JP2009210306A - Measuring cell, measuring cell molding method and intraoral sanitary state analyzer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a measuring cell for keeping the position of the electrode sheet in a cell body constant and having good sealability. <P>SOLUTION: The notch 11 embedded in a resin is formed to the section of at least a part of the electrode sheet 5 integrally molded on the cell body 3 by insert molding to allow the synthetic resin, which is separated to flow to one side 5a and the other side 5b of the electrode sheet 5 to flow through the notch 11 in injection of the synthetic resin, and the unbalance of resin pressure is rapidly eliminated to stably hold the posture of the electrode sheet 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a measurement cell in which a test solution is set in an oral hygiene condition analyzer and the like and a method for manufacturing the same.

In Patent Document 1, a test solution in which microorganisms in the oral cavity are suspended in purified water is set in a measurement cell 22 as shown in FIG. 12, and the sensor electrode unit 23 exposed inside the measurement cell 22 is interposed. An oral hygiene state analyzer that can quantitatively calculate the number of microorganisms in a test solution by accessing the test solution and measuring impedance is described. Reference numeral 24 denotes a rotor, 25 a stirrer, 26 an electrophoretic power supply unit, 27 a measurement unit, and 28 a control unit.
Japanese Patent No. 3693241

  When mass-producing the measurement cell 22, for example, as shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), a cell body 30 in which a recess 29 for containing a test solution is resin-molded, and an inner peripheral surface of the recess 29 are provided. It is conceivable to integrally form the exposed strip-shaped electrode sheet 31 by insert molding. However, when the posture of the electrode sheet 31 in the cell body 30 is inclined as shown in FIG. 14 (a) or FIG. 14 (b) due to the influence of the resin pressure during the injection of the synthetic resin during the insert molding. There are many.

  Thus, the measurement cell 22 in which the posture of the electrode sheet 31 is changed and insert-molded integrally with the cell body 30 is not suitable for the quantitative analysis process. Moreover, when the position shift of the electrode sheet 31 occurs, there is a problem that the sealing performance as a container between the electrode sheet 31 and the cell body 30 is deteriorated. In particular, when the electrode sheet 31 is a thermoplastic resin, the softening of the electrode sheet due to the resin molding temperature affects the tendency of the above problem.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a measurement cell and a measurement cell molding method having a structure capable of maintaining the position of an electrode sheet in a cell body constant by insert molding.

  The measurement cell according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a cell main body in which a concave portion for accommodating a test solution is resin-molded, and an electrode sheet formed integrally with the cell main body and having a sensor electrode portion exposed on an inner peripheral surface of the concave portion. And a notch or a hole embedded in the resin constituting the cell body is formed in at least a part of a side extending along the depth direction of the concave portion of the electrode sheet. And

  In the measurement cell molding method according to claim 2 of the present invention, measurement is performed by inserting a core from one end of the outer mold and injecting a synthetic resin between the core and the outer mold from the other end of the outer mold. When the cell is insert-molded, the electrode sheet is set with the electrode surface of the electrode sheet facing the receiving surface of the core, the core is inserted from one end of the outer mold, and the other end side of the molding of the electrode sheet The synthetic resin was injected from the other end side of the molding while the electrode sheet was positioned by pressing the end of the core against the receiving surface of the core with the insert pin, and the electrode sheet was positioned by the insert pin. Resin pressure acting on one side and the other side of the electrode sheet of synthetic resin injected from one end along the electrode sheet toward the other end of the electrode sheet is formed along the electrode sheet Characterized by injecting the synthetic resin while the balance through the notches or holes.

  The measuring cell molding method according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that in claim 2, the other end of the electrode sheet is set in a positioning recess formed in the core, and a synthetic resin is injected.

  The measurement cell molding method according to claim 4 of the present invention is the measurement cell molding method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein at least a part of the electrode sheet set in the core along the flow direction of the synthetic resin in the core. A sleeve-shaped resin flow path is formed so as to surround the resin, and a synthetic resin is injected between the sleeve-shaped resin flow path and the electrode sheet.

  The measurement cell according to claim 5 of the present invention is the measurement cell according to claim 1, wherein the cell main body has a synthetic resin enclosing a side portion of the electrode sheet on both sides of the sensor electrode portion of the electrode sheet. A cylindrical main body sleeve that surrounds the cavity and extends in the length direction of the electrode sheet is provided.

