JP4077825B2 - Liquid transport apparatus and liquid transport method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid conveying apparatus and a liquid conveying method for conveying a liquid in a tube by applying a squeezing action to a flexible tube with a roller.

  Conventionally, an elastic tube is curvedly held on the arc-shaped inner peripheral wall surface of the holder, and a rotor having a plurality of pressing rollers on the outer peripheral portion is rotationally driven, and the pressing roller travels on the tube with a predetermined pressure contact force. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a liquid transport device that applies a squeezing action to a tube and discharges the liquid in the tube from its tip (for example, see Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  This liquid transport device presses a roller provided on a circumferential surface of a rotatable rotating body against a flexible tube held in a curved state along a pressing body having an arcuate circumferential wall. The deformed portion in which the tube is narrowed and crushed by the pressing body and the roller is defined. And in this state, it is an apparatus which moves the position of the deformation | transformation part of a tube by rotating a rotary body to a fixed direction, and conveys the liquid which exists in a tube by this ironing action.

By the way, this liquid transport apparatus is used in various apparatuses. For example, it is used for an infusion pump (Patent Document 3) or a laboratory instrument. At this time, depending on the characteristics of the apparatus, the type of liquid to be conveyed in the tube may be frequently exchanged. At this time, in order to prevent problems such as contamination of the liquid in the tube, it may be required to frequently replace the tube itself.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-131861 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-287577 JP 2001-218841 A

  In the conventional liquid transfer device, the tube is maintained in a constricted state between the pressing body and the roller. Therefore, when replacing the tube, it is necessary to first remove the roller or the pressing body and then remove the tube. . For this reason, there has been a problem that it takes a lot of time to replace the tube. In particular, in a multi-channel apparatus provided with a plurality of tubes, it is necessary to remove rollers or pressing bodies as many as the number of tubes, and the effort required for tube replacement is enormous.

  For example, in the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the operation of a pressing plate that compresses a tube by driving an electric solenoid is performed, and the pressing plate can be removed relatively easily. It is necessary to connect to an electric solenoid, and when installing the tube, the installation location must be adjusted so that the tube is positioned between the squeezing plate and the roller. Was.

  Moreover, in patent document 3, as a cassette for pumps, although a press body and a tube are comprised integrally and it is comprised so that a cassette can be removed integrally at the time of replacement | exchange of a cassette, the problem that a structure becomes complicated. there were. In particular, the configuration is further complicated when used in a multi-channel device.

  In any of the above-mentioned documents, the tube is sandwiched between the roller and the pressing body, so that there is a problem that it is difficult to confirm the tube from the outside and it is difficult to visually check whether the liquid is being conveyed.

  Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a liquid transport apparatus and a liquid transport method for transporting liquid by giving a squeezing action to a tube that can save labor for replacing the tube. is there.

  In order to solve the above technical problem, the present invention provides a liquid transport apparatus having the following configuration.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotating body is configured to be rotatable about the rotation axis with the horizontal axis as the rotation axis, and at least three rollers arranged at equal intervals around the rotation axis. When,
A plurality of flexible transfer tubes, and a plurality of relay pipes connected to the liquid introduction side end portions of the transfer tubes and provided with flange portions provided so as to project to the periphery at intermediate positions in the axial direction thereof; , A single introduction side holding portion for holding the plurality of relay pipes, a plurality of discharge nozzles respectively connected to liquid discharge side end portions of the plurality of transport tubes, and a single for holding the plurality of discharge nozzles A tube cassette provided with a discharge side holding portion,
An introduction side mounting portion for detachably holding the introduction side holding portion; and a discharge side mounting portion for detachably holding the discharge side holding portion, wherein the plurality of transport tubes are at least of the rollers of the rotating body. A tube cassette mounting portion that is mounted in a state of being wound around two rollers and stretched to such an extent that a closed space is formed in the transport tube;
A rotating body drive mechanism that rotates the rotating body about the rotation axis and moves the closed space toward the liquid discharge side end by changing the contact position between at least the two rollers and the transport tube; ,
A moving mechanism for moving a well of a container containing liquid discharged from the discharge nozzle to a position below the discharge nozzle;
The discharge side mounting portion is provided below the rotating body, and fixes the discharge side holding portion so that the discharge nozzle is substantially vertically downward,
The introduction side mounting portion is provided at a position laterally away from the rotating body, and an introduction side tube holding member that holds the relay tube movably in the axial direction by fitting the relay tube into a through hole. , A screw hole provided at a position facing the flange portion of the flange portion or the introduction side tube holding member, and a space between the flange portion and the introduction side tube holding member in the axial direction by screwing into the screw hole A position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the position of the relay pipe in the axial direction with respect to the introduction side pipe holding member.
The moving mechanism is provided below the rotating body, the discharge side mounting portion, and the introduction side mounting portion.

  The liquid conveying device is a state in which the conveying tube is stretched and brought into contact with the roller of the rotating body, and the tube is pressed by using the tension applied to the conveying tube by the roller to hold the tube together with the roller. A closed space is formed in the tube without using a body. By rotating the rotating body in this state, the contact position between the roller and the tube is changed, and the liquid present in the tube is moved by moving the closed space.

  Note that the number of rollers around which the transport tube is wound may be at least two, or more. Further, in any phase, as long as at least two rollers are in contact with the transport tube, the number of rollers in contact with the rotation phase of the roller may change. That is, in one phase, three rollers come into contact with the transport tube, resulting in two closed spaces. As a result of the rotation of the roller, the next roller contacts the transport tube to form a new closed space. In the meantime, the leading roller may be separated from the transport tube and the leading closed space may be opened.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the side opposite to the side where the conveyance tube is wound around the roller of the rotating body, which is in contact with the roller, is opened as a conveyance tube demounting space. A liquid transport device according to a first aspect is provided.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the tube cassette mounting portion is provided so as to wind the transport tube around at least three rollers so that a plurality of the closed spaces are continuously formed. A liquid transport device according to a second aspect is provided.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the rotating body is configured to be rotatable about the rotation axis with the horizontal axis as the rotation axis, and at least three rollers arranged at equal intervals around the rotation axis. When,
A plurality of flexible transfer tubes, a plurality of relay pipes respectively connected to the liquid introduction side ends of the transfer tubes, a single introduction side holding section for holding the plurality of relay pipes, and the plurality A tube cassette comprising a plurality of discharge nozzles respectively connected to the liquid discharge side end of the transport tube, and a single discharge side holding portion for holding the plurality of discharge nozzles,
An introduction side mounting portion for detachably holding the introduction side holding portion; and a discharge side mounting portion for detachably holding the discharge side holding portion, wherein the plurality of transport tubes are at least of the rollers of the rotating body. A tube cassette mounting portion that is mounted in a state of being wound around two rollers and stretched to such an extent that a closed space is formed in the transport tube;
A rotating body drive mechanism that rotates the rotating body about the rotation axis and moves the closed space toward the liquid discharge side end by changing the contact position between at least the two rollers and the transport tube; ,
A moving mechanism for moving a well of a container containing liquid discharged from the discharge nozzle to a position below the discharge nozzle;
The discharge side mounting portion is provided below the rotating body, and fixes the discharge side holding portion so that the discharge nozzle is substantially vertically downward,
The introduction side mounting portion is provided at a position laterally away from the rotating body , and is integrally connected to the introduction side tube holding member and the introduction side tube holding member that penetrates and fixes the relay pipe, A connecting member that holds one end of the transfer tube, which is an insertion site of the relay pipe, against the outer surface of the relay pipe and holds the discharge tube, and the discharge side holding portion is a plate-like discharge side to which the discharge nozzle is fixed A tube holding member, and a plate-like coupling member that is integrally connected to the discharge side tube holding member and holds the other end of the transport tube, which is an insertion site of the discharge nozzle, against the outer surface of the discharge nozzle. ,
The moving mechanism, the rotary member, the discharge-side mounting portion, characterized that you are disposed below the introduction side attachment portion, to provide a liquid transfer apparatus.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the coupling member of the introduction side holding portion is a plate-like body having a through hole into which the relay pipe can be inserted, and the relay pipe is inserted into the through hole. The inner diameter dimension of the insertion surface on the side of the insertion surface is larger than the outer diameter dimension of the relay pipe fixed to the introduction side pipe holding member, and the inner diameter dimension of the back surface of the insertion surface is substantially equal to the outer diameter dimension of the relay pipe. So that the insertion surface gradually decreases from the insertion surface toward the back surface,
The coupling member of the discharge side holding part is a plate-like body having a through hole into which the discharge nozzle can be inserted, and the through hole has an inner diameter dimension of an insertion surface on the side where the discharge nozzle is inserted, It is larger than the outer diameter dimension of the discharge nozzle fixed to the discharge side tube holding member, and the inner diameter dimension of the rear surface of the insertion surface is substantially equal to the outer diameter dimension of the discharge nozzle. A liquid transport apparatus according to a fourth aspect is provided, wherein the liquid transport apparatus is configured so as to gradually become thinner .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the tube cassette is
A liquid supply pipe communicating with a liquid storage section for storing the liquid;
Any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising an introduction tube that communicates with the transport tube by inserting the liquid supply tube at one end and inserting the other end of the relay tube at the other end. One liquid transport device is provided.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the tube cassette includes a plurality of the transport tubes arranged in parallel in a strip shape, the relay pipes inserted into the liquid introduction side ends of all the transport tubes, and these An introduction side holding portion for holding the relay pipe, discharge nozzles inserted into liquid discharge side end portions of all the transport tubes, and a discharge side holding portion for holding these discharge nozzles,
All the transport tubes are wound around at least two rollers of the rotating body to form a closed space, and the closed space is simultaneously moved toward the liquid discharge side end by the rotation of the rotating body. to provide any one of a liquid transport apparatus of the first to sixth aspects.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the liquid conveyance device according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the first tube body is moved relative to the introduction-side tube holding member by the introduction-side tube holding member and the position adjusting member. The relative position can be adjusted. Thereby, the tension | tensile_strength applied to a conveyance tube can be adjusted, and the quantity of the liquid conveyed through a conveyance tube can be adjusted. That is, by adjusting the relative position between the first tube body and the introduction side tube holding member, the tension applied to the transfer tube changes, and the inner diameter of the transfer tube changes due to the pulling force. The amount of liquid transport due to the action can be adjusted.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the liquid conveyance device according to the seventh aspect, wherein the roller is arranged so as to be parallel to the rotation axis .

