JP7253785B2 - capillary cutter - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a capillary cutter that forms a notch in a capillary tube used for collecting a small amount of a liquid sample such as blood at a desired position to reliably and safely break the capillary tube.

2. Description of the Related Art In collecting a very small amount of blood for a blood test, a capillary tube with both ends open is used to suck and collect blood by capillary action. Blood collected in a capillary tube is separated into a plasma or serum component and a blood cell component in the capillary tube by centrifugation. .

Therefore, conventionally, a heart-shaped ampoule cutter (see FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1) is used to cut (notch) the outer peripheral surface of the glass capillary tube near the boundary between the plasma or serum component and the blood cell component, Fractionation of plasma or serum components has been performed by rupturing the capillary tube at the location of the wound.

On the other hand, glass capillaries have been widely used as capillary tubes for collecting minute amounts of liquid samples such as blood, as described above. Capillaries made of cellulose have been widely used in recent years. For example, Patent Literature 2 describes a plastic capillary tube made of a thermoplastic resin material and having a predetermined bending strength.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 56-66332 Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-299731

When making a cut (notch) in a glass capillary using a heart-shaped ampoule cutter as described in Patent Document 1, hold the capillary in one hand and hold the ampoule cutter in the other hand. In this state, it is necessary to apply an ampoule cutter to the vicinity of the boundary between the plasma or serum component and the blood cell component in the capillary to make a wound. At this time, if the ampoule cutter is brought close to the capillary tube, the area around the desired position (boundary between the plasma or serum component and the blood cell component) will be hidden by the ampoule cutter itself and the user's fingers, so it is necessary to confirm the position of the wound. must be done carefully, which takes time and effort.

On the other hand, the plastic capillaries described in Patent Document 2 are stronger and more flexible than the glass capillaries, so they can be cut (notched) by a conventional ampoule cutter. The method could not reliably and safely break plastic capillaries.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and its object is to easily form a notch at a desired position of a capillary tube for breaking the capillary tube reliably and safely. To provide a capillary cutter for collecting blood capable of

Another object of the present invention is to provide a capillary tube for collecting blood in which a notch for breaking a plastic capillary tube reliably and safely can be easily formed along the entire periphery of the capillary tube at a desired position. To provide a cutter.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the capillary cutter of the present invention is a capillary cutter for forming on the outer peripheral surface of a capillary a scratch that allows the capillary to be broken, comprising a box-like housing and a A substantially straight groove for fitting the capillary tube is provided on the upper surface of the housing, and a slit provided in a direction across the groove is provided at the bottom of the groove. part of the cutter blade is exposed.

The capillary cutter of the present invention is formed as a box having a substantially linear groove on its upper surface, and a cutter blade for notching the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube at the bottom of the groove. are placed. Since the groove is sized to fit a capillary tube for collecting blood, etc., the width of the groove is very narrow, and there is no danger that the user's fingers, etc., will touch the cutter blade placed at the bottom of the groove. few. Therefore, even though the cutter blade is always exposed, it can be used safely, and since it does not take time to adjust the exposure of the cutter blade, it can be used immediately as a cutter. In use, the capillary is fitted into the groove on the upper surface of the cutter, and the position of the slit provided across the groove is aligned with the position where the capillary is to be scratched (the position where the capillary is to be broken). Since the cutter blade is exposed through the slit that traverses the groove, when the capillary is pressed against the groove bottom of the groove, the outer peripheral surface of the capillary is scratched by the cutter blade protruding from the groove bottom. be. Furthermore, if the capillary is rotated along the groove wall in the concave groove while maintaining the position of the capillary, the entire outer peripheral surface of the capillary is easily damaged for breaking. In this way, the capillary can be positioned simply by fitting the capillary into the groove and aligning the desired position of the capillary with the position of the slit on the groove, and the wound can be quickly, easily, and safely formed at the desired position. . The term "notch" as used herein refers to a notch, cut, groove, dent, or a combination thereof formed in the outer wall of a capillary, provided for breaking the capillary at a desired position. , which are formed continuously or discontinuously in the circumferential direction of the outer wall of the capillary tube, or formed on a part of the outer wall of the capillary tube.

Moreover, the cutter blade of the capillary cutter of the present invention is preferably arranged so that the height of the blade exposed at the groove bottom of the groove is shorter than the length of the wall thickness of the capillary tube. As a result, when the capillary is scratched, the cutter blade does not penetrate the wall of the capillary and cause holes or cracks in the capillary, forming a notch at a depth shorter than the wall thickness of the capillary. can do.

Further, it is preferable that the groove depth of the concave groove of the capillary cutter of the present invention is formed so as to be shorter than the length of the outer diameter of the capillary tube. As a result, when the capillary is fitted into the groove on the upper surface of the housing, the capillary is not embedded in the groove, and the upper part of the capillary protrudes from the upper part of the groove. This facilitates the operation of pressing when scratching the capillary tube and rotating the capillary tube in the recessed groove.

