JP2008304287A - Liquid discharger - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid discharger discharging liquid of the order of μL with satisfactory repeatability by a simple structure, and making compatible its liquid draining properties and the low-adsorbability of a biological specimen. <P>SOLUTION: This liquid discharger is equipped with: a liquid duct 2 comprising upstream and downstream ends 2a and 2b with a liquid discharge port 3 formed on the downstream end 2b; and a gas duct 5 connected to the duct 2 at a point between the upstream end 2a of the duct 2 and the discharge port 3 thereof. With the volume of a portion out of the liquid duct 2 extending from a connection part 4 with the gas duct 5 to the discharge port 3 taken as a liquid discharge amount, a liquid supplied into the liquid duct 2 is discharged from the discharge port 3 by putting a pressurized gas into the liquid duct 2 via the gas duct 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is used for dispensing blood, serum, plasma, or liquids containing nucleic acids, proteins, peptides, reagents, etc. used in research and development and products such as biochemistry, clinical testing, and drug discovery testing. The present invention relates to a liquid ejection device having a metering function.

In R & D devices or products for biochemical research, clinical testing, drug testing, etc., it is desired to integrate measuring devices and measuring devices in a compact manner for the purpose of improving throughput and reducing running costs. Conventionally, as a dispensing device for achieving the required performance, there are a syringe pump, a plunger-type pump, an inkjet-type dispensing device, a micro-dispenser to which a piezoelectric transducer is applied (for example, a patent) Reference 1 and Patent Document 2).
JP 2004-077490 A JP 2003-149093 A

However, the above-described liquid ejection device as a conventional dispensing device is not suitable for the purpose of ejecting an amount of liquid of about 0.5 to 20 μL required in a clinical site. For example, in an inkjet mechanism such as a printer, only a picoliter volume of liquid can be discharged, and the liquid component evaporates during the flight of ink droplets.
Specifically, as a first problem of the conventional liquid ejection device, since the mechanism for ejecting a liquid of 1 μL or less with high reproducibility is complicated, it is difficult to reduce the size and cost of the device, and There are problems such as an increase in the number of parts. In addition, the change in solution concentration due to evaporation due to the microminiaturization of the ejected droplets may reach a level that cannot be ignored in the measurement, so there is a need to provide a mechanism to suppress evaporation. This is an obstacle to downsizing and cost reduction of the entire apparatus. On the other hand, when considering the detection limit of the measuring device, a discharge amount of 0.5 μL or less may not necessarily be required.

  Further, as a second problem of the conventional liquid ejection device, since the device itself is expensive and large, it is difficult to introduce a different dispensing device for each liquid when dispensing multiple types of liquids. There is a problem that the apparatus needs to be cleaned every time the liquid to be poured is replaced, or that the disposable chip needs to be replaced. In the same way, these problems not only hinder downsizing and cost reduction of the entire measuring device, but also have a large environmental load from the viewpoint of draining the cleaning liquid and human burden for waste liquid treatment. growing.

  On the other hand, in the handling of trace substances, a change in solution concentration due to adsorption of solutes is taken up as a problem. Disposable tips, which are frequently used in conventional dispensing devices, exhibit excellent properties in terms of solvent resistance and liquid breakage, but they are hydrophobic when interacting with biological samples such as nucleic acids, proteins, and peptides. The resulting adsorption to the chip surface is a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to discharge a liquid in the order of μL with a simple structure with good reproducibility, and to achieve both liquid cutting properties and low adsorption of a biological sample. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid ejection device that can be made to operate.

  In order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a liquid channel having an upstream and downstream end and a liquid discharge port formed at the downstream end, an upstream end of the liquid channel, and the liquid discharge port A gas flow path connected to the liquid flow path, and a volume from the connection portion with the gas flow path to the liquid discharge port of the liquid flow path is defined as a liquid discharge amount and is pressurized By injecting the gas into the liquid channel through the gas channel, the liquid supplied into the liquid channel is discharged from the liquid discharge port.

In addition, the liquid ejection device of the present invention is preferably configured as follows.
(1) A liquid receiving part or a liquid reservoir is provided at the upstream end of the liquid channel, and a porous thin film is provided at the bottom of the liquid receiver or the liquid reservoir.
(2) The upper part of the liquid receiving part is formed in a shape that can be fitted to the mouth part of the liquid container.
(3) The porous thin film is detachably installed at the bottom of the liquid receiver or the liquid reservoir, and is fixed to the liquid receiver or the bottom of the liquid reservoir by a ring or a claw.
(4) A part or all of the inner surface of the liquid discharge port and the inner surface of the gas channel are manufactured or coated with a hydrophobic material having a contact angle with water of 60 degrees or more, and the inner surface of the liquid channel A part or all of these are manufactured or coated with a hydrophilic material having a contact angle with water of 30 degrees or less.
(5) The volume from the connection part with the said gas flow path to the said liquid discharge port among the said liquid flow paths is a liquid discharge amount of 0.5-20 microliters.

