JP2007326038A - Centrifuge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a centrifuge having a function of stopping a rotor 1 in case of abnormality in a swing state of buckets 4 swingably held in the rotor 1. <P>SOLUTION: Identifier disposing information, a relation of a rotation speed of the rotor 1 to a swing angle of the bucket 4, and an allowable rotation speed of the rotor 1 when a bucket detection sensor 13 reacts, are stored in a control device 9, corresponding to the usable rotor 1. When operation is started, an identifier detector 12 detects the identifier disposing information and specifies the kind of the rotor 1 by the control device 9, and when the outer periphery of the bucket 4 reaches the vertical line of the bucket detection sensor 13, the bucket detection sensor 13 reacts. At that time, the rotation speed of the rotor 1 is calculated based on the detection signals of a rotation speed sensor 10, to determine whether the speed is within the allowable rotation speed range or not. When out of the range, the centrifuge is controlled to be stopped. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a centrifuge having a swing rotor, and more particularly to a centrifuge capable of discriminating or specifying a swing state of a bucket that is swingably supported by a rotor pin of a swing rotor.

  The swing rotor in a general centrifuge has a bucket for loading a container containing a sample and an arm that holds the bucket in a swingable (swingable) state by centrifugal force, and is detachably attached to a rotary drive shaft. And centrifuge the sample. A bucket that is swingably supported by the rotor pin of a swing rotor of a centrifuge is driven by the centrifugal force of the container such as a bucket and a tube mounted on the bucket and a sample as the rotation speed of the rotor increases when operation starts. Swing gradually from a vertical (vertical) state corresponding to the rotation speed, and eventually swing to a horizontal state or a state close to a horizontal state. When the operation of the rotor is stopped after reaching the maximum allowable rotational speed of the rotor, the bucket gradually returns from the horizontal state to the vertical state as the rotational speed is reduced.

  The swing rotor may become unable to swing due to wear of an arm or a rotor pin that supports the bucket so that the bucket can swing, or damage to the rotor pin. Furthermore, if a sample with a mass or capacity exceeding the allowable value is loaded (loaded) into a container such as a tube or bottle mounted on the bucket, the swinging movement of the bucket will be slow, and the container may be deformed or damaged by centrifugal force. Become. For this reason, centrifugation cannot be performed, and equipment such as a bucket may be damaged or a valuable sample may be lost.

  Conventionally, in order to visually confirm the swing state of the bucket of the swing rotor from the outside of the centrifuge, for example, a transparent acrylic door is adopted, and the inside of the centrifuge bowl (rotor chamber) is visually observed during operation. Was considered. On the other hand, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, a position detector at the rotation stop position of the bucket is used to check whether or not the bucket has returned from the horizontal state to the vertical state when the rotation of the rotor is stopped. A method for discriminating whether or not the swing is normal is also proposed.

JP 2003-225589 A

  However, as mentioned above, the technology that employs a transparent material cover as the door limits the maximum allowable rotational speed of the rotor for reasons of strength. In a centrifuge that operates the rotor at high speed, the door and bowl are made of a sturdy material. Therefore, there is a problem that a transparent synthetic resin material cannot be used. Therefore, it becomes impossible to confirm the swing state of the bucket when the bucket swing angle is gradually changing, such as immediately after the start of operation or immediately before the end of operation.

  On the other hand, in the bucket abnormality detection method using the bucket position detector disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, whether or not the bucket has returned from the horizontal state to the vertical state is checked. It is difficult to detect an abnormal swing.

  Therefore, in the conventional method for determining the swing state, among the plurality of buckets that should have been supported so as to be swingable by the rotor, one or more buckets may have some problem during operation. If a sample container such as a bucket or tube is caught on the rotor while the bucket is swinging due to centrifugal force, without being aware of the loading amount exceeding the allowable value. Such a problem that the operation is terminated before the specific bucket is swung to the original horizontal state is overlooked.

  In addition, if the amount of sample loaded in a sample container such as a tube exceeds the allowable value, or if the operation is continued with the bucket or tube being caught on the rotor in an unstable state, the bucket will be detached from the rotor pin, causing damage to the equipment. There is also a fear of inviting.