Also, the cross-sectional shape of the concave groove of the capillary cutter of the present invention is preferably semicircular or U-shaped. As a result, when the capillary is fitted into the groove, the outer peripheral surface of the capillary is supported by the entire wall surface of the groove. In addition, when the capillary is rotated along the groove wall of the groove, the capillary can be rotated along the groove wall of the groove. positional deviation can be prevented.

Also, the cutter blade of the capillary tube cutter of the present invention is a disk-shaped cutter blade, and the disk-shaped cutter blade is rotatably supported by being mounted in the housing via a rotating shaft parallel to and facing the concave groove. It is also preferable that a part of the outer circumference of the disk-shaped cutter blade is exposed at the groove bottom of the concave groove. As a result, the disk-shaped cutter can be used as a cutter blade exposed at the groove bottom of the concave groove. In addition, since the disc-shaped cutter blade is rotatably mounted within the housing, the force applied to the capillary is dispersed and the scratch is formed smoothly with a substantially uniform force. Furthermore, since the portion exposed at the groove bottom of the concave groove is not fixed, the cutter blade is less likely to be damaged or chipped, and a durable cutter can be obtained.

In addition, the cutter blade of the capillary tube cutter of the present invention is a thin plate-like cutter blade, and elastic members are disposed at both ends of the thin plate-like cutter blade to urge the thin plate-like cutter blade to freely move back and forth. It is also preferable that a part of the outer edge of the thin plate cutter blade is exposed at the groove bottom of the groove. As a result, the thin plate-shaped cutter can be used as a cutter blade exposed at the groove bottom of the concave groove. In addition, since the thin plate-shaped cutter blade is mounted in the housing so as to be able to reciprocate, the force applied to the capillary is dispersed and the scratch is formed with a substantially uniform force. Furthermore, since the portion exposed at the groove bottom of the concave groove is not fixed, the cutter blade is less likely to be damaged or chipped, and a durable cutter can be obtained.

Moreover, it is also preferable that the elastic member described above is a coil spring. Thereby, a suitable elastic member is selected when a thin plate cutter blade is selected.

It is also preferable that a non-slip sheet is adhered to the bottom surface of the housing of the capillary cutter of the present invention. As a result, it is possible to prevent the capillary cutter itself from moving when it is used on a workbench or the like, thereby preventing the position of the capillary tube and the position of forming a scratch from being shifted.

Further, the capillary cutter of the present invention further comprises a rubbing tool for rotating the capillary fitted in the groove within the groove, and the rubbing tool has a non-slip surface on at least a part of the surface of the plate member. It is also preferable that the sheet is adhered. A scratch can be reliably formed on the outer peripheral surface of the capillary by pressing the capillary in the direction of the bottom of the groove by bringing the rubbing tool into contact with the capillary which has been positioned at the position where the scratch is to be formed. In addition, by rubbing the capillary fitted in the groove from above with a rubbing tool in the direction orthogonal to the groove, that is, in the direction in which the slit extends, the capillary rotates along the groove wall of the groove, thereby reliably In addition, scratches can be easily formed along the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the capillary cutter which has the following excellent effects is provided.
(1) A wound for breaking the capillary can be easily formed at a desired position of the capillary.
(2) A scratch for reliably and safely breaking a plastic capillary can be easily formed on the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the capillary.
(3) Although the cutter blade is always exposed, it is safe to use because fingers do not touch the cutter blade.
(4) Since the blade height of the cutter blade is adjusted to be shorter than the wall thickness of the capillary tube, the cutter blade does not penetrate the wall of the capillary tube and cause holes or cracks in the capillary tube. Scratches can be formed without damaging the
(5) The capillary tube can be easily broken off at the position where the scratch is formed without applying a strong force.

1 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a capillary cutter according to a first embodiment of the invention; FIG. (A) Front view of the capillary cutter shown in FIG. 1, (B) Plan view (view from above), (C) AA line cross-sectional view in FIG. 2A, (D) BB line cross section in FIG. 2A and (E) a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 2B. It is a perspective view which shows the use condition of a capillary cutter. It is an explanatory view showing roughly how to use a capillary cutter. Fig. 5A shows another example of the capillary cutter in the first embodiment, (A) a front view, (B) a plan view (view from above), and (C) a cross-sectional view along the line AA in Fig. 5A. , (D) a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 5A, and (E) a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 5B. (A) Front view of the capillary cutter in the second embodiment of the present invention, (B) Plan view (view from above), (C) Side view, (D) DD line cross-sectional view in FIG. 6A, and (E) is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. 6B.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the capillary tube cutter 1 of the present invention generally comprises a box-shaped housing 2 and a disk-shaped cutter blade 5 housed inside the housing 2 . In this specification, up and down means the up and down direction when the capillary cutter 1 is used, that is, the up and down direction in FIG.

