JPH026367Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Field of industrial application] The present invention is a sample supply device for an automatic analyzer, and more specifically, a test tube containing a large number of samples such as highly viscous blood, by alternating air flow. This invention relates to a sample supply device that can efficiently supply an entire tube stand to an analyzer one step at a time and perform accurate analysis.

[Conventional technology]

When supplying highly viscous specimen samples such as blood cells to automatic analyzers such as blood analyzers and white blood cell sorters, a problem is the non-uniformity of the sample, and the measurement results caused by uneven or insufficient stirring. This often leads to serious mistakes. Therefore, in the analysis of blood or the like, a shaking device or the like is used to shake the sample until just before measurement to make it homogeneous, and then the sample is sucked into an analyzer for measurement. For this reason, there was a drawback that manual labor was required to supply the material from the shaking device to the analysis device.

On the other hand, in order to overcome this drawback, the present applicant has already proposed
We have filed a patent application for a device that allows the automatic analyzer to rotate the suction pipe itself and is equipped with a cleaning device for the suction pipe, thereby allowing the sample to stand still until it is time to aspirate the sample.

[The problem that the idea aims to solve]

The present invention takes this a step further by making it possible to easily supply specimen samples between analyzers, and in addition, the suction pipe does not hang down toward the sample container.
The sample container moves toward the suction pipe, minimizing the amount of sample required to be collected.Furthermore, all moving parts are air-driven, preventing noise emitted from solenoids and relays that can affect analysis results. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sample supply device configured to do the following.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the sample supply device of the present invention has a feeder 4 which receives a test tube rack 2 storing a large number of test tubes 1 in a line and supplies it to a test tube rack holder 3, as shown in the drawings. , a first hook mechanism 5 that moves the test tube stand in the feeder into the test tube stand holder by an air cylinder by engagement of the protrusions 21, and a holder lifting mechanism fixed to the test tube stand holder 3 and driven by an air cylinder 6. a mechanism 7, a step mechanism 8 which is attached and fixed to the test tube stand holder 3 and which intermittently moves the test tube stand holder housing the test tube stand by pneumatic pressure in intervals of adjacent test tubes, and a holder elevating mechanism 7.
a sample agitation suction pipe 10 that sequentially agitates and suctions the sample in the test tube that has been raised; a second hook mechanism 12 that moves the test tube stand from which sample collection has been completed using the air cylinder 11 through engagement of the protrusions 21;
It consists of a delivery mechanism 13 that sends out the test tube rack transferred by the second hook mechanism, and the step mechanism 8 slides along the axial direction of a guiding shaft 33 provided through the step movable part 34. A step main body 35 having a cylinder and a piston 36 inside is fixed to the moving step movable part 34, and a telescopic part 37 is connected to this step main body via a piston shaft 42 of the piston 36. A hole communicates with the cylinder, and an air pressure introduction hole 41 having a ball 40 is provided at the bottom of the hole through a piston 38 in the hole, and the hole 4 is provided in a space on the opposite side of the cylinder from the side where the telescopic part is installed.
1 is connected to the telescopic portion 37 through the piston shaft 42 of the piston 36 to the cylinder in the step body, and an air pressure introduction hole 45 having a ball 44 at the bottom of the hole is provided through the piston 43 in the hole. , the hole 4 is provided in the space on the expansion and contraction part installation side of the cylinder.
A substrate 47 having a large number of positioning holes 46 is disposed close to the lower side of the step main body 35 and the telescopic portion 37, and air pressure is alternately introduced into the air pressure introduction holes 41, 45, and the balls 40, 44 are connected to each other. Press the step body 3 into the positioning hole 46 and repeat the expansion and contraction.
The test tube stand 2 in the test tube stand holder is moved via the step movable part 34 fixed to the step body 35 and the test tube stand holder 3 fixed to this step movable part. This is done by intermittent movement.

