JP2008093527A - Centrifugal separator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a centrifugal separator which can use a continuous rotor, and can use a usual rotor without dropping cooling ability. <P>SOLUTION: The centrifugal separator 30 can use a continuous rotor, and also can use a usual rotor without dropping cooling ability. In this case, when a usual rotor using no sample tube 12 is installed, as the rotor 2 for the centrifugal separator 30, in a concave part 4b for installing a tube, an adaptor member 13 is embedded in the convex part 4b for installing a tube, and, at the same time, a movable valve 13a provided in the adaptor member 13 is brought into contact with a tube through hole 21a to prevent windage due to the convex part 4b for installing a tube and also to prevent external air from coming into a rotor room. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a door structure that opens and closes an opening of a rotor chamber of a centrifuge, and in particular, a continuous rotor for holding a normal sample container and a sample introduced into the rotor chamber from outside the sample through a sample tube. The present invention relates to a door structure of a multipurpose centrifuge that can be used separately from a rotor.

  The centrifuge stores the rotor carrying the sample to be separated in the rotor chamber, and rotates the rotor at high speed using a drive device such as a motor in a state where the opening of the rotor chamber is sealed by a door. The sample held in the rotor is separated and purified.

  In a multi-purpose centrifuge, a rotor for separating a sample can be used in a plurality of types depending on the use according to the type of sample, the amount of sample processed, the rotational speed, and the like. In the normal use of a rotor, a sample to be separated is put into an independent sample container (centrifuge tube) and then held on the rotor, and a centrifugal force is applied by a driving device to separate the sample.

  As another type of rotor, in the fields of medicine, pharmacy and the like, there is a type that uses a continuous rotor that separates a sample from the outside of the centrifuge body by directly flowing the sample directly into the rotor through a tube. An example of the structure of the continuous rotor is shown in Patent Document 1 below, for example. When a continuous rotor is used, a sample container containing a sample is provided outside the centrifuge body, and the sample flow path is formed by a tube extending from the container to the rotor installed in the rotor chamber of the centrifuge body. The sample formed and separated while rotating the rotor is continuously poured from the sample container to the rotor.

  In a centrifuge using a continuous rotor, a sample tube is introduced from the outside of the centrifuge main body into the rotor chamber, as shown in FIG. In order to do this, as shown in FIG. 5 of the patent document 2 with a method in which a door recess (8) is provided in a part of the outer peripheral portion of the rear surface of the door, the housing and the rotor chamber are partitioned without providing the door recess. There is a method of directly connecting a sample tube penetrating the partition member (1) to a continuous rotor. The former method of providing the tube embedding door recess on the rear surface of the door is advantageous in that the space of the rotor chamber can be made relatively narrow.

  On the other hand, in the centrifuge, because the rotor as a rotating body rotates at a high speed, when the rotor breaks, it becomes a large breaking energy, and does not stop at the rotor itself, but the sample container member such as a tube mounted on the rotor, Alternatively, it is assumed that peripheral members such as a door member or a heat insulating member surrounding the rotor are scattered as fragments. For the purpose of ensuring the safety against this assumed accident more reliably, as disclosed in the following Patent Document 3, in order to more completely prevent the fragments of the members in the rotor chamber from scattering, It is well known to provide a protruding outer peripheral surface (12).

JP-A-7-256150 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-52939 JP-A-8-266934

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the main part showing the structure of the centrifuge 40 when the continuous rotor 2a is installed, which has been previously examined by the present inventor. Inside the housing 1, an internal partition member 7 that partitions the rotor chamber 3 for installing the continuous rotor 2 a is provided. In order to introduce the pair of sample tubes 12a and 12b into the projecting outer peripheral surface 4a of the door back surface 4c, a tube installation recess (opening) 4b is formed in a part of the projecting outer peripheral surface 4a of the door back surface. A pair of tube through holes 21a through which the pair of tubes of the sample injection tube 12a and the sample recovery tube 12b are passed through the door packing 21 provided in the upper portion of the partition member 7 of the rotor chamber 3 in the tube installation recess 4b, By installing sample tubes 12a and 12b communicating from the container 11 to the continuous rotor 2a, a flow path (space) for the sample tube was secured.

  However, in such a centrifuge 40, when the normal rotor is used without using the continuous rotor 2a, the tube installation recess 4b and the pair of tube through holes 21a are not required. For this reason, since the tube installation recess 4b and the pair of tube through holes 21a exist, when using a rotor having a large outer diameter or a small rotor rotating at a higher speed, the tube installation recess 4b and the pair of The tube through-hole 21a causes windage loss, and there is a drawback that the rotor 2 and the sample cannot be sufficiently cooled by the cooling pipe (pipe) 6.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, when using the normal rotor 2b, the inventors of the present application embed the adapter member 13 in the tube installation recess 4b and a cap 24 in the pair of tube through holes 21a. Proposed to prevent unnecessary wind damage by inserting.

