JP3728997B2 - Biochemical substance treatment apparatus and biochemical substance treatment method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a biochemical substance processing apparatus and a biochemical substance processing method for culturing and dispensing biochemical substances such as cells and microorganisms.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the biochemical field, various treatments such as culture and dispensing of biochemical substances such as microorganisms are performed. These processes are usually performed systematically for a large number of samples. For this reason, the processing apparatus which performs processing, such as culture | cultivation and dispensing, can accommodate many plates which are containers which accommodate a sample. At the start of a series of biochemical treatments, it is necessary to associate the plate containing a predetermined sample with the mounting position of the plate in the incubator as an incubator so that each sample can be correctly identified. There is. In this association, when a worker places a plate, the worker places the plate at a placement position determined according to the designation of a list prepared in advance, or inputs the position to the computer or the like every time the plate is placed. The method of memorize | storing by a thing was used.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since all of the above operations are performed by an operator confirming a large number of plates individually and placing them on a mounting portion where a plurality of mounting shelves with the same structure are repeatedly provided, The person tends to make mistakes when confirming the placement portion. For example, when placing a plate according to the specification of the list, the container is mistakenly placed at the next placement position, or when the plate identification code is entered every time the plate is placed, it is already placed by mistake. Human errors such as reading the plate identification code were inevitable.
[0004]
And if various processes and tests proceed without these mistakes being discovered, there is a risk of leading to incorrect process results and test results. In some cases, loss was incurred. As described above, in the conventional biochemical treatment, because the identification and confirmation of the sample are entrusted manually, there is a problem that the work efficiency is poor and the reliability of the results of the treatment and the test is not necessarily ensured. It was.
[0005]
Therefore, the present invention provides a biochemical substance processing apparatus and a biochemical substance processing method capable of improving the work efficiency when placing a plate containing a sample and ensuring the reliability of results of processing and testing. For the purpose.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The biochemical substance processing apparatus according to claim 1 stores a plurality of containers containing biochemical substances in a casing maintained at a predetermined environmental condition, and sequentially removes these containers to perform biochemical treatment. A biochemical treatment apparatus, a placement shelf having a plurality of placement portions for placing the containers disposed inside the housing, the placement portion, and a container placed on the placement portion relationship and arrangement data storage section for previously storing the arrangement data representing a container identifying means for identifying to identify a container which is now placed on the placing portion, based on the container-specific result and the arrangement data and And a placement position instruction processing unit for instructing a placement position on which the identified container is to be placed on the placement shelf, and a display means for visually displaying the designated placement position. .
[0007]
The biochemical substance processing apparatus according to claim 2 is the biochemical substance processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mounting shelf is a table in which a plurality of mounting units are mounted in a plurality of stages. A plurality of LFD indicator lamps for providing an opening that can be opened and closed by a door in the casing, and for indicating the placement unit designated by the placement position instruction processing unit as the display means around the opening; Was provided .
[0008]
The biochemical substance processing method according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of containers containing biochemical substances are stored inside a casing maintained at a predetermined environmental condition, and the casing is in accordance with a predetermined processing procedure. A biochemical treatment method for taking out the container from the container and treating the biochemical substance in the container, wherein the container is identified when the container is placed on a placement part of a placement shelf in the housing. The step of specifying the container, the step of instructing the placement position of the container on the placement shelf based on the container specification data and the placement data stored in the placement data storage unit in advance, and the designated placement position Visually displaying by the display means.
[0009]
The biochemical substance treatment method according to claim 4 is the biochemical substance treatment method according to claim 3, wherein the mounting shelf includes a table having a plurality of mounting portions mounted in a plurality of stages, and The housing is provided with an opening that can be opened and closed by a door, and the display means has a plurality of LFDs for indicating a placement portion instructed by the placement position instruction processing portion described above around the opening. It consists of indicator lights .
[0010]
According to the present invention, when a container is placed on the placement part of the placement shelf, the container is placed on the placement shelf based on the container identification result and the placement data stored in the placement data storage unit in advance. By designating the placement position to be placed and visually displaying the designated placement position on the display means, errors in placement of containers on placement parts other than the correct placement position are reduced by mistake. Can be made.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a biochemical processing apparatus in the form status of the present invention, FIG 2 is transparent perspective view of the incubator, Figure 3 is a side sectional view of the incubator, 4, 5 of the incubator Rights FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the biochemical substance processing apparatus, FIG. 7 is a processing function block diagram of the incubator, and FIG. 8 is a plate mounting process performed prior to the biochemical process. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the plate mounting process.