  As described above, the liquid ejection device according to the present invention has a liquid channel having an upstream and downstream end and a liquid ejection port formed at the downstream end, and an upstream end of the liquid channel and the liquid ejection port. A gas flow path connected to the liquid flow path, wherein the volume from the connection portion with the gas flow path to the liquid discharge port is a liquid discharge amount, Since the liquid supplied into the liquid flow path is discharged from the liquid discharge port by injecting the liquid flow path through the gas flow path, the structure is always filled. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a change in the liquid concentration due to evaporation due to the miniaturization of the liquid to be discharged, and the apparatus can be easily downsized. In addition, the liquid ejection device itself of the present invention can have a metering function, and for example, a liquid ejection amount of 0.5 to 20 μL can be reliably ejected. In addition, according to the liquid ejection device of the present invention, the liquid in the liquid channel can be ejected as droplets without contacting the addition target, so that the addition target is not contaminated.

In the present invention, a liquid receiving portion or a liquid reservoir is provided at the upstream end of the liquid flow path, and a porous thin film is provided at the bottom of the liquid receiving portion or the liquid reservoir. Or at the bottom of the liquid reservoir, and is fixed to the liquid receiver or the bottom of the liquid reservoir by a ring or a claw, when the liquid is discharged, It is possible to prevent the liquid from flowing back to the liquid reservoir.
Further, in the present invention, part or all of the inner surface of the liquid discharge port and the inner surface of the gas flow channel are manufactured or covered with a hydrophobic material having a contact angle with water of 60 degrees or more, If a part or all of the inner surface is manufactured or covered with a hydrophilic material having a contact angle with water of 30 degrees or less, both the liquid cutting property and the low adsorptivity can be achieved.

  Hereinafter, a liquid ejection apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment thereof with reference to the drawings. Here, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line YY of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the first embodiment.

The liquid used in the liquid ejection apparatus of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it can be moved by gas injection described later, and may be a liquid sample itself or a sample solution. Specifically, a solution containing blood, serum, plasma or nucleic acid, protein, peptide, reagent and the like can be mentioned. In an aspect in which a pressurized gas is injected and a liquid is discharged to an addition target, a sample or sample solution having a high viscosity can be discharged.
Moreover, the gas used for discharging the liquid with the liquid discharge apparatus of this invention should just be a gas which does not react with a liquid, and inert gas, such as nitrogen and argon, is mentioned. Further, air may be used for a liquid that does not oxidize.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the liquid discharge apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention has the upper and lower ends 2a and 2b, and the liquid flow path by which the liquid discharge port 3 was formed in the downstream end 2b 2 and a gas flow path 5 connected to the liquid flow path 2 at a connecting portion 4 located between the upstream end 2 a of the liquid flow path 2 and the liquid discharge port 3.
The liquid channel 2 extends in the vertical direction from the upstream end 2a to the downstream end 2b, the gas channel 5 extends in the horizontal direction, and the liquid channel 2 and the gas channel 5 And communicate with each other at the connecting portion 4. Moreover, in order to prevent the liquid from the liquid flow path 2 from flowing into the gas flow path 5 at the connection portion 4 between the liquid flow path 2 and the gas flow path 5, the inner wall surface of the gas flow path 5 is subjected to a hydrophobic treatment. Is given. The upstream opening end 5a of the gas flow path 5 is connected to a gas supply source such as a gas syringe by a normal method such as fitting or bonding.

In the liquid ejection apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the volume from the connection portion 4 to the gas flow channel 5 to the liquid ejection port 3 in the liquid flow channel 2 is the same as the desired liquid ejection amount. It is set to become.
Such a desired liquid discharge amount is not particularly limited, but is effective in the range of 0.5 to 20 μL, preferably 1 to 10 μL, for which there has been no effective means. Therefore, for example, the size of the liquid channel 2 is formed such that the diameter is 100 to 300 μm and the length is 500 to 60000 μm. At this time, it is preferable that the size of the gas flow path 5 is formed such that the diameter is 100 to 500 μm and the length is 10,000 μm.

