JP2010012376A - Pipette calibration apparatus and pipette calibration device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pipette calibration apparatus that measures a liquid of a micro volume and a pipette calibration device using the same, which improve operability. <P>SOLUTION: The calibration apparatus 10 includes a measuring container 12 that receives a liquid that is dropped with a pipette, a humidity level retention container 16 that measures the weight of the container 12 with a weight sensor 14 and accommodates the container 12 therein, and a humidity sensor 18. A trap 16 is provided with a body 16a and a lid 16b separably coupled, the body 16a is provided to enclose the circumference of the container 12 disposed on a central axis and has an annular humidification sump section 16d with its upper end opened, the lid 16b has an upper face 161b and a slanted face 162b coupled with the face 161b, and the face 162b is provided with a pipette intercalation penetration aperture 16e. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pipette calibration device for measuring a minute volume of liquid and a pipette calibration device using the same.

  Manual or electric pipettes are known as devices for measuring minute volumes, and are mainly used for measuring liquid materials in fields such as biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. It is important.

  For this type of pipette calibration, a balance is used as a mass meter, pure water is used as a calibration management medium, and a method for measuring the mass of water to determine the capacity has been established.

  Among these, in particular, when determining a minute amount of 1 μL = 1 mg or less, which is called a micropipette, it is necessary to control the evaporation amount of water, and in order to keep the atmospheric humidity constant, the humidity is maintained. A dedicated device called a container is prepared. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses the device.

  The dedicated device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes inner and outer containers having a double structure, and a vertical through-hole into which a tip end of a pipette can be inserted is provided at the center. A measurement container for measuring mass is disposed in the through hole, and pure water, for example, is dropped from the pipette into the measurement container.

  The lower end of the measuring container is connected to a balance mass sensor for measuring mass. The inner container has air permeability on the through hole side and is filled with a hygroscopic agent. According to the humidity holding container configured as described above, the inside of the through hole is maintained in a predetermined humidity state by the hygroscopic agent filled in the inner container, so that accurate calibration can be performed.

  However, such a conventional dedicated pipette calibration device has the following technical problems.

US Pat. No. 6,455,787 B1

  In the pipette calibration dedicated device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the through hole for inserting the tip side of the pipette opens at the upper end of the outer container, but there is a problem in the operability of dropping pure water into the measurement container. there were.

  In other words, almost all balances that use this type of special equipment have an indispensable structure for the windshield, and the special equipment is installed in the windshield. Is located approximately 30 cm above the balance installation surface.

  On the other hand, since the pipette is only about 15 cm long from the position where it is grasped by hand to the tip, actually, pure water is accurately dripped from above the draft shield into the measuring vessel placed in the moisture trap. It involves considerable difficulty.

  More specifically, this difficulty is caused by, for example, forcing an unreasonable angle setting on the elbow and wrist from the state where the operator is sitting, and that the distance between the measurement container and the pipette tip is large. This means that a great deal of attention is required to prevent unintentional operations.

  In addition, commercially available pipette calibration instruments, including the dedicated instruments described above, come with dedicated instruments and various measurement value correction software. For example, environmental measuring instruments such as humidity sensors are included. In particular, since the humidity in the trap has not been measured, there has been a problem that the accuracy of calibration is insufficient.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and the object of the present invention is to improve the operability of calibration and improve the measurement accuracy. And providing a pipette calibration apparatus using the same device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a pipette calibration instrument having a measurement container for receiving a liquid dropped by a pipette and a mass sensor for measuring the mass of the measurement container. A humidity holding container for housing and a humidity sensor for measuring the humidity of the atmosphere in which the measurement container is installed, the humidity holding container including a main body portion and a lid portion that are detachably coupled, The main body portion is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the measurement container disposed on the central axis, and has a humidified annular water reservoir portion having an open upper end. The lid portion includes an upper end surface and the upper surface. And an through-hole for inserting the pipette is provided on the inclined surface.

  According to the pipette calibration apparatus configured as described above, the humidity holding container includes a main body portion and a lid portion that are detachably coupled, and the main body portion surrounds the outer periphery of the measurement container disposed on the central axis. The lid has an upper end surface and an inclined surface connected to the upper end surface, and the inclined surface is used for inserting a pipette. Since a through window is provided, even if this is installed on a balance equipped with a windshield, pipetting from the side of the inclined surface is possible, and liquid can be accurately dropped into the measurement container, The operability is greatly improved.

