JPH07333123A - Automatic equal time dyeing apparatus for slide sample - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an automatic equal time dyeing apparatus for a slide sample, said apparatus has high dyeing work efficiency and lessenes the burden of an operator. CONSTITUTION:After a large number of slide holder baskets (baskets in a short form) are set in a supplying tank 4, an apparatus is driven. The supplying tank 4 moves and transports simultaneously a large number of the baskets rightward by one step to put a basket at the right end in a moving tank 6 and raise it. Then, a holding and sending apparatus 10 starts driving, holds the basket in the moving tank 6, transports it leftward by one step, and immerses it in a medical liquid tank 7 at the right end. The baskets are immersed successively from the one at the right end in the medical liquid tank 7 for equal period to dye the baskets by repeating those processes. The baskets for which dyeing is finished are put in a transporting tank 20, an elevator 21 is lowered to recover the baskets in a taking out tank 24, and the baskets are moved to a sealing process as they are.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic isochronous staining apparatus used in the step of staining slide specimens such as tissue specimens and cytological specimens.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Slide specimens such as tissue specimens and cytological specimens are prepared by the following steps.

(1) A step of cutting a tissue or the like into thin pieces, stretching the thin pieces evenly on a slide glass and bringing them into close contact with each other to prepare a primary slide specimen.

(2) A secondary slide sample is prepared by staining the above primary slide glass sample with a predetermined drug solution according to the purpose of the slide sample, such as hematoxylin, eosin, pap smear, May Giemsa, and Light Giemsa. Dyeing process.

[0005] For example, Table 1 shows a typical procedure for hematoxylin-eosin isochronous staining of human tissue specimens.

[0006]

[Table 1]

(3) Encapsulating agent is poured on the cells, tissues, etc. of the secondary slide sample obtained by the staining step, and a cover glass is placed on the encapsulating medium to prepare a slide and to obtain a final slide glass sample. Process.

A conventional isochronous dyeing apparatus used in the above dyeing step is as shown in FIG.

In order to stain a large number of primary slide glass specimens 3 at the same time, a large number of primary slide glass specimens can be stored in the slide holder basket 12 and, in some cases, slide holders. -Two baskets 12 may be arranged side by side for dyeing. Further, as shown in FIG. 21, dyeing is performed with the handle 121 of the slide holder basket 12 hooked on the clamp tool 13 of the dyeing device.
The slide holder basket 12 is attached to the clamp tool 13 manually at the basket attachment position of the dyeing device and manually at the basket removal position. With the handle of the slide holder basket hooked on the clamp tool of the dyeing device, the slide holder basket is moved in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to be positioned above a predetermined chemical solution container. Next, the clamp tool is lowered, and the primary slide specimen contained in the slide holder basket is immersed in the drug solution for a predetermined time. Then raise the clamp. The basket is shaken up and down to make the chemical treatment uniform. This process was repeated to automatically perform the staining procedure.

[0010]

However, the conventional isochronous automatic dyeing device has the following problems.

Problem 1 Since the shape and dimensions of the slide holder / basket for staining and the slide holder / basket for encapsulation are different, after the staining process is completed, the secondary slide / slide for staining the specimen / It has to be removed from the holder basket and manually replaced by the slide holder basket for encapsulation. As a result, there is a problem that the efficiency of creating slide specimens is poor and the operator is burdened.

Problem 2 Conventionally, the slide holder / basket for dyeing is attached to the clamp of the isochronous automatic dyeing device manually, that is, when the clamp comes to the basket attachment position, the operator does not. Requires the dyeing slide holder basket to be manually attached, and the operator must manually remove the dyeing slide holder basket when the removal position is reached. As a result, there is a problem that a waiting time is required for the operator to attach and detach, the efficiency of the dyeing process is low, and the operator has to be always on the dyeing apparatus, which is a heavy burden.

Problem 3 On the other hand, in order to solve the above problem (1), the size of the slide holder basket for dyeing should be the same as that of the slide holder basket for sealing. Although it is possible to modify it, if the conventional XY dyeing device is modified as a base, the depth of each chemical solution tank will be doubled,
Moreover, because it must be arranged in two or more rows in front and rear, X
The depth of the Y dyeing device is too large, the installation location is troublesome, and maintenance work such as changing the chemical solution on the back side becomes difficult, which is a problem.

Problem 4 In addition, since the slide holder basket and the clamp are not sufficiently engaged with each other, the slide holder basket swings in an unstable manner, or the engagement is unintentionally released. There is a problem that the holder basket falls. Further, there is a problem that when the force from the bottom to the top is applied to the slide holder basket, the engagement between the clamp tool and the slide holder basket is released. In particular, when the slide holder basket moves out of position, the slide holder basket is lowered, the bottom of the slide holder basket hits the side wall of the chemical solution tank in the middle, and the slide holder basket is clamped. There is a problem that it comes off the ingredients.