First, the housing 2 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the box-shaped housing 2 in this embodiment is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole and is composed of a pair of halves 2a and 2b. As shown in FIG. 2(C), of the pair of half bodies 2a and 2b, one half body 2a is provided with a female screw groove 21 for screwing with a male screw 23, and the other half body 2b is provided with a screw hole 22 through which a male screw 23 can be inserted. Of these, the screw hole 22 is formed in a stepped shape having a large-diameter portion through which the screw head of the male screw 23 can be inserted and a small-diameter portion through which the screw portion can be inserted. By screwing the male screw 23 from the screw hole 22 to the female thread groove 21, the pair of half-split bodies 2a and 2b are fastened, and the housing 2 is formed. The box-shaped housing 2 in the present embodiment is formed of the pair of half-split bodies 2a and 2b as described above, but if the box-shaped housing can be formed, it can be formed by another configuration. It is also possible to Further, although the housing 2 in the present embodiment is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, it may be formed in a cubic shape, a columnar shape, a truncated pyramid shape, a truncated conical shape, or any other box shape. As the material of the housing 2, in addition to metal materials such as stainless steel and aluminum, resin materials can also be suitably used. As the resin material, a thermoplastic resin such as acrylic resin, polyamide, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polypropylene or polyethylene (including low density and high density) is preferably used. By using such a thermoplastic resin, the housing 2 can be manufactured by injection molding or the like.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper surface of the housing 2 is provided with a substantially linear groove 3 for fitting the capillary tube. The recessed groove 3 in this embodiment is formed as a groove extending in the lateral direction of the housing 2 and provided near the center in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, since the housing 2 is composed of a pair of half-split bodies 2a and 2b, grooves approximately half the length of the concave groove 3 are formed on the top surfaces of the half-split bodies 2a and 2b, respectively. A groove 3 is formed by joining a pair of half-split bodies 2a and 2b. The cross-sectional shape of the concave groove 3 may be semicircular, U-shaped, rectangular, polygonal, elliptical, etc. Among these, circular or U-shaped is preferable. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, when the capillary tube P is fitted into the groove, the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P is supported by the entire wall surface of the groove 3, so that the capillary tube P is less likely to rattle within the groove 3. , damage to the capillary tube P can be prevented. In addition, when making a scratch N over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P, the capillary tube P is rotated within the groove 3, and while the capillary tube P is supported by the groove wall of the groove 3, it is scratched along the groove wall. Since the capillaries P can be rotated with the same force, the axis of rotation of the capillary tube P is less likely to move, and misalignment when making a scratch N can be prevented.

As shown in FIG. 4, the groove width 3W of the concave groove is formed larger than the outer diameter PD of the capillary tube so that the capillary tube P can be fitted. Specifically, the groove width 3W of the recessed groove is set to 0 relative to the outer diameter PD of the capillary from the viewpoint of allowing the capillary P to be smoothly fitted into the recessed groove 3 and preventing the capillary P from rattling in the recessed groove 3. It is preferably formed as large as 0.03 mm to 0.5 mm, and more preferably formed as large as 0.05 mm to 0.3 mm. In this embodiment, the outer diameter PD of the blood-collecting capillary is normally about 1.70 mm to 1.95 mm, so the groove width 3 of the groove is set to 2.0 mm. Further, the groove depth 3D of the concave groove is larger than the outer diameter PD of the capillary tube so that when the capillary tube P is fitted into the concave groove 3W, part of the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P protrudes from the upper surface of the housing. is preferably formed so as to be short. As a result, when the capillary tube P is fitted into the groove 3, the capillary tube P is not embedded in the groove 3, and the upper part of the capillary tube P protrudes from the upper surface of the housing 2. Pressing from above when making a scratch N and rubbing operation for rotating the capillary tube P are facilitated, and positioning of the position where the scratch N is to be made is also facilitated. Specifically, the groove depth 3D of the recessed groove prevents the once-fitted capillary P from easily falling out of the recessed groove 3 during operation, and also prevents the outer peripheral surface of the capillary P from being pushed and the capillary P to rotate. From the viewpoint of facilitating the rubbing operation, it is preferably 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm shorter than the outer diameter PD of the capillary, more preferably 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm shorter. preferable. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter PD of the blood-collecting capillary is normally about 1.70 mm to 1.95 mm, so the groove depth 3D of the groove is set to 1.65 mm.

