JP2001079455A - Centrifugal machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the safety of preventing infection by a specimen and to prolong the life of an apparatus by actuating a sterilization lamp for sterilizing a rotor chamber when the leakage of the specimen occurs. SOLUTION: In a centrifugal machine for evacuating a rotor chamber 3, a vacuum pump 8 and a vacuum meter 9 for measuring the degree of vacuum in the chamber 3 are provided. After a certain degree of vacuum is obtained, a situation in which the degree of vacuum is lowered abruptly is limited to a case in which air is leaked or a case in which a specimen in a rotor 1 is leaked into the chamber 3. After a certain degree of vacuum is obtained, when the degree of vacuum is lowered, the cause is judged to be the leakage of the specimen, and the chamber 3 is illuminated by a sterilization lamp 5 before a door 4 being opened. In this way, after the end of a centrifugal process, since the necessity for chamber 3 to be illuminated by the lamp 5 every time is eliminated, the frequency of the deterioration of parts in the chamber 3 by ultraviolet rays is decreased remarkably. Naturally, electric power costs can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a centrifugal separator, and particularly to the separation and purification of a sample which may have an infectious disease in medicine or the like, when the sample is spilled from the inside of the rotor, the inside of the centrifuge is infected. It relates to the use of sterilization for prevention.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, attention has been paid to the handling of a sample that may cause infection. As a countermeasure in the event that a sample to be separated and purified leaks from the rotor for some reason, a rotor for accommodating a rotor holding the sample is used. The interior of the room has been sterilized. As a method of sterilization, a method of spraying a sterilizing gas with a spray, connecting a formalin gas generator to a centrifuge, and fumigating the inside of the rotor and the rotor with formalin gas to sterilize the mainstream. Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-145965, there is a method of sterilizing the rotor chamber by irradiating it with a germicidal lamp.

[0003]

In the case of spraying the inside of the rotor chamber by spraying, the work is directly performed by a human, and thus lacks safety. In addition, formalin gas fumigation inside the rotor chamber has a problem that the operation is complicated and a formalin gas generator is required in addition to the centrifugal machine, resulting in high cost. In the case of sterilization with a germicidal lamp, it is difficult to determine whether or not the rotor chamber is contaminated. Therefore, it is necessary to irradiate the rotor chamber with the germicidal lamp after each centrifugation. However, it is difficult to make the interior of the rotor chamber and door inner surface that are irradiated with germicidal lamps all metallic and hard to be exposed to ultraviolet rays.In many cases, plastic parts and rubber parts are used. There was a problem. Furthermore, the germicidal lamp is most simply and reliably provided on a door located on the upper surface of the rotor, but when provided on the door, there is a problem that the lower part of the rotor is not exposed to ultraviolet rays.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, improve the safety of infection prevention by a sample, and extend the life of the device.

[0005]

The above object is achieved by operating a germicidal lamp for sterilizing the interior of the rotor chamber when a sample leaks.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a centrifuge according to this embodiment. The main body comprises a drive motor 2 for holding a sample to be centrifuged and rotating a rotor 1 rotating at high speed, a rotor chamber 3 for accommodating the rotor, a door 4 for sealing the rotor chamber, and a germicidal lamp 5 for irradiating the rotor chamber. The structure is large, and the airtightness is maintained by closing the door in the rotor chamber. Further, the drive motor is provided with an imbalance sensor 6, which detects an imbalance of the sample, and can automatically stop the centrifuge if there is an imbalance. In the case of a normal sample setting error, the imbalance can be detected at a low speed rotation, and the imbalance sensor operates at a high speed rotation in many cases because the tube 10 containing the sample to be loaded into the rotor is broken by some factor during rotation. Or the sample has spilled from the tube. In such a case, the sample may be scattered from the rotor to the outside, and the rotor chamber will be contaminated with the sample. Therefore, when the imbalance sensor 6 operates at a high rotation speed, it is determined that a sample is leaking, and it is possible to sterilize the rotor chamber by irradiating it with ultraviolet rays before opening the door of the centrifuge. Furthermore, if a displacement meter capable of measuring the amplitude of the rotating shaft or the rotor is used as the imbalance sensor 6, it is possible to judge that the sample has leaked when the displacement greatly changes during high-speed rotation, so that more accurate sterilization becomes possible.

In general, a centrifuge for decompressing and vacuuming the rotor chamber is provided with a vacuum pump 8 and a vacuum gauge 9 for measuring the degree of vacuum in the rotor chamber. The case of a sudden deterioration is limited to a true vacuum leak or a case where the sample in the rotor leaks into the rotor chamber and the degree of vacuum deteriorates. Paying attention to this point, if the degree of vacuum becomes worse after reaching a certain degree of vacuum, it is possible to judge that the sample is leaking and to irradiate the rotor chamber with a germicidal lamp before opening the door as in the above case. As described above, since it is not necessary to irradiate the germicidal lamp every time after the centrifugation is completed, the frequency of exposing the components in the rotor chamber to ultraviolet rays is extremely reduced, and the life of the components can be extended. Naturally, it also saves electricity bills.

Further, by making the rotor chamber a mirror surface,
Ultraviolet rays can be evenly distributed in the rotor chamber, and the sterilization effect can be further improved. In order to finish the mirror surface, it is easy to select a means such as applying chrome plating in the rotor chamber, performing electropolishing work, or using a buff finish.

Since the ultraviolet light of the germicidal lamp is harmful to the human body, a door opening / closing detector 11 is used to prevent the centrifuge operator from accidentally irradiating the germicidal lamp. It is also possible to keep safety by not illuminating the lamp.

[0010]

According to the present invention, the time for irradiating the ultraviolet rays can be effectively and minimized, so that the deterioration of the components inside the rotor chamber due to the ultraviolet rays can be minimized. Thus, it is possible to provide a highly safe centrifugal separator that can be sterilized more reliably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially longitudinal side view showing a centrifuge according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 is a rotor, 2 is a drive motor, 3 is a rotor room, 4 is a door, 5 is a germicidal lamp, 6 is an imbalance detector, 7 is a control unit, 8 is a vacuum pump, 9 is a vacuum gauge, 10 is a tube, 1
1 is a door open / close detector.

Claims (4)

[Claims] A rotor for holding a sample to be separated and rotating at a high speed; a drive motor for rotating the rotor; an imbalance sensor for detecting imbalance of the rotor; a rotor chamber for accommodating the rotor; In a centrifugal separator provided with a door that seals the rotor chamber and a germicidal lamp that sterilizes the rotor chamber, the germicidal lamp is automatically irradiated when the imbalance sensor operates during rotation of the rotor. centrifuge. 2. The centrifugal separator according to claim 1, wherein the germicidal lamp is automatically irradiated when the degree of vacuum suddenly decreases after the degree of vacuum in the rotor chamber reaches a specified value. . 3. The centrifuge according to claim 1, wherein the inside of the rotor chamber has a mirror surface. 4. The centrifuge according to claim 1, wherein the germicidal lamp is not irradiated when the door is opened.