[Effect]

Test tube stand 2 transported by belt
When the test tube stand 2 is in the feeder 4, the stopper 54 prevents the test tube from entering and slips on the belt. When the stopper 54 is lowered, the test tube stand is fed into the feeder 4 by the force of the belt. Then, it advances to the stop position of the stopper 55. When the previous measurement for the test tube stand is completed, the test tube stand holder 3 is moved to the left end by the air cylinder 51. On the other hand, the moving member 26 including the claw 23 of the first hook mechanism 5 has moved to the left end and is on standby. At the same time that the stopper 55 is lowered and the test tube stand begins to slide on the rollers, the first hook mechanism 5 starts operating, and the claw 23 hooks the protrusion 21 of the test tube stand.
Move the test tube stand to the specified position in holder 3,
The first hook mechanism 5 returns to its initial position and waits until the next operation.

At the same time as the next test tube rack enters the feeder 4, the following operations are performed. First, when a sample stored in a test tube or the like is confirmed through the window 20, the air cylinder 6 pushes up the holder 3, the sample is stirred by the suction pipe 10, and a predetermined amount of the sample is suctioned. The holder 3 is then lowered and moved one step at a time. If there is no sample, or if there is a container such as a test tube but the amount of sample is too small, the up and down movement is not performed and the device moves one step further. When the measurement for one test tube rack is completed, the second hook mechanism 12 that was waiting
starts its operation and sends out the test tube rack to the belt 68 of the feeding mechanism. The belt 68 pushes the test tube stand onto the next belt 17 at twice the speed of the second hook mechanism 12. Then, the reset air cylinder 51 is operated again to push the step mechanism back to its initial position, and the next test tube rack is supplied.

By repeating the above operations, analysis measurements are performed one after another. Meanwhile, the sample is sent to the next analyzer via the belt 17, and another analysis is performed.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the sample supply device of this example includes a feeder 4 that receives a test tube stand 2 containing a large number of test tubes 1 in a row and supplies it to a test tube stand holder 3, and a Pipe stand 2,
A first hook mechanism 5 that is moved into the test tube stand holder 3 by an air cylinder (not shown) when the protrusions 21 engage with each other, and a holder lifting mechanism 7 that is fixed to the test tube stand holder 3 and driven by an air cylinder 6. , a step mechanism 8 for moving the test tube stand holder 3 which is attached and fixed to the test tube stand holder 3 and houses the test tube stand intermittently by pneumatic pressure by intervals of adjacent test tubes, and a holder elevating mechanism 7. A sample agitation suction pipe 10 that sequentially agitates and suctions the sample in the test tube 1, and a second hook mechanism 12 that moves the test tube stand 2 from which the sample collection has been completed using the air cylinder 11 by engaging the protrusions 21 with each other.
and a delivery mechanism 13 for delivering the test tube rack 2 transferred by the second hook mechanism 12. Note that 14 is the main body of the automatic analyzer, 15 is a rotating stirring device for the suction pipe, and 16 and 17 are belts for transporting the test tube rack holder. In FIG. 1, the test tube stand holder 3 and the test tube stand 2 at the vertical dead center of the holder elevating mechanism 7 are shown on the same drawing.

2 to 4 show the test tube rack 2. FIG.
18 is a test tube storage hole, 20 is a window for optically confirming the presence or absence of a sample, and 21 is a hook mechanism 5, 12.
The protrusion 22 that abuts and engages with the claw is a recess for positioning.

FIG. 5 shows the hook mechanisms 5, 12, in which claws (protrusions) 23 move along feed grooves 24, 25. A moving member 26 including a claw 23 is fixed to the air cylinder by a support 27. The pin 28 fixed to the claw 23 is pushed back in the opposite direction of arrow A by a guide 30 provided at the left end of the hook mechanism. Usually, it is pushed out in the direction of arrow A by a spring. Therefore, when the claw 23 is moved to the left end, the test tube stand 2 is supplied, and the support 27 is moved from left to right, the claw 23 is pushed out to the opposite side (in the direction of arrow A), and the protrusion of the test tube stand 2 is pushed out. 21 and move the test tube stand 2 from left to right. The column 27 is connected to an independent air cylinder (not shown) in the first hook mechanism 5, while in the second hook mechanism 12 it is connected to the air cylinder 11 of the delivery mechanism 13.

