JPH0628723U - Optical sample measuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] Test tube storage rack 10 and optical measurement unit 11
Are securely joined to each other, and the exit hole 15 of the test tube storage rack 10 is connected.
And an optical sample capable of measuring the weak light emitted from the sample 14 with high accuracy without being affected by external light, by eliminating the positional deviation and the gap of the hole when the incident hole 17 of the light measurement unit 11 is engaged. A measuring device is provided. [Structure] Each test tube storage chamber 12 of the test tube storage rack 10
The first engaging portion 20 formed in the peripheral portion of the emitting hole 15 provided on the outer wall of the optical disc and the peripheral portion of the incident hole 17 of the light measuring unit 11 are formed so as to be fitted with the first engaging portion 20. The second engagement portion 22 comes into close contact with the light measuring device 18 to measure the weak light emitted from the liquid scintillator contained in the test tube 13 or the sample 14 containing a chemical substance.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an optical sample measuring device that measures light emitted from a sample in a test tube, and more particularly to an optical sample measuring device that sequentially measures a plurality of test tubes stored in a test tube storage rack.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 With the development of analytical techniques, it has been demanded to efficiently and accurately analyze a wide variety of samples.

For example, in the measurement of very low level tritium contained in precipitation, rivers, groundwater, seawater, etc. using a liquid scintillator, the measurement of food additives, and the internal exposure measurement of the human body, it is released by the action of the liquid scintillator. By measuring weak light to measure the concentration of radioactivity contained in the sample, or by mixing a chemical substance into the sample to cause a chemical change with light emission between the substance in the sample, An optical sample measurement method is generally used in which weak light emitted at this time is measured to analyze the components of the sample.

As shown in FIG. 6, a conventional optical sample measuring device includes a test tube storage rack 10 whose inside is divided into a plurality of test tube storage chambers 12 and an optical measuring device 18 such as a photomultiplier tube. It is composed of the provided light measurement unit 11. The test tube storage rack 10 stores a test tube 13 containing a sample 14 containing a liquid scintillator or a chemical substance in each of the test tube storage chambers 12, and the weak light generated by the action of the liquid scintillator or the chemical substance is stored in the test tube storage rack 12. It is emitted from the emission hole 15 provided on the outer wall of each test tube storage chamber 12. On the other hand, the light measurement unit 11 is closely attached to the test tube storage rack 10 so that the entrance hole 17 overlaps the exit hole 15, and the weak light taken in through the entrance hole 17 is provided in the light measurement unit 11. It is measured by the light measuring device 18.

When performing the measurement, first, the test tube 13 containing the liquid scintillator and the sample 14 mixed with the chemical substance is stored in the test tube storage chamber 12 of the test tube storage rack 10. The test tube storage chamber 12 is provided with a plurality of test tube holding plates (not shown) each having a hole having a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the test tube 13 at predetermined intervals to hold and fix the test tube 13 to be stored. It is carried out. After storing the test tube in each storage chamber, the upper lid 16 is closed to prevent external light from entering. Next, the test tube storage rack 10 is operated by a rack moving / contacting mechanism (not shown) provided on the back surface (a surface facing the surface having the emission hole 15) and a unit moving mechanism (not shown) provided on the optical measurement unit 11. The test tube storage rack 10 and the light measurement unit 11 are repeatedly contacted and separated.

That is, the exit hole 15 and the entrance hole 17 are repeatedly contacted and separated to optically and sequentially measure the sample 14.

[0007]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, the light generated by the light-emitting action using a liquid scintillator or a chemical substance is a weak light, so one optical measurement unit and multiple test tube storage chambers of the test tube storage rack are repeatedly contacted and separated to sequentially achieve optical optics. With an optical sample measuring device that performs measurements, the measurement area of the optical measuring device decreases and the measuring area of the optical measuring unit is reduced due to the positional deviation between the output hole of the test tube storage rack and the input hole of the optical measuring unit when the holes are engaged. There is a problem that the penetration of external light due to the gap causes a significant decrease in measurement accuracy of the optical measuring device.