[0012]
First, the biochemical substance processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In this biochemical substance treatment apparatus, a plurality of containers containing biochemical substances are accommodated in a casing maintained at a predetermined environmental condition, and these containers are sequentially taken out to perform biochemical treatment. In FIG. 1, the biochemical substance processing apparatus includes an incubator 1 and a dispensing apparatus 6. The incubator 1 is composed of a substantially box-shaped housing 2, a door 3 that can be opened and closed is provided on the front surface, and a plate insertion / removal port 4 is provided on the side surface. The housing 2 has a heat insulating wall with a water jacket (not shown) built in, and environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration inside the housing 2 by an environmental controller (not shown) that is an environmental control unit. Is maintained at a predetermined condition. The plate loading / unloading port 4 includes a shutter 5.
[0013]
A dispensing device 6 is disposed adjacent to the incubator 1. The upper surface of the base 7 of the dispensing device 6 is a dispensing stage 8, and a plurality of plates 9 are placed on the dispensing stage 8. The plate 9 is a container provided with a number of wells that contain samples containing biochemical substances and the like. An X-axis table 10 is disposed on the dispensing stage 8, and a dispensing head 11 having a large number of dispensing tips 12 attached thereto is coupled to the X-axis table 10.
[0014]
By driving the X-axis table 10, the dispensing head 11 moves in the dispensing stage 8, and a dispensing operation for sucking a sample from one of the placed plates 9 and discharging it to the other plate 9 is performed. Done. By performing this dispensing operation in combination with the culture in the incubator 1, a predetermined biochemical treatment is performed on the biochemical substance accommodated in the plate 9.
[0015]
A plate transport mechanism 13 is provided on the dispensing stage 8. The plate transport mechanism 13 includes an X-axis table 14, a Y-axis table 15, a Zθ-axis table 16, and a transport arm 17 coupled to the Zθ-axis table 16. By driving the plate transport mechanism 13, the plate 9 on the dispensing stage 8 can be clamped by the transport arm 17, and loaded / unloaded into and out of the incubator 1 through the plate loading / unloading port 4. .
[0016]
A barcode reading unit 18 is detachably provided on the side of the plate loading / unloading port 4. A bar code indicating a plate number as an identification mark is attached to the side surface of each plate 9, and the bar code reading unit 18 reads the bar code of the plate 9 held by the transport arm 17. When the operator manually places the plate 9 in the incubator 1, the bar code reading unit 18 can be removed from the incubator 1 and the bar code on the plate 9 can be read manually.
[0017]
Next, the structure of the housing 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5. As shown in FIG. 3, a first opening 2 a is provided on the front surface of the housing 2, and the first opening 2 a can be opened and closed by a door 3 that is a first door. Further, a second opening 2b having a size through which the plate 9 can pass is provided on the side surface of the housing 2, and the second opening 2b is used as the above-described plate loading / unloading port 4. The second opening 2b is provided with a shutter 5, which is a second door that can be opened and closed in the vertical direction. The shutter 5 is automatically opened and closed by a driving means (not shown) in the vertical direction. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the door 3 is opened, the first opening 2 a is opened, and the second opening 2 b is closed by the shutter 5.
[0018]
A mounting shelf 20 in which a plurality of circular tables 21 are connected to each other is disposed inside the housing 2. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the table 21 is an annular member having a circular hole 21 a in the center, and a plurality of (this embodiment) for placing the plate 9 is placed on the upper surface of the table 21. In FIG. 1, the mounting portions 21b of 12) are arranged radially. The plate 9 is placed on each placement portion 21b. As shown in FIG. 3, a code (A, B, C,... L) for specifying the position of each placement portion 21b is assigned to each placement portion 21b in a clockwise direction. The mounting portion 21b can be identified.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 5, each table 21 constituting the rotating shelf 20 is numbered [1], [2], [3],... In order from the top. Identified. By combining this number with the above-mentioned alphabetical sign of the mounting portion 21b of each table 21 (example: [1] -A), a number for identifying each mounting portion 21b of the mounting shelf 20 (hereinafter referred to as a shelf number) Is set).
