JPH02157054A - Centrifugal separating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the liquid test sample of a high quality in safety by providing a shutter movable into an open position in which the holes of a lid are opened and into a closed position in which they are closed. CONSTITUTION:When centrifugal separating cups 103 containing whole blood are set in a centrifugal separating part, a lid 120 is placed thereon. At this time, a shutter 123 of the lid 120 is energized by a spring 129 into a closed position in which the holes 121 thereof are closed. On the other hand, a clutch 115 disengages a connecting part 114 of a sample disc part from a connecting part 106A of the centrifugal separating part, whereby a supporting disc of the centrifugal separating part alone is rotated at a high speed by a centrifugal separating motor 107 for performing centrifugal separation. When the centrifugal separation is terminated and the motor 107 is stopped, a push pin 128 pushes the shutter 123 into an open position in which the holes 121 of the lid 120 are opened, whereby a suction and spot attaching nozzle 107 enters into the cup 103 to draw in liquid test sample by suction. Therefore, this method prevents the inward entry of foreign matter and the intrusion of air through the holes 121 during the centrifugal separation period.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a centrifugal separator that is integrated into a biochemical analyzer and that generates and supplies a test liquid from a liquid substance.

(Prior Art) Qualitative or quantitative analysis of specific chemical components in a test liquid is a commonly performed operation in various industrial fields. In particular, quantitative analysis of chemical components or formed components in biological body fluids such as blood and urine is extremely important in the field of clinical biochemistry.

In recent years, dry type chemical analysis slides have been developed that can quantitatively analyze specific chemical components or formed components contained in a test liquid by simply applying small droplets of the test liquid ( Special Publication No. 53-21677, Japanese Patent Publication No. 55
-184356, etc.) has been put into practical use. Using these chemical analysis slides, it is possible to analyze sample liquids more easily and quickly than conventional wet analysis methods, so they are especially useful for medical institutions that need to analyze a large number of test liquids. This is preferable in research institutes, etc.

In order to analyze the chemical components in a test liquid using such a chemical analysis slide, the test liquid is placed on the chemical analysis slide in a measured amount and then placed in an incubator for a predetermined period of time. It is kept at constant temperature (incubation) to cause a color reaction (pigment formation reaction), and then a measurement irradiation light containing a wavelength selected in advance by the combination of the components in the test liquid and the reagent contained in the reagent layer of the chemical analysis slide is applied. The chemical analysis slide is irradiated with light and its reflected optical density is measured, thereby performing a quantitative analysis of the chemical components, etc.

In this case, in the above-mentioned analysis at the medical institution, research institute, etc., it is necessary to analyze a large number of test liquids, and it is desirable to be able to perform this analysis automatically and continuously. For this reason, various proposals have been made regarding chemical analyzers that can automatically and continuously analyze test liquids using the above-mentioned chemical analysis slides (for example, JP-A-58-77746). issue). In addition, as a means of automatically and continuously analyzing the test liquid, a long tape-shaped test film containing a reagent is stored in place of the slide described above, and the test film is pulled out one by one. spotting, incubation,
Apparatus for making measurements have also been proposed (eg, US Pat. No. 3,52[i,480]). In this way, a device that uses a long tape-shaped test film can reduce running costs compared to a device that uses chemical analysis slides, and also has a simple mechanism that allows it to measure a large number of test liquids in succession. It can be done.

However, some body fluids removed from living organisms cannot be used as test fluids as they are. For example, whole blood is first centrifuged to produce serum or plasma. is used as the test liquid. The test liquid is usually stored in a sample cup for each sample, and the test liquid storage section holds a plurality of sample cups and sequentially moves these sample cups to a suction position where they are sucked by the test liquid suction and spotting means. However, in the case of whole blood that requires centrifugation, it is first centrifuged in a centrifugal separator outside the biochemical analyzer, and the resulting test liquid such as serum or plasma is transferred to the sample cup. It is designed to be transferred and set in the test liquid storage section. However, in the case of an emergency, it is necessary to carry out the measurement as soon as possible, so it is not efficient to transfer the centrifugal separator to the biochemical analyzer as described above.

Therefore, a relatively small centrifugal separator is incorporated into the biochemical analyzer, and in case of an emergency, centrifugation is performed within the analyzer, and the test liquid obtained by centrifugation is directly taken out from the centrifuge using the suction spotting means. It is conceivable to make this possible.

