JP2010156545A - Partition wall unit for pipetter and pipette - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pipetting means capable of completely preventing cross-contamination without exchanging tubes, or the like. <P>SOLUTION: A partition wall unit 10 is mounted between a pipetter 11 and a pipette 17. The partition wall unit 10 includes a cylindrical housing 12, where a suction-side mount section 14 for detachably mounting the housing 12 to a tube 8 of a pump 9 is provided at the upper end and a pipette holding section 15 for detachably holding the pipette 17 is provided at the lower end. A partition wall 13 is stored in the housing 12 and has a shape of a bag-shaped tube of which one end has been sealed. Space in the housing is completely separated to a suction source side space 12a of the pipetter and a pipette-side space 12b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a partition unit and a pipette for a pipetter, and more particularly to a partition unit used by being mounted between a pipette mounting portion of a pipetter and a pipette, and a pipette integrated with the partition unit.

  Conventionally, in an automatic culture apparatus or the like, a liquid containing cells, tissues, drugs, a medium, etc. of skin, cartilage, bone, blood vessel, organ, etc. of different subjects is handled by a pipettor. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional pipettor with a pipette attached. As shown in the figure, a conventional pipettor 60 includes a pump 61 as a suction source, a tube 62 connected to the pump 61, and a pipette mounting portion 63 located at the tip of the tube 62. A disposable pipette 64 is attached to the pipette mounting portion 63.

  In such a conventional pipettor 60, it is necessary to exchange the pipette 64 for each subject in order to prevent cross contamination. However, with this pipetter 60, it is impossible to completely prevent cross contamination as follows. That is, in the pipetter 60, the liquid is sucked into the pipette 64 by the suction of the pump 61. Next, the suction of the pump 61 is released and the liquid is put into a predetermined container or the like. At this time, the air that has come into contact with the liquid in the pipette 64 is sucked into the tube 62 through the pipette mounting portion 63, and this air may reach the pump 61. Even if the pipette 64 is replaced after the liquid is discharged from this state, there is a possibility that air in contact with the previous liquid remains in the tube 62. Therefore, in the conventional pipettor 60, even if the pipette 64 is replaced, it is impossible to completely prevent the cross contamination. If the tube 62 and further the pump 61 are not replaced, the complete cross contamination is prevented. Was impossible.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide means capable of completely preventing cross contamination without exchanging tubes or the like. is there.

  The partition unit of the pipettor according to the present invention is a partition unit used by being attached to a pipettor having a suction source for sucking the inside of the pipette. The partition unit can be attached to and detached from the housing and the pipetter. A suction side mounting portion for mounting, a pipette holding portion for detachably holding the pipette in the housing, and a deformation that isolates the space in the housing into the suction source side of the pipetter and the pipette side And a possible partition wall.

  As described above, in the partition unit of the present invention, the space in the housing is isolated from the suction source side and the pipette side of the pipettor by the deformable partition wall, so that the air in contact with the liquid containing cultured cells or the like Moving to a suction source is avoided. Therefore, when handling a cell culture solution or the like of a different subject, the cross-contamination can be completely prevented by replacing the pipette and the partition unit with a new one. Moreover, since the partition wall can be deformed, suction by the pipetter is not hindered.

  The partition wall has a bag-like tube shape with one end sealed, and the open end of the bag-like tube can be connected to the suction side mounting portion. In this configuration, the tubular portion of the bag-like tube is deformed, so that the liquid can be sucked by the pipette.

  Here, in the configuration having a partition in the shape of a bag-like tube, when the space on the suction source side in the housing is in a reduced pressure state due to the suction of the suction source of the pipetter, the bag-like tube The sealing end can be configured to enter the inside of the bag-like tube.

  Further, the partition wall may have a flat membrane shape or a corrugated plate shape.

  The pipette of the present invention is one in which any of the partition units described above is attached integrally. By integrally attaching the partition unit to the pipette in this way, it becomes possible to simultaneously replace the partition unit and the pipette by a single operation.

