JP4397251B2 - Sample preparation equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a specimen preparation device that filters urine or cell suspension liquid through a filter and collects a tangible sample contained in the urine or cell suspension liquid.

  An automatic fixed specimen preparation apparatus that automatically performs a series of operations for filtering a biological sample made of urine or cell suspension through a filter and collecting cells on the filter to prepare a preparation for cytodiagnosis is disclosed in No. 146782 (Patent Document 1). This specimen preparation device uses a vacuum pump for the negative pressure on the downstream side of the filter and suction-filters the cell suspension from the upstream side of the filter, thereby collecting and fixing the cells in the cell suspension on the filter. A series of operations are automatically performed.

  As described above, the method of filtering and collecting the cell suspension with a filter is practically used as a filter filtration method together with a direct smear method and an auto smear method. Patent Document 1 does not describe a specific device for the filter filtration method in detail, but the filter filtration method collects cells on the filter by a configuration as shown in FIG. That is, a biological sample made of urine or cell suspension is stored in a container (not shown), and this biological sample liquid is aspirated by the pipette 100. A filter 102 is attached to the suction port of the suction head 101, and the pipette 100 is in contact with the lower surface of the filter 102. And the biological sample liquid is sucked through the pipette 100 by setting the inside of the suction head 101 to a negative pressure with a vacuum pump (not shown). At this time, the biological sample liquid filters the filter 102, so that cells floating in the biological sample liquid are collected by the filter 102, and other liquid flows into the suction head 101. In the next step, the cells 103 collected by the filter 102 are fixed, stained, and transferred to a slide glass (preparation) as necessary to prepare a specimen such as a microscope sample.

  In the specimen preparation device configured as described above, the suction head 101 is formed in a substantially cup shape, and the bottom portion where the suction portion 101a connected to the vacuum pump is formed is formed flat. However, when the inside of the suction head 101 is set to a negative pressure, the biological sample liquid sucked through the pipette 100 circulates linearly along an extension line of the flow pipe portion 100a of the pipette 100 as shown by a dotted line in FIG. Therefore, although the biological sample liquid flows at a high flow rate on the extended line, there is a problem that the suction efficiency deteriorates because the stagnation 104 occurs on the bottom outer peripheral side in the suction head 101. Furthermore, since the components of the biological sample liquid are accumulated on the inner surface of the suction head 101, the stagnation 104 has a problem that the biological sample liquid dissolves and adversely affects when a specimen is prepared with another biological sample liquid. is there.

  In order to eliminate the stagnation 104 of the biological sample liquid, the outer diameter of the suction part 101a is increased to the opening diameter of the pipette 100 so as to reduce the area of the bottom part. However, when the outer diameter of the suction part 101a is increased, it is necessary to increase the diameter of a tube (not shown) connecting the vacuum pump and the suction part 101a. However, when the diameter of the tube is increased, the piping space of the tube is increased, which inevitably causes a problem that the specimen preparation device itself becomes large.

JP 2000-146782 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a compact specimen preparation device while improving the flow path of the biological sample liquid in the suction head to improve the suction efficiency.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the specimen preparation apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is configured such that a sample liquid such as urine and cells stored in a container is sucked by a suction head through a pipette, A specimen preparation device for preparing a specimen composed of a preparation in which a tangible sample is collected in a filter by collecting by filtering with a filter provided in the preparation attached to the suction port of the suction head,
The suction head has a negative pressure chamber to be negative pressure, and forms the suction port on the lower side of the negative pressure chamber, and forms a suction part on the upper side,
The gist is that the negative pressure chamber is composed of a substantially funnel-shaped hollow member having a small diameter from the suction port formed on the lower side to the suction portion formed on the upper side .

The invention of claim 2 is the invention of claim 1, the generally funnel-shaped to form a hollow member is interchangeably disposed in the body of the suction head is formed in a substantially cup-shaped, the the suction port of the negative pressure chamber causes correspond disposed in the opening end of the suction head body, the suction unit is summarized in that which projects from the upper portion of the suction head body.

  Furthermore, the invention of claim 3 is that, in the invention of claim 2, the reinforcing member is disposed in a space formed by the outer surface of the negative pressure chamber formed in a substantially funnel shape and the inner surface of the suction head body. The gist.

Furthermore, the invention of claim 4, in the invention of claim 1, the suction head, together with the suction port is formed in the open end of the air-member in the upper Symbol substantially funnel-shaped, the other end side The gist is that the suction part is formed.