That is, in such a centrifugal separator, a plurality of centrifugal cups containing whole blood etc. for each sample are arranged in an annular shape and held integrally by a holding means, and the holding means is rotated at high speed by a centrifugal motor or the like. After centrifugation is performed, the holding means may be rotated by a predetermined angle so that the centrifugal separation cup is sequentially placed at a suction position where it is sucked by the suction bow spotting means. In addition, the upper part of the centrifugation cup is designed to ensure safety during centrifugation and to prevent water from evaporating or dust from getting into each cup before the generated test liquid is sucked. To prevent this, it is necessary to provide a lid that covers the entire centrifuge cup.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, when a centrifugal separator is incorporated into a biochemical analyzer, the suction spotting nozzle needs to enter into the centrifuge cup as described above, so It is necessary to form an opening into which the suction spotting nozzle enters in a portion that overlaps with the suction position of the part. For this reason, if a foreign object is inserted into the opening during rotation for centrifugation, it may cause a serious accident, and the air flowing into the centrifugal separator from the opening may cause moisture in the centrifuge cup. Inconveniences are expected, such as evaporation and deterioration of the liquid, and difficulty in temperature control when the inside of the centrifugal separator must be maintained at a predetermined temperature.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a centrifugal separator that is installed in a biochemical analyzer and directly aspirates a test liquid obtained by centrifugation using a suction spotting means. It is an object of the present invention to provide a centrifugal separator that can safely supply a high-quality test liquid while avoiding the inconvenience caused by the opening provided in the lid.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The centrifugal separator of the present invention includes a holding means for holding the above-mentioned centrifugal separation cup, a centrifugal separation motor for rotating the centrifugal cup at high speed and performing centrifugation, and a centrifugal separator that holds the holding means at a predetermined position. a positioning drive means that rotates the centrifugation cup after centrifugation by an angle and sequentially places it in a suction position by the above-mentioned suction spotting means; and a positioning drive means provided above the holding means and having a size that covers the entire centrifugation cup. and a lid portion formed with an opening that allows the suction spotting nozzle to enter at a position overlapping with the suction position, and the lid portion has an open position where the opening is opened and a closed position where the opening is closed. It is characterized by being provided with a shutter that moves like a creeper.

(Function) The above-mentioned centrifugal separator is used by being incorporated into a biochemical analyzer, so that centrifugation can be performed within the analyzer and the obtained test liquid can be taken out directly.
Test liquid can be quickly supplied in an emergency or the like. In addition, since the centrifugal separator of the present invention is provided with the above-mentioned shutter on the lid, the opening can be opened only when suction is performed by the suction spotting means, and the opening can be closed in other cases. can. Therefore, it is possible to avoid inconveniences such as foreign matter entering through the opening during centrifugation, water in the liquid being evaporated by air flow, and difficulty in temperature control within the apparatus.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a biochemical analyzer equipped with a centrifugal separator as a centrifugal section according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The illustrated biochemical analyzer] is equipped with a transparent lid 2, and when the lid 2 is opened, the test liquid described below, a long test film 3 in the form of a long tape, etc. are inserted into the apparatus 1. It is adapted to contain and retrieve. This device 1 includes
A test liquid storage section 10 in which a sample disk section 102 holding a sample cup 101 containing a test liquid such as serum or urine and the centrifugal section 104 are integrated.
0 is provided. In this test liquid storage section 100, the centrifugal section 104 integrally holds a plurality of centrifugal separation cups 103 containing whole blood etc. arranged in an annular shape,
Further, the sample disk section 102 integrally holds a plurality of sample cups 101 arranged in an annular shape concentric with the centrifugal separation cup 103 on the outer periphery of the centrifugal section 104. Note that above the sample cup 101 and the centrifugal separation cup 103, lids are provided to cover the entirety of these cups, as will be described later, but in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lids for each cup are The lid is omitted to show the arrangement. The test liquid in the test liquid storage section 100 is taken out and spotted by the suction spotting means 5, as will be described later. The long test film 3 is made of multiple types of long films corresponding to measurement items, such as containing a reagent that exhibits a color reaction with only the specific chemical component or tangible component to be measured in the test liquid. Test film 3 is prepared. The unused portion of the long test film 3 is wound in a film supply cassette 18, and the portion used for the above measurement is wound in a film winding cassette 19.