Problem 5 In order to reduce the number of chemical liquid tanks, one chemical liquid tank is used in a plurality of steps in the dyeing process, for example, in Table 1, the distilled water (1) chemical liquid tank is step 7, step 10, Used in step 13. As a result, in the conventional isochronous dyeing device, the number of clamps is one, and the clamps move sequentially to the chemical solution tank according to the dyeing program, resulting in extremely poor dyeing efficiency. However, 2 clamp tools
If the number is more than one, the immersion in the same chemical solution tank may collide and a waiting time is required, so that the quality of dyeing deteriorates or the efficiency of dyeing work decreases.

[0016]

The above-mentioned problems are caused by the isochronous automatic staining apparatus according to the present invention as set forth in claim 1, that is, (1) a large number of primary slide specimens are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals. Slide holder baskets that are housed side by side, including a slide holder basket having engaging plates that extend horizontally outward from the upper center of each of the front and back surfaces, and (2) a large number of slide holder baskets. , A supply tank that feeds the slide holder baskets one by one and supplies them to the first moving tank on the elevator, and (3) a first moving tank that stores the slide holder baskets A supply elevator that conveys from the side end of the dyeing section to the side end of the dyeing section, and also conveys an empty first moving tank from the side end of the dyeing section to the side end of the supply tank; Chemical solution tanks are arranged in a row, and a large number of claws that hold a large number of slide holder baskets one by one are arranged in two rows on the front and back sides, and a large number of slide holder baskets are simultaneously immersed in each chemical solution tank. After that, the dyeing section equipped with a gripping / feeding device for feeding to the next chemical solution tank and (5) the second moving tank containing the slide holder / basket is taken out from the side edge of the dyeing tank And a take-out elevator for carrying the empty second moving tank from the side end of the taking-out tank to the side end of the dyeing section, (6)
There is a take-out tank that can store a large number of slide holders and baskets, and the slide holders and baskets that are stored in the second moving tank on the take-out elevator are taken out to the take-out tank and already stored in the take-out tank. Based on the take-out tank that sequentially transports the slide holders and baskets, (7) the position of the supply elevator, the position of the slide holders and baskets, the position of the take-out elevator, and (8) the detection signals of the sensor, Supply tank operation, supply elevator operation, gripping /
An automatic isochronous staining device for slide specimens, consisting of a control unit that controls the operation of the feeding device, the operation of the take-out elevator, and the operation of the take-out tank, with the pawls mounted vertically movable and biased downward by springs. It is solved by an automatic isochronous staining device for slide specimens, which is characterized in that

[0017] In a further preferred embodiment, the front row of pawls is pivotable and is biased by springs so that the pawls are in a vertical position.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the outline of the automatic isochronous dyeing apparatus of the embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 22, the automatic isochronous dyeing apparatus of the embodiment is composed of a first horizontal level, a second horizontal level, and a third horizontal level from the top. The first horizontal level is the gripping / feeding device 10, which keeps horizontal and moves vertically and horizontally. The second horizontal level is the surface on which the chemical solution is placed and does not move. A plurality of rectangular parallelepiped drug solution tanks 7 are arranged in a row on the drug solution tank placement surface. The third horizontal level is the surface on which the supply tank is placed and the surface on which the take-out tank is placed, and also does not move. The supply tank 4 is placed on the supply total placing surface, and the take-out tank 24 is placed on the take-out tank placing surface.
Put. At the right end of the supply tank 4, there is a supply elevator 5, on which the first moving tank 6 is mounted. Further, there is a take-out elevator at the left end of the take-out tank 24, and the second moving tank 20 is placed thereon. The configuration of the automatic isochronous dyeing device of the present embodiment is roughly as described above, and generally operates as follows. First, the operator sets a large number of slide holder baskets in the supply tank 4 and then presses the start button of the automatic isochronous dyeing apparatus. First, the supply tank 4 moved, and a large number of slide holder baskets were simultaneously conveyed to the right by one step, and the slide holder basket at the right end was stored in the first moving tank above the supply elevator 5. later,
Returning to the initial state, the supply tank 4 is stopped. Next, the supply elevator 5 rises and stops. As a result, the first moving tank containing one slide holder basket is conveyed from bottom to top. After that, the gripping / feeding device 1
0 moves, grips the slide holder basket stored in the first transfer tank, conveys the slide holder basket for one step, and slides the slide holder basket into the chemical solution tank on the right end. After storing, the gripping / feeding device 10 returns to the initial state. Almost at the same time, the supply elevator 5 on which the emptied first moving tank is placed descends and stops at the right end position of the supply tank 4. Similarly, the slide holder baskets are supplied one by one from the supply tank 4 to the gripping / feeding device 10, and the slide holder baskets are sequentially placed in the chemical liquid tank 7 from the right end for an equal time (for example, 1 minute). Dip and dye. The slide holder basket which has been stored in the chemical solution tank at the left end after completion of the dyeing process is similarly gripped by the gripping / feeding device 10, conveyed one step to the left, and placed on the take-out elevator 21. The second transfer tank 20 is stored. Subsequently, the take-out elevator 21 descends to convey the second moving tank 20 containing the slide holder basket from the left end position of the chemical solution tank to the left end position of the take-out tank 24. After that, take-out tank 2
4 moves, the slide holder basket in the second moving tank 20 is conveyed to the right by one step, and is stored in the take-out tank 24. If the slide holder basket is already stored in the take-out tank 24, the slide holders are also conveyed to the right by one step at the same time.