  Similarly, when precipitating (pellet) with a swing rotor, the sample that has been precipitated based on normal swinging operation will be horizontal when the container such as a tube containing the sample is placed vertically after operation. In the case of a container mounted on a bucket that has been operated in a state where there is a problem that does not become horizontal as described above, although it settles normally, it is settled in a rotating swing state, and the container (tube) is taken out after operation. When the container is erected vertically, it will precipitate in an inclined state with respect to the horizontal, and so-called separation layer (band layer) of the sample cannot be confirmed. In this case, it may be forced to restart the centrifuge or even lose a valuable sample (sample).

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a centrifuge that prevents an abnormal swing operation of a bucket by determining or specifying an abnormal swing operation of the swing rotor during acceleration of the rotor in order to solve the above-described problems. There is.

  Among the inventions disclosed in the present application in order to solve the above problems, the characteristics of typical ones will be described as follows.

  (1) According to one aspect of the present invention, the apparatus has a bucket for loading a container containing a sample and an arm for holding the bucket in a swingable state by centrifugal force, and is detachably attached to a rotary drive shaft. A rotor that is attached and centrifuges the sample; a motor that rotates the rotary drive shaft to which the rotor is attached; a control device that drives and controls the motor; a rotor identification means that identifies the type of the rotor; A centrifuge having a rotation number detecting means for detecting the rotation of the motor or the rotor, and having a bucket detection sensor for detecting that the bucket swings to a specific angle when the rotor is rotated, The rotational speed detection means detects the rotational speed at that time.

  (2) According to another feature of the present invention, the control device determines the type of the rotor from the identifier given to the rotor by the rotor identification means, and based on the determined type of the rotor, A swing state at the specific angle detected by the bucket detection sensor is specified.

  (3) According to still another feature of the present invention, the control device relates to a relationship between a rotation speed of the rotor detected by the rotation speed detection means and a swing angle of the bucket detected by the bucket detection sensor. Is stored in the storage unit, and the swing angle of the bucket is calculated based on the rotational speed of the rotor.

  (4) According to still another aspect of the present invention, the control device relates a relationship between a rotation speed of the rotor detected by the rotation speed detection means and a swing angle of the bucket detected by the bucket detection sensor. Is stored in the storage unit, and the rotational speed of the rotor is calculated based on the swing angle of the bucket detected by the bucket detection sensor.

  (5) According to still another feature of the present invention, the control device is configured such that the rotational speed of the rotor calculated from the bucket swing angle detected by the bucket detection sensor does not fall within a predetermined allowable range. Then, the operation of the rotor is stopped.

  (6) According to still another aspect of the present invention, the apparatus has a bucket for loading a container containing a sample and an arm for holding the bucket in a swingable state by centrifugal force, and is detachably attached to a rotary drive shaft. A rotor that centrifuges the sample attached to the rotor, a motor that rotates the rotary drive shaft to which the rotor is attached, a control device that drives and controls the motor, and a rotor identification means that identifies the type of the rotor; A centrifuge having a rotation speed detecting means for detecting rotation of the motor or the rotor, wherein the control device stores a relationship between a rotation speed of the rotor and a swing angle of the bucket in a storage unit; A swing angle of the bucket is calculated based on the rotational speed of the rotor detected by the rotational speed detection means.

  (7) According to still another feature of the present invention, the control device displays a swing state of the bucket on a display unit.

  (8) According to still another feature of the present invention, the apparatus has a bucket for loading a container containing a sample and an arm for holding the bucket in a swingable state by centrifugal force, and is detachably attached to a rotary drive shaft. A rotor that centrifuges the sample attached to the rotor, a motor that rotates the rotary drive shaft to which the rotor is attached, a control device that drives and controls the motor, and a rotor identification means that identifies the type of the rotor A centrifuge having a bucket detection sensor for detecting that the bucket has swung to a specific angle, and the control device stores in advance a relationship between a rotation speed of the rotor and a swing angle of the bucket. The rotation speed of the rotor is calculated based on the swing angle of the bucket detected by the bucket detection sensor.

  (9) According to still another feature of the present invention, in the above item (8), the control device has a predetermined rotational speed of the rotor calculated from the bucket swing angle detected by the bucket detection sensor. If the allowable range is not reached, the operation of the rotor is stopped.

  (10) According to still another feature of the present invention, the relationship between the rotational speed of the rotor and the swing angle of the bucket is an experiment using an actual centrifuge, or a mechanism analysis simulation known under the name “ADAMS”. It is obtained using software and stored in the storage unit of the control device.

