JP2004290889A - Solution discharge apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a solution discharge apparatus which can discharge air remaining in a pump, prevent foam generation in a sample-enclosing solution, and control solution discharge at a high precision in a highly air-tight state. <P>SOLUTION: A pair of pipe members 201 and 203, which suck a sample-enclosing solution via a check valve 209 for suction when an outer pipe 203 fitted in an inner pipe 201 through a seal member 202 is elevated and discharge the sample-enclosing solution via check valve 210 for discharge when the outer pipe 203 is lowered, are immersed in a casing 205 in which a solvent liquid 204 is stored and a pipe system composed of the pair of the pipe members 201 and 203 is made to have a structure in which the pipes are arranged approximately straightly in series in the solution discharge apparatus. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a solution discharger that sucks and discharges a solution for enclosing a specimen.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In medical diagnosis and the like, when observing a cell sample piece with a microscope, the cell sample piece is placed on a slide glass made of a glass piece, and then a small amount of an adhesive solution for sample encapsulation (hereinafter referred to as a sample encapsulation solution). ) Is dropped, and a cover glass made of a thin plate glass is further placed thereon, and a cell sample piece is sandwiched between the slide glass and the cover glass to solidify the coating of the sample sealing solution as an adhesive. , A sample enclosing operation of enclosing the cell sample piece is performed.
[0003]
Such a sample enclosing operation is mechanized, and a solution discharger has been proposed as a device for inhaling a sample enclosing solution and discharging the solution to drop it on a slide glass.
[0004]
As a solution discharger, there is a type using a discharge pump called a plunger method.
[0005]
As shown in FIG. 3, in the solution discharger using the plunger type discharge pump, a cylinder 100 constituting the pump is vertically fixed to a base plate (not shown), and The plunger 101 is inserted movably up and down. The hollow portion of the cylinder 100 communicates with the inside of a solution storage bottle 109 in which the sample sealing solution is stored via a check valve 107 for suction, and communicates with a nozzle 110 for discharge via a check valve 108 for discharge. ing.
[0006]
When the plunger 101 is pulled upward through the driving plate 106 fixed to the upper end of the plunger 101, the pressure in the cavity is reduced, and the ball of the suction check valve 107 resists the urging force of the spring. After leaving the valve seat, the sample-filling solution in the solution storage bottle 109 flows into the cavity. Then, the plunger 101 is pulled up to a predetermined upper position to sufficiently fill the cavity with the specimen enclosing solution. Thereafter, when the plunger 101 is lowered by a small amount stepwise through the driving plate 106, the inside of the cavity is pressurized, and the ball of the discharge check valve 108 is pushed out of the valve seat against the urging force of the spring. With a single drop of the plunger 101, a predetermined minute amount of the sample sealing solution is discharged downward from the nozzle 110 and dropped onto the slide glass.
[0007]
In addition, since the sample sealing solution is hardened by contact with air, a seal member 102 is disposed in a space provided above the cylinder 100, and the airtightness between the plunger 101 and the sliding fitting portion between the cylinder 100 is improved. keeping.
[0008]
Further, a plunger 101 is slidably supported on the upper end of the cylinder 100 along the up and down directions, and the sample enclosing solution oozing from the seal member 102 is washed, hardened, and slidability and airtightness are enhanced. Therefore, a bearing 103 having a function of conducting a solvent liquid (for example, a solvent such as an organic solvent when the sample sealing solution is an adhesive solution) is attached, and the bearing 103 is provided in a central shaft hole through which the plunger 101 is inserted. A cleaning / sealing liquid injection nozzle 104 is attached to the circumferential groove which forms a liquid pool around the periphery of the cleaning / sealing liquid injection nozzle 104. The cleaning / sealing liquid 105 is injected into the circumferential groove, and the cleaning / sealing liquid 105 is always maintained at a constant level in the circumferential groove. The surplus cleaning / sealing liquid 105 is discharged from the nozzle opposite to the cleaning / sealing liquid injection nozzle 104. You.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The solution ejector that ejects the sample enclosing solution not only enables the control of micro-volume (μl unit) ejection but also slides to accurately discharge an appropriate amount without overflowing the sample enclosing solution from the slide glass. It is necessary to eliminate the inclusion of air bubbles in the sample enclosing solution dropped onto the glass, which is a hindrance when observing the sample under a microscope.
