JP2013116068A - Thawing container - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thawing container capable of thawing a frozen sample conveniently in a short time.SOLUTION: The thawing container 1 is for thawing the frozen sample accommodated in a sample container. The thawing container 1 is provided with a holder 14, a transistor 18, a first vibration part 16, and a supporting member 19. The holder 14 presents a cylindrical shape, and accommodates at least a part of the sample container 2 internally. The transistor 18 gives heat to the holder 14. The first vibration part 16 gives vibration in a direction that intersects with the axis of the holder 14 to the holder 14. The supporting member 19 has elasticity and supports the holder 14.

Description

  The present invention relates to a decompressor.

  Conventionally, it is known that environmental factors such as chemical substances affect the growth of organisms. As an example for evaluating the influence of such environmental factors, Patent Document 1 below describes an optical measurement device that measures light emitted from a measurement target in a housing. In this light measurement device, delayed luminescence emitted from algae is measured as an algae growth inhibition test for measuring water pollution, for example.

JP 2010-127637 A

  The sample to be measured by the optical measuring device described above may be provided after being frozen. In this case, the measurer measures the sample after thawing the sample with hot water. However, since it is necessary to thaw in a temperature range that does not affect the measurement, when thawing with a hot water bath, the thawing time may be long. As the thawing time becomes longer, the conditions of the sample are different, so that accurate measurement becomes difficult. In this technical field, a defroster that can defrost a frozen sample easily in a short time is desired.

  The defroster which concerns on 1 side of this invention is a defroster which defrosts the frozen sample accommodated in the sample container. The decompressor includes a holder, a heating unit, a vibration unit, and a support unit. The holder has a cylindrical shape and accommodates at least a part of the sample container therein. The heating unit applies heat to the holder. The vibration unit applies vibration to the holder in a direction intersecting with the axis of the holder. The support part has elasticity and supports the holder.

  In this defroster, a part of the sample container containing the frozen sample is accommodated in the cylindrical holder. And heat is given to a holder by a heating part. The holder is given a vibration in a direction intersecting the axial direction by the vibrating portion. Further, the holder is vibrated while being supported by a support portion having elasticity. With the above configuration, the vibration causes the holder to vibrate in a direction crossing the axial direction, and the vibration is amplified by the support portion so that the holder sinks. As a result, a force acts on the frozen sample in the direction of rotation about the axis of the holder. Furthermore, since the frictional force between the frozen sample and the sample container is reduced by the operation of sinking the holder, and the inertial force acts when the holder returns to the original by the reaction, the frozen sample rotates about the axis of the holder. By rotating the frozen sample, the sample is uniformly stirred in the sample container, and heat is uniformly applied to the entire frozen sample. Therefore, a frozen sample can be thawed easily in a short time.

  In one embodiment, the vibration unit may include a first vibration unit and a second vibration unit. The first vibration unit applies vibration including a horizontal component to the holder. A 2nd vibration part gives the vibration containing a vertical direction component to a holder. By including the second vibration part including the vertical component that directly acts on the support part in this way, the sinking operation of the holder is promoted. For this reason, since the rotational motion of the frozen sample is further promoted, the frozen sample can be thawed in a shorter time.

  In one embodiment, the defroster may further include a heat transfer medium that is provided between the holder and the sample container and transfers heat applied from the heating unit to the sample container. By comprising in this way, the heat of a heating part can be efficiently transmitted to a sample container.

  In one embodiment, the housing may further include a housing having an insertion port into which the sample container is inserted, and the insertion port may be provided with a fixing portion that is fixed to the holder while the sample container is inserted. By configuring in this way, it is possible to avoid that the insertion position of the sample container is shifted due to vibration and the thawing time is not uniform.

  In one embodiment, the heating unit may comprise a transistor. By using the heat generated from the transistor, the frozen sample can be thawed easily without using a heater.

  In one embodiment, the defroster further comprises a sensor that measures the temperature of the holder, and the transistor may provide heat to the holder based on the measurement result of the sensor. By comprising in this way, heat can be given to a holder so that it may become the temperature suitable for thawing | decompression.

  As described above, according to various aspects and embodiments of the present invention, a frozen sample can be thawed easily in a short time.