  According to the centrifuge of the present invention having the above characteristics, when the bucket of the swing rotor does not perform a normal swing operation, it is possible to determine or identify an abnormal operation of the bucket. Can be prevented. In addition, since it is possible to prevent the precipitation layer or separation layer of the sample from being formed obliquely with respect to the sample container, it is possible to prevent redo of the centrifugal separation operation and loss of valuable samples. Furthermore, it is not necessary to use a transparent material for the centrifuge door or bowl, and a sturdy steel plate material can be used, so that a centrifuge that is strong against breakage can be supplied.

  The above and other objects, and the above and other features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiments, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

  1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a centrifuge according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a control device for the centrifuge shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a swing bucket of the centrifuge shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the rotational speed of the swing rotor of the centrifuge shown in FIG. 1 and the swing angle of the bucket, and FIG. 5 is a diagram of the bucket of the centrifuge shown in FIG. FIG. 6 shows a second example of the control flowchart for detecting the operating state of the bucket of the centrifuge shown in FIG. 1, respectively.

  First, the overall configuration of the centrifuge according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  The centrifuge 100 is mounted in a rotor chamber 5 sealed by a partition wall (bowl) 5a such as a bowl made of a steel plate material and a door 6 made of a steel plate material, and mounted in the rotor chamber 5, and can be attached to and detached from the rotary drive shaft 7. A rotor (swing rotor) 1 for putting a sample to be centrifuged attached to a motor, a motor 8 for driving the rotary drive shaft 7 to which the rotor 1 is attached at high speed, a motor 8 and a display device 15 to be described later are provided. The control device 9 for controlling and information on the operating conditions such as the rotational speed, operating time, temperature, acceleration gradient, deceleration gradient, etc. for centrifuging the sample mounted on the rotor 1 are input to the control device 9 and the function ( Input device 14 including a key switch 14a for selecting a function), and a control device 9 for displaying input information by the input device 14 and operation information of the control device 9. And a connected display device 15. These constituent members such as the rotor chamber 5 and the motor 8 are mounted in a housing not shown, and in particular, the input device 14 and the display device 15 are exposed from the housing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rotor 1 includes a swing rotor, and the bucket 4 is supported on the arm portion 1 a of the rotor 1 by a rotor pin (not shown) so as to be swingable (can swing). A container 3 such as a tube is held in the bucket 4, and a sample 2 to be centrifuged is mounted or loaded in the container 3. As the container 3, a test tube, a bottle, etc. other than a tube can be used. As shown in FIG. 3, the rotor 1 has arm portions 1a that extend radially from the center of rotation and are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction by 90 °, for example, and the buckets 4 are swingably supported by the arm portions 1a. Is done. If the rotor 1 is accelerated at a predetermined rotational speed in a state where the sample 2 having a predetermined mass or a predetermined capacity is mounted on the container 3 held in the bucket 4 in the swing operation of the normal bucket 4, the bucket 4 is As shown in (a) to (e), the swing from the vertical state at the time of stop shown in (a) to the horizontal state at the time of the centrifugal operation shown in (e) (the state operating at the maximum allowable speed) is performed. .

  Since the rotor 1 is detachably attached to the rotary drive shaft 7, it can be easily replaced with another type of rotor having a different material, shape, etc. according to the sample 2 to be centrifuged. Therefore, the rotor 1 has an identifier 11 for identifying the type of rotor attached to the rotary drive shaft 7, and the type of the rotor is detected by an identifier detector 12 such as a magnetic sensor provided adjacent to the identifier 11. Is detected, and the detection signal is input to the control device 9. The control device 9 determines or specifies the rotor type based on the rotor type and the detection signal from the identifier detector 12 stored (saved) in advance in a storage unit described later.

  The motor 8 is composed of, for example, a three-phase brushless DC motor, and the rotational speed of the motor 8 (or the rotor 1) is detected by the rotational speed detection sensor 10, and the detection signal is input to the control device 9.

  The input device 14 is provided to set operation conditions (separation conditions) such as the rotation speed of the motor 8, the time of centrifugation (operation time), the acceleration gradient, and the deceleration gradient in the control device 9. This operating condition is set in the control device 9 to an appropriate value according to the rotor to be used. The input device 14 can also set the temperature of the rotor chamber 5 and the like. The input device 14 includes an operation panel provided with a key switch 14a.

