JP6854325B2 - Electrophoresis device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a capillary cartridge and an electrophoresis device using the capillary cartridge, and particularly relates to a technique for improving the mountability and heat dissipation thereof.

In recent years, the scope of application of DNA analysis has rapidly expanded from research applications to clinical fields such as hospitals. As a means of DNA analysis, there is a method of separating DNA fragments by electrophoresis, which is used for criminal investigation, determination of blood relations, and disease diagnosis.

Capillary electrophoresis separates charged DNA by base length by keeping the capillary filled with the separation medium at a constant temperature and applying a high voltage. By irradiating the capillary with excitation light and detecting the fluorescence emitted from the fluorescent dye label of the DNA passing through the capillary, the base sequence of the sample can be read. Prior art documents relating to capillary electrophoresis include, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2.

Patent Document 1 discloses a capillary unit having a capillary and a frame supporting the capillary, a load header for holding the capillary cathode portion, and an electrophoresis apparatus using the same. The frame has a separator that separates and holds the capillary, and the capillary can hold the capillary in a certain shape by penetrating the separator.

Patent Document 2 discloses an electrophoresis apparatus including a capillary and a support for arranging the capillary on the surface, a temperature control heater in direct contact with the capillary, an optical system, and a high-voltage power supply. Due to the structure in which the capillary is in direct contact with the heater, it is possible to shorten the time for raising the temperature to a predetermined temperature during the electrophoresis analysis.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-174897 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-284530

In Patent Document 1, when the capillary unit is attached, a total of three locations, that is, both ends of the capillary and the detection portion in the middle of the capillary are attached separately, and it is necessary to close the cover or the like at each location, and at least 6 steps are required. The procedure of is required, and the user's operation becomes complicated. In addition, since only a part of the capillary is held by the frame, there is a risk that it will be damaged by applying an unreasonable force during installation.

In Patent Document 2, the capillary has a structure in which it is directly sandwiched between the heater and the support, but the details of how to attach the capillary cartridge in which the capillary and the support are integrated have not been examined .

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, to provide an electrophoresis apparatus for Improving the mounting of the capillary cartridge.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, a capillary, a capillary head provided at one end of the capillary, an electrode provided at the other end of the capillary, and a detection unit provided at a part of the capillary are provided. In an electrophoresis apparatus including a capillary array having a capillary array, a capillary cartridge having a support for supporting the capillary, and a constant temperature bath for holding the capillary at a predetermined temperature, one of the constant temperature bath and the capillary cartridge is a capillary cartridge. Has a positioning pin for positioning the capacitor in the constant temperature bath, and the other side of the constant temperature bath or the capillary cartridge has a positioning hole for inserting the positioning pin, and by inserting the positioning pin into the positioning hole, the capillary cartridge Provides an electrophoresis device positioned in a thermostatic chamber.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, an electrophoresis apparatus with improved attachability of a capillary cartridge is realized .

The schematic diagram which shows one structure of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus which concerns on Example 1. FIG. Top view of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to the first embodiment. A cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows one structure of the capillary cartridge which concerns on Example 1. FIG. Exploded view of the capillary cartridge according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a support and a heat radiating body according to the first embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the attachment of the capillary cartridge which concerns on Example 1. FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the clip according to the first embodiment. The figure for demonstrating the adjustment allowance of the capillary which concerns on Example 1. FIG. The workflow diagram of the capillary cartridge attachment which concerns on Example 1. FIG. The cross-sectional view which shows the peripheral part of the capillary which concerns on Example 1. FIG. The cross-sectional view which shows an example of the constant temperature bath door which concerns on Example 1. FIG. The figure which shows one structure of the capillary cartridge which concerns on Example 2. FIG. The figure which shows one structure of the capillary cartridge which concerns on Example 3. FIG. The figure which shows one structure of the support which concerns on Example 4. FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a support according to a fifth embodiment.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings for explaining various examples, those having the same function are designated by the same reference numerals.

