JPH0213747B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention provides a device that automatically aspirates a predetermined amount of a sample such as relatively high viscosity blood or serum stored in a test tube and supplies it to an analyzer. It is related to.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in order to aspirate a predetermined amount of a sample such as blood stored in a long and thin sample container such as a test tube, a highly elastic synthetic resin tube was connected to a metal pipe, and the metal pipe was used to position it (centering). The sample was sucked out by hanging it in the center of the test tube.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, while the above method is easy to position, it tends to cause turbulence at the joint between the pipe and tube, causing air bubbles, or dirt and sample adhesion, especially when handling highly viscous samples such as blood. When using the cleaning solution, there was a drawback that dirt could not be removed even if the cleaning liquid was passed through the cleaning solution.

Also, without using a metal pipe as a suction pipe,
When only a tube made of synthetic resin was used, it was difficult to hang the tube in the center of the small-diameter test tube, and there were drawbacks such as accidental aspiration of the sample. In particular, when a fluorine-based resin tube is used as a suction pipe, it is difficult to correct the curvature of the tube itself.For example, it is difficult to correct the curve of the tube itself.
In this case, the tip is often curved, so similar mistakes can occur.

The present invention was made in view of the above points, and allows multiple operations to be performed using a drive source with a simpler structure.
The object of the present invention is to provide an automatic sample supply device that can effectively supply a sample to an analysis system even when a seamless fluorine-based tube is used as a suction pipe.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the automatic sample supply device of the first invention of the present application, as shown in the drawings, includes a tube holder 8 for fixing the suction tube 5 and a pipe 6 in which the suction tube is movable. A horizontal drive device 10 horizontally moves the pipe holder 7 that holds the tube holder 8 and a vertical drive device 9 that moves the tube holder 8 and the pipe holder 7 in the vertical direction intermittently move one test tube at a time. A test tube stand 1 containing a large number of test tubes 2, a spool-like member 25 connected to the drive shaft 24 of the vertical drive device 9 and having flanges on the top and bottom, and a spool-like member 25 provided at the bottom of the vertical drive device 9. Slide shafts 17 and 1 are fixed via the fixing base 14 and pass through sliding holes drilled in the tube holder 8 and the pipe holder 7.
8, a stopper 19 provided at the lower end of the slide shafts 17, 18, and a stopper 19 provided at the lower end of the slide shafts 17, 18, the tube holder 8, and the tube holder 7 to generate a pressing force to separate the tube holder 8 and the pipe holder 7. A spring 23 fitted between the sliding hole of the pipe holding part 7 and slide bearings 22 arranged at both upper and lower ends of the spring 23.
and a cleaning liquid supply passage 30 provided in the pipe holding part 7 to supply cleaning liquid to the gap between the suction tube 5 and the pipe 6.
In order to restrict the movement, connection, and separation distance between the tube holder 8 and the tube holder 8, the spool-like member 2 is inserted into the openings formed in the tube holder 8 and the pipe holder 7.
5 is characterized in that it is inserted so that the flanges at both ends serve as stoppers.

Further, as shown in the drawings, the automatic sample supply device of the second invention of the present application includes a tube holding section 8 that fixes the suction tube 5 and a pipe holding section 7 that holds the pipe 6 in which the suction tube is movable. a horizontal drive device 10 for horizontally moving the
A vertical drive device 9 that moves the tube holder 8 and the pipe holder 7 in the vertical direction, a test tube stand 1 that stores a large number of test tubes 2 that moves intermittently one test tube at a time, and a vertical drive device. 9 drive shaft 24
A thread-wound member 2 having upper and lower flanges connected to the
5, slide shafts 17 and 18 that are fixed via a fixing base 14 provided at the lower part of the vertical drive device 9 and pass through sliding holes drilled in the tube holder 8 and the pipe holder 7, and the device. In order to generate a pressing force to separate the lower stopper 38 fixed to the main body and the tube holder 8 and the pipe holder 7, the slide shafts 17 and 18 and the sliding holes of the tube holder 8 and the pipe holder 7 are connected to each other. The spring 23 fitted between the spring 2 and the spring 2
3, and a cleaning liquid supply passage 36 provided in the tube holding part 8 for supplying cleaning liquid to the gap between the suction tube 5 and the pipe 6. In order to regulate the movement, connection, and separation distance between the holding part 7 and the tube holding part 8, the thread-wound member 25 is inserted into the openings formed in the tube holding part 8 and the pipe holding part 7, and the flanges at both ends are inserted into the openings. The pipe 6 is inserted so as to act as a stopper, and the pipe 6 is eccentrically attached to a pulley 32 provided in the pipe holder 7 via a bearing 31.