  The display device 15 displays operating conditions such as the rotational speed of the motor 8, the time of centrifugation, the temperature, the type of the mounted rotor 1, and the operating status of the centrifuge 100 and the situation when a problem accident occurs. Etc. are provided for displaying etc. Further, the display device 15 can also display the inclination information of the bucket 4. The display device 15 is generally a liquid crystal display (LCD). As other examples, a plasma display panel (PDP), an electroluminescent panel (ELP), or the like can be used.

  The bucket detection sensor 13 is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the circumference of the rotor 1, in other words, on a partition wall (bowl) 5 a that partitions the side surface of the rotor chamber 5. Further, a reflecting plate 16 for reflecting a detection signal from the bucket detection sensor 13 is disposed adjacent to the rotary drive shaft 7 located on the center side of the rotor 1. The bucket detection sensor 13 intersects the trajectory of the outer periphery of the bucket 4 that swings from a vertical state to a horizontal state by centrifugal force when the rotor 1 is accelerated, and is a position that can be identified in the vertical direction on the side wall of the bowl 5a. It reacts when the bucket 4 passes on the arrangement line of the bucket detection sensor 13 while the bucket 4 is swinging.

  The bucket detection sensor 13 is composed of, for example, a transmission / reception ultrasonic sensor. In the bowl 5a, the bucket detection sensor 13 is arranged on an extension line (on the ultrasonic signal 13a) that intersects the swing locus of the bottom of the bucket 4. When the bucket 4 swings normally during acceleration, the signal transmitted from the bucket detection sensor 13 can be reflected by the reflecting plate 16 and received by the bucket detection sensor 13. However, when the bucket 4 has a swing failure, the signal from the bucket detection sensor 13 is blocked by the bucket 4 and cannot be received by the bucket detection sensor 13. Therefore, the bucket detection sensor 13 can detect whether or not the bucket 4 has swung. In this case, the operation is stopped when any one swing failure of the bucket 4 is detected. Furthermore, it is possible to detect whether or not the bucket 4 has swung to a predetermined angle (for example, 60 ° with respect to the rotation drive shaft 7) by the mounting position of the bucket detection sensor 13.

  The rotation speed detection sensor 10 measures the rotation speed of the motor 8 and transmits a signal corresponding to the measured rotation speed to the control device 9.

  For example, the identifiers 11 are arranged on the concentric circles on the bottom surface of the rotor 1 and arranged in accordance with a combination of predetermined angles determined for each type of the rotor 1. The identifier 11 is, for example, a magnet, and usually one or more are arranged circumferentially. Identifier arrangement information such as the position and number of the identifier 11 is stored in advance in a ROM 53 of the control device 9 in advance as a table corresponding to the type of the rotor 1 as information unique to the rotor 1. The identifier detector 12 is composed of, for example, a magnetic sensor, and one or a plurality of identifier detectors are arranged at a predetermined angle at a position facing the identifier 11. The identifier detector 12 detects the identifier 11 and transmits identifier arrangement information such as its position and number to the control device 9. As the identifier 11, for example, a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-113394 related to the applicant's application can be adopted. According to this technique, a magnet is used as an identifier, a plurality of magnets are arranged on the same circumference around the rotation axis of the rotor 2, and the rotor type such as the type and the rotation radius is determined from the angle of the arranged magnets. The type and the maximum allowable rotation speed are identified. As another related technique, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-34021 related to the applicant's application, identification grids are provided at equal intervals on the rotor bottom surface, A technique for identifying the type of rotor and the like by making an array pattern with a sensor and comparing it with an array pattern stored in advance can be employed.

  The control device 9 controls the rotation of the motor 8 and identifies the type of the rotor 1 based on the rotation speed input and set in advance from the input device 14 and the signal from the rotation speed detection sensor 10. . Further, it has a function of controlling the display device 15.

  The control device 9 includes a microcomputer, and includes a CPU 51, a ROM 53, a RAM 55, and an EEPROM 57 that are connected to each other via a bus 59 as shown in FIG.

