JP3213435B2 - Automatic sample sampling method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sampling method and an apparatus for testing the number of bacteria in foods and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis of specimens have been performed in order to inspect foods for safety and component analysis. There are various methods for this analysis. For example, a predetermined amount of a sample of a desired food is taken, diluted if necessary, and the sample is cultured in an appropriate medium. For example, in the case of effective bacteria such as bifidobacteria,
Although the number of bacteria in one drink pack is predetermined, the number of bacteria to be counted in one of the containers for samples (Petri dish, etc.) is usually preferably 300 or less, diluted to 10 ⁸ times 10 ⁶ times, the container And put the medium. In this dilution and culture work, the number of samples is generally multi-branch, the number of samplings is also large depending on the test item, and when there are multiple types of culture media, sampling of the samples and liquid culture Requires a great deal of time for its injection. This culturing operation is generally performed in a sterile room or the like, and is performed for the purpose of improving the inspection accuracy and the like. As described above, the inspection by culture naturally requires high inspection accuracy. On the other hand, for example, in the case of performing inspection periodically without stopping the production line in the quality control of the production process in a factory or the like, the inspection result is required. When it is important to provide immediate feedback, promptness of inspection results is required.

[0003]

Conventionally, in the above-mentioned cultivation work, since the cultivation work is almost always performed by hand, not only the burden on the operator is large but also the viewpoint of maintaining the aseptic state. Therefore, work relying on humans had a problem in its reliability. Furthermore, although the culture using the agar medium has high reliability in the test results, there is a disadvantage that it requires a relatively long time to see the results. On the other hand, there is an inspection method using a liquid medium, for example, an inspection method in which the amount of carbon dioxide released by metabolism by bacteria during culturing is observed by an optical measuring device to inspect the state of the cultivation. In addition, the inspection results can be obtained very quickly. However, in such an inspection method using a liquid medium, an inspection result can be obtained quickly, but there are some difficulties in inspection accuracy. For this reason, an inspection method that satisfies the requirement of the inspection accuracy and an inspection method that satisfies the promptness of the inspection result are sometimes used in combination.

[0004] However, the above-mentioned two inspection methods are greatly different from each other, for example, a culture medium, a culture container, an observation method, and the like. In this case, the burden on the worker increases. In addition, for example, although different workers can work simultaneously on different inspection lines, both inspections can proceed simultaneously, but this naturally raises a problem that a large number of workers are required for the inspection. I do. The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and not only improves the workability and the test accuracy and reliability in culturing a specimen such as a food, but also improves the test accuracy with an emphasis on test accuracy. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sampling method and apparatus that can perform sampling and inspection sampling with emphasis on quickness of inspection results at substantially the same time.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to move a first container using an agar medium in a specific first transport path and to reduce a second container using a liquid medium in a second transport path. Even so, partly along the first transport path,
The sample is supplied to the first container and the second container by one sample supply means for pouring out a sample of the sample, and thereafter, by one display means capable of outputting a previously input display item, After displaying on the first container and the second container, each container is stored in a storage area at each end side of the first transport path and the second transport path. Can be achieved.

The object of the present invention is to provide a first container delivery device for sequentially delivering a first container using an agar medium and a second container delivery device for delivering a second container using a liquid medium, The first for moving one container on the first transport path
A transport unit, a second transport unit configured to move at least partially along the first transport unit and configured to move the second container on a second transport path, and a second transport unit adjacent to the first and second transport units. A sample holding means for holding a plurality of samples, and an arm movable to supply a sample sample to the first and second containers so that a pipette tip for discharging the sample from the sample can be removed from a pipette tip rack. One sample supply means provided with
This can be achieved by an automatic sample sampling apparatus comprising: one display means for displaying on the second container; and each storage unit for storing and storing the first and second containers respectively in a state where the sample sample can be cultured.

[0007]