Example 1 is an example of a capillary cartridge in which heat dissipation performance is improved in order to improve mountability and short-time analysis, and an electrophoresis apparatus using the same. That is, Example 1 is a capillary cartridge used in an electrophoresis apparatus, which includes a capillary, a plate-shaped support for supporting the capillary, a capillary head for bundling one end of the capillary, and an electrode provided at the other end of the capillary. This is an example of a capillary cartridge including a detection unit provided in a part of the capillary and a radiator provided between the capillary and the support. Further, in the first embodiment, a capillary, a support for supporting the capillary, a capillary head for bundling one end of the capillary, an electrode provided at the other end of the capillary, a detection unit provided in a part of the capillary, and a detection unit. A capillary cartridge having a radiator provided between the capillary and a support, a constant temperature bath for holding the capillary at a predetermined temperature, an injection mechanism for injecting an electrophoresis medium into the capillary, and electricity using the capillary. This is an example of an electrophoresis apparatus including an irradiation detection unit that irradiates and detects light during migration.

Hereinafter, the configuration, arrangement, and mounting method of the capillary cartridge of Example 1 and the electrophoresis apparatus using the capillary cartridge will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG. 1 shows an apparatus configuration diagram of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus of Example 1. This device can be roughly divided into two units, an irradiation detection / constant temperature bath unit 40 at the top of the device and an autosampler unit 20 at the bottom of the device.

In the autosampler unit 20 which is the injection mechanism described above, a Y-axis drive body 23 is mounted on the sampler base 21 and can drive the Y-axis. A Z-axis drive body 24 is mounted on the Y-axis drive body 23, and can drive the Z-axis. A sample tray 25 is mounted on the Z-axis drive body 24, and the user sets the migration medium container 28, the anode side buffer solution container 29, the cathode side buffer solution container 33, and the sample container 26 on the sample tray 25. .. The sample container 26 is set on the X-axis drive body 22 mounted on the sample tray 25, and only the sample container 26 can be driven on the X-axis on the sample tray 25. The liquid feeding mechanism 27 is also mounted on the Z-axis drive body 24. The liquid feeding mechanism 27 is arranged below the migration medium container 28.

The irradiation detection / constant temperature bath unit 40 includes the constant temperature bath unit 41 and the constant temperature bath door 43, which are the above-mentioned constant temperature tanks, and the inside can be kept at a constant temperature. An irradiation detection unit 42, which is an irradiation detection unit, is mounted behind the constant temperature bath unit 41 to perform detection during electrophoresis. The user sets the capillary cartridge 01, which will be described in detail later, in the constant temperature bath unit 41, performs electrophoresis while keeping the capillary at a constant temperature in the constant temperature bath unit 41, and detects by the irradiation detection unit 42. Further, the constant temperature bath unit 41 is also equipped with an electrode (anode) 44 for dropping the electrode (anode) to the GND when a high voltage for electrophoresis is applied.

As described above, the capillary cartridge 01 is fixed to the constant temperature bath unit 41. The electrophoresis medium container 28, the anode side buffer solution container 29, the cathode side buffer solution container 33, and the sample container 26 can be driven in the YZ axis by the auto sampler unit 20, and only the sample container 26 is further driven in the X axis. Can be done. The electrophoresis medium container 28, the anode side buffer solution container 29, the cathode side buffer solution container 33, and the sample container 26 are automatically connected to the capillary of the fixed capillary cartridge 01 at an arbitrary position by the movement of the autosampler unit 20. Can be done.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the capillary electrophoresis apparatus shown in FIG. The anode-side buffer solution container 29 set on the sample tray 25 includes an anode-side cleaning layer 30, an anode-side electrophoresis buffer solution layer 31, and an anode-side sample introduction buffer solution layer 32. Further, the cathode side buffer solution container 33 includes a waste liquid layer 34, a cathode side cleaning layer 35, and a cathode side electrophoresis buffer solution layer 36.

The electrophoresis medium container 28, the anode side buffer solution container 29, the cathode side buffer solution container 33, and the sample container 26 are arranged in a positional relationship as shown in the drawing. As a result, the positional relationship between the anode side and the cathode side when the capillary cartridge in the constant temperature bath unit 41 is connected to the capillary 02 is "electrophoresis medium container 28-waste liquid layer 34" and "anode side cleaning layer 30-cathode side". The cleaning layer 35, the anode-side electrophoresis buffer layer 31-cathode-side electrophoresis buffer layer 36, and the anode-side sample introduction buffer layer 32-sample container 26.