  The CPU 51 performs an operation for controlling the centrifugal processing operation of the centrifuge 100, the calculation of the swing angle of the bucket 4 from the rotational speed of the rotor 1, the calculation of the rotational speed of the rotor 1 from the swing angle of the bucket 4, the identification processing operation of the rotor 1, etc. It is a processing device.

  The ROM 53 is a read-only memory that stores a calculation of the swing angle of the bucket 4, a calculation of the rotation speed of the rotor 1, a program for controlling the identification processing operation of the rotor 1, and the like.

  The RAM 55 is a random access memory that temporarily stores data such as a rotational speed, a processing time, and a setting value of the processing temperature at the time of centrifugation.

  The EEPROM 57 is a rewritable memory, and is obtained by using identifier arrangement information relating to the identifier 11 that is unique data of the rotor 1 that can be used in the centrifuge 100, mechanism analysis simulation software such as the above-described experiments and ADAMS. The relationship between the rotational speed for each type of rotor and the swing angle of the bucket is stored, and the minimum rotational speed and the maximum rotational speed when the bucket detection sensor 13 detects the position of the bucket 4 are made to correspond to the type of the rotor 1. Remember as a table.

  With the above configuration, the control device 9 controls the drive of the motor 8, drives the rotor 1 at a predetermined rotational speed, and swings the bucket 4 of the rotor 1 from the vertical state to the horizontal state to centrifuge the sample 2. It can be carried out. If the rotor 1 is accelerated at a predetermined rotational speed in a state where the sample 2 having a predetermined mass or a predetermined capacity is mounted on the container 3 held in the bucket 4 in the swing operation of the normal bucket 4, the bucket 4 is As shown in (a) to (e), the swing from the vertical state at the time of stop shown in (a) to the horizontal state at the time of the centrifugal operation shown in (e) (the state operating at the maximum allowable speed) is performed. . The normal swing operation of the bucket 4 will be described with reference to the swing state diagram of the bucket 4 shown in FIG.

  The bucket 4 held in a swingable state by the rotor 1 of the centrifuge 100 is in a vertical (vertical) state as shown in FIG. When the operation is started, as the rotational speed of the rotor 1 increases, as shown in FIGS. 3 (b), 3 (c) and 3 (d), the vertical force is applied by the centrifugal force of the bucket 4 and the loaded sample 2 and the tube 3. Swing gradually from the state. Further, when the allowable maximum rotation speed (set rotation speed) is reached, the bucket 4 rotates in a horizontal state or a state close to the horizontal state as shown in FIG. When the operation of the rotor 1 is stopped after performing the centrifugal separation for a predetermined time, the bucket 4 is moved from the horizontal state shown in FIG. 3E to the state shown in FIG. Gradually return to the vertical state to complete the swing motion.

  In the centrifugal operation described above, if an abnormal state occurs in the swing operation of the bucket 4 of the rotor 1, according to the present invention, the abnormal operation of the bucket 4 is determined from the relationship between the rotational speed of the rotor 1 and the swing angle of the bucket 4. Determine or identify. The relationship between the rotational speed of the rotor 1 and the swing angle of the bucket 4 will be described with reference to the characteristic diagram shown in FIG.

  The relationship between the rotational speed of the rotor 1 and the swing angle of the bucket 4 can be obtained experimentally, but can also be obtained by using a general mechanism analysis simulation software known by the name “ADAMS”.

  The relationship between the rotational speed of the rotor 1 and the swing angle of the bucket 4 when operated with nothing mounted on the bucket 4 is the characteristic curve A, and the sample 2 was operated with the maximum allowable amount mounted. In this case, the relationship between the rotational speed of the rotor 1 and the swing angle of the bucket 4 is a characteristic curve C. Further, the characteristic curve B is the relationship between the rotational speed of the rotor 1 and the swing angle of the bucket 4 in the middle between the characteristic curve A and the characteristic curve C, that is, in a general usage.

  Therefore, if the rotational speed of the rotor 1 (or the motor 8) when the swing angle of the bucket 4 becomes a predetermined angle, for example, 60 °, from these characteristic curves A, B and C is E, F and G, “ "Rotation speed E" is the rotation speed of the rotor 1 when operating with nothing loaded on the bucket 4, and "Rotation speed G" is the rotor when operating with the sample 2 mounted to the maximum allowable amount. The rotational speed of 1 and “rotational speed F” respectively indicate the rotational speed of the rotor 1 in a general usage.

