JP4961120B2 - Reagent cooler - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a reagent cooler that holds a reagent container having a cap at a predetermined temperature and is sealed by a lid member having a reagent suction hole.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, analyzers that perform analysis by mixing various reagents and specimens include a reagent cooler that holds these various reagents. This reagent cooler has a reagent aspirating hole in a part of the lid member so that the retained reagent can be easily aspirated, and the reagent aspirating hole is always open. Therefore, a technique for keeping the temperature in the reagent cooler at a predetermined level and preventing alteration of the reagent is disclosed (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-280851

  By the way, the inside of the reagent cooler is generally kept at a temperature lower than room temperature. However, since the reagent suction hole described above is always open, outside air enters the reagent cooler through this hole, Condensation occurs on the surface of the cap of the reagent container arranged around the suction hole and in the vicinity of the hole. The cap is always closed, but is opened and closed by a cap opening / closing mechanism during reagent aspiration, and liquid condensed on the cap surface may drop into the reagent container during the reagent aspiration operation. Also, the liquid condensed around the reagent suction hole is dropped into the reagent container when the cap is opened by the opening / closing operation of the cap. As described above, when the holes for sucking the reagent and the cap of the reagent container are condensed, the condensed liquid is dropped into the reagent container, the reagent is denatured, and there is a problem that accurate analysis cannot be performed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has a simple configuration and can prevent condensation of the reagent suction hole of the lid member of the reagent cooler and the cap of the reagent container, and can prevent deterioration of the reagent. An object is to provide a cold insulation device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a reagent cooler according to claim 1 is a reagent cooler that holds a reagent container having a cap at a predetermined temperature and is sealed by a lid member having a reagent suction hole. A plate having good heat conductivity in the vicinity of the hole of the lid member; a heating means disposed on the plate for heating the plate and the vicinity of the hole; and a temperature control means for maintaining the heating means at a predetermined temperature. It is characterized by having.

  In the reagent cooler according to claim 2, in the above invention, the temperature control means maintains the heating means at the predetermined temperature, and the temperature in the vicinity of the hole and the temperature of the plate by heat conduction of the plate. The temperature of the cap becomes a dew point temperature or higher due to radiant heat.

  The reagent cooler according to the present invention arranges a plate around the suction hole of the lid member and heats the plate with a surface heater to ensure condensation around the suction hole and the cap of the reagent container. There is an effect that it can be prevented.

  Exemplary embodiments of a reagent cooler according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view showing a schematic configuration of a reagent cooler 1 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the reagent cooler 1 includes a cylindrical container 2, a disk-shaped rotating plate 3 that holds the reagent container 10, and a lid member that seals the container 2 and has a suction hole 14. 4, a heat transfer plate 6 with good heat conductivity disposed in the lower part around the hole 14 of the lid member 4, a surface heater 5 disposed on the heat transfer plate 6 to heat the heat transfer plate 6, and heat transfer A temperature sensor 9 that is arranged on the plate and measures the temperature of the heat transfer plate 6, a heating power source 7 that conducts and heats the surface heater 5, and the heating power source 7 is controlled based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 9. The temperature control unit 8 includes a cap opening / closing mechanism 10 that opens and closes the cap 13 of the reagent container 12, and a motor 11 that rotates the rotating plate 3 to position the reagent container 12.

  The internal temperature of the reagent cooler 1 is kept at 12 ° C. by a cooling mechanism (not shown). The temperature control unit 8 heats the surface heater 5 via the heating power source 7 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 9, and the temperature of the heat transfer plate 6 is maintained at 37 ° C. When the heat transfer plate 6 is maintained at 37 ° C., the periphery of the hole 14 is heated by the heat conduction of the heat transfer plate 6 and the temperature of the cap 11 of the reagent container 10 disposed immediately below the heat transfer plate 6 is increased by the radiant heat. Hold at 26 ° C.