Also, the reels 18a and 1 in these cassettes 18 and 19
At the center of each film 9a, motors are installed for pulling out the long test film 3 from the film supply cassette 18 and rewinding it into the film supply cassette 18 after the long test film 3 is stored in the apparatus 1, as will be described later. Holes 18b and 19b are provided to engage with the rotating shaft. The long test film 3 is stored in the apparatus 1 while being wound around a cassette 18, 19. The film supply cassette 18 and the film take-up cassette 19 are separated as shown in this figure. The test film storage means 6 is constructed so that unused portions of a plurality of long test films 3 can be stored in parallel so that a plurality of items can be measured simultaneously using this device 1.

The suction spotting means 5 has a suction spotting nozzle 7 at its tip, and is moved by a moving means 9 placed on the rail 8 in the direction in which the rail 8 extends, and draws the test liquid from the test liquid storage section 100. It is taken out and spotted on the long test film 3 pulled out from the test film storage means 6 as will be described later. Further, the moving means 9 is configured to move the suction spotting means 5 in the vertical direction as well.
When the suction spotting means 5 is moved in the left-right direction along which the rail 8 extends, the suction spotting means is in the raised position, and when the liquid to be tested is taken out, spotted, and washed as described later, , is lowered.

After the suction spot application nozzle 7 has been spotted on the test film, a nozzle cleaning unit 10 is placed between the test film storage means 6 and the test liquid storage unit 100 in close proximity to both.
It is then washed and reused for the next spotting.

The spotted test film is incubated in an incubator as described below, and measured by a photometric means.

Control of the overall operation of the device 1, processing of measurement data, etc. are performed by a circuit section 11 and a computer 12 connected to this circuit section 11.
This is done by The operation/display section 13 provided on the front side of the circuit section 11 is equipped with a power switch for the device 1, an ammeter for monitoring the current consumption in the device 1, and the like. The computer 12 includes a keyboard 14 for giving instructions to the device 1, a CRT display 15 for displaying auxiliary information for instructions, measurement results, etc., a printer 16 for printing out measurement results, and a computer for giving various instructions to the device 1. A floppy disk device 1f is provided that accommodates a floppy disk for storing commands, measurement result data, and the like.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the main parts of the biochemical analyzer 1 whose perspective view is shown in FIG.

The test film accommodating means 6 is configured such that the spotting positions 22 of all the test films pulled out from therein are arranged in a straight line, and furthermore, the nozzle cleaning section 10 and the test liquid accommodating section are located on this straight line. It is configured such that three test liquid extraction positions P indicated by diagonal lines in 100 are arranged.

Of the liquid to be tested container 100, as described above, the sample disk part 102, which can hold the sample cups 101 containing the liquid to be tested in two concentric rings, is moved at a predetermined angle by a drive system to be described later. It is rotated in the direction of arrow A, and the sample cups 101 on the outer periphery or the sample cups 101 on the inner periphery are sequentially positioned at the take-out position P. Further, in the test liquid storage section 100, a centrifugal section 104 disposed inside the sample disk section
is capable of holding, for example, four centrifugation cups 103 on a ring concentric with the sample cup 101, and by rotating at high speed, the body fluid (for example, whole blood) in the centrifugation cups can be centrifuged. do. Furthermore, the centrifugal section 10
4 is the sample disk section 102 after the above centrifugation.
Similarly, the centrifugal separation cup 103 is rotated by a predetermined amount to sequentially position the centrifugal separation cup 103 at the extraction position P where the contents are sucked by the suction point application nozzle 7. In other words, when whole blood is centrifuged, plasma rises to the top and clots sink to the bottom, but with this storage device, there is no need to transfer the plasma or serum, which is the liquid to be tested, to a separate container from the blood clots. It can be taken out by suction spotting means 5. Therefore, in this analyzer, when it is necessary to quickly perform centrifugation and supply the test liquid to the suction spotting means, such as in an emergency, the centrifuge containing the liquid before centrifugation is used. By loading the cup into the centrifuge, the necessary liquid to be tested can be automatically supplied to the suction spotting means, greatly improving work efficiency.

Incidentally, the test liquid supplying apparatus 100 is provided with a centrifugal part 104 for centrifugation, as well as to prevent moisture from evaporating from the contents in the sample cup 101 and the centrifugal cup 103 while waiting in the apparatus. A sample cup 101 and a centrifugal separation cup 103 are installed to prevent foreign matter from entering the centrifugal section when rotating at high speed.
There is a lid that covers the whole thing. Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the structure of the lid of the liquid to be tested container 100 and the drive system of the apparatus will be described.

