JP2010249724A - Cutting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To mechanize replacement of a cutter; to select a part to be positioned on a cutting position in a cutter mounted on a holder; to miniaturize; and to simplify a structure. <P>SOLUTION: This cutting device 1 includes: a support 2 for supporting an embedding block B; the cutter 4 whose one end is a blade edge 3, the holder 6 having a mounting surface 5 on which the cutter is mounted, on which the cutter is mounted in the state where the edge blade is projected to the outside of the mounting surface and extended along a fixed direction in parallel with the mounting surface; a moving means 7 for cutting the embedding block by the blade edge of a part positioned on the cutting place in the cutter mounted on the holder; a sending means 8 for sending out the cutter toward the holder side; a slide means 9 for sliding the cutter sent out from the sending means along a fixed direction on the mounting surface; and a discarding part 10 for discarding the cutter slid by the slide means. The slide means is formed so as to be able to reciprocate the cutter along the fixed direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cutting apparatus.

  Conventionally, in a preclinical field in which a biological sample taken from a human body or a laboratory animal is inspected and observed, an embedded block in which the biological sample is embedded with an embedding agent is cut with a cutter to produce a thin slice. A method is known in which a section is stained and a biological sample is observed. In order to enable observation at the cellular level, the above-described thin section needs to be cut evenly with a thickness of about 3 to 5 μm so as not to damage the embedded biological sample. A series of operations for producing a thin section from the above-described embedding block is generally performed manually by a skilled worker using a dedicated slicer (microtome).

By the way, when a thin slice is produced by slicing an embedded block, it is necessary to slice it at a predetermined thickness in order to produce a high-quality thin slice. For this reason, the operator pays particular attention to the sharpness of the cutter. If the cutter was cut with a poor sharpness, it was difficult to slice the embedding block to the desired thickness. In some cases, the thin slice may be damaged. Thus, some inconvenience arises and the operator needs to change the cutter periodically.
Here, the exchanging work of the cutter is dangerous, and therefore mechanization is desired. Therefore, for example, a cutting apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known. According to this cutting apparatus, it becomes possible to slice the embedded block while automatically exchanging the cutter to produce a thin slice, and the exchanging operation of the cutter can be mechanized.
In addition, this cutting apparatus includes a support (Z stage) that supports the embedding block, a cutter that is formed in a long shape, and that has one end along the longitudinal direction as a cutting edge that cuts the embedding block, and a cutter. A holder on which the cutter is detachably mounted in a state in which the blade edge protrudes outside the placement surface and the blade edge extends along a certain direction parallel to the placement surface. A moving means for moving the support and the holder relatively forward along a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and cutting the embedded block with the blade edge of the portion located at the cutting position in the cutter attached to the holder; I have. In the cutting device configured as described above, the embedded block is cut by a part of the cutting edge of the cutter (the part located at the cutting position).

By the way, in general, when manufacturing a cutter used in a cutting apparatus, it is extremely difficult to manufacture a cutter so that the cutting edge extends in a straight line along the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the shape of the cutting edge depends on the shape of the cutter. And are different from each other depending on the position in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the shape of the cutting surface, which is the surface after cutting of the embedded block, is determined from the relative positional relationship between the embedded block and the cutter at the time of cutting the embedded block.
Here, it is desired that the shape of the cutting surface of the embedding block can be selected according to the type of the embedding block. In addition, it is known that the curvature of the blade edge described above is substantially constant regardless of the lot if the cutter has the same shape.

As described above, each time the embedded block to be cut is replaced, the cutting device is attached to the holder in order to make the shape of the blade edge of the cutter that cuts the embedded block the shape of the blade edge corresponding to the embedded block. It is desirable to be able to select the portion located at the cutting position in the cutter.
Here, in the said cutting device, the holder is formed so that reciprocation is possible along the said fixed direction. Thereby, it becomes possible to select the part located in the said cutting position in the cutter with which the holder was mounted | worn, and the shape of the blade edge | tip of the cutter which cuts an embedding block can be selected according to the embedding block.

JP 2008-209303 A

  However, in the conventional cutting device, since the holder is reciprocated, the cutting device becomes large and the structure of the cutting device becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances. The purpose of the present invention is to mechanize the replacement of the cutter and to select a portion positioned at the cutting position in the cutter mounted on the holder. It is providing the cutting device which can achieve simplification and simplification of a structure.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
A cutting apparatus according to the present invention is a cutting apparatus for cutting an embedded block in which a biological sample is embedded, and a support body that supports the embedded block, and an end that is formed in a long shape and extends in the longitudinal direction. Has a cutter that is a cutting edge for cutting the embedding block, and a mounting surface on which the cutter is mounted, the cutting edge protrudes outside the mounting surface, and the cutting edge is the mounting surface described above. A holder to which the cutter is detachably mounted in a state extending along a certain parallel direction, the support and the holder are relatively moved forward along a direction intersecting the certain direction, A moving means for cutting the embedded block with a cutting edge located at a cutting position in the cutter mounted on the holder; a sending means for sending the cutter toward the holder along the fixed direction; Slide means for sliding the cutter sent out from the means along the fixed direction on the placement surface, and a discarding unit for discarding the cutter slid by the sliding means. The means is characterized in that the cutter can be reciprocated along the fixed direction.

In this invention, first, the slide means slides the cutter sent out from the sending means along the fixed direction on the mounting surface, and attaches the cutter to the holder so that the cutter is attached to the holder. Can be mechanized. Moreover, after releasing the mounting | wearing of the cutter by a holder, the removal means can be mechanized by the slide means sliding the cutter to the disposal part. From the above, the replacement of the cutter can be mechanized.
Moreover, since the slide means is formed so that the cutter can reciprocate along the predetermined direction, a portion located at the cutting position in the cutter mounted on the holder can be selected.
Further, since the slide means simply reciprocates the cutter along the fixed direction on the mounting surface, the cutting device can be downsized and structured as compared with the case of reciprocating the holder as in the prior art. Can be simplified.

  The discard unit is disposed on the delivery means side in the fixed direction with respect to the holder, and is slid to the edge on the delivery means side in the fixed direction on the placement surface by the slide means. It may be configured such that the moved cutter is discarded.

In this case, since the disposal unit is disposed on the delivery unit side in the fixed direction with respect to the holder, the operator of this apparatus can replenish the cutter to the delivery unit and collect the cutter from the disposal unit. In either case, it is possible to perform work from the delivery means side in the fixed direction, and both work can be performed efficiently.
Further, since the discarding unit is configured to discard the cutter slid to the edge on the side of the sending unit in the fixed direction by the sliding unit, for example, the sending unit in the fixed direction on the mounting surface Compared with the case where a recovery path for recovering the cutter slid to the edge on the opposite side to the delivery means side in the fixed direction is formed, the cutting device can be reduced in size.

  In addition, the holder is provided with a first suction portion along the placement surface that sucks the other end along the longitudinal direction of the cutter placed on the placement surface and holds the posture of the cutter. It may be done.

  In this case, since the holder is provided with the first suction portion along the conveyance surface, the cutting edge of the portion located at the cutting position in the cutter mounted on the holder is irrelevant to the slide movement by the slide means. The posture can be stabilized.

  The delivery means is disposed at a delivery position spaced in the fixed direction with respect to the holder, and is disposed between a storage cartridge that stores a plurality of the cutters, the storage cartridge, and the holder. A transport table that is formed flush with the surface and has a transport surface that is continuous with the placement surface; a carry-out unit that unloads one of the cutters from the storage cartridge and sends the cutter to the transport surface along the fixed direction; The slide means may be formed to be slidable along the fixed direction between the transport surface and the placement surface of the cutter sent to the transport surface by the unloading unit. .

In this case, the carry-out unit first carries out one cutter from the storage cartridge and sends it to the conveyance surface along the predetermined direction. Next, the slide means slides the cutter fed out by the carry-out unit along the certain direction between the transport surface and the placement surface. Here, since the conveyance surface is formed flush with the placement surface and is connected to the placement surface, the cutter is surely slid between the conveyance surface and the placement surface by the slide means. This makes it possible to reliably replace the cutter.
In addition, since a plurality of cutters are stored in the storage cartridge, it is not necessary to replace the storage cartridge every time the cutter is carried out by the carry-out unit, and the cutter can be exchanged efficiently.

