JP3253940B2 - Reflux nozzle positioning 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 reflux nozzle positioning device for holding a reflux nozzle for injecting a liquid into a container or discharging the liquid from the container, and particularly for a petri dish mounted on a microscope stage. For supplying a drug or the like to a biological sample.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the case where live cells are observed with a microscope and experiments such as pharmacological stimulation are performed, a reflux system may be constructed to supply a liquid drug or the like to a sample. Conventionally,
Such a reflux system has been constructed using a three-dimensional manipulator. That is, an injection nozzle for injecting a liquid into a sample container by a three-dimensional manipulator,
And a discharge nozzle for discharging the liquid from the sample container (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as “recirculation nozzle”).

However, three-dimensional manipulators are expensive and difficult for all researchers to use. In some cases, it is desired to continuously observe the sample under the same conditions. However, when exchanging the sample container, the reflux nozzle must be once separated from the sample container. At this time,
It was not easy to set the reflux nozzle to the same position where the reflux nozzle was fixed before replacing the sample container.

In view of the above problems, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.
A container for observing a submerged sample described in JP-A-239325 is known.

In the container for observing a sample in liquid described in the above publication, a liquid injection tube and a liquid discharge tube are fixed to a liquid holding ring as a sample container so as to penetrate the liquid holding ring. Thus, the liquid injection pipe and the liquid discharge pipe are fixed so as to always indicate a predetermined position in the liquid holding ring.

[0006]

However, the container for observing a submerged sample described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 10-239325 has a problem in terms of operational convenience. That is, since the liquid holding ring, which is a sample container, and the liquid injection pipe and the liquid discharge pipe are integrated, the sample cannot be easily exchanged.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and provides a reflux nozzle positioning device that can easily exchange a sample container without impairing the reproducibility of the position of the reflux nozzle even after the exchange of the sample container. The purpose is to:

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A reflux nozzle positioning device according to the present invention is a reflux nozzle positioning device for holding a reflux nozzle for injecting a liquid into a container or discharging a liquid from the container, comprising a predetermined reference surface. A base part that can be fixed to the
It is characterized by comprising a nozzle holding member provided on the base portion, while holding the reflux nozzle.

As described above, if the nozzle holding member is fixed to the base portion, the base portion is fixed on the reference surface on which the container is placed, so that the recirculation nozzle held by the nozzle holding member can move relative to the reference surface. Fixed.

In the above-described recirculation nozzle positioning device, it is preferable that the base portion is made of a magnetic material, and the nozzle holding member has a magnet on the bottom surface.

As described above, if the base portion and the nozzle holding member are fixed by the detachable magnet, the fixing position of the base portion and the nozzle holding member can be easily changed.

In the above-mentioned reflux nozzle positioning device, a container mounting hole is formed in the base so that a predetermined reference surface is exposed, and the predetermined reference surface exposed inside the container mounting hole is formed in the base mounting portion. Preferably, the container is mountable. In particular, it is preferable that the base portion has a ring shape and the container mounting hole is a space region at the center of the ring. By arranging the container on the reference surface inside the container mounting hole formed in the base portion, the container can always be arranged at a fixed position with respect to the base portion.

Preferably, the reflux nozzle positioning device further includes an urging member for urging the container toward a side wall of the container mounting hole. By adopting such a configuration, the container can always be reliably arranged at a fixed position with respect to the base portion by urging the container to the side surface of the container mounting hole.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a recirculation nozzle positioning device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements will be denoted by the same reference symbols, without redundant description.

Prior to the description of the recirculation nozzle positioning device 1, the manner of use of the recirculation nozzle positioning device 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a microscope 101 in which a reflux nozzle positioning device 1 of the present embodiment is used.

The microscope 101 includes a lamp house 102 for a transmission illumination, which is a light source, and a lamp house 108 for a fluorescent illumination.
And a stage 103 on which the sample is placed, a condenser lens 104 for condensing the light output from the light source on the sample on the stage 103, an objective lens 105 arranged below the stage 103, and observing the sample. And a lens barrel 106. In this microscope 101, the sample can be observed with the naked eye from a lens barrel 106, and a front port 107 and a side port 10 provided below the microscope 101.
It is also possible to take an image of a sample by connecting a camera to 9.

The reflux nozzle positioning device 1 according to the present embodiment.
As shown schematically in FIG. 1, is mounted on a stage 103 of a microscope for positioning and holding a reflux nozzle N for refluxing a drug or the like on a petri dish S on the stage 103.