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. The electrophoresis medium container 28 is set in the sample tray 25. Further, in the liquid feeding mechanism 27, the plunger built in the liquid feeding mechanism 27 is arranged so as to be below the electrophoresis medium container 28.

During electrophoresis, the right side of the capillary 02 in FIG. 3 is the cathode side, and the left side is the anode side. The auto sampler unit 20 moves to the position of "anode-side electrophoresis buffer layer 31-cathode-side electrophoresis buffer layer 36", a high voltage is applied to the cathode-side capillary 02, and the cathode-side buffer container 33, Electrophoresis is performed by flowing the flow through the anode side buffer liquid container 29 through the electrode (anode) 44 to the GND. The position of the sample tray 25 may be fixed so that the irradiation detection / constant temperature bath unit 40 can be moved.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of one configuration of the capillary cartridge in this embodiment. The capillary cartridge 01 is composed of a capillary 02, a support 03, a heat radiating body 04, an electrode holder 05, a detection unit 06, a capillary head 07, an electrode (cathode) 08, and a handle 09 which is a grip portion. Further, the electrode (cathode) 08 may have a structure directly fixed to the support 03. In the figure, the capillary cartridge 01 is arranged in the order of the support 03 having the handle 09, the heat radiating body 04, and the capillary 02 from the front side of FIG.

The capillary head 07 is an end portion of the capillary 02, and is an injection end or an discharge end for bundling and holding the capillary 02 and filling the migration medium. In this embodiment, when the capillary cartridge 01 is attached to the electrophoresis apparatus, it functions as an injection end by connecting the capillary head 07 and the container in which the electrophoresis medium is stored. The capillary head is installed in the electrophoresis device in a bent state.

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the capillary cartridge in the present embodiment shown in FIG. The heat radiating body 04 is attached to the support 03 by the adhesiveness and tackiness of the heat radiating body 04, chemical adhesion, a physical attachment mechanism, and the like. Further, the capillary 02 has an integral structure by attaching the electrode holder 05 and the detection unit 06 to the support 03. The electrode holder 05 holds the electrode (cathode) 08, and is fixed to the support 03 by passing the electrode holder fixing pin 10 formed on the electrode holder 05 through the electrode holder fixing hole 11 of the support 03. It has become. Further, the support 03 includes a detection unit fixing frame 12 for fixing the detection unit 06, and the detection unit 06 is fixed to the support 03 by fitting into the detection unit fixing frame 12 formed on the support 03. To. In addition, 14 and 16 are a positioning hole into which a detection unit positioning pin is inserted, and an electrode holder positioning hole, respectively.

The capillary 02 is a pedestrian flow path coated for light shielding and maintaining strength, and is, for example, a quartz glass tube having an inner diameter of about 50 μm coated with polyimide. This tube is filled with an electrophoresis medium to serve as an electrophoresis path for electrophoretic separation of samples. Since the capillary 02 and the radiator 04 are in close contact with each other, the heat generated from the capillary 02 when a high voltage is applied can be released to the support 03 side by the radiator 04, and the temperature inside the capillary 02 can be prevented from rising. it can.

Electrodes (cathodes) 08 exist corresponding to the number of capillaries 02, and by applying a voltage, a charged sample can be introduced into the capillaries 02 and electrophoretic separation can be performed for each molecular size. The electrode (cathode) 08 is, for example, a stainless steel pipe having an inner diameter of about 0.1 to 0.5 m, and the capillary 02 is inserted therein.

The detection unit 06 is located in the middle portion of the capillary 02, and the capillary 02 is arranged in a plane with a certain accuracy. The detection unit 06 is a position for detecting the fluorescence of the sample passing through the capillary 02, and it is necessary to align the position of the detection system of the apparatus with high accuracy.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the support 03 and the radiator 04 of the capillary cartridge of this embodiment. The heat radiating body 04 is, for example, a soft silicone rubber having heat radiating performance and insulating performance. The deformation of the rubber increases the contact area with the capillary to increase the heat radiating effect, and the cushioning property can prevent the capillary from being damaged. is there. A soft member such as rubber is crushed and deformed when a load is applied, and the contact area with the capillary becomes small and an air layer is formed, which hinders heat conduction. It is necessary to control the shape and the amount of deformation according to the above.