  The transport table is provided with a second suction portion along the transport surface for sucking the other end along the longitudinal direction of the cutter sent out by the carry-out portion and maintaining the posture of the cutter. Also good.

  In this case, since the 2nd adsorption part is provided in the conveyance stand along the conveyance surface, the posture of the cutter sent out by the carry-out part can be stabilized. Accordingly, the cutter can be slid more reliably between the transport surface and the placement surface by the slide means, and the cutter can be replaced more reliably.

  The delivery means includes a cartridge mounting portion in which a plurality of the storage cartridges are detachably mounted at intervals along an intersecting direction intersecting the certain direction, and the storage cartridge mounted in the cartridge mounting portion. A cartridge moving unit that moves the cartridge mounting unit along the crossing direction so that one of the cartridges is disposed at the delivery position.

  In this case, since the cartridge mounting portion and the cartridge moving portion are provided, when the cutter in the storage cartridge is exhausted, a new storage cartridge mounted on the cartridge mounting portion is moved to the delivery position by the cartridge moving portion. Can be made. Therefore, the storage cartridge can be smoothly arranged at the delivery position, and the cutter can be replaced more efficiently.

  In addition, the detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the cutter on the transport surface, and the cutter is sent out to the transport surface by the carry-out portion, and the cutter sent to the transport surface is transported by the slide means. A control unit that slides along the predetermined direction between the surface and the placement surface, and the control unit is configured to perform the cutter by the carry-out unit based on detection data obtained by the detection unit. When it is determined that there is no cutter on the transport surface when the cartridge is sent out to the transport surface, a new storage cartridge mounted on the cartridge mounting portion is placed at the delivery position by the cartridge moving portion. Also good.

  In this case, since the detection unit and the control unit are provided, when the control unit sends the cutter to the conveyance surface by the carry-out unit based on the detection data obtained by the detection unit, the cutter is placed on the conveyance surface. By determining that there is not, it is possible to detect that all the cutters in the storage cartridge have been carried out. Accordingly, the control unit moves the new storage cartridge mounted in the cartridge mounting unit to the output position by the cartridge moving unit based on the detection data, so that the storage cartridge disposed in the output position is emptied. It is possible to smoothly exchange from a new one to a new one. Thereby, replacement | exchange of a cutter can be performed much more efficiently.

  The slide means is formed so that the cutter fed to the transport surface by the unloading unit is slidable along the predetermined direction between the transport surface and the mounting surface, and the cutter The first slide means formed so as to be capable of reciprocating along the fixed direction, and the side end portion of the cutter mounted on the mounting surface facing the longitudinal direction are arranged in the fixed direction with respect to the holder. There may be provided a second slide means that is pushed in from the opposite side of the delivery means and slides the cutter toward the delivery means along the fixed direction.

  In this case, since the second slide means is provided, when the cutter is slid to the delivery means side along the fixed direction, it is only necessary to push in the side end of the cutter. It can be surely slid.

  According to the cutting device according to the present invention, it is possible to mechanize the replacement of the cutter and to select the portion located at the cutting position in the cutter attached to the holder, and it is possible to reduce the size and simplify the structure. .

It is a perspective view which shows the embedding block cut with the cutting device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the cutting device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of the cutting device shown in FIG. It is a top view of the cutter in the cutting device shown in FIG. It is a side view of the cutter shown in FIG. It is a front view of the cutter shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the movement of a cutter in the principal part of the cutting device shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the holder in the cutting device shown in FIG. It is a front view of the storage cartridge in the cutting apparatus shown in FIG. It is the figure which looked at the storage cartridge shown in FIG. 9 from one end surface side. FIG. 10 is a side view of the storage cartridge shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state where the storage cartridge illustrated in FIG. 9 is mounted on the cartridge mounting unit. It is a perspective view of the carrying-out part and the 1st slide means in the cutting device shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the carrying-out of the cutter from the storage cartridge by the carrying-out part shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the slide movement of the cutter on the conveyance surface by the 1st slide means shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the slide movement of the cutter by the 2nd slide means in the cutting device shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a thin-slice preparation device (cutting device) 1 according to the present embodiment is a device that cuts an embedded block B in which a biological sample S is embedded to prepare a thin slice. .

(Embedded block and thin section)
First, the embedded block B and the thin slice will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the embedding block B is obtained by replacing the moisture in the formalin-fixed biological sample S with paraffin, and then hardening the periphery in a block shape with an embedding agent such as paraffin. As a result, the biological sample S is embedded in paraffin. In addition, the biological sample S is, for example, a tissue such as an organ extracted from a human body, a laboratory animal, or the like, and is appropriately selected in the medical field, the pharmaceutical field, the food field, the biological field, or the like. In the present embodiment, the embedding block B is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is fixed on a cassette K formed in a box shape. Then, the thin slice is formed by slicing the embedded block B into an ultrathin, for example, 3 μm to 5 μm as shown by the dotted line in FIG.
Hereinafter, the thin section manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described.

(Thin section production equipment)
As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the thin-slice manufacturing device 1 is formed in a support base (support) 2 that supports the embedding block B and is formed in an elongated shape, and one end along the longitudinal direction is embedded block B. And a mounting surface 5 on which the cutter 4 is placed. The cutting edge 3 protrudes outside the placement surface 5 and the cutting edge 3 is parallel to the placement surface 5. A holder 6 to which the cutter 4 is detachably mounted in a state extending along the X direction (a constant direction), and the support base 2 and the holder 6 are relatively advanced and retracted along a cutting direction D1 intersecting the X direction. A cutting stage (moving means) 7 to be moved, a sending means 8 for sending the cutter 4 toward the holder 6 along the X direction, and a cutter 4 sent from the sending means 8 on the mounting surface 5 in a fixed direction. Slide means 9 that slides along the slide means 9 and slide means 9 Id moved cutter 4 is provided with a waste bottle (disposal unit) 10 to be discarded, the. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control part 11 which controls the holder 6, the cutting stage 7, the sending means 8, and the slide means 9 is provided, and the storage housing | casing 12 which accommodates each said component. In FIG. 2, illustration of a pressing plate 23 (to be described later) of the holder 6 is omitted so that the mounting surface 5 is illustrated, and in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, it will be described later for ease of viewing the drawing. Illustration of the roller pressing portion 86 is omitted.

(cutter)
As shown in FIG. 4, the cutter 4 is a magnetic body and is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, and an end portion on the opposite side of the blade edge 3 is a peak portion (the other end along the longitudinal direction of the cutter) 21. ing. The cutter 4 is formed with two elliptical first through holes 4A and second through holes 4B along the longitudinal direction at intervals along the longitudinal direction. In the illustrated example, the first through-hole 4A and the second through-hole 4B are formed so as to be arranged in line-symmetric positions with respect to the central axis A in the longitudinal direction of the cutter 4. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the blade edge | tip 3 of the cutter 4 is formed in the double blade. The cutter 4 has a length L of 80 mm, a width W of 8 mm, and a thickness T of 0.25 mm, for example.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the cutting edge 3 of the cutter 4 is formed in a curved shape when viewed from the cutting edge 3 side of the cutter 4. , Different depending on the position in the longitudinal direction. In the illustrated example, the front-view shape of the blade edge 3 is formed so as to be line-symmetric with respect to the central axis A, and the blade edge 3 is a first through hole in the longitudinal direction with respect to the central axis A. The first cutting edge 3A located on the 4A side and the second cutting edge 3B located on the second through-hole 4B side with respect to the central axis A are configured in a row. In FIG. 6, the curvature is shown large so that the curvature of the cutting edge 3 can be easily understood, but the degree of curvature T <b> 1 is, for example, about 50 μm in the thickness T direction.

(holder)
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 7, the holder 6 includes a mounting plate 22 having the mounting surface 5 and a pressing plate 23 that presses the cutter 4 against the mounting surface 5. .
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the mounting plate 22 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, and is arranged so that the longitudinal direction coincides with the X direction. In addition, the mounting surface 5 having a rectangular shape in plan view is formed along the X direction at the tip of the upper surface of the mounting plate 22. In addition, in FIG. 7, illustration of the pressing plate 23 which the holder 6 mentions later is abbreviate | omitted so that the mounting surface 5 may be illustrated.