According to the present invention, by which a substantially funnel-shaped hollow member which is formed in the small-diameter according to the negative pressure chamber of the suction head from the suction port leading to the suction unit, the suction port of the negative pressure chamber than the opening diameter of the pipette Even if it is formed small, the sample solution is smoothly circulated from the pipette to the suction port, so that the suction efficiency can be increased and a compact configuration can be achieved. In addition, since the sample liquid does not stagnate in the negative pressure chamber, the adverse effect of the previous sample liquid is greatly eliminated when the specimen is prepared next time, and an appropriate specimen can be produced.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 2, the hollow member formed on the substantially funnel-shaped, by interchangeably disposed within the body of the suction head, can be appropriately replace the negative pressure chamber Furthermore, it is possible to apply a negative pressure chamber having an optimum shape according to the sample liquid for preparing the specimen. In addition, by arranging a plurality of negative pressure chambers in one type of suction head, it is possible to produce a standardized suction head having a plurality of negative pressure chamber structures.

  Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 3, a specimen is produced by disposing a reinforcing member in a space formed by the outer surface of the negative pressure chamber formed in a substantially funnel shape and the inner surface of the suction head body. In this case, even if the negative pressure chamber is set to a negative pressure, the negative pressure chamber can be prevented from being deformed.

Furthermore, according to the invention described in claim 4, by thus constituting the suction head in a substantially funnel-shaped hollow member, the body of the suction head is omitted, it is possible to construct more compact . Moreover, since the number of parts is reduced, it can be manufactured at low cost.

  The specimen preparation device sucks sample liquid such as urine and cells stored in a container with a suction head through a pipette, and collects the tangible sample in the sample liquid through a filter attached to the suction port of the suction head. To do. The suction head has a negative pressure chamber that is set to a negative pressure, and when the sample liquid is sucked, the sample liquid is sucked by setting the negative pressure chamber to a negative pressure. The negative pressure chamber is formed with a suction port on one side and a suction part on the other side, and the inside is formed, for example, in a funnel shape having a smaller diameter from the suction port to the suction part. When the sample liquid is sucked from the pipette with the negative pressure chamber set to a negative pressure, the sample liquid flows toward the suction portion. At this time, since the negative pressure chamber is formed to have a smaller diameter as it reaches the suction portion, the sample liquid is gradually converged on the suction portion, and even if the suction portion has a small diameter, it flows out of the suction portion smoothly.

  The configuration of the specimen preparation apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The specimen preparation device includes an apparatus main body 1, a mounting table 2 for mounting a container 6 for storing a sample solution, a pipette 3 for circulating the sample solution, a suction head 4 for sucking the sample solution, and At least a filter 5 disposed between the pipette 3 and the suction head 4 is disposed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the suction head 4 is provided with a negative pressure chamber 7 inside a main body 4a of the suction head 4 formed in a substantially cup shape. The negative pressure chamber 7 has a suction port 7a on one side and a suction part 7b on the other side. The inside of the negative pressure chamber 7 is formed to have a smaller diameter from the suction port 4a to the suction portion 7b, and the inside is substantially formed in a substantially funnel shape. The negative pressure chamber 7 is fitted and fixed in a state where the outer periphery of the suction port 7a in the lower part of the drawing is joined to the inner periphery of the opening of the main body 4a, and the suction part 7b in the upper part of the drawing protrudes from the upper part of the main body 4a. The other end of the pipe 8 whose one end is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to the tip of the suction portion 7b protruding from the main body 4a. A filter 5 is installed in the opening of the main body 4a.

  In this embodiment, a filterlate is used as the filter 5. For example, a filter portion 5b made of polycarbonate is attached to the filter rat so as to close a through hole formed in the center of a preparation 5a made of aluminum. The filter unit 5b has a large number of micropores having a pore size of 3 μm, 5 μm, 8 μm, etc., and is appropriately selected depending on the tangible sample to be collected. Since such a filter rat can collect a tangible sample in the filter part 5b, it is not necessary to smear a tangible sample on a slide glass generally used in the past, and the conventional slide while collecting the tangible sample is used. It has the same characteristics as glass.

  The pipette 3 is formed in a substantially funnel shape, and is integrally provided with a flow pipe portion 3a formed so as to reach the container 6 for storing the sample solution. The funnel portion 3 b of the pipette 3 is formed so that the outer diameter of the opening end is substantially the same as the inner diameter of the opening portion of the filter 5.

  The specimen preparation apparatus configured as described above is an apparatus that collects a tangible sample in a sample liquid composed of urine or a cell suspension by a filter filtration method. The operation is performed by first setting the pipette 3 at a predetermined position. After that, the filter 5 made of filterlat is installed in the opening of the main body 4 a of the suction head 4. Then, the container 6 storing the sample solution is placed on the placing table 2. Thereafter, the container 6 is raised by raising the mounting table 2, and the flow pipe portion 3a of the pipette 3 is immersed in the sample solution.

