JP2007038170A - Nozzle cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a nozzle cleaning device which can prevent the cleaning liquid from being crystallized out to the upper part of a holder, by suppressing the spring-back height of an ejected cleaning liquid low by a simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: In the nozzle cleaning device 1 in which an ejection nozzle 3 and a suction nozzle 2 are arranged adjacently to each other, the ejection nozzle 3 ejects the cleaning liquid 6 into a cleaning tank 4, the suction nozzle 2 sucks the cleaning liquid 6 to clean the suction nozzle 2; a discharge part 7 for the cleaning liquid 6 is installed on the suction nozzle 2 side of the cleaning tank 4, the overflow of the cleaning liquid 6 is guided to the discharge part 7, and a splash scattered on the surface of the cleaning liquid 6 is directed to the discharge part 7. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a nozzle cleaning device in which a discharge nozzle and a suction nozzle are disposed adjacent to each other, discharge a cleaning liquid from the discharge nozzle to a cleaning tank, the suction nozzle sucks the cleaning liquid, and cleans the suction nozzle. .

  Conventionally, an automatic analyzer that analyzes a sample using a reagent includes a dispensing nozzle that dispenses the reagent or the sample by pipette suction. In addition to disposable (disposable) nozzles, there are known cleaning type nozzles that can be reused by cleaning the inside and outside of the nozzle, and a nozzle cleaning device that cleans this cleaning type nozzle. ing.

  In the nozzle cleaning device, the discharge nozzle and the suction nozzle are disposed adjacent to each other, and the cleaning liquid is discharged from the discharge nozzle to the cleaning tank, and the cleaning liquid is sucked by the suction nozzle, thereby cleaning the inside and the outside of the suction nozzle. Since the cleaning liquid discharged from the discharge nozzle is discharged with a high pressure, a technique for preventing the cleaning liquid discharged from the discharge nozzle from scattering from the cleaning tank to the outside is disclosed (Patent Document 1).

JP-A-8-285861

  By the way, generally, the high-pressure cleaning liquid discharged from the discharge nozzle scatters and rebounds on the surface of the cleaning liquid. When the cleaning liquid that has bounced back adheres to the lower part of the holder that fixes the discharge nozzle and the suction nozzle, it rises to the upper part of the holder due to a capillary phenomenon, and crystals are deposited on the upper part of the holder. This crystal precipitate has a problem that it looks bad and gives a bad impression to a user who uses the apparatus.

  In addition, if the cleaning liquid bounced off the cleaning liquid surface adheres to the tip of the discharge nozzle, the cleaning liquid crystallizes and solidifies at this portion, changes the discharge direction of the cleaning liquid, and the cleaning liquid cannot be stored in a predetermined amount in the cleaning tank. There was a problem that the nozzle could not be cleaned.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a nozzle cleaning device that can prevent the cleaning liquid discharged to the cleaning tank from rebounding with respect to the holder and the discharge nozzle with a simple configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, a nozzle cleaning device according to a first aspect includes a discharge nozzle and a suction nozzle disposed adjacent to each other, and discharges a cleaning liquid from the discharge nozzle to a cleaning tank, and the suction nozzle sucks the cleaning liquid. In the nozzle cleaning device for cleaning the suction nozzle, the cleaning liquid discharge section is provided on the suction nozzle side of the cleaning tank, the overflow of the cleaning liquid is guided to the discharge section, and splashes scattered on the cleaning liquid surface are detected. It is directed to the discharge part.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the nozzle cleaning device according to the above invention, wherein the discharge portion is formed on an end surface of the cleaning tank in which the suction nozzle side is formed low.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the nozzle cleaning device according to the above invention, wherein the cleaning tank has an end surface that is inclined downward from the discharge nozzle side toward the suction nozzle side.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the nozzle cleaning device according to the above invention, wherein the cleaning tank has a slit on an end face on the suction nozzle side.

  The nozzle cleaning apparatus according to the present invention has an effect of preventing the cleaning liquid from adhering to the holder and the discharge nozzle by providing the discharge section of the discharged cleaning liquid on the suction nozzle side and guiding the rebound of the cleaning liquid to the discharge section side. Play.

  Exemplary embodiments of a nozzle cleaning device according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a nozzle cleaning device 1 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the nozzle cleaning device 1 includes a discharge nozzle 3 that discharges a cleaning liquid 6, a suction nozzle 2 that sucks the cleaning liquid 6, a cleaning tank 4 that stores the cleaning liquid 6, a discharge nozzle 3, and a suction nozzle. 2 and a holder 5 for fixing the two.

  The upper surface of the cleaning tank 4 is formed with an end face inclined at 32 °, and this inclination is lowered from the discharge nozzle 3 side toward the suction nozzle 2 side. The position with the lowest inclination is the discharge part 7 for the cleaning liquid 6. Moreover, the upper part which has this inclination has a large diameter compared with the lower part, and the washing tank 4 is easily held by a nozzle holder (not shown).

  The tip of the suction nozzle 2 is longer than the tip of the discharge nozzle 3, and the discharge nozzle 3 discharges the cleaning liquid 6, fills the cleaning tank 4 with the cleaning liquid 6, and cleans the outside of the suction nozzle 2. The suction nozzle 2 sucks the cleaning liquid 6 filled in the cleaning tank 4 and cleans the inside of the suction nozzle 2. The tip of the discharge nozzle 3 and the liquid level of the cleaning liquid 6 filled in the cleaning tank 4 are substantially coincident.