The support 03 of the capillary cartridge of this embodiment has a box-shaped structure, and the radiator 04 is constant in the plane direction due to the protruding portion 03A provided on the outer peripheral portion of the support 03 and protruding toward the radiator 04 side. It is restricted so that it cannot be deformed beyond the size of. Further, a gap is provided between the end portion of the heat radiating body 04 and the outer peripheral portion of the support 03, that is, the offset distance to the protruding portion 03A of the support 03 is designed based on the elastic modulus of the heat radiating body 04. , It is possible to prevent the radiator body 04 from protruding beyond the protrusion 03A and being deformed. Further, the height of the protruding portion 03A of the support 03 is lower than the thickness of the radiator 04, and the radiator 04 does not collapse beyond the height of the support 03 even when a load is applied. Therefore, the heat radiating body 04 can be surely brought into contact with the surface of the device to which the capillary cartridge is attached. For example, if a silicon rubber having a thermal conductivity of 0.1 to 5 W / m ^{· K is used for the heat radiating body 04, heat dissipation performance of 200 W / m 2} · K or more can be obtained. For the heat radiating body 04, various rubbers other than silicon, an elastomer, a heat radiating gel, or the like may be used.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a detailed view of mounting the capillary cartridge of this embodiment. When the detection unit positioning pin 13 is attached to the attachment surface 50 on the constant temperature bath unit 41 side of the electrophoresis apparatus and pushed through the positioning hole 14 of the support 03, the detection unit 06 is temporarily fixed by the clip 52. At the same time, the tapered electrode holder positioning pin 15 on the constant temperature bath unit 41 side of the device to be attached automatically enters the electrode holder positioning hole 16 of the support 03, so that the capillary cartridge 01 can be moved into the constant temperature bath unit by one operation. Temporarily fixed to 41. The mounting locations of the electrode holder positioning pin 15 and the electrode holder positioning hole 16 may be reversed. That is, the electrode holder and the support can be fixed by passing the electrode holder positioning pin provided on one side through the electrode holder positioning hole provided on the other side.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the clip 52. When the capillary cartridge 01 is brought closer to the mounting surface 50, the detection unit 06 hits the convex portion of the clip 52 to push the clip 52 once as shown in the upper part of the figure, and when it is further brought closer, it is shown in the middle part and the lower part of the figure. The detection unit 06 exceeds the convex portion of the clip 52, and the clip 52 presses the detection unit 06 by the reaction force of the spring 53 to temporarily fix the detection unit 06. At this time, at the same time as the clip 52 crosses the convex portion, the clip 52 moves instantly due to the reaction force to make a clicking sound, so that the user can confirm that the capillary cartridge 01 is temporarily fixed.

As described above, in this embodiment, by first positioning the detection unit 06 first, the detection unit 06 and the optical system of the electrophoresis apparatus can be reliably aligned with high accuracy. Further, by forming the electrode holder positioning pin 15 into a tapered shape as shown in FIG. 7, even if the position of the electrode holder positioning pin 15 is slightly displaced for each device, the electrode holder positioning pin 15 can be reliably inserted into the electrode holder positioning hole 16. Once the position of the detection unit 06 is determined, the electrode holder 05 can also be temporarily fixed. Therefore, the user can perform a series of operations for attaching the capillary cartridge 01 by holding the handle 09, which is a gripping portion, so that the operation can be performed without touching the detection unit 06 or forcibly bending the capillary 02. It is possible to improve usability and reduce the risk of damage.

FIG. 9 shows a detailed view of the capillary adjustment allowance of the capillary cartridge of this embodiment. In order to fill the capillary 02 with the migration medium, the capillary head 07 and the migration medium container 28 are connected when the capillary cartridge 01 is attached, but at this time, the position of the capillary head 07 must be moved according to the position of the migration medium container 28. It doesn't become. This is because if the heights of the capillary head 07 and the tip of the electrode (cathode) 08 are not aligned, a siphon phenomenon occurs in which the migration medium in the capillary 02 moves, so these heights are highly accurate. This is because it is necessary to align.

