A PHOTOMETER ARRANGEMENT FOR DETERMINING AN ANALYTE IN A LIQUID SAMPLE AND A METHOD FOR DETERMINING A CONCENTRATION OF AN ANALYTE IN A LIQUID SAMPLE

Abstract

The invention refers to a photometer arrangement (8) with a reagent container (10,10) comprising a reagent (14) and being provided with a machine-readable reagent identifier (16), an analyzer device (30) comprising a photometer (40) for providing a photometric raw measurement value (M), a reagent identifier reader (45) for providing a reagent identity (R) and a photometer controller (36), a time stamp generator (38) for providing a measurement date (MD), a reagent ageing database (76) with reagent-identity-specific and age-specific ageing correction factors (C), and an evaluation device (50) having a data connection with the analyzer device (30) and the reagent ageing database (76). The long time accuracy of the photometric results is improved significantly.

Claims

1-5. (canceled)

6. A photometer arrangement, comprising: a reagent container comprising a reagent and a machine-readable reagent identifier, an analyzer device comprising a photometer for measuring a photometric raw measurement value, a reagent identifier reader for reading a reagent identity from the reagent container, and a photometer controller, a time stamp generator that provides a measurement date, a reagent ageing database with reagent-identity-specific and age-specific ageing correction factors, and an evaluation device having a data connection with the analyzer device, the time stamp generator and the reagent ageing database.

7. The photometer arrangement of claim 1, wherein the photometer controller is provided with a photometer type identification and the reagent-specific ageing correction factors are further based upon the photometer type.

8. The photometer arrangement of claim 1, wherein the evaluation device is provided separately from the analyzer device.

9. The photometer arrangement of claim 1, wherein the reagent ageing database is located within an ageing data server being remote from both the analyzer device and the evaluation device.

10. The photometer arrangement of claim 1, wherein the age-specific ageing correction factors comprise correction factors based upon an age of the reagent with respect to the measurement date.

11. The photometer arrangement of claim 1, wherein the evaluation device provides a true measurement value for a concentration of an analyte in a liquid sample by correcting the photometric raw measurement value using a correction factor specific to the reagent and an age of the reagent with respect to the measurement date.

12. The photometer arrangement of claim 1, wherein the photometric raw measurement value comprises a concentration of an analyze in a liquid sample as measured by the photometer.

13. The method of claim 13, wherein the photometric raw measurement value comprises a measurement based upon a change in color of a liquid sample placed within the reagent container, wherein the change in color results from an analyte within the liquid sample reacting with the reagent.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the photometric raw measurement value comprises a turbidity measurement of a liquid sample placed within the reagent container, wherein the turbidity measurement results from an analyte within the liquid sample reacting with the reagent.

15. A method for determining a concentration of an analyte in a liquid sample with a photometer arrangement, the method comprising: providing a liquid sample into a reagent container, the reagent container comprising a reagent and a machine-readable reagent identifier; placing the reagent container into an analyzer device, the analyzer device comprising a photometer, a reagent identifier reader, and a photometer controller; generating, using the photometer, a photometric raw measurement value of the liquid sample within the reagent container; reading, using the reagent identifier reader, the reagent identity from the machine-readable reagent identifier of the reagent container; associating the reagent identity and a measurement date provided by a time stamp generator with the photometric raw measurement value; sending the reagent identity to a reagent ageing database comprising reagent-identity-specific and age-specific ageing correction factors; transmitting a reagent-identity-specific and age-specific ageing correction factor (C) corresponding to the reagent identity to an evaluation device; and calculating, using the evaluation device, a true measurement value by correcting the raw measurement value with the ageing correction factor for the measurement date.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the photometric raw measurement value comprises a concentration of analyte in the liquid sample as measured by the photometer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the true measurement value comprises a true concentration of analyte in the liquid sample.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the photometer controller is provided with a photometer type identification and the reagent-specific ageing correction factors are further based upon the photometer type.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the age-specific ageing correction factors comprise correction factors based upon an age of the reagent with respect to the measurement date.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the photometric raw measurement value comprises a measurement based upon a change in color of the liquid sample, wherein the change in color results from an analyte within the liquid sample reacting with the reagent.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the photometric raw measurement value comprises a turbidity measurement of the liquid sample, wherein the turbidity measurement results from an analyte within the liquid sample reacting with the reagent.

Description

[0031] The FIGURE schematically shows a photometer arrangement according to the invention.