  In the present embodiment, the mounting plate 22 includes a first suction unit 24 that sucks the peak portion 21 of the cutter 4 placed on the placement surface 5 and holds the posture of the cutter 4. 5 is provided. As shown in FIG. 8, in the illustrated example, the first suction unit 24 is embedded in the sheet plate 24 a and the sheet plate 24 a fixed along the placement surface 5 so as to be adjacent to the placement surface 5. A plurality of magnets 24b. An end surface of the sheet plate 24a facing the placement surface 5 is formed so as to extend along the X direction, and a plurality of magnets 24b are embedded in the end surface at intervals in the X direction. . The interval between adjacent magnets 24 b is smaller than the length L of the cutter 4.

According to the 1st adsorption | suction part 24 comprised as mentioned above, the peak part 21 of the cutter 4 mounted in the mounting surface 5 can be adsorb | sucked with the magnet 24b, and the attitude | position of this cutter 4 can be hold | maintained.
As shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, the size along the X direction that is the length of the mounting surface 5 is, for example, 1.5 times the length L of the cutter 4. As shown in FIG. 8, in the illustrated example, the mounting plate 22 is fixed so that the mounting surface 5 has a predetermined rake angle θ (for example, around 27 degrees) with respect to the horizontal plane.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the holding plate 23 is disposed so as to cover the entire mounting surface 5 from above, and is rotatably connected to a shaft 25 that is supported by the mounting plate 22 and extends along the X direction. Has been. In the illustrated example, a groove 23a corresponding to the shaft 25 is provided on the upper surface of the holding plate 23 along the X direction at an intermediate portion between the distal end portion and the proximal end portion. The presser plate 23 is rotatably connected to the shaft 25.

  The holder 6 is provided with a drive connecting portion 26 that rotates the pressing plate 23 around the shaft 25. In the illustrated example, the drive connecting portion 26 is disposed on the base end side of the mounting plate 22 and the pressing plate 23 and is connected to the base end portion of the mounting plate 22. The drive connecting portion 26 includes a plate spring 27 that urges the base end portion of the presser plate 23 from the upper side to the lower side, and a base end portion of the presser plate 23 against the downward urging force of the plate spring 27. And a push-up portion 28 that pushes upward from below.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the push-up portion 28 has a wedge portion 29 whose upper surface is in contact with the base end portion of the holding plate 23 from below, and advancing and retreating that moves the wedge portion 29 forward and backward relative to the base end portion of the holding plate 23. Part 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the advancing / retreating portion 30 includes a driving portion 30 a formed so as to be slidable along the X direction, and a wedge portion 29 with respect to the pressing plate 23 by sliding movement along the X direction by the driving portion 30 a. And an inclined cam 30b for converting into a forward and backward movement. The operation of the advance / retreat unit 30 is controlled by the control unit 11.

  According to the presser plate 23 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 8, the advancing / retreating portion 30 moves the wedge portion 29 forward, so that the push-up portion 28 resists the downward biasing force of the leaf spring 27. The base end portion of the pressing plate 23 is pushed upward, and the pressing plate 23 rotates around the shaft 25 so that the cutter 4 can be pressed and fixed to the mounting surface 5 at the distal end portion. Further, when the advancing / retreating portion 30 moves the wedge portion 29 backward, the base end portion is urged downward by the downward urging force of the leaf spring 27, and the holding plate 23 rotates backward around the shaft 25 to cause the distal end portion. Can be separated from the mounting surface 5 and the pressing of the cutter 4 can be released. As described above, the cutter 4 is detachably attached to the holder 6.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, since the length of the mounting surface 5 is 1.5 times the length of the cutter 4, the side edge of the cutter 4 is the mounting surface 5. When the edge in the X direction coincides in the X direction, the cutting edge 3 of the cutter 4 mounted on the holder 6 is located at the center portion in the X direction, which is either the first cutting edge 3A or the second cutting edge 3B. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the mounting plate 22 is formed with a mounting surface long hole 31 extending along the X direction in a portion located on the delivery means 8 side. . The mounting surface oblong hole 31 is formed in a portion of the mounting plate 22 where the mounting surface 5 is located, and opens toward the delivery means 8 side, and the mounting plate 22 extends in a direction orthogonal to the mounting surface 5. It is formed through. Further, the width of the mounting surface long hole 31 is slightly larger than the widths of the first through hole 4A and the second through hole 4B of the cutter 4. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the mounting surface long hole 31 has a side edge on the first through-hole 4 </ b> A side of the cutter 4 on the end edge on the opposite side of the feeding means 8 in the X direction on the mounting surface 5. When positioned, the end portion on the opposite side in the X direction extends along the X direction so as to be positioned below the second through hole 4B of the cutter 4.

(Support stand)
As shown in FIG. 2, the support base 2 supports the embedding block B from below via the cassette K. In the illustrated example, the support base 2 is disposed so as to be opposed to the cutter 4 from the blade edge 3 side. Moreover, in this embodiment, the support stand 2 adjusts the position of the embedding block B with respect to the cutter 4 in the Z direction by moving the support stand 2 back and forth along the Z direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane with respect to the holder 6. It is fixed on the Z stage. The operation of the Z stage is controlled by the control unit 11.

(Cutting stage)
The cutting stage 7 moves the support base 2 forward and backward with respect to the holder 6 along the cutting direction D1. Moreover, in this embodiment, the cutting stage 7 is the cutter 4 with which the holder 6 was mounted | worn with the cutting edge 3 of the part located in the cutting position which is the center part of the X direction of the holder 6 cutting the embedding block B. Thus, the support base 2 is moved along the cutting direction D1.
According to the support table 2 and the cutting stage 7 configured as described above, the thickness of the thin slice to be sliced by the cutter 4 by adjusting the position in the Z direction of the embedding block B with respect to the cutter 4 by the Z stage. After the adjustment, the cutting stage 7 moves the support base 2 along the cutting direction D1, and the embedded block B is sliced with the cutting edge 3 of the cutter 4 located at the cutting position to produce a thin slice. can do.

(Sending means)
As shown in FIG. 3, the delivery means 8 is disposed at a delivery position that is separated from the holder 6 in the X direction, and is disposed between the storage cartridge 32 that stores a plurality of cutters 4, and between the storage cartridge 32 and the holder 6. The transfer table 34 is formed so as to be flush with the mounting surface 5 and has a transfer surface 33 connected to the mounting surface 5, and one cutter 4 is unloaded from the storage cartridge 32 and is transferred along the X direction. And an unloading part 35 for sending out to the machine. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the delivery means 8 includes a cartridge mounting portion 36 in which a plurality of storage cartridges 32 are detachably mounted at intervals along the Y direction that is parallel to the horizontal plane and orthogonal to (crosses) the X direction. A Y table (cartridge moving unit) 37 that moves the cartridge mounting unit 36 along the Y direction so that one of the storage cartridges 32 mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 36 is disposed at the delivery position; It has. Hereinafter, the support base 2 side is referred to as the front side and the holder 6 side is referred to as the rear side along the Y direction.

(Storage cartridge)
As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the storage cartridge 32 includes a cartridge main body 38 in which the cutters 4 are stacked and stored, and a lever portion 39 for taking out only one cutter 4 from the cartridge main body 38. I have.
In the present embodiment, the cartridge body 38 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and as shown in FIG. 10, a long groove 40 is formed in one end surface 38a along the longitudinal direction. Further, the cutter 4 housed inside is constantly urged toward the one end face 38a by an urging means (not shown) provided inside the cartridge main body 38 (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, a pair of side surfaces along the longitudinal direction of the side surfaces of the cartridge main body 38 are provided with a pair of guide grooves 41 along the longitudinal direction and facing each other in the lateral direction. It is formed on the 38a side. Further, a rectangular cutter opening 42 through which the cutter 4 can pass is formed on one side surface of the cartridge main body 38 that faces the longitudinal direction. Of the cutters 4 accommodated in the cartridge main body 38, The cutter 4 positioned closest to the one end surface 38a is carried out to the outside through the cutter opening 42.
As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment, the cutters 4 housed in the cartridge body 38 are stacked in multiple stages with the first through holes 4A positioned on the cutter opening 42 side.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the lever portion 39 is formed in a U shape in a cross-sectional view, and a claw portion 43 that protrudes inward from the inner surfaces facing each other in the lever portion 39 is a pair of guide grooves 41. The one end surface 38a of the cartridge main body 38 is covered in a state where the cartridge body 38 is fitted. The lever portion 39 is movable along the longitudinal direction of the cartridge body 38 with the claw portion 43 guided by the guide groove 41.