  On the other hand, the upstream end 2 a of the liquid flow path 2 is provided with a concave liquid receiving portion 10 having a diameter larger than the diameter of the liquid flow path 2, and is provided at the bottom of the liquid receiving portion 10. Is provided with a porous thin film 11 as a filter. Further, the upper portion of the liquid receiving portion 10 is formed in a size and shape that can be fitted to a mouth portion of a liquid container (for example, a reagent bottle) (not shown), and is shown when supplying liquid to the liquid ejection device 1. The liquid container not to be connected can be connected to the upper part of the liquid receiving part 10.

Due to the presence of the porous thin film 11, when the inside of the gas flow path 5 is suddenly pressurized, the backward flow of the liquid in the direction of the upstream end 2 a is suppressed, but the liquid thin film 11 enters the liquid flow path 2. The filling of is configured so as not to be hindered. The eyes of the porous thin film 11 can be arbitrarily selected depending on the type and purpose of the liquid. The porous thin film 11 may be integrated with the liquid receiving part 10 or may be detachably installed at the bottom of the liquid receiving part 10. When the removable porous thin film 11 is installed in the liquid receiving part 10, the porous thin film 11 may be lifted by the pressure of the gas introduced from the gas supply source connected to the upstream opening end 5 a of the gas flow path 5. . In order to prevent this, the porous thin film 11 is fixed to the bottom of the liquid receiving part 10 by a ring 12. If the cross section of the bottom of the liquid receiving part 10 on which the porous thin film 11 is disposed is circular, it is preferable to provide a ring 12 around the porous thin film 11 and the liquid receiving part 10 in contact with each other.
An example of such a ring 12 is an O-ring. Further, the porous thin film 11 may be fixed to the bottom of the liquid receiving portion 10 using a cylindrical tube 13 as shown in FIG. Further, instead of the ring 12 and the cylindrical tube 13, three claws 14 as shown in FIG. 6 are projected from the inner wall surface of the liquid receiving portion 10, and these claws 14 are engaged with the upper surface of the porous thin film 11. By doing so, the porous thin film 11 may be fixed to the bottom of the liquid receiving part 10.

On the other hand, when the liquid is a hydrophilic substance or a hydrophilic solution, a part or all of the inner surface of the liquid discharge port 3 and the inner surface of the gas channel 5 is a hydrophobic material having a contact angle with water of 60 degrees or more. It is preferably manufactured or covered, and a part or all of the inner surface of the liquid channel 2 is preferably manufactured or covered with a hydrophilic material having a contact angle with water of 30 degrees or less. As a result, the liquid is drawn into the liquid flow path 2 whose inner surface is subjected to hydrophilic treatment, and the gas is intermittently (pulsed) to be easily discharged from the hydrophobic liquid discharge port 3 with good liquid breakage. Is possible. Further, if the portion 4 connected to the liquid flow path 2 in the gas flow path 5 is made hydrophobic, the liquid is prevented from entering the gas flow path 5 from the liquid flow path 2, and the liquid supply amount is reduced. The accuracy can be increased.
Here, examples of the functional group on the hydrophobic surface having a contact angle with water of 60 degrees or more include a methyl group. In addition, examples of the hydrophilic surface functional group having a contact angle with water of 30 degrees or less include a carboxyl group, an amino group, an amide group, a sulfone group, and a phosphoric acid group. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to these functional groups.

In addition, you may employ | adopt a form as shown in FIG. 7 as a structure of the connection part 4 vicinity of the liquid flow path 2 and the gas flow path 5. FIG. In FIG. 7A, the inner diameter of the liquid flow path 2 is changed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the connection region. That is, by forming the inner diameter of the upstream liquid channel 2 to be narrower than that of the downstream side, it is possible to suppress the backflow of the liquid during pressurization by the gas injected into the gas channel 5. It has become.
In FIG. 7B, a protrusion 2c is provided on the inner wall surface of the liquid flow channel 2 facing the connection portion 4 of the gas flow channel 5, and the connection region of the liquid flow channel 2 is defined by the protrusion 2c. By making it thinner than the other parts, it is possible to suppress the liquid from rising and to improve the measurement accuracy.
Furthermore, in FIG.7 (C), three gas flow paths 3a-3c are provided at predetermined intervals toward the downstream end 2b from the upstream end 2a of the liquid flow path 2, and each gas flow path 3a-3c is provided. A rubber check valve 15 having a tapered shape inside is inserted and arranged therein. In this structure, the liquid discharge amount can be changed by selecting the gas flow paths 3a to 3c for injecting gas.

  Further, the shape of the liquid discharge port 3 may be a cylindrical shape or a prism as shown in FIG. 1, but instead of this, the liquid discharge port has a shape as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. You may employ | adopt 3a, 3b. That is, it may be a tapered or conical liquid discharge port 3a or a prismatic liquid discharge port 3b that gradually decreases in diameter in consideration of the swell of the discharge liquid and the shape of the droplet.