FIG. 6 shows an exploded configuration of the step mechanism 8 and the holder elevating mechanism 7, which are the essential parts of the present invention. The holder elevating mechanism 7 is provided with an air cylinder 6 for elevating and lowering the test tube stand holder 3, a shaft 31 for preventing rotation of the holder 3, and a piston shaft 32 for pushing the holder 3 up. On the other hand, the step mechanism 8 has a step movable section 34 that slides along the axial direction of two shafts 33 for guiding provided through the step movable section 34.
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, a step body 35 having a cylinder and a piston 36 inside is fixed, and a piston 36 is fixed to the step body 35.
A telescopic part 37 is connected to the step body 35 through a piston shaft 42, and an air pressure introduction hole 41 having a ball 40 in the lower part of the hole is provided through a hole communicating with a cylinder in the step body and a piston 38 in the hole. At the same time, the hole 41 is communicated with a space on the opposite side of the cylinder from the side where the telescopic part is installed, and the telescopic part 37 is communicated with the cylinder in the step main body through the piston shaft 42 of the piston 36, and the piston 43 in the hole is communicated with the cylinder. An air pressure introduction hole 45 having a ball 44 at the bottom of the hole through
is provided, and the hole 45 communicates with the space on the side where the expandable part is installed in the cylinder, and the step body 3
A substrate 47 having a large number of positioning holes 46 is disposed adjacent to the lower side of the telescopic portion 5 and the telescopic portion 37, and air pressure is alternately introduced into the air pressure introduction holes 41 and 45, and the ball 40,
44 is pressed against the positioning hole 46 and repeatedly expands and contracts to move the step body 35 intermittently. The test tube stand 2 in the test tube stand holder is moved intermittently.
Note that 48 is a slide bearing, and 50 is a slider.

Next, the operation of the step mechanism 8 will be explained. From the state shown in Figure 8, pressurized air is applied to the step body 3.
When the ball 40 is fed into the hole 41 of No. 5, the piston 38 presses the ball 40 into the positioning hole 46 as shown in FIG. 9, and since the piston 36 moves to the right, the telescopic portion 37 moves to the right. Subsequently, when pressurized air is switched and introduced into the hole 45 of the telescopic portion 37, the ball 44 is moved into the positioning hole 4 by the piston 43.
6 and pressurized air passes through the piston shaft 42 to move the step body 35 so that the piston 36 is positioned to the left, as shown in FIG. The step body 35 is moved intermittently by repeating the above operations. Step body 35
is fixed to the step movable part 34, and the step movable part 34 is fixed to the holder 3, so the holder 3 is moved one step at a time from left to right. The air cylinder 51 is used for resetting, moving the step movable part to the left at once. At this time, only a pressing force acts on the balls 40 and 44. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, a light source 52 and a light receiving section 53 are fixed to the main body of the analyzer, so that the presence or absence of a sample can be confirmed through the window 20 of the test tube stand 2.

11 and 12 show the feeder 4 of the test tube rack 2. FIG. The feeder 4 is equipped with two stoppers 54 and 55 consisting of small air cylinders, and is configured to move the stopper 54 by detecting the presence or absence of the test tube rack 2 using a light source 56 and a light receiving section 57. There is. Even more rollers 5
8 is provided diagonally with respect to the horizontal line, and moves the test tube stand fed from the belt 16 (see FIG. 1) to a position where it abuts against the stopper 55. At this position, the stopper 54 is activated to prevent the next test tube rack from entering. Note that the feeder 4 may be the same as the feeding mechanism using a slipping belt described later, or the feeding mechanism may be composed of a large number of rollers as described above. Further, a groove 60 provided in the side plate in front of the feeder 4 is for receiving the claw 23 of the first hook mechanism 5. Therefore, the first hook mechanism 5 is fixed so as to be located further in front of the side plate in front of the feeder 4.