  The measurement cell according to claim 6 of the present invention is the measurement cell according to claim 1, wherein an external connection terminal connected to the sensor electrode portion is arranged at an end portion of the electrode sheet positioned on the bottom side of the cell body. And

The measurement cell according to claim 7 of the present invention is characterized in that, in claim 6, the external connection terminal portion of the electrode sheet is exposed to the outside from the cell body.
An intraoral hygiene state analyzer according to claim 8 of the present invention comprises the measurement cell according to claim 1 and measures the impedance by accessing the test solution in the recess of the measurement cell via the sensor electrode portion of the electrode sheet. And it is configured to quantitatively calculate the number of microorganisms in the test solution.

  According to this configuration, the position of the electrode sheet in the cell body can be maintained constant even by insert molding, and a measurement cell with good sealing performance can be provided.

Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
(Embodiment 1)
1A and 1B show a measurement cell 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

In the measurement cell 1, a cell body 3 in which a recess 2 for containing a test solution is molded by resin and an electrode sheet 5 having a sensor electrode portion 4 are integrally formed by insert molding. The electrode sheet 5 shown in FIG. 2 shows the surface facing the inside of the cell body 3. The electrode sheet 5 is formed by depositing a conductive metal on a sheet made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), and forming a sensor electrode part 4 and external connection terminals 6a and 6b connected to the sensor electrode part 4 on the vapor deposition surface. Yes. Further, the periphery of the sensor electrode portion 4 and the external connection terminals 6a and 6b are covered with an insulating mask 7 indicated by hatching, and only the sensor electrode portion 4 is exposed to the inside of the cell body 3 and the test solution. Contact. The portions of the external connection terminals 6a and 6b of the electrode sheet 4 are exposed to the outside from the cell body 3 as shown in FIGS.

  The cell body 3 is provided with body sleeve portions 9 a and 9 b extending in the length direction 8 of the electrode sheet 5 on both sides of the sensor electrode portion 4 of the electrode sheet 5. 3A and 3B are a horizontal sectional view of this portion along the line JJ and an enlarged view of the main part thereof. FIG. 4 shows a horizontal sectional view taken along the line KK below the main body sleeve portions 9a and 9b in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the core 13 (see FIG. 6) at the time of insert molding can be pulled out while maintaining the sealing property between the both sides of the electrode sheet 5 and the cell body 3. Thus, the cell body 3 surrounds the synthetic resin portion enclosing the side portion of the electrode sheet 5 on both sides of the sensor electrode portion 4 of the electrode sheet 5 with a hollow portion 10 therebetween, and the length of the electrode sheet 5 Cylindrical main body sleeves 9a and 9b extending in the vertical direction (arrow 8 direction) are provided.

Cutouts 11 having a curved wave shape are formed in portions embedded in the synthetic resin of the cell body 3 on both sides of the electrode sheet 5 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3B.
FIG. 5 shows a molding die for insert-molding the measurement cell 1 described above.

  This molding die is composed of a fixed-side outer mold 12, a movable-side core 13, a cavity slide 14, and a gate 15 for injecting synthetic resin into a cavity formed by these.

  The outer mold 12 has a recess that forms the outer peripheral wall of the measuring cell 1. The core 13 has a convex portion that forms the inner peripheral wall of the measurement cell 1. When inserting the core 13 into the outer mold 12, the electrode sheet 5 is set in advance in the core 13 shown in FIG. 6A as shown in FIG. 6B.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 7A, the core 13 has a positioning recess 16 that engages with the end of the electrode sheet 5, and the sensor electrode portion 4 of the electrode sheet 5 to be set. Sleeves 17a and 17b are provided to cover both sides.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the electrode sheet 5 to be set faces the receiving surface 18 of the core 13 toward the receiving surface 18 of the core 13, and the end where the external connection terminals 6 a and 6 b are provided is the core 13. Set inside the positioning recess 16.

  The core 13 on which the electrode sheet 5 is set as described above is inserted from the opening of the concave portion of the outer mold 12, the insert pin 19 of the cavity slide 14 is pushed out as shown in FIG. The side close to the gate 15 is pressed against the receiving surface 18 of the core 13 for positioning.

  When the molding die is closed in this manner and the synthetic resin is injected from the gate 15, the synthetic resin flows from one end of the electrode sheet 5 positioned by the insert pin 19 toward the other end. The electrode sheet 5 is inserted integrally with the core body 3 while being molded with resin.

  The behavior of the electrode sheet 5 in the cavity during the injection of the synthetic resin is that the electrode sheet 5 is synthesized toward the other end of the electrode sheet 5 with one end of the electrode sheet 5 close to the gate 15 positioned by the insert pin 19. Since the resin flows along the surface of the electrode sheet 5, there is little variation in the posture of the electrode sheet 5 in the cavity.