In view of this, the present invention eliminates a positional shift or a gap between the exit hole of the test tube storage rack of the optical sample measuring device and the entrance hole of the optical measurement unit, thereby eliminating an optical error with high measurement accuracy. An object is to provide a dynamic sample measuring device.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention separates the inside into a plurality of test tube storage chambers for individually storing test tubes, and the test tubes are placed on the outer wall of each test tube storage chamber. The test tube storage rack formed with an emission hole for passing the emitted light and the emission hole of the test tube storage rack are sequentially brought into contact with each other, and the light passing through the emission hole is sequentially incident from the incident hole. In an optical sample measuring device having a light measuring unit with a built-in light measuring device, a first section consisting of a strip-shaped concave or convex shape is provided around the emission holes of the test tube storage rack. It is characterized by having a joining portion and a second engaging portion formed in a shape fitting with the first engaging portion in a peripheral portion of the entrance hole of the photodetecting unit.

[0010]

[Action]

 In the optical sample measuring device of the present invention, the first engaging portion formed of a strip-shaped concave or convex shape provided around the emission hole of each test tube storage chamber of the test tube storage rack has an entrance hole of the optical measurement unit. Engages with a second engaging portion that fits with the first engaging portion provided in the peripheral portion of the.

That is, since the exit hole and the entrance hole are securely engaged with each other, the positions of the two holes are not displaced and the gap can be eliminated.

[0012]

【Example】

 A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inside of the test tube storage rack 10 is divided into a plurality of test tube storage chambers 12, and each test tube storage chamber 12 is filled with a sample 14 containing a liquid scintillator or a chemical substance. The test tube 13 is housed, and weak light generated by the action of the liquid scintillator or a chemical substance is emitted from the emission hole 15 provided on the outer wall of each of the test tube housing chambers 12. On the other hand, the light measuring unit 11 is provided with a light measuring device 18 inside the entrance hole 17, and the entrance hole 17 of the light measuring unit 11 overlaps with the exit hole 15 so that the test tube storage rack 10 is covered. The light emitted from the exit hole 15 in close contact with the light is taken in through the entrance hole 17 and measured by the light measuring device 18. In FIG. 1, the test tube storage rack 10 and the light measurement unit 11 are shown separately for clarifying the shapes.

A feature of the present invention is that a strip-shaped concave first engaging portion 20 is provided in a peripheral portion of the emission hole 15 of each test tube storage chamber 12 of the test tube storage rack 10, and further, That is, the second engaging portion 22 having a belt-like convex shape that fits with the first engaging portion 20 is provided in the peripheral portion of the incident hole 17 of the light measuring unit 11.

In the case of measurement, first, as shown in FIG. 2, a test tube 13 containing a liquid scintillator or a sample 14 containing a chemical substance is stored in a plurality of test tube storage chambers 12 provided in a test tube storage rack 10. . At this time, the test tube 13 is held inside the test tube storage chamber 12 by a test tube holding plate 24 having a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the test tube 13. At least one test tube holding plate 24 is provided at a position where it does not overlap with the emission hole 15 and regulates the position of the test tube 13 in the test tube storage rack 10. After each test tube 13 is stored in the test tube storage chamber 12, an unillustrated upper lid (upper lid 16 in FIG. 1) is closed to block external light from the upper portion of the test tube storage rack 10.

Next, the rack moving / contacting mechanism 26 and the light measuring unit 11 which are disposed on the back surface of the test tube storage rack 10 and drive the test tube storage rack 10 in the directions A and C in FIG. The test tube storage rack 10 and the light measuring unit 11 are relatively moved by a unit moving mechanism 28 that drives the light measuring unit 11 in the direction B in FIG. That is, the test tube storage rack 10 is moved to the direction of arrow A1 in FIG. 2 by the rack moving / contacting mechanism 26, and the test tube storage chamber 12 in which the test tube 13 to be measured is stored is located in front of the optical measurement unit 11. Move to. Subsequently, the light measuring unit 11 is moved in the direction of arrow B1 in FIG. 2 by the unit moving mechanism 28 and pressed against the test tube storage rack 10. Further, the test tube storage rack 10 is moved in the direction of arrow C1 in FIG. 2 by the rack moving / adhesion mechanism 26 so that the test tube storage rack 10 and the optical measurement unit 11 are aligned with each other. At this time, the output hole 15 of the test tube storage rack 10 and the input hole 17 of the light measuring unit 11 are brought into close contact with each other by the engagement of the first engaging portion 20 and the second engaging portion 22.

