Patent Description:
As an example of an automatic analysis apparatus that displays necessary preparations prior to an operation for analysis in the automatic analysis apparatus and allows an operator who is unfamiliar with the operation of the apparatus to execute all necessary preparations in advance, an automatic analysis apparatus is described, in <CIT> (PTL <NUM>), in which the operator is made aware of necessary preparations before analysis by changing a display color of a maintenance button, a data erasure button, a reagent status button, a reagent prime button, a calibration button, and a QC button arranged on a system overview screen displayed on an operation unit to red, yellow, and the like according to an actual status of apparatus.

PTL <NUM>: <CIT>
<CIT> discloses an automatic analyzer with the features in the pre-characterizing portion of Claim <NUM>. A further automatic analyzer related to the present invention is disclosed in <CIT>.

The automatic analysis apparatus that automatically performs quantitative and qualitative analysis of samples such as blood and urine has become very popular mainly in university hospitals and clinical laboratory centers where many patient samples need to be processed in a short time, and various large-sized, medium-sized, and small-sized automatic analysis apparatuses have been developed depending on their processing capability.

In particular, in the case of a large-sized analysis apparatus that performs analysis processes on a large number of samples, a sample container containing a sample is held in a holder called a sample rack and then transported to a plurality of analysis units via a transport line (transport device), and the analysis is automatically performed up to the output of the analysis result by simply putting the rack into a sample rack input port by an inspection engineer.

In recent years, the analysis units to be connected are made usable for multiple purposes, there are also a biochemistry analysis unit that measures cholesterol or the like in the blood, an immunity analysis unit that measures infectious diseases, and the like, and there is also an analysis unit in which a plurality of these different types of analysis units are connected. As a result, it has become a flow of measuring various items from measuring only a large number of samples.

In addition, since it has become possible to achieve integration in an automatic analysis apparatus, a form of connecting with the transport line, which was conventionally the mainstream for a large-sized one, has been applied to the medium-sized and small-sized automatic analysis apparatuses, and is becoming widespread in medium-sized hospitals and the like.

On the other hand, in order for the analysis apparatus to output a stable measurement result, regular maintenance is indispensable, but as an area occupied by the apparatus is reduced, the complexity of the mechanism is increasing year by year, and the maintenance mentioned above is also becoming more difficult.

In the conventional apparatus, maintenance was executed by a skilled operator by reading maintenance manuals printed on paper.

In recent years, with the rapid computerization, these manuals are also provided in electronic media. In this case, the manual is stored in an internal recording medium of the apparatus or the like, and it has been changed to the form of referring to the stored manual.

Meanwhile, with the rapid increase in the total number of inspections due to declining birthrate and aging population and diversification of inspection types, the burden on the inspection engineer is increasing, and the number of apparatuses that each inspection engineer should be in charge is increasing. For that reason, even an operator who is inexperienced in skill has been forced to deal with the problem.

Based on this background, not only the manual but also a guidance function for instructing an operation procedure is incorporated in the apparatus as described in PTL <NUM>, and even an inexperienced operator is allowed to maintain and manage the apparatus by simply operating according to the guidance function.

For example, as a maintenance action of the automatic analysis apparatus of biochemistry, there is maintenance, called optical system maintenance, in which a plurality of maintenance items (replacement of a light source lamp, replacement of a reaction cell, cleaning of a reaction tank, and the like) are performed as a series of flows.

This maintenance generally has to go through a process of <NUM>) turning off a light source lamp, <NUM>) being on standby until the light source lamp cools down, <NUM>) draining circulating water from a reaction tank, <NUM>) cleaning the reaction tank, <NUM>) removing a reaction cell for photometry, <NUM>) replacing the light source lamp, and then <NUM>) attaching a reaction cell for photometry, <NUM>) supplying the circulating water in the reaction tank, <NUM>) turning on the light source lamp, <NUM>) being on standby until the light source lamp stabilizes, and <NUM>) cleaning the reaction cell and measuring a cell blank.

In each of these steps, work assistance can be implemented by displaying actions to be taken by the operator, such as opening which cover and loosening which screw, step by step on an operation screen.

When incorporating such a guidance function into the automatic analysis apparatus, it can be imagined that it is extremely difficult to operate the guidance function in an apparatus in which a plurality of analysis units are connected as described above. The reason for this is that even in the apparatus in which the plurality of analysis units are connected, a screen of an operation unit is composed of one.

In contrast, for example, it is conceivable to provide a screen for guidance exclusively for each analysis unit. However, even in such a case, in order to proceed with each maintenance operation, it is necessary to switch and display a guide screen for a first analysis unit and a guide screen for a second analysis unit, and then confirm and perform a necessary operation.

Such switching work is very complicated for the operator. There is a concern that repeated switching will cause confusion and the work to be done at present will not be known. Furthermore, there is a concern that the possibility of occurrence of mistakes is high.

That is, when executing each maintenance, there is a problem that a status of one maintenance hinders the other maintenance action and performing the maintenance actions in parallel is difficult. As a result, there is a concern that maintenance action will take time.