As described above, according to the present invention, the same sample sample can be used to automatically and continuously supply two different types of culture media to different containers by the same sample supply means. The same information can be used to accurately display information on different types of containers by the same display means, and each container can be collected at a predetermined location on a separate transport line. In the case of dispensing and dispensing of a medium, labor can be eliminated, and the accuracy of sampling and the working speed for different kinds of tests corresponding to different requirements can be increased. In addition, since the sample collection, the dispensing of the culture medium, and the injection of the specimen into the bottle containing the liquid culture medium are fully automated, the entire operation can be performed in a sterile room or the like, thereby increasing the sterility level. This facilitates the improvement of the reliability of the culture data.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described below. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic sampling / medium dispensing apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. First, the outline of the apparatus of the present embodiment will be described. This device is sealed and packaged, for example, to check the number of viable bacteria in bacteria drinks and other products, the number of E. coli, etc.
Read the bar code of the product and the bar code such as the number of the filling machine and the container type that have been made in advance with a reader, or use the touch display to enter the product name, the number of the filling machine, the collection date, etc. The products set in the order entered are automatically transported, the area around the opening is sterilized, opened, and after a specified amount of suction,
Inject into a Petri dish (inject after dilution if necessary), dispense after dispensing a prescribed amount of medium, and also sample for inspection in Bayer bottles containing the medium, input data (filler number, Product name, collection date, collection time, etc.)
Is a bar code, which is attached to a petri dish lid or a Bayer bin, for example, a stacking and stacking of a plurality of Petri dishes, or a Bayer bin can be automatically stored in a predetermined storage section. As shown in FIG. 9, the Bayer bin B is filled with an appropriate amount of the liquid medium L, and its mouth is closed by a rubber cap B1 so as to cover an outer peripheral portion of the cap B1. B
It is swaged at 2.

The above device will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes various members and devices described below on a main gantry 2, and a sample holding gantry 3 and a Bayer bin adjacent to the main gantry 2. A supply section 90 and a Bayer bin transport section 99 are further provided. The main gantry 2 has a lower support surface 2a of the gantry 2 and an upper support surface 4 on the upper side. A petri dish 20, which is a light-transmitting container, is sequentially sent out to the upper support plate 4. A container delivery device 5, a pipette rack 18 in which micropipettes are arranged and stored, a pipette collection unit 19, a sample diluting unit 21, a display unit 70, a petri dish storage unit 80, a Bayer bin storage unit 96, and the like are provided.
In addition, the petri dish 20 sent out by the feeding device 5 is placed on the lower support surface 2a, for example, the transport path 3 which is a specific path.
A transporting means including a chain 31 provided with a push rod 32 and a push rod 32. The transporting means 30 is adjacent to the transporting path 30, and is supplied from the sample holding gantry 3 to the petri dish 20 (in some cases, poured out to the specimen diluting unit 21 and supplied to the petri dish 20 therefrom. ), A robot 40 serving as a sample supply device for pouring out a sample of a sample, a medium dispenser 50 serving as a medium supply device for supplying a fluid medium to the petri dish 20, and a mixer for pulverizing the medium and the sample sample. Display unit 7 for automatically attaching a print sheet on which specific display items are written to dispenser 60, petri dish 20, and Bayer bin B
0 and the like are provided.

[0010] Each of the above members will be described. First, the delivery device 5 is for moving (moving rightward in the figure) a state in which the petri dishes 20 are stacked high as shown in the figure, and for example, at least one pair (only one is shown)
It is composed of a conveyor belt 7 stretched around a belt roller 6 and side plates 8 standing upright on both sides of the conveyor belt 7, and is driven by a motor (not shown) or the like based on appropriate signals.

A support bracket 9 having a support surface substantially at the same level as the height of the conveyor belt 7 is disposed at the end of the feeding device 5. The support bracket 9 has a circular hole into which a petri dish 20 is dropped. 10 are formed, and four support bars 11 stand upright so as to surround an edge portion of the circular hole 10. One of the support bars 11 on the conveyor side is configured to be movable by an appropriate device (not shown) so that the stacked petri dishes 20 fed by the conveyor belt 7 can be stored in the support bar 11. It is configured.

The petri dish 20 supplied to the portion of the support bracket 9 is placed on the petri dish supply table 12 below the bracket 9 with the lowermost one being dropped from the circular hole 10. I have. Here, a rotary shaft 13 protrudes from a substantially center position of the petri dish supply table 12, and is fixed to the rotary shaft 13 and rotates on the supply table 12 (rotates in a counterclockwise direction).
4 are provided. The cut-out arm 14 pushes the side surface of the petri dish 20 located at the circular hole 10 and sends out the petri dish 20 so as to draw a substantially semicircle. At this time, the upper and lower petri dishes 20 contact each other. When the shape is such that the surface is not caught, the lowermost petri dish 20 can be sent out one by one by simply rotating the cutting arm 14 so as to slide and push out. However, in the case of a structure in which the petri dishes are hooked at the upper and lower contact surfaces, the petri dishes 20 above the second stage can be sent out by the cut-out arm 14 in a state where the petri dishes 20 above the second stage are lifted by a gripping device (not shown).

