JP5284865B2 - Thin section preparation equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a thin-section preparation apparatus that cuts an embedded block in which a biological sample taken out from a human body, a laboratory animal, or the like is embedded to prepare a thin section.

  Conventionally, as one method for inspecting and observing a biological sample taken from a human body or a laboratory animal, a thin section is prepared from an embedding block in which the biological sample is embedded with an embedding agent, and then a staining process is performed. A method for observing a biological sample is known. In order to enable observation at the cellular level, thin slices prepared from such embedded blocks are cut uniformly in a thickness of about 3 to 5 μm so as not to damage the embedded biological sample. There is a need to. For this reason, conventionally, the operation of producing a thin section from such an embedding block has been entrusted to a manual operation by a skilled worker using a thin blade cutter kept in a sharp state. On the other hand, for example, in a preclinical test, several hundred embedded blocks are prepared per test, and several thin sections are prepared per embedded block. For this reason, since it is necessary for an operator to produce an enormous number of thin sections, in recent years, automation of a series of processes for producing thin sections is desired.

As a thin slice preparation apparatus that automates the preparation of such a thin slice, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a sample stage that supports the embedded block, and a thin slice by thinly cutting the embedded block Is known, comprising: a cutter for manufacturing the sample stage; a feeding mechanism (feeding means) for relatively moving the sample stage and the cutter in the feeding direction; and a transporting means for transporting the prepared thin section to the next process. . Moreover, such a sample stand, a cutter, a feeding means, and a conveying means are disposed on a base in the apparatus.
The conveying means includes an annular belt-like endless belt (conveying belt) on which at least a part is disposed close to the cutter and on which a thin slice cut into the cutter is placed, and a plurality of windings around the conveying belt. A roller and a pair of frames that rotatably support both ends of these rollers are provided.

As such a conveyor belt, a seamless belt having no irregularities on the surface is used so that the thin section to be placed does not bend or break. And when producing a thin section, a conveyance belt is carried out infinite circulation between each roller.
The conveyor belt may become dirty or damaged during continuous use, but if used continuously in such a state, it may affect the conveyance of thin sections. That is, the thin section placed on the conveyor belt may become dirty or bend. Accordingly, the conveyor belt is removed and cleaned as necessary, or replaced with a new one.

JP 2007-178287 A

  By the way, such a sliced piece manufacturing apparatus generally has a configuration in which various members are accommodated in a housing. Further, the base disposed in the apparatus has a complicated structure with dense members, and each roller and frame of the conveying means are also directly assembled to the base. Therefore, in such an apparatus, the operation of exchanging the conveyor belt becomes very complicated and time-consuming.

That is, when exchanging the conveyor belt, first, at least one of the pair of frames is removed from the base, and one end of the roller is exposed, and after removing the conveyor belt, a new conveyor belt is mounted. However, it is very difficult to secure a space for performing such work in the apparatus, which imposes an unreasonable posture on the operator and places a load.
In addition, since the load is such an operation, the conveyor belt may not be securely attached. In this case, the conveyor belt may be loosened or damaged, and the placed thin section may be displaced or bent. The transfer could be affected.

  In addition, since the apparatus cannot be operated while the conveying means is disassembled as described above and the conveying belt is replaced, the preparation of the thin section is interrupted until the work is completed. In addition, since the work is complicated, it takes a lot of time for replacement, and the efficiency of producing a thin section is reduced accordingly.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thin-slice manufacturing apparatus that can easily and reliably replace the transport belt in a short time, and that can increase the efficiency of manufacturing a thin section. It is said.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention proposes the following means.
That is, the present invention is a thin-section preparation apparatus comprising a cutter disposed on a base and slicing an embedded block, and a transport means for transporting a thin section sliced by the cutter, wherein the transport means Comprises a conveyor belt that is circular and carries the thin section around, a plurality of rollers that wind the conveyor belt, and a pair of frames that pivotally support both ends of the rollers, and the conveyor The means is attachable to and detachable from the base, and among the plurality of rollers, a direction switching roller disposed close to the cutter is provided by the cam mechanism provided in the conveying means. An adjustment guide that is supported by the pair of frames and that rotatably supports the direction switching roller is adjacent to the downstream side of the direction switching roller in the conveying direction. The low And having a guide surface formed smooth the surface of the conveying belt while guiding the conveyor belt toward the side.

