METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS

• Main Authors: YOUNG RAN KIM, RODERICK WALTON LARUE, VERNON L CHUPP, PETER E LOBBAN, JOHN PAUL STUART
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 19.06.1998
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING, DISPERSING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; TESTING; TRANSPORTING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a method and an apparatus in which the creation operation of a sample can be automated and simplified by a method wherein an inside housing is heated up to a prescribed temperature, a blood dilute solution in a prescribed amount is introduced and a whole blood sample in a prescribed amount is introduced so as to be mixed while a vibration is being given. SOLUTION: Under the control of a heater control device 660, the temperature of an inside housing 624 is heated by a heater 656 up to about 43 deg.C (a temperature at which an antigen on the surface of a hemocyte is not denatured and at which the protein of blood is not coagulated). Then, a blood dilute solution in a prescribed amount (about 875μl) is supplied to an inside part 628 via a fluid inflow port 642 from a supply source 650, the housing 624 is vibrated for a prescribed time (about 5sec) by a prime mover 686, a control signal is sent to a fluid distribution device 614 from a mixing control device 616, a whole blood sample in a prescribed amount (about 25μl) is sent to the housing inside part 628, the housing 624 is vibrated for a prescribed time (about 11sec), a blood dilute solution and the whole blood sample in the inside part 628 are mixed completely, and their mixture is sent to a tank 654 from a fluid outflow port 644 so as to be stored until a next treatment.