Inside the housing 2, as shown in FIG. 2, a narrow storage space 6 is provided to accommodate a disk-shaped cutter blade 5, which will be described later. In this embodiment, since the housing 2 is composed of a pair of half-split bodies 2a and 2b, this housing space 6 is provided on the joining surfaces of the half-split bodies 2a and 2b. Specifically, a step-like shallow recess having a size capable of accommodating the disk-shaped cutter blade 5 is formed on the joint surface of the half-split body 2b. is formed. The width of the gap in the accommodation space 6, that is, the depth of the cut into the half-split body 2b is formed to be greater than the thickness of the cutter blade 5 to be accommodated. From the viewpoint of preventing blurring of the cutter blade 5 and not hindering the movement of the cutter blade 5, it is preferably formed to be 0.02 mm to 0.2 mm larger than the thickness of the cutter blade 5, such as 0.02 mm to 0.2 mm. More preferably, it is formed as large as 1 mm. In this embodiment, the width of the gap of the accommodation space 6 is formed to be about 0.35 mm because the blade thickness of the disk-shaped cutter blade 5 employed is about 0.3 mm. Note that the accommodation space 6 in this embodiment is formed by digging one (20b) of the pair of half-split bodies 2a and 2b, but both of the pair of half-split bodies 2a and 2b It is also possible to form by engraving. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, a shaft 7 is provided inside the housing 2 for rotatably supporting the disk-shaped cutter 5 housed in the housing space 6 . The shaft 7 is inserted through the center hole of the disk-shaped cutter blade 5, and both ends thereof are embedded and fixed inside the half bodies 20a and 20b.

A slit 4 is provided in the groove bottom of the groove 3 formed on the upper surface of the housing 2 in a direction crossing the groove 3, as shown in FIGS. Through this slit 4, a disk-shaped cutter blade 5, which will be described later, is exposed to the groove bottom 31 of the concave groove 3. As shown in FIG. The slit 4 is formed continuously with the housing space 6 for the disk-shaped cutter blade 5, as shown in FIGS. 2(D) and 2(E). In the present embodiment, a shallow recess is formed in the joint surface of the half body 2b as the housing space 6 for the cutter blade 5. A recess is formed as a slit 4 . The slit 4 is formed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extending direction of the groove 3 , and is formed at least in the groove bottom 31 of the groove 3 . Furthermore, from the viewpoint of facilitating the positioning of the position where the capillary tube P is to be scratched N, the slit 4 is provided not only at the groove bottom of the groove 3 but also across the groove 3 so as to extend to the upper surface of the housing 2. It is preferable that In the present embodiment, since the slit 4 is formed continuously with the accommodation space 6, it is formed with the same length (30 mm) as the digging length of the accommodation space 6. It is provided as a slit 4 that greatly extends into the

Next, the disk-shaped cutter blade 5 will be explained. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, a disk-shaped cutter blade 5 is selected as the cutter blade. The disc-shaped cutter blade 5 is incorporated in a housing space 6 in the housing 2 and is rotatably supported by the shaft 7 described above. The disk-shaped cutter blade 5 is arranged so that its cutting edge is exposed from the groove bottom 31 of the concave groove 3 through the slit 4 described above. The blade height 51H of the disk-shaped cutter blade 5 in the portion 51 exposed at the groove bottom 31 of the groove 3 is designed to ensure safety so that the operator's fingers do not touch the exposed portion 51 of the cutter blade. The position is adjusted to be shorter than the groove depth 3D of 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the disc-shaped cutter blade 5 is arranged such that the blade height 51H of the portion of the disc-shaped cutter blade 5 exposed at the groove bottom 31 of the concave groove 3 is shorter than the length of the wall thickness PT of the capillary tube. is preferably adjusted. This prevents the cutter blade 51 from penetrating the wall of the capillary tube P to cause holes or cracks in the capillary tube P when making a scratch N in the capillary tube P, thereby preventing the contents of the capillary tube P from leaking out. The notch N can be formed at a depth shorter than the thickness PT of the . Specifically, it is preferable that the blade height 51H of the disc-shaped cutter blade exposed at the groove bottom 31 of the concave groove 3 is about 1/3 to half of the wall thickness PT of the capillary tube. In the present embodiment, the wall thickness PT of the capillary tube for collecting blood is usually about 0.4±0.1 mm. The blade height 51H is arranged to be about 0.15±0.05 mm.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, it is possible to attach a non-slip sheet 9 to the lower surface of the housing 2 or the like. As a result, the capillary cutter 1 can be placed stably during use, and displacement of the positioning of the capillary tube P and the formation position of the scratch can be prevented. As the non-slip sheet 9, a rubber sheet or the like can be used.

The capillary cutter 1 of the present invention can also be provided with a rubbing tool 10 shown in FIG. 3 as a separate auxiliary tool. This rubbing tool 10 has a non-slip sheet 11 adhered to at least part of the surface of a plate-like member 12, and is fitted into the recessed groove 3 to form a scratch N on the positioned capillary tube P. used for This rubbing tool 10 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the capillary P protruding from the upper surface of the housing 2, and is pressed in the direction of the groove bottom 31 of the recessed groove 3 where the cutter blade 5 is exposed, thereby removing the outer periphery of the capillary P. Scratches N can be formed on the surface. Further, by rubbing the capillary tube P fitted in the groove 3 from above with a rubbing tool 10 in a direction perpendicular to the groove 3, that is, in the extending direction of the slit 4, the capillary tube P is removed from the groove wall of the groove 3. , the flaw N can be formed over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P. As shown in FIG.