Further, the lever portion 39 is formed with a protruding portion 39 a that enters into the long groove 40 formed in the one end surface 38 a of the cartridge main body 38. The length of the protrusion 39a is adjusted so as to contact only the cutter 4 located closest to the one end surface 38a among the plurality of cutters 4 housed in the cartridge body 38.
According to the storage cartridge 32 configured as described above, only one cutter 4 positioned on the one end surface 38a side is carried out from the cutter opening 42 by moving the lever portion 39 along the longitudinal direction. be able to.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, when the storage cartridge 32 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 36 at a portion positioned on the one end surface 38 a side in each of the pair of side surfaces facing the longitudinal direction of the cartridge main body 38. Protrusions 81 and 82 pressed against inclined surfaces 47A and 47B, which will be described later, project toward the outside in the longitudinal direction.
The first projecting portion 81 projecting from the one side surface of the cartridge main body 38 is formed in a plate shape, and a guide surface 81A, which is one of the surfaces, passes through the cutter opening 42 and the cartridge main body. The cutter 4 carried out from the side 38 is supported from the one end face 38a side so as to guide the carrying out. Note that the pressing surface 81B, which is the surface opposite to the guide surface 81A in the first projecting portion 81, is pressed against an inclined surface 47A described later when the storage cartridge 32 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 36.

Further, the second projecting portion 82 projecting from the other side surface facing the longitudinal direction among the side surfaces of the cartridge main body 38 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the pressing surface 82B, which is one of the surfaces, is The first protrusion 81 is formed so as to be located in the same plane as the pressing surface 81B. The pressing surface 82B is pressed against an inclined surface 47B described later when the storage cartridge 32 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 36.
Further, an insertion pin 83 projects from the one side surface of the cartridge body 38 toward the outside in the longitudinal direction.

(Cartridge mounting part)
As shown in FIG. 3, the cartridge mounting portion 36 corresponds to the base opening portion 45 in which a plurality of cartridge opening portions 44 extending in the X direction are formed, the base portion 45 being fixed, and the cartridge opening portion 44. And a plurality of cartridge fixing portions 46 provided.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the illustrated example, the base portion 45 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, extends along the horizontal plane, and is arranged in the longitudinal direction along the Y direction. The base unit 45 is adjacent to the transport table 34 with a slight gap in the X direction. The lower surface of the base portion 45 is supported by the Y table 37, whereby the cartridge mounting portion 36 can move along the Y direction.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the cartridge opening 44 is formed in the center of the base 45 in the X direction at equal intervals in the Y direction. In addition, inclined surfaces 47A and 47B, each of which is adjacent to each cartridge opening 44 from both sides in the X direction in the base portion 45, are inclined with respect to the horizontal plane and are equivalent to the inclination of the conveyance surface 33 with respect to the horizontal plane. ing. These inclined surfaces 47A and 47B are formed in the same plane, and as shown in FIG. 12, in the illustrated example, they are inclined by the rake angle θ with respect to the horizontal plane.

  The cartridge fixing part 46 is disposed above the base part 45 via a fixing member 45a provided on the base part 45, and the storage cartridge 32 is directed to the base part 45 from below to below. It is formed to press. Then, the cartridge fixing portion 46 presses the pressing surfaces 81B and 82B of the first protruding portion 81 and the second protruding portion 82 that protrude from the cartridge main body 38 against the inclined surfaces 47A and 47B of the base portion 45, respectively. Thus, the cartridge main body 38 is fixed to the cartridge opening 44 in a state where the one end surface 38 a side portion of the cartridge main body 38 is inserted into the cartridge opening 44 of the base 45.

  In the illustrated example, the cartridge fixing portion 46 is connected to the fixing member 45a and has a fixing portion main body 46c in which an urging member such as a spring (not shown) is disposed, and from the fixing portion main body 46c toward the cartridge opening 44. A pressing member 46a that extends in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the inclined surfaces 47A and 47B and is urged in the orthogonal direction by the urging means while being able to advance and retreat in the orthogonal direction, and a fixing member main body 46c. And a handle 46b that interlocks with the forward and backward movement of the pressing member 46a along the orthogonal direction.

In the cartridge mounting portion 36 including the base portion 45 and the cartridge fixing portion 46 formed in this way, for example, an operator of the thin-section manufacturing apparatus 1 first uses the handle 46b to push the pressing member 46a to the orthogonal direction. Push up toward the opposite side of the cartridge opening 44 along the direction. Next, after the storage cartridge 32 is disposed between the pressing member 46a and the cartridge opening 44, the pressing member 46a is lifted and the storage cartridge 32 is moved by the pressing member 46a from the other end surface 38b side in the orthogonal direction. Along the base 45. Then, the cartridge main body 38 is fixed to the cartridge opening 44 by pressing the pressing surfaces 81B and 82B of the first protruding portion 81 and the second protruding portion 82 against the inclined surfaces 47A and 47B of the base portion 45, respectively. be able to. As a result, the storage cartridge 32 is fixed to the cartridge opening 44 and the storage cartridge 32 is mounted to the cartridge mounting portion 36.
At this time, the operator holds the storage cartridge 32 so that the pressing surface 81B of the first protruding portion 81 is pressed against the inclined surface 47A on the transport surface 33 side of the inclined surfaces 47A and 47B of the base portion 45. Deploy. Here, when the first protrusion 81 of the storage cartridge 32 is pressed against the inclined surface 47A by the pressing member 46a, the inclination of the guide surface 81A with respect to the horizontal plane is equal to the inclination of the transport surface 33 with respect to the horizontal plane. Is formed.

  According to the cartridge mounting portion 36 and the Y table 37 configured as described above, the first projecting portion in the storage cartridge 32 fixed to each cartridge opening 44 by adjusting the position in the Y direction by the Y table 37. 81 guide surface 81A and conveyance surface 33 can be made flush. Thereby, the storage cartridge 32 can be disposed at the delivery position separated from the holder 6 in the X direction. The position of the base portion 45 (the amount of movement of the Y table 37) when the guide surface 81A of the first protrusion 81 in the storage cartridge 32 fixed to each cartridge opening 44 is flush with the transport surface 33 is as follows. Each position of the cartridge opening 44 is stored in the controller 11 in advance.

In the present embodiment, the base portion 45 is formed with an insertion recess 83 </ b> A into which the insertion pin 83 of the cartridge body 38 is inserted when the storage cartridge 32 is fixed to the cartridge opening 44. Thereby, when the storage cartridge 32 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 36, the relative positional relationship between the storage cartridge 32 and the cartridge opening 44 can be made highly accurate.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the cartridge fixing portion 46 is provided with a mounting sensor 84 that determines whether or not the storage cartridge 32 is pressed against the base portion 45 by the pressing member 46a. The mounting sensor 84 extends from the fixed portion main body 46c along the pressing member 46a, and when the pressing member 46a is pushed up in the orthogonal direction by pressing the storage cartridge 32 against the base portion 45, The detected part 85 provided on the pressing member 46 a is detected and the detection data is sent to the control part 11. In the illustrated example, the mounting sensor 84 employs a non-contact type sensor (for example, an optical sensor) that detects the detected portion 85 in a non-contact manner. However, for example, a contact type sensor or the like may be employed. it can.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the illustrated example, when the storage cartridge 32 is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 36, the operator places the side of the storage housing 12 on the side of the sending means 8 with respect to the holder 6. The storage cartridge 32 can be mounted through the cartridge door 12b provided to be openable and closable on the operation surface 12a which is a side surface located at the position.

(Unloading part)
As shown in FIG. 13, the carry-out portion 35 carries out the carry-out arm 50 having an engaging claw 49 engageable with the lever portion 39 of the storage cartridge 32 at the tip and the storage cartridge 32 positioned at the delivery position. A carry-out arm drive unit 51 that moves the arm 50 forward and backward, a first slider 52 to which the carry-out arm drive unit 51 is fixed, and a first base plate 53 that supports the first slider 52 movably along the X direction. It has. In FIGS. 13 to 15, the cartridge mounting portion 36 is not shown for easy viewing, but the storage cartridge 32 illustrated in each drawing is placed at the delivery position by the cartridge mounting portion 36. ing. In FIGS. 13 to 15, the illustration of the insertion pin 83 of the storage cartridge 32 is omitted for easy viewing of the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the carry-out arm 50 is moved by the carry-out arm driving unit 51 with respect to the storage cartridge 32 located at the delivery position with the first base plate 53 moving the first slider 52 to the origin position. The engaging claw 49 is disposed below the cartridge mounting portion 36 so that the engaging claw 49 is engaged with the lever portion 39 of the storage cartridge 32 when moved forward. Further, the engaging claw 49 is formed in a U shape in a sectional view, and is formed so as to sandwich the lever portion 39 in the X direction and engage the lever portion 39 in the X direction at the time of the engagement.

