JP2969084B2 - Nozzle tip disposal device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a nozzle tip discarding apparatus, and more particularly to an improvement of a nozzle tip discarding apparatus for continuously dropping and discarding nozzle tips pulled out from a nozzle base at a predetermined discarding position.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A dispensing apparatus for dispensing a sample is conventionally known. For example, a plurality of specimens such as blood or serum collected from the human body and reagents for performing predetermined processing by mixing with the specimens are stored in a storage container. It is used as a device for dispensing into small containers. At this time, a predetermined amount of the sample or the reagent is sucked from the storage container by a vacuum suction device or the like, and is discharged to a predetermined small container. In such a dispensing apparatus, usually, various kinds of specimens and reagents are continuously processed, so that a suction nozzle (hereinafter, referred to as a nozzle base) of the vacuum suction apparatus is a suction target in order to prevent mixing and contamination. Each time it changes or each time it is aspirated, it must be replaced with a new one. Therefore, conventionally, the above-mentioned object is achieved by mounting a disposable (disposable) nozzle tip mainly made of inexpensive resin such as hard plastic on the nozzle base and replacing the nozzle tip. .

After such a nozzle tip is used, it is detached from the nozzle base at a predetermined disposal position, put into a waste box or the like and collected, and then subjected to a predetermined disposal process. In FIG.
The state of recovery by a conventional nozzle chip disposal device is shown. Nozzle base 10 equipped with nozzle tip 100
When a predetermined dispensing operation is completed, XY-not shown in FIG.
The Z arm moves the nozzle tip to a discard position 104. Below the disposal position 104, a disposal box 106 made of resin or metal for collecting the nozzle tip 100 to be disposed is disposed. In the disposal position 104,
For example, a remover 108 composed of a groove having an open-ended shape is fixedly arranged, and the nozzle base 102 moves so that the upper end of the nozzle tip 100 contacts the lower side of the remover 108 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the nozzle tip 100 is pulled out of the nozzle base 102 by lifting the nozzle base 102 upward. The withdrawn nozzle tip 100 falls into the waste box 106 by its own weight and is collected.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the nozzle chip is collected by another disposal device. As in the example of FIG. 3, the nozzle tip 100 withdrawn from the nozzle base at a predetermined disposal position is a duct 110 bent at a predetermined angle in the middle.
Passes while colliding with the wall inside. As a result, the drop direction and drop posture of the nozzle tip 100 are arbitrarily changed, and the nozzle tip 100 is dropped and collected in the waste box 106.

When the collection of the nozzle chips 100 is completed in a predetermined number (for example, about 5000 pieces), a full alarm or the like is output from a control unit (not shown), and the waste box 106
Is taken out of the dispensing device, and the nozzle tip 100 is disposed of by a predetermined method.

[0006]

However, in the case of the discarding apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the nozzle chips are continuously removed at a predetermined position. In the connected state, only a part of the waste mountain rises, protrudes from the upper end of the waste box, and finally a part of the waste mountain rises to the position of the remover. As a result, there is a problem that the nozzle tip cannot be pulled out. When a full alarm is output and the waste box is taken out of the dispensing device (not shown), if the nozzle tip projects from the upper end of the waste box, the nozzle chip comes into contact with a frame of the dispensing device and the nozzle chip is discarded. There is a problem that the sample or the reagent adhering to the nozzle chip is scattered outside the box or the nozzle chip is scattered. At this time, it is conceivable to change the disposal position arbitrarily or to apply vibration to the disposal box to prevent the connection of the nozzle tips, but this is not preferable because the mechanical configuration becomes complicated.

On the other hand, in the disposal device shown in FIG. 4, since the drop direction and the drop posture of the nozzle tip are arbitrarily changed using a duct, it is possible to prevent a partial swelling as shown in FIG. Since the sample or reagent attached to the nozzle tip contains a viscous substance (particularly, a separating agent mixed into the sample), the sample or reagent in the duct, particularly at a bent portion where the nozzle tip always collides, is required. Are scattered and adhere to the wall surface. As a result, there is a problem that the nozzle tip is clogged at that portion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has an advantage in that waste collection and recovery can be efficiently performed without generating a partial swelling or scattering of a sample or a reagent due to connection of a nozzle tip. It is another object of the present invention to provide a nozzle chip disposal device that can be performed with a simple configuration.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a nozzle chip discarding device for pulling out a nozzle tip from a nozzle base at a predetermined disposal position and dropping and discarding the nozzle tip. It is arranged vertically below the disposal position and has a thin line-shaped obstacle that collides with the falling nozzle tip and scatters the nozzle tip.

Here, the thin line-shaped obstacle is formed of metal, resin, fiber, or the like. According to this configuration, the nozzle tip that drops from the disposal position is flipped in an arbitrary direction by colliding with an obstacle disposed vertically below, so that the drop does not concentrate on a part of the nozzle tip and the disposal mountain is reduced. It is possible to prevent swelling in the part. Further, since the obstacle is in the form of a thin line, the sample or the reagent does not adhere to the obstacle and the nozzle tip does not clog.

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, another configuration of the present invention is that the obstacle is a narrow meridian wire transversely arranged across an arbitrary position vertically below the disposal position. Features.