According to the thin-slice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, since the transport means is detachable from the base, when the transport belt is replaced, an operator performs work in the apparatus where the base is arranged. It is not necessary to carry out the work, and the work can be carried out outside the apparatus in which the work space is sufficiently secured by removing the transfer means from the base. Therefore, the exchange of the conveyor belt can be easily performed, the load on the operator is greatly reduced, and the work can be performed reliably and in a short time.
In addition, when a plurality of conveying means are prepared in advance and the conveying means is removed from the base as described above, another conveying means equipped with a new conveying belt can be attached to the base instead. According to this, it is not necessary to interrupt the operation of the thin section manufacturing apparatus even while the old conveyor belt is being replaced, and the efficiency of manufacturing the thin section is increased.
In addition, since the direction switching roller disposed close to the cutter can be moved back and forth with respect to the cutter by the cam mechanism, the portion of the conveyance belt wound around the direction switching roller is Positioned with high accuracy. Therefore, the sliced piece cut by the cutter is surely delivered and placed on the part of the conveyor belt, and the sliced piece can be stably conveyed.

  In the thin-slice manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the conveying unit may include a driving unit that rotationally drives the roller.

  According to the thin-section manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, since the transport unit has the drive unit that rotationally drives the roller, when the transport unit is mounted on the base, the relative relationship between the roller and the drive unit is set. There is no need to adjust the positional relationship. Specifically, for example, it is assumed that gears are provided in the roller and the drive unit, and the gears are engaged with each other so that the drive unit rotates the roller. In this case, if the drive unit is disposed on the base and the roller is disposed on the transport unit, it is necessary to release the meshing between the gears when the transport unit is removed from the base. Therefore, when the transporting unit is mounted on the base, it takes time to adjust the relative positions of the gears so that the gears can be surely engaged with each other. On the other hand, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to release the meshing between the gears when exchanging the conveyor belt. Therefore, the replacement work of the conveyor belt becomes simpler and the relative positional accuracy between the roller and the drive unit is ensured.

  In the thin-section manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the transport unit may include a detection unit that detects a decrease in the tension of the transport belt.

According to the thin-section manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, since the conveying means has the detecting means for detecting the decrease in the tension of the conveying belt, the apparatus is quickly stopped when the tension of the conveying belt is decreased. be able to. That is, if this conveyor belt is run while the tension of the conveyor belt is lowered, the thin section to be conveyed is bent or damaged depending on the shape of the slack conveyor belt, and stable conveyance cannot be performed. It is possible. Therefore, in the present invention, a detecting means is provided so that the aforementioned decrease in tension can be detected at an early stage. Thereby, the waste of the embedding block due to the breakage of the thin slice or the like can be suppressed, and the slack transport belt is prevented from being caught by other members and damaged.
In the thin-section manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, a pedestal is disposed at the lower end of the frame, and a plurality of grooves extending in the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction are formed on the lower surface of the pedestal. These grooves may be set so that the groove depths are different from each other.

  According to the thin-section manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the conveyor belt can be easily replaced, the load on the operator is reduced, the work can be performed reliably and in a short time, and workability is greatly improved. In addition, since it is not necessary to interrupt the operation of the apparatus during the operation of exchanging the conveyor belt, the efficiency of producing a thin section is increased.

It is a schematic plan view which shows the base upper part of the thin slice production apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the conveyance means with which the base of the thin section production apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention was mounted | worn. It is a sectional side view explaining the arrangement | positioning of the cutter of the thin section preparation apparatus which concerns on this invention, a conveyance means (III-III arrow in FIG. 5), and a liquid tank. It is a perspective view which shows the conveyance means of the thin section production apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the conveyance means of the thin section production apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the conveyance means of the thin section production apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

  The thin-section preparation apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment prepares an ultrathin thin section B1 having a thickness of about 3 to 5 μm from an embedded block B in which a biological sample is embedded, and inspects the biological sample included in the thin section B1. In the observation process, the thin section B1 is automatically sliced from the embedding block B and conveyed to the next process. The biological sample is, for example, a tissue such as an organ extracted from a human body, a laboratory animal, or the like, and is appropriately selected in the medical field, pharmaceutical field, food field, biological field, and the like. The embedding block B is obtained by embedding a biological sample as described above with an embedding agent, that is, covering and solidifying the periphery. Here, the embedding agent is a material that can be easily liquefied and cooled and solidified as described above, and is dissolved by being immersed in ethanol, such as resin or paraffin. In addition, the embedding block B is basically formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a substantially rectangular cutting surface B2, and in the present embodiment, it will be described as being formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape. It is not limited to a simple shape. Hereinafter, the configuration of the thin-slice manufacturing apparatus 1 will be described.