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the rotating body extends perpendicularly to the two discs and rotates about an axis between two discs provided in parallel with a distance therebetween. A liquid transport apparatus according to an eighth aspect is provided, comprising a plurality of cylindrical rollers configured to be possible .

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the rotating body drive mechanism controls the rotation angle detecting means capable of detecting the rotation angle of the rotating body and the rotation angle of the rotating body detected by the rotation angle detecting means. Accordingly, there is provided a liquid transport apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects , comprising a rotation angle control means for controlling the transport amount of the liquid.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the tube is stretched by being wound around at least two rollers of the rotating body in a stretched state, by pressing the tube with the tension applied to the tube and the roller. A closed space is formed at the bottom. Therefore, since the tube is not sandwiched between the roller and the pressing body and is not squeezed and crushed, the opposite side of the roller can be opened as a conveyance tube demounting space at the contact position between the tube and the roller. Therefore, the tube can be removed from the roller simply by removing the tube from the tube cassette mounting portion at the time of tube replacement. Therefore, labor required for tube replacement can be greatly saved.

  Moreover, since a pressing body is unnecessary, a tube can be visually recognized from the outside. In particular, in the case of multi-channel using a plurality of tubes, all the tubes can be confirmed, and it can be confirmed that the liquid is transported in the tubes.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to more smoothly transport the liquid because there are a plurality of closed spaces that hold the liquid transported by the tube.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the conveyance tube is held in a state where both ends of the conveyance tube are inserted into the tubular body and coupled to the tubular body, the conveyance tube is securely held without being blocked by the holding portion. can do.

  According to the fifth aspect and the sixth aspect of the present invention, the pipe body can be held with a simple configuration by the pipe holding member that holds the pipe body, and the pipe body and the transport tube can be reliably coupled with a simple configuration. The conveying tube wound around at least two rollers of the rotating body in the stretched state can be prevented from being detached from the first and second tube bodies.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to adjust the axial position of the first tubular body with respect to the introduction-side holding portion, and it is possible to adjust the amount of liquid transported through the transport tube. That is, if the length of the transport tube varies due to manufacturing errors or assembly errors, or if the transport tube is wound around the roller and deformed over time, the tension of the transport tube In this case, the amount of liquid to be transported may not be constant. For this reason, by adjusting the relative position between the first tube body and the introduction-side tube holding member, the tension applied to the transfer tube can be adjusted, and the liquid transfer amount can be adjusted. Therefore, the amount of liquid to be transported can be made constant even when the tension of the transport tube changes due to a manufacturing error of the transport tube or deformation with time. Furthermore, since the first tubular body is composed of a member independent of the introduction side tube holding member, only the tubular body needs to be replaced, such as when the first tubular body is damaged, thereby saving labor of the replacement. be able to.

  Further, according to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the adjustment screw provided between the flange portion and the introduction side tube holding member allows the interval between the flange portion and the introduction side tube holding member, that is, the introduction side tube holding member. The position of the first tubular body can be adjusted with a simple configuration.

  Further, according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, liquid can be discharged simultaneously using a plurality of transport tubes, and since the tubes are unitized as a tube cassette, the multi-channel having a plurality of tubes is used. However, it is possible to detach a plurality of tubes at a time simply by detaching the holding portions on the introduction side and the discharge side. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the labor required for tube replacement of the multi-channel transport device.

  According to the twelfth and thirteenth aspects of the present invention, since the rollers are provided in parallel to the rotation axis, the rollers abut against all the transport tubes with a uniform force, Liquid can be sent under the same conditions.

  According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, the distance that the closed space formed by the roller moves can be controlled by controlling the rotation angle of the rotating body. Therefore, by controlling the rotation angle of the rotating body, it is possible to control the amount of the liquid accumulated in the closed space, and it can be suitably used for an apparatus intended to transport a predetermined amount of liquid. be able to.

  Hereinafter, a liquid transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a liquid dispensing apparatus using the liquid conveying apparatus of the present invention. The liquid dispensing apparatus 1 is an apparatus for injecting a predetermined amount of liquid such as a reagent into each well provided on a microtiter plate. In addition, in FIG. 1, in order to show clearly the structure of the liquid dispensing apparatus main body, the state in which the tube cassette which comprises some apparatuses used with the said apparatus is not mounted | worn is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid dispensing apparatus 1 is configured to move the microtiter plate independently in each of the X, Y, and Z directions, the moving mechanism 3 disposed on the fixed base 2, and each well of the microtiter plate. A discharge driving mechanism 10 for injecting a predetermined amount of reagent is provided.

  1 and 2, the moving mechanism 3 is configured by combining a Y-direction moving mechanism 204, an X-direction moving mechanism 4, and a mounting table elevating mechanism 6 in order from the bottom on the fixed base 2. Two Y-direction rails 201 are mounted in parallel on the upper surface of the fixed base 2, and a slider 404 mounted on the lower surface of the X-direction moving mechanism 4 is slidably engaged with the Y-direction rail 201. is doing. In FIG. 2, the Y-direction moving mechanism 204 has a built-in Y-axis feed screw 203 that is rotated by the Y-axis motor 202, and the Y-axis feed screw 203 is screwed onto a nut 205 coupled to the lower surface of the X-direction moving mechanism 4. Match. Accordingly, when the Y-axis motor 202 is driven, the Y-axis feed screw 203 is rotated, whereby the X-direction moving mechanism 4 moves along the Y-direction rail 201 in the Y direction.