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting shelf 20 is configured by vertically connecting a plurality of tables 21 by connecting members 26, and the uppermost table 21 is mounted on a rotating body 27 that is rotatably supported by an elevating member 28. It is connected via a connecting member 26. A spline shaft 25 arranged vertically is slidably inserted into the rotating body 27, and a lower end portion of the spline shaft 25 is supported by a bearing 31 provided on the bottom surface of the housing 2.
[0021]
As shown in FIG. 2, the upper portion of the spline shaft 25 is supported by a bearing 29 a attached in a shaft hole provided in the partition wall 29 and protrudes into the second space S <b> 2. A pulley 34 is coupled to the pulley. A pulley 32 is coupled to the R-axis motor 30 disposed on the upper surface of the partition wall 29, and a belt 33 is tuned between the pulley 32 and the pulley 34. By driving the R-axis motor 30, the spline shaft 25 rotates, and the rotation is transmitted to the rotating body 27, so that the mounting shelf 20 rotates together with the spline shaft 25. Therefore, the R-axis motor 30, the pulley 32, the belt 33, and the pulley 34 serve as a rotation driving unit that rotates the mounting shelf 20 by rotating the spline shaft 25.
[0022]
Two nuts 24 are coupled to the two diagonal positions of the elevating member 28, and a feed screw 23 is screwed into the two nuts 24 in the vertical direction. It is supported by a bearing 29b attached in a shaft hole provided in the partition wall 29 and protrudes into the space S2. A pulley 38 is coupled to the upper end of the feed screw 23. A pulley 37 is coupled to the Z-axis motor 35 disposed on the partition wall 29, and a belt 39 is tuned between the pulley 37 and the pulley 38.
[0023]
A slider 22a (only one is shown in FIG. 2) that is slidably engaged with the two slide guides 22 is attached to the elevating member 28, and the elevating operation of the elevating member 28 is performed with this slide guide 22. Guide with the slider 22a. By driving the motor 35, the feed screw 23 rotates, and the elevating member 28 performs the elevating operation. Therefore, the Z-axis motor 35, the pulley 37, the pulley 38, and the belt 39 are elevating driving means for rotating the feed screw 23.
[0024]
As the elevating member 28 is raised and lowered, the placement shelf 20 is similarly raised and lowered. At this time, the placement shelf 20 can be rotated by the spline shaft 25 at any position in the vertical direction. It is possible to perform a moving operation combining the operation and the lifting operation. The rotation driving means and the lifting / lowering driving means constitute moving means for moving the mounting shelf 20. In this moving operation, the current position of each mounting portion 21b is specified by counting pulse signals generated from encoders provided in the R-axis motor 30 and the Z-axis motor 35.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 5, LED indicator lights A and B-1 to 4 as display means are provided around the opening 2 a on the front surface of the housing 2. These indicator lights are turned on when the plate 9 is placed on the placement shelf, and the correct placement position where the plate 9 is to be placed is visually displayed during the placement. The LED indicator lamp A is located at the center of the opening 2a, and the placement portion 21b located at the center of the opening 2a is the plate placement position. The LED indicator lamps B-1 to B-4 positioned on the sides of the opening 2a indicate the target table 21 on which the plate 9 is placed during the operation among the plurality of tables 21. That is, the table 21 that matches the height position of the lit LED indicator lamp B corresponds to the plate placement target.
[0026]
The LED indicator lamp B for indicating the height position is disposed in the vicinity of the middle height position of the opening 2a, that is, at a height position suitable for the plate placing work by the operator. Further, the number of LED indicator lamps arranged in this case is determined from the relationship between the number of tables 21 and the lifting stroke. In the example shown in the form status of this embodiment is capable of displaying four by arranging the LED display lamp B, the height positions of all the stages of the table 21 of eight stages by raising and lowering the mounting shelf 20 .
[0027]
Next, the configuration of the control system of the biochemical substance processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, a control unit 40 is an overall control device, and controls each unit described below. The storage unit 41 shows a program necessary for the operation and processing of each unit, and a correspondence relationship between the placement position of the plate 9 on the placement shelf in the incubator 1 and the plate 9 placed at this placement position. Store plate layout data. That is, the storage unit 41 serves as arrangement data storage means.
[0028]
The cylinder drive unit 42 drives a cylinder (not shown) that drives the shutter 5 to open and close the second opening 2b. The transport mechanism drive unit 43 drives the plate transport mechanism 13. The dispensing head drive unit 44 drives the dispensing head 11 and the X-axis table 10 that moves the dispensing head 11.