Next, a method for discharging a liquid such as a reagent to an addition target using the liquid discharge apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, a mouth portion (not shown) of a liquid container in which a liquid is stored is fitted into and connected to the liquid receiving portion 10 of the liquid ejection apparatus 1. Next, the liquid discharge device 1 is arranged at the position to be added, and the gas pressurized by a syringe pump or the like from a gas supply source (not shown) is introduced into the liquid flow path 2 from the upstream opening end 5a via the gas flow path 5. When the liquid is injected, the liquid is supplied from the liquid container into the liquid flow path 2 via the liquid receiving part 10, and a desired liquid discharge amount (0) which is the volume from the connection part 4 to the gas flow path 5 to the liquid discharge port 3. .5 to 20 μL). Then, the liquid in the liquid flow path 2 is discharged from the liquid discharge port 3 to the addition target by the injected gas.
Therefore, according to the liquid ejection apparatus 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to reliably eject a liquid having a minute liquid ejection amount of 0.5 to 20 μL without contacting the addition target.

9 to 12 show a liquid ejection apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 10 is an XX in FIG. FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line YY of FIG. 9, and FIG. 12 is a plan view of the liquid ejection apparatus according to the second embodiment.
As shown in FIGS. 9-12, the liquid discharge apparatus 20 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention is a cartridge type. That is, the liquid ejection device 20 includes a liquid cartridge 21 and a holder 22, and a liquid reservoir portion 23 that stores a predetermined amount of liquid is formed in the upper portion of the liquid cartridge 21. In the lower part, a liquid channel 24 and a gas channel 25 similar to the liquid channel 2 and the gas channel 5 of the first embodiment are formed. Therefore, the volume from the connection part 26 with the gas flow path 25 to the liquid discharge port 27 in the liquid flow path 24 is set to be equal to a desired liquid discharge amount (0.5 to 20 μL). . In addition, a pair of positioning fins 28 are formed on the outer peripheral portion of the upper and lower intermediate positions of the liquid cartridge 21 so as to protrude. The liquid reservoir 23 and the liquid flow path 24 communicate with each other. The top surface of the liquid cartridge 21 is provided with a vent hole 21 a that communicates the outside with the liquid reservoir 23.
A cylindrical fitting hole 29 for inserting and arranging the liquid cartridge 21 is formed in the holder 22 for mounting the liquid cartridge 21 along the vertical direction, and in the lateral direction intersecting with the fitting hole 29, A through hole 30 having a pressure port 30a is formed. The through hole 30 is provided at a position that coincides with the installation location of the gas flow path 25 in the liquid cartridge 21, and is located above the holder 22 and on the left and right sides of the fitting hole 29. In order to position the through hole 30, a groove 31 into which the fin 28 of the liquid cartridge 21 is inserted is formed in a size corresponding to the pair of fins 28. In addition, when the fins 28 are inserted into the grooves 31, the height positions of the liquid discharge port 27 of the liquid cartridge 21 and the lower surface of the fitting hole 29 of the holder 22 are substantially the same.

Next, a method for discharging a liquid such as a reagent to an addition target using the liquid discharge apparatus 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, the liquid cartridge 21 in which the liquid is stored in the liquid reservoir 23 is fitted into the fitting hole 29 of the holder 22 while the fin 28 is inserted into the groove 31. In this state, the positions of the gas flow path 25 of the liquid cartridge 21 and the through hole 30 of the holder 22 match. Next, the liquid discharge device 20 and the holder 22 are arranged at the positions to be added, and the gas pressurized by a syringe pump or the like from a gas supply source (not shown) is passed through the through hole 30 and the gas flow path 25 from the pressurization port 30a of the holder 22. When the liquid is injected into the liquid flow path 24 via the liquid, the liquid is supplied from the liquid reservoir 23 of the liquid cartridge 21 into the liquid flow path 24, and the volume from the connection portion 26 to the gas flow path 25 to the liquid discharge port 27 is A desired liquid discharge amount (0.5 to 20 μL) is filled. Then, the liquid in the liquid flow path 24 is discharged from the liquid discharge port 27 to the addition target by the injected gas.
Therefore, according to the liquid ejection device 20 of the second embodiment of the present invention, the liquid ejection of 0.5 to 20 μL can be performed simply by inserting the liquid cartridge 21 in which the liquid to be ejected is stored in the liquid reservoir 23 into the holder 22. An amount of liquid can be discharged quickly and easily, and workability can be improved. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