  Further, since the corrugated notch 11 is formed in the electrode sheet 5, when the injected synthetic resin flows separately on the surface 5b on the opposite side to the surface 5a on the sensor electrode portion 4 side of the electrode sheet 5, Even if an imbalance occurs between the resin pressure of the synthetic resin flowing on the surface 5a of the electrode sheet 5 and the resin pressure of the synthetic resin flowing on the opposite surface 5b, the electrode passes through the portion that is opened by the notch 11 Compared to the case where the synthetic resin of the surface 5a and the surface 5b of the sheet 5 is moved back and forth and the corrugated notch 11 is not formed in the electrode sheet 5, the unbalance is quickly eliminated. The posture of the seat 5 is stabilized.

  FIG. 8 shows a measurement cell of a comparative example in which the corrugated notch 11 is not formed in the electrode sheet 5. In the case of this comparative example, the posture of the electrode sheet 5 at the KK cross-sectional position was warped in the M portion as shown in FIG. 9 due to the imbalance of the resin pressure of the synthetic resin. When the corrugated notch 11 was formed in the electrode sheet 5 as in the case of the actual product, as shown in FIG. 3B, it was possible to obtain a good measurement cell 1 with good sealing performance without warping.

  Furthermore, in the electrode sheet 5 of the actual product, an insert using a corrugated notch 11 formed in the electrode sheet 5 also exposed from the sleeves 17a and 17b of the core 13 and also in the vicinity of the external connection terminals 6a and 6b is used. In the section extending from the main body sleeves 9a, 9b of the electrode sheet 5 and in the vicinity of the external connection terminals 6a, 6b, the resin pressure imbalance of the synthetic resin flowing separately from the surfaces 5a and 5b is also present. It was eliminated quickly and a better measurement cell 1 without warping could be obtained.

  Next, an experimental example of the effectiveness of the corrugated notch 11 formed in the main body sleeves 9a and 9b and the electrode sheet 5 of the measurement cell 1 and the experimental result will be described with reference to FIG. Both the electrode sheet 5 and the synthetic resin were provided with a PET resin.

Here, due to the difference in structure, the finished products A, B, C and Comparative Example D below were visually observed and the water was injected and stirred to check for water leakage.
“Practical product A”: a measurement cell having corrugated notches 11 formed on both sides of the electrode sheet and body sleeves 9a, 9b as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, a measurement cell “work product C” formed in a straight shape without corrugated notches 11 on both sides of the electrode sheet and formed with main body sleeves 9a and 9b... Configuration shown in FIG. Measurement cell without main body sleeves 9a, 9b “Comparative Example D”... Measurement cell without main body sleeves 9a, 9b from the configuration shown in FIG. In any of the measurement cell moldings, insert molding was performed by setting the size of the electrode sheet and the amount of protrusion to the cavities on both sides of the electrode sheet to be the same.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, in the “implemented product A”, the deformation of the electrode sheet was distorted, the turning-up was within an allowable value, and the sealing property was good for the adhesion between the synthetic resin and the electrode sheet. . In the “implemented product B”, a small distortion occurred in the electrode sheet, and as for the adhesion between the synthetic resin and the electrode sheet, a part of peeling was confirmed on both end faces of the electrode sheet, but the sealing performance was almost satisfactory. . In the “implemented product C”, the electrode sheet was turned up and the adhesiveness between the synthetic resin and the electrode sheet was confirmed to vary depending on the location. In “Comparative Example D”, the entire electrode sheet was largely distorted and turned up, and the sealing performance was incomplete.

According to this experiment, the overall evaluation of “Execution Product A” was good, the overall evaluation of “Execution Product B” and “Execution Product C” was almost good, and the overall evaluation of “Comparative Example D” was poor.
Here, in the evaluation of the distortion of the electrode sheet, the deterioration (warpage) of the planar accuracy of the electrode sheet and the appearance were visually confirmed. The evaluation of turning up of the electrode sheet was confirmed by visual observation of the floating and external appearance of the flat portion.

  Also, using the measurement cells of “implemented product A”, “implemented product B”, and “implemented product C”, the external connection terminals 6a and 6b are connected to the migration power supply unit 26 and the measurement unit 27 (see FIG. 12), the impedance was measured by accessing the test solution in the recess of the measurement cell, and it was confirmed that the number of microorganisms in the test solution could be stably and quantitatively calculated.

  As described above, in this example, the electrode sheet and the synthetic resin are described using the example of the PET resin having the same melting point, but each material is not limited to the PET resin, and the melting point of the electrode sheet material. If is equal to or higher than the melting point of the synthetic resin material, the same effect can be obtained.

