JPH04897Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a pipette device that is applied to automatic analyzers and the like in clinical chemical analysis, biochemical analysis, etc.

[Conventional technology]

Automatic analyzers used in clinical chemistry analysis and biochemistry analysis use, for example, pipette devices to dispense reagents from reagent bottles placed on a reagent table into reaction tubes placed on a reaction table. Therefore, in order to measure various chemical components, the pipette device needs to be able to dispense various reagents in a variety of ways, and it also needs to be adaptable to each type of reagent.
Diversity in dispensing is required.

Conventional examples of the pipetting device were previously developed and proposed in Japanese Patent Application Nos. 1983-132653 and 1982-19671.
No. 61-105274, the pipetting device (Japanese Patent Application No. 61-132653) is as follows:
A pipette nozzle is installed vertically at the tip of a drive arm that rotates reciprocally around the base end as the drive arm moves up and down. It is designed to aspirate a desired amount of reagent, transfer it, and discharge it into a reaction tube for dispensing, as well as cleaning the pipette nozzle.

The pipetting device (Japanese Patent Application No. 61-19671) is
A pipette nozzle and a stirring nozzle are vertically installed at intervals at both ends of a drive arm that rotates back and forth around the center as it moves up and down, with one pipette nozzle and stirring nozzle used for the forward process and the other for the backward process. Therefore, during one reciprocating rotation of the drive arm, dispensing, cleaning, and stirring are performed twice, thereby increasing operational efficiency.

Furthermore, the pipette device (Japanese Patent Application No. 61-105274)
No.) has a pipette main body consisting of a spiral conduit and a nozzle section extending downward, and is characterized by a pipette having a structure in which a mantle tube is attached to the outer periphery of the spiral conduit. This improves cleaning performance, and the outer tube improves heat retention.

[The problem that the idea aims to solve]

In the above-mentioned pipette device, the pipette that aspirates and dispenses the dispensing liquid (chemical solution, reaction solution, blood, etc.) plays an extremely important role in dispensing, and is suitable for a wide variety of dispensing purposes. As the application progresses, the accuracy of the amount dispensed becomes an important issue, and as a countermeasure to this problem, the pipette developed and proposed improves cleaning performance and accuracy of the amount dispensed by generating internal turbulence through the spiral conduit and retaining heat through the jacket tube. However, with heat retention using a jacket tube, it is impossible to avoid cooling, and even a small amount of cooling causes a large temperature difference with respect to the dispensed liquid, and the cleaning effect of the dispensed liquid with viscosity and adhesive properties is reduced. There are problems such as not being able to obtain a sufficient amount of liquid, and also having a negative effect on the accuracy of the amount dispensed in the case of a temperature-sensitive dispensing liquid, so that it is necessary to improve the reliability of dispensing.

The present invention was developed in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a pipette device with improved cleaning performance, dispensing accuracy, and reliability by increasing the heat retention inside the pipette. Another object of the present invention is to provide a pipetting device in which the reliability of the cleaning performance and dispensing accuracy is further improved by arranging a liquid detection sensor in the nozzle section.

[Means to solve the problem]

The present invention is a pipette device which is installed vertically at the end of a drive arm and is moved up and down and rotated to aspirate, discharge, dispense and clean the dispensing liquid. A pipette consisting of a nozzle portion, a rod-shaped heater inserted into the center of the spiral portion, a heat conductive heat insulating material filled between each surface of the rod heater and the spiral conduit portion, and the heat conductive heat insulating material. The structure is characterized by a cover that covers the outer surface of the material, and an electric heater supplies thermal energy to the entire length of the center of the spiral conduit, and adjusts the amount of supply, and the spiral conduit is made of a heat-conductive heat insulating material. By retaining and equalizing heat over the entire length and surface of the pipette, and preventing cooling from being released by the cover, it is possible to equalize the temperature inside the pipette and freely adjust the temperature of the dispensed liquid, etc. inside the pipette.

Furthermore, the pipetting device is characterized in that a liquid detection sensor is arranged in parallel to the nozzle part, and the liquid detection by the liquid detection sensor improves the operability of immersing the nozzle part in the dispensing liquid or cleaning liquid. This improves the reliability of dispensing, cleaning, etc.

[Effect]

A pipette consisting of a spiral conduit section and a nozzle section extending downward is moved up and down and rotated by the drive arm, and the pipette aspirates the dispensing liquid, rotates it, discharges it, dispenses it, and cleans it. be done.