13 to 15 show a liquid ejection apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a plan view of the liquid ejection apparatus and the liquid ejection mechanism according to the third embodiment. FIG. FIG. 15A is a front view of the liquid ejection device, and FIG. 15B is a side view of the liquid ejection device.
As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the liquid ejection device 40 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is a device that ejects a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) liquids as different types of reagents. For this reason, the liquid ejection device 40 of this embodiment includes four liquid cartridges 41 and a common holder 42 for mounting these liquid cartridges 41. A liquid reservoir 43 that stores a predetermined amount of liquid is formed in the upper part of the liquid cartridge 41, and the liquid channel 2 and the gas channel of the first embodiment are formed in the lower part of the liquid cartridge 41. 5 and the same liquid channel 44 and gas channel 45 are formed. Therefore, the volume from the connection part (not shown) with the gas flow path 45 to the discharge nozzle 46 of the liquid discharge port in the liquid flow path 44 is the same as the desired liquid discharge amount (0.5 to 20 μL). It is set to be. In addition, O-rings 47 are attached to the outer peripheral portion of the liquid cartridge 41 at two upper and lower portions for ensuring airtightness between the inner peripheral portion of the fitting hole described later. The liquid reservoir 43 and the liquid channel 44 communicate with each other, and the porous thin film 11 similar to that of the first embodiment is fixed to the bottom of the liquid reservoir 43 by the ring 12. The top surface of the liquid cartridge 41 is provided with a vent hole 41 a that communicates the outside with the liquid reservoir 43.

  Further, in the common holder 42 to which the four liquid cartridges 41 are mounted, four cylindrical fitting holes 48 into which the liquid cartridges 41 are inserted are formed at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction. In the lateral direction intersecting with the hole 48, a through hole 49 having a pressure port 49a is formed. Each through hole 49 is provided at a position that matches the installation location of the gas flow path 45 in a state where the liquid cartridge 41 is inserted into the fitting hole 48. In addition, when the liquid cartridge 41 is inserted into the fitting hole 48, the discharge nozzle 46 of the liquid cartridge 41 is set at a height position that protrudes from the lower surface of the common holder 42.

Further, a liquid ejection mechanism 50 is provided in association with the liquid ejection device 40 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the liquid discharge mechanism 50 includes a pressurizing cylinder 51 and a feeding hose 52 that sends pressurized gas from the pressurizing cylinder 51 to the liquid cartridge 41. The feeding hose 52 is branched into four on the way, one end is connected to the pressurizing cylinder 51, and the other end is connected to each pressurizing port 49 a of the common holder 42. Moreover, in the middle of the branched feeding hose 52a, between the pressurizing cylinder 51 and each liquid cartridge 41, an electromagnetic valve 53 is incorporated in each of the four types of liquids so as to be discharged independently. It is. Further, a three-way electromagnetic valve 59 is coupled to the feeding hose 52, and external air can be introduced into the pressurizing cylinder 51 by opening the piston 54 to the outside when the piston 54 is pulled.
A piston 54 that pressurizes gas (air) is slidably provided inside the pressurizing cylinder 51, and the piston 54 rotates a worm gear 56 by a motor 55 and engages with the worm gear 56. By moving 57 in the linear direction, it is configured to be driven through the actuating rod 58.

Next, a method for discharging liquids such as four types of reagents to the addition target using the liquid discharge device 40 and the liquid discharge mechanism 50 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, four liquid cartridges 41 in which different types of liquid are stored in the liquid reservoir 43 are inserted into the respective fitting holes 48 of the common holder 42 and arranged. In this state, the positions of the gas flow path 45 of the liquid cartridge 41 and the through hole 49 of the common holder 42 match. Next, the liquid discharge device 40 and the common holder 42 are arranged at the position to be added, and the gas pressurized by the piston 54 from the pressurizing cylinder 51 of the liquid discharge mechanism 50 is opened as desired by the feed hose 52 and selectively. Through the electromagnetic valve 53, the liquid is injected into the liquid channel 44 through the through hole 49 and the gas channel 45 from the pressurizing port 49 a of the common holder 42. Then, the liquid is supplied from the liquid reservoir 43 of the liquid cartridge 41 into the liquid flow path 44 and filled with a desired liquid discharge amount (0.5 to 20 μL). The liquid in the liquid flow path 44 is discharged from the discharge nozzle 46 to the addition target by the injected gas.
Therefore, according to the liquid ejection device 40 of the third embodiment of the present invention in which the liquid ejection mechanism 50 is provided, the four liquid cartridges 41 in which different types of liquids are stored in the liquid reservoir 43 in advance are respectively stored in the common holder 42. Just by inserting it, it is possible to quickly and easily discharge only the desired liquid or all of the liquids simultaneously, with a liquid discharge amount of 0.5 to 20 μL. Workability can be further improved. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