  If the partition unit of the present invention is used, the air in contact with the liquid containing the cultured cells and the like is isolated from the pipetter tube and the suction source, so that cross contamination can be completely prevented. Moreover, since the partition wall can be deformed, the suction by the suction source is not hindered.

  In addition, since the above-described partition unit is integrally attached to the pipette of the present invention, the partition unit and the pipette can be replaced at the same time by one operation, and for example, the replacement of the partition unit is forgotten. Mistakes can be prevented.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a pipettor 11 equipped with a partition unit 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The pipetter 11 shown in the figure includes a pump 9 which is a suction source, and the pump 9 has a cylinder portion 18 and a piston 19. A tube 8 is attached to the upper portion of the cylinder portion 18. The partition unit 10 of this embodiment is attached to the tip of the tube 8. The partition unit 10 of the present embodiment includes a cylindrical housing 12, and a suction side mounting portion 14 for detachably mounting the housing 12 to the tube 8 is formed at the upper end of the housing 12. The pipette holding part 15 for holding the pipette 17 so that attachment or detachment is possible is formed. In the present embodiment, a partition wall 13 is accommodated in the housing 12, and the partition wall 13 has a bag-like tube shape with one end sealed. The partition 13 separates the space in the housing into a pipettor suction source side space 12a and a pipette side space 12b. The housing 12 in this embodiment is made of a material that does not deform even when the pump 9 of the pipetter 11 performs a suction operation. For example, the material is not limited to these, but various materials including polyethylene and propylene are used. The resin can be used. In addition, a deformable material is used for the partition wall 13, and for example, various resin thin films such as polyethylene and propylene, rubber, and the like can be used. The material of the partition wall 13 is not limited to the above.

  In the present embodiment, when the piston 19 of the pump 9 is lowered and the inside of the cylinder portion 18 is in a decompressed state, and the suction source side space 12a is in a decompressed state via the tube 8 together with this, the partition wall 13 is indicated by a two-dot line 13a It deforms as follows. Along with this, the pipette side space 12b between the housing 12 and the partition wall 13 is also in a reduced pressure state, the inside of the pipette 17 communicating therewith is further reduced in pressure, and the liquid containing the cultured cells and the like is sucked into the pipette 17. Will be.

  In the present embodiment, the partition wall 13 in the partition unit 10 separates the pipe 9 from the pump 9 side and the pipette 17 side, so that the air in contact with the liquid to be sucked is connected via the tube 8 to the pump 9. The cross contamination can be completely prevented. Moreover, since the partition wall 13 can be deformed, suction by the pump 9 is not hindered.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a partition unit according to another embodiment of the present invention. The partition unit 20 of the present embodiment includes a cylindrical housing 22 as in the partition unit 10 of FIG. 1, and a suction side mounting portion 14 is held at the upper end of the housing 22 and a pipette is held at the lower end of the housing 22. Each part 15 is formed. In the present embodiment, a housing 22 has a bellows tube-shaped partition wall 23 sealed at one end, and the open end of the bellows tube is connected to the suction side mounting portion 14. This space is isolated between the pipettor suction source side space 22a and the pipette side space 22b.

  In this embodiment, when the suction source side space 22a is in a reduced pressure state by the operation of the pump 9, the partition wall 23 is deformed as indicated by a two-dot chain line 23a. Accordingly, the pipette side space 22b between the housing 22 and the partition wall 23 is also in a reduced pressure state, and the inside of the pipette 17 communicating therewith is further reduced in pressure, and the liquid is sucked into the pipette 17. Also in this embodiment, since the space between the suction source side space 22a and the pipette side space 22b is isolated by the partition wall 23 in the partition unit 20, cross contamination can be completely prevented. Moreover, since the partition wall 23 can be deformed, suction by the pump 9 is not hindered.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a partition unit according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The partition unit 30 of the present embodiment includes a disk-shaped housing 32, and the housing 32 includes an upper portion 32A and a lower portion 32B. The upper portion 32 </ b> A and the lower portion 32 </ b> B are integrally formed with a flat wall 33 interposed therebetween to form a housing 32. By this partition wall 33, the space in the housing is isolated from the pipettor suction source side space 32a and the pipette side space 32b. Further, the suction side mounting portion 14 is formed at the upper end of the upper portion 32A, and the pipette holding portion 15 is formed at the lower end of the lower portion 32B. The material of the partition wall 33 in the present embodiment is not limited to these, but as described above, thin films of various resins including deformable polyethylene and propylene, rubber, and the like can be used.