As shown in the lower part of the figure, if the length of the capillary 02 from the detection unit 06 to the capillary head 07 is designed to be the shortest distance to the polymer container such as the electrophoresis medium container 28, the position of the polymer container is determined by the device. When the displacement occurs, the height also changes by moving the capillary head 07 to the left or right. In this embodiment, as shown in the upper part of the figure, the capillary 02 is designed to have a length obtained by adding the adjustment allowance to the shortest distance from the detection unit 06 to the polymer container, and the capillary head 07 is moved in the left-right direction. However, it can be kept aligned at the same height as the tip of the electrode (cathode) 08.

If the capillary head 07 is moved while the capillary cartridge 01 is completely fixed, the radiator 04 may be worn or an excessive force may be applied to the capillary 02. Therefore, in this embodiment, the capillary head 07 is used. Before connecting, the capillary cartridge 01 has a structure in which it is temporarily fixed once. As shown in FIG. 8, since the detection unit 06 is held in the cartridge plane direction by the reaction force of the spring 53 of the clip 52 and in the cartridge vertical direction by the convex portion of the clip 52, it is disengaged by the tension of the capillary 02. The structure is such that the capillary head 07 is not moved by the user and the capillary cartridge 01 is not removed.

Then, after connecting the capillary head 07 to the electrophoresis medium container 28, the capillary cartridge 01 is pressed by the constant temperature bath door 43 shown in FIG. 1, and the detection unit 06 is fixed by pressing the clip 52. At the same time, the electrode holder positioning pin 15 is inserted all the way into the electrode holder positioning hole 16, so that the entire capillary cartridge 01 is completely fixed. At this time, when the detection unit positioning pin 13 is pushed all the way in, a clicking sound is heard, and the user can confirm that the capillary cartridge 01 is completely fixed. A click sound may be produced by using a structure similar to that of the clip 52 for the fixed portion of the electrode holder 05.

FIG. 10 shows a workflow for attaching the capillary cartridge 01 of this embodiment. First, the detection unit 06 is temporarily fixed, and at the same time, the electrode holder 05 is temporarily fixed (S101). Next, by connecting the capillary head 07 and the electrophoresis medium container 28 (S102) and finally closing the constant temperature bath door 43, the capillary cartridge 01 is pushed in and fixed (S103), and the installation is completed (S104). .. In this way, the structure in which the entire body is automatically fixed by fixing one place requires less steps, and the complexity of attaching the capillary 02 can be reduced.

FIG. 11 shows a cross-sectional view of the peripheral portion of the capillary 02 of this embodiment. When silicon rubber is used as the heat radiating body 04, for example, when the capillary cartridge 01 is brought into contact with the mounting surface 50 on the electrophoresis device side and a predetermined load is applied, the radiating body 04 is deformed along the shape of the capillary 02. Therefore, the contact area with the capillary 02 can be increased. At this time, by uniformly applying a load to the entire surface of the heat radiating body 04 by the door, it is difficult to form an air layer between the mounting surface 50 and the heat radiating body 04. On the contrary, when the air layer is completely removed, the radiator 04 becomes like a suction cup, and the capillary cartridge 01 may not be removable. In this embodiment, the structure is an integral structure with the capillary 02 sandwiched between them, and the capillary 02 is arranged to the outside of the heat radiating body 04, so that the air layer is not completely eliminated. Therefore, it can be easily removed without sticking to the mounting surface 50.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a structure of the constant temperature bath door of this embodiment, and the constant temperature bath door has a two-stage structure sandwiching an elastic body such as a spring. That is, the constant temperature bath door 43 has a two-stage structure in which the push plate 57 is attached to the door support 58 via one or more push plate springs 56, and has a cushioning property. By adjusting the spring constant, it is possible to control the load applied to the capillary cartridge 01 when the constant temperature bath door 43 is closed. For example, if 12 springs 53 having a spring constant of 3 N / mm are used, a load of 30 N can be applied when the constant temperature bath door 43 is closed.

According to the capillary cartridge of the first embodiment described in detail above, the radiator is provided inside the capillary by providing a radiator between the capillary provided with the detection unit in a part thereof and the plate-shaped support supporting the capillary. Since the temperature rise can be suppressed, electrophoresis can be performed under high voltage application conditions in which the amount of heat generated is large, and the analysis time can be shortened. In addition, it is possible to improve the complexity of operation by reducing the number of fixing points at the time of mounting by forming a structure in which the capillary, the support, and the heat radiating body are integrated.

