sensitivity characteristic by the photometry unit 19 in consideration of the steepness of the absorbance characteristic of the specifying sample. In other words, in the present embodiment, the upper limit of the concentration of the specifying sample is determined according to the full width at half maximum of the light receiving wavelength in the photometry unit 19. As a result, the photometry unit 19 uses the measurement result of the sample for specifying the concentration at which the absorbance can be accurately measured, so that the wavelength can be specified with high accuracy.

  In addition, although the wavelength specifying process of the specifying unit 34 has been described with reference to FIG. 5, the case where the wavelength is specified using the slope of the straight line indicating the relationship between the absorbance and the concentration at a plurality of wavelengths is not limited thereto. For example, the specifying unit 34 refers to the slope of a straight line indicating the relationship between the absorbance and the concentration at one wavelength which is the reference wavelength, and the slope and the absorbance and the concentration of the specifying sample actually measured by the photometric unit 19 are measured. It may be determined whether the wavelength of the light actually measured by the photometry unit 19 matches or deviates from the reference wavelength by determining whether or not the slope of the straight line indicating the relationship matches. Further, according to the embodiment, in order to obtain a straight line indicating the relationship between the absorbance and the concentration of the specific sample actually measured by the photometric unit 19, the specific sample has a concentration of at least 2 at a concentration equal to or lower than a predetermined upper limit. It only has to be a seed.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the wavelength of light in the 570 nm band is specified using acid red has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this and has a monotonous inclination in the band in which wavelength specification is desired. The wavelength may be specified by actually measuring the absorbance at two or more concentrations of the sample having the absorbance characteristic.

  The analysis apparatus 1 described in the above embodiment can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance on a computer system. This computer system implements the processing operation of the analyzer by reading and executing a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium. Here, the predetermined recording medium is not only a “portable physical medium” such as a flexible disk (FD), a CD-ROM, an MO disk, a DVD disk, a magneto-optical disk, and an IC card, but also inside and outside the computer system. It includes any recording medium that records a program readable by a computer system, such as a “communication medium” that holds the program in a short time when transmitting the program, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) provided. In addition, this computer system obtains a program from a management server or another computer system connected via a network line, and executes the obtained program to realize the processing operation of the analyzer.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the principal part structure of the analyzer concerning Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the principal part in the photometry part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the light absorbency characteristic of Acid Red which is a sample for identification. It is a figure which shows the result of having measured the light absorbency of each density | concentration of the acid red which diluted the undiluted | stock solution of the predetermined density | concentration with each dilution rate with the wavelength light of 570 nm-575 nm. It is a figure which shows the result of having calculated the inclination a and intercept b in the straight line corresponding to each wavelength of 570 nm-575 nm shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the light absorbency characteristic of acid red of each density | concentration. It is a figure which shows the dilution rate dependence of the light absorbency integral value by the photometry part shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the wavelength specific process in the specific part shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the wavelength specific process in the analyzer shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Analyzer 2 Measurement mechanism 3 Control mechanism 11 Specimen transfer part 11a Specimen container 11b Specimen rack 12 Specimen dispensing mechanism 12a, 17a Arm 13 Reaction table 14 Reagent container 15 Reagent container 16 Reading part 17 Reagent dispensing mechanism 18 Stirrer 19 Photometry Section 20 Washing section 21 Reaction vessel 31 Control section 32 Input section 33 Analysis section 34 Identification section 35 Storage section 36 Output section 37 Transmission / reception section 191 Light source 192, 193, 194 Lens 195 Grating 196 Slit member 197 PDA

Claims (10)

In an analyzer for analyzing a sample based on the optical characteristics of the sample,
Measuring means for measuring each absorbance of a specific sample having an absorbance characteristic having a monotonous inclination in a wavelength range including a wavelength to be identified;
A calculating means for obtaining a slope of a straight line indicating a relationship between the concentration of the specific sample and the absorbance measured by the measuring means;
Based on the degree of coincidence between the reference slope, which is the slope of a straight line indicating the relationship between the concentration and absorbance of the specific sample obtained in advance for one or more wavelengths, and the slope calculated by the calculation means Specifying means for specifying the wavelength of light actually measured by the measuring means;
The analyzer is characterized in that the concentration range of the specific sample measured by the measuring means is determined according to the light receiving sensitivity characteristic of the measuring means.   The analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the upper limit of the concentration range of the specific sample measured by the measuring unit is determined according to a full width at half maximum of a light receiving wavelength in the measuring unit.   2. The reference inclination is obtained based on the absorbance of each concentration of the specific sample measured for each wavelength by a photometric device having a light receiving sensitivity higher than the light receiving sensitivity in the measuring means. Or the analyzer according to 2.   The analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising an output unit that outputs a wavelength of light actually measured by the measuring unit specified by the specifying unit.   The analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the specifying sample is a dye solution. In the wavelength specifying method for specifying the wavelength of light actually measured by the photometric mechanism,
A measurement step of measuring each absorbance for a specific sample having two or more concentrations, having an absorbance characteristic having a monotonous slope in a wavelength range including a wavelength to be identified;
A calculation step of calculating a slope of a straight line indicating the relationship between the concentration and absorbance of the specific sample measured in the measurement step;
Based on the degree of coincidence between the reference slope, which is the slope of a straight line indicating the relationship between the concentration and absorbance of the specific sample obtained in advance for one or more wavelengths, and the slope calculated in the calculation step. A specific step of specifying a wavelength of light actually measured by the photometric mechanism;
The wavelength specifying method is characterized in that the concentration range of the specifying sample measured in the measuring step is determined according to a light receiving sensitivity characteristic in the measuring mechanism.   The wavelength specifying method according to claim 6, wherein the upper limit of the concentration range of the specifying sample measured in the measuring step is determined according to a full width at half maximum of a light receiving wavelength in the photometric mechanism.   7. The reference inclination is obtained based on the absorbance of each concentration of the specific sample measured for each wavelength by a photometric device having a light receiving sensitivity higher than the light receiving sensitivity in the photometric mechanism. Or the wavelength specifying method according to 7.   The wavelength specifying method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising an output step of outputting a wavelength of light actually measured by the photometric mechanism specified in the specifying step.   The wavelength specifying method according to claim 6, wherein the specifying sample is a dye solution.

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