In addition, although a means of providing an operation unit for each analysis unit is also conceivable, since there are a wide variety of analysis apparatuses in actual inspection rooms, such a means is impractical in the automatic analysis apparatus, which is becoming smaller and more integrated.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic analysis apparatus in which a plurality of units are connected and maintenance for any of the units can be performed in parallel, and a maintenance guidance method in the automatic analysis apparatus.

The present invention includes a plurality of means for solving the problems described above. Further advantageous features are set out in the dependent claims.

According to the present invention, in the automatic analysis apparatus in which the plurality of units are connected, maintenance for any of the units can be performed in parallel. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

An embodiment of an automatic analysis apparatus and a maintenance guide method in the automatic analysis apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to <FIG>.

First, an example of an overall configuration of the automatic analysis apparatus will be described with reference to <FIG> is a view schematically showing an overall configuration of an automatic analysis apparatus according to a present embodiment.

In <FIG>, an automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> shown as an example in the present embodiment is roughly configured with a plurality of analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> (two in the present embodiment), a sampler module <NUM> for transporting a sample rack loaded with one or more sample containers containing the samples to be analyzed by the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM>, and a control device <NUM> that controls the overall operation of the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM>.

Here, the sample rack is loaded with one or more sample containers in which the samples to be subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis in the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> are housed.

The sample rack includes at least a sample rack (hereafter, simply referred to as sample rack <NUM>) loaded with a sample container housing a sample (normal sample) to be analyzed with a normal priority, and a sample rack (hereinafter, referred to as an emergency sample rack 101A when distinguished from the sample rack <NUM>) loaded with a sample container housing an emergency sample having a higher degree of urgency for analysis and measurement than the sample rack <NUM>.

The sampler module <NUM> is a module that transports the sample rack <NUM> loaded into the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> between the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM>, and includes a sample rack supply unit <NUM>, an emergency specimen rack input unit <NUM>, a transport line <NUM>, and an emergency sample rack standby area <NUM>, a sample identification device <NUM>, a rack rotor <NUM>, a sample rack housing unit <NUM>, and the like.

The transport line <NUM> is, for example, a belt conveyor type transport mechanism that reciprocates the sample rack <NUM> and the emergency sample rack 101A.

The emergency specimen rack input unit112 is provided adjacent to the transport line <NUM> and is a region for inputting the emergency sample rack 101A.

The sample rack supply unit <NUM> is provided adjacent to the transport line <NUM> on one end side of the transport line <NUM> than the emergency specimen rack input unit <NUM>, and is a region for supplying the sample rack <NUM> of a normal sample.

The sample rack housing unit <NUM> is provided adjacent to the transport line <NUM> on one end side of the transport line <NUM> than the sample rack supply unit <NUM>, and is a region for accommodating the sample rack <NUM>.

The emergency sample rack standby area <NUM> is provided on the transport line <NUM> on the other end side of the transport line <NUM> than the sample rack housing unit <NUM>, and is a region for making the emergency sample rack 101A temporarily stand by.

The sample identification device <NUM> is a mechanism for reading and identifying an identification medium (not shown) such as RFID and barcodes provided on the sample rack <NUM> and the sample container in order to inquire analysis request information on the sample housed in the sample container loaded on the sample rack <NUM> transported on the transport line <NUM>.

The rack rotor <NUM> is arranged at one end of the transport line <NUM>. The rack rotor <NUM> is a mechanism which includes one or more slots 106a and 106b on which the sample rack <NUM> and the like can be loaded and transmits and receives the sample rack <NUM> and the like between one end of the transport line <NUM> and each of one ends of dispensing lines <NUM> and <NUM> of the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM>.

For example, the rack rotor <NUM> has a structure that rotates clockwise and counterclockwise, and is appropriately controlled in its rotational operation so that processing is started in the order in which the sample rack <NUM> is input, or when the sample rack <NUM> having a high priority is input, the rack rotor <NUM> is appropriately controlled in its rotational operation so that processing can be started before the sample rack <NUM> inserted earlier.

The analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> are units that perform qualitative and quantitative analysis by sampling (dispensing) the samples housed in the sample container loaded on the sample rack <NUM>, and include dispensing lines <NUM> and <NUM>, sample identification devices <NUM> and <NUM>, reaction disks <NUM> and <NUM>, sample dispensing mechanisms <NUM> and <NUM>, reagent disks <NUM> and <NUM>, and reagent dispensing mechanisms <NUM> and <NUM>, measuring units (not shown) and the like, respectively.

The dispensing lines <NUM> and <NUM> adopt a transport mechanism which is capable of reciprocating operation and pulls the sample rack <NUM> from the sampler module <NUM> to the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> and delivers the sample rack <NUM> from the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> to the sampler module <NUM>. For example, the transport mechanism is a belt conveyor type mechanism.

Although a case where a belt conveyor type transport mechanism is adopted as the dispensing lines <NUM> and <NUM> is illustrated, a configuration in which a protrusion structure driven along the dispensing lines <NUM> and <NUM> is fitted into a recess provided in advance in the sample rack <NUM> and transported can be adopted. Such a configuration is the same for the transport line <NUM>.

The sample identification devices <NUM> and <NUM> are mechanisms which are provided adjacent to the other end side of the dispensing lines <NUM> and <NUM>, and read and identify an identification medium (not shown) such as RFID and barcodes provided on the sample rack <NUM> and the sample container in order to collate analysis request information for the samples housed in the sample rack <NUM> carried into the dispensing lines <NUM> and <NUM>.