Thermal energy is supplied to the pipette by a rod-shaped heater over the entire length of the center of the spiral conduit, and the heat is retained and equalized by a heat-conductive heat insulating material, so that the pipette is heated through the spiral conduit. The heat is maintained evenly over the entire length and surface of the helical conduit, the cover prevents cooling, and the heat energy supplied by the rod heater is extremely efficiently distributed over the entire surface of the helical conduit. It acts evenly, ensuring an even constant temperature inside the spiral conduit, and the temperature is adjusted to the same temperature for the internal dispensing liquid etc. by heating adjustment with a rod heater, so that temperature differences are not affected. This prevents the accompanying drop in dispensing precision and adhesion, allowing for smooth dispensing and cleaning, resulting in excellent reliability.

In addition, the liquid level of the dispensing liquid or cleaning liquid in the container is detected by the liquid detection sensor installed in parallel to the nozzle, making it possible to immerse the nozzle in the dispensing liquid or cleaning liquid accurately. , the cleaning operation can be performed quickly and with reliability.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in which 1 is a pipette device, 10 is a stirring bar, and 30 is a pipette device.
is a drive arm which is vertically disposed at the end of the drive arm 30 and is moved up and down and rotated to aspirate, discharge and dispense the dispensing liquid as well as to wash the pipette device. pipettes 2a, 2b consisting of nozzle portions 2b extending to the center; rod-shaped heaters 3 fitted into the center of the spiral conduit portion 2a; The pipette device is equipped with a heat conductive heat insulating material 5 and a cover 6 covering the outer surface of the heat conductive heat insulating material 5.

Further, a liquid detection sensor a is provided in the nozzle portion 2b.
The pipette device has the above configuration in which the pipettes are arranged in parallel.

To explain the pipette device 1 in detail, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pipettes 2a and 2b are composed of a spiral conduit 2a formed in a spiral shape by a small pitch and a nozzle portion 2b extending downward. The inner surfaces of the spiral conduit 2a and the nozzle part 2b are electrolytically polished to prevent liquid from adhering to them, and the upper part of the spiral conduit 2a is connected to the conduit 12, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG.
connected to the helical conduit 2a by the pump.
Suction or supply of hydraulic fluid (not shown) for dispensing and cleaning inside.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rod-shaped heater 3 is fitted into the center of the spiral conduit 2a over almost its entire length, and as shown in FIG.
It is connected to a power source (not shown) via a heater joint 16 or the like, and a desired voltage is adjustably supplied from the power source to heat the center of the spiral conduit 2a.

The heat conductive heat insulating material 5 is made of an appropriate metal or resin material having electrical insulation and heat conductivity, and is filled between the outer surface of the rod-shaped heater 3 and the surface of the spiral conduit 2a, as shown in FIGS. It consists of a heat insulating member 5a and a heat transfer cylinder 5b disposed on the outer surface of the heat insulating member 5a, which insulates and equalizes the thermal energy generated by the rod-shaped heater 3, so that the entire length of the spiral conduit 2a,
The heat retention performance is further improved by maintaining a constant uniform temperature over the entire surface and preventing cooling from being left to cool by the cover 6 (insulating material).

As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid level detection sensors 8 are arranged side by side at appropriate intervals on the side of the nozzle portion 2b, and their detection signal lines 18 are conducted along the inside of the cover 6 and connected to a controller (not shown). (omitted).

As shown in FIG. 3, the pipetting device 1 is vertically installed with its upper end fitted into a mounting member 30a which is attached to the distal end of a drive arm 30 up to a bolt. In the illustrated example, one is provided, but the other tip is also provided vertically.

As shown in FIG. 3, the center portion of the drive arm 30 is rotatably attached to the upper end of a lift shaft 32 via a bearing 33, and the lower part of the lift shaft 32 is fitted into a support base 40 so as to be movable up and down. At the same time, support stand 4
The drive arm 30 is raised and lowered together with the lift shaft 32 by a lifting pulse motor 41, gear reduction mechanisms 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, and a rack 43, which are disposed below 0. A pair of support columns 36, 36 are connected in a symmetrical arrangement between a rotating member 46 disposed rotatably and sleeves 35, 35 of the drive arm 30, and the output of a rotation pulse motor 47 disposed below the support base 40. The gear 48 on the side meshes with the gear 49 on the rotating member 46, and the rotation pulse motor 47 rotates the gears 48, 4.
9. The structure is such that the drive arm 30 is driven in forward and reverse rotation via the rotating member 46 and the pillars 36, 36.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a stirring rod 10 is vertically mounted at the end of the drive arm 30 so as to be rotatable by means of a bearing 51, and is driven by a stirring motor 53 via bevel gears 52a, b. The stirring rod 10 is rotated to stir the chemical solution and the like in the reaction tube b with the lower end brush 10a. The stirring rods 10 can be vertically disposed on both sides of the drive arm 30, and are arranged at a predetermined distance from the pipette 1. Stir in reaction tube b. Since the stirring rod 10 stirs with the lower end brush 10a etc., excellent stirring performance can be obtained.