  In FIG. 1, two X-direction rails 401 parallel to the X direction are mounted on the upper surface of the X-direction moving mechanism 4. The X-direction rail 401 is mounted on the lower surface of the mounting table elevating mechanism 6. The slider 600 is slidably engaged. The X-direction moving mechanism 4 incorporates an X-axis feed screw 405 that is rotated by an X-axis motor 402, and this X-axis feed screw 405 is screwed into a nut 605 coupled to the lower surface of the mounting table elevating mechanism 6. (See FIG. 2). Accordingly, when the X-axis motor 402 is driven, the X-axis feed screw 405 is rotated, whereby the mounting table elevating mechanism 6 moves along the X-direction rail 401 in the X direction.

  The mounting table elevating mechanism 6 is a bottomed container-shaped member and includes a Z-axis motor 601 and a Z-axis guide 603 therein. The Z-axis motor 601 is connected to an eccentric cam 602, and a connecting portion 604 of the mounting table 7 is inserted to hold the mounting table 7 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction.

  When the Z-axis motor 601 is driven to rotate the eccentric cam 602, the cam follower 701 of the mounting table 7 in contact with the eccentric cam 602 moves, and the connecting portion 604 inserted into the Z-axis guide 603 is connected to the Z-axis guide 603. The mounting table 7 moves in the Z-axis direction.

  The mounting table 7 fixes two microtiter plates 100 in parallel. The mounting table 7 has a positioning portion 702 so that the microtiter plate 100 can be fixed at a predetermined position on the mounting table 7.

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the discharge drive mechanism 10 is disposed on the fixed plate 9 positioned at the upper part of the moving mechanism, and includes a rotating body 14, a discharge side mounting portion 15, and an introduction side mounting portion 17. A tube cassette mounting portion, pump drive motors 12 a and 12 b for driving the rotating body 14, and a tube support plate 18. The rotating body 14 is configured to be rotatable about the horizontal axis as a rotation axis, and is rotationally driven by power from the pump drive motors 12a and 12b via pulleys 11a and 11b provided at ends of the rotation shaft. The upper region of the rotating body 14 is opened without providing another member. As will be described later, this area is used as a tube cassette detachment area 90 used when detaching the tube cassette, and facilitates the detachment of the tube cassette.

  The pump drive motors 12a and 12b include porous disks 32a and 32b on pulleys provided on their drive shafts, and the porous disks 32a and 32b are detected by photointerrupters 31a and 31b that detect the amount of rotation of the porous disks 32a and 32b. The rotation amount of 32b can be detected and controlled. That is, the porous disks 32a and 32b are provided with a plurality of holes arranged in a circumferential shape, and the rotation angle of the pulley is determined by counting the number of times the detection light of the photo interrupters 31a and 31b is conducted and blocked by the holes. It can be detected. The rotation of the pulley is transmitted to the pulleys 11a and 11b of the rotating body by the drive belts 13a and 13b, and the amount of rotation of the rotating body can be detected.

  As will be described later, the tube cassette mounting portion is a member for fixing the tube cassette (see FIG. 6), and includes an introduction side mounting portion 17 and a discharge side mounting portion 15. The discharge side mounting portions 15 are arranged in three places in front of the fixed plate 9 so as to be parallel to the Y axis, hold the rotation shaft of the rotating body 14 and also have a discharge side holding portion 42 of the tube cassette described later. Hold.

  The introduction side mounting portion 17 is fixed at three places on the upper surface of the fixed plate 16 so as to be parallel to the Y axis, and holds an introduction side holding portion 43 of a tube cassette described later (see FIG. 6). The fixed plate 16 is disposed so that its position can be adjusted in the X-axis direction with respect to the fixed plate 9 of the ejection drive mechanism 10. The fixing plate 9 and the fixing plate 16 are positioned by a screw 16b and two positioning screws 19 that pass through the two long holes 16a provided in the fixing plate 16.

  The long hole 16 a is a through hole that is long in the X-axis direction, and is screwed into a screw hole (not shown) provided in the fixing plate 9 to fix the fixing plate 16. The positioning screw 19 is disposed so as to engage with a screw fixing portion 19a provided on the fixing plate and its axis is parallel to the X-axis direction. The positioning screw 19 is screwed with a screw screwing portion 20 provided at the rear of the fixing plate 16, and the position of the fixing plate 16 can be adjusted by the screwing amount.

  The tube support plate 18 is a plate-like body that supports the introduction tube of the tube cassette so that it does not hang down when the tube cassette is mounted, and is inclined so that the rear side is lowered.

  FIG. 4 is a block configuration diagram of a drive control circuit of the liquid dispensing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The drive control circuit 70 includes a control unit 71 and motor drive circuits 72a, 72b, 72x, 72y, 72z for driving four types of motors. The motor drive circuits 72a, 72b, 72x, 72y, and 72z can be controlled to drive and control each motor independently. The control unit 71 is connected to the above-described photointerrupters 31a and 31b, receives the signals from the photointerrupters 31a and 31b, detects the rotation amount of the rotating body 14, and passes through the pump drive motor drive circuits 72a and 72b. The pump drive motors 12a and 12b are driven and controlled.

  The pump drive motors 12a and 12b are motors for rotating the rotating body of the discharge drive mechanism as described above. The X-axis motor 402 is a motor for moving the second stage 6 in the X-axis direction. The Y-axis motor 202 is a motor for moving the first stage 4 in the Y-axis direction. The Z-axis motor 601 is a motor that is provided in the second stage and moves the mounting table 7 up and down in the Z-axis direction.

  The liquid dispensing apparatus according to the present embodiment discharges a predetermined amount of liquid from the discharge nozzle to each well provided on the microtiter plate 100 by driving the discharge driving mechanism 10 and the moving mechanism 3 in conjunction with each other. be able to. The discharge nozzle 41 is provided in a tube cassette (see FIG. 6), which will be described later in detail, and is arranged so that the discharge port is positioned substantially downward in the vertical direction when the tube cassette is mounted. (See FIG. 15). Specifically, first, as shown in FIG. 5A, the moving mechanism is such that the well row 101a arranged in the Y-axis direction of the microtiter plate 100 is positioned below the discharge nozzle 41 that discharges the liquid. 3 is moved.

  Next, the Z-axis motor is driven, the mounting table 7 is raised in the Z-axis direction as indicated by an arrow 81, the nozzle 41 is brought close to the well row 101 a of the microtiter plate 100, and the discharge driving mechanism 10 is driven to move the nozzle A predetermined amount of the liquid 140 is discharged from (FIG. 5B). When a predetermined amount of liquid is discharged to the well row 101a (FIG. 5 (c)), the Z-axis motor is driven, the mounting table 7 is lowered downward in the Z-axis direction, and the X-axis motor is driven. The microtiter plate 100 is moved so that the next well row 101b is positioned below the nozzle 41 of the ejection driving mechanism 10. By repeating such an operation, a predetermined amount of liquid is discharged to all the wells of the microtiter plate 100.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a tube cassette used in the liquid dispensing apparatus according to the present embodiment. The tube cassette 40 is inserted into a plurality of discharge nozzles 41, a transfer tube 45 with an end inserted into the discharge nozzle, a relay pipe 47 inserted into the other end of the transfer tube 45, and the other end of the relay pipe 47. A plurality of (16 in this embodiment) conduit units each including the introduction tube 46 and a supply pipe 48 inserted into the other end of the introduction tube are arranged in a line. In the present embodiment, the discharge nozzle 41, the relay pipe 47, and the supply pipe 48 are made of metal, and the transfer tube 45 and the introduction tube 46 are made of flexible silicon resin.

  The pipe unit introduces liquid into the pipe unit from a supply pipe 48 arranged so as to be immersed in the liquid stored in the liquid tank 30 (see FIG. 3A), and introduces the liquid into the introduction tube 46 and the relay pipe 47. , A tube for conveying through the conveying tube 45 and the discharge nozzle 41 is formed. Hereinafter, the positional relationship of the tube cassette will be described using the terms upstream (side near the supply pipe 48) and downstream (side near the discharge nozzle 41).

