JP2010181381A - Dispensing chip detaching mechanism in dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform both of dispensing operation and detaching operation of a disposable chip using only one drive motor. <P>SOLUTION: A dispensing chip detaching mechanism in a dispenser is constituted so that the hole diameter of each of the holding holes (70) formed in a chip detaching plate (14) is smaller than the outer diameter of each of disposable chips (17) and the disposable chips (17) are detached from respective nozzles (18) by pushing the chip detaching plate (14) by respective guide shafts (50 and 51) to push down the chip detaching plate (14). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a dispensing tip removal mechanism in a dispensing machine, and more particularly to a novel improvement for performing both dispensing operation and disposable tip removal operation using only one drive motor.

As a dispenser of this type that has been conventionally used, for example, a mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be exemplified.
That is, what is denoted by reference numeral 1 in FIGS. 4 and 5 is a case body, and a unit elevating motor 3 is provided on the top plate 2 of the case body 1. A ball screw 7 that is rotationally driven from the unit elevating motor 3 through pulleys 4 and 5 and a timing belt 6 is provided.

  Disposed in the case body 1 is a dispensing unit 9 that can be moved up and down via the ball screw 7 and a unit lifting guide 8. The dispensing unit 9 has a piston holding body 11 having a dispensing piston 10. A cylinder block 12 in which each cylinder (not shown) combined with the dispensing piston 10 is provided, a guide 13 for linearly guiding the cylinder block 12, a side portion of the cylinder block 12, and A chip removing plate 14 formed in a U-shape at a lower position, and provided between the lower side portion 15 of the frame 9A of the dispensing unit 9 and the chip removing plate 14, and the chip removing plate 14 A spring 16 for constantly urging the plate 14 toward the top plate 2 and a disposable chip 17 provided on the chip removal plate 14 A nozzle 18 that is detachably attached, a dispensing piston drive motor 20 provided on a support plate 19 of the frame 9A, a support body 19 of the support plate 19 and the cylinder block 12, and a bearing body 21 that is rotatably supported. A dispensing ball screw 22 screwed into the piston holder 11, a pair of connecting pulleys 23 and 24 and a timing belt 25 for connecting the dispensing piston drive motor 20 and the dispensing ball screw 22, It is composed of

  Fixed chip-disconnecting solenoids 30 and 31 are disposed on both sides of the chip-dismounting plate 14, and the probes 30a and 31a of the chip-dismounting solenoids 30 and 31 are configured to be able to appear and retract.

  In the above-described configuration, the dispensing unit 9 is moved up and down via the ball screw 7 by driving the unit lifting motor 3 through a control unit (not shown), and the piston is held by driving the dispensing piston driving motor 20. The dispensing piston 10 is moved up and down via the body 11, and suction and discharge from each disposable tip 17 can be performed.

  Next, when each disposable chip 17 is removed from the nozzle 18, if the probes 30a, 31a of the chip removal solenoid 31 are protruded as shown in FIG. 4 according to an external command from the control unit, the chip removal is performed. When the tip removal plate 14 is raised together with the dispensing unit 9 in this state, the tip removal plate 14 comes into contact with the probes 30a and 31a.

  In the state described above, when the tip removal plate 14 is further raised together with the dispensing unit 9, the tip removal plate 14 moves against the nozzle 18 and the disposable tip 17 against the spring force of the spring 16. As a result, the disposable chip 17 is pushed down from the nozzle 18 by the chip removal plate 14 and removed from the nozzle 18.

JP 2006-194671 A

Since the conventional dispensing machine is configured as described above, the following problems exist.
That is, as a dispenser, two drive motors and two actuators are required, resulting in a complicated structure, an increase in size, cost increase, and difficulty in maintenance.
Further, in order to remove the disposable chip, at least one drive motor and one actuator are required.
In addition, the mounting position of the chip removal solenoid is a fixed fixed position, and the disposable chip can be removed only at a fixed position in both the horizontal and vertical directions, which is a great restriction on the design change of the apparatus.

  The dispensing tip removing mechanism in the dispensing machine according to the present invention has a U-shaped cross section and a case body formed of a pair of side plates and a top plate, and is driven by only one drive motor provided on the top plate. A ball screw, a piston holding member screwed up and down with the ball screw, a plurality of dispensing pistons provided on the piston holding member, and each of the dispensing pistons provided in a lower portion of the case body, A cylinder block having a plurality of cylinders to be engaged; a plurality of guide shafts penetrating the sides of the top plate and the piston holding body and penetrating both sides of the cylinder block; A spring for constantly urging the guide shaft toward the outside of the top plate, and a space between the piston holder and the cylinder block fixed to each guide shaft. An engaging piece to be placed, a chip removing plate provided at a lower portion of each guide shaft, a nozzle held in a plurality of holding holes formed in the chip removing plate, and connected to each cylinder; A disposable tip detachably provided at the lower end of each nozzle, the holding hole having a hole diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the disposable tip, and after the dispensing operation by the dispensing piston lowering When the chip removal plate is further lowered together with the nozzle, the hole edge of the holding hole pushes the opening edge of the disposable chip, and each disposable chip is removed from the nozzle, and is operated from the top plate. A flange is provided on the top of the projecting shaft that projects freely, and the spring provided on the outer periphery of the projecting shaft. Grayed has a configuration which is located between the flange portion and the top plate.

