JP2007309942A - Foaming device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a foaming device capable of effectively foaming without individual differences by operators in foaming operations. <P>SOLUTION: The foaming device comprises a rotation member having a terminal contacting to a liquid at a top end, which can be rotated around a predetermined rotary axis L, and a rotation mechanism for rotating the rotation member. The device contacts the terminal to a liquid O and rotates the rotation member at a predetermined inclination angle θ to the vertical direction or to the contacting surface of the liquid contacting the terminal around the rotary axis L. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a foaming apparatus for testing foaming and foaming properties of biological fluids such as blood and mother amniotic fluid, and foaming tests of various materials such as lubricating oils and liquid resin materials. In particular,
The present invention relates to a foaming device for measuring the foaming degree and foam stability of bubbles having a diameter of 1 to 100 μm, including a microbubble test for judging maturity of lungs in a newborn (fetus).

Fetal lung maturity is estimated by the amount of pulmonary surfactant contained in maternal amniotic fluid or neonatal gastric fluid. Here, the pulmonary surfactant is a substance that controls surface tension in the alveoli and prevents the alveoli from collapsing.
The amount will be sufficient around 6 weeks. However, in the case of premature birth, there is a possibility that this lung surfactant amount is insufficient. Insufficient lung surfactant can cause the fetus to develop respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) by gradually collapsing the alveoli. The respiratory distress syndrome (R
In order to take measures against DS, it is important to recognize the amount of lung surfactant.

A microbubble test is performed to recognize this lung surfactant amount. In this microbubble test, the amniotic fluid or gastric juice of the mother is used as a foaming target, and the number of microbubbles that are larger than a predetermined size is counted to determine the maturity of the fetal lung.
This utilizes the fact that generated microbubbles disappear immediately when there is no pulmonary surfactant as a surfactant.

In the conventional microbubble test, for example, foam is manually created with a bath tool pipette, and the foaming target after foaming on the cover glass is observed for five fields of view with a microscope.
The number of bubbles of 15 μm or less was counted, and the average value in each field of view was calculated (for example,
Patent Document 1).

Specifically, 40 μl of the foaming target is taken in a cover glass, and the foaming target on the cover glass is foamed with a bath tool pipette. Next, by turning the cover glass upside down, the foamed object is placed in a hole glass hole provided with a hollow hole.
Let stand for a minute. This is observed for five fields of view at a size of 1 mm 2 per field of view with a microscope.
The number of bubbles of 15 μmφ that can be confirmed per field of view is counted, and the average value of the number of counts by observation of five fields of view is calculated.
JP 2002-114125 A

However, in such a manual microbubble test, proficiency is required in the foaming work, and there may be a problem in the accuracy of counting the microbubbles. . Further, the inspection work takes time, and the inspection takes time and cost.

Therefore, in the present application, there is no individual difference between operators due to foaming work,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a foaming device capable of efficiently foaming.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following means (1) to (6).

(1) That is, the foaming device of the present invention has a rotating member 10 having a contact terminal with a liquid foaming target at the tip and capable of rotating around a predetermined rotation axis L, and mechanically connecting the rotating member. A foaming device comprising a rotating mechanism for rotating, wherein a contact terminal of the rotating member is brought into contact with a liquid foaming target O (contact with respect to a vertical direction or a liquid foaming target) The liquid foaming target is foamed by rotating around a rotation axis L inclined at a predetermined inclination angle θ (with respect to the contact surface with the terminal).

Here, the inclination of the rotation axis L may be an inclination with respect to the vertical direction, or an inclination with respect to the contact surface of the liquid foaming target with the contact terminal.

(2) In the foaming device, the rotating member 10 is composed of a rotating brush having a plurality of brush bristles 12, and a contact terminal is at least one tip of the plurality of brush bristles 12. The interval between the bristles 12 of at least any one of the rotating brushes (brush interval 12w) extends toward the tip of the bristles while the rotating brush is rotated. Is preferred.