[0010]
There are various air stagnations that cause air bubbles in a pipe line for inhaling and discharging the sample enclosing solution, and it is necessary to remove all of the air and completely eliminate air (bubbles).
[0011]
Also, when inhaling a highly viscous sample-filled solution, as a first step, a low-viscosity solvent (organic solvent) is introduced into all pipes to expel and shut off all air, and then as a second step, The sample enclosing solution is inhaled.
[0012]
In the conventional solution discharger shown in FIG. 3, the air in the cylinder 100 moves to the upper part and accumulates around the plunger 101 in the upper part of the cylinder 100.
[0013]
However, since the cylinder 100 has no means for expelling the residual air accumulated at the upper portion thereof to the outside of the cylinder 100, the influence of the air accumulated in the cylinder 100 makes it possible to control the minute suction / discharge of the sample sealing solution. Influence of decompression and pressurization for performing the operation makes it impossible to perform an accurate amount of suction and discharge.
[0014]
In addition, when the highly viscous sample enclosing solution is discharged, the microbubbles trapped in the sample enclosing solution mix into the sample enclosing solution and cause the sample to be discharged from the discharge nozzle 110.
[0015]
The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and can discharge the residual air in the pump, prevent bubbles from being generated in the sample filling solution to be discharged, and maintain high airtightness to accurately perform the test. An object of the present invention is to provide a solution discharger capable of performing discharge control.
[0016]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to a first aspect of the present invention, as described in claim 1, a solution for sample encapsulation is sucked and stored in a storage portion having a variable volume through a suction check valve by a suction operation, and a sample is sealed in the storage portion by a discharge operation. At least a pump unit for discharging a solution for discharge through a check valve for discharge, wherein the pump unit is immersed in a casing in which a solvent solution is stored, and the storage unit is a pair of pipes having both ends opened. A member is fitted via a seal member so as to be relatively movable along the axial direction, and the suction check valve and the discharge check valve are respectively opposite to ends where the pair of pipe members are fitted. Is connected, and the pipe line system constituted by the pair of pipe members has a substantially series pipe structure.
[0017]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the pump section arranges the pair of pipe members along a vertical direction and connects one of the pipe members to a large-diameter pipe. It is characterized in that it is movably disposed above as a member and the other pipe member is fixedly disposed below.
[0018]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, as set forth in the third aspect, in the second aspect of the present invention, the seal member of the pump unit disposed in the up-down direction is set to a liquid level of the solvent liquid or less. I do.
[0019]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in FIGS.
[0020]
FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away sectional view showing a pump section of a solution discharger for sucking and discharging a sample-filled solution, and FIG. 2 is an external view of a solution discharger provided with the pump section of FIG.
[0021]
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 205 denotes a sealed pump outer peripheral container that extends vertically and forms a pump casing. In the pump outer peripheral container 205, an inner pipe 201 and an outer pipe 203 are concentric with the axial center of the pump outer peripheral container 205. Are arranged coaxially.
[0022]
The inner pipe 201 is fixed to the pump outer peripheral container 205 and extends to the outside through a lower part of the pump outer peripheral container 205.
[0023]
Further, the outer pipe 203 penetrates the upper part of the pump outer peripheral container 205 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and the outer pipe 203 is movable in the vertical direction by moving the driving plate 207 fixed to the upper end part vertically. .
[0024]
The inner pipe 201 has an upper end opened, and a suction check valve 209 having the same structure as the check valve 107 shown in FIG. An insertion pipe 212 extending downward from a lower portion of the check valve 209 is inserted into a solution storage bottle 211 that stores a sample enclosing solution.
[0025]
The outer pipe 203 has a lower large-diameter pipe portion 203a and an upper small-diameter pipe portion 203b connected to the large-diameter pipe portion 203a. The inner diameter of the inner pipe 203a is formed larger than the outer diameter of the inner pipe 201, and the inner pipe 201 is slidably fitted into the large-diameter pipe portion 203a of the outer pipe 203 via the ring-shaped seal member 202. I have. A discharge check valve 210 having the same structure as the check valve 108 in FIG. 3 is attached to the upper end of the small diameter pipe portion 203b of the outer pipe 203 which slidably penetrates the upper part of the pump outer peripheral container 205. A discharge nozzle 208 is attached to a distal end of a connection pipe 213 that is bent in an inverted U-turn shape from the upper end of the check valve 210 and extends downward.