The petri dish 20 sent to an appropriate position by the cutting arm 14 is lifted by the lid 20a being sucked by the lid holding member 15 provided with the suction disk 16 at the tip. That is, the lid holding member 15 is configured so that the arm portion can move up and down and can be rotated or moved horizontally by an appropriate angle.
Reference numeral 6 is connected to suction means (not shown), and suction and release of suction can be appropriately performed. Petri dish 20 opened
Inside the pipette 46 set at the tip of the robot 40
Thereby, a sample can be taken out from a desired sample container and supplied to the petri dish in a predetermined amount. When the specimen is to be supplied into a petri dish after dilution, the specimen is injected into a test tube in the dilution section 21 containing dilution water, and then appropriately stirred by a stirring device attached to the lower surface (not shown) of the dilution section. (The same operation was repeated according to the desired dilution ratio.) After that, the mixture was supplied into a petri dish.

The robot 40 includes a leg 41 and the leg 4
1, a rotary body 42 provided horizontally rotatable, a robot arm 43 provided on the rotary body 42, and a distal end attached to the distal end of the robot arm 43 to make the micropipette 46 detachable. 44. The sample holding frame 3 is arranged so as to hold the sample container 25 within the reach of the robot arm 43.
The structure is, for example, a pair of sprockets 27a.
A large number of movable bases 24 are attached to a chain 27 which is stretched over the chain 27, and is appropriately rotated and driven based on a signal from a control unit 29 described later. A sterilizer 23 for sterilizing the upper surface of the sample container 25 (at least the portion that comes into contact with the micropipette) and the upper surface of the stopper portion of the Bayer bin B (at least the portion that comes into contact with the micropipette) are placed on the sample holding base 3. Is provided.

The structure of the sterilizer 23 is not particularly limited. For example, a band-shaped nonwoven fabric impregnated with a sterilizing agent is stored in a roll, and two motors 23a and 23b are used as shown in the figure. In addition, the strip-shaped non-woven fabric is brought into contact with a sterilized surface while being appropriately wound, and sterilized. In addition, for example, a type of sterilizing using a UV lamp or the like can be used. The pipette rack 18 and the pipette collecting section 19 for collecting the used micropipettes 46 are, of course, arranged at appropriate positions in the movement area of the robot arm.

The Petri dish 20 is a Petri dish supply table 12
From the transport path 30. In this transport path 30,
A chain 31, for example, is stretched endlessly along the inside of the transport path via sprockets 33, 34, 35, 36, etc., and a push rod 32 fixed at an appropriate interval is provided on the chain 31. The petri dish 20 is moved by being pushed by the push rod 32. The chain 32 is moved by driving one of the sprockets by a drive system (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 3, the medium dispenser 50 supplies supply nozzles 52a and 52a so as to supply, for example, three types of medium.
53a, 54a are air cylinders 52, 53, 5 respectively.
4 attached. Further, the petri dish 20 that has moved to a predetermined position (medium supply area) on the transport path 30 is temporarily stopped at this position, and is closed by a lid holding member 51 having a suction plate 51a connected to a suction unit (not shown). 20a
In this state, in order to supply a predetermined medium, for example, the cylinder 52 can extend in the direction of the petri dish 20 and discharge a predetermined amount of the medium from the nozzle 52a. The medium is discharged by operating one of the medium pumps 17. After the supply of the culture medium is completed, the cylinder 52 returns to the standby position and the lid holding means 5
1 can be lowered and the suction board 51a can be released from suction and closed.

The petri dish 20 to which the culture medium and the sample have been supplied reaches the pour device 60 after rotating about 90 degrees on the transport path 30. This pour device 60 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), a pour table 60a constituting a part of the transport path 30 is supported by a support plate 61 in a state of being separated from the transport path 30. This support plate 6
1 is fixed and supported on a base plate 63 via four relatively thin elastic struts 62 such as silicon tubes. A shaft 69 extending downward is fixed to a substantially central portion of the support plate 61, and an intermediate engaging member 68 rotatable around the shaft 69 is connected via a bearing structure. The engagement shaft 68a extending to the lower end is the shaft 6
9 is a position where the axis is shifted. This engagement shaft 68
a is engaged with an elongated hole 67a of a crank member 67, and the crank member 67 is configured to perform horizontal rotation by an output shaft 67b of a speed reducer 66 driven by a motor 64. Therefore, the pour table 60a makes a substantially horizontal circular motion in a certain direction by the rotation of the motor 64 in a predetermined direction. The pour table 60a can perform a circular motion in the opposite direction by reversing the rotation of the motor 64. By rotating and reversing this circular motion, the pour action can be performed quickly and smoothly.