It is a perspective view of the decompressor which concerns on one Embodiment. It is sectional drawing along the II-II line of the decompressor of FIG. It is sectional drawing along the III-III line of the decompressor of FIG. It is a perspective view of the internal structure of the decompressor of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the decompressor of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. Further, the dimensional ratios in the drawings do not necessarily match those described.

  The defroster according to the present embodiment is suitably employed, for example, when thawing a frozen algae growth inhibition test sample (sample). FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a decompressor 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the decompressor 1 has a housing 10. The housing 10 is provided with an insertion port for inserting a sample container (sample container) 2 for storing a sample. A ring member 12 is disposed on the insertion port. An operation panel 20 is provided on the front surface of the housing 10. The operation panel 20 functions as an operation unit that sets, for example, a thawing temperature, a thawing time, or a thawing start timing. As described above, the sample container 2 having the frozen sample is inserted into the defroster 1, and the user can set a desired defrost temperature, defrost time, or defrost start timing by operating the operation panel 20. It is made into the composition. The operation panel 20 is connected to a CPU described later.

  2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of the decompressor 1 of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of the decompressor 1 of FIG. 1, and FIG. It is a perspective view of an internal structure. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the decompressor 1 includes a bottomed cylindrical holder 14. For example, a metal is used as the material of the holder 14. Specifically, for example, aluminum is used. The holder 14 is disposed inside the housing 10 such that the opening 14 a faces the insertion port 10 a of the housing 10. That is, the holder 14 is arranged so that the axial direction coincides with the vertical direction, and the opening 14a and the insertion port 10a are arranged so as to coincide with each other when viewed from above. The sample container 2 is inserted into the opening 14 a of the holder 14 and at least a part of the sample container 2 is accommodated.

  The holder 14 is supported by the support portion 19 via the support plate 21 on the bottom portion 10 b of the housing 10. Here, four leg portions 19b are formed on the base 19a, and the holder 14 is stably held by supporting from four sides. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, two leg portions 19 b are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the rectangular support plate 21, and two leg portions 19 b are arranged along the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. The holder 14 is supported so as not to contact the inner wall of the housing 10. That is, a gap is provided between the ceiling portion of the housing 10 and the upper end of the holder 14. The support portion 19 is configured by bending a plate-like member. The support portion 19 includes, for example, a substantially flat base 19a, a leg portion 19b erected on the base 19a, and an attachment portion 19c provided at an end of the leg portion 19b. The leg portion 19b is formed by bending an end portion extending from the base 19a. Each leg portion 19b is formed of an elastic member. For example, a member that vibrates in one direction is used as the leg portion 19b. Here, the leg portion 19b is formed as a leaf spring. Stainless steel or plastic is used as the material of the leg 19b. The attachment portion 19c is formed by bending the end portion of the leg portion 19b. A screw hole is formed in the attachment portion 19c, and is fixed to the bottom portion 10b of the housing 10 via a support plate 21 with screws. The bottom of the holder 14 is fixed to the base 19a by, for example, screwing. With the above-described configuration, the holder 14 is fixed to the housing 10 so that the axial direction of the holder 14 coincides with the vertical direction, and vibration given to the holder 14 by a vibration unit described later is amplified. In particular, when the four legs 19b are arranged along two predetermined directions in the horizontal plane, vibrations (vibrations including two components, a horizontal component and a vertical component) described below are applied to the holder 14. Furthermore, vibration amplification can be performed effectively. The number of leg portions 19b is not limited to four, and may be three or five or more.

  The holder 14 is provided with a vibrating portion that applies vibration to the holder 14. Here, the first vibration unit 16 and the second vibration unit 15 are provided as the vibration unit. Each of the first vibration unit 16 and the second vibration unit 15 includes, for example, a motor and a weight. A weight with a biased center of gravity is adopted and attached to the motor shaft. When the motor is driven, the eccentric weight rotates and generates vibration.

  The first vibrating portion 16 is attached to the holder 14 so that the motor shaft matches the axial direction of the holder 14. For example, a motor mounting table 14b that protrudes radially outward of the holder 14 is provided on the end side of the holder 14 where the opening 14a is formed. The first vibration unit 16 is attached to the motor mounting table 14 b so that the motor shaft matches the axial direction of the holder 14. As a result, the first vibrating section 16 gives the holder 14 vibration in a direction that intersects (or is orthogonal to) the axis of the holder 14. In addition, since the holder 14 is arrange | positioned here so that the axial direction may correspond with a perpendicular direction, it can be said that the 1st vibration part 16 gives the vibration containing a horizontal direction component (lateral direction component) to the holder 14. FIG. .