  Each of the pipeline units is arranged at an equal pitch by a discharge side holding part 42 for fixing the discharge nozzle 41, an introduction side holding part 43 for fixing the relay pipe 47, and a third holding part 44 for fixing the supply pipe. It is connected and provided. The pitch of the adjacent duct units is set equal to or equal to the pitch of the well row of the microtiter plate 100 or an integral multiple of the pitch. In the tube cassette shown in FIG. 6, the relay pipe 47 corresponds to the first pipe body, and the discharge nozzle 41 corresponds to the second pipe body.

  The transport tube 45 inserted into the discharge nozzle is a tube having flexibility and stretchability. In this embodiment, the outer diameter is about 2.7φ, and the inner diameter is about 1.3 to 1.7φ. Is. The performance required for the transport tube is required to be not only flexible and stretchable but also durable (durability against ironing by a roller and chemical resistance). Further, depending on the application, it is also required that autoclaving (sterilization) is possible. In this embodiment, silicon resin is used from the above viewpoint, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  In the present embodiment, the same introduction tube 46 as the conveyance tube 45 is used as the introduction tube 46 communicating with the conveyance tube 45 by the relay pipe 47. However, as described later, since the introduction tube 46 is attached to the liquid dispensing apparatus 1 in a state where no tension is applied, the introduction tube 46 does not necessarily have flexibility, and a tube having an arbitrary property can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the discharge side holding part 42 is disposed so as to overlap the main body 49 (introduction side holding part) that penetrates and fixes the discharge nozzle, and the upstream surface of the discharge nozzle of the main body. And a holding plate 50 that holds the transport tube 45 in which the nozzle 41 is inserted in a state of being coupled to the discharge nozzle 42. The holding plate 50 has a through-hole through which the discharge nozzle 41 and the transfer tube 45 penetrate, and presses the transfer tube 45 against the discharge nozzle at the wall of the through-hole to firmly bond the two.

  The hole diameter on the downstream side of the through hole is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the transport tube 45. When the main body 49 and the pressing plate 50 are coupled, the contact area with the transport tube 45 is reduced, It is comprised so that the resistance at the time of insertion of the board 50 may be made small. On the other hand, since the hole diameter of the through hole on the upstream side of the pressing plate 50 is slightly larger than the outer diameter size of the discharge nozzle and smaller than the outer diameter size of the transport tube, the main body 49 and the pressing plate 50 are connected. The transport tube 45 is pressed against the outer surface of the discharge nozzle by the upstream end 50a of the through hole. A screw 56 that is screwed into a screw hole 49 a provided in the main body 49 is used to connect the main body 49 and the pressing plate 50.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, columnar protrusions 51 that engage with the discharge side mounting portion 15 are provided on both surfaces in the Y-axis direction of the main body 49 (discharge side tube holding member) of the discharge side holding portion 42. There are two each. Details of the engagement mechanism between the discharge side mounting portion 15 and the discharge side holding portion 42 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the introduction side holding portion 43 is disposed so as to overlap the main body 52 that penetrates and fixes the relay pipe 47 and the upstream surface of the main body 52, and the transfer tube 45 in which the relay pipe 47 is inserted. Is provided with a holding plate 53 that is held in a state of being coupled to the relay pipe 47. The holding plate 53 has a through-hole through which the relay pipe 47 and the transport tube 45 penetrate, and presses the transport tube 45 against the relay pipe 47 at the wall of the through-hole to firmly bond the two.

  The hole diameter on the upstream side of the through hole is sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the transport tube 45, and when the main body 52 and the pressing plate 53 are coupled, the contact area with the transport tube 45 is reduced to reduce the pressing hole. It is configured to reduce the resistance when the plate 53 is inserted. On the other hand, since the hole diameter of the through hole on the downstream side of the pressing plate 53 is slightly larger than the outer diameter size of the relay pipe 47 and smaller than the outer diameter size of the transport tube, the main body 52 and the pressing plate 53 are connected. In this case, the transport tube 45 is pressed against the outer surface of the relay pipe 47 by the downstream end 53a of the through hole. A screw 57 that is screwed into a screw hole 52 a provided in the main body 52 is used to connect the main body 52 and the pressing plate 53. Since the introduction tube 46 inserted into the upstream end of the relay pipe 47 is attached to the liquid dispensing apparatus 1 in a state where no tension is applied as will be described later, a configuration for connecting the two is provided. Absent. However, a member for connecting the relay pipe 47 and the introduction tube 46 may be provided.

  As shown in FIG. 6, two columnar protrusions 54 that are engaged with the introduction side mounting portion 17 are provided on each of the two surfaces of the main body 52 of the introduction side holding portion in the Y-axis direction. Details of the engagement mechanism between the introduction side mounting portion 17 and the introduction side holding portion 43 will be described later. In addition, a handle 55 for pulling the introduction side holding portion 43 when the tube cassette 40 is mounted is provided at the center of the upper surface of the main body 52 of the introduction side holding portion 43.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the third holding portion 44 is a plate-like body that penetrates and fixes the supply pipe 48. An upstream surface of the third holding part 44 is provided with an insertion part 44 a for connecting to the liquid tank 30. The upstream end of the introduction tube 46 is connected to a supply pipe 48, and the liquid conveyed through the supply pipe 48 is sent to the conveyance tube.

  Next, another configuration example of the tube cassette used in the liquid dispensing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the tube cassette used in the liquid dispensing apparatus according to the present embodiment. Since the tube cassette shown in FIG. 10 has the same configuration as the tube cassette shown in FIG. 6, differences will be mainly described below.

  The tube cassette 40a includes a plurality of discharge nozzles 41a, a transfer tube 45 communicating with the discharge nozzle 41a, a relay pipe 47a inserted into the other end of the transfer tube 45, and an introduction tube 46 inserted into the other end of the relay pipe 47a. , A plurality of (16 in the present embodiment) line units each including a supply pipe 48 inserted into the other end of the introduction tube are arranged in a line. In the tube cassette shown in FIG. 10, the relay pipe 47a corresponds to the first pipe body, and the discharge nozzle 41a corresponds to the second pipe body.

  The pipe unit introduces liquid into the pipe unit from a supply pipe 48 arranged so as to be immersed in the liquid stored in the liquid tank 30 (see FIG. 3A), and introduces the liquid into the introduction tube 46 and the relay pipe 47a. , A tube for conveying through the conveying tube 45 and the discharge nozzle 41a is formed.

  The respective pipe line units are arranged at equal pitches by a discharge side holding part 42a for fixing the discharge nozzle 41a, an introduction side holding part 43a for fixing the relay pipe 47a, and a third holding part 44 for fixing the supply pipe. It is connected and provided. The pitch of the adjacent duct units is set equal to the pitch of the well row of the microtiter plate 100 or an integer multiple thereof.

  The same thing as the tube cassette shown in FIG. 6 can be used for the conveyance tube 45. FIG. Moreover, the same tube cassette as shown in FIG. 6 can be used for the introduction tube 46 that communicates with the transfer tube 45 by the relay pipe 47a.

  As shown in FIGS. 11A and 12A, the discharge side holding portion 42a includes a main body 49a that is a discharge side pipe holding member that holds the discharge nozzle 41a to which the nozzle 41b is fixed. The discharge nozzle 41a is fixed to the main body 49a by being fitted into a through hole 75a provided in the main body 49a.

  The discharge nozzle 41a includes a holding part 70a for holding the transport tube 45, a nozzle 41b, and a columnar connecting part 72a. The connecting portion 72a is fixed by screwing the screw portion 70c formed on the downstream side of the holding portion 70a into the screw hole 72c formed on the upstream side, and inserting the nozzle 41b into the fitting hole 72d formed on the downstream side. And fixed. Further, the connecting portion 72a has a through hole 72e that penetrates from the screw hole 72c to the fitting hole 72d. Further, the upstream end portion of the connecting portion 72a has a flange portion 72b protruding to the periphery. The discharge nozzle 41a that connects the holding portion 70a, the connecting portion 72a, and the nozzle 41b can send the liquid introduced from the transport tube 45 from the flow path 70e of the holding portion 70a to the nozzle 41b through the through hole 72e.