  When a vacuum pump (not shown) is operated from this state, the negative pressure chamber 7 in the suction head 4 is almost in a vacuum state, and the sample liquid in the container 6 is sucked through the pipette 3. This sample solution is eventually filtered by the filter 5, and the tangible sample 10 such as cells in the sample solution is collected. The filtered sample solution is discharged as a drain, flows through the negative pressure chamber 7 and is discharged from the suction portion 7b, and is sent to a drain tank (not shown) via the pipe 8, or discharged outside the apparatus. .

  As described above, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 4, the sample liquid filtered by the filter 5 is slightly diffused, then converged along the funnel-shaped inner surface of the negative pressure chamber 7, and directed toward the suction portion 7b. . Therefore, there is no stagnation of the sample liquid in the negative pressure chamber 7. On the other hand, the filter 5 collects the tangible sample 10 on one surface of the pipette 3 by filtering the sample solution, and a specimen is produced. The filter 5 taken out from the specimen preparation device is used for a microscope sample or the like.

  The negative pressure chamber 7 disposed in the suction head 4 is formed in a hollow funnel shape with a metal or synthetic resin that does not dissolve or generate other materials in response to the sample solution. The negative pressure chamber 7 is produced separately from the main body 4a of the suction head 4, and is integrated by being attached to the main body 4a. When the negative pressure chamber 7 is mounted, the lower open end is joined to the inner surface of the open end of the suction head 4 in a substantially surface-bonded state. In addition, the suction part 7b in the upper part of the negative pressure chamber 7 is protruded by being surface-bonded to the bottom part of the main body 4a of the suction head 4. With this configuration, a substantially sealed space 9 is formed between the inner surface of the main body 4 a of the suction head 4 and the outer surface of the negative pressure chamber 7. When the negative pressure chamber 7 is set to a negative pressure, a reduction action is attempted to reduce the internal volume. However, since the volume of the space 9 is difficult to expand, the reduction action is prevented. For this reason, even if the negative pressure chamber 7 is formed thin, deformation or the like due to the negative pressure can be prevented in advance.

  FIG. 4 shows a modification for collecting a tangible sample almost uniformly on a filter. That is, the diffusion plate 11 and the damper 12 are superposed and attached to the opening of the main body 4 a of the suction head 4. The diffusion plate 11 includes a cylindrical outer peripheral wall 11a having an outer peripheral surface substantially joined to the inner peripheral surface of the main body 4a, a substantially columnar diffusion member 11b disposed at the center, and the diffusion member 11b connected to the outer periphery. It is comprised by the support arm 11c supported by the wall 11a, and it is comprised so that the said sample solution may distribute | circulate between the outer peripheral wall 11a and the diffusion member 11b. Further, the damper 12 is provided with a large number of through holes so as to allow the sample solution to flow therethrough, and is formed in a substantially disc shape by, for example, resin foam rubber having elasticity, and the opening of the diffusion plate 11 or the main body 4a. It is mounted so as to close the opening. The filter 5 is installed between the open end of the funnel portion 3 b of the pipette 3 and the damper 12 so as to freely enter and exit.

  When preparing the specimen, the above-described sample liquid in the container 6 is sucked through the pipette 3 by operating a vacuum pump (not shown) and setting the negative pressure chamber 7 in the suction head 4 to a vacuum state. By filtering with the filter 5, the tangible sample 10 such as cells in the sample solution is collected. When the sample liquid is sucked and filtered by the filter unit 5b, the filter 5 is pulled toward the suction head 4 and bulges. However, since the filter 5 abuts against the damper 12, the filter 5 is prevented from bulging, and the filter 5 can be prevented beforehand. Further, by interposing the damper 12 between the diffusion plate 11 and the filter 5, the filter 5 is separated from the diffusion member 11b so that the flow of the sample liquid is averaged by the separation. .

  As described above, when the sample solution is filtered by the filter 5, the sample solution tends to flow out linearly toward the filter 5 from the flow pipe portion 3 a having a small inner diameter of the pipette 3. However, the diffusion plate 11 is attached to the opening of the negative pressure chamber 7, and the substantially cylindrical diffusion member 11b is disposed so as to face the flow pipe portion 3a of the pipette 3. Since the flow path is obstructed by the diffusion member 11a, the flow path of the sample liquid is changed in the outer circumferential direction so as to avoid the diffusion member 11a as shown by a dotted line in FIG. As a result, the tangible sample such as cells in the sample solution is also moved in the outer peripheral direction by the diffusion member 11a, so that the tangible sample 10 is collected almost uniformly on the filter 5 as shown in FIG. As described above, a sample is prepared by a filterlate in which the tangible sample 10 is collected almost uniformly on one surface of the filter 5 and is taken out from the sample preparation device and then used for a sample for a microscope or the like.