  In the present embodiment, when the suction source side space 32a is in a reduced pressure state by the operation of the pump 9, the partition wall 33 is deformed upward as indicated by a two-dot chain line 33a. Accordingly, the pipette side space 32b between the housing 32 and the partition wall 33 is also in a reduced pressure state, and the inside of the pipette 17 communicating therewith is further reduced in pressure, and the liquid is sucked into the pipette 17. Also in this embodiment, since the space between the suction source side space 32a and the pipette side space 32b is isolated by the partition wall 33 in the partition unit 30, cross contamination can be completely prevented. Moreover, since the partition wall 33 can be deformed, suction by the pump 9 is not hindered.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a partition unit according to a further embodiment of the present invention. The partition unit 40 of the present embodiment includes a disk-shaped housing 42 as in the partition unit 30 of FIG. 3, and the housing 42 includes an upper portion 42A and a lower portion 42B. The upper portion 42A and the lower portion 42B are integrally formed with a partition wall 43 made of a corrugated plate having a concentric shape therebetween to form a housing 42. Also in the present embodiment, the partition 43 separates the space in the housing into the pipettor suction source side space 42a and the pipette side space 42b. Further, the suction side mounting portion 14 is formed at the upper end of the upper portion 42A, and the pipette holding portion 15 is formed at the lower end of the lower portion 42B. The material of the partition wall 43 is not limited to these, but as described above, various resin thin films such as deformable polyethylene and propylene, rubber, and the like can be used.

  In the present embodiment, when the suction source side space 42a is in a reduced pressure state by the operation of the pump 9, the partition wall 43 is deformed upward as indicated by a two-dot chain line 43a. Along with this, the pipette side space 42b between the housing 42 and the partition wall 43 is also in a reduced pressure state, and the inside of the pipette 17 communicating therewith is further reduced in pressure, and the liquid is sucked into the pipette 17. Also in this embodiment, the cross contamination can be completely prevented by the partition wall 43 in the partition unit 40. Further, the corrugated partition wall 43 in the present embodiment can be deformed more greatly than the flat film-shaped partition wall 33 of FIG. 3 described above, so that a large amount of liquid can be sucked. ing.

  Fig.5 (a) is sectional drawing of the pipette which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The pipette 7 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as that in which the partition unit 10 in FIG. 1 is integrally attached to the pipette 17 by the pipette holding portion 15. That is, the pipette 7 of the present embodiment includes a tip portion 7a having a tapered shape similar to the pipette 17 of FIG. 1 and a cylindrical partition wall portion 7b, and the tip portion 7a and the partition wall portion 7b are formed by integral molding. ing. A suction side attachment portion 14 is formed at the upper end of the partition wall portion 7b, and the connection portion 8a of the tube 8 of FIG. Further, in the partition wall portion 7b of the pipette 7, there is provided a deformable partition wall 3 that isolates the space in the partition wall portion 7b into the suction source side space 2a and the pipette side space 2b of the pipetter 11. As shown in FIG. 5, the partition wall 3 in this embodiment has a bag-like tube shape with one end sealed, and the open end of the bag-like tube is connected to the suction side attachment portion 14. When the pump 9 of the pipetter 11 (FIG. 1) performs a suction operation, the tip portion 7a is in a reduced pressure state due to the collapsed shape as indicated by the two-dot chain line 3a. The partition 3 is made of a deformable material similar to that of the partition 13 of the partition unit 10 of FIG. 1. For example, various resin thin films such as polyethylene and propylene, rubber, and the like can be used.