  By the way, the discharge portion 7 for the cleaning liquid 6 is formed on the suction nozzle 2 side by the inclination formed in the upper portion of the cleaning tank 4, and the cleaning liquid 6 discharged from the discharge nozzle 4 is discharged toward the discharge portion 7. By discharging from the discharge nozzle 3 onto the liquid surface of the cleaning liquid 6, a flow from the discharge nozzle 3 side to the discharge portion 7 is formed on the liquid surface. Therefore, the splashes discharged and scattered from the discharge nozzle 3 bounce along the flow formed on the liquid surface and travel toward the discharge unit 7.

  FIG. 2 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of the nozzle cleaning device 1. The black arrow indicates the direction of flow above the cleaning liquid 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning liquid 6 discharged from the discharge nozzle 3 follows the flow of the cleaning liquid 6 in the cleaning tank 4 and travels around the suction nozzle 2 toward the discharge unit 7.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the tip of the discharge nozzle 3 of the nozzle cleaning device 1. The black arrows indicate the direction of the cleaning liquid 6 discharged from the discharge nozzle 3, the flow on the surface of the cleaning liquid 6, and the scattering direction of the discharged cleaning liquid 6. As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning liquid 6 is discharged vertically from the discharge nozzle 3, and a flow toward the discharge unit 7 is formed on the surface of the discharged cleaning liquid 6. Therefore, the droplets discharged from the discharge nozzle 3 and scattered on the surface of the cleaning liquid 6 are directed toward the discharge unit 7 according to the flow of the cleaning liquid 6.

  The splashes scattered by the cleaning liquid 6 do not go in the direction of the discharge nozzle 3 vertically but in the direction of the discharge unit 7. For this reason, the height of the splash splashing in the direction of the discharge nozzle 3 is reduced, the amount of the cleaning liquid 6 reaching the lower part of the holder 5 is reduced, and the amount of the cleaning liquid 6 rising to the upper part of the holder 5 due to capillary action can be reduced. Crystallization of the cleaning liquid 6 on the upper part of the holder 5 can be prevented.

  Here, a demonstration experiment on the height of the rebound of the cleaning liquid by the cleaning tank 4 according to the present invention and the conventional cleaning tank was performed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a conventional cleaning tank 4D. The cleaning tank 4D has a tapered shape as a whole, and the upper part has a larger diameter than the lower part.

  When the distance between the liquid level of the cleaning liquid 6 and the lower end of the holder 5 is 21 mm, when the cleaning tank 4 according to the present invention is used, the rebound height is 9 mm at the maximum, and when the cleaning tank 4D is used, the rebound is rebounded. The height was a maximum of 18 mm. That is, when the cleaning tank 4 is used, the rebound height of the cleaning liquid 6 can be suppressed to 1/3 of the conventional level, and crystal precipitation of the cleaning liquid 6 on the holder 5 can be prevented.

  In this embodiment, by providing the discharge section 7 for discharging the cleaning liquid 6 in the cleaning tank 4, the rebound height of the cleaning liquid 6 can be suppressed, and the crystal deposition of the cleaning liquid 6 on the holder 5 can be reliably prevented.

(Modification 1)
In the embodiment, the upper part of the cleaning tank 4 is formed in an inclined shape and the lower part is formed as a straight pipe. However, in this modification 1, the straight pipe is cut obliquely so that the cleaning tank can be easily manufactured. I have to. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the cleaning tank 4A according to the first modification. As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning tank 4 </ b> A is formed by obliquely cutting a straight circular tube, and the lower end of the inclination is the discharge portion 7.

(Modification 2)
In the embodiment, the lower end face is formed on the suction nozzle side of the cleaning tank 4 to form the discharge portion 7. However, the portion of the discharge portion 7 formed in this way varies depending on the discharge amount of the discharge nozzle 3 and the like. To do. In this modified example 2, a slit is provided in the cleaning tank so as to determine the discharge part.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the cleaning tank 4B according to the second modification. As shown in FIG. 5, the entire cleaning tank 4B has a circular tube shape, and a notch is formed in the upper part. This scraping becomes the discharge part 7 for the cleaning liquid 6. The discharge portion 7 has an advantage that the discharge position does not move even if the discharge condition of the cleaning liquid 6 slightly fluctuates, and the bounce height does not depend on the discharge condition of the cleaning liquid 6.

It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the nozzle washing | cleaning apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the nozzle cleaning apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the washing tank upper part concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the washing tank concerning the modification 1 of embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the washing tank concerning the modification 2 of embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the conventional washing tank.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Nozzle cleaning apparatus 2 Suction nozzle 3 Discharge nozzle 4, 4A, 4B, 4C Cleaning tank 5 Holder 6 Cleaning liquid 7 Discharge part

Claims (4)

In a nozzle cleaning device in which a discharge nozzle and a suction nozzle are arranged adjacently, the cleaning liquid is discharged from the discharge nozzle to a cleaning tank, the suction nozzle sucks the cleaning liquid, and the suction nozzle is cleaned.
A nozzle provided with a discharge part of the cleaning liquid on the suction nozzle side of the cleaning tank, guides the overflow of the cleaning liquid to the discharge part, and directs splashes scattered on the surface of the cleaning liquid toward the discharge part Cleaning device.   2. The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge unit is formed on an end surface of the cleaning tank in which the suction nozzle side is formed low.   The nozzle cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning tank has an end surface that is inclined downward from the discharge nozzle side toward the suction nozzle side.   The nozzle cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning tank has a slit on an end surface on the suction nozzle side.

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