  In addition, since it has a humidity sensor, it can be calibrated when the humidity is saturated, or calibrated at a specific humidity, preventing evaporation of pure water dripping, etc., and allowing accurate volume determination. become.

  The humidity sensor can be disposed in the humidity holding container. The humidity sensor can be disposed on an upper end surface of the humidity holding container.

  The measurement containers include a plurality of types having different maximum measurable masses, and can be coupled to the mass sensor through a common container holder. Further, the present invention provides a pipette calibration apparatus having a measurement container that receives a liquid dropped by a pipette and a mass sensor that measures the mass of the measurement container; a humidity holding container that houses the measurement container; A humidity sensor that measures the humidity of the atmosphere in which the measurement container is installed, a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the liquid, a thermometer, a barometer, and an arithmetic controller, A body portion and a lid portion that are detachably coupled, and the body portion is provided so as to surround an outer periphery of the measurement container disposed on a central axis, and is a humidified annular water having an open upper end. A reservoir portion, the lid portion having an upper end surface and an inclined surface connected to the upper end surface; the humidity sensor is installed on the upper end surface; and the pipette is provided on the inclined surface. An insertion through-hole is provided to perform the calculation Your vessel, the humidity sensor, the water temperature sensor, a barometer, based on a value detected by the temperature meter, and to correct the detected value of the mass sensor.

  According to the pipette calibration apparatus configured as described above, the arithmetic controller corrects the detection value of the mass sensor based on the detection values of the humidity sensor, water temperature sensor, thermometer, and barometer. In addition to the operability improvement effect, the calibration accuracy can be further improved.

  According to the pipette calibration apparatus and the pipette calibration apparatus using the apparatus according to the present invention, the operability of calibration can be improved and the measurement accuracy can be improved.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a pipette calibration device according to the present invention. The pipette calibration apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a measurement container 12, a mass sensor 14, a humidity holding container 16, and a humidity sensor 18. The measuring container 12 is for receiving a liquid dropped from a pipette to be calibrated, for example, pure water.

  The mass sensor 14 measures the mass of the measurement container 12, and is composed of, for example, an analytical precision balance. The humidity holding container 16 accommodates the measurement container 12 therein, prevents evaporation of pure water, which is a measurement medium of the measurement container 12, and reduces a factor of measurement error caused by evaporation. For example, it has the main-body part 16a and the cover part 16b formed with the transparent synthetic resin, and the metal base part 16c.

  The base portion 16c is formed in a disc shape, and a through hole 160c is formed in the center. The through hole 160c is sized so that a projection 122b of the measurement container 12 described later can be inserted.

  The main body portion 16a is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape in which the measurement container 12 is disposed on the central axis and the upper and lower ends are opened so as to surround the outer periphery of the measurement container. The lid portion 16b is formed in a cup shape with the upper end closed. A disk-shaped base part 16 c is fitted into the lower opening 160 a of the main body part 16 a, and the base part 16 c is placed on the floor surface 14 a of the mass sensor 14.

  A lower end opening 160b of the lid portion 16b is detachably fitted to the upper opening 161a of the main body portion 16a. An annular shelf 162a is provided on the inner peripheral surface on the upper end side of the main body 16a, and an annular space portion surrounded by the shelf 162a and opened at the upper end serves as a water reservoir 16d.

  The lid portion 16b includes a flat upper end surface 161b and an inclined surface 162b that is connected to the upper end surface and is inclined downward at a predetermined angle. The upper end surface 161b is formed with a recess 163b that is recessed inward. A humidity sensor 18 is disposed in the recess 163b. The humidity sensor 18 installed in the recess 163 b is located above the measurement container 12.

  The inclined surface 162b is provided with a through window 16e for inserting the tip end side of the pipette. The humidity sensor 18 includes a main body 18a and a holder 18b that holds the main body 18a, and is detachably inserted into the recess 163b.

  On the other hand, the measurement container 12 is disposed on the central axis of the main body portion 16a and includes a measurement container main body 12a and a container holder 12b. In the case of the present embodiment, the measurement container main body 12a can be measured. The maximum mass is 5 ml, and the upper end is formed in a cylindrical shape.