  However, since the cap 24 has a detachable structure formed separately from the adapter member 13, the adapter member 13 is installed when the normal rotor 2b is used, but the cap 24 is forgotten to be attached. There was a case. As a result, the windage loss cannot be sufficiently prevented, and even when the rotor 2b and the sample are rotated by the cooling pipe 6 while being rotated, the rotor 2b is rotated without blocking the pair of tube through holes 21a. There was a problem that the cool air in the rotor chamber 3 leaked from the pair of tube passage holes 21a, and the rotor 2b and the sample could not be sufficiently cooled. Further, if the door 4 is closed with the cap 24 being attached incompletely, the cap 24 is dropped into the rotor chamber 3.

  Therefore, the object of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned problems and to be able to properly use a normal sample container holding rotor and a continuous rotor that separates a sample introduced into the rotor chamber from outside the apparatus through a sample tube. An object of the present invention is to provide a centrifuge capable of exhibiting high performance even when both rotors are used. Another object of the present invention is to provide a versatile centrifuge that can ensure the same safety as that of the prior art.

  Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, typical features will be described as follows.

  According to one characteristic of the centrifuge according to the present invention, the housing, the motor mounted in the housing, and a partition member mounted in the housing and having an opening at the top of the housing. A centrifuge comprising: a rotor chamber; a rotor installed in the rotor chamber and rotated by the motor; and a door that closes the opening of the rotor chamber and is openable and closable. The back surface of the door that closes the opening of the rotor chamber has a protruding outer peripheral surface that protrudes from the central surface of the door to the inner side of the rotor chamber, and a sample is provided to the rotor on a part of the protruding outer peripheral surface A tube-installing recess for installing a sample tube for injecting or collecting the sample tube, and the housing for allowing the sample tube to conduct from the tube-installing recess to the outside of the housing When a rotor having a tube through hole and not using the sample tube is installed in the rotor chamber, an adapter member is embedded in the tube installation recess, and the adapter member is embedded in the tube installation recess. And a movable valve that closes the tube through hole.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the movable valve of the adapter member is formed so as to protrude from a side surface of the adapter member by a biasing spring built in the adapter member, and the adapter member is used for installing the tube. When the door is closed to the opening by being attached to the recess, the movable valve is pressed against the biasing force of the biasing spring.

  According to the present invention, by providing a movable valve in the adapter member embedded in the tube installation recess, if the adapter member is attached, the tube through hole is closed with the movable valve when the centrifuge door is closed. Is possible. For this reason, it is possible to use a normal rotor other than the continuous rotor without deteriorating the cooling effect of the centrifuge due to forgetting to attach a cap that closes the tube passage hole.

  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 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. Moreover, the same code | symbol is used also about the member which has the same function as the centrifuge shown to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 which this inventor examined beforehand.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a centrifuge 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 uses a normal rotor 2b such as an angle rotor or a swing rotor in a state where an adapter member 13 is installed in a tube installation recess 4b. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part when a normal rotor 2b such as an angle rotor or a swing rotor is used in the centrifugal separator 30 shown in FIG.

  An overall configuration of a centrifuge according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The centrifuge 30 includes a housing (frame) 1 having a substantially square cross-sectional shape when viewed from the upper surface, and the rotor chamber 3 is partitioned inside the housing 1 by a partition member 7 including a bowl 7a and the like. Yes. In the rotor chamber 3, a normal rotor 2b capable of holding a plurality of test tubes (tubes) filled with a sample in a circular row on the circumference of the rotor is installed, or as shown in FIG. Then, the sample injection tube 12a is introduced from the outside of the machine, and the continuous rotor 2a that uses the rotor 2 itself as a sample container is installed. The rotor installation example shown in FIG. 1 is a case where a normal rotor (angle rotor) 2b is installed as the rotor 2 (2 includes both the continuous rotor 2a and the normal rotor 2b).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the centrifuge 30 includes a rotor 2b made of an aluminum alloy or a titanium alloy, a motor 5 for applying a rotational driving force to the rotor 2b, and a rotor chamber 3 for housing the rotor 2b. In addition, the door 4 is rotatable to the housing 1 through a pair of hinges 14 (see FIG. 1) in the upper opening (opening / closing portion) 15 of the rotor chamber 3 formed in the housing 1. Is attached. The door 4 is controlled so as not to open the rotor chamber 3 during rotation of the rotor 2b by the action of a door lock device (not shown). Further, the centrifuge 30 includes a control device 16 including a microcomputer for performing on / off control of the motor 5, rotation speed control, and the like, and for controlling the door lock device according to the rotation of the motor 5. Prepare. Further, an operation panel 17 and a display panel (monitor) 18 for setting (inputting) data such as a rotation speed of the rotor 2b and a time for performing the centrifugation are provided on the upper surface of the housing 1, and the operation panel 17 The display panel 18 is electrically connected to the control device 16 and inputs data to the control device 16 and displays data from the control device 16.