The thin-slice manufacturing apparatus 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing (not shown), and is configured by accommodating various members inside the casing (inside the apparatus).
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the thin-section preparation apparatus 1 includes a sample stage 2 that fixes and supports the cassette C on which the embedding block B is placed, a cutter 3 that slices the embedding block B, Feeding means 4 for moving the sample stage 2 with respect to the cutter 3 in a direction crossing the cutting edge 3a of the cutter 3, and conveyance for conveying a thin slice B1 sliced from the embedding block B by the cutting edge 3a of the cutter 3 Means 5 and a liquid tank 6 for receiving and thinning the thin slice B1 conveyed by the conveying means 5 are provided. The sample table 2, the cutter 3, the feeding unit 4, the conveying unit 5, and the liquid tank 6 are arranged on a base 7 arranged in the apparatus.

  The feeding means 4 reciprocates the sample table 2 in the feeding direction S. Further, the feeding means 4 moves the sample table 2 forward and backward in the thickness direction of the embedding block B, that is, in the vertical direction of the apparatus. Specifically, each time the sample table 2 is reciprocated once in the feed direction S toward the cutter 3, the feed means 4 moves the sample table 2 in the thickness direction by a certain amount (that is, the thickness of the thin slice B 1. ) Can only be raised. With such a configuration, a thin slice B1 having a uniform thickness is continuously produced from the cutting surface B2 of the embedding block B of the sample stage 2.

  Further, in the plan view of FIG. 1, the transport direction R in which the transport means 5 transports the thin slice B1 from the cutter 3 side toward the liquid tank 6 side is set to be orthogonal to the cutting edge 3a. The feeding direction S is set by forming a pulling angle θ with respect to the cutting edge 3a. In the illustrated example, the pulling angle θ is set to about 60 ° to 80 °. The pulling angle θ may be set to 90 °, and the feed direction S and the cutting edge 3a may be orthogonal to each other.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the cutter 3 is fixed to the cutter fixing portion 8. The cutter fixing portion 8 is provided above the fixed base 9 and a fixed base 9 that supports the cutter 3 inclined at a predetermined angle so that the cutting edge 3a is arranged upstream and downward in the conveying direction R. And a blade holder 10 that sandwiches and fixes the cutter 3 with the fixing base 9.

  A concave portion 10 a that accommodates the cutter 3 is formed in an upstream portion of the lower surface of the blade holder 10 in the transport direction R. The blade retainer 10 is configured such that the lower surface thereof is brought into close contact with the upper surface of the fixed base 9 in a state where the cutter 3 is accommodated in the recess 10 a, and the cutter 3 is sandwiched between the fixed base 9. Although not shown, both end portions of the fixing base 9 of the cutter fixing portion 8 are fixed to the base 7.

  In addition, on the upper surface of the blade presser 10, a liquid storage portion 10b that is concave and can store a liquid such as water is formed. In the present embodiment, water is supplied to and discharged from the liquid storage unit 10b from a supply / discharge unit (not shown), and water is supplied to the liquid storage unit 10b when the sliced piece B1 is manufactured and transported. Stored.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the conveying means 5 has a seamless endless belt shape or an annular belt shape, and at least a part thereof is disposed close to the cutting edge 3a and is thinly cut by the cutter 3. It has a conveyor belt 11 on which the thin slice B1 is placed and circulated. The conveying means 5 has a plurality of substantially columnar or substantially cylindrical rollers 12 around which the conveying belt 11 is wound, and a pair of substantially trapezoidal plates, and both ends of these rollers 12 are rotatably supported. Frame 13.

  The conveyor belt 11 is made of a hydrophilic wire rod that easily penetrates water, and is formed in a mesh shape. Further, in the side view of FIG. 3, the conveyor belt 11 is wound by a plurality of rollers 12 to form a substantially U-shape or a substantially W-shape as a whole, and travels infinitely between these rollers 12. It has become.