A display unit 70 for displaying necessary information such as inspection contents on the petri dish 20 is arranged at a position behind the pruning operation (downstream of the transport path). This display unit 70
For example, the print sheet 20c having a barcode printer 71, which can be separated and peeled into an appropriate size, is sent out of the printer in a state where it is individually peeled from a delivery roll 71a to which a print sheet 20c is continuously adhered. When sent, the necessary information is in a printed state, and the base sheet is sequentially wound around the winding roll 71c. The fed print sheet 20c is suction-held by the suction board 72. Thereafter, the print sheet 20c is moved onto the transport path 30 by the air cylinder 74 (movement in the direction of arrow A), and the air sheet 73 is actuated to lower the print sheet 20c (direction of arrow B) and press it against the petri dish 20. After the suction of the suction board 71 is released, the suction board 71 is raised again (in the direction of arrow C), and returns to the standby position (in the direction of arrow D). The operation of the display unit 70 is started by a detection signal from the petri dish detection sensor 75.

The petri dish 20 conveyed to the petri dish storage unit 80 is stopped at predetermined storage buckets 81, 82 and 83, and then lifted up from the transport path 30 and stored in a stacked state. This storage bucket 81 has a petri dish 20
Is configured, for example, as shown in FIG. At the entrance of the storage bucket 81, a pair of U-shaped flaps 84 are provided, which are swingable upward and project so as to face the transport path. A pusher 85 that can reciprocate in the direction of the storage unit 81 by the cylinder 86 located is provided. A lifter 87 that can lift the petri dish 20 from the transport path is provided below the transport path 30.
Is arranged. The operation of the lifter 87 is performed by the cylinder 88 and the like.

When the lifter 87 lifts the petri dish 20, for example, the petri dish placed on the flap is pushed up from below and lifted above the flap 84. Then, the lifter 87 is lowered with the flap 84 returned to the horizontal position, and the petri dish 20 is placed on the flap. By repeating this operation, the petri dishes 20 are stacked in a stacked state,
Thereafter, the pusher 85 is operated to move the stacked petri dishes 20 to the storage bucket 81. The other storage buckets 82 and 83 have the same configuration.

The operation and operation of the apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. First, before the operation work, the petri dish is set on the conveyor, and the culture medium container is set in the culture medium storage unit 28. In addition, the sample containers are set on the moving table 24 in accordance with the processing order, and a pipette tip is set. Further, the Bayer bin B containing the liquid medium is set in the Bayer bin supply unit 90. Further, if necessary, a test tube containing dilution water is set in the sample diluting section 21 composed of a rack or the like. First Petri dish 20
The following describes sampling using. The above device 1
When starting the operation of the robot arm,
4, a pipette tip is attached thereto, and the Petri dish 20 is separated and supplied onto the transport path 30.
Sterilize the top surface. Next, a sample is aspirated by inserting a pipette from the upper surface of the sample container 25. Petri dish 2
The lid of No. 0 is opened by the lid holding member 15 to discharge the sample into the petri dish, and then the lid of the petri dish is closed again.
Thereafter, the petri dish 20 is transported to the culture medium supply area, the lid is opened by the lid holding unit 51, and a predetermined culture medium is discharged by the culture medium dispenser 50 and closed. Next, the petri dish 20 is moved onto the pour table 60a. This pour table 60
“a” performs a circular motion in a rightward and leftward direction for a predetermined period according to the specimen sample for a specific period of time to effect effective pour. After the pour is completed, the petri dish 20 is moved to the display unit 70, where the print sheet 20c is placed on the upper surface of the petri dish 20.
Affix. Thereafter, the petri dish 20 is stored in the petri dish storage unit 8.
0 after moving to a predetermined storage bucket.
The sheets are stacked on the flap 84 so as to be lifted from the flap 84, and stored in a storage bucket when a predetermined stacked state is reached.