[0029]
The display unit 5 is a display device for monitoring, and displays a screen during operation / input. The operation / input unit 46 is a mouse, a keyboard, or the like, and performs various operations and inputs such as data input when registering plate mounting data. The plate number that is the plate identification data read by the barcode reading unit 18 is stored in the storage unit 41. The LED control unit 48 controls the lighting of the LED indicator lamps A and B-1 to 4 provided on the front surface of the housing 2. The motor drive unit 49 drives the R-axis motor 30 and the Z-axis motor 35. Signals from encoders 30a and 35a respectively provided in the R-axis motor 30 and the Z-axis motor are counted by an R-axis counter 51 and a Z-axis counter 50. The environmental controller 52 is controlled by the control unit 40, whereby the environmental conditions inside the housing 2 are maintained at predetermined conditions.
[0030]
Next, the processing function of the biochemical substance processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 7, each processing function shown in a broken line frame [40] indicates a process performed by the control unit 40 shown in FIG. The plate identifying unit 40a identifies and identifies a plate as a container based on the plate number read by the barcode reading unit 18 or based on input data input from the operation input unit 46. That is, the combination of the barcode reading unit 18 and the plate identification unit 40a, or the combination of the operation input unit 46 and the plate identification unit 40a is a container identification unit that identifies and identifies a plate that is a container.
[0031]
The storage unit 41 stores plate arrangement data created in advance. The plate placement position instruction processing section 40b (placement position instruction processing section) is based on the plate number data identified and specified by the plate identification section 40a and the plate placement data read from the storage section 41. The plate placement position, which is the position where the plate is to be placed, is indicated. By this instruction, the mounting position where the specified plate is to be mounted, that is, the shelf number of the corresponding mounting unit 21b is determined, and this data is output to the data conversion unit 40c and the mounting shelf drive processing unit 40e. .
[0032]
The mounting shelf position detected by the mounting shelf position detection processing unit 40d based on signals from the Z-axis counter 50 and the R-axis counter 51 is transmitted to the mounting shelf drive processing unit 40e. Based on the detection position of the mounting shelf and the mounting position data on which the plate is to be mounted, the drive processing unit 40e moves the mounting position to the plate mounting work position by the operator. To control. As a result, the R-axis motor 30 and the Z-axis motor 35 are driven, and the placement portion 21b moves to the plate placement work position. At the same time, the data conversion unit 40c controls the LED control unit 48 based on the plate placement position instruction to turn on the LED indicator lamp corresponding to the plate placement work position.
[0033]
Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the plate mounting process performed prior to the biochemical substance process will be described. In FIG. 8, it is determined whether or not an input has been performed from the state of waiting for input (ST1). If there is an input, the input information is identified (ST2). If an end command is input from the operation input unit 46, the process ends as it is. If the input information is a plate number for identifying and specifying a plate, the plate placement position instruction processing unit 40b The plate placement position corresponding to the number is read from the plate placement data 41a in the storage unit 41 and output to the placement shelf drive processing unit 40e and the data conversion unit 40c (ST4).
[0034]
In response to this output, a mounting shelf drive command is output from the mounting shelf drive processing unit 40e to the motor driving unit 49 (ST5), and the mounting unit 21b on which the plate is to be mounted is placed on the front surface of the operator. And the LED control unit 48 is controlled based on the signal converted by the data conversion unit 40c, so that the LED indicator lights and the plate mounting work position is displayed. .
[0035]
For example, when the plate placement position read in (ST4) is the second level from the top and the placement portion is indicated by the symbol F, each table 21 of the placement shelf 20 in this plate placement operation is shown in FIG. From the state shown in FIG. 9A, the placement shelf moves as shown in FIG. 9B, and the correct placement portion position where the plate 9 should be placed is displayed. FIG. 9B visually displays the position of the placement portion 21b (reference numeral F) of the table 21- [2] in which the placement position on which the identified plate 9 is to be placed is the second from the top. An example is shown.