16 to 18 show a liquid ejection apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a plan view of the liquid ejection apparatus and the liquid ejection mechanism according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. FIG. 18 is a front view of the liquid ejection device.
As shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, the liquid ejection device 60 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is a device that ejects a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) liquids as different types of reagents. For this reason, the liquid ejection device 60 of the present embodiment includes one common liquid cartridge 61 and a holder 62 for mounting the common liquid cartridge 61. In the upper part of the common liquid cartridge 61, four liquid reservoirs 63 that store predetermined amounts of different types of liquid are partitioned and formed, and in the lower part of each liquid reservoir 63 in the liquid cartridge 61, A liquid channel 64 and a gas channel 65 similar to the liquid channel 2 and the gas channel 5 of the first embodiment are formed, respectively. Therefore, in the liquid flow path 64, the volume from the connection portion (not shown) to the gas flow path 65 to the discharge nozzle 66 of the liquid discharge port is the same as the desired liquid discharge amount (0.5 to 20 μL). It is set to be. In addition, the liquid reservoirs 63 and the liquid flow paths 64 communicate with each other, and the porous thin film 11 similar to that of the first embodiment is fixed to the bottom of each liquid reservoir 63 by the ring 12. Yes. The top surface of the liquid cartridge 61 is provided with a vent hole 61 a that communicates the outside with the liquid reservoir 63.

  A cylindrical fitting hole 67 for inserting and arranging the common liquid cartridge 61 is formed in the holder 62 for mounting the common liquid cartridge 61 along the vertical direction, and in a lateral direction intersecting the fitting holes 67. Four through holes 68 each having a pressure port 68a are formed. Each through hole 68 is provided at a position that coincides with an installation location of the gas flow path 65 corresponding to each liquid reservoir 63 in a state where the common liquid cartridge 61 is inserted into the fitting hole 67. In addition, when the common liquid cartridge 61 is inserted into the fitting hole 67, each discharge nozzle 66 of the common liquid cartridge 61 is set at a height position that protrudes from the lower surface of the holder 62.

A liquid ejection mechanism 70 is provided in association with the liquid ejection device 60 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 16, the liquid discharge mechanism 70 includes a pressurized gas generating syringe 71 and a feeding hose 72 that sends the pressurized gas from the syringe 71 to the liquid cartridge 61. The feeding hose 72 is branched into four on the way, one end is connected to the syringe 71, and the other end is connected to each pressure port 68 a of the holder 62. Moreover, in the middle of the branched supply hose 62a, an electromagnetic valve 73 is incorporated between the syringe 71 and the liquid cartridge 61 in order to discharge four types of liquid independently. . Further, a three-way electromagnetic valve 70a is coupled to the feeding hose 72, and when the piston 74 is pulled, it is opened to the outside so that external air can be introduced into the pressurized gas generating cylinder 71. Yes.
A slidable piston 74 that pressurizes gas (air) and a piston driving mechanism are provided inside the syringe 71 for generating pressurized gas, and the piston 74 has a built-in motor 75 of the piston driving mechanism facing sideways. When the rotary shaft 77 is rotated via the U-shaped joint 76, the worm gear 79 and the rotary shaft 77 meshed with the spiral groove 78 on the syringe inner wall move linearly along the axis of the syringe 71. The rotary shaft 77 is configured to be driven through the rotary shaft 77. For this reason, the liquid discharge mechanism 70 can change the supply amount of the pressurized gas according to the number of types of liquid to be discharged among the four types of liquid.
The rotating shaft 77 is movable in the length direction within the joint 76. Further, the piston 74 and the rotary shaft 77 are connected by a mechanism that allows relative rotation, whereby the piston 74 is prevented from rotating.