The capillary tube P used in the capillary tube cutter 1 of the present invention is configured with open ends at both ends, and is a capillary tube capable of collecting a liquid sample such as blood inside the tube by causing capillary action, and has an outer diameter of 1.70 mm. A thickness of about 1.95 mm is used. The capillary tube P can be made of either synthetic resin material or glass material, but the capillary tube cutter 1 of the present invention is particularly for forming a notch N in the capillary tube P made of synthetic resin material. It can be preferably used as. In addition, the inner wall of the capillary P may be coated with a blood anticoagulant such as heparin or EDTA to prevent blood coagulation.

Next, how to use the capillary cutter 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. First, blood is collected in a capillary tube P, one end is filled with putty or the like and sealed, and then set in a centrifuge. Let Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the centrifugally treated capillary tube P is fitted into the concave groove 3 of the capillary tube cutter 1 . After fitting, the position of the slit 4 provided in the direction across the groove 3, and the position of the boundary between the plasma/serum component S and the blood cell component R, which is the position where the capillary is to be scratched N (the position where the capillary is broken). match the Since the slits 4 extend from both sides of the concave groove 3, the positioning is very easy, and the positioning for making the wound N in the capillary tube P is completed only by this operation. Subsequently, in order to rotate the capillary tube P inside the groove 3 using the rubbing tool 10, the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P protruding from the upper surface of the housing 2 is moved in a direction orthogonal to the groove 3, that is, the extension of the slit 4. Rub with the rubbing tool 10 in the direction. By setting the position facing the slit 4 as the rubbing position of the rubbing tool 10, the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P can be reliably brought into contact with the exposed portion 51 of the cutter blade. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4 , the capillary tube P rotates along the groove wall of the groove 3 . Since the capillary tube P rotates while the scratch N is being formed, the scratch N is formed over the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P. At this time, the disk-shaped cutter blade 5 forms a scratch N on the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P while rotating in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the capillary tube P. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the unevenness of the force applied to the exposed portion 51 of the disk-shaped cutter blade of the capillary tube P can be dispersed, and the scratches N are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P with a substantially uniform force.

In addition, when the rubbing tool 10 is not used, both ends of the capillary P are held with fingers, or one end is held with a finger, and care is taken not to shift the position of the capillary P within the groove 3. By rotating the capillary tube P inside the concave groove 3, it is also possible to form a scratch N on the entire outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P. FIG.

Further, when the capillary tube P to be used is made of glass or the like, the scratch N may be formed without rotating the capillary tube P fitted in the concave groove 3 within the concave groove 3 . Specifically, the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P protruding from the upper surface of the housing 2 is pressed against the positioned capillary tube P toward the groove bottom portion 31 of the groove 3 . At this time, the capillary tube P may be pressed using the rubbing tool 10, or may be pressed using a finger or other tool. As a result, a scratch N is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P by the disk-shaped cutter blade 51 protruding from the groove bottom 31 of the concave groove 3 .

A capillary tube P in which a scratch N is made by the capillary tube cutter 1 of the present invention can be easily broken at the position of the scratch N. As a result, the capillary tube P is easily cut and separated into the plasma/serum component S portion and the blood cell component R portion, and the plasma/serum component S is recovered.

Next, another example of the first embodiment described above will be described with reference to FIG. The capillary cutter 1 according to this embodiment has a support base portion 24 projecting horizontally from the lower portion of the housing 2, and a shaft 7 that rotatably supports a disk-shaped cutter 5 housed in the housing 2 is a bearing. It has substantially the same configuration as the above-described first embodiment except that it is attached inside the housing 2 via 71 . In addition, in this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to describe the same configurations as in the above-described first embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 5(A) to 5(D), the housing 2 according to the present embodiment is formed in a box-like shape with an inverted T shape when viewed from the side. The upper part of the housing 2 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole, and the lower part thereof is provided with a support base portion 24 projecting in the horizontal direction, and is composed of a pair of halves 2a and 2b. Since the capillary cutter 1 is stably placed on the desk by providing the support base portion 24 which is wider in the horizontal direction than the upper portion at the bottom of the housing 2, the capillary cutter 1 is prevented from overturning or shifting during use. You can prevent it from falling. In this embodiment, the length of the upper surface of the housing 2 in the short direction is 10 mm, while the length of the lower surface of the housing 2 in the short direction is designed to be 20 mm, which is double that.

