JPH03183958A - Sampling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To sense abnormality by one detector and to preclude trouble by fitting a probe which sucks and discharges liquid to an arm which is driven upward and downward and in a rotational direction so that the probe can moves up and down and rotate. CONSTITUTION:The arm 2 which is driven upward and downward and rotated is fitted with the probe 14 which sucks and discharges liquid in a vertically movable and rotatable state and one end of the operation piece 24 of an optical sensor 28 is brought into contact with an upper disk member 18 at the upper end of the probe 14. Then when the arm 2 is lowered to abut on a body, a spring 22 (weaker than spring 12) contracts, the member 18 pressed up one end of the operation piece 24, and the sensor 28 senses the abnormality to stop the downward movement of the arm 2. Further, when the arm 2 abuts during rotation, the probe 14 and a sleeve 6 rotate, the probe 14 slants, and the member 18 also slants to press up one end of the operation piece 24; and the sensor 28 detects the abnormality and stops the rotation of the arm 2. Thus, one detector 28 senses the abnormality in the up-down and rotational directions.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a device for sampling liquid samples, reagents, etc. in an automatic analyzer.

(Prior Art) The sampling device of an automatic analyzer uses an arm that is driven in the vertical and rotational directions and is equipped with a probe that aspirates and discharges liquid. As a mechanism for attaching the probe to the arm, there is a mechanism in which the probe is fixed to the arm. In a sampling device with a probe fixed to an arm, if the probe is misaligned when the arm is lowered to aspirate a sample or reagent, or when the arm is lowered to discharge the sample or reagent into a reaction tube, the probe may shift. Trouble may occur where it sticks to something underneath or bends.

Therefore, a sampling device has been proposed in which a detector detects when something hits the tip of the probe as it is lowered, and forcibly stops the arm from descending to prevent trouble. (Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-27
(See Publication No. 5660).

For other sampling devices, when moving the probe from a sample bottle to a reaction tube, if the probe hits an object when rotating the arm, the detector senses this and forcibly stops the rotation of the arm. There are also some that have been.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) There are two different types of conventional sampling devices: one that prevents troubles when the arm is lowered, and one that prevents troubles when the arm rotates. However, there is no one that uses a single detector to detect abnormalities in both the vertical and rotational movement of the arm and stop the arm to prevent trouble from occurring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention provides a sampling device that uses one detector to detect abnormalities during both vertical and rotational movement of an arm, thereby preventing troubles such as bending of the probe. The purpose is to

(Means for Solving the Problems) In the present invention, a probe for aspirating and discharging liquid is attached to an arm that is driven vertically and in a rotational direction so as to be movable vertically and rotatably, and the upper end of the probe has a disk shape. A member is provided, and one end of an operating piece of a detector installed on the arm is brought into contact with the disc-shaped member.

(Function) If the tip of the probe hits an object when the arm descends,
The probe moves upward, and the actuating piece of the detector that is in contact with the disc-shaped member at the upper end of the probe is displaced by 3-degrees to activate the detector and stop the downward movement of the arm.

If the probe hits an object while the arm is rotating, the probe rotates and tilts, which also tilts the disc-shaped member at its tip, until it makes surface contact with the disc-shaped member. One end of the actuating piece comes into contact only with the periphery of the disc-shaped member, the actuating piece is displaced, the detector is activated, and the rotational movement of the arm is stopped.

(Example) FIG. 1 shows an example. (A) is a cross-sectional view, (B) is a cross-sectional view at line A-A in (A), (C) is B in (A)
FIG. 3 is a side view showing the rotation support portion of the probe as seen from the direction;

Reference numeral 2 denotes an arm, which is attached to the rotating shaft 4. The rotating shaft 4 is driven to rotate and also to move in the vertical direction. A hole is made at the tip of the arm 2, and a sleeve 6 is fitted into the hole.

Bins 8-1 to 8-3 protruding in three directions are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end of the sleeve 6. It is in contact with the upper end of the protrusion 9 provided.

The protrusion 9 is provided with grooves 11 for positioning the bins 8-1.8-2.8-3, respectively.

An annular protrusion 10 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the sleeve 6, and a coil spring 12 is fitted between the protrusion 1o and the lower surface of the arm 2 in a compressed state. As a result, the sleeve 6 is urged downward with respect to the arm 2.

The probe 14 is attached to the sleeve 6 with a slide bearing 16.
It is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction. A disk-shaped member 18 having a diameter larger than the inner diameter of the sleeve 6 is attached to the upper end of the probe 14 . probe 1
4 is provided with a collar 20 below the sleeve 6, and a coil spring 22 is fitted between the collar 2o and the sleeve 6 in a compressed state. The probe 14 is biased downwardly against the sleeve 6 by a spring 22.

As for the spring 22 and the spring 12, the spring 12 is set to be stronger than the spring 22.