Since the dispensing tip removal mechanism in the dispensing mechanism according to the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
That is, a U-shaped case body formed of a pair of side plates and a top plate, a ball screw provided on the top plate and driven by only one drive motor, and screwed into the ball screw to be moved up and down. A piston holding body, a plurality of dispensing pistons provided on the piston holding body, a cylinder block having a plurality of cylinders provided in a lower portion of the case body and engaged with the dispensing pistons; A plurality of guide shafts that penetrate the sides of the top plate and the piston holding body and penetrate both sides of the cylinder block, and the guide shafts that are provided on the top surface of the top plate are always attached to the outside of the top plate. A spring for energizing, an engagement piece fixed between each of the guide shafts and positioned between the piston holder and the cylinder block, and under each of the guide shafts A chip removing plate provided on the chip, nozzles held in a plurality of holding holes formed in the chip removing plate and connected to the cylinders, and a disposable provided detachably at the lower end of each nozzle A tip, and the hole diameter of the holding hole is smaller than the outer diameter of the disposable tip, and the tip removal plate further descends together with the nozzle after the dispensing operation by the dispensing piston lowering The hole edge of the holding hole pushes the opening edge of the disposable tip, and the disposable tip is removed from the nozzle, so that only one drive motor performs both the dispensing operation and the disposable tip removal operation. Can contribute to miniaturization, simplification, and ease of maintenance.
A protrusion is provided at the top of the protruding shaft that operably protrudes from the top plate, and the spring provided on the outer periphery of the protruding shaft is located between the flange and the top plate. As a result, it is possible to very easily bias the guide shaft and the tip removal plate.

It is front sectional drawing which shows the chip | tip removal mechanism for dispensing in the dispensing machine by this invention. It is a front view which shows the operation | movement start of FIG. FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing a state where the disposable chip of FIG. 2 is removed. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the conventional dispensing machine. It is a left view with a partial cross section of FIG.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing tip removal mechanism in a dispensing machine that performs both a dispensing operation and a disposable tip removal operation using only one drive motor.

A preferred embodiment of a dispensing tip removal mechanism in a dispensing machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and demonstrated to a part the same as that of a prior art example, or an equivalent part.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram showing a dispensing machine 9 according to the present invention, and shows a state in which a dispensing piston 10 and a piston holder 11 are located at the highest rising end during dispensing. Yes.

In FIG. 1, what is shown by the code | symbol 1 is a case body, This case body 1 consists of the top plate 2 and a pair of side plate 1A, and the whole shape is comprised by the box shape of a lower open type.
On the top plate 2, first and second timing pulleys 40 and 41 are rotatably provided via first and second shafts 42 and 43, and each timing pulley 40 and 41 is interposed via a timing belt 44. It is comprised so that it may mutually interlock | cooperate.

  The first shaft 42 is connected to a ball screw 46 via a support unit 45, and this ball screw 46 is provided in a ball screw nut portion 11 </ b> A of a piston holder 11 that is provided in the case body 1 through a guide 47 so as to be raised and lowered. The piston holder 11 is provided with a plurality of dispensing pistons 10 at predetermined intervals.

  Only one drive motor 20 is connected to the second shaft 43, and the ball screw 46 is driven by the drive motor 20 via the timing pulleys 40, 41 and the timing belt 44, so It is comprised so that raising / lowering of the piston 10 for injection can be performed.

  A cylinder block 12 provided with a plurality of cylinders 12 </ b> A to which the dispensing piston 10 is engaged freely is fixed at a position below the piston holder 11.

On the top portions 52 and 53 of the projecting shaft portions 50a and 51a at the upper ends of the guide shafts 50 and 51 passing through the both sides of the top plate 2, the piston holding body 11 and the cylinder block 12, flange portions 54 and 55 are provided. A spring 16 is interposed at the outer peripheral position of the projecting shaft portions 50a, 51a between the upper surface 2A of the top plate 2 and the flange portions 54, 55.
Accordingly, the guide shafts 50 and 51 are always urged upward by the spring force of the spring 16.

  A nozzle retainer 60 having a nozzle 18 is fixed to the lower surface of the cylinder block 12 via a bush 61. Bolts 62 and 63 are attached to lower ends of the guide shafts 50 and 51 on the lower surface of the nozzle retainer 60. A chip removal plate 14 fixed via the substrate is disposed.