The slide holder basket used in the embodiment is as shown in FIG. Side plates 201, 20
Correspondingly, grooves 5 for accommodating a large number of primary slide specimens 3 arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals are formed in each of the grooves 5. A support rod 208 is provided on the bottom surface to prevent the primary slide specimen 3 from falling from the slide holder basket 2 and to provide the slide holder basket with the necessary mechanical strength. From the front plate 203 and the back plate to the outside, the engaging plate 20
4, 207 are attached respectively. Engagement plate 20
Reference numerals 4 and 207 are rectangular plates having a certain strength, and are vertically attached to the upper center of the front plate 203 and the back plate. The slide holder basket used in the examples is made of stainless steel from the viewpoint of chemical resistance and strength.
In addition, before the encapsulation process that is performed after the staining process, the shape and dimensions of the slide holder basket used in the encapsulation machine are almost the same in order to omit the conventional transfer work of the stained secondary slide specimens. And That is, compared to conventional slide holder baskets for dyeing,
The depth is 2-3 times longer.

The supply tank used in the examples is as shown in FIG. The supply tank 4 is a rectangular parallelepiped tank with an open top,
Storage notches 402, 403, 405, and 406 are cut from the upper side of the front plate 401 and the back plate 404 downward. In the illustrated supply tank 4, the front plate 401 has nine storage notches (402, 403, etc.) cut, and the back plate 404 has nine storage notches (405, 406, etc.) at corresponding positions. It's cut. Storage notch 40
2, 403, 405, and 406 each have a wide upper portion, gradually narrowing downward, and a lower portion having a vertical groove. The width of the lower groove is designed to be slightly wider than the thickness of the engaging plate of the slide holder basket so that the receiving notch and the engaging plate can be engaged with each other with almost no play. The depth of the supply tank 4, that is, the distance between the front plate 401 and the back plate 404 is longer than the depth of the slide holder basket, that is, the distance between the front plate 203 and the back plate. It is widened by the length obtained by subtracting the safety dimension from the above. Therefore, the engaging piece 204 in front of the slide holder basket 2
To the engaging notch 402 of the front plate 401 of the supply tank 4, and the engaging piece 407 on the rear side of the slide holder basket to the engaging notch 405 of the back plate 404 of the supply tank, and slide holder. The basket 2 is stored so as to be passed from the front plate 401 of the supply tank 4 to the back plate 404. At this time, the depth of the supply tank 4 is designed so that the lower part of the slide holder basket does not contact the bottom surface of the supply tank 4. Figure 6 shows the slide holder
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the basket 2 is stored in the supply tank 4. The primary slide specimens 3 in which the tissue slices 301 have been stretched and brought into close contact are arranged in parallel and stored in a slide holder basket. The primary slide sample 3 is a support rod 20.
It is supported from below by 8. Further, the engaging pieces 204 and 207 of the slide holder basket are passed over and supported by the front plate 402 and the back plate 405 of the supply tank 4, respectively, and are also engaged and supported by the transport plates 410 and 411. Has been done. The transport plates 410 and 411 are rectangular plates, and engaging notches having the same shape and size as the front plate and the back plate of the supply tank are cut on the upper side to engage with the engaging pieces of the slide holder basket. Can be supported. Conveyor plate 41
0 is arranged in front of the front plate 402, and the transport plate 411
It is arranged behind the back plate 404. Then, the carrier plate 41
0 and the transport plate 411 are firmly coupled to each other by a member (not shown), and the transport plate 410 is connected to a drive device (not shown) (for example, a motor and a cam) and is driven vertically and horizontally.
The supply tank 4 contains xylene, etc.
Is located below the storage notch of the supply tank 4 so as to prevent xylene and the like from flowing out. Since the supply tank has the above structure, it operates as follows. The engaging pieces 204 and 207 of the slide holder basket 2 are the front plate 401 and the back plate 404 of the supply tank 4.
First, from the stored state in which the carrier plates 410 and 411 are engaged with each other and are not in contact with the engaging pieces,
10, 411 move up in conjunction with each other, and transport plates 410, 411
Engage engagement notches on the slide holder basket engagement pieces 204, 207, respectively (see FIG. 9).
Further, when the transport plates 410, 411 are raised, the slide holder basket is separated from the supply tank 4 itself, is supported by only the transport plates 410, 411, and is transported upward (see FIG. 10). It should be noted that a large number of slide holder baskets (up to nine in the embodiment) can be stably supported and transported on the transport plates 410 and 411 at the same time without shaking. Next, the transport plates 410 and 411 are moved horizontally (to the upper right in FIG. 5) by one step and temporarily stopped when the slide holder basket comes over the storage notch next to the supply tank ( (See FIG. 11), then the transport plates 410 and 411 descend, and finally the slide
The holder basket engaging pieces 204, 205 engage adjacent storage notches (see FIG. 12). Continued Conveyor Plate 4
10, 411 descends, the engagement between the carrier plate and the engaging piece is released, and the slide holder basket is engaged and supported only in the storage notches of the front plate and the back plate of the supply tank. After that, the transport plate returns in the horizontal reverse direction (downward in the left direction in FIG. 5) by one step and stops. By repeating the above operation, the slide holder basket stored in the supply tank is conveyed step by step to the right side, and the slide holder basket stored at the right end of the supply tank is
It is stored in the first transfer tank on the supply elevator 5 waiting at the right end of the supply tank. However, when there are no slide holders or baskets in the supply tank,
A light blocking sensor or a light reflection sensor is arranged above the right end of the supply tank so that the operation of the supply tank automatically stops.