(3) In any one of the foaming devices, the rotation axis L of the rotating member 10 is predetermined with respect to a normal line of the horizontal contact surface of the liquid foaming target O (that is, a virtual line in the vertical direction). Inclination angle θ
It is preferable to have.

(4) In any one of the foaming devices, the predetermined inclination angle θ is preferably less than 10 degrees with respect to the contact surface of the liquid foaming target O with the rotating member.

(5) Further, in any one of the foaming devices, a flat container that opens upward and accommodates a liquid foaming target is provided below the rotating member 10, and the rotating member 10 rotates. In a possible state, it is preferable that a part of the contact terminal of the rotating member 10 is in contact with the bottom surface of the container.

In addition, a part of contact terminal contact | abutted with the bottom face of a container shall be a thing of the one side direction in the lower side of the inclined rotating shaft L among the contact terminals provided around the rotating shaft L, for example. it can.

(6) Further, in any one of the foaming devices, a scattering prevention wall that prevents scattering of the liquid foaming target O due to the rotation of the rotating member 10 is installed at a position surrounding the periphery of the liquid foaming target. It is preferable to prepare for exclusion.

In the present application, by adopting the above-mentioned means, it is possible to provide a foaming apparatus that does not cause individual differences among operators due to foaming work and that can efficiently foam.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings shown as examples. 1 to 7 show a foaming apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Specifically, in the foaming device of Example 1, FIG. 1 is a side view structure explanatory diagram showing a configuration in a stationary state before foaming, and FIG.
These are front view structure explanatory drawings which show the structure in the rotation state during foaming. FIG. 3 is a partial explanatory view in side view showing a configuration in the vicinity of the foaming means in a stationary state before foaming. FIG. 4 is a partial explanatory view in side view of the configuration in the vicinity of the foaming means in the rotating state during foaming shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a lower perspective explanatory view showing the vicinity of the distal end portion of the rotating member 10, and FIG. 6 is an axial sectional explanatory view of the vicinity of the distal end portion of the rotating member 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view illustrating the rotating member 10 in the rotating state.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory side view showing the rotating member 10 in the stationary state of the foaming device of the second embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a side view showing the rotating member 10 in the stationary state of the foaming device of the third embodiment. FIG.

<Whole structure of the foaming device of the present invention (FIGS. 1 and 2)>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the foaming device of the present invention is a foaming device that detects foam contained in the foamed object O that has been foamed, and rotates a contact terminal that is in contact with the foamed object O. The foaming means 1 for foaming the foaming object O is provided. Moreover, the flat container 2 which accommodates the foaming object O, and the scattering prevention cover 13 provided with the scattering prevention wall 13w which prevents scattering of the foaming object O at the time of foaming are comprised.

  Hereinafter, each configuration in the first embodiment will be described in detail.

(Foaming target O)
The foaming object O referred to in the present invention refers to an object whose state can be recognized by observing the foamed state, and includes a sample in the foaming test. The foaming target O is made of a liquid. The term “liquid” as used herein means a complete solid and a gas, excluding a semi-liquid, that is, a gel state and a colloidal state. In a foaming apparatus for lung surfactant that measures the amount of lung surfactant, maternal amniotic fluid or neonatal gastric juice is mainly used as a specimen. In the examples, maternal amniotic fluid is shown as the foaming object O of the foaming apparatus for lung surfactant.

(Foaming means 1)
The foaming means 1 has a contact terminal that can come into contact with the foaming object O. The contact terminal comes into contact with the foaming object O, and the relative position between the contact terminal and the foaming object O is varied. This is a means for foaming the foam target O. Various forms can be adopted for foaming. Specifically, for example, the rotating member 10 having a contact terminal at the tip is provided, and the contact terminal in contact with the foaming object O is rotated. Further, the contact terminal of the rotating member 10 is brought into contact with the foaming object O with an arbitrary contact length or an arbitrary contact pressure, and is rotated around the rotation axis L inclined from the vertical direction or the vertical direction, either left or right direction or The foaming object O is foamed by rotating in both directions.