  The plurality of rollers 12 are arranged with their respective axes extending in parallel with the cutting edge 3a. The roller 12 has a direction switching roller 12a disposed at an end on the upstream side in the transport direction R, and a position in the vertical direction with respect to the direction switching roller 12a is set to be substantially the same. And a rear roller 12b arranged. The rear roller 12b is submerged in the water W of the liquid tank 6 so that the portion of the transport belt 11 wound around the rear roller 12b is infiltrated into the water W. The roller 12 has an intermediate roller 12c disposed downstream and upward in the transport direction R with respect to the direction switching roller 12a, and a position in the vertical direction with respect to the intermediate roller 12c is set substantially the same. And an intermediate roller 12d disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction R with respect to 12c.

  Further, the roller 12 is disposed below the intermediate roller 12c and is disposed below the intermediate roller 12d and below the intermediate roller 12d and below the intermediate roller 12d as well as the intermediate roller 12e disposed downstream and in the transport direction R from the direction switching roller 12a. And an intermediate roller 12f disposed upstream and in the transport direction R from the roller 12b. Further, between the intermediate roller 12e and the intermediate roller 12f, a tension roller 12g, an intermediate roller 12h, and a driving roller 12j are arranged in this order from the intermediate roller 12e toward the downstream side in the transport direction R. .

  The drive roller 12j has a small-diameter shaft 18 that penetrates the frame 13 toward the outside in the width direction (hereinafter abbreviated as “width direction”) orthogonal to the transport direction R in plan view. As shown in FIG. 4, a gear 19 is disposed at the tip of the shaft 18. As shown in FIG. 6, among the rollers 12, the rear roller 12b, the intermediate rollers 12c, 12d, 12e, 12f, 12h, the tension roller 12g, and the driving roller 12j are centered in the width direction at both ends. The diameter is slightly smaller than that of the portion.

As shown in FIG. 3, the direction switching roller 12 a is formed with a smaller diameter than the other rollers 12. The direction switching roller 12a is disposed close to the cutter 3, and obliquely passes the end portion on the upstream side of the transport belt 11 sent from the liquid tank 6 toward the upstream side in the transport direction R. It is designed to fold upward. Specifically, the direction switching roller 12a is configured to reverse and turn the upstream portion of the transport belt 11 sent from the intermediate roller 12e toward the direction switching roller 12a toward the intermediate roller 12c. .
Further, at least a part of the direction switching roller 12 a is disposed in the liquid storage portion 10 b of the blade holder 10. The direction switching roller 12a is pivotally supported by the adjustment guide 14 at both ends thereof.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the adjustment guide 14 has a substantially rectangular plate shape and is disposed between the intermediate roller 12 c and the cutter 3, and both ends in the width direction are supported by the pair of frames 13, respectively. Has been. Further, at both ends of the adjustment guide 14 in the width direction, a pair of shaft support portions 14a are formed to protrude from the frame 13 on the upstream side in the transport direction R and facing downward, and these shaft support portions 14a are formed. The direction switching roller 12a is rotatably supported. Further, a groove 14b extending in the width direction is formed in a portion of the adjustment guide 14 that faces downstream and upward in the transport direction R. The groove 14b engages with an eccentric shaft 15 whose both ends in the width direction are rotatably supported by the frame 13, and a cam mechanism 16 composed of the groove 14b and the eccentric shaft 15 is formed.

  Adjustment screw holes 15 a are respectively formed at both ends of the eccentric shaft 15. When the eccentric shaft 15 is rotated around the axis using the adjustment screw hole 15a, the adjustment guide 14 is moved with respect to the frame 13 together with the engaging groove 14b. Specifically, the adjustment guide 14 can be advanced and retracted from the intermediate roller 12 c side toward the cutting edge 3 a side of the cutter 3 by the above-described rotation of the eccentric shaft 15. Thus, the cam mechanism 16 provided in the conveying means 5 moves the direction switching roller 12a forward and backward with respect to the cutting edge 3a so that the positioning can be adjusted.

  Further, on the surface of the adjustment guide 14 facing the upstream side in the conveying direction R, the central portion in the width direction forms the surface of the conveying belt 11 smoothly and guides from the direction switching roller 12a side to the intermediate roller 12c side. It is set as the guide surface 14c to do.