  FIG. 5 shows a modification of the negative pressure chamber. That is, the negative pressure chamber 20 shown in FIG. 5 (A) is formed in a substantially bell shape, and the hollow interior is formed in a substantially parabolic shape. Further, the negative pressure chamber 21 shown in FIG. 5B is formed in a substantially trumpet shape. Thus, when the negative pressure chambers 20 and 21 are formed in a bell shape or a substantially trumpet shape, the flow direction of the sample liquid to be circulated changes because the inclination of the inner surface is different. For this reason, it is possible to select a negative pressure chamber having an appropriate shape according to the type of the sample liquid. In FIG. 5A, 20a is an opening of the negative pressure chamber 20, and 20b is a suction part. In FIG. 5B, reference numeral 21a denotes an opening of the negative pressure chamber 21, and 21b denotes a suction part.

  FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the suction head. That is, the suction head 4 shown in FIG. 6A has a negative pressure chamber in which a reinforcing member 30 is disposed in a space formed between the inner surface of the main body 4 a of the suction head 4 and the outer surface of the negative pressure chamber 7. 7 is fixed. As described above, when the negative pressure chamber 7 is fixed by the reinforcing member 30, the reduction action that occurs when the negative pressure chamber 7 is set to the negative pressure is suppressed by the reinforcing member 30, so that deformation due to the negative pressure is prevented in advance. It becomes possible. In addition, the suction head 40 shown in FIG. 6B is configured by integrally forming a main body 41 and a negative pressure chamber 42. The suction head 40 is molded by, for example, a synthetic resin, and the outer shape is formed in the same shape as the suction head described above, and a substantially bowl-shaped negative pressure chamber 42 is formed inside. A suction part 42a is integrally formed above the suction head 40, and the other end of the pipe 8 connected to the vacuum pump is connected to the cylindrical part 42a. Thus, by forming the main body portion 41 and the negative pressure chamber 42 in an integrated structure, the strength of the main body portion 41 and the negative pressure chamber 42 is increased, so that a long life can be achieved. Moreover, since the number of parts is reduced, it contributes to cost reduction.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the present invention. In the above-described embodiments, the negative pressure chamber has been described on the assumption that the shape of the negative pressure chamber is circular. However, the diameter is changed in addition to various shapes such as a polygon such as a quadrangle, an ellipse, or a combination of a polygon and a circle. You may do it.

  The present invention can be applied to a specimen preparation apparatus that is provided in a medical facility such as a hospital and that makes a pathological specimen of a tangible sample by filtering urine or cell suspension through a filter.

It is a configuration explanatory view showing the configuration of the suction head of the specimen preparation device according to the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the distribution | circulation state of the sample liquid in a suction head. It is a front view which shows the structure of the sample preparation apparatus concerning this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other structure of the suction head in this invention. (A) and (B) are composition explanatory views showing a modification of a negative pressure chamber. (A) and (B) are composition explanatory views showing other modifications of a negative pressure chamber. It is a configuration explanatory view showing the configuration of a conventional suction head.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Specimen preparation apparatus main body 3 Pipette 3a Flow pipe part 3b Funnel part 4 Suction head 4a Main body 5 Filter 6 Container 7 Negative pressure chamber 7a Suction port 7b Suction part 10 Tangible sample

Claims (5)

Sample liquid such as urine and cells stored in the container is sucked by the suction head through the pipette, and the tangible sample in the sample liquid is filtered and collected by the filter provided in the preparation attached to the suction port of the suction head. A specimen preparation device for preparing a specimen comprising a preparation obtained by collecting a tangible sample on a filter ,
The suction head has a negative pressure chamber to be negative pressure, and forms the suction port on the lower side of the negative pressure chamber, and forms a suction part on the upper side,
The specimen preparation apparatus , wherein the negative pressure chamber is composed of a substantially funnel-shaped hollow member having a small diameter from a suction port formed on the lower side to a suction portion formed on the upper side . The generally funnel-shaped to form hollow member is interchangeably disposed in the body of the suction head is formed in a substantially cup shape, said suction port of the negative pressure chamber to the open end of the suction head body causes corresponding arrangement, sample preparing apparatus according to claim 1, the suction portion is projected from the upper portion of the suction head body.   The specimen preparation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a reinforcing member is disposed in a space formed by an outer surface of the negative pressure chamber formed in a substantially funnel shape and an inner surface of the suction head body. The suction head, together with the suction port is formed in the open end of the upper Symbol substantially funnel-shaped hollow member, sample preparing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said suction portion is formed at the other end.   The specimen preparation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a diffusion plate that diffuses the flow path of the sample liquid is disposed between the suction port of the suction head and the pipette.

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