  According to the carry-out part 35 formed as described above, after the carry-out arm drive part 51 moves the carry-out arm 50 forward and engages the engaging claw 49 with the lever part 39, the first base plate 53 is 1 By moving the slider 52 to the holder 6 side along the X direction, the lever portion 39 moves to the holder 6 side along the X direction, and one cutter 4 is carried out from the storage cartridge 32 through the cutter opening 42. can do. The unloaded cutter 4 passes over the guide surface 81 </ b> A of the first projecting portion 81 and is then sent out to the transport surface 33.

(Transportation stand)
As shown in FIG. 2, the transport base 34 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, and the length along the X direction is longer than the length of the cutter 4. The upper surface of the intermediate portion between the distal end portion and the proximal end portion of the transport table 34 is the transport surface 33. In the illustrated example, the transport surface 33 continues to the placement surface 5 with a slight gap along the X direction. As shown in FIG. 13, in the illustrated example, the front end portion of the transport table 34 is formed to be a convex step portion with respect to the intermediate portion.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the transport table 34 has a second suction part 54 that sucks the peak part 21 of the cutter 4 sent out by the carry-out part 35 and holds the posture of the cutter 4. , Provided along the conveying surface 33.
In the illustrated example, the second adsorption portion 54 includes a sheet plate 54a fixed along the conveyance surface 33 so as to be adjacent to the conveyance surface 33, and a plurality of magnets 54b embedded in the sheet plate 54a. Yes. An end surface of the sheet plate 54a facing the conveyance surface 33 is formed so as to extend along the X direction, and a plurality of magnets 54b are embedded in the end surface at intervals in the X direction. The interval between the adjacent magnets 54 b is smaller than the length L of the cutter 4.
According to the 2nd adsorption | suction part 54 comprised as mentioned above, the peak part 21 of the cutter 4 sent out to the conveyance surface 33 can be adsorb | sucked with the magnet 54b, and the attitude | position of this cutter 4 can be hold | maintained.

  In the present embodiment, the transport table 34 is provided with a detection sensor (detection means) 55 that detects the presence or absence of the cutter 4 on the transport surface 33. In the illustrated example, two detection sensors 55 are disposed above the conveyance surface 33 so as to face the conveyance surface 33 and are spaced from each other in the X direction. The detection sensor 55 is configured to send detection data indicating the presence or absence of the cutter 4 to the control unit 11.

  In the present embodiment, the transport table 34 is formed with a transport surface oblong hole 56 extending along the X direction in a portion located on the holder 6 side. The transport surface oblong hole 56 is formed at a portion of the transport table 34 where the transport surface 33 is located, and opens toward the holder 6 side, and is formed through the transport table 34 in a direction perpendicular to the transport surface 33. Yes. Further, the width of the transport surface long hole 56 is the same as the width of the mounting surface long hole 31. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the transport surface long hole 56 is formed so that the first through hole 4 </ b> A of the cutter 4 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7) sent out from the storage cartridge 32 by the carry-out portion 35 is on the cartridge mounting portion 36 side. It extends in the X direction so as to be located on the end of the.

Further, in the present embodiment, the transport table 34 is provided with the transport table 34 along the inclined direction D2 along the transport surface 33 and along the Y direction in plan view and inclined with respect to the Y direction by the rake angle θ. A table moving part 57 that is movably supported is provided.
The transport surface oblong hole 56 coincides with the mounting surface oblong hole 31 and the tilt direction D2 when the transport table 34 is moved to a predetermined transport position in the tilt direction D2 by the table moving unit 57. It is like that. The transport position (the amount of movement of the table moving unit 57) is stored in the control unit 11 in advance.

  In the present embodiment, the transport table 34 is provided with a roller pressing portion 86 that presses the cutter 4 sent from the carry-out portion 35 to the transport surface 33 against the transport surface 33. The roller pressing portion 86 is formed of an elastic body (for example, rubber) and is disposed on the conveying surface 33. The roller main body 86a, a rotation shaft (not shown) on which the roller main body 86a is rotatably attached, A plate spring 86b that urges the rotating shaft toward the conveyance surface 33, and a fixed table 86c that is provided on the conveyance table 34 and has a base end fixed to the plate spring 86b are provided. In the example shown in the figure, the roller body 86a is disposed closer to the carry-out portion 35 than the end along the longitudinal direction of the transport surface oblong hole 56, and is pressed against the transport surface by the leaf spring 86b via the rotating shaft. It is attached. Further, the rotation direction of the roller main body 86a is inclined toward the second suction portion 54 side from the carry-out portion 35 side toward the holder 6 side with respect to the X direction in a plan view of the transport surface 33. . In the illustrated example, for example, the rotation direction of the roller main body 86a is inclined by 2 degrees with respect to the X direction in a plan view of the transport surface 33.

According to the roller pressing portion 86 formed in this way, when the cutter 4 sent out from the carry-out portion 35 toward the conveyance surface 33 reaches the roller main body 86a, it is transmitted from the leaf spring 86b to the roller main body 86a. It is sandwiched between the roller body 86a and the transport surface 33 by the urging force, and is carried out toward the holder 6 while being pressed against the transport surface 33. At this time, the cutter 4 is unloaded while rotating the roller body 86a around the rotation axis in the rotation direction, so that the cutter 4 moves from the unloading portion 35 side to the holder 6 side and the second suction portion 54. It is carried out so that it may go to the side reliably, and the attitude | position of the cutter 4 can be reliably hold | maintained by the 2nd adsorption | suction part 54. FIG.
In addition, the rotation direction of the roller body 86a may coincide with, for example, the X direction in the plan view, and may be a direction on the transport surface 33 from the unloading portion 35 side to the holder 6 side.

(Sliding means)
As shown in FIG. 3, the slide means 9 is formed so that the cutter 4 can reciprocate along the X direction. The slide means 9 is formed so that the cutter 4 sent to the transport surface 33 by the carry-out portion 35 can slide between the transport surface 33 and the placement surface 5 along the X direction. The slide means 9 is formed so that the cutter 4 fed to the transport surface 33 by the carry-out portion 35 can be slid along the X direction between the transport surface 33 and the placement surface 5, and the cutter 4 The first slide means 60 formed so as to be reciprocable along the X direction, and the side end portion of the cutter 4 placed on the placement surface 5 facing the longitudinal direction are fed to the holder 6 in the X direction. And a second slide means 61 that pushes in from the opposite side of 8 and slides the cutter 4 toward the delivery means 8 along the X direction.

As shown in FIG. 13, in the illustrated example, some components of the first slide means 60 are also used as some components of the carry-out portion 35. That is, the first slide means 60 has a protruding pin 62 formed in a width that can be inserted into the conveying surface long hole 56, the mounting surface long hole 31, the first through hole 4A and the second through hole 4B of the cutter 4 at the tip. The slide arm 63, the slide arm drive unit 64 that moves the slide arm 63 forward and backward with respect to the carriage 34, the first slider 52, and the first base plate 53.
As shown in FIG. 15, the slide arm 63 is moved by the slide arm driving unit 64 with respect to the transport base 34 located at the transport position in a state where the first base plate 53 has moved the first slider 52 to the origin position. When moved forward, the projecting pin 62 is disposed so as to be inserted into the end of the transport surface oblong hole 56 on the cartridge mounting portion 36 side.

  According to the first slide means 60 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 15, on the transport surface 33 of the transport table 34 located at the transport position, the transport surface slot 56 has the cartridge mounting portion 36 side. When the cutter 4 is placed so that the first through-hole 4A is positioned on the end of the slide arm, the slide arm drive unit 64 moves the slide arm 63 forward so that the protruding pin 62 is moved into the conveying surface oblong hole 56 and After the first through-hole 4A is inserted, the first base plate 53 moves the first slider 52 to the holder 6 side along the X direction, so that the cutter 4 moves along the conveying surface oblong hole 56 side to the holder 6 side. Moved to. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, when the transport table 34 is moved to the transport position, the transport surface oblong hole 56 coincides with the placement surface oblong hole 31 and the inclined direction D2, The projecting pins 62 can move along the X direction between the transport table 34 and the mounting plate 22, and the cutter 4 slides along the X direction between the transport surface 33 and the mounting surface 5. Can be made. Further, in this process, the first base plate 53 moves the first slider 52 along the X direction toward the cartridge mounting portion 36, thereby conveying the cutter 4 toward the cartridge mounting portion 36 along the X direction. And the cutter 4 can be reciprocated along the X direction. The first base plate 53 is formed so that the first slider 52 can be moved so that the protruding pin 62 moves to the end of the loading surface long hole 31 on the opposite side of the sending means 8 in the X direction. .