Inside the housing 2, as shown in FIGS. 5(D) and 5(E), a narrow accommodation space 6 capable of accommodating the disk-shaped cutter blade 5 is provided. Since the housing 2 of the present embodiment is composed of a pair of half-split bodies 2a and 2b, this accommodation space 6 is provided on the joining surfaces of the half-split bodies 2a and 2b. As shown in FIG. 5(E), the accommodation space 6 is formed by forming a step-like shallow recess large enough to accommodate the disk-shaped cutter blade 5 in the joining surface of the half-split body 2b. A housing space 6 is formed by joining with the body 2a. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 5(D) and 5(E), in this embodiment, the shaft 7 that rotatably supports the disk-shaped cutter 5 housed in the housing space 6 has a ball bearing (bearing) 71. It is attached inside the housing 2 via the . The two bearings 71 are press-fitted into bearing receiving holes formed in the half bodies 2 a and 2 b of the housing 2 , respectively, and the inner peripheries of the bearings 71 are fitted to the outer perimeter of the shaft 7 . The center hole of the disk-shaped cutter blade 5 is fitted in the portion sandwiched between the two bearings 71 of the shaft 7 and is inserted therethrough. As a result, the shaft 7 can be easily rotated via the bearing 71 inside the housing 2, so that the disk-shaped cutter 5 can be rotated with a lighter and smaller force.

The housing 2, the groove 3, the slit 4, the disk-shaped cutter blade 5, the shaft 7, and other components that make up the capillary cutter 1, and the description of the usage of the capillary cutter 1 are the same as those of the first embodiment described above. They are the same, and their functions and effects are also the same.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6, a second embodiment of the invention will be described. A capillary cutter 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention differs from the capillary cutter 1 according to the first embodiment in that a thin plate-shaped cutter blade 50 housed in a housing 20 and a housing space for housing the cutter blade 50 are provided. The configuration of 60 is different, and the configuration is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment except that a coil spring 80 is provided as a member for supporting the thin plate cutter blade 50 instead of the shaft. In addition, in this embodiment, the same reference numerals are used to describe the same configurations as in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the capillary tube cutter 100 of the present invention comprises a box-shaped housing 20 and a thin plate-shaped cutter blade 50 housed inside the housing 20 . The box-shaped housing 20 in this embodiment is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole and is composed of a pair of halves 20a and 20b. The upper surface of the housing 20 is provided with a substantially linear recessed groove 3 for fitting the capillary tube. The recessed groove 3 in this embodiment is formed as a groove extending across the widthwise direction of the housing 20 and provided near the center in the lengthwise direction. In this embodiment, since the housing 20 is composed of a pair of half-split bodies 20a and 20b, grooves approximately half the length of the concave groove 3 are formed on the upper surfaces of the half-split bodies 20a and 20b, respectively. A groove 3 is formed by joining a pair of half-split bodies 20a and 20b.

Inside the housing 20, as shown in FIG. 6D, a narrow accommodation space 60 is provided to accommodate a thin plate-like cutter blade 50, which will be described later. In this embodiment, since the housing 20 is composed of a pair of half-split bodies 20a and 20b, this housing space 60 is provided on the joint surfaces of the half-split bodies 20a and 20b. More specifically, a stepped shallow recess large enough to accommodate the thin plate-like cutter blade 50 is formed on the joint surface of the half body 20a. is formed. Here, it is preferable that the accommodation space 60 for the thin plate cutter 50 is provided along the longitudinal direction of the housing 20 so that the thin plate cutter 50 can reciprocate within the housing 20 . In the present embodiment, a stepped shallow recess of a size capable of accommodating the thin plate-like cutter blade 50 is formed in the joint surface of the half-split body 20a across the width direction (longitudinal direction) to form an accommodation space 60. . A bottom portion 601 of the accommodation space 60 functions as a cutter blade track 601 when the thin plate cutter blade 50 moves. The thin plate-shaped cutter blade 50 moves along the cutter blade track 601 when it moves so as to compress the coil spring 80 which will be described later. It moves along trajectory 601 . In addition, the width of the gap in the accommodation space 60, that is, the depth of excavation of the half-split body 20a is formed larger than the thickness of the cutter blade 50 to be accommodated. From the viewpoint of preventing blurring of the cutter blade 50 and not hindering the movement of the cutter blade 50, it is preferably formed to be 0.02 mm to 0.2 mm larger than the thickness of the cutter blade 50. More preferably, it is formed as large as 0.1 mm. In the present embodiment, the width of the gap of the accommodation space 60 is formed to be approximately 0.45 mm because the blade thickness of the employed thin plate cutter blade 50 is approximately 0.4 mm. Note that the accommodation space 60 in the present embodiment is formed by digging one (20a) of the pair of half bodies 20a and 20b, but both of the pair of half bodies 20a and 20b It is also possible to form by engraving.