Further, in this embodiment, the detection unit and the cathode electrode portion of the capillary are held by the support, and the entire capillary cartridge is electrophoresed by fixing the support and the anode electrode portion of the capillary. Since it is fixed by pressing it with the door mechanism of the device, it can be easily installed with a few steps. Furthermore, since the placement of the capillaries is also supported, the risk of breakage can be reduced.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the capillary is in direct contact with a member having high thermal conductivity, a high voltage can be applied during electrophoresis to release heat generated from the capillary. As a result, the temperature inside the capillary becomes stable at a predetermined temperature, so that the analysis performance of the electrophoresis apparatus can be improved and the analysis time can be shortened.

The second embodiment is an embodiment of the capillary cartridge in which the shape of the radiator of the capillary cartridge is a flat shape corresponding to the region where the capillary crawls on the support. As shown in FIG. 13, the area of the radiator 04 is limited so as to match the shape of the capillary while maintaining the minimum heat capacity that can dissipate the heat of the capillary, so that the capillary cartridge maintains the heat dissipation performance. Cost can be reduced. For example, even when the heat radiating body 04 is arranged only in the peripheral portion of the capillary 02 shown in FIG. 5 and the heat capacity is reduced to 50 J / K, ^{a heat radiating performance of 200 W / m 2} · K or more can be obtained. Also in this figure, since the heat radiating body 04 is arranged on the back side of the support body 03, it is shown by a dotted line frame. The heat radiating body 04 may be attached to the support 03 by joining sheets having a simple shape such as a rectangle. Further, the shape of the support 03 may be reduced according to the shape of the heat radiating body 04, and the cost can be further reduced.

Example 3 is an example of a capillary cartridge having a configuration in which the detection unit and the electrode holder are fixed separately. The electrode holder is fixed by passing the electrode holder positioning pin on the device side through the electrode holder positioning hole as in the first embodiment. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14, the detection unit 06 is configured to be connected by the support 03 and the S-shaped detection unit holding member 54, so that the position can be flexibly moved in a planar shape to align the positions. Can be fixed. According to this embodiment, the mounting work can be performed more easily.

The fourth embodiment is an embodiment in which a hole for a handle that functions as a grip portion is provided in the support instead of the handle of the capillary cartridge. By inserting a finger into the handle hole 55 of the support 03 and operating the capillary cartridge 01 as shown in FIG. 15, the risk of falling during carrying or mounting can be reduced. Further, by arranging the handle hole 55 near the detection portion, positioning becomes easier. Alternatively, by arranging the handle holes 55 in a well-balanced manner near the center, the force applied when removing the handle can be dispersed without being concentrated in one place, and the support 03 can be prevented from being deformed or distorted. It is possible to improve the efficiency of work and removal work.

Example 5 is an example in which the support of the capillary cartridge has a two-stage structure. As shown in FIG. 16, a push plate 57 is attached to the back side of the support 03 to which the radiator 04 is attached, and one or more push plate springs 56 are inserted between the support 03 and the push plate 57. By making it a structure, the capillary cartridge itself can have a cushioning property. In the case of this embodiment, it is not necessary for the constant temperature bath door 43 as described in the first embodiment to have a two-stage structure.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, since the temperature rise inside the capillary can be suppressed by the radiator, it is possible to perform electrophoresis under high voltage application conditions in which the amount of heat generated is large, and the analysis time can be shortened. Can be done. In addition, the complexity of the operation can be improved by reducing the number of fixing points at the time of mounting by making the structure in which the capillary and the support are integrated. This makes it possible to improve both analysis performance and usability.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described examples, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-mentioned examples have been described in detail for a better understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations of the description. Further, it is possible to add / delete / replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration. For example, it is also possible to form a detection unit positioning hole on the mounting surface of the electrophoresis apparatus on the constant temperature bath unit side and push the detection unit positioning pin formed on the support. Further, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment.