The sample dispensing mechanisms <NUM> and <NUM> are mechanisms for dispensing samples from the sample containers of the sample rack <NUM> transported to dispensing positions on the dispensing lines <NUM> and <NUM> into reaction containers of the reaction disks <NUM> and <NUM>.

The reagent dispensing mechanisms <NUM> and <NUM> are mechanisms for dispensing the reagents housed in the reagent containers of the reagent disks <NUM> and <NUM> into the reaction containers of the reaction disks <NUM> and <NUM>.

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

The sampler module <NUM> and the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> respectively include in-module control units 107a, 207a, and 200a each control an operation of a device in each module independently of operations of other modules. These in-module control units 107a, 207a, and 200a are configured so that each device in each module can operate based on a command signal from the control unit <NUM>.

In the present embodiment, the analysis module <NUM> is assumed to be a unit for biochemistry inspection, and the analysis module <NUM> is assumed to be a unit for immunological inspection. In this case, the purpose and processing capability of the inspection are different.

In addition to that, a measuring unit for measuring an electrolyte concentration may be provided in the analysis module <NUM>, or a measuring unit for blood coagulation analysis or the like may be appropriately arranged in each module according to application.

Furthermore, when the purpose (inspection item) is the same, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the same processing capability is maintained for a plurality of analysis modules with the same analysis module, and when only the purpose is different, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a plurality of different analysis modules are connected.

The control device <NUM> is a device that controls the overall operation of the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> including the devices of the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> and the sampler module <NUM>, and is a computer provided with a CPU, a memory, and the like.

The control device <NUM> is configured with a display unit <NUM>, an input unit <NUM>, a storage unit <NUM>, a control unit <NUM>, and the like.

The display unit <NUM> is a display device such as a liquid crystal display that displays an input screen for various parameters and settings, and information such as analytical inspection data for initial inspection or re-inspection, measurement results, and displays information related to maintenance of the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> and the sampler module <NUM>. The display unit may be configured with a touch panel type display device that also serves as the input unit <NUM>, which will be described later.

The input unit <NUM> is configured with a keyboard and a mouse for inputting various data such as various parameters and settings, analysis request information, and instructions for starting analysis.

The storage unit <NUM> is a recording medium such as a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory or a magnetic disk such as an HDD that records the measurement result of the sample input into the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> and the analysis request information of the sample housed in the sample container loaded on each sample rack. The storage unit <NUM> also records various parameters and set values for controlling the operation of each device in the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM>, various computer programs for performing various display processes described later, and the like.

The control unit <NUM> is a part that controls the overall operation of the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> including the control device <NUM>, and is the CPU described above and the like.

In the present embodiment, the control unit <NUM> performs control for displaying a screen, on which various information such as information on the sample, information on an analysis item, and information on an analysis result are displayed, on a display screen of the display unit <NUM>. Furthermore, the control unit performs control for displaying various screens related to the operation of the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM>, such as an operation screen for starting analysis, an analysis progress status, a screen for instructing to perform maintenance, information on maintenance progress status, a maintenance guide screen, and the like. The details will be described later with reference to each figure.

The matters described above are a general configuration of the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM>.

The analysis process of the sample by the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> as described above is generally performed in the following order.

The operator gives an analysis instruction to the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> using the display unit <NUM> and the input unit <NUM>. The analysis instruction is stored in the storage unit <NUM> and transmitted to a target analysis module among the sampler module <NUM> and the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> via the control device <NUM>. The target module performs an analysis operation as follows according to the received analysis instruction.

The sampler module <NUM> sends the sample racks <NUM> installed in the sample rack supply unit <NUM> one by one onto the transport line <NUM> and carries them into the rack rotor <NUM>.

The sample rack <NUM> transported to the rack rotor <NUM> is transported to the dispensing line <NUM> of the analysis module <NUM> or the dispensing line <NUM> of the analysis module <NUM> depending on a measurement item requested by the control device <NUM>.

When the sample rack <NUM> arrives at the dispensing line <NUM> or <NUM>, a dispensing operation is executed by the sample dispensing mechanism <NUM> or <NUM> for each sample loaded on the sample rack <NUM>.

When the measurement item is a biochemistry item, the sample dispensing mechanism <NUM> discharges a sucked specimen into the reaction container on the reaction disk <NUM>. After that, the reagent sucked from the reagent disk <NUM> by the reagent dispensing mechanism <NUM> is further added to the reaction container, and stirred. After that, absorbance and the like are measured by the measuring unit, and the measurement result is transmitted to the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM>.

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

When the measurement item is an immunological item, the reagent sucked from the reagent disk <NUM> by the reagent dispensing mechanism <NUM> is discharged into the reaction container on the reaction disk <NUM>, and a specimen is further added to the reaction container by the sample dispensing mechanism <NUM> and stirred. After that, processing such as magnetic separation is performed as necessary, and then the measurement is performed by the measuring unit and the measurement result is transmitted to the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM>.