In the present embodiment, elastic members are provided at both ends of the thin plate-like cutter blade 50 for urging the thin plate-like cutter blade 50 to freely reciprocate. In this embodiment, a coil spring 80 is used as an elastic member. As shown in FIG. 6, the coil springs 80 are locked by washers 803 interposed in the heads of left and right male screws 802 screwed from both sides of the housing 20, respectively. are arranged so as to abut on the respective parts. The coil spring 80 is accommodated in a cylindrical coil spring accommodation hole 801 provided inside the housing 20 . In this embodiment, since the housing 20 is composed of a pair of half-split bodies 20a and 20b, the coil spring receiving hole 801 is provided on the joining surfaces of the half-split bodies 20a and 20b. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6(D) and 6(E), semi-cylindrical recesses are formed in the joint surfaces of the pair of half-split bodies 20a and 20b, respectively. A cylindrical accommodation hole 801 capable of accommodating the coil spring 80 is formed by joining the bodies 20a and 20b. The coil spring housing holes 801 are provided at both ends of the above-described cutter blade housing space 60 with a length approximately equal to the total length of the coil springs 80 to be housed. In this embodiment, the length of each hole is 20 mm. It is said that Further, the hole diameter of the coil spring housing hole 601 is formed to be larger than the outer diameter of the coil spring 80 to be housed. From the viewpoint of not hindering the movement of the spring 80, it is more preferable that the outer diameter is 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm larger than the outer diameter of the coil spring. In this embodiment, the hole diameter of the coil spring housing hole 801 is formed to be approximately 5 mm because the outer diameter of the employed coil spring 80 is approximately 4 mm. The coil spring 80 does not bias the thin plate cutter blade 50 or slightly biases it when the capillary cutter 100 is not in use, that is, when the thin plate cutter blade 50 is in place. However, by using the capillary cutter 100, when the thin plate-shaped cutter blade 50 moves along the cutter blade track 601 in the accommodation space 60 in accordance with the rotation of the capillary P, etc., one coil spring is compressed to urge the thin plate cutter blade 50 .

A slit 40 is provided in the groove bottom of the groove 3 formed on the upper surface of the housing 20, as shown in FIG. Through this slit 40, a thin plate cutter blade 50, which will be described later, is exposed to the groove bottom 31 of the groove 3. As shown in FIG. The slit 40 is formed continuously with the accommodation space 60 for the thin plate cutter blade 50 . In this embodiment, the joint surface of the half body 20a is formed with a shallow groove extending in the width direction as the housing space 60 for the cutter blade 50. A shallow recess is formed as a slit 40 above the vicinity of the center in the longitudinal direction. The slit 40 is formed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the groove 3 extends, and extends across the groove 3 to the upper surface of the housing 20 .

Next, the thin plate cutter blade 50 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, a thin plate cutter blade 50 is selected as the cutter blade. The thin plate-shaped cutter blade 50 is housed in the housing space 60 in the housing 20 and arranged so as to be reciprocally movable by the coil spring 80 described above. The thin plate cutter blade 50 is arranged so that its cutting edge is exposed from the groove bottom 31 of the groove 3 through the slit 40 described above. The blade height 501H of the thin plate-like cutter blade 50 in the portion 501 exposed to the groove bottom 31 of the groove 3 is designed to ensure safety so that the operator's fingers do not touch the exposed portion 501 of the cutter blade. The position is adjusted to be shorter than the groove depth 3D of 3. Further, as in the first embodiment, the blade height 501H of the thin plate-like cutter blade 50 exposed at the groove bottom 31 of the concave groove 3 is set to be shorter than the length of the wall thickness PT of the capillary tube. Preferably, the position of the blade 50 is adjusted. This prevents the cutter blade 501 from penetrating the wall of the capillary tube P to cause holes or cracks in the capillary tube P when making a scratch N in the capillary tube P, thereby preventing the contents of the capillary tube P from leaking out. The notch N can be formed at a depth shorter than the thickness PT of the . Specifically, it is preferable that the blade height 501H of the thin plate-like cutter blade exposed at the groove bottom 31 of the concave groove 3 is about 1/3 to half of the wall thickness PT of the capillary tube. In the present embodiment, since the wall thickness PT of the capillary tube for collecting blood is usually about 0.4±0.1 mm, the thickness of the thin plate-like cutter blade 50 of the portion 501 exposed at the groove bottom 31 of the groove 3 is The blade height 501H is arranged to be about 0.15±0.05 mm.