As shown in FIG. 3, the second slide means 61 includes a push plate 65 extending in the X direction, a second slider 66 to which the base end portion of the push plate 65 is fixed, and the second slider 66 in the X direction. And a second base plate 67 movably supported along the second base plate 67.
The push-in plate 65 is formed in a flat plate shape and is fixed in a state where the rake angle θ is attached to the horizontal plane. Further, the thickness of the pushing plate 65 is thinner than the thickness of the cutter 4. The tip of the push-in plate 65 is fixed so that the second base plate 67 is adjacent to the placement surface 5 in the X direction when the second slider 66 is moved to the origin position.

  In the second slide means 61 configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 16, the second base plate 67 moves the second slider 66 from the origin position to the delivery means 8 side along the X direction. Then, the push-in plate 65 moves on the placement surface 5 toward the delivery means 8 along the X direction. Accordingly, it is possible to push the side end portion of the cutter 4 placed on the placement surface 5 at the front end portion of the push-in plate 65 along the X direction to the sending means 8 side, and send the cutter 4 along the X direction. It can be slid to the means 8 side. At this time, it is only necessary to push the side end portion of the cutter 4, so that the cutter 4 can be slid smoothly and reliably. In addition, in FIG. 16, illustration of the pressing plate 23 of the holder 6 is abbreviate | omitted so that the mounting surface 5 may be illustrated.

  In this embodiment, the length, which is the size of the push-in plate 65 along the X direction, is determined when the cutter 4 is slid along the X direction to the sending means 8 side by the second slide means 61 to the limit. In addition, the cutter 4 is set to a length that allows the cutter 4 to slide until the second through hole 4 </ b> B of the cutter 4 is positioned on the mounting surface long hole 31.

(Disposal bottle)
As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the waste bottle 10 is disposed on the side of the sending means 8 in the X direction with respect to the holder 6, and is sent out in the X direction on the placement surface 5 by the slide means 9. The cutter 4 slid to the edge on the means 8 side is configured to be discarded.
The waste bottle 10 is disposed below the holder 6 with the opening facing upward. In the present embodiment, the disposal bottle 10 is disposed on the front side in the Y direction with respect to the holder 6. In the illustrated example, when the disposal bottle 10 is disposed in the storage housing 12, the operator places the disposal bottle 10 through the bottle door 12 c provided on the operation surface 12 a of the storage housing 12 so as to be opened and closed. Can do.

(Recovery means)
In this embodiment, the cutter 4 is collected so that the cutter 4 slid to the edge on the side of the delivery means 8 in the X direction on the placement surface 5 by the slide means 9 is discarded in the waste bottle 10. A collecting means 68 is provided.
The collecting means 68 collects the cutter 4 collected by the collecting path 69 and the collecting path 69 for collecting the cutter 4 slid to the edge on the side of the sending means 8 in the X direction on the mounting surface 5 by the sliding means 9. A cylindrical disposal shooter 70 to be disposed in the disposal bottle 10.
In the illustrated example, the disposal shooter 70 is disposed so as to open toward both sides in the Z direction and the lower end portion is inserted into the upper end opening portion of the disposal bottle 10 so as to gradually reduce the diameter from the upper side toward the lower side. Is formed.

As shown in FIG. 16, in the illustrated example, the recovery path 69 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view, and the base end portion is connected to the tip end portion of the transport table 34, so that the second suction portion 54 and the inclined portion are connected. It is spaced along the direction D2. Further, the distal end portion of the collection path 69 is inserted into the upper end portion of the disposal shooter 70.
In addition, the collection path 69 has a cut-out corner located on the holder 6 side at the tip, and an inclined side portion toward the cartridge mounting portion 36 in the X direction toward the tip at the holder 6 side portion of the tip. Is formed. Further, a guide wall 69a for preventing the cutter 4 from dropping off from each side portion is provided upright on each of the inclined side portion and the side portion located on the cartridge mounting portion 36 side.

Further, in the present embodiment, the recovery path 69 is formed with a disposal long hole 71 extending along the X direction in the holder 6 side portion of the base end portion. The elongate hole 71 for disposal is formed through the collection path 69 in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the collection path 69.
Then, the table moving unit 57 moves the conveying table 34 to a predetermined disposal position along the tilt direction D2 so that the discard slot 71 coincides with the mounting surface slot 31 and the tilt direction D2. It is configured to be movable. That is, the table moving unit 57 is formed to be able to move the transfer table 34 between the transfer position and the discard position. The discard position (the amount of movement of the table moving unit 57) is stored in the control unit 11 in advance.

  According to the collecting means 68 configured as described above, the cutter 4 slid to the edge on the side of the sending means 8 in the X direction on the mounting surface 5 is transferred to the surface of the collecting path 69 while It slides down due to its own weight. Then, the cutter 4 moves to the tip of the collection path 69 while being in contact with and guided by the guide wall 69a, and then is discarded into the disposal bottle 10 through the disposal shooter 70.

(Control part)
The control unit 11 is configured to be able to store the position on the placement surface 5 of the cutter 4 moved by the slide means 9. The controller 11 is connected to an operation unit 11 a that is used by an operator to operate the thin-slice manufacturing apparatus 1. Operation information generated by operating the operation unit 11 a is sent from the operation unit 11 a toward the control unit 11.

Next, the operation of the thin-slice manufacturing device 1 configured as described above will be described.
First, a method for setting the storage cartridge 32 and the waste bottle 10 in the thin-section manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, first, the operator opens the cartridge door 12 b of the storage housing 12, fixes the storage cartridge 32 to each cartridge opening 44 of the cartridge mounting portion 36, and stores it in the cartridge mounting portion 36. A cartridge 32 is mounted.
Further, the operator opens the bottle door 12 c of the storage housing 12 and arranges the disposal bottle 10.

  Here, since the waste bottle 10 is disposed on the side of the delivery means 8 in the X direction with respect to the holder 6, the operator can refill the delivery means 8 with the cutter 4 and the cutter 4 from the waste bottle 10. In any of the collection operations, the operation can be performed from the X-direction delivery means 8 side. In the present embodiment, it is possible to perform the replenishment operation and the recovery operation of the cutter 4 through the cartridge door 12b and the bottle door 12c provided on the operation surface 12a of the storage housing 12, and both operations can be performed efficiently. it can.

Next, a method for attaching the cutter 4 to the thin section manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described. Here, a case where the storage cartridges 32 are mounted in all the cartridge mounting portions 36 will be described.
First, the operator performs an operation for attaching the cutter 4 to the holder 6 using the operation unit 11a. Here, it is assumed that the operation unit 11a is operated so that the cutter 4 is mounted on the holder 6 after being slid and moved to the opposite edge of the delivery means 8 on the placement surface 5.

Then, the control unit 11 to which the operation information is sent from the operation unit 11 a first moves the cartridge mounting unit 36 by the Y table 37, and among the storage cartridges 32 mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 36, the control unit 11 moves to the front in the Y direction. The storage cartridge 32 positioned is moved to the delivery position.
Further, the control unit 11 moves the transport table 34 to the transport position by the table moving unit 57. Thereby, the conveyance surface oblong hole 56 and the mounting surface oblong hole 31 coincide with each other in the inclination direction D2.

Next, the control unit 11 carries out the cutter 4 from the storage cartridge 32 by the carry-out unit 35. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7, the cutter 4 is placed on the conveyance surface 33 in a state where the first through hole 4 </ b> A of the cutter 4 is located on the end of the conveyance surface long hole 56 on the cartridge mounting portion 36 side. Is done.
At this time, the detection sensor 55 detects the presence or absence of the cutter 4 sent out by the carry-out unit 35 and sends the detection data to the control unit 11.