(Rotating member 10)
The rotating member 10 is composed of, for example, a rotating brush having a plurality of brush bristles 12 as contact terminals. The spacing between at least one of the plurality of bristles 12 of the rotating brush expands from the proximal end (fixed end) to the distal end (open end) of the bristle 12 with the rotating brush rotated. Become.

The rotating brush according to the first embodiment includes a columnar brush holder 11 that extends along the rotation axis L and is rotated by a rotating motor M that is a rotating mechanism, and a plurality of brush bristles 12 that are fixed to the outer periphery of the brush holder 11. (FIGS. 2, 3, and 5 to 7).

(Brush holder 11)
The brush holder 11 is formed of a cylindrical rod that extends around the rotation axis L and is rotated by a rotation motor M that is a rotation mechanism. Specifically, for example, it consists of a cylindrical hollow shaft having a diameter of 4 mm (FIGS. 5 and 6).

(Brush hair 12)
The brush bristles 12 are thin wire brushes. Specifically, wires having a diameter of 0.1 mm are fixed at equal intervals of 0.1 mm along the outer periphery near the tip of the brush holder 11. The open length 121 of the bristle 12 protruding forward from the brush holder 11 is 15 mm.

In a stationary state where the rotating brush is rotated, each book is oriented in a direction parallel to the rotation axis L direction, and at least the brush spacing 12w between the plurality of brush bristles 12 is the base end of the bristles 12 It is substantially equidistant from any position from the (fixed end) to the tip (open end) (FIGS. 5 and 6).

In the rotation state in which the rotating brush is rotated, the spacing between at least one of the plurality of brush bristles 12 increases from the base end (fixed end) to the front end (open end) of the bristles 12 (FIG. 7). .

(Spattering prevention cover 13)
The anti-scattering cover 13 is an anti-scattering wall 13w that prevents the foaming target O from scattering during foaming.
It is a cylindrical cover provided with. In order to confirm the state of foaming, for example, a transparent cylinder having an inner diameter of 15 mm is used. The anti-scattering cover 13 descends to a position near the bottom surface of the container 2 when foaming by the elevating function. After the scattering prevention cover 13 is lowered to the position, the rotating member 10 rotates. The anti-scattering wall of the anti-scattering cover 13 may constitute a vertical cylindrical surface, but may alternatively constitute a partial conical surface whose apex is below. Thus, by providing an inclination to the scattering prevention wall, the scattered foaming object O can be quickly collected in the container, and an error in the amount of the foaming object O can be suppressed.

(Rotation position adjustment means)
The rotating member 10 is moved up and down to a position where at least a part of the contact terminal at the tip of the stationary rotating member 10 comes into contact with the foaming object O by the rotation position adjusting means. By this rotational position adjusting means, the rotating member 10 is set in a state where foaming is possible. In the embodiment, all of the plurality of brush hairs 12 serving as contact terminals are in contact with the foaming object O.

The raising / lowering height (brush set height) of the rotating member 10 which is a preferred rotational position is a height at which all the tip ends of the plurality of brush bristles 12 are in contact with the glass surface as the bottom plate of the container 2 in a stationary state. is there. For example, positioning is performed by a sensor disposed on the side of the container 2. This sensor may be a non-contact visual sensor that determines the presence / absence of a gap between the upper surface of the bottom plate of the container 2 and the brush bristles 12 by visual light from the side, and detects the pressure due to the contact between the brush bristles 12 and the container 2. It may be a pressure sensor. In addition, it is possible to use various sensors such as a conductive sensor that detects the amount of conduction caused by the contact between the brush bristles 12 and the container 2 while the brush bristles 12 and the container 2 are made of a conductor.

When the liquid amount is 120 μl, it is preferable that the height of the rotating member 10 (brush set height) be within ± 1 mm.