The centrifugation cup 103 is held by a disc-shaped support disk 105 as shown in FIG. 3, and the sample cup 101 is held by a support plate 108 and positioned on the outer periphery of the centrifugation cup 103. ing. Above the support disk 105 and support plate 108, all sample cups 101 and centrifugation cups 1 are placed.
A lid portion 120 having a size that covers 03 is provided. As shown in FIG.
Openings 121 each having a size that allows the suction spotting nozzle 7 to enter are formed at positions overlapping with the two test liquid extraction positions P. Further, the lid portion 120 has a shutter 123 below the opening 121 that is movable so as to be in a closed position for closing the opening 121 and an open position for opening the opening.

This shutter 123 has protrusions 124 wider than the openings 121 corresponding to the three openings 12+, and when the suction spotting nozzle 7 is not performing suction, the shutter 123 is moved toward the left in FIG. 4 by a spring 129. The protrusion 12 is biased.
4 to cover each opening 121. Therefore, if centrifugation is performed in this state, there is no risk of foreign matter entering the centrifugal section 104, and there is also almost no possibility that water will evaporate from the sample cup 101 and the centrifugal cup 1.03. In addition, the sample cup 1 at the test liquid extraction position
01 or when sucking the test liquid from the centrifugal cup 103, the pressing pin 128 moved rightward by the solenoid 127 presses the left end of the shutter 123, as shown in FIG. The shutter 123 is moved to the right against the force, and the protrusion 124 is moved to a position where it does not overlap the opening 121. Note that the shutter 123 is formed with an elongated hole 125 extending in the direction of movement thereof, and the lid 20 is formed with the elongated hole 125.
The shutter 123 is guided by the guide pin 126 and moved to the right in FIG. 4.

On the other hand, a rotating shaft 1018 is installed in the middle 6th part of the supporting disk 105 of the centrifugal section 104 in a direction perpendicular to the supporting disk, and the supporting disk 105 is connected to the rotating shaft 106 via the rotating shaft. A centrifugal separation motor 107 such as a DC brushless motor that rotates at high speed and performs centrifugal separation.
is installed. The sample cup support plate 108 of the sample disk section 102 has a first gear 109 on the outer peripheral surface of its lower end, and a second gear 110 meshes with the first gear 109. There is. A positioning motor 112, which is a pulse motor, is attached to a central shaft 111 fixed to the center of the second gear 110. This positioning motor 112 is
By rotating the central shaft 111, the first gear 109, that is, the sample cup support plate 108, is rotated by a predetermined angle via the second gear 110. Note that since the positioning motor 112 is a pulse motor, it is possible to stop the sample cup support plate 108 at a predetermined stop position. However, if you want to improve the accuracy of the stop position, the position of the sample cup support plate 108 A position sensor 113 (in FIG. 3, for example, it is arranged outside the first gear 109) is provided,
By controlling this position sensor, the sample cup support plate 1
It is desirable to determine the stopping position of 08. By driving the positioning motor 12, each sample cup of the sample disk section is sequentially sent to the above-mentioned test liquid extraction position P (see FIG. 2).

Further, after the centrifugation is completed, the centrifugal section 104 also sequentially moves each centrifugal separation cup 103 to the test liquid extraction position P.
When moving to the take-out position, the driving force of the positioning motor 112 is transmitted to the rotary wheel 106, and the support disk 105 is rotated by a predetermined angle ( (Hereinafter, the operation of sequentially moving the cup to the test liquid extraction position P in both the centrifugal section and the sample disk section will be referred to as a "feeding operation").

That is, a flange-like connecting portion 10θA is formed at the lower end of the rotating shaft 106, and the central shaft 11
1 also includes a connecting portion 11 that rotates integrally with the central shaft 111.
4 are provided, and these connecting portions 106A, 11
A clutch 115 is disposed between the two connecting portions and can be in an ON state in which the rotational force of the positioning motor 112 is transmitted to the rotation shaft 106 and an OFF state in which the rotational force is not transmitted to the rotation shaft 106. It is set up. Note that this clutch may be formed using any known structure. In this way, in this embodiment, the positioning motor 112
Accordingly, the sample disk section 102 and the centrifugal section 1.
A feeding operation is also performed at 04. Further, a position sensor 116 is provided outside the connecting portion 116 to control the stop position of the centrifugal separation cup during the feeding operation.

Next, the operation of the above-mentioned test liquid storage section 100 will be explained.

A centrifugal separation cup 103 containing whole blood etc. is located in the centrifugal section 10.
4, the lid portion 120 is placed. At this time, the shutter 123 of the lid portion 120 is urged by a spring 129 to a closed position in which the opening 12 is closed.