An operating piece 24 of the detector is swingably supported on the arm 2 . One end of the actuating piece 24 contacts the disk-shaped member 18 at the upper end of the probe 4, and a spring 26 is applied to the actuating piece 24 closer to that end than the supporting portion, so that one end of the actuating piece 24 contacts the disk-like member 18 at the upper end of the probe 4. is biased in the direction of contact. An optical sensor 28 is provided at the other end of the actuating piece 24 . The optical sensor 28 includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and the probe 14
When the operating piece 24 is in a normal state, the light sensor 28 is positioned so that the other end of the actuating piece 24 is illuminated by light from the light emitting element, and the light receiving element detects the reflected light.

The probe 14 is provided with a tube (not shown) connected to a syringe in order to aspirate a specimen or reagent into the probe 14 or to discharge the aspirated specimen or reagent.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

FIG. 2(A) shows the state when the tip of the probe 14 hits the object 30. That is, when the arm 2 is lowered, an object 30 such as a sample bottle hits the lower side of the probe 6.

At this time, the spring 22 contracts (the spring 12 is stronger than the spring 22, so the spring 22 contracts), and the probe 14 moves upward relative to the sleeve 6, which causes the disk-shaped member 18 at the upper end of the probe to pushes up one end of the actuating piece 24, and as the actuating piece 24 swings about the fulcrum, the other end descends, and the light from the light emitting element of the optical sensor 28 is no longer reflected, causing the optical sensor 28 to malfunction. Sense. As a result, the drive circuit of the motor that lowers the arm 2 stops operating, and the lowering of the arm 2 is stopped.

FIG. 2(B) shows a case where the probe 14 hits an object while the arm 2 is rotating. When the probe 14 hits the object 30 during rotation of the arm 2, the probe 14 and the sleeve 6
rotates around one or two pins at the upper end of the sleeve 6, and this rotation tilts the probe 14, which also tilts the disc-shaped member 18 at the upper end of the probe 14, causing the actuating piece 24 to tilt. By pushing up one end and moving the other end of the actuating piece 24 away from the position where it reflects light from the light emitting element of the optical sensor 28, the operation of the motor drive circuit that rotates the arm 2 is stopped, and the arm 2 is stopped.

When the detector is activated and the arm 2 stops operating, it is preferable to remove the obstacle and allow the operator to continue operating the arm 2 by pressing a reset switch.

FIG. 3 represents another embodiment.

The probe 14 is supported so as to be movable in the axial direction of the sleeve 36, and is biased downward by the spring 22. The sleeve 36 is biased downwardly against the arm 32 by the spring 12.

The spring 22 and the spring 12 are set so that the spring 12 is stronger.

A spherical surface 38 is formed at the upper end of the sleeve 36. A spherical surface 34 that contacts a spherical surface 38 of the sleeve 36 is provided at a portion where the arm 32 supports the sleeve 36 .

In FIG. 3, the probe 14 is movable in the vertical direction relative to the sleeve 36, and the probe 4 is moved along with the sleeve 36 by contact between the spherical surfaces 38 and 34, so that the arm 3
It can be rotated relative to 2.

At the upper end of the probe 14 is a disc-shaped member 18 similar to that shown in FIG.
is provided, and one end of the actuating piece 24 of the detector is in contact with the disk-shaped member 18. The operating piece 24 operates the detector depending on whether the other end blocks the optical path of the light emitting element of the optical sensor 28 or not.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the operation is similar to that in the embodiment shown in FIG. If the probe 14 hits an object during rotation, the probe 14 rotates together with the sleeve 36, and in either case, the operation of the arm 32 is stopped through the optical sensor 28 by displacing the actuating piece 24.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, the operation of the arm can be stopped in response to any abnormality when the arm is rotating or descending.
Breakage of the probe can be more effectively prevented.

It is also safe because the arm stops operating even if the probe hits the operator's hand.

In the present invention, since abnormalities in the vertical direction and rotational direction are detected by one detector, the configuration of the sampling device is simplified and the cost is reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 (A) is a vertical sectional view showing one embodiment, (B) is a sectional view taken along line A-A in (A), and (C) is B in (A).
FIG. 3 is a side view showing the rotation support portion of the probe as seen from the direction; FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the operation of the same embodiment;
(A) shows the state when the probe hits an object when the arm is lowered. (B) shows the state when the probe hits an object while the arm is rotating. FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing another embodiment. 2.32...Arm, 4...Arm rotation axis, 6.36...Sleeve, 8-1 to 8-
3...Pin, 10...Protrusion, 12.2
2... Spring, 14... Probe, 16
......Slide bearing, 18...Curved/disc-shaped member, 24...Detector operating piece, 28...
...Light sensor, 34.38...Spherical surface.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A probe that aspirates and discharges liquid is attached to an arm that is driven in vertical and rotational directions so that it can move vertically and rotatably, a disc-shaped member is provided at the upper end of the probe, and a disc-shaped member is provided at the upper end of the probe, and a is a sampling device in which one end of the actuating piece of the detector installed on the arm is brought into contact.