  The second vibrating portion 15 is attached to the holder 14 such that the motor shaft intersects the axial direction of the holder 14. For example, the second vibrating portion 15 is attached to the side surface of the holder 14. As a result, the second vibration unit 15 applies vibration in the axial direction of the holder 14 to the holder 14. Here, since the holder 14 is arranged so that the axial direction thereof coincides with the vertical direction, the second vibration unit 15 causes vibration including a vertical component (vertical component, vertical component) to the holder 14. It can be said to give to.

  A heat conducting member is disposed inside the holder 14. For example, liquid is used as the heat conducting member, and water is used here, for example. Thereby, when the sample container 2 is accommodated in the holder 14, the heat conducting member is disposed between the sample container 2 and the inner wall of the holder 14. With this configuration, the heat applied to the holder 14 by the heating unit described later can be efficiently transmitted to the sample container 2.

  The insertion port 10a of the housing 10 is provided with a holding member 13 for fixing the sample container 2 in the inserted state. The holding member 13 absorbs vertical vibration applied to the inserted sample container 2 and holds the insertion position. As the holding member 13, for example, an O-ring made of rubber is used. The ring member 12 described above functions as a pressing member for fixing the mounting position of the holding member 13 and prevents the heat conducting member from flowing out of the casing due to vibration, while holding the holder 14 and the casing. Covering the gap formed between the holder 10 and the holder 10 also functions as a protective cover that prevents the heated holder 14 from touching the user's finger or the like. Specifically, the ring member 12 has a dish shape and is made of, for example, resin. The opening formed in the center of the ring member 12 is tapered. This taper is provided to guide the sample container 2 so that it can be easily inserted into the holder, and also functions as a funnel when water as a heat conducting member is put into the holder 14. For example, the ring member 12 is provided with a claw portion along the opening, and the claw portion is provided on the upper portion of the holder 14 with the holding member 13 sandwiched between the ring member 12 and the holder 14. Locked to the part. Thereby, the ring member 12 is fixed to the holder 14. Thus, the holding member 13 and the ring member 12 function as a fixing portion that fixes the sample container 2 in a state where the sample container 2 is inserted.

  In addition, the holder 14 is provided with a transistor 18 connected to the first vibrating portion 16 and the second vibrating portion 15 described above. The transistor 18 is a driver that performs power control of the first vibrating unit 16 and the second vibrating unit 15 and functions as one of the control elements. In general, a transistor that operates as a driver generates heat as a loss when performing control output, and dissipates heat with a radiator. On the other hand, in the transistor 18 according to this embodiment, the heat generation itself is a control output, and controls the amount of power used for the heat generation. That is, the transistor 18 functions as a heating unit. As calculated from the general thawing temperature of the sample, the temperature required to heat the sample container 2 is 50 ° C. or lower, and therefore the temperature of the heating element itself does not exceed 70 ° C. at the maximum. Therefore, even a transistor having a heat resistance of about 150 ° C. can sufficiently withstand. Thus, it is not necessary to prepare a heater and a driver separately, and the transistor itself is sufficient as a general-purpose product, so that highly efficient control can be achieved relatively inexpensively. Further, a thermal fuse may be provided on the power supply line of the transistor 18. With this configuration, the thermal fuse is blown when the estimated maximum temperature is exceeded, so that the transistor 18 can be operated within the temperature within the assumed range.

  The transistor 18 is connected to an analog control circuit (OP amplifier) (not shown), and operates by feedback control of the current value and temperature of the analog control circuit. The operation of transistor 18 is controlled in two modes. The first mode is constant current control in which a constant current does not flow at any temperature. In the second mode, the current amount is decreased according to the temperature difference near the target temperature, the current amount necessary for maintaining the temperature is supplied without turning OFF even at the target temperature, and when the target temperature is exceeded, the current amount is further increased according to the temperature difference. It is control to narrow down. Here, the transistor 18 is provided on the side surface of the holder 14. The mounting position of the transistor 18 is not limited to the side surface, and may be the bottom surface of the holder 14 or the like.