FIG. 13 shows the delivery mechanism 13. A belt whose surface is treated with Teflon (registered trademark of Dow Chemical Company), which is a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylene, is bent as shown in FIG. , 64 are fixed to the main body of the analyzer, and the central moving rollers 65, 66 are linked to the shaft 67 of the air cylinder 11, so that the belt 68 can move over a distance and at a speed twice that of the shaft 67. It is configured to run with The support column 70 fixed to the shaft 67 is connected to the second
A moving member 26 including the feed claw 23 of the hook mechanism 12
The test tube stand, which is fixed to the belt and first started to move by the second hook mechanism 12, is sent out with momentum in accordance with the movement of the belt. This delivery mechanism can move the slipping belt twice as far as the air cylinder, allowing effective use of space. In other words, the larger the stroke of the air cylinder, the larger the device, but according to the belt drive method described above, 2
Since the stroke can be doubled, a narrow space can be used effectively. Furthermore, since the surface of the belt is treated with Teflon (registered trademark of the Dow Chemical Company), it can be prevented from slipping and moving in the event of an accident, such as when the test tube stand was hit last time.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the test tube stand holder 3 is provided with a roller 71 that comes into contact with the recess 22 of the test tube stand 2, and a roller 42 for sliding the test tube stand. Therefore, the test tube stand 2 moved from the feeder by the first hook mechanism 5 is stopped and positioned at a position where the roller 71 and the recess 22 come into contact with each other.

In the sample supply device of the present invention configured as described above, first, the test tube rack 2 transported by the belt 16 is prevented from entering by the stopper 54 when the test tube rack 2 is on the feeder 4. When the stopper 54, which is blocked and slips on the belt, is lowered, the test tube stand is fed into the feeder 4 by the force of the belt 16 and advances to the stop position of the stopper 55. When the previous measurement for the test tube stand is completed, the test tube stand holder 3 is moved to the left end by the air cylinder 51. On the other hand, the moving member 26 including the claw 23 of the first hook mechanism 5 has moved to the left end and is on standby. At the same time that the stopper 55 is lowered and the test tube stand begins to slide on the roller, the first hook mechanism 5 starts operating, and the claw 23 hooks the protrusion 21 of the test tube stand to place the test tube stand in a predetermined position in the holder 3. The first hook mechanism 5 returns to the initial position and waits until the next operation.

At the same time as the next test tube rack enters the feeder 4, the following operations are performed. First, when a sample stored in a test tube or the like is confirmed through the window 20, the air cylinder 6 pushes up the holder 3, the sample is stirred by the suction pipe 10, and a predetermined amount of the sample is suctioned. The holder 3 is then lowered and moved one step at a time as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10. If there is no sample, or if there is a container such as a test tube but the amount of sample is too small, no up and down movement is performed, and the device simply moves one step.
When the measurement for one test tube stand is completed, the second hook mechanism 12, which has been waiting, starts operating and sends out the test tube stand to the belt 68 of the delivery mechanism.
The belt 68 pushes the test tube stand onto the next belt 17 at twice the speed of the second hook mechanism 12. Then, the reset air cylinder 51 is operated again to push the step mechanism back to its initial position, and the next test tube rack is supplied.