Next, a method for discharging liquids such as four types of reagents to the addition target using the liquid discharge device 60 and the liquid discharge mechanism 70 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, the common liquid cartridge 61 including the four liquid reservoirs 63 storing different types of liquids is inserted into the fitting holes 67 of the holder 62 and arranged. In this state, the positions of the gas flow paths 65 of the common liquid cartridge 61 and the through holes 68 of the holder 62 are matched. Next, the liquid discharge device 60 and the holder 62 are arranged at the positions to be added, and the gas pressurized by the piston 74 from the pressurized gas generating syringe 71 of the liquid discharge mechanism 70 is opened selectively. After passing through the desired electromagnetic valve 73, the liquid is injected into the liquid flow path 64 from the pressurization port 68 a of the holder 62 through the through hole 68 and the gas flow path 65. Then, the liquid is supplied from the liquid reservoir 63 of the common liquid cartridge 61 into the liquid flow path 64 and filled with a desired liquid discharge amount (0.5 to 20 μL). Then, the liquid in the liquid flow path 64 is discharged from the discharge nozzle 66 to the addition target by the injected gas.
Therefore, according to the liquid ejection device 60 of the third embodiment of the present invention provided with the liquid ejection mechanism 70, the common liquid cartridge 61 in which different types of liquids are stored in advance in the four liquid reservoirs 63 is inserted into the holder 62. With just 0.5 to 20μL of liquid discharge volume, it becomes possible to quickly and easily discharge only the desired liquid from among the four types of liquids, or all liquids at the same time. It is possible to improve the performance. Other functions and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

FIG. 19 shows a liquid ejection apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic diagram of a liquid ejection apparatus and a liquid ejection mechanism according to the fifth embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 19, the liquid ejection device 81 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus that does not include a liquid receiving portion or a liquid reservoir and sucks the liquid and discharges the sucked liquid. . For this reason, the liquid ejection device 81 of this embodiment has upper and lower ends 82a and 82b, a liquid channel 82 in which a liquid ejection port 83 is formed at the downstream end 82b, and an upstream end 82a of the liquid channel 82. And a gas flow path 85 connected to the liquid flow path 82 at a connecting portion 84 located between the liquid discharge ports 83.
The liquid channel 82 extends in the vertical direction from the upstream end 82a toward the downstream end 82b, the gas channel 85 extends in the horizontal direction, and the liquid channel 82 and the gas channel 85 are provided. And communicate with each other at the connecting portion 84. The liquid flow channel 82 and the gas flow channel 85 are configured in the same manner as the liquid flow channel 2 and the gas flow channel 5 of the first embodiment, and a connection portion of the liquid flow channel 82 with the gas flow channel 85. The volume from 84 to the liquid discharge port 83 is set to be equal to a desired liquid discharge amount (0.5 to 20 μL).

In addition, a liquid ejection mechanism 90 is provided in association with the liquid ejection device 81 of the present embodiment. The liquid discharge mechanism 90 includes a syringe pump 92 having a plunger 91, an electromagnetic valve 93, and a two-way valve 94, and an upstream end 82 a of the liquid flow path 82 is a syringe through a hose 95 and a two-way valve 94. Connected to the pump 92, the upstream opening end 85 a of the gas flow path 85 is connected to the two-way valve 94 via the branch hose 95 a and the electromagnetic valve 93. Further, a three-way electromagnetic valve 96 is connected to a hose 95 between the syringe pump 92 and the two-way valve 94, and external air is introduced into the syringe pump 92 by opening the plunger 91 to the outside when the plunger 91 is pulled. It is possible to do.
The two-way valve 94 is set so as to secure a flow path from the syringe pump 92 to the upstream end 82a of the liquid flow path 82. When the plunger 91 of the syringe pump 92 is pulled, the two-way valve 94 is placed in a liquid such as a reagent. A desired amount can be sucked from the liquid discharge port 83. This desired amount is preferably such that the tip of the sucked liquid exceeds the connecting portion 84 between the liquid channel 82 and the gas channel 85.