[0036]
In this case, the mounting shelf 20 moves to a height position corresponding to the height position of the LED indicator lamp B, and the LED indicator lamp indicating the height of the table 21- [2] at the position where the vertical movement is stopped. B-2 lights up. Further, when the mounting shelf 20 rotates, the mounting portion 21b (reference numeral F) to be mounted moves toward the center position (arrow C) of the opening 2a, and if the rotation operation stops, the mounting portion. The LED indicator lamp A indicating that 21b is correctly positioned at the center lights up. By performing the plate mounting operation using the lit LED indicator lamps A and B-2 as marks, mistakes due to errors in the mounting position are effectively prevented. This plate placement process is repeated repeatedly until all operations are completed and an end command is input from the operation input unit 46.
[0037]
In this way, when plate placement data indicating the correspondence between the plate number and the placement position has already been created in the plate placement work, the operator simply manually assigns the plate number when placing each plate. When a number is given by inputting or a bar code or the like, the bar code is simply read, and the mounting position on which the plate is to be mounted is clearly indicated visually. Thereby, it is possible to efficiently perform the work of placing the plates on the placement shelf, and it is possible to eliminate the placement error due to the operator's mistakes and to ensure the reliability of various tests.
[0038]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, when a container is placed on the placement section of the placement shelf, the container on the placement shelf is based on the container specifying data and the placement data stored in advance in the placement data storage section. The placement position is instructed, and the designated placement position is visually displayed by the display means, so that it is possible to reduce the placement error of placing the container on the placement portion other than the position to be placed by mistake. be able to. Further, when the container is placed on the placement shelf, the placement position of the container on the placement shelf is visually displayed by the display means, and the container identification data is associated with the displayed placement position. Similarly, by storing the data in the arrangement data storage unit, it is possible to prevent an arrangement data error caused by the placement and error of the placement unit.
[Brief description of the drawings]
[1] incubator in the form status of implementation of the perspective view of a biochemical processing apparatus in the form status transparent perspective view of the incubator in the form status of implementation of the present invention; FIG 3 shows the invention of the present invention sectional side view cross-sectional plan view of the incubator in the form status of implementation of the invention, FIG 5 shows in the form status of the present cross-sectional plan view of the incubator in the form status of implementation of the invention Figure 6 the present invention block diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the biochemical processing apparatus 7 processing function block diagram 8 of the incubator in the form status of the present invention prior to the biochemical process in the form status of the present invention illustration of plate mounting process in the form status of implementation of a plate placed process flow diagram 9 present invention to be performed [description of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Incubator 2 Case 6 Dispensing device 9 Plate 18 Bar code reading part 20 Mounting shelf 21 Table 21b Mounting part 40 Control part 40a Plate identification part 40b Plate mounting position instruction | indication processing part 41 Memory | storage part 41a Plate arrangement | positioning data

Claims (4)

A biochemical processing apparatus for storing a plurality of containers containing biochemical substances inside a casing maintained at a predetermined environmental condition and performing biochemical processing by sequentially taking out these containers, wherein the inside of the casing Preliminarily store arrangement data representing a correspondence relationship between a placement shelf having a plurality of placement portions for placing the containers placed thereon, and the placement portion and the containers placed on the placement portion. Based on the placement data storage unit, the container specifying means for identifying and specifying the container to be placed on the placement unit, and the container identification result and the placement data, the specified container is placed on the placement shelf. A biochemical substance processing apparatus comprising: a mounting position instruction processing unit that indicates a mounting position to be mounted in step 1; and display means that visually displays the instructed mounting position. The mounting shelf is a table having a plurality of mounting portions, each of which has a plurality of mounting portions connected in a vertical direction. The housing is provided with an opening that can be opened and closed by a door, and the opening as the display means. The biochemical substance processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of LFD indicator lamps are provided around the unit to indicate the placement unit designated by the placement position designation processing unit. A plurality of containers containing biochemical substances are stored inside a casing maintained at a predetermined environmental condition, and the containers are taken out from the casing in accordance with a predetermined processing procedure, and the biochemistry in the container is stored. A biochemical treatment method for treating a substance, the step of identifying and identifying a container when placing the container on a placement portion of a placement shelf in the housing, A step of instructing a placement position where the container is to be placed on the placement shelf based on the placement data stored in the placement data storage unit, and the indicated placement position is visually displayed by the display means And a biochemical substance processing method characterized by comprising: The mounting shelf is configured such that a table having a plurality of mounting portions is connected to a plurality of stages, and an opening that can be opened and closed by a door is provided in the housing. The biochemical substance processing method according to claim 3, comprising a plurality of LFD indicator lamps for indicating the placement unit designated by the placement position designation processing unit.

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