The control unit <NUM> obtains the concentration of a specific component in the specimen from the transmitted measurement result by arithmetic processing, and performs processing such as causing the result to be displayed on the display unit <NUM> or the like, or storing the result in the storage unit <NUM> and the like.

Next, the details of maintenance in the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment will be described with reference to <FIG> and subsequent figures.

First, the display screen and the like during maintenance will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a diagram showing an outline of a global screen and a display that recommends a transition from the global screen to a maintenance screen. <FIG> is a diagram showing an outline of the maintenance screen and a transition from the maintenance screen to a maintenance guide screen. <FIG> is a diagram showing an outline of an overview screen and a transition from the overview screen to the maintenance guide screen. <FIG> is a diagram showing an example of the maintenance guide screen. <FIG> is a diagram showing a confirmation screen when maintenance is stopped in the maintenance guide screen.

The display control of each screen shown below is performed by the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> as described above.

The global screen <NUM> shown in <FIG> is a screen displayed on the operation screen of the display unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM>, and is composed of a global region that is displayed in common to all states and a local region whose contents change according to each state.

On a global screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, a power button <NUM>, a help button <NUM>, an online manual button <NUM>, a menu button <NUM>, an overview button <NUM>, a maintenance button <NUM>, an alarm button <NUM>, a report button <NUM>, a start button <NUM>, a stop button <NUM>, a maintenance screen <NUM>, and the like are displayed.

In the example shown in <FIG>, the global region on the global screen <NUM> corresponds to a portion other than the maintenance screen <NUM>.

The maintenance screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, an overview screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, and a maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG> are screens displayed in the local region of the global screen <NUM>.

The online manual button <NUM> is a region for referring to an online manual. The menu button <NUM> is a region for displaying various menu icons.

The overview button <NUM> is a region for selecting display of the overview screen shown in <FIG>, which will be described later. The maintenance button <NUM> is a region for selecting the display of the maintenance screen shown in <FIG>, which will be described later.

The alarm button <NUM> is a region for selecting the display of the detailed contents of an alarm. The report button <NUM> is a region for selecting the display of various reports to an operator.

The start button <NUM> is a region for selecting and instructing to start the execution of a process, and the stop button <NUM> is a region for selecting and instructing to stop the execution of the process.

When the control unit <NUM> recognizes that the start button <NUM> has been pressed, the control unit <NUM> starts the analysis process. When the device is placed in a state where analysis cannot be performed, such as during maintenance or warming up, it is desirable to perform either a process of preventing the start button <NUM> from being pressed, or notifying the operator of the reason why the analysis cannot be performed without starting the analysis even if the start button <NUM> is pressed.

When the control unit <NUM> recognizes that the stop button <NUM> has been pressed, it is desirable that the control unit <NUM> stops an operation of the device even if the device is in any state, such as cessation of the analysis, cessation of the maintenance, and the like, but the control unit <NUM> may only stop the analysis.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the maintenance screen <NUM> is mainly composed of a maintenance classification display region <NUM> and a maintenance detailed information display region <NUM>.

In the maintenance classification display region <NUM>, for each item in the maintenance item No. <NUM>, maintenance information classified into each category in the maintenance classification <NUM> is shown.

For example, "user maintenance" including maintenance such as replacement, cleaning, and reset of various parts, "check" to check an operation of each mechanism such as each dispensing mechanism and each disk, "preliminary maintenance" that manages the expiration date and the like in units of parts of each module, "service maintenance" including dedicated maintenance by a service person, "regular maintenance" including maintenance that needs to be performed regularly, such as daily, weekly, and monthly, and the like are displayed.

In the maintenance detailed information display region <NUM>, each maintenance corresponding to the maintenance item No. <NUM> shown in the maintenance classification display region <NUM>, is shown as information on each module <NUM> indicating which of the modules requires maintenance, action information <NUM> indicating actions mainly necessary for maintenance, and date and time information <NUM> which is information on the date and time when the maintenance was executed.

In information on each module <NUM> of <FIG>, "E" indicates the analysis module <NUM>, "S" indicates the sampler module <NUM>, and "C" indicates the analysis module <NUM>.

In <FIG>, only the date information is shown as the date and time information <NUM>, but it is also possible to display up to the time as more detailed information.

Here, the operator can instruct the start of maintenance by selecting the maintenance to be performed on the device (for example, maintenance of the optical system of No. <NUM> shown in the region of the dotted line A in <FIG>) and pressing the start button <NUM> or the like displayed at the time of selection.

Here, in the present embodiment, the control unit <NUM> causes a maintenance guide button <NUM> for transitioning to the maintenance guide screen <NUM> to be displayed on the global screen <NUM> even when the global screen <NUM> is displayed on the display unit <NUM>.

For example, on the maintenance screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the operator confirms a performance state of maintenance of each module in an actual device, confirms necessary guidance, and selects the maintenance guide button <NUM> when performing the operation. With this configuration, transition to the maintenance guide screen <NUM> of <FIG>, which will be described later, is possible.

When the operator is displaying a screen other than the maintenance guide screen <NUM>, such as the maintenance screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, during performance of maintenance of each module, if the maintenance performed by the operator in the background is terminated and the operator needs to perform the next operation, it is desirable that the control unit <NUM> causes notification information to be displayed.