  A temperature sensor 17 is disposed on the holder 14. The temperature sensor 17 is connected to the above-described analog control circuit and the CPU 11 disposed on the back surface of the operation panel 20. The CPU 11 has a function of changing the temperature setting of the analog control circuit, for example, the thawing temperature.

  Next, the operation of the decompressor 1 will be described. In order to shorten the thawing time, the CPU 11 operates to derive an initial set temperature and a final set temperature based on a desired thawing temperature input from the operation panel 20 and switch between the two temperature settings. Since the frozen sample container 2 is at least 0 ° C. or less, when the target temperature of the holder 14 is set to the thawing temperature from the beginning, the temperature of the holder 14 becomes the thawing temperature or less immediately after the sample container 2 is inserted. . For this reason, considering the temperature drop, the initial set temperature is set to a range that is just the thawing temperature or slightly lower than the thawing temperature when the sample container 2 is inserted. For example, when the desired thawing temperature is 37 ° C., the initial set temperature is 44 ° C. to 48 ° C. in the range of + 7 ° C. to + 11 ° C., and the temperature of the holder 14 is set to the initial set temperature before inserting the sample container 2. To reach. Thereafter, simultaneously with the start of thawing, that is, when the sample container 2 is inserted, the final set temperature is set to 37 ° C. which is the thawing temperature. In addition, since there exists a possibility that a sample may be heated too much when initial setting temperature is too high, considering the specific heat and mass of the holder 14, initial setting temperature is determined so that the said range may be satisfy | filled.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the decompressor 1. The control process shown in FIG. 5 is executed, for example, when the power of the decompressor 1 is turned on. It is assumed that water is injected into the holder 14 as a heat transfer member before the operation shown in FIG. Then, it is assumed that the operation panel 20 receives a user operation and a desired thawing temperature and thawing time are input via the operation panel 20. The input is not limited to a user operation, and a predetermined thawing temperature and thawing time may be used.

  When the power is turned on, the transistor 18 generates heat and heats the holder 14 (S10). The CPU 11 operates the transistor 18 until the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17 reaches the initial set temperature. When the initial set temperature is reached, this is notified to the user (S12). For example, an alarm sounds and an indicator lamp for notifying the temperature state blinks.

  When the initial set temperature is reached, the sample container 2 is inserted into the defroster 1 by the user (S14). At this time, the sample container 2 is fixed to the holder 14 by the holding member 13. In this state, the operation panel 20 receives a user operation. The start timing is input via the operation panel 20. When a user operation indicating the start timing is received, a timer is set and counting is started.

  In addition, when receiving a user operation indicating the start timing, the CPU 11 sets the target temperature to the final set temperature and operates the transistor 18 to drive the first vibration unit 16 and the second vibration unit 15 (S16). ). And the indicator lamp which alert | reports a temperature state is light-extinguished. The sample container 2 is fixed to the holder 14 by the holding member 13, but the stirring target is in the sample container 2. For this reason, for example, the sample container 2 operates in the same manner as the movement of picking and shaking the upper part of the test tube, and the sample inside the sample container 2 rotates.

  Thereafter, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17 has reached the final set temperature, and whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed. When it is determined that the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17 has reached the final set temperature and a predetermined time has elapsed, an indicator lamp for notifying the temperature state is turned on (S20). Here, for example, two and a half minutes is set as the predetermined time. In this way, not only whether the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17 has reached the final set temperature, but also whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the insertion of the sample is used as a notification condition, so that it remains unmelted in the sample container 2. Even when there is, it is possible to notify when the temperature of the holder 14 has stably reached the final set temperature. After the indicator lamp is lit, a timer is set and counting is started (S22).

  The CPU 11 compares the count time of the timer with the thawing time, and notifies the user when the count time exceeds the thawing time (S24). For example, an alarm sounds and an indicator lamp for notifying the temperature state blinks.