  Next, when it is determined that the cutter 4 is present on the transport surface 33 based on the detection data, the control unit 11 slides the cutter 4 from the transport surface 33 to the placement surface 5 by the first slide means 60. Move. At this time, the control unit 11 first moves the first slider 52 to the origin position by the first base plate 53 and then moves the slide arm 63 forward by the slide arm driving unit 64 to move the protruding pin 62 to the transport surface length. The hole 56 and the first through hole 4A are inserted. Thereafter, the control unit 11 causes the first base plate 53 to slide the first slider 52 toward the holder 6 along the X direction.

  Next, the control unit 11 moves the first slider 52 to the end of the mounting surface oblong hole 31 by the first base plate 53 so that the protruding pin 62 is positioned, and then the slide arm driving unit 64 moves the slide arm 63. Move backward. Next, the control unit 11 moves the first slider 52 along the X direction by the first base plate 53 so that the projecting pin 62 is positioned at a position corresponding to the second through hole 4B of the cutter 4. The slide arm 63 is moved forward by the slide arm driving unit 64, and the protruding pin 62 is inserted through the transport surface long hole 56 and the second through hole 4B. Thereafter, the control unit 11 causes the first base plate 53 to slide the first slider 52 toward the holder 6 along the X direction.

Here, in this embodiment, the mounting surface long hole 31 is located on the mounting surface 5 at the side edge on the first through hole 4A side of the cutter 4 on the end edge on the opposite side of the delivery means 8 in the X direction. Since the second through-hole 4B of the cutter 4 is positioned on the end portion in the X direction, the cutter 4 is placed on the mounting surface by the slide movement described above. 5 is slid to the opposite edge of the delivery means 8.
Next, the control unit 11 moves the push-up portion 28 of the holder 6 forward, clamps the cutter 4 and attaches it to the holder 6. At this time, in this embodiment, the cutter 4 housed in the cartridge main body 38 is stacked in multiple stages with the first through hole 4A positioned on the cutter opening 42 side. The portion 3 of the blade edge 3 is the second blade edge 3B.

Here, in this embodiment, since the conveyance surface 33 is formed flush with the placement surface 5 and is connected to the placement surface 5, the cutter 4 is placed on the conveyance surface 33 by the slide means 9. It is possible to reliably slide the surface 5 and to exchange the cutter 4 with certainty.
Furthermore, since the second suction portion 54 is provided on the transport table 34, the posture of the cutter 4 sent out by the carry-out portion 35 can be stabilized. Therefore, the cutter 4 can be reliably slid between the transport surface 33 and the placement surface 5 by the slide means 9, and the cutter 4 can be replaced more reliably.

  If the control unit 11 determines that there is no cutter 4 on the transport surface 33 based on the detection data, the control unit 11 sends out a new storage cartridge 32 mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 36 by the Y table 37. Move to position. In the present embodiment, the control unit 11 moves the cartridge mounting unit 36 to the front side in the Y direction by the Y table 37, and is adjacent to the storage cartridge 32 located at the delivery position before the movement on the rear side in the Y direction. The storage cartridge 32 is moved to the delivery position.

Next, a method for discarding the cutter 4 attached to the thin-section manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described. Here, the case where the cutter 4 is attached to the end of the holder 6 opposite to the feeding means 8 in the X direction will be described.
First, the operator performs an operation for discarding the cutter 4 on the operation unit 11a.

Then, as shown in FIG. 16, the control unit 11 to which the operation information is sent first moves the transport table 34 to the disposal position by the table moving unit 57. As a result, the disposal slot 71 coincides with the mounting surface slot 31 in the tilt direction D2.
Further, the control unit 11 moves the push-up portion 28 of the holder 6 backward to release the clamp fixing of the cutter 4 by the holder 6. Next, the control unit 11 pushes the cutter 4 from the opposite side of the feeding means 8 in the X direction with respect to the holder 6 by the second sliding means 61, and the second through hole 4 </ b> B of the cutter 4 is placed on the mounting surface oblong hole 31. The cutter 4 is slid and moved so as to be positioned at.

  Next, the control unit 11 slides the cutter 4 from the placement surface 5 to the surface of the collection path 69 by the first slide means 60. Here, since the collection path 69 is located at the discarding position, the discarding slot 71 coincides with the mounting surface slot 31 in the inclined direction D2, so that the mounting is performed by the first slide means 60. The cutter 4 can be slid between the surface 5 and the surface of the collection path 69. In addition, since the surface of the collection path 69 is separated from the second suction portion 54, the cutter 4 slid to the surface of the collection path 69 is not attracted to the second suction portion 54, and due to its own weight. The surface of the collection path 69 is surely slid down toward the tip of the collection path 69. Then, the cutter 4 that falls on the surface of the collection path 69 by its own weight moves to the tip of the collection path 69 while contacting the guide wall 69a, and then is discarded into the disposal bottle 10 through the disposal shooter 70.

According to the thin section manufacturing apparatus 1 shown above, the replacement of the cutter 4 can be mechanized.
Moreover, since the slide means 9 is formed so that the cutter 4 can be reciprocated along the X direction, the cutter 4 is reciprocated so that the side edge of the cutter 4 and the edge of the mounting surface 5 coincide with each other. By doing so, the portion located at the cutting position in the cutter 4 mounted on the holder 6 can be freely selected between the first cutting edge 3A and the second cutting edge 3B.
Further, since the holder 6 is provided with the first suction portion 24 along the mounting surface 5, the cutter 4 mounted on the holder 6 is positioned at the cutting position regardless of before and after the sliding movement by the sliding means 9. It is possible to stabilize the posture of the cutting edge 3 of the portion to be performed.

Further, since the slide means 9 simply reciprocates the cutter 4 along the X direction on the mounting surface 5, the thin-slice manufacturing apparatus is compared with the case where the holder 6 is reciprocated as in the prior art. 1 can be miniaturized and the structure can be simplified.
Further, since the waste bottle 10 is configured such that the cutter 4 slid to the edge on the X-direction delivery means 8 side by the slide means 9 is discarded, for example, the X direction on the placement surface 5 Compared to the case of forming a collection path for collecting the cutter 4 slid to the opposite edge of the delivery means 8 to the delivery means 8 side in the X direction, the thin-slice preparation device 1 can be reduced in size. .

In addition, since some of the constituent elements of the unloading section 35 are also used as some of the constituent elements of the first slide means 60, it is possible to reduce the number of constituent elements of the thin-section manufacturing apparatus 1, and thin The section preparation apparatus 1 can be downsized and the structure can be simplified.
In addition, since the table moving unit 57 is formed so as to be able to move the transfer table 34 between the transfer position and the discarding position, the transfer unit 34 includes the second suction unit 54 and slide means. The operation of the slide means 9 can be made common when the cutter 4 is attached by 9 and when the cutter 4 is removed by the slide means 9. Therefore, the structure of the slide means 9 can be further simplified while ensuring the replacement of the cutter 4.

Further, since a plurality of cutters 4 are stored in the storage cartridge 32, it is not necessary to replace the storage cartridge 32 each time the cutter 4 is carried out by the carry-out unit 35, and the cutter 4 can be exchanged efficiently.
Further, since the cartridge mounting portion 36 and the Y table 37 are provided, when the cutter 4 in the storage cartridge 32 is lost, a new storage cartridge 32 mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 36 is transferred by the Y table 37 to the sending position. Can be moved to. Therefore, the storage cartridge 32 can be smoothly arranged at the delivery position, and the cutter 4 can be replaced more efficiently.

  Further, since the detection sensor 55 and the control unit 11 are provided, the transport surface when the control unit 11 feeds the cutter 4 to the transport surface 33 by the carry-out unit 35 based on the detection data obtained by the detection sensor 55. By determining that there is no cutter 4 on 33, it can be detected that all the cutters 4 in the storage cartridge 32 have been carried out. Accordingly, the control unit 11 moves the new storage cartridge 32 mounted on the cartridge mounting unit 36 to the output position by the Y table 37 based on the detection data, so that the storage cartridge disposed at the output position is moved. 32 can be exchanged smoothly from empty to new. Thereby, replacement | exchange of the cutter 4 can be performed much more efficiently.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the cutter 4 is configured such that the cutting edge 3 includes the first cutting edge 3A and the second cutting edge 3B, but is not limited thereto.
Further, the cutter 4 is not limited to the one shown in the above embodiment as long as the cutter 4 is formed in a long shape and one end along the longitudinal direction is the cutting edge 3 for cutting the embedding block B.