As a way of notifying the notification information, for example, a method such as displaying colors and patterns of the maintenance button <NUM> shown in the global region and the maintenance guide button <NUM> on the global screen <NUM> in a distinctive manner can be used. Furthermore, in addition to this aspect, it is also possible to display a pop-up or the like as a screen showing a message recommending the transition to the maintenance guide screen <NUM>, for example.

In this case, when the displayed screen is other than the maintenance screen <NUM>, for example, when it is a screen for ordering analysis and the like, the operator first presses the maintenance button <NUM> in the global region to make the screen transition to the maintenance screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>. After that, it is possible to make transition to the maintenance guide screen <NUM> by pressing the maintenance guide button <NUM> to confirm the necessary operation.

Although the case where the maintenance guide button <NUM> for making transition to the maintenance guide screen <NUM> is displayed in the local region where the maintenance screen <NUM> is displayed as shown in <FIG> has been described, the maintenance guide button <NUM> can be displayed in the global region. For example, it can be displayed between the maintenance button <NUM> and the alarm button <NUM> or the like.

It is possible to return to the previous screen by selecting the Close button <NUM>.

The overview screen <NUM> shown in <FIG> is a screen for grasping an outline of the performance state of maintenance, and as shown in <FIG>, is mainly composed of a layout display region <NUM> and a status display region <NUM>.

In the layout display region <NUM>, the respective modules are shown in the same layout as the actual arrangement. In <FIG>, "E module (immunity) <NUM>" indicates the analysis module <NUM>, "S module <NUM>" indicates the sampler module <NUM>, and "C module (biochemistry) <NUM>" indicates the analysis module <NUM>.

In the layout display region <NUM>, the status of each module is displayed so that it is possible to visually recognize what status each module is in by each pattern shown in the detailed information display region <NUM> or by classification such as color coding.

The status display region <NUM> shows more detailed information of each of the modules.

When the overview screen <NUM> is displayed, the operator confirms the performance status of maintenance of each module in the actual device, and selects the maintenance guide button <NUM> when confirming the necessary guidance and performing the operation, thereby capable of making transition to the screen of <FIG> described later.

Next, the maintenance guide screen in the automatic analysis apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to <FIG>.

The maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG> is a screen displayed on the operation screen of the display unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the maintenance guide screen <NUM> is composed of a display region for sampler module <NUM>, a display region for second analysis module <NUM>, a display region for first analysis module <NUM>, and a Close button <NUM>.

The display region for sampler module <NUM> shown in <FIG> is a region for displaying maintenance guidance of the sampler module <NUM>, the display region for second analysis module <NUM> is a region for displaying maintenance guidance of the analysis module <NUM>, and the display region for first analysis module <NUM> is a region for displaying maintenance guidance of the analysis module <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the maintenance guide screen <NUM>, the display region for sampler module <NUM>, the display region for second analysis module <NUM>, and the display region for first analysis module <NUM> are arranged in the same screen.

In the maintenance guide screen <NUM>, the display region for sampler module <NUM>, the display region for second analysis module <NUM>, and the display region for first analysis module <NUM> are displayed in the same arrangement as that (actual device layout) of each unit when the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> is viewed from a position where the operator views the maintenance guide screen <NUM>.

In each of the display regions for the modules, a module name display region <NUM>, a status display region <NUM>, a remaining time/count information display region <NUM>, a guidance information display region <NUM>, a Next button <NUM>, and a Stop button <NUM> are displayed.

In the module name display region <NUM>, a unique name that can identify each module is displayed.

In the status display region <NUM>, the status of the device of the corresponding module (device state) is displayed.

In the remaining time/count information display region <NUM>, the remaining time of the maintenance operation of each corresponding module or the number of times of operation count in the check function for performing repetitive operations is displayed. <FIG> shows, as an example, an example in which remaining time information is displayed in the remaining time/count information display region <NUM>.

The case where the remaining time is displayed in the remaining time/count information display region <NUM> is desirably a case where the maintenance operation having a fixed time until the termination is being performed or a case where the number of times of repetition and the operation of each time are fixed and the operation having a predetermined time until the termination is performed.

The case of displaying the number of times of operation is desirably a case in which the termination time of the maintenance operation is not determined. For example, this is the case when an operation for which the time until the termination of maintenance is not determined in advance is being performed, such as a case when the number of times of operation is not fixed and it is performed <NUM> times at a certain timing A and <NUM> times at a certain timing B, or a case when the time for each operation is not fixed.

In the guidance information display region <NUM>, guidance to be provided to the operator for the maintenance operation of the corresponding module is displayed.

The Next button <NUM> is a selection region for making a transition to the next step for the maintenance operation of the corresponding module. The Stop button <NUM> is a selection region for interrupting the maintenance operation for the maintenance operation of the corresponding module.

It is desirable that the Stop button <NUM> can be pressed when a situation under which the maintenance operation has to be interrupted occurs during each maintenance. It is desirable that the Stop button <NUM> is always valid during the maintenance execution period, and that the maintenance can be interrupted if the button is pressed.

For example, in the maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, when the Stop button <NUM> is selected by the operator when the maintenance for a specific module is stopped, a confirmation screen <NUM> shown in <FIG> is displayed as a pop-up.