  The holding portion 70a is provided with an insertion portion 70b for inserting the transport tube 45 on the upstream side. The insertion portion 70b is a truncated cone-shaped cylindrical member configured so that its outer diameter gradually increases toward the downstream side, and is held in close contact with the inner surface 45a of the conveying tube so that the conveying tube does not fall off. To do. That is, since the conveyance tube 45 is deformed so that its diameter is reduced when tension is applied, the inclined portion of the insertion portion 70b and the return portion 70d strengthen the close contact with the conveyance tube inner surface 45a, and the conveyance tube 45 is It can be prevented from falling off the holding portion 70a.

  The main body 49a is a plate-like member having a through hole 75a into which the connecting portion 72a of the discharge nozzle 41a is inserted and a screw hole 74a for inserting a fixing screw 74b for fixing the discharge nozzle 41a. The through holes 75a are arranged at the same pitch as the wells of the microtiter plate 100 or an integer multiple of the pitch. By inserting the discharge nozzle 41a into the through holes 75a, the discharge nozzle 41a and the main body 49a are held. The Since the through hole 75a is provided with a flange fitting part 75b that fits the discharge nozzle 41a from the upstream side and meshes with the flange part 72b of the connecting part 72a, by inserting the discharge nozzle 41a all the way into the through hole 75a, The relative position between the main body 49a and the discharge nozzle 41a can always be kept constant. Therefore, the height of the plurality of nozzles provided in the tube cassette can always be made constant. Further, the discharge nozzle 41a fitted in the through hole 75a is fixed to the main body 49a by a fixing screw 74b.

  As shown in FIGS. 11B and 12B, the introduction side holding portion 43a adjusts the position of the relay pipe 47a in the axial direction with respect to the main body 52a and the main body 52a as the introduction side pipe holding member that holds the relay pipe 47a. An adjustment screw 79a serving as a position adjustment mechanism is provided.

  The relay pipe 47a includes a pipe 47b, a columnar connecting portion 77a, and a holding portion 71a for holding the transport tube 45. The relay pipe 47a is held by being fitted in a through hole 78a formed in the main body 52a in a state of being movable in the axial direction.

  The connecting portion 77a inserts and fixes the pipe 47b into the fitting hole 77d formed on the upstream side thereof, and the screw portion 71c formed on the upstream side of the holding portion 71a in the screw hole 77c formed on the downstream side. It is fixed by screwing. Further, the connecting portion 77a has a through hole 77e that penetrates from the fitting hole 77d to the screw hole 77c. The upstream end of the connecting portion 77a has a flange portion 77b protruding to the periphery.

  The holding portion 71a is provided with an insertion portion 71b to be inserted into the transport tube 45 on the downstream side. The insertion portion 71b is configured in the same shape as the insertion portion 70b of the holding portion 70a of the discharge nozzle 41a, and prevents the transport tube 45 from falling off. Further, a channel 71e for transporting liquid is formed along the central axis of the holding portion 71a. The relay pipe connecting the pipe 47b, the connecting portion 77a, and the transport tube 45 can send the liquid introduced from the pipe 47b to the transport tube 45 from the through hole 77e through the flow path 71e of the holding portion 71a.

  The main body 52a is a plate-like member having a through hole 78a into which the connecting portion 77a of the relay pipe 47a is inserted and a screw hole 78b for inserting an adjustment screw 79a for adjusting the position of the relay pipe 47a. The through holes 78a are arranged at the same pitch as the through holes 75a of the main body 49a of the discharge side holding portion, and the relay pipe 47a and the main body 52a are held by fitting the relay pipe 47a into the through holes 78a. . Since the through-hole 78a is inserted into the relay pipe 47a from the upstream side and has a smaller diameter than the flange portion 77b, the through-hole 78a is held without passing through the relay pipe 47a.

  The adjustment screw 79a is screwed into a screw hole 78b provided in the vicinity of the through hole 78a in parallel with the through hole 78a. The adjustment screw 79a is configured to be longer than the thickness of the main body 52a so as to protrude from both side surfaces of the main body 52a, and the tip 79b protruding from the upstream surface of the main body 52a is connected to the flange portion 77b of the connecting portion 77a. Contact. Accordingly, the fitting width of the relay pipe 47a into the main body 52a, that is, the position of the relay pipe 47a in the axial direction with respect to the main body 52a is the protruding amount of the tip of the adjustment screw 79a that contacts the flange 77b. It is determined. Therefore, the fitting width can be adjusted more finely by reducing the screw pitch of the adjusting screw 79a. In this embodiment, the adjusting screw 79a is configured to be approximately 0.3 mm. Further, the amount of adjustment of the insertion width varies depending on the specific design of the apparatus, but it is preferable to be able to adjust in the range of about 1 to 10 mm, preferably about 3 mm. In the present embodiment, the adjustment screw 79a and the screw hole 78b serve as a position adjustment mechanism that adjusts the position of the relay pipe 47a in the axial direction with respect to the main body 52a.

  The screw hole is provided not on the main body 52a side but on the flange portion 77b side, and the tip of the screw protruding downstream of the flange portion abuts on the upstream surface of the main body 52a so that the insertion amount between the relay pipe and the main body 52a is reached. It is good also as a structure which adjusts.

  The tube cassette having this configuration can adjust the insertion width of the relay pipe 47a by the adjusting screw 79a, and by this adjustment, it is possible to adjust the variation in the liquid discharge amount between the respective pipe line units. That is, the tube cassette shown in FIG. 10 is set in the dispensing device, a predetermined amount of liquid is discharged, and the discharge amount of the liquid for each pipeline unit is measured. Based on this measurement result, an error in the discharge amount is obtained for each pipeline unit, and the protruding amount of the adjustment screw 79a is adjusted based on this error, thereby adjusting the insertion width of the relay pipe. Since the relationship between the rotation angle of the adjusting screw 79a and the change amount of the discharge amount of each pipeline unit is uniquely determined, the discharge amount is adjusted with reference to data measured in advance.

  When it is desired to increase the discharge amount of the conduit unit, the protruding amount of the adjustment screw 79a is reduced, the insertion width of the relay pipe is increased, and the conveyance tube 45 is adjusted in the loosening direction. That is, the tension of the transport tube 45 is reduced, and the pressing force between the roller 61 and the transport tube 45 is weakened, so that the closed space 110 is increased, and the discharge amount per rotation angle of the rotating body 14 is increased.

  On the other hand, when it is desired to reduce the discharge amount for each pipeline unit, the protruding amount of the adjusting screw 79a is increased, the fitting width of the relay pipe 47a is reduced, and the conveying tube 45 is adjusted in the extending direction. As a result, the tension of the transport tube 45 is increased and the pressing force between the roller 61 and the transport tube 45 is increased, whereby the closed space 110 is reduced, and the discharge amount per rotation angle of the rotating body 14 is reduced.

  Next, in the tube cassette shown in FIG. 10, a procedure for attaching the relay pipe 47a and the discharge nozzle 41a to the main body 52a of the introduction side holding portion 43a and the main body 49a of the discharge side holding portion 42a will be described.

  As described above, first, the relay pipe 47a and the discharge nozzle 41a are connected by the transport tube, and this is created for the quantity set in one tube cassette (16 in this embodiment). The connected relay pipe 47a and the discharge nozzle 41a are inserted into the through hole 78a of the main body 52a of the introduction side holding portion 43a from the nozzle 41b side. The outer dimension R1 of the flange portion 72b of the connecting portion 72a of the discharge nozzle 41a is configured to be smaller than the inner diameter R2 of the through hole 78a of the main body 52a of the introduction side holding portion, and the discharge nozzle 41a is configured to be the introduction side holding portion 43a. Can be penetrated.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 13A, the discharge nozzle 41a is fitted into the through hole 75a of the main body 49a of the discharge side holding portion 42a, and the discharge nozzle 41a is fixed to the main body 49a of the discharge side holding portion 42a by a fixing screw 74b.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 13B, the relay pipe 47a is fitted into the through hole 78a of the main body 52a of the introduction side holding portion 43a. In the relay pipe 47a, since the flange portion 77b of the connecting portion 77a is configured to be larger than the through hole 78a, the relay tube 47a cannot pass through the flange portion 77b, and the flange portion 77b contacts the tip of the adjustment screw 79a as described above. Until it is inserted. In addition, since the transfer tube 45 is set in a pulled state when the liquid transfer is mounted on the apparatus 1, the relay tube 47a does not fall out of the main body 52a of the introduction side holding portion 43a.