Next, the recirculation nozzle positioning device 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 is a perspective view of the reflux nozzle positioning device 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 viewed from above the stage 103, and FIG. 4 is an IV of the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view in the −IV direction, FIG. 5 is a VV cross-sectional view of the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 in FIG. 3, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. For convenience of description, FIGS. 2 to 5 show an injection nozzle N1 and a discharge nozzle N2, which are recirculation nozzles N, and a petri dish S, which is a sample container.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the recirculation nozzle positioning device 1 includes a ring-shaped base 2 and a base 2.
A nozzle holding member 3 for holding the recirculation nozzle N disposed above.

The base 2 has a ring shape, and a petri dish S, which is a sample container, is disposed in a central space of the base 2, that is, a container mounting hole. Placed on Petri dish S
Is a common standard having a diameter of 35 mm. Here, the diameter of the base part 2 is 85 mm, and the diameter of the container mounting hole is about 38 mm. The base 2 is made of a magnetic material such as iron, and is a plate-like member as shown in FIG.
A non-slip sheet 21 is provided on the lower surface of the base portion 2 so as to be able to be fixed to the stage 103 as a reference surface. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the base 2 has two handles symmetrical with respect to the center of the base 2 so that the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 can be easily lifted when the petri dish S is replaced. 4 are provided.

Two nozzle holding members 3 are placed at positions rotated by 90 ° from the arrangement position of the two handles 4 on the base portion 2 with respect to the center of the base portion 2 (FIG. 3). reference). As shown in FIG. 6, the nozzle holding member 3 includes a nozzle holding box 32 for holding the inserted reflux nozzle N, a support base 31 having a magnet on the bottom surface, and an adjustment for fixing the nozzle holding box 32 to the support base 31. Screw 33
It is composed of

The nozzle holding box 32 has a through hole 32a into which the recirculation nozzle N is inserted.
A screw hole 32b into which the adjustment screw 33 is inserted is formed in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of 2a. The support base 31 includes a plate-shaped support base 35, a magnet 34 fixed to the lower surface of the support base 35 by four screws 37, and a support base 3.
5 and two support plates 36 for holding the nozzle holding box 32 therebetween. In the center of each support plate 36, a height adjustment hole 3 for restricting lateral movement of the adjusting screw 33 and allowing only vertical movement.
6a are formed.

As described above, since the nozzle holding member 3 is formed by combining the nozzle holding box 32 and the support base 31 with the adjusting screw 33, the nozzle holding box 3
It is possible to change the height and the inclination angle of the recirculation nozzle N held at 2.

The recirculation nozzle positioning device 1 of the present embodiment
Is used as follows.

First, the recirculation nozzle N is fixed to the recirculation nozzle positioning device 1 near the microscope 101. First, the recirculation nozzle N is inserted and fixed in the through hole 32a of the nozzle holding box 32 shown in FIG. Next, the nozzle holding box 32 is fitted between the two support plates 36 and moved up and down between the two support plates 36 of the nozzle holding box 32 to position the reflux nozzle N at a desired position. Then, it is rotated to determine the inclination angle of the recirculation nozzle N. In this state, the adjusting screw 33 is inserted into the screw hole 32b of the nozzle holding box 32 via the height adjusting hole 36a, and the adjusting screw 33 is tightened to fix the height and the inclination angle of the reflux nozzle N. Subsequently, as shown in FIG.
Fix to the upper two places. The nozzle holding member 3 is a base 2
Is automatically fixed to the base portion 2 by the magnetic force of the magnet 34 provided on the lower surface.

The recirculation nozzle N
Separately from the stage 103 of the microscope 101
The petri dish S into which the sample has been injected is placed.

Next, the handle 4 provided on the base 2
Is held up with a finger, the recirculation nozzle positioning device 1 to which the recirculation nozzle N is fixed is lifted, and is moved above the stage 103. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 is positioned from above the petri dish S so that the petri dish S placed on the stage 103 is disposed inside the container mounting hole.
Is placed on the stage 103. Thereby, the recirculation nozzle N is fixed at a predetermined position with respect to the base portion 2 fixed on the stage 103. Since the petri dish S is mounted inside the container mounting hole of the base portion 2, the tip of the reflux nozzle N indicates a predetermined position in the petri dish S.

By using the recirculation nozzle N positioned and held as described above to inject and discharge the drug and the like, the drug and the like can be recirculated in the petri dish S.
When the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 is mounted on the stage 103, the non-slip sheet 21 provided on the bottom surface of the base portion 2
Thus, the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 is
It is fixed in the upper predetermined position. This makes it difficult for the petri dish S arranged inside the container mounting hole to be laterally shifted on the stage 103, so that the sample can be observed in a stable state.