The confirmation screen <NUM> shows a message confirming whether or not maintenance may be stopped, and indicates which module the instruction is for.

After confirming the confirmation screen <NUM>, the operator can select an OK button <NUM> when he or she wants to continue the stop, and can select the Cancel button <NUM> when he or she wants to cancel the stop. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent the operator from instructing an unintended module to stop maintenance due to an operation error or the like.

Meanwhile, it is desirable that the Next button <NUM> is configured to be enabled (can be pressed) only in a situation under which the necessary operation is completed and it is possible to proceed to the next step. With this configuration, it is possible to prevent a circumstance in which it erroneously proceeds to the next step in the middle of the maintenance operation.

On the maintenance guide screen <NUM>, the guidance information display region <NUM> described above displays progress in the maintenance of each module and the maintenance operations of the respective modules can be independently controlled by the Next button <NUM> and Stop button <NUM>.

On the maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, as will be described later with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, a situation in which some modules, which involve manual operation by an operator, some modules, which are operated by an apparatus and the operator needs to stand by, and other modules are mixedly present in a plurality of modules, is shown.

Specifically, the analysis module <NUM> is in a step in a state of being on standby where the temperature of the light source lamp decreases (described later in step S703 of <FIG>), and necessary information is displayed in each of the status display region <NUM>, the remaining time/count information display region <NUM>, and the guidance information display region <NUM> of the display region <NUM> for first analysis module that guide maintenance.

In this case, since the temperature of the lamp of the light source is being decreased, it is not possible to proceed to the next step until a predetermined time has elapsed. Therefore, until that time elapses, the Next button <NUM> is configured to be disabled (cannot be pressed).

On the other hand, the analysis module <NUM> is in a state where the reaction tank is being cleaned (similar to the state described later in step S704 of <FIG>), and necessary information is displayed in each of the status display region <NUM> and the guidance information display region <NUM> of the display region <NUM> for second analysis module that guide maintenance.

In this case, since there is no time required for waiting, the time is not displayed in the remaining time/count information display region <NUM>. Since it is possible to proceed to the next step when the manual operation of the operator is completed, the Next button <NUM> is configured to be valid (so that it can be pressed).

As described above, in the automatic analysis apparatus configured with a plurality of modules, by displaying information necessary for performing and managing maintenance of each module on the same screen, the operator can see at a glance which module is in what progress, how long it will take, and what the next necessary operation is, and thus it is possible to proceed with the operation while grasping the situation all at once.

By operating the buttons displayed on the same screen, operation instructions can be sent independently to the respective modules, and thus there is no need to worry about operation mistakes caused by switching screens when executing maintenance on one module and it is possible to proceed reliably without affecting the operation of the other module.

In the configuration described above, although the configuration for displaying various information on all the modules of the analysis module <NUM>, the sampler module <NUM>, and the analysis module <NUM> has been described, by providing a selection button (selection region) such as a check box for selecting to display only one of these modules or two or more modules, and a child screen for selection, it is possible to configure so that only the information of the desired module can be confirmed.

In the present embodiment, the guidance is just shown by a text message, but as long as the guidance information display region <NUM> allows, an image or a moving image may be pasted, and a button for activating voice guidance information can be provided.

Next, a flow of the maintenance guide in the automatic analysis apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. <FIG> and <FIG> are diagrams showing a relationship between a flowchart of maintenance operations and message contents on the maintenance guide screen.

Here, as an example, a case of performing optical system maintenance consisting of a series of work steps for exchanging the light source lamp and the reaction cell in the analysis module <NUM>, which is a biochemical analysis module, cleaning the reaction tank, supplying circulating water, and stabilizing the temperature during the reaction will be described.

By the operation described above in <FIG>, when the operator selects the maintenance that he or she wants to perform and instructs the maintenance to be performed, maintenance is started (step S701).

First, in the guidance information display region <NUM> on the maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, confirmation of the start of maintenance and necessary operations are displayed (G1), and the operator is asked to confirm whether or not the actual maintenance needs to be started. Here, when the operator presses the Next button <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the processes at step S702 and subsequent steps are started.

Next, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> turns off the light source lamp with the start of maintenance (step S702). Since the light source lamp generates heat with energization, there is a risk of burns if the operator touches the light source lamp immediately after turning it off. For that reason, it is necessary to wait until the light source lamp cools down.

Next, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> provides a standby time for the temperature decreasing time of the light source lamp (step S703). However, without any guide information here, especially for an operator who is unfamiliar with maintenance, it is not clear what the device is doing during this standby time and how long the operator should wait.

Therefore, at this time, in the guidance information display region <NUM> of the maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the matters that the light source lamp has been turned off and that a standby time is required is displayed as a message (G2). According to this, the time required for waiting generally takes about <NUM> minutes as a whole, and thus specific information on the remaining time is displayed in the remaining time/count information display region <NUM>.

The control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> automatically proceeds to step S704 when the standby time is completed.

Next, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> unplugs the reaction tank and drains water from the reaction tank (step S704). It usually takes about <NUM> minutes for all the water in this reaction tank to be drained. Therefore, similarly to the matters described above, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> displays, as a message in the guidance information display region <NUM> of the maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, that the reaction tank is being drained and that a standby time is required (G3). According to this, specific remaining time information is displayed in the remaining time/count information display region <NUM>.