  Further, the conveying means 5 has a drive unit 17 composed of a motor that rotationally drives the drive roller 12j. The drive unit 17 is fixed to the frame 13, and as shown in FIG. 4, the shaft 17a penetrates the frame 13 outward in the width direction, and a gear 17b is arranged at the tip of the shaft 17a. It is installed. The gear 17b is meshed with the gear 19 of the drive roller 12j.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the tension roller 12g is pivotally supported by the tension block 20 at both ends thereof. The tension block 20 has a substantially rectangular bar shape extending in the width direction, and a pair of protrusions 20a protruding upward and a pair of protrusions 20b extending downstream in the transport direction R at both ends thereof. Respectively. Specifically, at both end portions of the tension block 20, the cross section perpendicular to the width direction is substantially L-shaped, the long side portion is the protruding portion 20a, the short side portion is the protruding portion 20b, and the protrusion A tension roller 12g is pivotally supported at the tip of the portion 20b. Further, a shaft 21 extending in the width direction and rotatably supported by the frame 13 at both ends thereof is fixed to a central portion where the long side portion and the short side portion intersect.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, of the pair of protrusions 20 a of the tension block 20, the protrusion 20 a on one side in the width direction (the side where the gears 17 b and 19 are disposed in the width direction) is formed. Is provided with a proximity switch 22. Further, on the downstream side of the proximity switch 22 in the transport direction R, a gap is provided between the proximity switch 22 and the magnet 23 is fixed to the frame 13. As described above, the transport unit 5 includes the detection unit 24 including the proximity switch 22 and the magnet 23.

  Further, of the pair of protrusions 20 a of the tension block 20, the upstream end of the tension coil spring 25 extending along the transport direction R is connected to the other protrusion 20 a in the width direction. Further, the downstream end of the tension coil spring 25 in the transport direction R is connected to the frame 13.

  With such a configuration, the tension block 20 is rotatable around the axis of the shaft 21, and the projection 20 a on the other side is moved from the upstream side in the transport direction R to the downstream side by the biasing force of the tension coil spring 25. The projection 20b urges the tension roller 12g downward as it is pulled. As shown in FIG. 3, the conveyor belt 11 is wound around the lower surface of the tension roller 12g. When the tension roller 12g is urged as described above, the conveyor belt 11 is pushed downward. The tension of the conveyor belt 11 is increased. With such a configuration, the tension of the conveyor belt 11 is ensured to be a certain level or more.

  When the conveyor belt 11 is extended or damaged due to long-term use, the tension roller 12g is pushed downward beyond a predetermined range by the above-described urging force. In this case, since the proximity switch 22 of the detection means 24 approaches toward the magnet 23, a decrease in the tension of the transport belt 11 is detected.

  In FIG. 3, a substantially rectangular plate-shaped cradle 26 is disposed at the lower end of the frame 13. The cradle 26 is formed so as to cover the lower portions of the intermediate rollers 12e, 12f, 12h, the tension roller 12g, and the driving roller 12j, and both ends in the width direction thereof are fixed to the frame 13, respectively. With such a configuration, when the portion of the conveyance belt 11 wound around the rear roller 12b is infiltrated with the water W and travels from the downstream side to the upstream side in the conveyance direction R, the water W becomes the base 7 The drooping is prevented. A plurality of grooves 26 a extending in the width direction are formed on the lower surface of the cradle 26. In the example shown in the figure, two grooves 26 a are formed apart from each other in the transport direction R. The grooves 26a are set so that the groove depths are different from each other.

  A plurality of rectangular plate-shaped attachment portions 27 extending in the width direction are disposed at the lower end portion of the frame 13. The attachment portion 27 is provided on the lower surface side of the cradle 26. In the example shown in the figure, two attachment portions 27 are provided apart from each other in the transport direction R, the upstream attachment portion 27 is disposed below the intermediate roller 12e, and the downstream attachment portion 27 is disposed on the drive roller 12j. It is arranged below. At both ends of these attachment portions 27, attachment holes are formed penetrating in the vertical direction, and bolts 28 are inserted into these attachment holes.

The transport means 5 can be attached to and detached from the base 7 by using the groove 26 a of the cradle 26, the mounting portion 27, and the bolt 28. Although not shown in detail, the base 7 is formed with a plurality of protrusions that engage with the groove 26a, a base portion on which the mounting portion 27 is placed, and screw holes into which the bolts 28 are screwed. . Then, when the transport unit 5 is mounted on the base 7, the position along the transport direction R of the transport unit 5 with respect to the base 7 is determined by engaging the protrusion with the groove 26 a. At this time, the mounting part 27 is placed on the base part, and the position of the transport means 5 along the vertical direction with respect to the base 7 is determined. In this state, the conveying means 5 is securely fixed to the base 7 by screwing the bolts 28 into the screw holes.
Although not shown, the driving unit 17 and the proximity switch 22 of the transport unit 5 are electrically connected to a control unit provided in the apparatus via a connector.