By repeating the above operations, analysis measurements are performed one after another. Meanwhile, the sample is sent to the next analyzer via the belt 17 and another analysis is performed.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, the device of the present invention is entirely air-driven without using solenoids or motors, which has the advantage of preventing the generation of electrical noise and enabling accurate measurements. In addition, the step mechanism allows for step movement by alternating the air flow from the air source, allowing precise movement in one step at a time, and even if excessive force is accidentally applied, the elasticity prevents accidents. This has the effect of being able to prevent this.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the sample supply device of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a test tube rack, Fig. 3 is a front view of the same, Fig. 4 is a right side view of the same, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the hook mechanism, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the step mechanism and holder elevating mechanism that are the main parts of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a plan explanatory view showing an example of the step mechanism. 8 to 10 are explanatory diagrams showing the operating state of the step mechanism, FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of the feeder, FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state in which one of the side plates of the feeder is removed, and FIG.
The figure is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a delivery mechanism, and FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a test tube stand holder and a test tube stand. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Test tube, 2... Test tube stand, 3... Test tube stand holder, 4... Feeder, 5... First hook mechanism, 6... Air cylinder, 7... Holder lifting mechanism, 8... Step mechanism, 10...Sample stirring suction pipe, 11...Air cylinder, 12...Second
Hook mechanism, 13... Delivery mechanism, 14... Automatic analyzer main body, 15... Rotating stirring device, 16, 1
7... Belt, 18... Test tube storage hole, 20...
window, 21...protrusion, 22...recess, 23...claw,
24, 25...Feeding groove, 26...Moving member, 27
...Strut, 28...Pin, 30...Guide, 31
...shaft, 32 ... piston shaft, 33
...Shaft, 34...Step movable part, 35...
... Step body, 36 ... Piston, 37 ... Telescopic part, 38 ... Piston, 40 ... Ball, 41 ...
Air pressure introduction hole, 42... Piston shaft, 43... Piston, 44... Ball, 45... Air pressure introduction hole, 4
6... Positioning hole, 47... Board, 48... Slide bearing, 50... Slider, 51... Air cylinder, 52... Light source, 53... Light receiving section, 5
4,55...stopper, 56...light source, 57...
Light receiving section, 58... roller, 60... groove, 61, 6
2... Fixed roller, 63, 64... Both ends, 6
5, 66...Moving roller, 67...Shaft, 6
8... Belt, 70... Support, 71, 72... Roller.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] Test tube rack 2 that stores a large number of test tubes 1 in a row
A feeder 4 that receives and supplies test tube holder 3, and a test tube holder in this feeder that is connected to a protrusion 21.
A first hook mechanism 5 that is moved into the test tube stand holder by an air cylinder when they engage with each other; a holder lifting mechanism 7 that is fixed to the test tube stand holder 3 and driven by an air cylinder 6; A step mechanism 8 that intermittently moves a fixed test tube stand holder containing test tube stands one after another by the distance between adjacent test tubes using air pressure.
and a sample agitation suction pipe 10 that sequentially agitates and suctions the sample in the test tube raised by the holder elevating mechanism 7.
, a second hook mechanism 12 that moves the test tube stand from which sample collection has been completed using the air cylinder 11 by engaging the protrusions 21 with each other, and a delivery mechanism 13 that sends out the test tube stand that has been transferred by the second hook mechanism. The step mechanism 8 includes a guiding shaft 33 provided through the step movable section 34.
A step main body 35 having a cylinder and a piston 36 inside is fixed to a step movable part 34 that slides along the axial direction of the step body, and a telescopic part 37 is attached to this step main body via a piston shaft 42 of a piston 36.
is connected to the step body, and an air pressure introduction hole 41 having a ball 40 is provided at the bottom of the hole through a piston 38 in the hole through which a hole communicates with the cylinder in the step body, and the side of the cylinder where the telescopic part is installed is The hole 41 communicates with the space on the opposite side, and the expandable part 37
The piston 4 in the hole passes through the piston shaft 42 of the piston 36 and communicates with the cylinder in the step body.
An air pressure introduction hole 45 having a ball 44 is provided in the lower part of the hole through the step body 35, and the hole 45 communicates with the space on the side of the cylinder where the telescoping part is installed, and is close to the lower side of the step body 35 and the telescoping part 37. A substrate 47 having a large number of positioning holes 46 is arranged, and air pressure is alternately introduced into the air pressure introduction holes 41 and 45 to form the ball 4.
The step movable part 34 is fixed to the step body 35, and the test tube stand holder 3 is fixed to the step movable part. A sample supply device characterized in that a test tube stand 2 in a test tube stand holder is moved intermittently through the test tube stand holder.