Next, replacement of the petri dish S will be described. First, the handle 4 is gripped by a finger, the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 is lifted from above the stage 103, and is separated from the vicinity of the stage 103 of the microscope 101 shown in FIG.
With the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 separated from the stage 103, the petri dish S on the stage 103 is replaced,
The recirculation nozzle positioning device 1 is mounted again from above the petri dish S newly mounted on the stage 103 so that the petri dish S is arranged inside the container mounting hole.

The reflux nozzle positioning device 1 of the present embodiment
Since the petri dish S can be replaced while the reflux positioning device is separated from the stage 103, the petri dish S can be smoothly replaced.

The recirculation nozzle positioning device 1 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (2), since the recirculation nozzle N is held by the nozzle holding member 3 fixed to the base 2, the recirculation nozzle N is fixed at a predetermined position with respect to the base 2. The recirculation nozzle positioning device 1 is used by being mounted on the stage 103 so that the petri dish S is disposed inside the container mounting hole of the base portion 2. It is fixed to the base 2. Accordingly, even when the reflux nozzle N is once separated from the stage 103 when the petri dish S is replaced, the reflux nozzle N is fixed before the petri dish S is replaced by mounting the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 on the stage 103 again. The recirculation nozzle N can be easily returned to the position where it has been. Therefore,
Even after the replacement of the petri dish S, the observation of the fixed position of the reflux nozzle N can be continued under the same conditions as before the replacement of the petri dish S.

Further, since the nozzle holding member 3 of the recirculation nozzle positioning device 1 is fixed to the iron base 2 by a magnet, the nozzle holding member 3 can be easily formed as required.
Can be changed. In the present embodiment, the nozzle holding member 3 is fixed at a position rotated by 90 ° with respect to the center of the base 2 from the position having the handle 4. This is because when the handle 4 is gripped,
In particular, when it is desired that the tip of the recirculation nozzle N indicates a desired position, it can be placed at another position on the base portion 2. Needless to say, it's good.

Next, a recirculation nozzle positioning device 5 according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
7 is a plan view of the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 of the second embodiment as viewed from above the stage 103, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG.

The recirculation nozzle positioning device 5 of the second embodiment
Has the same basic configuration as the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 of the first embodiment, but has a fixing mechanism 50 for fixing the petri dish S to the container mounting hole of the base 2. Is different.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the recirculation nozzle positioning device 5 of the second embodiment has a contact wall having substantially the same curvature as the outer periphery of the petri dish S provided on one side of the container mounting hole. 51 and an urging member 52 provided to face the contact wall 51 and for urging the petri dish S toward the contact wall 51. Although the contact wall 51 is not always necessary, the petri dish S is more stable when there is the contact wall 51 to which the petri dish S fits.

The urging member 52 is rotatably supported by a fulcrum member 54 and connected by a spring 53. The urging member 52 is urged by the spring 53 to move the petri dish S to the contact wall 51. Press. Since both the contact wall 51 and the urging member 52 are higher than the base 2 as shown in FIG. 8, the petri dish S can be stably held.

Next, how to use the recirculation nozzle positioning device 5 will be described. Basically, it is the same as the recirculation nozzle positioning device 1 of the first embodiment.
The process of placing the recirculation nozzle positioning device 5 on 3 is different. That is, the recirculation nozzle positioning device 5 is mounted on the stage 1
When placed on the support 03, the urging member 52 is moved in a direction away from the contact wall 51 against the urging force of the spring 53, and the distance between the urging member 52 and the contact wall 51 is increased. . Then, the recirculation nozzle positioning device 5 is moved to the stage 1 so that the petri dish S is disposed between the urging member 52 and the contact wall 51.
After being placed on the plate 03, the urging member 52 is urged against the petri dish S to bring the petri dish S into close contact with the contact wall 51.

The recirculation nozzle positioning device 5 of the second embodiment
As in the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effect that the petri dish S can be easily replaced without deteriorating the positional reproducibility of the recirculation nozzle N.