Next, a procedure for replacing the transport belt 11 of the transport unit 5 will be described.
First, the connector is removed, the electrical connection between the conveying means 5 and the apparatus is cut, and the bolt 28 is removed from the screw hole.
Next, the conveying means 5 is lifted upward and removed from the base 7, and the conveying means 5 is transferred to the outside of the thin-slice manufacturing apparatus 1 with a secured work space.

Next, the tension coil spring 25 is removed from the conveying means 5.
Then, of the pair of frames 13, the other frame 13 is removed from the conveying means 5. In this way, after the other end of the roller 12 is exposed, the conveyor belt 11 is removed from the roller 12.
Next, after the new conveyor belt 11 is attached to the conveyor means 5 in the reverse procedure to that described above, the conveyor means 5 is mounted on the base 7.

  As described above, according to the thin-section manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, since the transport unit 5 is detachable from the base 7, when the transport belt 11 is replaced, an operator must There is no need to work inside the apparatus on which the base 7 is arranged, and the work 5 can be removed from the base 7 and the work can be performed outside the apparatus with a sufficient working space.

  That is, in the prior art, an operator first removes the frame 13 from the base 7 and removes the conveyor belt 11 from the roller 12 with the end exposed, and then reverses the procedure described above. The work of attaching a new conveyor belt 11 was performed. However, when working in such a narrow space in the apparatus, the operator is forced to take an unreasonable posture, and the accuracy of the work may be lacking. On the other hand, according to the thin section manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, since the exchange of the conveyance belt 11 can be easily performed, the load on the operator is greatly reduced, and the exchange operation can be performed reliably and in a short time.

  Further, when a plurality of conveying means 5 are prepared in advance and the conveying means 5 is removed from the base 7 as described above, another conveying means 5 fitted with a new conveying belt 11 is attached to the base 7 instead. It can also be attached. According to this, it is not necessary to interrupt the operation of the thin section manufacturing apparatus 1 even while the old conveyor belt 11 is being replaced, and the efficiency of manufacturing the thin section B1 is increased.

  Further, since the conveying means 5 has the driving unit 17 that rotationally drives the driving roller 12j, when the conveying means 5 is mounted on the base 7, the gear 19 of the driving roller 12j and the gear 17b of the driving unit 17 are provided. There is no hassle to adjust the relative positional relationship. Specifically, for example, if the drive unit 17 is disposed on the base 7 and the drive roller 12j is disposed on the transport unit 5, when the transport unit 5 is removed from the base 7, the gears 19 and 17b are connected to each other. It becomes necessary to release the meshing. In the case of such a configuration, when the transporting unit 5 is mounted on the base 7, it takes time to adjust the relative positions of the gears 19 and 17 b so as to surely engage with each other.

  On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to release the meshing between the gears 19 and 17b when exchanging the conveyor belt 11, so that the above adjustment is not required. Therefore, the replacement work of the conveyor belt 11 becomes easier, and the relative positional accuracy between the gear 19 of the drive roller 12j and the gear 17b of the drive unit 17 is ensured.

  In addition, since the transport unit 5 includes the detection unit 24 that detects a decrease in the tension of the transport belt 11, the apparatus can be quickly stopped when the tension of the transport belt 11 decreases. That is, when the conveyor belt 11 is run while the tension of the conveyor belt 11 is lowered, the thin slice B1 to be conveyed is bent and broken according to the shape of the slackened conveyor belt 11, and is stable. It is conceivable that conveyance cannot be performed.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the detection means 24 is provided so that the above-described decrease in tension can be detected at an early stage. Thereby, the waste of the embedding block B due to the breakage or the like of the thin slice B1 can be suppressed, and the slack transport belt 11 is prevented from being caught by other members and damaged.