  Thereafter, these operations are repeated, and the necessary number of nozzles are set in the introduction side holding portion 43a and the discharge side holding portion 42a. By assembling the tube cassette in this way, the assembly of the tube cassette can be saved, and even if only a part of the plurality of discharge nozzles is damaged, other transport tubes Only the damaged discharge nozzle can be replaced without removing the nozzle.

  Next, an engagement mechanism of the introduction side mounting portion 17 and the discharge side mounting portion 15 with the introduction side holding portions 43 and 43a and the discharge side holding portions 42 and 42a will be described. Hereinafter, the description will be given by taking the case of engaging the tube cassette of FIG. 6 as an example, but the same applies to the case of using the tube cassette shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a perspective view for explaining an engagement mechanism between the discharge side mounting portion 15 and the discharge side holding portion 42. As shown in FIG. 14, the discharge side mounting portion 15 is fixed in parallel with each other in a state in which a part projects from the front side of the fixed plate. The discharge side mounting portion 15 is fixed to the fixed plate by screws 15a. The interval between the adjacent introduction side mounting portions 17 is configured to be substantially the same as the width dimension of the introduction side holding portion, and the rotating body 14 (14a) is provided between the two adjacent discharge side holding portions 15 as described above. , 14b). A notch 151 extending in the X-axis direction is provided below the rotary body installation position of the discharge side mounting portion 15, and the protrusion 51 of the discharge side holding portion is fitted into the notch 151. On the upper surface of the notch 151, two recesses 152 having a shape substantially equal to the outer peripheral shape of the protrusion 51 are provided at two positions at positions corresponding to the protrusion 51 of the discharge side holding portion 15 when the both are engaged. As shown at 84, the protrusion 51 fits into the recess 152 at the time of connection, so that both are fixed.

  The introduction side mounting portion 17 and the introduction side holding portion 43 are engaged by an engagement mechanism shown in FIG. That is, the introduction side mounting portion 17 is fixed on the fixing plate 16 at a predetermined interval as described above. The interval between the adjacent introduction side mounting portions 17 is configured to be substantially the same as the width dimension of the introduction side holding portion 43. The introduction side mounting portion 17 is provided with a notch 171 for engaging the introduction side holding portion 43 on a surface far from the discharge side mounting portion 15, and the introduction side holding portion 43 is fitted into the notch 171. Both are fixed by this. The notch is provided in a direction in which the engagement surface 173 on the introduction side mounting portion side is inclined, and the inclination direction is the downstream side of the relay pipe 47 of the introduction side holding portion when the introduction side holding portion is engaged. (Rotating body 14 side) The orientation is such that the end portion is inclined so as to be higher. The engaging surface 173 is provided with two concave portions 172 having a shape substantially equal to the outer peripheral shape of the protrusion 54 at a position corresponding to the protrusion 54 of the introduction side holding portion when the both are engaged. As shown, the projection 54 fits into the recess 172 during connection. In addition, the introduction side holding part 43 is urged | biased by the engaging surface 173 of the introduction side mounting | wearing part 17 by the conveyance tube 45 of the state stretched so that it may mention later, and is fixed firmly.

  Next, the rotating body fixed to the discharge side mounting portion will be described. As shown in FIG. 16B, the rotating body 14 is a member that rotates about a horizontal axis parallel to the Y axis as a rotation axis, and extends between the two disks 60 in parallel to the rotation axis. Eight columnar rollers 61 are arranged circumferentially at equal intervals around the rotation axis.

  The outer diameter of each roller can be reduced to reduce the contact area to the tube, and the pressure on the tube can be increased to form a closed space in the transfer tube with a small tension. The conveyance tube is severely damaged by the friction caused by the rotation. Therefore, it is preferable to design appropriately according to properties such as the thickness and material of the tube and the amount of pulling when the tube is mounted. In the present embodiment, a roller having a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the tube is used, and specifically, a roller having an outer diameter of 2φ is used. Each roller 61 is fixed via a disc 60 and a bearing 65, and can rotate freely with a horizontal axis parallel to the Y axis as a rotation axis.

  Further, as described above, rotary shafts 63 and 64 for rotating the rotating body by receiving the power of the pump drive motors 12a and 12b are provided at the center of the two disks. The rotary shafts 63 and 64 are constituted by double shaft bodies, the outer shaft 63 is connected to the pulley 11a and the rotary body 14a near the pulleys 11a and 13b, and the inner shaft 64 is connected to the pulley 11b and the pulley 11a. , 13b is connected to a rotating body 14b on the far side. As described above, the driving forces of the respective pump drive motors 12a and 12b are transmitted to the pulleys 11a and 13b by the drive belts 13a and 13b, and rotate independently.

  The rotating body includes a separation plate 62 between the two discs 60. The separation plate is for separating the pipeline units arranged in parallel. When the rotating body rotates as described later, the transport tube 45 wound around the rotating body is shifted in the Y-axis direction. This is to prevent this.

  Next, the operation when the ejection drive mechanism 10 ejects liquid will be described. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram when the tube cassette 40 is mounted on the discharge side mounting portion 15 and the introduction side mounting portion 17. When the tube cassette 40 is mounted on the tube cassette mounting portion, the upper portion of the rotating body is opened and can be used as the tube cassette detachment region 90, so that the tube cassette is disposed in the liquid dispensing device through the region. . First, the discharge side holding part 42 is connected to the discharge side mounting part 15. The engagement of both is as described above, and the protrusion 51 of the discharge side holding part is fitted into the notch 151 of the discharge side mounting part as shown by the arrow 84 and fixed. By fixing in this manner, the discharge nozzle 41 is fixed substantially downward in the vertical direction.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 18, the transport tube 45 is wound around the upper portion of the rotating body, and the introduction side holding portion 43 is drawn toward the introduction side mounting portion 17. At this time, the handle 55 of the introduction side holding part may be gripped. At this time, the discharge nozzle of the discharge side holding portion is directed downward in the vertical direction, and the relay pipe of the introduction side holding portion is fixed with a slight inclination so that the downstream side faces slightly upward. In this embodiment, the wrapping angle R is about 180 degrees or less in contact with the plurality of rollers 61, and the wrapping angle R is specifically about 90 degrees (see FIG. 19). In order to attach the transport tube in a state where the transport tube is stretched by the rotating body through the transport tube demounting space on the upper side of the roller, the wrapping angle of the transport tube is approximately 65 degrees to 135 degrees, and more preferably 90 degrees. To 120 degrees. Note that when the wrapping angle of the transport tube is reduced, it is necessary to increase the tension applied to the transport tube in order to form a closed space in the transport tube.

  The transport tube does not reach the introduction side mounting portion 15 as shown by a broken line in FIG. 19 when the discharge side holding portion 42 is engaged with the discharge side mounting portion 15 and is wound around the roller 61 of the rotating body 14. Configured to length. In this state, as shown by an arrow 85 in FIG. 19, the introduction side holding portion 43 is pulled toward the introduction side mounting portion 15, and the introduction side holding portion 43 is engaged with the introduction side mounting portion 15. At this time, the transport tube 45 is configured to have a length of about 120% to 200%, particularly preferably about 150%, with respect to the length when not pulled. The degree of the pulling length can be appropriately adjusted depending on the characteristics of the transport tube used.

  After the tube cassette 40 is mounted by the discharge side holding part 42 and the introduction side holding part 43, the third holding part 44 is attached to the liquid tank 30, and the supply pipe is set so as to be immersed in the liquid stored in the liquid tank 30. To do.

  In the present embodiment, since the tube cassette mounting portion is configured so that two tube cassettes 40 can be mounted, two tube cassettes are mounted. FIG. 20 is a view showing a state where two tube cassettes 40 are mounted on the tube cassette mounting portion. When the tube cassette 40 is mounted, eight transfer tubes 45 are arranged on both sides of the separation plate 62 of the rotating body.