The transfer section and transfer structure of the Bayer bin and the operation of the transfer section will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2, 5, 7 and 8. The sampling operation using the Bayer bin B may be substantially synchronized with the operation on the petri dish side, or may be performed independently. However, when sampling the same sample, it is preferable to set the operation timing to synchronize the Bayer bin side and the petri dish side in consideration of the operation efficiency and the like of the robot 40. The Bayer bin B containing the liquid medium has a feed bar 92 and has two rows (in the figure, two rows, but depending on the test method, a desired number of rows).
Are supplied one by one or two from a Bayer bin supply section 90 having a bin storage section 91 to a Bayer bin transport section 99 extending in a direction orthogonal to the supply section 90 (depending on the test method, a large number of Supply Bayer bin). In addition,
The movement of the Bayer bin B in the bin housing portion 91 is performed by an intermittent moving method described later by the feed bar 92 or the like. The Bayer bin B supplied to the Bayer bin transport unit 99 is moved in a predetermined direction on the transport plate 93 by intermittent movement by a support plate 94 having a feed bar 95 protruding in a comb shape at a predetermined interval.

The intermittent movement in the Bayer bin conveyance refers to the movement of the bottom 91a of the bin storage 91 as shown in FIG.
A plurality of feed bars 92 (five feed bars to) are provided at predetermined intervals and projecting upward from the support plate 92a.
It is supported by. The support plate 92a is moved up and down and up and down (left and right and up and down in the figure) by driving means (not shown).
Moving. Therefore, as the feed bar 92 moves from (a) to (b) in FIG. 7, for example, moves in the direction of arrow a when viewed from the position of the movement starting point X, the Bayer bin B moves forward in the left direction. Thereafter, the feed bar 92 moves in the direction of arrow b so as to be retracted below the bottom surface 91a, and retreats in the direction of arrow c (from b to d). The feed bar 92 moves in the direction of arrow d (from d to b) and protrudes above the bottom surface 91a. By repeating such a box operation, the Bayer bin B can be moved. This is a completely similar mechanism in the Bayer bin transport section 99, except that the feed bar 95 is configured horizontally.

The upper surface of the rubber cap B1, which is the bottle stopper, is sterilized in the Bayer bin B on the Bayer bin transport section 99 by the sterilizer 23 described above. Thereafter, a prepared hole is formed in the cap B1 by an appropriate cut using the cutter of the prepared hole processing section 100. After that, it moves downstream and is positioned in the sample dispensing section 101, and the robot 40 injects the sample. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the Bayer bin B is fed by a feed bar 95 (see FIG. 8) by a bin overturning portion 102 composed of guide rails 102a and 102b (guide rail support structures are not shown) having inclinations in two different directions at the up and down positions. (Not shown in FIG. 8). This overturn also serves as a pour action for mixing the specimen and the medium. Thereafter, label attachment is performed at the display unit 70.

At the initial stage of attaching the print sheet 20c, the label is attached in the same manner as in the case of the petri dish 20 described above. However, since the bottle surface is curved, a label holding device 103 is provided. The label holding device 103 includes an air cylinder 75 for horizontal movement, an air cylinder 76 for vertical movement, and a holding portion 79 attached to a tip of the air cylinder 76 and having a curved surface portion 79a corresponding to a bin curved surface. ing. In addition, at the label affixing portion and its downstream side, as shown in FIG. 5, the transport plate 93 is provided with a tapered surface portion 77 for fixing the position of the Bayer bin B, and a depression 78a for holding the bin neck portion. And an upright portion 104 provided with a bin bottom pushing member 78a. This is because the bin is gradually raised by being pushed by the feed bar 95 (not shown in FIG. 5) and moving along the neck portion of the bin along the upright plate 78, and finally the bin is finally raised. When the bottle bottom portion is pushed by the bottle bottom pushing member 78, the bottle is completely raised. The Bayer bin B is further transported, and is laterally fed from the transport section 93 to the Bayer bin storage section 96 by the pressing member 105 arranged at the end of the transport section 99.