01: Capillary cartridge, 02: Capillary, 03: Support, 04: Radiator, 05: Electrode holder, 06: Detector, 07: Capillary head, 08: Electrode (cathode), 09: Handle, 10: Electrode holder fixed Pin, 11: Electrode holder fixing hole, 12: Detection part fixing frame, 13: Detection part positioning pin, 14: Positioning hole, 15: Electrode holder positioning pin, 16: Electrode holder positioning hole, 20: Auto sampler unit, 21: Sampler base, 22: X-axis drive body, 23: Y-axis drive body, 24: Z-axis drive body, 25: sample tray, 26: sample container, 27: liquid feeding mechanism, 28: electrophoresis medium container, 29: anode side Buffer container 30: Electrode side cleaning layer, 31: Electrode side electrophoresis buffer layer, 32: Electrode side sample introduction buffer layer, 33: Electrode side buffer container, 34: Waste liquid layer, 35: Electrode side cleaning Layer, 36: Buffer layer for electrophoresis on the cathode side, 40: Irradiation detection / constant temperature bath unit, 41: Constant temperature bath unit 42: Irradiation detection unit, 43: Constant temperature bath door, 44: Electrode (anode), 50: Mounting surface , 52: Clip, 53: Spring, 54: Detection part holding member, 55: Handle hole, 56: Push plate spring, 57: Push plate, 58: Door support

Claims (9)

A capillary array having a capillary, a capillary head provided at one end of the capillary, an electrode provided at the other end of the capillary, and a detection unit provided at a part of the capillary.
A capillary cartridge having a support that supports the capillary,
In an electrophoresis apparatus provided with a constant temperature bath for holding the capillary at a predetermined temperature.
One of the constant temperature bath or the capillary cartridge has a positioning pin for positioning the capillary cartridge in the constant temperature bath.
The constant temperature bath or the other of the capillary cartridge has a positioning hole for inserting the positioning pin.
By inserting the positioning pin into the positioning hole, the capillary cartridge is positioned in the constant temperature bath .
The mounting surface of the capillary cartridge in the constant temperature bath has a clip provided with an elastic body and a support column for fixing the elastic body, and the clip holds a detection portion by a reaction force of the elastic body .
An electrophoresis device characterized in that. In the electrophoresis apparatus according to claim 1,
The capillary array has an electrode holder that holds the electrodes.
The positioning pin and the positioning hole position the electrode holder, and the positioning pin and the positioning hole are used to position the electrode holder.
The constant temperature bath has the positioning pin protruding toward the capillary cartridge.
The capillary cartridge has the positioning hole for inserting the positioning pin.
The positioning pin has a tapered shape that is inclined so that the cross-sectional area becomes smaller from the constant temperature bath side toward the capillary cartridge.
An electrophoresis device characterized in that. In the electrophoresis apparatus of claim 2,
It has an irradiation detection unit that irradiates and detects light during electrophoresis using the capillary.
The detection unit is movable with respect to the support by connecting the capillary to the detection unit holding member provided on the support.
The detection unit is aligned and fixed to the irradiation detection unit.
An electrophoresis device characterized in that. In the electrophoresis apparatus of claim 2,
The positioning pin has a detection unit positioning pin for positioning the detection unit and the electrode holder, respectively, and an electrode holder positioning pin.
The positioning hole has a detection unit positioning hole for positioning the detection unit and an electrode holder positioning hole.
An electrophoresis device characterized in that. In the electrophoresis apparatus of claim 1,
The clip has a protrusion at the tip and has a protrusion.
The protrusion holds the detection unit.
An electrophoresis device characterized in that. In the electrophoresis apparatus of claim 2,
The distance from the fixed portion of the detection unit to the fixed portion of the capillary head is shorter than the capillary length from the detection unit to the capillary head.
Align and fix the height of the capillary head and the electrode.
An electrophoresis device characterized in that. In the electrophoresis apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The constant temperature bath has a constant temperature bath door and has a constant temperature bath door.
By pressing the capillary cartridge with the constant temperature bath door, the capillary cartridge is fixed to the constant temperature bath.
The constant temperature bath door has a two-stage structure sandwiching an elastic body.
An electrophoresis device characterized in that. In the electrophoresis apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The constant temperature bath has a constant temperature bath door and has a constant temperature bath door.
By pressing the capillary cartridge with the constant temperature bath door, the capillary cartridge is fixed to the constant temperature bath.
The support has a two-stage structure sandwiching an elastic body.
An electrophoresis device characterized in that. In the electrophoresis apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A cushioning sheet is provided between the support and the capillary array.
An electrophoresis device characterized in that.

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