Next, a method for discharging a liquid such as a reagent to an addition target using the liquid discharge apparatus 81 and the liquid discharge mechanism 90 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
First, the liquid discharge port 83 of the liquid discharge device 81 is arranged in a liquid such as a reagent, and the plunger 91 of the syringe pump 92 is pulled to suck a desired amount of liquid from the liquid discharge port 83. Next, the syringe pump 92 is coupled to the branch hose 95a by switching the two-way valve 94, and the plunger 91 is further pulled while the three-way electromagnetic valve 96 is opened. Next, the liquid discharge device 81 is arranged at the position to be added, and the plunger 91 of the syringe pump 92 is pushed in a state where the three-way electromagnetic valve 96 and the electromagnetic valve 93 are closed, and the inside of the syringe pump 92 is pressurized. When the electromagnetic valve 93 is opened after pressurization, the pressurized gas is injected into the liquid flow path 82 through the gas flow path 85, and a desired amount of liquid is discharged from the liquid discharge port 83 to the addition target. .
Therefore, according to the liquid ejection apparatus 81 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention provided with the liquid ejection mechanism 90, the metering is performed in the liquid channel 82 and the liquid remaining in the liquid channel 82 is prevented. In addition, it is not necessary to depend on the dimensional accuracy of the syringe pump 92, the accuracy of the movement distance of the plunger 91, and the opening / closing timing of the electromagnetic valve 93, and can be configured with inexpensive parts, which is advantageous in terms of cost. is there. Also in the liquid ejection device 81 of the fifth embodiment, similarly to the liquid ejection device 1 according to the first embodiment, a hydrophilic material and a hydrophobic material are selectively used depending on the location, a filter is attached to the liquid ejection port 83, and the liquid is ejected. After sucking the liquid, the filter can be removed and the liquid added to the object, so that the solid content can be easily removed from the liquid.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing a liquid ejection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is the XX sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the YY sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is a top view which shows the liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on the said 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on the 1st modification of the said 1st Embodiment. The liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on the 2nd modification of the said 1st Embodiment is shown, Comprising: (A) is the sectional drawing, (B) is the top view. It is a liquid discharge apparatus concerning the 3rd modification of the above-mentioned 1st embodiment, and (A)-(C) is a sectional view showing an example of a liquid channel of three modes. It is a liquid ejection device concerning the 4th modification of the above-mentioned 1st embodiment, and (A) and (B) are sectional views showing an example of a liquid ejection mouth of two modes. It is a perspective view which shows the liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 9. It is a top view which shows the liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on the said 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a liquid ejection apparatus and a liquid ejection mechanism, which is a liquid ejection apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on the said 3rd Embodiment. The liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on the said 3rd Embodiment is shown, Comprising: (A) is the front sectional drawing, (B) is the side sectional drawing. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a liquid ejection apparatus and a liquid ejection mechanism, which is a liquid ejection apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on the said 4th Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the liquid discharge apparatus which concerns on the said 4th Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a liquid ejection apparatus and a liquid ejection mechanism according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1, 20, 40, 60, 81 Liquid discharge device 2, 24, 44, 64, 82 Liquid flow path 2a, 82a Upstream end 2b, 82b Downstream end 3, 27, 83 Liquid discharge port 4, 26, 84 Connection 5 , 25, 45, 65, 85 Gas channel 10 Liquid receiving portion 11 Porous thin film 12 Ring 14 Claw 21, 41 Liquid cartridge 22, 62 Holder 23, 43, 63 Liquid reservoir portion 28 Fin 29, 67 Fitting hole 30, 68 Through hole 31 Groove 42 Common holder 46, 66 Discharge nozzle 48 Fitting hole 49, 68 Through hole 50, 70, 90 Liquid discharge mechanism 51 Cylinder for pressurization 52, 72 Feeding hose 53, 73, 93 Electromagnetic valve 59, 70a , 96 Three-way solenoid valve 61 Common liquid cartridge 71 Syringe for generating pressurized gas 91 Plunger 92 Syringe pump 94 Two Mukoben 95 hose 95a branch hose

Claims (8)

  A liquid flow path having an upstream and downstream end, and a liquid discharge port formed at the downstream end; and a gas flow path connected to the liquid flow path between the upstream end of the liquid flow path and the liquid discharge port; Of the liquid flow path, the volume from the connection with the gas flow path to the liquid discharge port is a liquid discharge amount, and pressurized gas is introduced into the liquid flow path through the gas flow path. A liquid discharge apparatus configured to discharge the liquid supplied into the liquid flow path from the liquid discharge port by injection.   The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a liquid receiving portion is provided at an upstream end of the liquid flow path, and a porous thin film is provided at a bottom portion of the liquid receiving portion.   The liquid ejecting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an upper portion of the liquid receiving portion is formed in a shape that can be fitted to a mouth portion of a liquid container.   4. The liquid ejection device according to claim 2, wherein the porous thin film is detachably installed at a bottom portion of the liquid receiving portion, and is fixed to the bottom portion of the liquid receiving portion by a ring or a claw. .   The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a liquid reservoir is provided at an upstream end of the liquid channel, and a porous thin film is provided at a bottom of the liquid reservoir.   The liquid discharging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the porous thin film is detachably installed at the bottom of the liquid reservoir, and is fixed to the bottom of the liquid reservoir by a ring or a claw.   A part or all of the inner surface of the liquid discharge port and the inner surface of the gas flow channel are manufactured or covered with a hydrophobic material having a contact angle with water of 60 degrees or more, and a part of the inner surface of the liquid flow channel The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein all of the liquid ejection apparatuses are manufactured or covered with a hydrophilic material having a contact angle with water of 30 degrees or less.   The volume from the connection part with the said gas flow path to the said liquid discharge port among the said liquid flow paths is a liquid discharge amount of 0.5-20 microliters, The any one of Claims 1-7 characterized by the above-mentioned. The liquid discharge apparatus as described.

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