(Embodiment 2)
11 (a) and 11 (b) show a second embodiment of the present invention.
In the electrode sheet 5 in the first embodiment, the notch 11 having the curved wave shape is formed on both sides, but in the example shown in FIG. 11A, the notch 20 having the rectangular wave shape is formed on both sides of the electrode sheet 5. Has been. Also in this case, the synthetic resin of the surface 5a and the surface 5b of the electrode sheet 5 moves back and forth through the portion that is opened by the notch 20, so that the imbalance of the injected synthetic resin can be quickly eliminated.

  In the example shown in FIG. 11 (b), holes 21 are formed on both sides of the electrode sheet 5. Also in this case, the synthetic resin on the surface 5a and the surface 5b of the electrode sheet 5 moves back and forth through the hole 21 as the opening, and the imbalance of the injected synthetic resin can be quickly eliminated.

  The present invention realizes mass production of measurement cells, and can contribute to the spread of various analysis devices such as an oral hygiene state analysis device using the measurement cells.

The external appearance perspective view which looked at the measurement cell in Embodiment 1 of this invention from the front side, and the external appearance perspective view which looked from the back side External perspective view of electrode sheet of same embodiment Horizontal sectional view taken along line JJ in FIG. 1B and an enlarged view of the main part thereof. Horizontal sectional view taken along line KK in FIG. Sectional drawing of the molding die used for insert molding of the measurement cell of the embodiment Perspective view of core of molding mold and perspective view of core with electrode sheet set The perspective view which notched a part along the LL line | wire of Fig.6 (a), and the perspective view which notched a part along the LL line | wire of FIG.6 (b) External perspective view of a comparative example Horizontal sectional view along line KK in FIG. Diagram explaining experimental results The perspective view of the electrode sheet used for the measurement cell in Embodiment 2 of this invention Configuration diagram of a conventional oral hygiene condition analyzer Cross section of simple measurement cell and front view of measurement cell Horizontal cross-sectional view of a defective measurement cell with insert molding

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Measurement cell 2 Recessed part which accommodates test solution 3 Cell main body 4 Sensor electrode part 5 Electrode sheet 5a, 5b Electrode sheet surface 6a, 6b External connection terminal 7 Insulating mask 8 Length direction of electrode sheet 9a, 9b Main body sleeve Part 10 Cavity part 11, 20 Notch 12 Outer mold 13 Core 14 Cavity slide 15 Gate 16 Positioning recess 17a, 17b Sleeve 18 Core receiving surface 19 Insert pin 21 Hole

Claims (8)

A cell body in which a recess for accommodating a test solution is molded with resin;
The electrode body is formed integrally with the cell body and the sensor electrode part is exposed on the inner peripheral surface of the recess,
A measurement cell in which a cutout or a hole embedded in a resin constituting the cell body is formed in at least a part of a side extending along the depth direction of the concave portion of the electrode sheet. When inserting the core from one end of the outer mold and from the other end of the outer mold, injecting synthetic resin between the core and the outer mold to insert the measurement cell,
Set the electrode sheet with the electrode surface of the electrode sheet facing the receiving surface of the core,
Insert the core from one end of the outer mold,
While positioning the electrode sheet by pressing the end of the other end side of the electrode sheet against the receiving surface of the core with an insert pin, a synthetic resin is injected from the other end side of the molding,
Resin pressure acting on one side and the other side of the electrode sheet of synthetic resin injected from one end positioned by the insert pin of the electrode sheet toward the other end of the electrode sheet along the electrode sheet Measuring cell molding method for injecting the synthetic resin while balancing through a notch or a hole formed along the electrode sheet. The measuring cell molding method according to claim 2, wherein the other end of the electrode sheet is set in a positioning recess formed in the core and a synthetic resin is injected. A sleeve-like resin flow path is formed in the core so as to surround at least a portion of the electrode sheet set in the core along a synthetic resin flow direction, and the sleeve-shaped resin flow path is formed. The method for molding a measurement cell according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a synthetic resin is injected between the electrode sheet and the electrode sheet. In the cell body,
Cylindrical main body sleeves are provided on both sides of the sensor electrode portion of the electrode sheet so as to surround the synthetic resin enclosing the side portion of the electrode sheet with a hollow portion extending in the length direction of the electrode sheet. The measurement cell according to claim 1. The measurement cell according to claim 1, wherein an external connection terminal connected to the sensor electrode portion is disposed at an end portion of the electrode sheet located on a bottom side of the cell body. The measurement cell according to claim 6, wherein a portion of the external connection terminal of the electrode sheet is exposed to the outside from the cell body.   The measurement cell according to claim 1 is provided, and the impedance is measured by accessing the test solution in the recess of the measurement cell via the sensor electrode part of the electrode sheet, and the number of microorganisms in the test solution is quantitatively calculated. An oral hygiene condition analyzer configured as described above.

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