According to this configuration, the drop direction and the drop posture of the nozzle tip can be changed with a simple configuration that simply fixes the thin wire in the vicinity of the discard position, thereby preventing a part of the discarded nozzle tip from rising. .

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a nozzle chip disposal device 10. The structure for withdrawing the nozzle tip 100 from the nozzle base 102 is the same as the conventional method shown in FIG.

A characteristic feature of the present embodiment is that a thin line-shaped obstacle is arranged vertically below the nozzle tip disposal position.

In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the obstacle 12 is formed of a fine wire material having corrosion resistance, for example, stainless steel. This obstacle 12
The wire diameter is, for example, about 1 mm, and as shown in FIG.
It is bent in a substantially U-shape and fixed to a frame 14 or the like of a dispensing device (not shown) provided with a remover 108. At this time, the central axis of the thin wire material constituting the obstacle 12 is vertically below the disposal position 104, that is, the nozzle base 10
2 must be positioned so as to intersect exactly with the drop axis of the nozzle tip 100 that falls from FIG.
In the case of the present embodiment, the middle side 12 a of the obstacle 12 bent in a U-shape is arranged so as to cross the falling axis 16 of the nozzle tip 100.

The operation of the nozzle tip discarding apparatus 10 having such a configuration will be described. As previously mentioned,
After completing the predetermined dispensing operation, the nozzle base 102 moves the XY-not shown (not shown) to the predetermined nozzle tip disposal position 104.
It is moved by a Z arm or the like. Then remover 108
Then, the nozzle chip 100 is pulled out from the nozzle base 102 by hooking the upper end of the nozzle chip 100. The extracted nozzle tip 100 falls vertically downward by its own weight. Then, it collides with the obstacle 12 and scatters so as to be flipped to the left and right of the obstacle 12. At this time, since the nozzle tip 100 is arbitrarily rotated and dropped by the collision, the nozzle tip 100 falling first and the nozzle tip 100 falling later are not connected as shown in FIG. The sample and the reagent are attached to the nozzle tip 100, and the sample and the reagent are scattered when colliding with the obstacle 12, but the obstacle 12 has a thin line shape, and thus the sample and the reagent are attached. Does not adhere.

As described above, the nozzle tip 100
The sample may come off from the nozzle base 102 due to the adhered sample or reagent, and may be tilted before colliding with the obstacle 12, but as shown in FIG.
Since 0 has a substantially triangular pyramid shape, the upper large-diameter portion comes into contact with the obstacle 12, so that good scattering can be performed.

In this embodiment, the example in which the obstacle 12 is formed by bending a metallic thin wire material in a U-shape has been described. However, the thin wire obstacle located on the drop axis of the nozzle tip 100 is described. If it is a thing, it is possible to obtain the same effect,
For example, a thin metal rod may be provided upright on the drop axis of the nozzle tip 100.

Further, in the present embodiment, the obstacle 12 made of the fine wire material is fixed directly to the frame of the dispensing apparatus. However, a flange is formed on the frame, and the flange is
A straight bar crossing the 00 drop axis may be held.

Further, in the present embodiment, the obstacle 12 is fixed to the frame 14 defining the disposal position 104 in order to make the center axis of the obstacle 12 and the falling axis of the nozzle tip 100 exactly coincide with each other. The obstacle may be fixed to the disposal box 106 side as long as an accurate positional relationship between the obstacle and the obstacle 12 can be guaranteed.

In the case of FIG. 2, when the waste box 106 is pulled out after the predetermined number of nozzle chips 100 have been collected, the waste box 106 is removed as necessary so that the obstacle 12 is not in the way. Only the obstacle 12 is retracted by the lock and free mechanism so that the obstacle 12 is retracted.
2 may be held, or the waste box 106 may be dropped after being lowered by a predetermined amount.

Further, the same effect can be obtained even if the obstacle 12 is formed of resin or fiber in addition to metal.

[0023]

According to the present invention, the nozzle tip falling from the discard position is flipped off in an arbitrary direction by colliding with an obstacle provided vertically below the discard position, and the nozzle tip falls partially. The swelling of a part of the nozzle tip that is discarded and collected without any problem can be prevented by a simple configuration in which an obstacle is arranged, and the nozzle tip can be efficiently discarded and collected. In addition, since the obstacle is in the form of a thin line, a sample or a reagent does not adhere to the obstacle, and a trouble such as a clogged nozzle tip does not occur.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a nozzle chip disposal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a nozzle chip disposal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a waste collection state of a conventional nozzle chip disposal device.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view illustrating another state of disposal and collection of a conventional nozzle tip disposal device.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 disposal device, 12 obstacles, 14 frames, 16
Drop axis, 100 nozzle tip, 102 nozzle base, 104 disposal position, 106 waste box, 108 remover, 110 duct.

Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G01N 35/00-35/10

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A nozzle chip discarding device which pulls out a nozzle tip from a nozzle base at a predetermined discard position and drops and discards the nozzle tip. The nozzle tip is disposed vertically below the discard position, collides with the falling nozzle tip and scatters the nozzle tip. An apparatus for discarding a nozzle tip, comprising a thin line-shaped obstacle. 2. The nozzle chip disposal device according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle is a thin meridian wire arranged transversely across an arbitrary position vertically below the disposal position.