  The rotor chamber 3 is partitioned by a partition member 7 including, for example, a bowl 7a made of a stainless steel material. A spiral cooling pipe (pipe) 6 is disposed on the outer periphery of the partition member 7, and the outer peripheral portion thereof. A cylindrical casing 9 filled with a heat insulating member (foaming material) 8 is installed, and these are mounted integrally with the partition member 7. Thereby, the temperature rise at the time of rotation of the rotor 2 installed in the rotor chamber 3 is cooled, and the rotor chamber 3 is configured to be sealed from the outside air by the partition member 7 and the door 4. Further, a protector (protective wall) 10 made of, for example, a steel material that absorbs fracture energy when the rotor 2 is broken is mounted on the outer peripheral portion of the partition member (including 7, 6, 8, and 9).

  The motor 5 is composed of, for example, a three-phase induction motor that is started by a three-phase AC power supply of 300 V, and can give high-speed rotation such as 22,000 rpm according to the type of the rotor 2. The rotor 2 is detachably connected to the rotating shaft of the electric motor 5. In accordance with the specification for centrifugal separation, the door 4 is opened and closed so that the rotor 2 can be replaced.

  A door packing 21 made of an elastic material is provided at the peripheral portion 15a of the rotor chamber opening 15 for taking in and out the rotor 2b and a sample container (not shown) mounted on the rotor 2b. By crushing with the door 4, the opening 15 is more reliably sealed by the door 4.

  On the rear surface 4c of the door 4 (the surface that defines the opening 15 of the rotor chamber 3), a circular convex portion, that is, a protruding outer peripheral surface 4a is formed on the outer peripheral portion thereof. It has a protruding structure that enters the inner side of the rotor chamber 3 with respect to the central surface 4d of the back surface 4c. That is, the back surface 4c of the door has a dish-like surface in which a surface extending in the radial direction from the central surface 4d toward the outer peripheral surface 4a protrudes from the outer peripheral surface 4a. This projecting outer peripheral surface 4a is provided for the same purpose as the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 3, and in the unlikely event that the rotor 2 connected to the motor rotation shaft in the rotor chamber 3 is broken during rotation. It is provided in order to prevent debris accompanying the destruction of the rotor 2 from scattering outside the centrifuge. The back surface 4c of the door 4 is made of, for example, a plastic material.

  According to the present invention, a tube installation recess 4b is provided in a part of the projecting outer peripheral surface 4a, and the partition member 7 corresponding to the tube installation recess 4b includes a pair of sample injection tubes 12a (see FIG. 6) and a sample recovery. A pair of tube passage holes 21a through which the tube 12b passes are provided in parallel. When a normal rotor 2b such as an angle rotor is used as the rotor installed in the rotor chamber 3 in the centrifuge 30, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an adapter member is provided in the tube installation recess 4b. 13 is attached. The adapter member 13 is made of, for example, rubber, a plastic material, or a metal material.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the adapter member 13 has a substantially trapezoidal cross-sectional shape so as to be inscribed in the tube installation recess 4b, and a biasing spring 13b (see FIG. 3) is provided on the front surface 13x thereof. ) And a pair of movable valves 13a protruding from the front surface 13x of the adapter member 13. When the adapter member 13 is installed in the tube installation recess 4b, the pair of movable valves 13a is in contact with a pair of tube passage holes 21a for allowing the sample injection tube and the sample collection tube to pass through. Since it is disposed and is urged by the urging spring 13b, if the tip of the movable valve 13a is pressed, the adapter member 13 moves backward, and if it is opened, it protrudes forward from the front surface 13x, and a corresponding pair of tubes It contacts the through hole 21a. As shown in FIG. 4B, the adapter member 13 has a screw through hole 13d penetrating from the front surface 13x to the back surface 13y at the center thereof, and the centrifuge 30 is provided by a screw 13c through which the screw through hole 13d passes. The door 4 is fastened and attached to the door 4.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the angle rotor 2b is used by the screw 13c, the adapter member 13 is attached to the door 4, and the pair of movable valves 13a are pressed against the pair of tube through holes 21a by the biasing spring 13b. In this case, when the door 4 is closed after the adapter member 13 is attached, when the movable valve 13a comes into contact with the partition member 7, the movable valve 13a moves backward into the adapter member 13 so that the door 4 can be freely opened and closed.