As described above, the light measuring device 18 incorporated in the light measuring unit 11 with the exit hole 15 and the entrance hole 17 in close contact with each other measures the light emitted from the sample 14.

After the measurement is completed, the rack moving / contacting mechanism 26 and the unit moving mechanism 28 retreat in the C2 and B2 directions, respectively, to release the contact between the exit hole 15 and the entrance hole 17, and to move the rack moving / contacting member described above. By the mechanism 26, the test tube storage chamber 12 for the next measurement is moved in the A1 direction so as to come to the front of the light measurement unit 11.

As described above, the test tube storage rack 10 and the optical measurement unit 11 are repeatedly brought into and out of contact with each other to optically and sequentially measure the sample.

In the first embodiment, the shapes of the first engaging portion 20 and the second engaging portion 22 are described by using the triangular shape as shown in FIG. 3 (a). It may have a rectangular shape or a trapezoidal shape as shown in (c).

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment according to the present invention.

The test tube storage rack 10 ′ has substantially the same shape as the test tube storage rack 10 shown in the first embodiment. In FIG. 4, the test tube storage rack 10 'and the light measurement unit 11' are shown separately for clarifying the shapes.

The feature of the second embodiment is that the first engaging portion having a strip-shaped concave shape provided in the peripheral portion of the emission hole 15 has a rectangular first engagement surrounding the emission hole 15. That is, the portion 20 ′ is formed. Therefore, the second engaging portion that fits with the first engaging portion 20 'also forms the convex second rectangular engaging portion 22'.

That is, by engaging the first engaging portion 20 ′ and the second engaging portion 22 ′, the emission hole 15 and the incident hole 17 can be surely brought into close contact with each other, and light from the outside can be completely prevented from entering. Can be eliminated.

Further, the shape of the engaging portion is not specified, and a ring-shaped engaging portion 30 as shown in FIG. 5 may be formed. Furthermore, the effect of blocking external light is further improved by forming the engagement portion in a double or triple shape.

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the first engaging portion has a concave shape and the second engaging portion has a convex shape. However, conversely, the first engaging portion has a convex shape and the second engaging portion has a convex shape. May be formed in a concave shape.

[0027]

[Effect of device]

 Since the present invention is configured as described above, the first engagement portion provided on the test tube storage rack and the second engagement portion provided on the optical measurement unit are aligned with each other, so that the emission hole and the incidence hole are combined. It is possible to remove the positional deviation of the holes and the gap that occur during the engagement.

Therefore, an optical sample measuring device is provided which can surely engage the test tube storage rack and the optical measuring unit sequentially and which can perform optical sample measurement with high accuracy without being affected by external light. be able to.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a first embodiment of an optical sample measuring device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating a first embodiment of an optical sample measuring device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing an example of the shapes of the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion of the optical sample measuring device according to the present invention,
(a) has a triangular shape, (b) has a rectangular shape, and (c) has a trapezoidal shape.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a second embodiment of the optical sample measuring device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view illustrating a third embodiment of the optical sample measuring device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional optical sample measuring device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Test Tube Storage Rack 11 Light Measuring Unit 12 Test Tube Storage Room 13 Test Tube 14 Sample 15 Outlet Hole 17 Entrance Hole 18 Optical Measuring Device 20 First Engagement Part 22 Second Engagement Part

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. The inside is divided into a plurality of test tube storage chambers for individually storing test tubes, and the light emitted from the sample contained in the test tubes passes through the outer wall of each test tube storage chamber. Built-in test tube storage rack in which an exit hole for the test tube is formed, and an optical measuring device for sequentially contacting the exit holes of the test tube storage rack and sequentially measuring the light passing through the exit holes through the entrance holes. In the optical sample measuring device having the above-mentioned optical measurement unit, a first engaging portion having a strip-shaped concave shape or a convex shape is provided in the peripheral portion of each emission hole of the test tube storage rack, and the optical detection unit of the optical detection unit. An optical sample measuring device, comprising: a second engaging portion formed in a shape fitting with the first engaging portion, in a peripheral portion of the entrance hole.