The control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> automatically proceeds to step S705 when the standby time elapses and the drainage operation is completed.

Next, the reaction tank is cleaned by the operation of the operator (step S705). For this purpose, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> displays a message, in the guidance information display region <NUM> of the maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, that the water drainage of the reaction tank is completed, and that prompts the reaction cell to be removed and the reaction cell to be cleaned as necessary operations, and prompts the Next button <NUM> to be pressed when the operations are terminated (G4).

In this case, the operator performs an operation according to this guidance and presses the Next button to proceed to step S706.

Next, the light source lamp is replaced by the operation of the operator (step S706). For this purpose, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> displays a message, in the guidance information display region <NUM> of the maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, that prompts the light source lamp to be replaced as a necessary operation and prompts the Next button <NUM> to be pressed when the operation is terminated (G5).

In this case, the operator performs an operation according to this guidance and presses the Next button to proceed to step S707.

Next, the reaction cell is replaced by the operation of the operator (step S707). For this purpose, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> displays a message, in the guidance information display region <NUM> of the maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, that prompts the reaction cell to be replaced as a necessary operation and prompts the Next button <NUM> to be pressed when the operation is terminated (G6).

In this case, the operator performs an operation according to this guidance and presses the Next button to proceed to step S708 shown in <FIG>.

Next, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> plugs the reaction tank and supplies water to the reaction tank (step S708). In this case, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> displays as a message that the water is being supplied to the reaction tank and that the standby time is required (G7). According to this, specific remaining time information is displayed in the remaining time/count information display region <NUM>.

The control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> automatically proceeds to step S709 when the standby time elapses and the water supply operation is completed.

Next, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> automatically turns on the light source lamp (step S709). Here, since the amount of light of the light source lamp is not stable by simply energizing the light source lamp, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> waits for the elapse of the standby time until the light source lamp is stabilized (step S710). Since the temperature of the water in the reaction tank immediately after water supply is low, it cannot be immediately used for sample measurement. Therefore, it is also necessary to provide a standby time until the temperature increases in the reaction tank.

However, similarly to the matters described above, without any guide information here, especially for an operator who is unfamiliar with maintenance, it is not clear what the device is doing during this standby time and how long the operator should wait. Therefore, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> displays as a message, in the guidance information display region <NUM> of the maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, that the light source lamp is turned on, that a standby time for stabilization is required, and that a standby time is required for the water temperature in the reaction tank to stabilize (G8). According to this, specific remaining time information is displayed in the remaining time/count information display region <NUM>.

The control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> automatically proceeds to step S711 when the standby time elapses and the stabilization of the water temperature of the light source lamp and the reaction tank is completed.

Next, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> performs cleaning of the replaced reaction cell and measurement of each cell blank value for making it measurable in the final step of a series of maintenance operations (step S711).

In this case, the control unit <NUM> of the control device <NUM> displays as a message, in the guidance information display region <NUM> of the maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>, that the device is performing these operations and that a standby time until the termination is required (G9). When the process of this step is completed, the maintenance is terminated.

Each step from step S701 to step S711 described above is displayed in the status display region <NUM> on the maintenance guide screen <NUM> shown in <FIG>. For example, step S705 is expressed as a status display such as "reaction tank cleaning", and step S710 is expressed as a status display such as "standby during temperature increasing of light source lamp".

Next, the effect of the present embodiment will be described.

The automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment described above includes at least one analysis module <NUM> and <NUM> that analyzes the sample, the sampler module <NUM> that holds a plurality of sample containers housing the samples and that supplies the sample containers to the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM>, the display unit <NUM> that displays information on maintenance of the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> and maintenance of the sampler module <NUM>, and the control unit <NUM> that controls the operation of the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> and the operation of the sampler module <NUM>, and that causes the display unit <NUM> to display information on maintenance, in which the control unit <NUM> causes the display device <NUM> to display the maintenance guide screen <NUM> in which maintenance guidance independent of the analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> and the sampler module <NUM> is arranged in the same screen.

By doing this, the maintenance action of each module can be executed in parallel without hesitation by following the guidance for each module in the maintenance guide screen <NUM>.

For that reason, even an operator who is unfamiliar with maintenance can easily confirm what kind of operation is necessary for which module and what the current state is without confusion. If the operator is skilled to some extent, he or she can grasp the progress only by confirming the state displayed in the status display region <NUM> without confirming all the messages displayed in the guidance information display region <NUM>. In this way, labor for maintenance work can be saved as compared with the conventional case.

The analysis modules <NUM> and <NUM> and the sampler module <NUM> each include an in-unit control unit that controls an operation of equipment in each module independently of an operation of another module, and in the maintenance guide screen <NUM>, progress in the maintenance of the respective modules is displayed, and the maintenance operation can be independently controlled, and thus maintenance can be efficiently performed without being affected by the operation such as maintenance of other modules.

Furthermore, the control unit <NUM> causes the maintenance guide screen <NUM> to display the status display region <NUM> that displays a device state of each module, thereby capable of enabling the operator to easily grasp the maintenance progress status and the device state of the module, and to proceed with the maintenance operation more easily and in an easy-to-understand manner.