[Effect]

When the drive shaft 24 of the vertical drive device 9 begins to descend, as shown in FIG. In this state, the exposed tip of the suction tube 5 is stored inside the pipe 6, so even if the tip of the suction tube is bent, it is regulated by the pipe 6 and stored, so the suction tube Corrected in a straight line. In this state, the drive shaft 24 descends, and the pipe 6 and suction tube 5 descend through the center of the test tube 2. This state is shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the drive shaft 24 is lowered, the spring 23 is compressed by the thread-wound member 25, and the tube holding part 8 and the pipe holding part 7 are brought into close contact with each other. That is, the tip of the suction tube 5 is exposed and the sample can be sucked. When the drive shaft 24 is raised, the tip of the suction tube 5 is first housed inside the pipe 6, so that the sample attached to the tip of the suction tube 5 does not contaminate the inner wall of the test tube 2. Note that details are explained in the [Example] section.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the configuration of an embodiment of the automatic sample supply device of the present invention. Note that illustration of the cleaning container is omitted. In FIG. 1, 1 is a test tube stand that stores a large number of test tubes 2 in a row, 3 is a stirring blade, 4 is a stirring motor, 5 is a suction tube, and 6
is a pipe, 7 is a pipe holding part, 8 is a tube holding part, 9 is a vertical drive device such as an air cylinder, 10
is a horizontal (back and forth) drive device such as an air cylinder. The suction tube 5 is preferably made of a fluorine-based resin that is flexible and has excellent chemical resistance.
This suction tube is introduced seamlessly into the analyzer from its tip. The horizontal drive device 10 is fixed to the analyzer main body via a fixture 11,
Slide shafts 12 and 13 are fixed to the fixture 11, and a fixing base 1 fixes the vertical drive device 9.
4 is held so as to be movable in a horizontal straight direction (in the direction of arrow A). 11a is a stopper fixed to the slide shaft.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fixed base 14 is moved by the piston shaft 1 of the horizontal drive device 10.
5, and slide bearings 16 are provided at key points of the fixed base 14 to ensure smooth movement. It moves in the front-rear direction from the state shown by the solid line to the state shown by the broken line in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the lower ends of the slide shafts 17 and 18 fixed to the fixed base 14 are fixed to a stopper 19. As shown in FIGS. Furthermore, spacers 20 and 21 are provided near the upper and lower ends of the slide shafts 17 and 18, respectively, to restrict movement of the pipe holding section 7 and tube holding section 8. Note that the spacers 20 and 21 may be formed by molding the cross section of the fixing base 14 or the stopper 19 into a U-shaped integral part to directly fix the slide shafts 17 and 18. Pipe holding part 7 and tube holding part 8
A slide bearing 22 is provided at each portion where the slide shafts 17 and 18 come into contact. On the other hand, the pipe holding part 7 and the tube holding part 8
For example, a spring 23 is provided on the slide shafts 17 and 18 so as to generate a force that always separates the slide shafts 17 and 18 from the slide shafts 17 and 18. However, on the other hand, the movement, connection, separation distance, etc. between the pipe holding part 7 and the tube holding part 8 are regulated by the pincushion-shaped member 25 fixed to the drive shaft 24 such as the piston shaft of the cylinder 9. It's summery. That is, in FIG. 4, the drive shaft 24 of the vertical drive device 9 is at the top dead center, and in this position, the tube holding part 8 and the pipe holding part 7 are pressed by the lower part of the thread-shaped member 25 and are in close contact with each other. Therefore, the suction tube 5 protrudes from the pipe 6, and when a sample such as blood from the test tube 2 is aspirated by manual operation, the tip of the suction tube must be exposed. be. In addition, if the tip is not exposed, pipe 6
There is a risk that the sample may enter the gap between the tube and the suction tube 5 due to capillary action. 26 is Packing.