  When the tube cassette 40 is mounted in this way, the rollers 61 of the rotating body 14 come into contact with the plurality of transport tubes, and the transport tube 45 is constricted by the rollers 61 as shown in FIG. The closed spaces 110a and 110b are formed between the two adjacent rollers 61. Here, in order to distinguish the rollers 61 whose positions are changed by the rotation of the rotating body 14, the rollers 61 are respectively indicated by 61a to 61h, and the closed space formed by being narrowed by the rollers 61a and 61b is defined as 110a and the rollers 61b. A closed space formed by being narrowed by 61 and 61c is defined as 110b.

  Air is present in the inside 120 of the transfer tube 45 before the tube cassette 40 is attached and the rotating body 14 is rotationally driven. In this state, when the rotating body 14 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 86, the closed spaces 110a and 110b move to the discharge nozzle side as shown in FIG. 22, and as a result, the liquid 103 is conveyed through the supply pipe 48. Is done. When this operation is repeated, the liquid 103 is introduced into the closed space as shown in FIG. In FIG. 23, a closed space 110e is formed by rollers 61e and 61f, and a closed space 110f is formed by rollers 61f and 61g.

  In this state, when the rotating body 14 further rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 87, as shown in FIG. 24, the roller 61e is separated from the transport tube 45. As a result, the closed space 110e is released by the flexibility of the transport tube 45. Then, the liquid stored in the closed space 110e moves to the discharge nozzle 41 side.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 25, the rotating body 14 is rotated as indicated by an arrow 88, so that the closed space 110f is released and the liquid is conveyed to the discharge nozzle side. By repeating such an operation continuously, the liquid 103 is ejected from the ejection nozzle 41.

  The minimum unit of the amount of liquid discharged from the discharge nozzle 41 is the amount of liquid accumulated in one closed space 110. Since the rollers 61 are provided almost uniformly, the volumes of the closed spaces are substantially equal. Therefore, the liquid discharge amount can be determined by the number of closed spaces released by the rotation of the rotating body 14. Since the rotation angle of the rotator 14 is determined by the rotation angles of the pump drive motors 12a and 12b, the rotation angle of the rotator 14 is controlled by counting the number of times the detection light of the photo interrupter is turned on and off as described above. The amount of liquid discharged from the discharge nozzle 41 can be controlled.

  When removing the tube cassette 40 from the tube cassette mounting portion, pull the introduction side holding portion 43 toward the supply pipe 48 to remove it from the introduction side mounting portion 17, and then remove the discharge side holding portion 42 from the discharge side mounting portion 15. Good. Since the transport tube 45 is only wound around the roller while being pulled, the tube cassette can be removed from the liquid dispensing device 1 through the tube cassette detachment region simply by removing the introduction side and the discharge side holding portion. The trouble of replacing the tube cassette 40 can be reduced.

  That is, after the tube cassette is set in the liquid dispensing apparatus 1 and a predetermined liquid is conveyed, the tube cassette is easily removed, and another tube cassette is set in the liquid dispensing apparatus, so that the liquid can be conveyed. This can be done with a very simple process. Thus, since the tube cassette can be easily replaced, problems such as contamination between discharged liquids can be reliably prevented in the liquid dispensing apparatus 1 and the like.

  As described above, according to the liquid dispensing apparatus according to the present embodiment, the tube cassette including a plurality of discharge nozzles provided at a pitch corresponding to one well row provided in the microtiter plate is used. Since the liquid can be supplied, the liquid can be supplied to one well row at a time. In addition, since the tube cassette includes an introduction side holding portion and a discharge side holding portion that unitize and fix a plurality of tubes, the tube cassette can be easily handled.

  In addition, the liquid dispensing apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured so that the introduction side holding part and the discharge side holding part of the tube cassette are in a state where the conveyance tube of the tube cassette is extended in order to form a closed space in the conveyance tube. Since it is made to wind around, the press body for pinching a tube is not required. Accordingly, the tube cassette can be easily detached.

  Moreover, since the tube cassette is equipped with holding plates on the introduction side holding part and the discharge side holding part, it prevents the transport tubes held in the stretched state from being detached from the discharge nozzles and relay pipes into which they are inserted. To do.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can implement in another various aspect.

  The angle at which the transport tube is wound around the roller of the rotating body does not have to be approximately 90 degrees as in the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately designed within a range in which the conveying tube contacts at least two rollers of the rotating body. That is, since the angle at which the transport tube is wound around the two rollers differs depending on the number of rollers provided in the rotating body, it can be appropriately adjusted depending on the number of rollers and the number of closed spaces to be formed.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the rotating body has eight rollers, and the tube cassette mounting portion is arranged at a position where the transport tube is wound around the three rollers. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. . The number of rollers provided on the rotating body may be at least three so that at least one closed space is formed in the transport tube at any phase. When the number of rollers changes, the angle formed by the adjacent rollers changes, so it is necessary to appropriately adjust the winding angle of the transport tube.

  Moreover, what is necessary is just to adjust the winding angle of a conveyance tube, when winding a conveyance tube around three or more rollers in order to provide multiple closed spaces. In this case, when there are three rollers provided on the rotating body, a winding angle of 180 degrees or more is required, and therefore it is preferable to use a rotating body provided with four or more rollers.

  Further, the tube cassette does not necessarily require the introduction tube and the third holding unit, and the relay pipe inserted in the transport tube may be directly immersed in the liquid tank.

  In the present embodiment, the microtiter plate 100 uses 16 wells arranged in a row (384 wells), and the pitch of the discharge nozzles of the tube cassette is adjusted to the pitch of the wells. Although the liquid is discharged to the well row by one discharge operation, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when liquid is discharged to a microtiter plate (1536 wells) having 32 wells in one row, the pitch of the discharge nozzles of the tube cassette is set to the pitch of two wells of the microtiter plate, The liquid may be supplied to one well row of the microtiter plate by two discharge operations. Specifically, after discharging to wells existing at odd positions in the first discharge operation, the Y-axis motor is driven to move the mounting table by one well, and then liquid is discharged to the wells existing at even positions. Can be configured to. If the liquid is supplied to one well row by a plurality of ejection operations as described above, it is effective in the case where the number of wells included in one row is further increased.

It is the external appearance schematic diagram of the liquid dispensing apparatus carrying the liquid conveying apparatus of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the liquid dispensing apparatus of FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the discharge drive mechanism used for the liquid dispensing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3B is a side view of the discharge drive mechanism of FIG. 3A. It is a block block diagram of the drive control circuit of the liquid dispensing apparatus of FIG. It is process drawing which shows operation | movement in case the liquid dispensing apparatus of FIG. 1 discharges a liquid. It is a top view which shows the structure of the tube cassette used for the liquid dispensing apparatus of FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure of the discharge side holding | maintenance part of the tube cassette of FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure of the introduction side holding | maintenance part of the tube cassette of FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure of the 3rd holding | maintenance part of the tube cassette of FIG. It is a top view which shows the other structure of the tube cassette used for the liquid dispensing apparatus of FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure of the discharge | emission side mounting part of the tube cassette of FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the structure of the introduction side holding | maintenance part of the tube cassette of FIG. It is an assembly exploded view of the discharge side mounting part of the tube cassette of FIG. It is an assembly exploded view of the introduction side mounting part of the tube cassette of FIG. It is a partial expansion perspective view of the discharge side mounting part of the tube cassette of FIG. It is a partial expansion perspective view of the introduction side mounting part of the tube cassette of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the attachment structure of the discharge side mounting part of the liquid dispensing apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the attachment structure of the introduction side mounting part of the liquid dispensing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the attachment structure of the rotary body of the liquid dispensing apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the rotary body of FIG. 12A. It is process drawing of the process of attaching a tube cassette to a tube cassette mounting part. It is process drawing of the process of attaching a tube cassette to a tube cassette mounting part. It is process drawing of the process of attaching a tube cassette to a tube cassette mounting part. It is a top view which shows the state which attached the tube cassette to the tube cassette mounting part. It is a figure which shows the state of the rotary body immediately after attaching a tube cassette to a tube cassette mounting part. It is a figure which shows the state in which a rotary body rotates and a liquid is carried in to a conveyance tube. It is a figure explaining the state by which a rotary body rotates further and a liquid is introduce | transduced into the obstruction | occlusion space formed in the conveyance tube. It is a figure explaining the state by which the obstruction | occlusion space where the rotary body further rotated and the liquid was introduced is released. It is a figure which shows the state which a rotary body rotates further, the obstruction | occlusion space is continuously open | released, and a liquid is discharged from a discharge nozzle.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Liquid dispensing apparatus 2 Fixed base 3 Moving mechanism 4 X direction moving mechanism 6 Mounting base raising / lowering mechanism 7 Mounting base 10 Discharge drive mechanism 12a, 12b Pump drive motors 14, 14a, 14b Rotating body 15 Discharge side mounting part 17 Introduction side mounting Part 30 Liquid tanks 31a, 31b Photo interrupters 32a, 32b Perforated disk 40 Tube cassette 41, 41a Discharge nozzle 42 Discharge side holding part 43 Introduction side holding part 44 Third holding part 45 Transport tube 46 Introduction tubes 47, 47a Relay pipe 51 54 Projection 61, 61a-61h Roller 100 Microtiter plate 110a-110h Closed space 151, 171 Notch 152, 172 Recess