The Bayer bin B into which the sample has been injected as described above uses a method in which the amount of carbon dioxide released by the bacteria propagated in the culture medium due to its metabolism is detected by a measuring device using, for example, an infrared spectroscope. By using the agar medium, it is necessary to obtain about 2
As compared with the time of 4 to 48 hours, the test result can be obtained in a very short time, for example, about several hours after the sample is injected into the medium.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified as described below. For example, the container delivery device is not limited to a belt conveyor type, but may be a configuration in which the container is pushed out by a suitable pusher, or a supply by rotation of a turntable.
Also, various well-known transporting means can be used, and the structure of the storage unit can be appropriately changed as needed. Further, the container may not be shaped like a petri dish, and in this case, a transport system corresponding to the container is used. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the pruning operation is performed. However, in the present invention, this pruning operation is not necessarily required depending on the specimen, and in such a case, the pruning operation can be omitted. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the printing sheet is attached after the pruning operation, but the timing of the attaching operation is not particularly limited as long as it is individually conveyed.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention, the first container using the agar medium is moved in the first transport path, and the second container using the liquid medium is moved in the second transport path to the first transport path. One display that supplies the sample to the first container and the second container by one sample supply unit that discharges a sample of the sample so that the display items that have been input in advance can be output. After displaying on the first container and the second container by the means, each container is stored in the storage area at each end side of the first transport path and the second transport path, so that the same sample sample is used. Then, the sample can be automatically and continuously supplied to two different kinds of culture media in different containers by the same sample supply means, and finally the desired information can be accurately displayed on the different kinds of containers by the same display means. Can be displayed on Further, it is possible to collect a predetermined portion of each container in a separate conveying line. Furthermore, according to the present invention, even in sample collection, sample dilution, and medium dispensing, labor can be eliminated, and sampling accuracy and work speed for different types of tests corresponding to different requirements can be reduced. Can be enhanced. Furthermore, by fully automating the sampling and dispensing of the culture medium and the injection of the specimen into the bottle containing the liquid culture medium as described above, a plurality of work processes can be performed in a small space, so that the size of the sterile room is small. As a result, the sterility of the sterile room can be easily maintained at a high level, and the running cost for maintaining the sterility can be reduced. The reliability of the culture data can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an automatic sampling / medium dispensing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the automatic sampling / medium dispensing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a medium dispensing section shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of the pour section shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a main part showing a display section of the petri dish and Bayer bin shown in FIG. 1 and a structure for erecting the Bayer bin.

FIG. 6 is a portion taken along line XX in FIG. 2,
It is a principal part schematic side view of the part which transfers a petri dish to a storage part.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing a Bayer bin transfer mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a main part showing a structure in which a Bayer bin is laid down.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of a Bayer bin used in the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic sampling and culture medium dispensing apparatus 2 Main gantry 3 Sample holding gantry 4 Upper support plate surface 5 Container sending-out device 6 Belt roller 7 Conveyor belt 8 Side plate 9 Support bracket 10 Circular hole 11 Support bar 12 Petri dish supply table 13 Rotating shaft 14 Cutting Soup arm 15 lid holding member 16 suction disk 18 pipette rack 19 pipette collecting section 20 petri dish 20c print sheet 21 sample diluting section 23 sterilizer 28 medium storage section 29 control section 30 transport path 40 robot 50 medium dispenser 51 lid holding section 60 Pour device 70 Display unit 80 Petri dish storage unit 90 Bayer bin supply unit 96 Bayer bin storage unit 100 Preparatory hole processing unit 101 Bayer bottle sample dispensing unit 102 Bin rollover unit 103 Label holding unit 104 Upright unit B Bayer bin

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI G01N 35/04 G01N 35/04 B (72) Inventor Toru Ochi 1-1-1-19 Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. In-house (72) Inventor Nobuo Kaji 1-1-19 Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-6-174732 (JP, A) JP-A-5-103657 (JP, A) JP-A-62-267642 (JP, A) JP-A-62-155079 (JP, A) JP-A-3-49676 (JP, A) Utility model registration 2559688 (JP, Y2) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01N 1/00-1/44 C12M 1/00-1/42 C12Q 1/00-1/70 G01N 35/00-35/10 JICST file (JOIS)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A first container using an agar medium is a specific first container.
While moving in the transport path, at least a part of the second container using the liquid culture medium is arranged along the first transport path by one sample supply means for discharging a sample of the sample. The sample is supplied to the first container and the second container, and thereafter, after being displayed on the first container and the second container by one display means capable of outputting a display item input in advance, , Each container is the first
An automatic sample sampling method, wherein the sample is accommodated in a storage area at each end side of a transport path and the second transport path. 2. A first container delivery device for sequentially delivering a first container using an agar medium, a second container delivery device for a second container using a liquid medium, and a first transporter for delivering the delivered first container. A first transporting means for moving on a road and at least a part of the second transporting means arranged along the first transporting means;
A second transport means for moving the container on the second transport path, a sample holding means adjacent to the first and second transport means for holding a plurality of samples, and a pipette tip for discharging a sample from the sample Sample supply means having an arm which can be taken out of the pipette tip rack and which is movable to supply a sample sample to the first and second containers, and the first and second containers An automatic sample sampling apparatus comprising: one display means for displaying the first and second storage sections; and a storage section for storing and storing the first and second containers respectively in a state where the sample sample can be cultured.