  Therefore, the EEPROM 57 (see FIG. 2) of the control device 9 includes a “characteristic curve B” of a general relationship between the rotational speed of the rotor 1 and the swing angle of the bucket, and the bucket detection sensor 13 for each type of the rotor 1. 4, “rotational speed E” indicating the minimum allowable value of the rotor 1 when a swing angle of 60 ° of 4 is detected, and “rotational speed G” indicating the maximum allowable value are stored. The bucket detection sensor 13 is set so as to detect a position when the swing angle of the bucket 4 swings to a predetermined angle, for example, an angle of 60 °. That is, the swing angle of the bucket 4 when the ultrasonic oscillation signal 13a of the bucket detection sensor 13 is reflected by the reflecting plate 16 is set to 60 °, and the rotation speed detection sensor 10 has a swing angle of the bucket 4 of 60 °. It is set as the structure which can detect the rotational speed when it swings to.

  With such a configuration, when the bucket detection sensor 13 detects the swing angle 60 ° of the bucket 4, the rotation speed detection sensor 10 detects a rotation speed D smaller than the minimum allowable rotation speed E, or the maximum allowable rotation speed. When the rotational speed H exceeding G is detected, the control device 9 can determine or specify that a failure has occurred in the swing of the bucket 4. For example, the swing failure due to the rotational speed H is considered to be caused by the bucket 4 or the tube 3 being caught on the rotor 1 in an unstable state, or the sample 2 having a mass or capacity exceeding the allowable amount being mounted on the tube 3 of the bucket 4. . Furthermore, even when the motor 8 is accelerating, even when the bucket detection sensor 13 does not react at all, it is considered that the sample 2 is excessively loaded on the tube 3 or the swing failure of the bucket 4 is the cause. .

  Next, a control procedure of the control device 9 for determining whether or not the swing operation of the bucket 4 of the rotor (swing rotor) 1 is normal will be described with reference to a first example of a control flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, in step S61, the rotor 1 is mounted on the rotary drive shaft 7, the operation of the motor 8 is started, and the rotor 1 is rotated.

  In step S62, when the rotor 1 rotates, the identifier detector 12 detects the arrangement angle and the number of arrangement of the identifiers 11 arranged concentrically on the bottom surface of the rotor 1, and identifies the type of the rotor 1.

  In step S63, it is determined whether or not the type of the rotor 1 specified by using the identifier detector 12 is a swing rotor that holds the bucket 4 that can swing by centrifugal force. In this step S63, if the inclination of the tube 3 to be loaded is always constant and the bucket 4 that can be swung by centrifugal force is not held, for example, if it is an angle rotor, the process proceeds to step S67 and the operation of the motor 8 is continued as it is. To do.

  When the swing rotor 1 rotates in step S64, the bucket 4 gradually becomes horizontal from the vertical (vertical) state by the centrifugal force of the bucket 4 and the loaded sample 2 and the tube 3 as the rotational speed of the rotor 1 increases. Swing in the direction. While the bucket 4 is swinging, the bucket detection sensor 13 reacts when it passes over the sensor line (13a) of the bucket detection sensor 13 mounted in the bowl 5a, and the bucket 4 has a swing angle of 60 °. It is detected that it has swung.

  In step S65, the rotational speed detection sensor 10 detects or calculates the rotational speed of the rotor when the bucket 4 is inclined at a swing angle of 60 °.

  In step S66, the rotational speed detected by the rotational speed detection sensor 10 is the rotational speed E of the rotor 1 (see FIG. 4) when the bucket 4 is operated in a state in which nothing is mounted, and the sample 2 is allowed the maximum. It is determined whether or not it is within an allowable range with respect to the rotational speed G (see FIG. 4) of the rotor 1 when operated with the capacity mounted. For example, if the detected rotation speed is the rotation speed F (see FIG. 4), it is determined that the rotation speed is within the allowable range, the process proceeds to step S67, and the operation of the motor 8 is continued as it is. Thereafter, if it is determined in step S68 that the centrifugal separation operation has been completed, the operation is terminated in step S69.

  However, in step S66, when the detected rotational speed is lower than the rotational speed E of the rotor 1 when operated with nothing mounted on the bucket 4 (rotational speed D), or when the sample 2 has the maximum allowable amount. If it is higher than the rotational speed G of the rotor 1 when it is operated in a state of being mounted (rotational speed H), it is determined that the swing is defective, the process proceeds to step S69, and the operation of the motor 8 is terminated.