  The container holder 12b has a lower holder 120b formed in a concave shape and an upper holder 121b fitted into the lower holder 120b, and the lower end of the measurement container main body 12a is fitted into the upper part of the upper holder 121b. . On the lower surface of the lower holder 120b, a protrusion 122b used for connection with the mass sensor 14 is provided on the central axis.

  The protrusion 122b has a tapered tip, and is fitted and fixed to the load receiving shaft 14b of the mass sensor 14. When the protrusion 122b is fitted and fixed to the load receiving shaft 14b, the measurement container 12 is in a self-supporting state, and all the load is transmitted to the mass sensor 14.

  In the pipette calibration device 10 formed as described above, when calibrating the pipette capacity, water is stored in the water reservoir 16d, and the tip of the pipette is inserted into the main body 16a from the through window 16e. Then, the calibration operation is performed, for example, by dropping pure water into the measurement container main body 12a and measuring the mass with the mass sensor 14.

  In this case, according to the pipette calibration device 10 of the present embodiment, the humidity holding container 16 includes a main body portion 16a and a lid portion 16b that are detachably coupled, and the main body portion 16a is disposed on the central axis. The measurement container 12 is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the measurement container 12, and has an annular water reservoir 16d for humidification with an open upper end. The lid 16b includes an upper end surface 161b and an inclined surface 162b connected to the upper end surface 161b. Since the through-hole 16e for inserting a pipette is provided on the inclined surface 162b, the pipette can be operated from the side of the inclined surface 162b even if it is installed on a balance provided with a windshield. Thus, the liquid can be properly dropped onto the measurement container 12, and the operability is greatly improved.

  This operability improvement effect will be explained in more detail. In the normal calibration method for pipettes, for example, a liquid such as pure water in a vial is immersed in the tip of the pipette, and is manually or electrically operated. As a result, the pure water is sucked up and directly brought into the upper surface side of the measurement container 12, and again, the held liquid is dropped into the container 12 by manual operation or electric operation.

  Assuming these actual operations, the left and right arms of the person are calibrating the pipette by a combination of complex movements such as rotation and translation around the front of the person's face. It is recognized that it is natural for the palm of the hand to have a certain tilt angle with respect to the vertical.

  On the other hand, in the conventional humidity holding container, since the angle to the measurement container was vertical, there was a problem in operability. In the present embodiment, an inclined surface 162b is provided and penetrated here. By arranging the window 16e, it can be operated naturally. Further, since the lid 16b is provided with the humidity sensor 18, for example, calibration in a state where the humidity is saturated or calibration in a state where the humidity is maintained at a specific value is possible.

  FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the pipette calibration apparatus 10a according to the present invention. The same or corresponding parts as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and Only the feature points will be described.

  The pipette calibration device 10a shown in this figure has a measuring container 12 'whose measuring capacity is larger than that of the above embodiment, and can calibrate up to a maximum mass of 30 ml.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the measurement container main body 12a 'is six times as large as that in FIG. 1, and the container holder 12b is constituted by only the lower holder 121b by removing the upper holder 121b. The main body 12a 'is fitted and fixed. The pipette calibration apparatus 10a configured as described above can obtain the same effects as those of the above embodiment.

  3 and 4 show an embodiment of a pipette calibration apparatus using the pipette calibration device 10 having the above-described configuration. The pipette calibration apparatus shown in the figure includes a pipette calibration device 10, a measurement container 12, a mass sensor 14, a humidity holding container 16, a humidity sensor 18, a water temperature sensor 20, and an arithmetic controller 22. ing.

  Also in the case of the present embodiment, the humidity holding container 16 includes a main body portion 16a and a lid portion 16b that are detachably coupled, and the main body portion 16a surrounds the outer periphery of the measurement container 12 disposed on the central axis. The lid portion 16b has an upper end surface 161b and an inclined surface 162b connected to the upper end surface 161b. The inclined surface 162b Is provided with a pipette insertion through-hole 16e.

  The arithmetic controller 22 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer provided with cpu and a memory, and is based on the humidity sensor 18, the water temperature sensor 20, and the barometer and thermometer detection values built in the controller 22. The detection value of the mass sensor 14 is corrected.

  The water temperature sensor 20 measures the temperature of pure water in the tank 24 in which pure water used for calibration is stored. The thermometer (air temperature meter), hygrometer, and barometer built in the arithmetic controller 22 may be installed outside.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a calibration procedure performed by the pipette calibration apparatus having the above configuration. When the procedure starts, first, preparation is confirmed in S1. The confirmation here is the preparation of pure water used for calibration, whether predetermined water is contained in the water reservoir 16d of the pipette calibration device 10, further confirmation of the capacitance value of the calibration pipette and its Input.