[0026]
The inner pipe 201 and the outer pipe 203 are adjusted such that the outer pipe 203 is kept fitted with the inner pipe 201 when the outer pipe 203 is pulled up to the uppermost position (top dead center). I have.
[0027]
Further, a cleaning / sealing liquid injection nozzle 206 for injecting the cleaning / sealing liquid 204 into the pump outer circumference container 205 is attached to the pump outer peripheral container 205 at a position higher than the upper end of the inner pipe 201. The liquid level of the sealing liquid 204 is maintained above the upper end of the inner pipe 201, and the sliding part between the inner pipe 201 and the outer pipe 203 is contained in the cleaning / sealing liquid 204 housed in the pump outer peripheral container 205. The sliding portion is completely immersed in the inside, thereby enabling the sealing in which the air contact of the sliding portion is eliminated.
[0028]
The above is the configuration of the pump section of the present embodiment. Next, the configuration of the solution discharger will be described with reference to FIG.
[0029]
In FIG. 2, the pump outer peripheral container 206 of the pump unit 301 is fixed to a base plate 300 serving as a base of the solution discharger. A drive pulse motor 305 is mounted on the base plate 300 with the drive shaft facing upward, and a feed screw 302 is mounted on the drive shaft. Further, a gate-shaped guide frame 304 is fixed to the base plate 300 so as to straddle the driving pulse motor 305, and a lifting drive plate 303 is attached to a pair of frame members extending vertically of the guide frame 304 so as to be able to move up and down. ing. A screw hole is formed in the lifting drive plate 303, and a feed screw 302 is screwed into the screw hole.
[0030]
The lifting drive plate 303 is connected to the drive plate 207 via a connecting rod. The forward / reverse rotation of the drive pulse motor 305 causes the lift drive plate 303 to move up and down. 203 is moved up and down. At this time, by controlling the number of driving pulses input to the driving pulse motor 305, the amount of elevation of the outer pipe 203 can be accurately controlled. Can be controlled.
[0031]
The above is the configuration of the solution discharger according to the present embodiment. The operation of the pump unit 301 will be described below.
[0032]
When the outer pipe 203 is pulled upward, the pressure inside the outer pipe 203 is reduced, so that the discharge check valve 210 is kept closed, but the suction check valve 209 is opened and stored in the solution storage bottle 211. The sample filling solution passing through the inner pipe 201 is sucked into the outer pipe 203. When the outer pipe 203 is lowered, the closed state of the suction check valve 211 is maintained, the inside of the outer pipe 203 is pressurized, the discharge check valve 210 is opened, and a predetermined amount of the sample sealing solution is discharged. It is discharged from the nozzle 208 and dropped on the slide glass.
[0033]
Here, since the outer pipe 203 has a large-diameter pipe section 203a and a small-diameter pipe section 203b connected to an upper portion thereof, when the inner pipe 201 and the outer pipe 203 are filled with a liquid, these pipes are formed. The air remaining in the path moves upward, moves from the large-diameter pipe portion 203a of the outer pipe 203 to the small-diameter pipe portion 203b, and accumulates below the discharge check valve 210. Therefore, when the outer pipe 203 is lowered in this state, the discharge check valve 210 is opened, and the gas accumulated in the lower part of the discharge check valve 210 can be exhausted to the outside.
[0034]
Therefore, such an evacuation process may be performed prior to the discharge of the highly viscous sample enclosing solution. First, the initially introduced solution, which is a low-viscosity solvent, is inserted into the pipe 212 from the suction check valve 209, the inner pipe 201, and the like. By suction-introducing into the outer pipe 203 and repeating the suction-discharge operation, the inside of the pipeline of the pump section is filled with the initially introduced liquid, and the air remaining in the pipeline is completely exhausted to the outside.
[0035]
Then, in a state where the residual air is completely removed, the sample introduction solution in the pump is replaced with the sample introduction solution by switching to a highly viscous sample filling solution suitable for the intended purpose and repeating the suction / discharge operation.
[0036]
Therefore, since the sample filling solution is filled with no residual air in the suction / discharge pipeline system for suction and discharge of the pump section, bubbles are generated in the sample filling solution discharged by the remaining air. Can be prevented.
[0037]
In the pump section 301 according to the present embodiment, since there is no remaining air in the suction / discharge pipe system, the pump section 301 in the outer pipe 203 is stepped down according to the pulse drive of the pulse motor 305. The change in pressure is transmitted accurately, and the discharge amount of the sample-filled solution can be controlled with high accuracy by the relative movement amount of the outer pipe 203 with respect to the inner pipe 201.