(Rotating axis L)
The rotation axis L is inclined at a predetermined inclination angle θ with respect to the contact surface with the rotating member of the foaming object O or the vertical direction. The predetermined inclination angle θ is preferably less than 10 degrees with respect to the contact surface of the foaming object O with the rotating member.

In the embodiment, the lower side of the rotation axis L is inclined forward with respect to the vertical direction by a predetermined inclination angle θ of 3 degrees in a side view (FIG. 1). The rotation axis L faces in the vertical direction when viewed from the front (FIG. 2). As a result, the rotating brush is inclined and contacted by 3 degrees with respect to the normal of the liquid level on the horizontal plane. More specifically, the lower contact tip 121 on the lower side of the brush bristles 12 (left side of the rotation axis L in FIG. 4) circulates around the contact surface between the anti-scattering cover 13 and the bottom surface of the container 2. The upper contact tip 122 on the higher side (on the right side of the rotation axis L in FIG. 4) circulates along the inner wall of the anti-disaster cover (FIG. 4). Thereby, the tip of the bristles 12 serving as the contact terminals draws an elliptical orbit with the plane-view projection axis of the rotation axis L as the major axis.

Specifically, for example, when the bristles 12 are arranged on a circle having an inner diameter of 15 mm and the inclination of the rotation axis L is set to 3 degrees with respect to the vertical direction, the tip of the bristles 12 has a major diameter of 15.02 mm and a short length. Draw an elliptical orbit with a diameter of 15 mm. As a result, when the brush is raised, the foaming object O is scraped up, and when the brush is lowered, that is, when returning to the liquid of the foaming object O, the foaming object O is sheared, and the foaming object O is efficiently stirred. It will be a thing.

For more efficient foaming, as shown in FIG. 4 (left side of the rotation axis L),
The lower contact tip 121, which is the tip of the lower bristle of the bristle 12,
In the rotation state, it is preferable that the container 2 is turned up in contact with the bottom surface of the container 2. This is because the bristles 12 of the contact terminals are turned up and down in the container 2 while rotating at high speed inside and outside the foaming object O, so that fine bubbles are continuously formed between the bottom surface of the container 2 and the bristles 12. By being taken in.

(Container 2)
The container 2 is a flat container that opens upward and accommodates the foaming object O therein, and is disposed below the rotating member 10. Specifically, the container 2 integrally includes a bottom plate serving as a bottom surface and a spacer 21 extending upward from the bottom plate. For example, a bottom plate made of a glass plate and a spacer 21 made of an adhesive film fixed to the upper surface of the bottom plate so as to surround a predetermined range (predetermined range for accommodating a foaming target) are used.

(Spacer 21)
A spacer 21 having a predetermined thickness is disposed and fixed on the upper surface of the bottom plate of the container 2 so as to cover a place where the foaming object O is placed. The spacer 21 secures a space of a predetermined height on the upper surface side of the bottom surface of the container 2 in order to prevent the cover glass and the bottom surface of the container 2 from being in direct contact with each other when the cover glass is put on the container 2. It is. As the spacer 21 of the embodiment, a plastic tape having a thickness of 0.2 mm as a predetermined thickness is pasted on the bottom surface of the container 2 at four positions in a plan view surrounding the place where the foaming object O is accommodated or dropped. Yes.

About the front-end | tip part of the rotating member 10 in the stationary state of the foaming apparatus of Example 2, a side view and a downward perspective explanatory drawing are shown in FIG.8 and FIG.9, respectively.

In the rotating member 10 of the second embodiment, the brush holder 11 is formed of a column having a hemispherical portion 11b at the tip, and a plurality of brush bristles 12 are arranged at equal intervals on a concentric position on the surface of the hemispherical portion 11b. It is fixed (FIG. 8).