  FIG. 2 is a top view showing a schematic configuration of the reagent cooler 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the heat transfer plate 6 is attached to the lower surface of the lid member 4, and the surface heater 5 and the temperature sensor 9 are attached to the lower part of the heat transfer plate 6. The heat transfer plate 6 is formed concentrically with the hole 14. Since the surface heater 5 is attached in the vicinity of the hole 14, the heat generated by the surface heater 5 uniformly heats the entire heat transfer plate 6 around the hole 14.

  When the outside air of the reagent cooler 1 has a temperature of 30 ° C. and a humidity of 70%, the dew point temperature is 24 ° C. Since the hole 14 of the lid member 4 of the reagent cooler 1 is always open, this outside air enters the reagent cooler 1 through the hole 14. However, the temperature around the hole 14 is maintained at 37 ° C. by the heat conduction of the heat transfer plate 6, and the cap 13 immediately below the hole 14 is maintained at 26 ° C. by the radiant heat of the heat transfer plate 6. For this reason, the outside air that has entered from outside the hole 14 of the reagent cooler 1 does not condense on the periphery of the hole 14 of the lid member 4 or on the surface of the cap 13.

  Therefore, when the dispensing nozzle 15 sucks the reagent through the hole 14, even if the cap 13 is opened and closed by the cap opening / closing mechanism 10, the condensed liquid does not drip on the reagent container 12, and the periphery of the hole 14 The liquid condensed on the liquid does not drop into the reagent container 12.

  Further, when the heat transfer plate 6 is kept at a temperature of 37 ° C. and the temperature of the cap 11 is kept at 26 ° C., the temperature rise of the reagent in the reagent container 10 is 1 ° C. or less, and the reagent does not change. Does not affect the analysis.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure for preventing condensation. As shown in FIG. 3, the temperature control unit 8 starts measuring the temperature of the temperature sensor 9 (step S101). Thereafter, the temperature control unit 8 determines whether or not the temperature Th1 measured by the temperature sensor 9 is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature Th0 (step S102). When the temperature Th1 is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature Th0 (step S102, YES), heating to the surface heater 5 is stopped (step S103), and when the temperature Th1 is not equal to or higher than the temperature Th0 (step S102, NO), the heating power source 7 Is driven to start heating the surface heater 5 (step S104). When the temperature Th1 is equal to or higher than the temperature Th0, the temperature sensor 9 may be operated at a predetermined interval.

  In this embodiment, the heat transfer plate 6 is arranged around the hole 14 of the lid member 4, the heat transfer plate 6 is placed at a predetermined temperature, and the surface heater 5 and the temperature sensor 9 are arranged on the heat transfer plate 6. The dew condensation around the hole 14 and the cap 13 of the reagent container 12 can be reliably prevented without altering the reagent.

  In this embodiment, the temperature of the heat transfer plate 6 is maintained at 37 ° C., but the distance between the heat transfer plate 6 and the cap 13 or the holding temperature in the reagent cooler 1 is used. It may be changed accordingly.

  Further, in this embodiment, the heat transfer plate 6 is disposed and the surface heater 5 is further disposed. However, the heat transfer plate 6 is not disposed, and a surface heater having the same shape as the heat transfer plate 6 is directly disposed. You may make it attach to the cover member 4. FIG.

It is sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of the reagent cold storage apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is an upper surface which shows schematic structure of the reagent cold storage apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement procedure of the condensation prevention concerning embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reagent cooler 2 Container 3 Rotary table 4 Cover member 5 Surface heater 6 Heat transfer plate 7 Heating power supply 8 Temperature control part 9 Temperature sensor 10 Cap opening / closing mechanism 11 Motor 12 Reagent container 13 Cap 14 Hole 15 Dispensing nozzle

Claims (1)

A reagent cooler that cools a reagent container having a cap,
A lid member having a hole for aspirating the reagent;
A thermally conductive plate arranged concentrically around the hole of the lid member;
Heating means for at least heating the plate;
The temperature around the hole of the plate becomes a dew point or higher due to the heat conduction of the plate, and the temperature of the cap of the reagent container below the hole of the plate becomes a dew point or higher due to the radiant heat of the plate. And a temperature control means for controlling the heating means.

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