Each nozzle 18 passes through each holding hole 70 formed in the chip removal plate 14, and a disposable chip 17 is detachably provided at the lower end of each nozzle 18.
The holding hole 70 has a hole diameter that is smaller than the outer diameter of the disposable chip 17. An L-shaped connecting plate 11D is provided on the upper surface of the piston holder 11 to reinforce the piston holder 11.

  Next, the operation will be described. First, the state of FIG. 1 is a state in which a predetermined amount of liquid as a specimen is sucked into each cylinder 12A in a state where each dispensing piston 10 is raised most.

When the drive motor 20 is driven in the above-described state, the ball screw 46 is rotated through the timing pulleys 40 and 41 and the timing belt 44, and the dispensing pistons 10 are moved down through the piston holder 11, and the cylinders are lowered. The liquid in 12A is dispensed to a receiving body (not shown) such as an analyzer through each disposable chip 17.
The moving stroke of each dispensing piston 10 at this time is the dispensing area A, which is the position shown in FIG.

  Next, the position of each dispensing piston 10 in the state of FIG. 2 is the origin position. In this state, when the drive motor 20 is further driven, the piston holding body 11 is equivalent to the tip removal area B of FIG. And the piston 10 for dispensing is lowered, and the side portions 11B and 11C of the piston holding body 11 are fixed to the guide shafts 50 and 51 and positioned between the piston holding body 11 and the cylinder block 12 as shown in FIG. It abuts on the engaging pieces 80 and 81 to be engaged.

  When the drive motor 20 is further driven in the above-described state, the guide holders 50 and 51 are pushed downward because the piston holder 11 is in contact with the engagement pieces 80 and 81, as shown in FIG. Thus, the chip removing plate 14 is separated from the lower end of the cylinder block 12.

  In the above operation, since the hole diameter of each holding hole 70 of the chip removal plate 14 is smaller than the outer diameter of the disposable chip, the hole edge (not shown) of the holding hole 70 is the disposable chip 17. The disposable edge 17 is removed from the nozzle 18 by pushing the opening edge 17a downward.

  The tip removal mechanism for dispensing in the dispenser according to the present invention is not limited to a test solution such as DNA, but can also be applied to dispensing of liquids for characteristic tests of general chemicals and foods.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case body 1A Side plate 2 Top plate 2A Upper surface 9 Dispensing machine 10 Piston for dispensing 11 Piston holder 11A Ball screw nut part 11B, 11C Side part 12 Cylinder block 12A Cylinder 17 Disposable tip 18 Nozzle 20 Drive motor 40 First timing pulley 41 Second timing pulley 42, 43 First and second shaft 44 Timing belt 45 Support unit 46 Ball screw 50, 51 Guide shaft 50a, 51a Projecting shaft portion 52, 53 Top portion 54, 55 collar portion 60 Nozzle restraint 61 Bush 62, 63 Bolt 70 Holding hole 80, 81 Engagement piece

Claims (2)

A case body (1) having a U-shaped section and formed by a pair of side plates (1A) and a top plate (2), and driven by only one drive motor (20) provided on the top plate (2). A ball screw (46), a piston holding body (11) that is screwed up and down with the ball screw (46), a plurality of dispensing pistons (10) provided on the piston holding body (11), A cylinder block (12) having a plurality of cylinders (12A) provided in a lower portion of the case body (1) and engaging with each of the dispensing pistons (10), the top plate (2), and a piston holding body ( 11) is provided on a plurality of guide shafts (50, 51) penetrating the side portions (11B, 11C) and penetrating both sides of the cylinder block (12), and an upper surface (2A) of the top plate (2). A spring (16) for constantly urging the guide shafts (50, 51) toward the outside of the top plate (2), and the piston holders fixed to the guide shafts (50, 51) ( 11) and Engagement pieces (80, 81) positioned between the Linda block (12), a chip removal plate (14) provided at the lower part of each guide shaft (50, 51), and the chip removal plate A nozzle (18) held in a plurality of holding holes (70) formed in (14) and connected to each cylinder (12A), and a disposable provided detachably at the lower end of each nozzle (18) Chip (17), and
The hole diameter of the holding hole (70) is smaller than the outer diameter of the disposable tip (17), and the tip removal plate (14) is disposed in the nozzle after the dispensing operation by lowering the dispensing piston (10). By further descending together with (18), the hole edge of the holding hole (70) pushes the opening edge (17a) of the disposable tip (17), and each disposable tip (17) is removed from the nozzle (18). Dispensing tip removal mechanism for a dispensing machine.   The top part (52, 53) of the protruding shaft part (50a, 51a) operatively protruding from the top plate (2) is provided with a flange part (54, 55), and the protruding shaft part (50a, 51a) 2. Dispensing in a dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the spring (16) provided on the outer periphery is located between the collar (54, 55) and the top plate (2). Chip removal mechanism.

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