Claims (10)

A rotating body that is configured to be rotatable around the rotation axis with the horizontal axis as a rotation axis, and at least three rollers arranged at equal intervals around the rotation axis;
A plurality of flexible transfer tubes, and a plurality of relay pipes connected to the liquid introduction side end portions of the transfer tubes and provided with flange portions provided so as to project to the periphery at intermediate positions in the axial direction thereof; , A single introduction side holding portion for holding the plurality of relay pipes, a plurality of discharge nozzles respectively connected to liquid discharge side end portions of the plurality of transport tubes, and a single for holding the plurality of discharge nozzles A tube cassette provided with a discharge side holding portion,
An introduction side mounting portion for detachably holding the introduction side holding portion; and a discharge side mounting portion for detachably holding the discharge side holding portion, wherein the plurality of transport tubes are at least of the rollers of the rotating body. A tube cassette mounting portion that is mounted in a state of being wound around two rollers and stretched to such an extent that a closed space is formed in the transport tube;
A rotating body drive mechanism that rotates the rotating body about the rotation axis and moves the closed space toward the liquid discharge side end by changing the contact position between at least the two rollers and the transport tube; ,
A moving mechanism for moving a well of a container containing liquid discharged from the discharge nozzle to a position below the discharge nozzle;
The discharge side mounting portion is provided below the rotating body, and fixes the discharge side holding portion so that the discharge nozzle is substantially vertically downward,
The introduction side mounting portion is provided at a position laterally away from the rotating body, and an introduction side tube holding member that holds the relay tube movably in the axial direction by fitting the relay tube into a through hole. , A screw hole provided at a position facing the flange portion of the flange portion or the introduction side tube holding member, and a space between the flange portion and the introduction side tube holding member in the axial direction by screwing into the screw hole A position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the position of the relay pipe in the axial direction with respect to the introduction side pipe holding member.
The liquid transport apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving mechanism is disposed below the rotating body, the discharge side mounting portion, and the introduction side mounting portion.   The opposite side of the side where the said conveyance tube is wound around the said roller of the said rotary body in contact with the said roller is open | released as a conveyance tube removal | desorption space | space. The liquid conveying apparatus as described.   The said tube cassette mounting part is provided so that the said conveyance tube may be wound around at least 3 roller so that the said closed space may be continuously formed in multiple numbers. Liquid transport device. A rotating body that is configured to be rotatable around the rotation axis with the horizontal axis as a rotation axis, and at least three rollers arranged at equal intervals around the rotation axis;
A plurality of flexible transfer tubes, a plurality of relay pipes respectively connected to the liquid introduction side ends of the transfer tubes, a single introduction side holding section for holding the plurality of relay pipes, and the plurality A tube cassette comprising a plurality of discharge nozzles respectively connected to the liquid discharge side end of the transport tube, and a single discharge side holding portion for holding the plurality of discharge nozzles,
An introduction side mounting portion for detachably holding the introduction side holding portion; and a discharge side mounting portion for detachably holding the discharge side holding portion, wherein the plurality of transport tubes are at least of the rollers of the rotating body. A tube cassette mounting portion that is mounted in a state of being wound around two rollers and stretched to such an extent that a closed space is formed in the transport tube;
A rotating body drive mechanism that rotates the rotating body about the rotation axis and moves the closed space toward the liquid discharge side end by changing the contact position between at least the two rollers and the transport tube; ,
A moving mechanism for moving a well of a container containing liquid discharged from the discharge nozzle to a position below the discharge nozzle;
The discharge side mounting portion is provided below the rotating body, and fixes the discharge side holding portion so that the discharge nozzle is substantially vertically downward,
The introduction side mounting portion is provided at a position laterally away from the rotating body , and is integrally connected to the introduction side tube holding member and the introduction side tube holding member that penetrates and fixes the relay pipe, A connecting member that holds one end of the transfer tube, which is the insertion site of the relay pipe, against the outer surface of the relay pipe and holds the discharge tube, and the discharge side holding portion is a plate-like discharge side to which the discharge nozzle is fixed A tube holding member, and a plate-like coupling member that is integrally connected to the discharge side tube holding member and holds the other end of the transport tube, which is an insertion site of the discharge nozzle, against the outer surface of the discharge nozzle ,
The moving mechanism, the rotary member, the discharge-side mounting portion, characterized that you are disposed below the introduction side mounting portion, the liquid transport device. The coupling member of the introduction side holding portion is a plate-like body provided with a through hole into which the relay pipe can be inserted, and the through hole has an inner diameter dimension of an insertion surface on the side where the relay pipe is inserted, The insertion surface is directed from the back surface so that the inner diameter size of the back surface of the insertion surface is substantially equal to the outer diameter size of the relay tube, which is larger than the outer diameter size of the relay tube fixed to the introduction side tube holding member. Configured to gradually become thinner,
The coupling member of the discharge side holding part is a plate-like body having a through hole into which the discharge nozzle can be inserted, and the through hole has an inner diameter dimension of an insertion surface on the side where the discharge nozzle is inserted, It is larger than the outer diameter dimension of the discharge nozzle fixed to the discharge side tube holding member, and the inner diameter dimension of the rear surface of the insertion surface is substantially equal to the outer diameter dimension of the discharge nozzle. The liquid transport device according to claim 4, wherein the liquid transport device is configured to gradually become thinner toward the surface. The tube cassette is
A liquid supply pipe communicating with a liquid storage section for storing the liquid;
6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an introduction tube that communicates with the transfer tube by inserting the liquid supply pipe at one end and inserting the other end of the relay pipe at the other end. Liquid transport device as described in one. The tube cassette includes a plurality of the transfer tubes arranged in parallel in a strip shape, relay pipes inserted into the liquid introduction side end portions of all the transfer tubes, and an introduction side holding portion that holds these relay pipes. And a discharge nozzle inserted into each liquid discharge side end of each of the transport tubes, and a discharge side holding portion for holding these discharge nozzles,
All the transport tubes are wound around at least two rollers of the rotating body to form a closed space, and the closed space is simultaneously moved toward the liquid discharge side end by the rotation of the rotating body. The liquid transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   The liquid transport apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the roller is disposed so as to be parallel to the rotation axis.   The rotating body has a plurality of columnar shapes that extend perpendicularly to the two discs and are rotatable about an axis between two discs provided in parallel with a gap therebetween. The liquid transport apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a roller.   The rotating body driving mechanism controls a conveyance amount of the liquid by controlling a rotation angle detecting unit capable of detecting a rotation angle of the rotating body and a rotation angle of the rotating body detected by the rotation angle detecting unit. The liquid transport apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rotation angle control unit.

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