  In addition, the direction switching roller 12a can be advanced and retracted with respect to the cutter 3 by the cam mechanism 16, and more specifically, can be advanced and retracted with respect to the cutting edge 3a of the cutter 3, so that the direction switching roller 12a is wound around the direction switching roller 12a. The portion of the conveyor belt 11 that is present is accurately positioned with respect to the cutting edge 3 a of the cutter 3. Therefore, the thin slice B1 sliced by the cutting edge 3a is reliably delivered and placed on the portion of the conveyor belt 11, and the thin slice B1 can be stably conveyed.

  Further, since at least a part of the direction switching roller 12a is disposed in the liquid storage portion 10b of the blade presser 10, the portion of the conveyance belt 11 wound around the direction switching roller 12a is stored in the liquid storage portion 10b. It is soaked in the wet water to be in a wet state, and the thin slice B1 is securely placed by the portion.

Further, since the conveying belt 11 is urged by the tension roller 12g as described above and the tension is sufficiently secured, the thin section B1 is stably and reliably conveyed.
Further, among the rollers 12, the rear roller 12b, the intermediate rollers 12c, 12d, 12e, 12f, 12h, the tension roller 12g, and the driving roller 12j are slightly reduced in diameter in the center portion in the width direction than the both end portions. Therefore, the position along the width direction of the conveyor belt 11 wound around these rollers 12 is stabilized. That is, the conveyance belt 11 is maintained at the central portion in the width direction, and is prevented from moving to any one end side in the width direction with respect to the roller 12.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, the driving unit 17 is disposed on the transport unit 5 and is described as being configured to be attached to and detached from the base 7 together with the transport unit 5. However, the present invention is not limited to this. 17 may be disposed on the base 7.

Moreover, although the detection means 24 consists of the proximity switch 22 and the magnet 23, it is not limited to this. That is, the detection unit 24 only needs to be able to detect a decrease in the tension of the conveyor belt 11 and may be configured using other limit switches, linear scales, or the like.
Further, the detection means 24 may not be provided.

In addition, the direction switching roller 12a can be advanced and retracted with respect to the cutting edge 3a of the cutter 3 by the cam mechanism 16 provided in the conveying unit 5, but can be advanced and retracted toward the upper surface portion of the cutter 3. It does not matter.
Further, as a reference example of the present invention, the direction switching roller 12 a may be movable toward and away from the cutter 3 by a screw adjustment mechanism other than the cam mechanism 16 .

  In addition, the transport belt 11 is formed in an endless belt shape or a ring-shaped belt shape, but it is only necessary to form a ring shape, and is not limited thereto. That is, the conveyance belt 11 may be configured by, for example, arranging a plurality of annular bodies formed in an endless string with a space therebetween in the width direction.

Further, although the gear 17b of the drive unit 17 and the gear 19 of the drive roller 12j are engaged, the drive unit 17 and the drive roller 12j may be engaged by a method other than the above-described engagement. .
In addition, although the driving unit 17 rotationally drives the driving roller 12j among the rollers 12, the driving unit 17 may rotationally drive rollers 12 other than the driving roller 12j.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thin section production apparatus 3 Cutter 5 Conveyance means 7 Base 11 Conveyance belt 12 Roller 12a Direction switching roller 13 Frame 16 Cam mechanism 17 Drive part 24 Detection means B Embedding block B1 Thin section

Claims (4)

A thin section manufacturing apparatus comprising a cutter disposed on a base and slicing an embedded block, and a transport means for transporting a thin section sliced by the cutter,
The conveying means has an annular conveying belt that circulates around the thin section, a plurality of rollers that wind the conveying belt, and a pair of frames that pivotally support both ends of these rollers. ,
The transport means is detachable from the base ,
Of the plurality of rollers, a direction switching roller disposed close to the cutter can be advanced and retracted with respect to the cutter by a cam mechanism provided in the conveying means.
An adjustment guide that is supported by the pair of frames and rotatably supports the direction switching roller from the direction switching roller side to another roller side adjacent to the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the direction switching roller. A thin-section manufacturing apparatus characterized by having a guide surface for guiding the belt and forming the surface of the conveyor belt smoothly . The thin-slice manufacturing device according to claim 1,
The thin section manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport unit includes a drive unit that rotationally drives the roller. The thin-slice preparation device according to claim 1 or 2,
The thin section manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying means includes a detecting means for detecting a decrease in tension of the conveying belt. A thin-slice preparation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A cradle is disposed at the lower end of the frame,
A plurality of grooves extending in the width direction perpendicular to the transport direction are formed on the lower surface of the cradle,
These grooves are set so that the groove depths are different from each other .

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