On the other hand, the clutch 115 is an OF
In state F, only the support disk of the centrifugal section 104 is rotated by the centrifugal motor 107 at a high speed of about 10,000 rpm for a predetermined period of time to perform centrifugation.

When centrifugation is completed and the centrifugal separation motor 107 is stopped, the pressing pin 128 presses the shutter 123 to move it to the open position and opens the opening 121 of the lid 120. Therefore, the suction spotting nozzle 7 enters the centrifugal separation cup 103 through this opening 121, and becomes ready to aspirate the liquid to be tested, such as serum, obtained by centrifugation. At the same time, the clutch 115 is switched to the ON state, the positioning motor 112 is driven, and the positioning motor rotates the support disk 105 of the centrifugal part by a predetermined angle at a speed of 20 to 50 rpm via the clutch 115 and the rotating shaft 106. I am forced to do it. The centrifugal separation cup 103 from which the test liquid has been separated in this manner is sequentially sent to the test liquid take-out position P, and the test liquid is sucked by the suction spotting means 5 that enters through the opening 121.

Note that the centrifugal section 104 is connected to the positioning motor 112.
When the sample disk portion 102 is rotated for the feeding operation as described above, the sample disk portion 102 also rotates.

Further, when taking out the test liquid from the sample cup 101 containing the test liquid, the opening 121 is opened as described above.
is opened, the clutch 115 is turned off, and the positioning motor 112 is driven. Therefore, the sample cup support plate 1 of the sample disk part 102
08 is rotated by a predetermined angle at a low speed, and the sample cups 101 are sequentially sent to the test liquid extraction position. The feeding operation by the positioning motor 112 is performed when sending the centrifugal separation cup 103 to the test liquid removal position P, when sending the inner sample cup 101 to the removal position, and when sending the outer sample cup 101 to the removal position. Although the amount of one feeding differs depending on the case of feeding, this feeding amount is controlled by the computer 12 based on input to the keyboard 14 shown in FIG. 1.

In this way, by providing a lid with an opening in the test liquid storage section and providing a shutter that closes this opening during centrifugation, it is possible to directly take out the test liquid from the centrifugal section during suction, and during centrifugation. It is possible to prevent inconveniences such as foreign matter entering the inside of the device through the opening or water in the liquid material evaporating due to air flow flowing in through the opening.

The suction spotting means 5, which has sucked the test liquid as described above, is moved in the extending direction of the rail by the moving means 9 mounted on the rail 8, and takes out the test liquid from the take-out position P and places it on a long test film. It is spotted at the spotting position 22.

FIG. 5 shows a main part of a cross section taken along line xx' in FIG. 2.

The long test film 3 is placed in a film supply cassette 1.
8 and film winding cassette ■9,
installed inside the device. The film supply cassette 18 is housed in a cold storage 50 whose interior is temperature-controlled at, for example, 4° C., and the film winding cassette 19 is housed in a winding chamber 51. If the unused portion of the long test film 3 is stored in the film supply cassette 18 in this manner, the unused long test film 3 can be stored in the cold storage 50 without being touched. The cold storage 50 has a cold storage wall 50a using a heat insulating material.
On one side of this cold storage wall 50a, there is a cold storage 50
A cooling/dehumidifying device 58 is attached to keep the inside at a predetermined low temperature and low humidity, and a fan 60 circulates the air inside the cold storage 50.

When the film supply cassette 18 and the film winding cassette 19 are housed in the cold storage 50 and the winding chamber 51, respectively, as described above, the film inside the film winding cassette 19 is
A rotating shaft of a winding motor 53A, which is a conveyance means for the long test film 3 provided in this winding chamber 51, is engaged with a hole 19b provided in the center of the winding chamber 51.
3A, the long test film 3 is pulled out from the film supply cassette 18 via the drawer opening 50b of the cold storage 50, and wound into the film winding cassette 19. On the other hand, a rotating shaft of a motor 53B for rewinding the film is engaged with a hole 8b provided in the center of the roll 18a of the film supply cassette 18, as will be described later.

If the used portion of the long test film 3 is stored in the film winding cassette 19 as described above,
The used film, which has been spotted with the liquid to be tested and becomes dirty, can be taken out from the device 1 and disposed of, etc., without touching it. Regarding this disposal, instead of winding the used film in the film winding cassette 19, the film winding cassette 19 is eliminated and the film can be freely attached to and removed from the device 1 that stores the film in the winding chamber 51. A cutter for cutting the used film is placed near the entrance of the winding chamber 51, and the used film is cut and stored in the box. It may be possible to take out the entire box from the device 1 without touching the film and dispose of the used film. In this case, the test film may be transported by providing transport rollers that grip and transport the test film.