  As will be apparent from the above description of the embodiment, according to the present invention, when the operation of the centrifuge 100 is started, the identifier detector 12 detects the arrangement information of the identifier 11 and is attached by the control device 9. If the type of the rotor 1 is specified and the bucket detection sensor 13 reacts to the bucket 4 during the swing of the bucket 4 and the rotational speed when the bucket detection sensor 13 reacts is not within the allowable range, it is determined that the swing is defective. Stop driving.

  In this embodiment, the bucket detection sensor 13 is disposed on the side wall of the bowl 5a, but may be disposed on the bottom wall of the bowl 5a. In this case, if the bucket 4 swings normally during acceleration, the signal transmitted from the bucket detection sensor 13 is blocked by the bucket 4 when the bucket 4 swings to a predetermined angle, so the swing operation of the bucket 4 is detected. can do.

  Next, a control procedure of the control device 9 for determining whether or not the swing operation of the bucket 4 is normal from the rotation speed of the rotor 1 will be described with reference to a second example of the control flowchart of FIG. Note that steps similar to those in the control procedure shown in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In step S <b> 70, the rotational speed detection sensor 10 detects the rotational speed of the rotor 1. Note that the relationship between the rotational speed and the swing angle when nothing is attached to the rotor 1 (for example, the rotational speed E of the characteristic curve A shown in FIG. It is assumed that the relationship between the rotational speed and the swing angle when mounted (the rotational speed G of the characteristic curve C shown in FIG. 4) is stored. The detection of the rotation speed in step S70 corresponds to the rotation speed (the rotation speed E and the rotation speed G shown in FIG. 4) at an angle that can be detected by the bucket detection sensor 13, for example, 60 ° in the case of the embodiment. ) Is detected.

  In step S71, the rotational speed of the rotor 1 detected by the rotational speed detection sensor 10 is the rotational speed stored in advance in the EEPROM 57 (the rotational speed when the swing angle is 60 °, that is, the rotational speeds E and G shown in FIG. 4). The bucket detection sensor 13 detects whether or not the bucket 4 has reached a predetermined swing angle of 60 °.

  If it is determined in step S72 that the swing angle is not normal (in the case of NO), the swing angle of the bucket 4 detected by the bucket detection sensor 13 has not reached 60 °. That is, since the bucket 4 is not normally swung, the signal 13a (see FIG. 1) is blocked by the bucket 4. In this case, it is determined that the bucket 4 is in an abnormal swing operation, and the operation of the swing rotor 1 is terminated. At this time, a warning may be displayed on the display device 15.

  If it is determined in step S72 that the swing angle is normal (in the case of YES), that is, if it is determined that the swing angle of the bucket 4 at the detected rotational speed has reached 60 °, the operation is continued.

  FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a centrifuge 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, in particular, the bucket detection sensor 13 is provided on each of the side surface and the bottom surface of the partition wall (bowl) 5a of the rotor chamber 5, and the signal from the side sensor is reflected by the reflecting plate 16 to receive the reflected signal. On the other hand, the signal from the sensor on the bottom side is reflected by the door 6 to receive the reflected signal. By using this pair of bucket detection sensors 13, it is possible to determine a more accurate swing state of the bucket 4.

  FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a centrifuge 100 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of bucket detection sensors 13 are provided on each of the side and bottom surfaces of the partition wall (bowl) 5a of the rotor chamber 5, and the swing angle of the bucket 4 corresponding to the rotational speed can be detected to detect a swing failure of the bucket 4.