The spacing 12w between the brush bristles 12 becomes wider toward the lower side of the rotation axis L even in a stationary state where the rotating member 10 does not rotate (FIG. 8). Further, the brush hairs 12 extend in a radial direction downward from the position near the center of the hemispherical portion 11b toward the spherical surface. The tips of the plurality of brush bristles 12, that is, the tips of the contact terminals are all aligned at the same position in the rotation axis L direction, that is, at the same height, to form a triple concentric circle (FIG. 9). Other specific configurations not specifically mentioned are the same as those in the first embodiment.

In FIG. 10, the side view explanatory drawing of the rotating member 10 in the stationary state of the foaming apparatus of Example 3 is shown.

In the rotating member 10 of the third embodiment, the brush holder 11 is formed of a solid cylindrical body, and a plurality of brush bristles 12 are directed in the lateral direction perpendicular to the rotation axis L on the outer surface near the tip thereof. These are fixed at equal intervals in a plurality of rows (FIG. 9). The fixed position of each row of the brush bristles 12 is a position where the outer surface of the brush holder 11 is inclined with respect to the direction of the rotation axis L (FIG. 9). Brush hair 1
The interval 12w between the two members is the same in both the stationary state and the rotating state of the rotating member 10. Other specific configurations not specifically mentioned are the same as those in the first embodiment.

Other specific configurations of the respective parts are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

(Micro bubble test method by micro bubble test implementation mechanism)
With the foaming apparatus of the present invention, the foaming object O is detected through the following mechanism to detect foaming and the number of bubbles, and the microbubble test is achieved by this microbubble test method.
(1) First, the foaming object O is dropped onto the central portion of the glass on the bottom surface of the container 2. An automatic dripping means in the apparatus may be used, or a manual dripping onto the bottom surface of the container 2 may be set to a foaming position of the apparatus or an appropriate position guided to the foaming position.
(2) Next, the cylindrical scattering prevention cover 13 is lowered and set on the bottom surface of the container 2 by the lifting mechanism. Alternatively, the scattering prevention cover 13 may be manually placed on the bottom surface of the container 2 and set.
(3) Next, the rotating brush as rotating means is set until at least one of the contact terminals of the rotating brush comes into contact with the foaming object O.
(4) Next, the rotating brush as rotating means is rotated. In this rotational state, the bristle 1
Rotates while the tip of 2 spreads.
(5) After foaming, the scattering prevention cover 13 is removed from the bottom surface of the container 2 by the lifting mechanism.

(About how to make bubbles)
The rotating brush which is the rotating member 10 is used in a disposable manner. The number of rotations of the motor M, which is the rotation driving means at the time of foaming (at the time of foaming), is 10,000 rpm, and the rotation time is 10 seconds. These are set by a microcomputer for controlling a circuit, which is provided as one configuration of the rotation driving means.

As the rotation means starts rotating by the rotation driving means, the tip of the brush spreads by centrifugal force, and foams the foaming object O while shearing and stirring. Here, the rotation axis L of the rotating means is
By disposing the foaming object O at an angle of about 3 ° with respect to the normal line of the horizontal surface that is the liquid surface of the foaming object O, an effect of scraping the foaming object O is obtained, and the foaming efficiency is increased.

In this embodiment, it is not necessary to press the brush at the time of foaming, and foaming is possible if the height of the brush is wide enough to touch the foaming object O.

(Bubbling test of biological fluid)
The flow characteristics of biological fluid can be known. In addition to pulmonary function tests based on estimation of the amount of pulmonary surfactant, it can be used for estimation of glucose concentration. In addition, the surface tension of blood, the degree of decrease in interfacial chemical properties of blood or serum as a protein solution, or the interfacial viscosity between serum and vascular endothelium can be estimated.

By doing this, for example, grasping symptoms of obesity and hypertension (in some cases the surface tension increases), grasping allergic diseases and malignant tumors (in some cases the surface tension decreases in some cases) sell.

In addition, foamability and foamability correlate with the surface tension and blood pressure of serum, and also partially correlate with serum protein fraction. In addition, it can be used for bacterial PCR testing (infectious disease nucleic acid amplification testing).