In addition, the holder 6 can be used in the above-described embodiment as long as the cutting edge 3 protrudes outside the mounting surface 5 and the cutter 4 is detachably mounted in a state where the cutting edge 3 extends along the X direction. It is not limited to what is shown.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the length of the mounting surface 5 was 1.5 times the length L of the cutter 4, it is not restricted to this.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the mounting surface 5 shall be fixed so that the said rake angle (theta) may attach with respect to a horizontal surface, it is not restricted to this.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the cutting stage 7 employ | adopted as a moving means shall move the support stand 2 back and forth along the said cutting direction D1 with respect to the holder 6, a moving means is the support stand 2 and a holder. 6 is not limited to this as long as it is relatively advanced and retracted along the cutting direction D1. For example, the moving means may move the holder 6 forward and backward along the cutting direction D1 with respect to the support base 2.

Moreover, the delivery means 8 will not be restricted to what was shown to the said embodiment, if the cutter 4 is sent out toward the holder 6 side along a X direction.
For example, the sending unit 8 may not include the cartridge mounting unit 36 and the Y table 37. In this case, for example, a cartridge support 2 for arranging the storage cartridge 32 at the delivery position may be provided.
Further, the sending means 8 may not include the transport table 34. In this case, for example, the delivery position may be adjusted so that the cutter 4 carried out from the storage cartridge 32 is sent directly to the placement surface 5.
Furthermore, the delivery means 8 may not include the storage cartridge 32 or the carry-out unit 35. In this case, for example, as a configuration in which a plurality of cutters 4 are arranged in a cutter storage portion which is another part in the storage housing 12 and the feeding means includes a cutter handling robot composed of a multi-axis robot, After conveying the cutter 4 from the storage unit, the cutter 4 may be sent out toward the holder 6 along the X direction.
Further, the form of the storage cartridge 32 is not limited to that shown in the above embodiment, and for example, the insertion pin 83 may not be provided.

  In the embodiment, the waste bottle 10 is disposed on the X direction sending means 8 side with respect to the holder 6, and the end on the X direction sending means 8 side on the placement surface 5 by the slide means 9. Although the cutter 4 slid to the edge is formed to be discarded, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the waste bottle 10 may be disposed on the opposite side of the sending means 8 in the X direction with respect to the holder 6.

  In the above embodiment, the collecting unit 68 is provided. However, the collecting unit 68 may be omitted. In this case, for example, the waste bottle 10 is placed on the placement surface 5 such that the cutter 4 slid to the edge on the delivery means 8 side in the X direction on the placement surface 5 by the slide means 9 is discarded in the waste bottle 10. It is good also as a structure which discards the cutter 4 without passing through a collection | recovery means by arrange | positioning below the edge by the side of the sending means 8 of X direction.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the slide means 9 was provided with the 1st slide means 60 and the 2nd slide means 61, it is not restricted to this. For example, the second slide means 61 may be omitted. The slide means 9 is configured so that the cutter 4 sent out from the sending means 8 is slid along the X direction on the placement surface 5 and can be reciprocated along the X direction. The invention is not limited to that shown in the embodiment.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the 1st adsorption | suction part 24 and the 2nd adsorption | suction part 54 were provided, these may be omitted. Further, even when the first suction portion 24 and the second suction portion 54 are provided, if the ridge portion 21 of the cutter 4 is sucked and the posture of the cutter 4 is maintained so that the blade edge 3 is along the X direction. The invention is not limited to that shown in the embodiment.
In the above embodiment, the detection sensor 55 is provided. However, the detection sensor 55 may not be provided. Furthermore, although the roller pressing portion 86 is provided in the embodiment, the roller pressing portion 86 may not be provided.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the cutting device which concerns on this invention was employ | adopted for the thin slice production apparatus 1 which slices the embedding block B and produces a thin slice, it is not restricted to this. For example, a cutting device that simply cuts the embedded block B in which the biological sample S is embedded may be used. This type of apparatus is preferably used for rough cutting (surface-developing) to expose a desired surface in the biological sample S on the surface (cutting surface) of the embedding block B.

  In addition, it is possible to appropriately replace the constituent elements in the embodiment with known constituent elements without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the above-described modified examples may be appropriately combined.

1 Thin section preparation device 2 Support base (support)
3 Cutting edge 4 Cutter 5 Placement surface 6 Holder 7 Cutting stage (moving means)
8 Sending means 9 Slide means 10 Waste bottle (disposal part)
11 Control part 21 Peak part (the other end along the longitudinal direction of the cutter)
24 1st adsorption part 32 Storage cartridge 33 Conveyance surface 34 Conveyance stand 35 Unloading part 36 Cartridge mounting part 37 Y table (cartridge moving part)
54 Second adsorption part 55 Detection sensor 60 First slide means 61 Second slide means B Embedded block S Biological sample

Claims (8)

A cutting device for cutting an embedded block in which a biological sample is embedded,
A support for supporting the embedding block;
A cutter which is formed in a long shape and whose one end along the longitudinal direction is a cutting edge for cutting the embedded block;
The cutter has a placement surface on which the cutter is placed, and the blade edge protrudes outside the placement surface and the blade edge extends along a certain direction parallel to the placement surface. A holder that is detachably mounted;
The support and the holder are relatively moved forward along a direction intersecting the predetermined direction, and the embedded block is cut by a blade edge of a portion located at a cutting position in the cutter mounted on the holder. Transportation means;
A feeding means for feeding the cutter toward the holder along the fixed direction;
Slide means for sliding the cutter sent out from the delivery means along the fixed direction on the placement surface;
A discarding unit for discarding the cutter slid by the sliding means;
With
The cutting device, wherein the slide means is formed so that the cutter can reciprocate along the fixed direction. The cutting device according to claim 1,
The discard unit is disposed on the delivery means side in the fixed direction with respect to the holder, and is slid to the edge on the delivery means side in the fixed direction on the placement surface by the slide means. Further, the cutting apparatus is configured to discard the cutter. The cutting device according to claim 1 or 2,
The holder is provided with a first suction portion along the placement surface that sucks the other end along the longitudinal direction of the cutter placed on the placement surface and holds the posture of the cutter. The cutting device characterized by the above-mentioned. The cutting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The delivery means includes
A storage cartridge that is disposed at a delivery position spaced apart in the fixed direction with respect to the holder, and stores a plurality of the cutters;
A transport table disposed between the storage cartridge and the holder, having a transport surface formed flush with the mounting surface and connected to the mounting surface;
An unloading section for unloading one of the cutters from the storage cartridge and feeding it to the transport surface along the fixed direction;
With
The slide means is formed to be slidable along the fixed direction between the transport surface and the mounting surface, with the cutter sent to the transport surface by the carry-out unit. Cutting equipment. The cutting device according to claim 4,
The transport table is provided with a second suction portion along the transport surface that sucks the other end along the longitudinal direction of the cutter sent out by the carry-out portion and maintains the posture of the cutter. A cutting device characterized. The cutting device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein
The delivery means includes
A cartridge mounting portion in which a plurality of the storage cartridges are detachably mounted at intervals along the intersecting direction intersecting the certain direction;
A cartridge moving unit that moves the cartridge mounting unit along the crossing direction so that one of the storage cartridges mounted on the cartridge mounting unit is disposed at the delivery position;
A cutting apparatus comprising: The cutting device according to claim 6,
Detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the cutter on the conveying surface;
The cutter is sent out to the transport surface by the carry-out portion, and the cutter sent to the transport surface is slid along the fixed direction between the transport surface and the mounting surface by the slide means. A control unit;
With
When the control unit determines that there is no cutter on the transport surface when the carry-out unit sends the cutter to the transport surface based on the detection data obtained by the detection unit, A cutting apparatus characterized in that a new storage cartridge mounted on a cartridge mounting unit is arranged at the delivery position by the cartridge moving unit. The cutting device according to any one of claims 4 to 7,
The sliding means is
The cutter fed to the transport surface by the unloading unit is formed to be slidable along the fixed direction between the transport surface and the mounting surface, and the cutter is moved along the fixed direction. First slide means formed so as to be capable of reciprocating;
The side end portion facing the longitudinal direction of the cutter placed on the placement surface is pushed into the holder from the opposite side of the feeding means in the fixed direction, and the cutter is fed along the fixed direction. A second slide means for sliding to the means side;
A cutting apparatus comprising:

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