[0032] The FIGURE shows schematically a photometer arrangement 8 comprising a reagent container package 20 comprising reagent containers 10, an analyzer device 30, a separate evaluation device 50 and a remote reagent production site 60 with a reagent ageing database 76. The reagent container 10 is a cuvette

[0033] The reagent container package 20 comprises numerous reagent containers 10, for example 25. reagent containers. Every reagent container 10 is provided with a reagent container body 12 of transparent glass and contains a dry or liquid reagent 14 at the reagent container bottom. The reagent container body 12 is provided with an optical reagent identifier 16 which is preferably a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional barcode printed on a paper label which is glued to the outside of the reagent container body 12.

[0034] The analyzer device 30 is provided with a photometer 40 comprising a light source 41 and a light receiver 42, a reagent identifier reader 45, a photometer controller 36, a time stamp generator 38 and a wireless data transfer module 34. The analyzer device 30 is also provided with a photometer chamber 44 which can be closed by a pivotable chamber lid 46.

[0035] The photometer controller 36 controls the light source 41 and the light receiver 42 of the photometer 40, and is connected to the time stamp generator 38 and to the wireless data transfer module 34.

[0036] The separate evaluation device 50 is typically a tablet computer or a smart phone and is provided with a wireless data transfer module 52, a GSM radio module 54 and an evaluation device controller 56. The separate evaluation device 50 is provided with an application program which is memorized in the evaluation device controller 56.

[0037] The reagent production site 60 is preferably located at the or close to the reagent production facilities. The reagent production site 60 is provided with a production laboratory 80 with a photometer 40 and with an ageing data server 70. The production laboratory photometer 40 can be identical to the analyzer device photometer 40 but can also be a high quality spectral photometer which can simulate different photometer types.

[0038] The ageing data server 70 is provided with a database interface 78 which can be a manual keyboard, with the reagent ageing database 76 and with a database controller 74. The database controller 74 is connected, for example via an Internet connection or a GSM network connection, to a radio module 72 which can be a remote GSM antenna.

[0039] In intervals of, for example, several weeks a batch/lot of a reagent is produced at the reagent production site 60. The produced reagent 14 is filled into the reagent container bodies 12 which are sealed and provided with the reagent identifier 16. The reagent identifier 16 defines the type of reagent or the chemical test type, and also identifies the reagent batch/lot.

[0040] The reagent containers 10 are packed in reagent container packages 20 and are sold and delivered to customers. Some of the reagent containers 10 of that batch/lot remain at the production site 60 and are measured with the photometer 40 in the production laboratory 80 in particular intervals of, for example, one month, with an analyte standard. Based on these photometric results, batch/lot-specific and photometer-type specific ageing correction factors C can be determined which are entered into the reagent ageing database 76 via the database interface 78.

[0041] The customer fills a liquid sample, for example a water sample, into the opened reagent container body 12 so that the analyte of the liquid sample reacts with the reagent 14 in a color-changing way. The reagent container 10 is inserted into the photometer chamber 44 of the analyzer device 30 and the chamber lid 46 is closed to avoid any environmental light in the photometer chamber 44.

[0042] The analyzer device 30 can be provided with a reagent container rotation means (not shown) to rotate the reagent container 10 in the photometer chamber 44. As soon as the sample liquid 14 together with the reagent completely has been reacted, the photometer controller 36 causes the photometer 42 to provide a photometric measurement to thereby provide a photometric raw measurement value M. The photometer controller 36 links the measurement date MD requested from the time stamp generator 38 to the raw measurement value M. The photometer controller 36 also causes the reagent identifier reader 45 to read the reagent identity R from the reagent identifier 16 and links the reagent identity R with the raw measurement value M.

[0043] The photometer controller 36 then sends the own photometer-type identification PT, the raw measurement value M, the reagent identity R and the measurement date D via the wireless data transfer modules 34,52 to the evaluation device 50. The evaluation device controller 56 then sends an ageing data request via the radio modules 54, 72 to the database controller 74 of the ageing data server 70, and in particular sends the reagent identity R and the photometer type identification PT to the data server 70.

[0044] The database controller 74 selects the corresponding reagent-specific and photometer-type specific ageing correction factor C and the production date PD back to the evaluation device 50.

[0045] The evaluation device controller 56 then corrects the raw measurement value M with the ageing correction factor C and thereby calculates the true measurement value M in dependency on the reagent age A calculated by subtracting the measurement date MD from the production date PD.

[0046] The resulting true measurement value M is shown at a display (not shown) of the evaluation device 50.