The foaming device of the present invention has a diameter of 1 to 100 μm as a foaming test for lubricating oil or the like in addition to medical use in which biological fluids (including blood, serum, nasal mucosa, and urine) are foamed objects O. Can be used to measure foaming and foam stability.

For example, it can be used in a foaming test for precipitation of surfactant impurities using a solvent or an elastomer resin as the foaming target O. Or it can use also for the function confirmation test of the antifoamer which is an additive for industrial oil agents, such as lubricating oil, to be foamed. Moreover, it can be used for confirmation of micro bubbles generated in the foamed material before solidification.

For example, as a foaming test for precipitation of surfactant impurities, which is performed using a synthetic resin material or an elastomer as a target sample, conventionally, a sample of 5 g in 50 mL of 150 mL pure water is used.
After soaking for 5 minutes, take 60 mL into a test tube, shake it 20 times, leave it for 1 minute,
The condition after being left was observed.

On the other hand, according to the present invention, it is possible to perform a foaming operation for making a fine bubble of several microns, efficiently and easily reproducibly.

It is side view structure explanatory drawing which shows the structure in the stationary state of the foaming apparatus of Example 1 of this invention. It is front view structure explanatory drawing which shows the structure in the rotation state of the foaming apparatus of Example 1. FIG. It is side view partial explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the foaming means vicinity in the stationary state of the foaming apparatus of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a partial explanatory view in side view of the configuration in the vicinity of the foaming means in the rotating state of the foaming device of Example 1 shown in FIG. 2. It is a downward perspective expansion explanatory drawing which shows the front-end | tip part vicinity of the rotating member 10 in the stationary state of the foaming apparatus of Example 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged axial cross-sectional explanatory view in the side surface direction in the vicinity of the tip of the rotating member 10 of Example 1 shown in FIG. 5. It is side view explanatory drawing which shows the rotation member 10 in the rotation state of the foaming apparatus of Example 1. FIG. It is side view explanatory drawing which shows the rotating member 10 in the stationary state of the foaming apparatus of Example 2. FIG. It is a downward perspective explanatory drawing which shows the rotation member 10 in the stationary state of the foaming apparatus of Example 2. FIG. It is side view explanatory drawing which shows the rotating member 10 in the stationary state of the foaming apparatus of Example 3. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Foaming means 10 Rotating member 11 Brush holder 12 Brush bristle 12l Open length 12w Brush space | interval 13 Scattering prevention cover 13w Scattering prevention wall 2 Container 21 Spacer L Rotating shaft O Foaming object M Rotating motor

Claims (6)

  A foaming device comprising a rotating member having a contact terminal with a liquid at a tip and capable of rotating around a predetermined rotation axis, and a rotating mechanism for mechanically rotating the rotating member, the rotating member The foaming device is characterized in that the liquid is foamed by bringing the contact terminal into contact with the foaming target and rotating the rotating member around a rotation axis inclined at a predetermined inclination angle.   The rotating member includes a rotating brush having a plurality of brush bristles, and the contact terminal includes at least one tip of the plurality of brush bristles, and at least one of the rotating brushes The foaming device according to claim 1, wherein an interval between the plurality of brush bristles extends toward the tip of the bristles in a state where the rotating brush is rotated.   The foaming device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a rotating shaft of the rotating brush has a predetermined inclination angle θ with respect to a horizontal contact surface of the liquid.   The foaming device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the inclination angle θ is less than 10 degrees with respect to the horizontal contact surface of the liquid.   A container is provided below the rotating member so as to open and store a liquid. In a state where the rotating member can rotate, a part of the contact terminal of the rotating member comes into contact with the bottom surface of the container. The foaming device according to claim 1, 2 or 3.   5. The foaming device according to claim 1, wherein a scattering prevention wall for preventing scattering of the liquid foaming object due to rotation of the rotating member is provided at a position surrounding the periphery of the foaming object and can be removed. Foam equipment.

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