  In the present embodiment, when the suction source side space 2a is in a reduced pressure state, the pipette side space 2b and the inside of the pipette 17 are in a reduced pressure state, and a liquid containing cultured cells and the like is sucked into the pipette 17. In the present embodiment, the partition 3 separates the pipe 9 from the pump 9 side and the pipette 17 side, so that the air in contact with the liquid to be sucked does not reach the tube 8 or the pump 9 and crossover is performed. Contamination can be completely prevented. Moreover, since the partition wall 3 can be deformed, suction by the pump 9 is not hindered.

  FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of a pipette according to another embodiment of the present invention. The pipette 7 of the present embodiment is the same as the embodiment of FIG. 5A except for the partition wall 3, and the corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals. In this embodiment, the partition wall 5 provided in the partition wall portion 7b has a bag-like tube shape with one end sealed, but when the suction source side space 2a is in a decompressed state, a bag shape is formed. The portion of the sealing end 5b is formed in a slightly concave shape in advance so that the sealing end 5b of the tube enters the inside of the partition wall 5 as indicated by a two-dot chain line 5a. Thus, when the sealed end 5b enters the inside of the partition wall 5 during decompression, the liquid can be sucked into the pipette side space 2b, and more target liquid can be handled.

  2 to 5, the partition unit and the pipette are separate from each other, but these partition units can be integrally formed with the pipette.

  Since the cross-contamination can be completely prevented by using the partition unit and pipette of the pipettor of the present invention, it can be used in the field of the biochemical industry that handles microorganisms such as cells and fungi.

It is sectional drawing of the pipetter 11 equipped with the partition unit 10 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the partition unit which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the partition unit which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the partition unit which concerns on the further embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the pipette which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the conventional pipetter equipped with the pipette.

Explanation of symbols

2a Suction source side space 2b Pipette side space 3 Bulkhead 5 Bulkhead 5b Sealed end 7 Pipette 7a Tip portion 7b Bulkhead portion 8 Tube 8a Connection portion 9 Pump 10 Bulkhead unit 11 Pipetter 12 Housing 12a Suction source side space 12b Pipette side space 13 Bulkhead 14 Suction side mounting part 15 Pipette holding part 17 Pipette 18 Cylinder part 19 Piston 20 Bulkhead unit 22 Housing 22a Suction source side space 22b Pipette side space 23 Bulkhead 30 Bulkhead unit 32 Housing 32A Upper part 32B Lower part 32a Suction source side space 32b Pipette side space 33 Bulkhead 40 Bulkhead unit 42 Housing 42A Upper part 42B Lower part 42a Suction source side space 42b Pipette side space 43 Bulkhead

Claims (7)

A partition unit used by being attached to a pipettor having a suction source for suctioning inside the pipette, the partition unit comprising:
A housing;
A suction side mounting portion for detachably mounting the housing to the pipetter;
A pipette holding part for detachably holding the pipette in the housing;
A partition unit comprising: a deformable partition that isolates the space in the housing into a suction source side of the pipetter and the pipette side.   2. The partition unit according to claim 1, wherein the partition has a shape of a bag-like tube with one end sealed, and an open end of the bag-like tube is connected to the suction side attachment portion.   When the space on the suction source side in the housing is decompressed by suction of the suction source of the pipetter, the sealed end of the bag-like tube enters the inside of the bag-like tube. The partition unit according to claim 2.   The partition unit according to claim 1, wherein the partition has a bellows tube shape sealed at one end, and an open end of the bellows tube is connected to the suction side mounting portion.   The partition unit according to claim 1, wherein the partition is a flat membrane.   The partition unit according to claim 1, wherein the partition has a corrugated shape.   A pipette comprising the bulkhead unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6 integrally attached thereto.

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