Film supply cassette 18 and film winding force Cerato 19
An incubator 55 is arranged in the exposed part of the long test film 3 in between, and the long test film 3 and the liquid to be tested are placed inside the incubator 55, which can hold the film inside and allow it to pass through it one after another. A photometry section 57 is arranged to measure the optical density due to a color reaction with the photoreceptor.

As described above, the long test film 3 is intermittently pulled out from the cold storage 50 by the rotation of the motor 53, and is intermittently fed to the left in the figure, and when the film 3 is fed, the top lid 55a of the incubator 55 is It rises in the direction of arrow A.

When the long test film 3 is moved, the upper lid 55a descends in the direction of arrow B and pushes the long test film 3. Next, the shutter 54 that was blocking the nozzle insertion hole 55b of the upper lid 55a moves to the right in the figure, and then the nozzle 7 descends as shown in the figure and is applied onto the long test film 3 through the nozzle insertion hole 55b. The liquid is applied. Furthermore, the shutter 54 moves to the left to open the nozzle insertion hole 55b.
The inside of the incubator is kept at a predetermined temperature (for example, 3
Keep at 7℃). The part of the film on which the test liquid has been applied and developed (the part shown with diagonal lines in FIG. 3) is kept in the incubator 55 for a predetermined period of time (for example, 4 minutes).
Maintained at constant temperature. After or during this incubation, the photometric section 57 measures the optical density of the portion of the long test film 3 where the spotting has been performed. This concentration measurement is performed by emitting light from the light irradiation means 57a.
This is performed by irradiating the film 3 with light containing a preselected wavelength and detecting the reflected light from the film 3 with the photodetector 57b.

When the spotting, incubation, and measurement of one liquid to be tested are completed in this way, the next liquid to be tested can be spotted. The long test film 3 remains in the incubator even after the above-mentioned measurement is completed, so that the part of the film to be used for the next analysis is placed at the spotting position immediately before the spotting for the next analysis. will be transferred to.

Although the biochemical analyzer equipped with the centrifugal separator of the present invention as a centrifugal part has been described above, the centrifugal separator does not necessarily have to be integrated with the sample disk part, and the It may be provided separately from the sample disk section as long as it is at a position where the test liquid is sucked by the suction spotting means. Further, the shutter may be attached to the upper side of the lid, and its specific shape, opening/closing means, etc. can be changed arbitrarily.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained in detail above, the centrifugal separator of the present invention has the following features:
Since it is installed integrally within the biochemical analyzer, the test liquid obtained by centrifugation can be directly supplied to the suction spotting means, greatly improving work efficiency when performing urgent measurements. be able to. In addition, in the apparatus of the present invention, a shutter for opening and closing the opening is provided on the lid having an opening through which the suction spotting means enters, thereby preventing foreign matter from entering through the opening during centrifugation. Separation can be performed safely. Furthermore, since no air flow enters through the opening, temperature control inside the device becomes easier, and moisture can also be prevented from evaporating from the centrifugal cup.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a biochemical analyzer equipped with a centrifugal separator according to an embodiment of the present invention as a centrifugal part, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the main parts of the biochemical analyzer, and Fig. 3 is a test object. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the liquid storage section, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the liquid storage section to be inspected, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line X--X in FIG. 2. 1...Biochemical analyzer 3...Long test film 5...Suction spotting means 1
00... Test liquid storage section 101... Sample cup 102... Sample disk section +03... Centrifugal separation cup 104... Centrifugal section 1
07... Centrifugal separation motor 112... Positioning motor

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A plurality of centrifugal cups containing a liquid substance are used in a biochemical analyzer that measures the components of the test liquid by suctioning and spotting the test liquid onto a test subject. In a centrifugal separator that generates the liquid to be inspected by arranging and integrally holding the liquid substance in an annular shape by a holding means and centrifuging the liquid by rotating the holding means at high speed, the holding means is rotated by a predetermined angle. a positioning driving means for sequentially placing the centrifugal separation cup after centrifugation at a suction position by the suction spotting means; and a positioning drive means provided above the holding means and having a size to cover the entire centrifugal separation cup. and a lid portion formed with an opening that allows the suction spotting nozzle to enter at a position overlapping with the suction position, and the lid portion has an open position where the opening is opened and a closed position where the opening is closed. A centrifugal separator characterized by being provided with a shutter that moves smoothly.