The present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and its operation will be explained in detail. The gear reduction mechanism 42a, 42b, 42c,
2d, the lifting shaft 32 is raised and lowered by the rack 43, and the driving arm 30, the pipetting device 1, and the stirring bar 10 are raised and lowered by the raising and lowering shaft 32, and the pipetting device 1 is lowered to remove the dispensed liquid in the container a. At the same time, the stirring rod 10 descends to stir the liquid in the other container b and rises after the liquid is discharged and dispensed. The suction and discharge of the dispensed liquid by the pipette device 1 is carried out by sucking and supplying the working liquid inside the pipettes 2a and 2b using pumps (not shown), so that the dispensing liquid is sucked or discharged through a small air layer below the working liquid. It is discharged. Furthermore, the pipetting device 1 is raised and lowered above the washing container, and is washed by a washing action similar to the above-mentioned dispensing action.

When the drive arm 30, pipetting device 1, and stirring bar 10 rise together with the lifting shaft 32, the gears 48, 49 and the rotating member 4 are moved by the rotating pulse motor 47.
6 and the drive arm 3 via the struts 36, 36.
0, the pipette device 1 and the stirring rod 10 are rotated and raised and lowered again, and the pipetting device 1 pushes out or sucks the dispensed liquid into another container, and the stirring rod 1
0 stirring is performed, and the lifting, rotation, operation of the pipette device, rotation of the stirring rod, etc. are linked at predetermined timings by an appropriate control device (not shown), so that each of the steps described above is carried out smoothly. The operating performance is improved by using a pulse motor, etc.

The pipette device 1 includes a pipette 2 comprising a nozzle portion 2b extending below a spiral conduit portion 2a.
a, 2b, and the internal cleaning function is enhanced by the effect of turbulent flow generated within the spiral conduit portion 2a, and internal heating by the rod-shaped heater 3 and by the heat conductive heat insulating material 5 filled. By retaining and equalizing thermal energy, the total length of the spiral conduit portion 2a,
The entire surface is maintained at a constant temperature, and
Cooling is prevented by the cover 6, and the rod-shaped heater 3
By adjusting the heating, the temperature of the spiral conduit section 2a is adjusted, and the temperature difference between the dispensing working fluid and the dispensing liquid inside is eliminated. Degradation of cleaning due to adhesion of injection liquid is prevented, and excellent dispensing accuracy and cleaning performance can be obtained.

Further, by electrolytically polishing the inner surfaces of the spiral conduit 2a and the nozzle portion 2b, adhesion of the dispensed liquid and the like is prevented, smooth flow is achieved, and operational reliability is improved.

[Effect of idea]

The present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and a rod-shaped heater heats the center of the spiral conduit, and a heat-conductive heat insulating material filled between the rod-shaped heater and each surface of the spiral conduit heats the central part of the spiral conduit. The temperature is maintained evenly over the entire length and surface of the spiral conduit, the cover prevents it from cooling, and the temperature is adjusted to the same temperature by adjusting the heating with a rod heater to match the internal dispensing liquid, etc. This prevents a drop in dispensing accuracy and adhesion caused by temperature differences, significantly improving dispensing performance, cleaning performance, and operational reliability.

In addition, liquid detection by a liquid detection sensor arranged in parallel with the nozzle section makes dispensing operations using the nozzle section easy and quick, further increasing the reliability of dispensing and cleaning.

Therefore, the accuracy of various analyzes and tests can also be significantly improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a conventional example showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the portion shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is an overall view showing the arrangement of the pipetting device of the present invention. A side view and FIG. 4 are side sectional views showing the state of stirring by a stirring rod. 1... Pipetting device, 2a... Spiral conduit, 2
b... Nozzle part, 3... Rod-shaped heater, 5... Heat conductive insulation material, 6... Cover, 8... Liquid detection sensor, 30... Drive arm.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] 1. A pipette device that is vertically installed at the end of a drive arm and is moved up and down and rotated to aspirate, discharge, dispense, and clean the dispensing liquid. a pipette consisting of a nozzle portion extending downward; a rod-shaped heater fitted into the center of the spiral conduit portion; and a heat conductive heat insulator filled between each surface of the rod-shaped heater and the spiral conduit portion. wood and
A pipetting device comprising a cover covering the outer surface of the heat conductive heat insulating material. 2. The pipetting device according to claim 1, wherein a liquid detection sensor is provided in parallel to the nozzle portion.