Next, a method of using the capillary cutter 100 according to this embodiment will be described. The centrifugally treated capillary tube P is fitted into the concave groove 3 of the capillary tube cutter 100 . After fitting, the position of the slit 40 provided in the direction across the groove 3, and the position of the boundary between the plasma/serum component S and the blood cell component R, which is the position where the capillary is to be scratched N (the position where the capillary is broken). match the Since the slits 40 extend from both sides of the concave groove 3, the positioning is very easy, and the positioning for creating the scratch N in the capillary tube P is completed only by this operation. Subsequently, in order to rotate the capillary tube P inside the concave groove 3 using the rubbing tool 10, the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P protruding from the upper surface of the housing 20 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the concave groove 3, that is, the extension of the slit 40. Rub with the rubbing tool 10 in the direction. By setting the position facing the slit 40 as the rubbing position of the rubbing tool 10, the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P can be reliably brought into contact with the exposed portion 501 of the cutter blade. As a result, the capillary tube P rotates along the groove wall of the groove 3, and a scratch N is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P by the thin plate cutter blade 50 projecting from the groove bottom 31 of the groove 3. Since the capillary tube P rotates, a scratch N is formed on the entire outer peripheral surface of the capillary tube P. As shown in FIG. At this time, due to the rotation of the capillary tube P, the thin plate-shaped cutter blade 50 moves along the cutter blade track 601 within the housing space 60 . As a result, the coil spring 80 arranged at the end in the moving direction is compressed and biases the thin plate cutter blade 50, so that when the capillary tube P is removed from the groove 3, the thin plate cutter blade 50 returns to its original position. return. In this way, since the cutter blade 50 itself moves with the rotation of the capillary tube P, it is possible to disperse unevenness in the force applied to the exposed portion 501 of the thin plate-shaped cutter blade of the capillary tube P, and the capillary tube P can be moved with a substantially uniform force. A scratch N is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the .

Other descriptions of the housing 20, the concave groove 3, the rubbing tool 10, and the capillary tube P, which constitute the capillary cutter 100, are the same as in the case of the above-described first embodiment, and their functions and effects are also the same. .

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes in its technical scope various design-changed forms within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the invention described in the claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is used to break a capillary tube from which a small amount of a liquid sample such as blood has been collected, and is used to form a notch that can reliably and safely break the capillary tube at a desired position. be.

Reference Signs List 1, 100 capillary cutter 2, 20 housing 2a, 20a one half-split body 2b, 20b other half-split body 21 female screw groove 22 screw hole 23 male screw 24 support base portion 3 groove 3D groove depth of groove 3W groove Groove width 31 Groove bottom 4, 40 Slit 5 Disc-shaped cutter blade 51 Exposed portion of disc-shaped cutter blade 51H Blade height at exposed portion of disc-shaped cutter blade 50 Thin plate-shaped cutter blade 501 Exposed portion of thin plate-shaped cutter blade 501H Thin plate-shaped Blade height at the exposed portion of the cutter blade 6, 60 Cutter blade housing space 601 Cutter blade track 7 Shaft (rotating shaft)
71 bearing (ball bearing)
80 coil spring 801 coil spring housing hole 802 male screw 803 washer 9 non-slip sheet 10 sliding tool 11 non-slip sheet 12 plate-like member P capillary PD capillary outer diameter PT capillary wall thickness N scratch (notch)
S plasma or serum component R blood cell component

Claims (9)

A capillary cutter for forming a wound on the outer peripheral surface of the capillary that allows the capillary to be broken,
A box-shaped housing and a cutter blade accommodated in the housing,
The upper surface of the housing is provided with a substantially straight groove for fitting the capillary tube,
A part of the cutter blade is exposed at the groove bottom of the concave groove through a slit provided in a direction that crosses the concave groove,
A capillary cutter, wherein a non-slip sheet is adhered to the bottom surface of the housing . 2. The capillary according to claim 1, wherein the cutter blade is arranged such that the blade height of the portion exposed at the groove bottom of the concave groove is shorter than the length of the wall thickness of the capillary. cutter. 3. The capillary cutter according to claim 1, wherein the groove depth of the concave groove is formed to be shorter than the length of the outer diameter of the capillary tube. The capillary cutter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the concave groove is semicircular or U-shaped. The cutter blade is a disk-shaped cutter blade,
The disk-shaped cutter blade is rotatably supported by being mounted in the housing through a rotating shaft parallel to and facing the groove,
5. The capillary cutter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a part of the outer circumference of said disk-shaped cutter blade is exposed at the groove bottom of said concave groove. A capillary cutter for forming a wound on the outer peripheral surface of the capillary that allows the capillary to be broken,
A box-shaped housing and a cutter blade accommodated in the housing,
The upper surface of the housing is provided with a substantially straight groove for fitting the capillary tube,
A part of the cutter blade is exposed at the groove bottom of the concave groove through a slit provided in a direction that crosses the concave groove,
The cutter blade is a thin plate-shaped cutter blade,
Elastic members are arranged at both ends of the thin plate-shaped cutter blade to urge the thin plate-shaped cutter blade so as to be reciprocally movable,
A capillary cutter, wherein a part of the outer edge of the thin plate-shaped cutter blade is exposed at the groove bottom of the concave groove. 7. The capillary cutter of claim 6, wherein said elastic member is a coil spring. 8. The capillary cutter according to claim 6, wherein a non-slip sheet is adhered to the bottom surface of said housing. Furthermore, a rubbing tool for rotating the capillary fitted in the concave groove within the concave groove,
The capillary cutter according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the scraping tool is a plate-shaped member with a non-slip sheet attached to at least part of the surface thereof.

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