  According to the above-described centrifuge of the present invention, when the bucket of the swing rotor does not perform a normal swing operation, it is possible to determine or identify the abnormal operation of the bucket, thereby preventing accidents such as breakage due to the separation of the bucket. can do. In addition, since it is possible to prevent the precipitation layer or separation layer of the sample from being formed obliquely with respect to the sample container, it is possible to prevent redo of the centrifugal separation operation and loss of valuable samples. Furthermore, it is not necessary to use a transparent material for the centrifuge door or bowl, and a sturdy steel plate material can be used, so that a centrifuge that is strong against breakage can be supplied.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the centrifuge which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram of the control apparatus of the centrifuge shown in FIG. The state diagram which shows the swing operation | movement of the bucket of the centrifuge shown in FIG. The characteristic view which shows the relationship between the rotational speed of the rotor of the centrifuge shown in FIG. 1, and the swing angle of a bucket. The 1st example of the control flowchart in the centrifuge shown in FIG. The 2nd example of the control flowchart in the centrifuge shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows the structure of the centrifuge which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the centrifuge which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1: Rotor (swing rotor) 1a: Arm part 2: Sample 3: Container (tube) 4: Bucket 5: Rotor chamber 5a: Partition part (bowl) 6: Door 7: Rotation drive shaft 8: Motor 9: Control apparatus 10 : Rotational speed detection sensor 11: identifier 12: identifier detector 13: bucket detection sensor 13a: ultrasonic oscillation signal 14: input device (operation panel) 14a: key switch 15: display device 51: CPU (arithmetic processing device) 53: ROM 55: RAM
57: EEPROM 59: Bus 100: Centrifuge

Claims (9)

A bucket for loading a container containing a sample and an arm for holding the bucket in a swingable state by centrifugal force; a rotor that is detachably attached to a rotary drive shaft and centrifuges the sample; and A motor for rotating the rotary drive shaft to which the rotor is mounted; a control device for driving and controlling the motor; a rotor identifying means for identifying the type of the rotor; and a rotational speed detecting means for detecting the rotation of the motor or the rotor. A centrifuge having
A centrifuge characterized by comprising a bucket detection sensor for detecting that the bucket has swung to a specific angle when the rotor is rotated, and the rotational speed at that time is detected by the rotational speed detection means.   The control device discriminates the type of the rotor from the identifier given to the rotor by the rotor discriminating means, and at the specific angle detected by the bucket detection sensor based on the discriminated type of the rotor. 2. The centrifuge according to claim 1, wherein a swing state is specified.   The control device stores a relationship between a rotation speed of the rotor detected by the rotation speed detection unit and a swing angle of the bucket detected by the bucket detection sensor in a storage unit, and is based on the rotation speed of the rotor. The centrifuge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a swing angle of the bucket is calculated.   The control device stores a relationship between a rotation speed of the rotor detected by the rotation speed detection unit and a swing angle of the bucket detected by the bucket detection sensor in a storage unit, and is detected by the bucket detection sensor. The centrifuge according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a rotational speed of the rotor is calculated based on a swing angle of the bucket.   The said control apparatus stops the operation | movement of the said rotor, when the rotational speed of the said rotor calculated from the swing angle of the said bucket detected by the said bucket detection sensor does not enter into a predetermined tolerance. Item 5. The centrifuge described in item 4. A bucket for loading a container containing a sample and an arm for holding the bucket in a swingable state by centrifugal force; a rotor that is detachably attached to a rotary drive shaft and centrifuges the sample; and A motor for rotating the rotary drive shaft to which the rotor is mounted; a control device for driving and controlling the motor; a rotor identifying means for identifying the type of the rotor; and a rotational speed detecting means for detecting the rotation of the motor or the rotor. A centrifuge having
The control device stores a relationship between the rotation speed of the rotor and the swing angle of the bucket in a storage unit, and calculates the swing angle of the bucket based on the rotation speed of the rotor detected by the rotation speed detection means. A centrifuge characterized by   The centrifuge according to claim 6, wherein the control device displays a swing state of the bucket on a display unit. A bucket for loading a container containing a sample and an arm for holding the bucket in a swingable state by centrifugal force; a rotor that is detachably attached to a rotary drive shaft and centrifuges the sample; and A centrifuge having a motor for rotating the rotary drive shaft to which the rotor is attached, a control device for driving and controlling the motor, and rotor identifying means for identifying the type of the rotor;
A bucket detection sensor for detecting that the bucket has swung to a specific angle; and the control device stores in advance a relationship between a rotation speed of the rotor and a swing angle of the bucket; The centrifuge is characterized in that the rotational speed of the rotor is calculated on the basis of the swing angle of the bucket detected by the above. The said control apparatus stops the operation | movement of the said rotor, when the rotational speed of the said rotor calculated from the swing angle of the said bucket detected by the said bucket detection sensor does not enter into a predetermined tolerance. Item 9. The centrifuge described in item 8.

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