  When the preparation is confirmed, the work environment is confirmed in S2. The working environment here is the environmental temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. For example, in ISO, the environment for performing pipette calibration work is a relative humidity of 50% or more and a temperature of 15 to 30 ° C. Confirm in accordance with. Once these measurements are obtained, the values are recorded at S3. If the work environment is not confirmed in S2, or if the work environment is deviated from this, a warning is displayed in S4.

  In subsequent S <b> 5, the pure water in the tank 24 is sucked up by the pipette and dropped into the measuring container 12 of the device 10. In S6, the measured value Wi of the mass sensor 14 is read.

  Next, in S7, it is determined whether or not the required value Wi has been obtained. If the required value has not been obtained, the process returns to S5 and repeats S5 to S7 to obtain the required value Wi. If it is determined that it has been made, the process proceeds to S8.

  In S8, temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, water temperature, and each value of the humidity sensor 14 at that time are recorded. In the next S9, a conversion operation from mass to capacity is performed. The conversion formula at this time is Vi = Wi × Z. Z is a correction value that takes into account the atmospheric pressure and the density of pure water, is obtained in advance based on the average temperature and the atmospheric pressure, and is stored in the arithmetic controller 22 as a chart.

  In the next S10, it is determined whether or not the mass value Vi obtained in S9 is suitable, and the procedure ends.

  Now, in the pipette calibration apparatus calibrated as described above, since the pipette calibration device 10 is used, the operability is improved and the calibration value is corrected based on temperature and humidity, so that the pipette calibration with higher accuracy can be performed. Can be secured.

  According to the pipette calibration apparatus and the pipette calibration apparatus using the apparatus according to the present invention, the operability in the calibration work is improved and the calibration accuracy is improved, so that it can be effectively used in the field of measurement.

It is the front view and top view which show one Example of the apparatus for pipette calibration concerning this invention. It is a front view which shows the other Example of the apparatus for pipette calibration concerning this invention. It is a whole lineblock diagram showing one example of a pipette calibration device concerning the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure at the time of performing a calibration operation | work in the calibration apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Pipette calibration apparatus 12 Measuring container 14 Mass sensor 16 Humidity holding container 16a Main body part 16b Cover part 16d Reservoir part 16e Through window 162b Inclined surface 18 Humidity sensor 20 Water temperature sensor 22 Calculation controller

Claims (5)

In a pipette calibration instrument having a measurement container for receiving liquid dropped by a pipette and a mass sensor for measuring the mass of the measurement container, a humidity holding container for housing the measurement container and the measurement container are installed A humidity sensor for measuring the humidity of the atmosphere, wherein the humidity holding container includes a main body portion and a lid portion that are detachably coupled, and the main body portion is disposed on a central axis. It is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the measurement container, has an annular water reservoir for humidification with an open upper end, and the lid has an upper end surface and an inclined surface connected to the upper end surface,
An instrument for pipette calibration, wherein the inclined surface is provided with a through-hole for inserting the pipette.   The pipette calibration device according to claim 1, wherein the humidity sensor is disposed in the humidity holding container.   The pipette calibration instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the humidity sensor is arranged on an upper end surface of the humidity holding container. The measurement container comprises a plurality of types having different maximum masses that can be measured,
The pipette calibration device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the coupling with the mass sensor is performed via a common container holder. In a pipette calibration apparatus having a measurement container that receives a liquid dropped by a pipette and a mass sensor that measures the mass of the measurement container, a humidity holding container that houses the measurement container, and the measurement container is installed A humidity sensor that measures the humidity of the atmosphere being performed, a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the liquid, a thermometer, a barometer, and an arithmetic controller;
The humidity holding container includes a body portion and a lid portion that are detachably coupled,
The main body portion is provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the measurement container disposed on the central axis, and has an annular water reservoir for humidification with an open upper end.
The lid portion has an upper end surface and an inclined surface connected to the upper end surface,
The upper end surface is provided with the humidity sensor, and the inclined surface is provided with a through-hole for insertion of the pipette,
2. The pipette calibration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arithmetic controller corrects a detection value of the mass sensor based on detection values of the humidity sensor, water temperature sensor, barometer, and thermometer.

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