[0038]
In addition, the pump body formed by the outer pipe 203 and the inner pipe 201 has a cleaning part housed in the pump outer peripheral container 205 so that the sliding surface on which the two pipes slide relatively does not come into contact with air. / Since it is completely immersed in the sealing liquid 204, the sealing effect of the sealing surface by the sealing member 202 is increased, and there is no suction of air from the sealing surface, and the sliding surface is always cleaned / sealed. Since the sample can be washed with a liquid, the sample enclosing solution does not harden even if the cleaning / sealing liquid is oozed out by deformation due to suction pressure and kinking of the sealing surface.
[0039]
Therefore, the life of the seal member 202 can be extended without damaging the sealing surface of the seal member 202, and maintenance can be facilitated.
[0040]
In the above embodiment, the discharge check valve 210 is attached to the upper end of the outer pipe 203, but may be attached to the discharge nozzle 208.
[0041]
In addition, the sample sealed solution is sucked from the lower end of the inner pipe 201 and discharged from the upper end of the outer pipe 203. The functions of the discharge check valve 210 and the suction check valve 209 are reversed. In this configuration, the sample sealing solution may be sucked in from the upper end of the outer pipe 203 and discharged from the lower end of the inner pipe 201.
[0042]
Further, the configuration of the check valves 209 and 210 has been described as a type in which a ball forming a valve body is urged to a valve seat by a spring, but the present invention is not limited to this. As a valve, it is automatically opened by the depressurizing action at the time of suction in the outer pipe 203, closed by the pressurizing action accompanying the discharging operation, and closed as the discharge check valve by the depressurizing action at the time of suction in the outer pipe 203, Also, any type may be used as long as it is a type that opens automatically for the pressurizing action accompanying the discharging operation.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, since the pipe system formed by the pair of pipe members constituting the pump unit has a substantially series pipe structure, the air in the pipe system can be exhausted to the outside. This makes it possible to prevent the formation of air pockets that cause bubbles in the pipeline system. For this reason, since no bubbles are generated in the sample enclosing solution, suction and discharge control of the sample enclosing solution can be performed with high accuracy. In addition, it is extremely easy to exhaust the internal retained air in a short time even when the initial introduction liquid is introduced.
[0044]
In addition, since the seal member is set to a liquid level of the solvent liquid in the casing or less, the slidability and sealing property of the sliding surfaces of the pair of pipe members are increased, and the seal member can be used for a long time.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view of a pump section showing an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an external view of a solution discharger including the pump unit of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a pump section of a conventional solution discharger.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Cylinder 101 Plunger 102 Seal member 103 Bearing 104 Cleaning / sealing liquid injection nozzle 105 Cleaning / sealing liquid 106 Drive plate 107 Suction check valve 108 Discharge check valve 109 Solution storage bottle 110 Discharge nozzle 201 Inner pipe 202 Sealing member 203 Outer pipe 203a Large-diameter pipe section 203b Small-diameter pipe section 204 Cleaning / sealing liquid 205 Pump outer peripheral container 206 Cleaning / sealing liquid injection nozzle 207 Drive plate 208 Discharge nozzle 209 Suction check valve 210 Discharge reverse Stop valve 211 Solution storage bottle 212 Insertion pipe 213 Connection pipe 300 Base plate 301 Pump unit 302 Feed screw 303 Elevating drive plate 304 Guide frame 305 Drive pulse motor

Claims (3)

A pump for sucking the sample enclosing solution into the container having a variable volume through the suction check valve by the suction operation and discharging the sample enclosing solution in the housing through the discharge check valve by the discharge operation. At least, the pump section has the housing section immersed in a casing in which a solvent liquid is housed, and the housing section is provided via a seal member such that a pair of pipe members having openings at both ends can relatively move along the axial direction. The suction check valve and the discharge check valve are respectively connected to the end opposite to the end at which the pair of pipe members are fitted, and the pipe is constituted by the pair of pipe members A solution discharger characterized in that the system has a substantially series pipe structure. The pump unit is characterized in that the pair of pipe members are arranged vertically, one of the pipe members is movably arranged as a large-diameter pipe member, and the other is fixedly arranged below. The solution discharger according to claim 1, wherein The solution discharging machine according to claim 2, wherein the sealing member of the pump unit arranged in the up-down direction has a liquid level of the solvent liquid or less.

Images