When the drive shaft 24 of the vertical drive device 9 begins to descend, as shown in FIG. In this state, the exposed tip of the suction tube 5 is stored inside the pipe 6, so even if the tip of the suction tube is bent, it is regulated by the pipe 6 and stored, so the suction tube Corrected in a straight line. In this state, the drive shaft 24 descends, and the pipe 6 and suction tube 5 descend through the center of the test tube 2. This state is shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the drive shaft 24 is lowered, the spring 23 is compressed by the thread-wound member 25, and the tube holding part 8 and the pipe holding part 7 are brought into close contact with each other. That is, the tip of the suction tube 5 is exposed and the sample can be sucked. When the drive shaft 24 is raised, the tip of the suction tube 5 is first housed inside the pipe 6, so that the sample attached to the tip of the suction tube 5 does not contaminate the inner wall of the test tube 2.

FIG. 8 also shows the stirring blade 3 installed right beside the position where the pipe 6 and the suction tube 5 are fixed (in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the test tube), and the stirring blade 3 is shown at the bottom dead center of the drive shaft 24. It shows the positional relationship. That is, before suction, the sample is stirred with the stirring blade 3 to prepare for the next suction operation. Test tube stand 1
moves intermittently to the left in FIG.

The above description of the operation is related to the operation at the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. 3, and when the drive shaft 24 reaches the top dead center, the horizontal drive device 10 is activated to retract the device to the position indicated by the solid line. At the bottom dead center of the drive shaft 24 at the position of the solid line, the suction tube 5
and the tips of the stirring blades 3 are located inside the cleaning containers 27 and 28, respectively. This is the state shown in FIGS. 10 and 9. In addition, in FIG. 9, in order to simplify the illustration, the horizontal drive device 10 is depicted as being located on the right side. 29 is Shashi.
The cleaning liquid is introduced into the cleaning container 28, and the stirring blade 3
Clean the area. On the other hand, the cleaning liquid is introduced into the cleaning container 27 through a cleaning liquid supply passage 30 provided in the pipe holding part 7 through a gap between the outside of the suction tube 5 and the inside of the pipe 6. The outside of the tube and the tip of the suction tube 5 are cleaned. Furthermore, by introducing a cleaning liquid into the inside of the suction tube 5, the suction tube 5
Clean the inside of the The above operation is the same as the operation during sample suction described above, in which the suction tube 5 is housed inside the pipe 6 up to just above the cleaning container 27, and the suction tube 5 starts from just above the cleaning container 27.
The tip is exposed and inserted into the cleaning container.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. 12. The apparatus of this example does not have a separate stirring blade, but is constructed by eccentrically attaching the pipe 6 to a pulley 32 provided in the pipe holding part 7 via a bearing 31. That is,
The pipe 6 is eccentrically fixed to a pulley 32, and the pulley 32 is connected to the pipe holding part 7 via a bearing 31.
It is rotatably fixed to the motor 33 and pulley 3.
4. Rotated by belt 35. On the other hand, a cleaning liquid supply passage 36 is provided in the tube holding part 8 to guide the cleaning liquid to the inside of the pipe and the outside of the suction tube. , to prevent leakage of cleaning fluid. Note that the stopper 19 of the above-mentioned device is attached to the slide shaft 1.
7 and 18, but in this embodiment, the lower stopper 38 is fixed to the main body of the apparatus, so that the pipe holding part 7 and the tube holding part 8 come into close contact with each other to form a seal during cleaning. On the other hand, during agitation, the pulleys 32 are separated by some distance to create a gap so that the pulley 32 can rotate freely.
Therefore, the tip of the suction tube 5, which has been made eccentric by the rotation of the pipe 6, operates in a somewhat circular manner, producing an effect similar to that of stirring the sample using a stirring rod. The device of this example has the advantage that it does not take up much space. Other configurations and operations are similar to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 11.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, in the present invention, the suction pipette can be constructed from one continuous flexible tube, and since there is no seam, there is no possibility of contamination due to adhesion of samples or cross-contamination of samples. Also, when ascending and descending, the suction tube is protected by the outer pipe and stored inside the pipe, so the tip of the suction tube is always located in the center of the test tube, preventing suction mistakes. In addition, the sample does not stick to the test tube wall, and even if the suction tube itself is curved or twisted, the pipe straightens it, so it is made of fluorine resin and is difficult to untwist. It has the advantage of being able to use tubes, etc.