The control unit <NUM> causes the maintenance guide screen <NUM> to display the remaining time/count information display region <NUM> that displays the remaining time until termination of maintenance of each module to thereby allow the operator to easily grasp how much room is left until the next work, and thus the maintenance work can be carried out more efficiently.

Furthermore, the control unit <NUM> also causes the maintenance guide screen <NUM> to display the remaining time/count information display region <NUM> that displays the number of times of repetitive operations of the maintenance of each module to thereby allow the operator to easily grasp how much room there is before proceeding to the next work, and thus the maintenance work can be carried out more efficiently.

The control unit <NUM> causes the maintenance guide screen <NUM> to display the Next button <NUM> and Stop button <NUM> in which an operation instruction is performed independently for each module, thereby capable of efficiently performing the maintenance operation of the module without being affected by various operations of the other module.

Furthermore, the control unit <NUM> provides the guidance for each module in the same arrangement relationship as that of each module when the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> is viewed from the position where the operator views the maintenance guide screen <NUM> to thereby allow the operator who views the maintenance guide screen <NUM> to grasp which module the guidance is for more intuitively, and thus the maintenance operation can be carried out more easily and in an easy-to-understand manner.

The control unit <NUM> causes the maintenance guide button <NUM>, which performs transition to the maintenance guide screen <NUM>, to be displayed in the global screen <NUM> when the global screen <NUM> is displayed on the display unit <NUM>, thereby capable of providing the operator with a means for making he or she easily proceed to the maintenance guide screen <NUM>.

Furthermore, the control unit <NUM> causes the maintenance guide button <NUM>, which performs that transitions to the maintenance guide screen <NUM>, to be displayed in the maintenance screen <NUM> when the maintenance screen <NUM> is displayed on the display unit <NUM> and causes the maintenance guide button <NUM>, which performs transition to the maintenance guide screen <NUM>, to be displayed in the overview screen <NUM> when the overview screen <NUM> that displays an outline of the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> is displayed on the display unit <NUM>, thereby capable of providing a means for making proceed easily to the maintenance guide screen <NUM>.

The control unit <NUM> causes a selection area to be displayed, the selection region causing only the maintenance guide screen <NUM> of the module to be displayed among a plurality of modules to be displayed, and causes the maintenance guide screen <NUM> of the selected module among the plurality of modules to be displayed separately to thereby allow the operator to concentrate on the maintenance operation of the module, and thus the convenience for the operator can be improved.

Furthermore, when it is necessary to notify an operator of a maintenance status at a timing when the maintenance of the module is performed in background and a screen other than the maintenance guide screen <NUM> is displayed on the display unit <NUM>, the control unit <NUM> can recommend the operator to proceed to the maintenance guide screen <NUM> and confirm the operation to be performed next by displaying notification information. Therefore, the operator can smoothly and surely perform the necessary operation without omission.

Such an effect of the present invention is particularly effective when two or more analysis modules are connected to the sampler module.

Even if the configurations of the analysis modules are the same, the progress statuses of maintenance are not necessarily the same. Therefore, even if the configurations are the same, it is possible to contribute to the reduction of the time during which analysis is not possible associated with overall maintenance by making it possible to easily confirm the progress statuses of maintenance of a plurality of modules on the same screen and to instruct and perform a plurality of different maintenances at the same time.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and applications are possible. The embodiments described above have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations.

For example, in the embodiments described above, the configuration in which one sampler module is connected to two analysis modules has been described, but an automatic analysis apparatus including three analysis modules, four analysis modules, and more analysis modules can be adopted.

Even when three or more analysis modules are connected in this way, it is desirable to display the modules in the same arrangement as arrangement (actual device layout) of the respective modules when the automatic analysis apparatus <NUM> is viewed from the position where the operator views the maintenance guide screen <NUM>.

It is also possible to adopt a device configuration including one analysis module and one sampler module.

Claim 1:
An automatic analysis apparatus that analyzes a sample, the automatic analysis apparatus comprising:
at least one analysis unit (<NUM>, <NUM>) adapted to analyze the sample;
a transport unit (<NUM>) adapted to hold a plurality of sample containers housing the samples and that supplies the sample containers to the analysis unit;
a display device (<NUM>) adapted to display information on maintenance of the analysis unit and maintenance of the transport unit; and
a control unit (<NUM>) adapted to control an operation of the analysis unit and an operation of the transport unit, and to cause the display device to display information on maintenance,
characterized in that the control unit is adapted to cause the display device to display a guide screen (<NUM>) having a status display region (<NUM>) that displays a device state of each unit, a remaining time/count information display region (<NUM>) that displays a remaining time until termination or a number of repetitive operations of the maintenance of each unit, and a guidance information region (<NUM>) in which maintenance guidance for the analysis unit and the transport unit are arranged independently of each other in the same screen,
wherein the control unit is further adapted to cause the guide screen to display a next button (<NUM>) and a stop button (<NUM>) for each unit, the next button allowing the operator to instruct the control unit to transit to a next step of a maintenance operation of the corresponding unit and the stop button allowing the operator to instruct the control unit to interrupt the maintenance operation of the corresponding unit.