  As mentioned above, according to the decompressor 1 which concerns on this embodiment, a part of sample container 2 which accommodated the frozen sample is accommodated in the cylindrical holder 14. FIG. Then, heat is applied to the holder 14 by the transistor 18. The holder 14 is given a vibration in a direction intersecting the axial direction by the first vibrating portion 16. Further, the holder is vibrated while being supported by a support portion 19 having elasticity. With the above configuration, the holder 14 vibrates in a direction intersecting the axial direction by vibration, and the vibration is amplified by the support portion 19 so that the holder 14 sinks. As a result, a force acts on the frozen sample in the direction of rotation about the axis of the holder 14. Furthermore, since the frictional force between the frozen sample and the sample container 2 is reduced by the sinking operation of the holder 14 and an inertial force is exerted when the holder 14 returns to the original by the reaction, the frozen sample rotates around the axis of the holder 14. Exercise. That is, the frictional force with the holder 14 is lost by the operation of sinking downward, and then the force is applied in the lateral direction when the spring is returned by the reaction. Next, by sinking, the frictional force is lost, and the previous operation continues with the inertial force, which continuously rotates. In this way, a rotational motion (stirring motion) can be caused without greatly shaking. By rotating the frozen sample, the sample container 2 is uniformly stirred, and heat is uniformly applied to the entire frozen sample. Therefore, a frozen sample can be thawed easily in a short time.

  Moreover, according to the decompressor 1 which concerns on this embodiment, since the 1st vibration part 16 and the 2nd vibration part 15 are provided as a vibration part, the sinking operation of the holder 14 is accelerated | stimulated. That is, the second vibrating portion 15 can further enhance the flip-up and lateral vibration of the holder 14. For this reason, since the rotational motion of the frozen sample is further promoted, the frozen sample can be thawed in a shorter time.

  In addition, according to the decompressor 1 according to the present embodiment, water as a heat transfer medium is provided between the holder 14 and the sample container 2, so that the heat of the transistor 18 can be efficiently transmitted to the sample container 2. Can do.

  Further, according to the decompressor 1 according to the present embodiment, the holding port 13 and the ring member 12 that are fixed to the holder 14 with the sample container 2 inserted are provided in the insertion port 10a. It can be avoided that the insertion position of 2 shifts and the thawing time becomes non-uniform.

  Moreover, according to the defroster 1 which concerns on this embodiment, since it heats using the heat | fever which generate | occur | produces from the transistor 18, a frozen sample can be thawed simply, without using a heater.

  Further, according to the decompressor 1 according to the present embodiment, since the heating control is performed using the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17, the initial setting temperature is set higher than the desired thawing temperature in advance, thereby thawing time. Can be further shortened.

  In addition, embodiment mentioned above shows an example of the decompressor which concerns on this invention. The decompressor according to the present invention is not limited to the decompressor according to the embodiment, and the decompressor according to the embodiment may be modified or applied to another.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the first vibrating unit 16 and the second vibrating unit 15 are provided as the vibrating unit has been described, but only the first vibrating unit 16 may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, the timer starts counting at the insertion timing of S14, and whether or not a predetermined time has passed in addition to whether or not the detected temperature of the temperature sensor 17 has reached the final set temperature in the processing of S20. However, it may be determined only whether or not the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17 has reached the final set temperature in the process of S20.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Defroster, 2 ... Sample container (sample container), 10 ... Housing, 10a ... Insertion port, 12 ... Ring member (fixed part), 13 ... Holding member (fixed part), 14 ... Holder, 14a ... Opening part , 15 ... 2nd vibration part (vibration part), 16 ... 1st vibration part (vibration part), 17 ... temperature sensor, 18 ... transistor (heating part), 19 ... support part.

Claims (6)

A defroster for thawing a frozen sample contained in a sample container,
A cylindrical holder that houses at least a part of the sample container;
A heating unit for applying heat to the holder;
A vibrating portion that imparts vibration to the holder in a direction that intersects the axis of the holder;
A support portion having elasticity and supporting the holder;
A decompressor.   2. The decompressor according to claim 1, wherein the vibration unit includes a first vibration unit that applies vibration including a horizontal component to the holder, and a second vibration unit that applies vibration including a vertical component to the holder.   3. The defroster according to claim 1, further comprising a heat transfer medium that is provided between the holder and the sample container and transfers heat applied from the heating unit to the sample container. The housing further includes a housing having an insertion port for inserting the sample container,
The decompressor as described in any one of Claims 1-3 in which the fixing | fixed part fixed to the said holder in the state which inserted the said sample container in the said insertion port was provided.   The defroster according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heating unit includes a transistor. A sensor for measuring the temperature of the holder;
The decompressor according to claim 5, wherein the transistor applies heat to the holder based on a measurement result of the sensor.

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