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an actual example of the automatic sample feeding device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the state of horizontal (back and forth) movement of the main parts including the elevating part of the device, and Fig. 3 is 4 to 7 are explanatory views of the operation of the elevating part, Fig. 8 is a front explanatory view of the elevating part, and Figs. 9 and 10 are explanatory views showing the state during cleaning ( , In order to simplify the illustration, the position of the horizontal drive device 10 is swapped.), FIG. 11 is an explanatory plan view of the vicinity of the stirring motor in FIG. 9,
FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. 1... Test tube stand, 2... Test tube, 3... Stirring blade, 4... Stirring motor, 5... Suction tube,
6... Pipe, 7... Pipe holding part, 8... Tube holding part, 9... Vertical drive device, 10... Horizontal drive device, 11... Fixture, 11a... Stopper, 12, 13... Slide Shaft, 14...
Fixed base, 15... Piston shaft, 16... Slide bearing, 17, 18... Slide shaft, 19... Stopper, 20, 21... Spacer, 22... Slide bearing, 23... Spring, 24... Drive Shaft, 25... Thread-shaped member, 26... Packing, 27, 28... Cleaning container, 29... Chassis, 30... Cleaning liquid supply passage, 31... Bearing, 32... Pulley, 33
...Motor, 34...Pulley, 35...Belt,
36...Cleaning liquid supply passage, 37...Packing,
38...Lower stopper.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Tube holding part 8 for fixing the suction tube 5
and a horizontal drive device 10 that horizontally moves the pipe holding section 7 holding the pipe 6 in which the suction tube is movable, and a vertical drive device 9 that moves the tube holding section 8 and the pipe holding section 7 in the vertical direction. and a test tube stand 1 storing a large number of test tubes 2, which move intermittently one test tube at a time,
It is fixed via a pincushion-shaped member 25 having upper and lower flanges connected to the drive shaft 24 of the vertical drive device 9 and a fixing base 14 provided at the bottom of the vertical drive device 9, and is fixed to the tube holding section 8 and the pipe holding section 25. Slide shaft 1 passing through a sliding hole drilled in part 7
7, 18, the stopper 19 provided at the lower end of the slide shafts 17, 18, and the tube holder 8 in order to generate a pressing force to separate the tube holder 7 and the tube holder 8. and the spring 23 fitted between the sliding hole of the pipe holding part 7 and the spring 2
3, and a cleaning liquid supply passage 30 provided in the pipe holding part 7 for supplying cleaning liquid to the gap between the suction tube 5 and the pipe 6. In order to regulate the movement, connection, and separation distance between the holding part 7 and the tube holding part 8, the thread-wound member 25 is inserted into the openings formed in the tube holding part 8 and the pipe holding part 7, and the flanges at both ends are inserted into the openings. An automatic sample supply device characterized by being inserted so as to act as a stopper. 2 Tube holding part 8 that fixes the suction tube 5
and a horizontal drive device 10 that horizontally moves the pipe holding section 7 holding the pipe 6 in which the suction tube is movable, and a vertical drive device 9 that moves the tube holding section 8 and the pipe holding section 7 in the vertical direction. and a test tube stand 1 storing a large number of test tubes 2, which move intermittently one test tube at a time,
It is fixed via a pincushion-shaped member 25 having upper and lower flanges connected to the drive shaft 24 of the vertical drive device 9 and a fixing base 14 provided at the bottom of the vertical drive device 9, and is fixed to the tube holding section 8 and the pipe holding section 25. Slide shaft 1 passing through a sliding hole drilled in part 7
7, 18, a lower stopper 38 fixed to the device main body, and a slide shaft 17, 18, a lower stopper 38 fixed to the apparatus main body, and a slide shaft 17, 18, a lower stopper 38 fixed to the device main body, and a slide shaft 17, 18, a lower stopper 38 fixed to the device main body, and a slide shaft 17, 18, a lower stopper 38 fixed to the device body, In order to supply cleaning liquid to the gap between the spring 23 fitted between the sliding hole of the part 7, the slide bearings 22 arranged at the upper and lower ends of the spring 23, and the suction tube 5 and the pipe 6. The tube holding part 8 and the pipe holding part 7 include the cleaning liquid supply passage 36 provided in the tube holding part 8, and in order to regulate the movement, joining, and separation distance between the pipe holding part 7 and the tube holding part 8. The thread-wound member 25 is inserted into the opening bored in the pipe so that the flanges at both ends serve as stoppers, and the pipe 6 is inserted into the pipe holding part 7 with the bearing 3.
1. An automatic sample supply device characterized in that the device is eccentrically attached to a pulley 32 provided through a pulley 32.