  Accordingly, when the normal rotor 2b is used (when the continuous rotor 2a is not used), the rotor chamber 3 is free from the influence of temperature rise due to windage by closing the tube through hole 21a with the movable valve 13a. The predetermined temperature control of the rotor 2b becomes possible. Moreover, even if the rotor or the like breaks during rotation, it is possible to prevent the fragments from being scattered outside the centrifuge 30. As shown in FIG. 5, the pair of tube through holes 1 a provided in the housing 1 is closed by the plate 25 being screwed to the housing 1.

  According to the present invention described above, a pair of movable valves 13a formed integrally with the adapter member 13 is provided in place of the pair of caps 24 (see FIG. 7) for closing the pair of tube through holes 21a used conventionally. Since it is used as a valve that automatically closes the pair of tube passage holes 21a, it is possible to avoid the problem of forgetting to attach the conventional cap 24 or the problem of cap removal due to incomplete attachment.

  As a result, it is possible to prevent windage loss during use of the normal rotor 2b, and the cooling capacity of the rotor 2b by the cooling pipe 6 can be improved. When centrifuging using a normal rotor, the rotor is often rotated at a high speed and centrifuged while cooling, which is effective when the normal rotor 2b is used. The reason why the windage loss is reduced when the adapter member 13 is provided in accordance with the present invention is that the tube installation recess 4b is embedded by the adapter 13, so that the turbulence (turbulence) of the air flow generated during the high speed rotation of the rotor 2b is reduced. This is because the outside air does not flow into the rotor chamber 3. Note that when the continuous rotor 2a is used, since the centrifugal separation is usually performed while the temperature is kept at about room temperature, the temperature rise of the rotor due to windage does not cause a problem in practice.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the tube installation recess 4b is embedded by the adapter member 13 and the movable valve 13a closes the pair of tube passage holes 21a. Higher safety can be secured against scattering accidents (assumed accidents).

  As mentioned above, although the invention made | formed by this inventor was demonstrated based on embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible within the range which does not deviate from the summary.

The external appearance perspective view of the centrifuge which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the whole structure of the centrifuge shown in FIG. The principal part expanded sectional view of the centrifuge shown in FIG. The front view (a) seen from the A direction in the adapter member shown in FIG. 3, and its side view (b). FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of the centrifuge shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from the A direction. Sectional drawing which shows the whole structure at the time of continuous rotor use of the conventional centrifuge. Sectional drawing which shows the whole structure at the time of use of the angle rotor of the conventional centrifuge.

Explanation of symbols

1: Housing (frame) 1a: Tube through hole 2: Rotor 2a: Continuous rotor 2b: Angle rotor 3: Rotor chamber (rotating chamber)
4: Door 4a: Projecting outer peripheral surface on the back of the door 4b: Recess for tube installation 4c: Rear surface of the door 4d: Center surface on the back of the door 5: Motor 6: Cooling pipe (pipe) 7: Partition member for the rotor chamber 7a: Bowl 8 : Thermal insulation member (foam material) 9: Casing 10: Protector (protective wall)
12: Sample tube 13: Adapter member 13a: Movable valve 13b: Biasing spring 13c: Screw 13d: Screw through hole 13x: Front surface of adapter member 13y: Back surface of adapter member 15: Opening portion (opening / closing portion) 15a: Opening portion Peripheral part 16: Control device 17: Operation panel 18: Display panel (monitor) 21: Door packing 21a: Tube through hole 24: Plug 25: Plate 30: Centrifuge (present invention) 40: Centrifuge (conventional product)

Claims (2)

A casing, a motor mounted in the casing, a rotor chamber mounted in the casing and partitioned by a partition member having an opening at an upper portion of the casing, and the motor installed in the rotor chamber; In the centrifuge provided with a rotor rotated by the door, and a door that closes the opening of the rotor chamber and is openable and closable,
The back surface of the door that closes the opening of the rotor chamber has a protruding outer peripheral surface that protrudes from the center surface of the door to the inner side of the rotor chamber,
A part of the projecting outer peripheral surface has a tube installation recess for installing a sample tube for injecting or recovering the sample to the rotor, and the housing is connected to the outside of the housing from the tube installation recess. Having a tube through hole for conducting the sample tube to
When installing a rotor that does not use the sample tube in the rotor chamber, an adapter member is embedded in the tube installation recess, and the adapter member is embedded in the tube installation recess so that the tube through hole is formed. A centrifuge having a movable valve for closing.   The movable valve of the adapter member is formed so as to protrude from a side surface of the adapter member by a biasing spring built in the adapter member, and the adapter member is attached to the tube installation recess to open the door. The centrifuge according to claim 1, wherein when the valve is closed, the movable valve is pressed against a biasing force of the biasing spring.

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