That is, since the urging member 52 presses the petri dish S toward the contact wall 51, the petri dish S
Is fixed to the base portion 2 at a position in close contact with the contact wall 51. Thus, even if the container mounting hole is larger than the petri dish S, the petri dish S
Is restricted, and positioning accuracy can be improved. In addition, since the restriction on the size of the container mounting hole is eased, it is possible to realize the recirculation nozzle positioning device 5 that can support petri dishes S of various sizes.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

In this embodiment, the petri dish S
Has been described with respect to the reflux nozzle positioning device 1 having a container mounting hole in which the petri dish S is disposed.
It is not always necessary to form the container mounting hole if it can be positioned with respect to. For example, a U-shaped notch for mounting a container may be formed in the base 2, and the petri dish S may be arranged in the notch.

Further, the nozzle holding member 3 is divided into two parts, a plate-like support base having a magnet at the bottom and a nozzle holding part for holding the recirculation nozzle N, and the support base and the base of the nozzle holding part are divided. The sides on the outer peripheral side of the portion 2 may be made common and connected by hinges. By providing the hinge structure to the nozzle holding member 3 in this manner, the nozzle holding portion can be tilted toward the outer peripheral side of the base portion 2. Thus, when the petri dish S is exchanged, the nozzle holding portion can be tilted to the outside of the base part 2 to separate the reflux nozzle from the petri dish S, so that the petri dish S can be removed while the reflux nozzle positioning device is mounted on the stage. It can be replaced, and operation convenience can be improved.

Further, as a configuration aiming for the same effect,
The nozzle holding member 3 may be divided into a support base having rails and a nozzle holder having wheels rolling on the rails, so that the nozzle holder can be moved on the support base.

Further, a petri dish S is provided on the side wall of the container mounting hole.
A constant temperature water tank may be installed so as to surround. By providing the constant temperature water tank in this manner, the nozzle can be positioned by one device, and an experiment in which the temperature in the petri dish S is kept constant can be performed. Further, a configuration in which the water injection nozzle N1 passes through a constant temperature water tank may be employed as necessary.

[0045]

According to the present invention, the sample container can be easily replaced by separating the reflux nozzle positioning device from the sample container.

At the time of this sample container exchange, the relative positional relationship between the sample container and the reflux nozzle positioning device before the sample container exchange is maintained after the sample container exchange, so that the reflux nozzle is the same as before the sample container exchange. Can be positioned.

Since the container mounting hole in which the sample container is arranged is formed in the base portion of the reflux nozzle positioning device, the sample container can be mounted on the stage through the container mounting hole. Thus, the relative positional relationship between the sample container and the reflux nozzle positioning device can be easily maintained.

Further, since the nozzle holding member is fixed to the base portion made of a magnetic material by the magnet provided on the bottom surface, its position can be easily changed according to the type of experiment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a microscope in which a reflux nozzle positioning device is used.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reflux nozzle positioning device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the reflux nozzle positioning device.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of the reflux nozzle positioning device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view in the VV direction of the reflux nozzle positioning device of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a nozzle holding member.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a reflux nozzle positioning device according to a second embodiment.

8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of the reflux nozzle positioning device of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Reflux nozzle positioning device, 2 ... Base part, 3 ... Nozzle holding member, 4 ... Handle, 5 ... Reflux nozzle positioning device, 21 ... Non-slip sheet, 31 ... Support base, 32 ... Nozzle holding box, 32a ... Through-hole , 32b ... screw hole, 3
3 ... adjustment screw, 34 ... magnet, 35 ... support base, 36 ...
Support plate, 36a: height adjustment hole, 37: screw, 50: fixing mechanism, 51: contact wall, 52: urging member, 53: spring, 5
Reference numeral 4: fulcrum member, 101: microscope, 102: lamp house for transmitted illumination, 103: stage, 104: condenser lens,
Reference numeral 105: objective lens, 106: lens barrel, 107: front port, 108: lamp house for fluorescent illumination, 109: side port, S: petri dish, N: reflux nozzle, N1: injection nozzle, N2: discharge nozzle.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G01N 37/00 C12M 1/00 G02B 21/26 H01J 37/20

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A reflux nozzle positioning device for holding a reflux nozzle for injecting a liquid into or discharging a liquid from a container, comprising: a base portion made of a magnetic material and capable of being fixed to a predetermined reference surface; And a nozzle holding member provided on the base portion for holding the reflux nozzle, wherein the nozzle holding member has a magnet on a bottom surface. 2. A container mounting hole is formed in the base portion such that the predetermined reference surface is exposed, and the container is provided on the predetermined reference surface exposed inside the container mounting hole. The reflux nozzle positioning device according to claim 1, wherein the reflux nozzle positioning device is mountable. 3. The reflux nozzle positioning apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an urging member for urging the container toward a side wall of the container mounting hole.