The supply elevator 5 used in the embodiment is arranged at the right end of the supply tank 4 as shown in FIG. 5 and on the right side of the row of the chemical liquid tanks 7 as shown in FIG. The supply elevator 5 is composed of a plate-like portion that rises and falls while maintaining a level, and a feed screw 501 that is arranged below to drive it. As another aspect, it may be driven so as to be pulled up by feed screws arranged so as to suspend the four corners of the plate-shaped portion or the centers of both short sides of the plate-shaped portion. A first moving tank 6 is mounted on the supply elevator 5. First
As shown in FIG. 5, the moving tank 6 of is a rectangular parallelepiped tank having an open upper part, and the storage notch 6 is formed at the center of the upper part of the front plate and the back plate.
01 and 602 are provided one by one. Only one slide holder basket can be stored in this first moving tank 6. Xylene etc. is also put in the first storage tank 6, but when the slide holder holder basket is stored, the liquid level of xylene etc. is stored in the storage notch 601,
The amount of xylene etc. must be adjusted so that it does not reach the bottom of 602. Since the supply elevator 5 has the above-mentioned structure, the first movement after the slide holder basket transferred from the supply tank 4 is stored in the state where the supply elevator 5 is stopped at the right end of the supply tank 4. The tank 6 is moved up and down while being placed, and stopped at the rightmost position in the row of the chemical liquid tank 7. Then, the gripping / feeding device grips the stored slide holder basket and conveys it to the chemical solution tank on the left side.

As shown in FIG. 7, the chemical liquid tank 7 is a rectangular parallelepiped tank having an open top. A grip 702 projecting outward is attached to the center near the upper side of the front plate 701. By pulling the grip 702 with a finger, the chemical liquid tank 7 can be easily pulled out to the front, and the periodical replacement of the deteriorated chemical liquid can be performed easily and quickly. In addition, the front plate 701 protrudes inward near the upper side of the front plate 701, and
01 is attached to the engaging part 703 which is arranged at a distance. The engaging part 703 is cut with an engaging notch 704 which is downward from the upper end. Similarly, back plate 70
5, the engaging part 706 in which the engaging notch 707 is also cut
Is attached inside. Since the chemical liquid tank 7 is filled with a chemical liquid such as carratche hematoxin, eosin, alcohol, and distilled water, it is preferable to use a material having excellent chemical resistance, for example, stainless steel. Further, in order to perform washing with running water, a water inlet and a water outlet can be provided in the back plate 705, and a hose can be connected to this to flow water.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the gripping / feeding device used in the embodiment, FIG. 2 is an enlarged left side view of an upper part of the gripping / feeding device used in the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged left side of the lower part. It is a side view. Claw 101, which is a plate whose tip is processed into a hook shape
Is an opening 102 that is wider than the height of the engaging plate of the slide holder basket, a return portion 103 that prevents the engaging plate from slipping laterally, and a slit that is slightly wider than the thickness of the engaging plate. And a spring retainer portion 105 that is a wide portion at the upper end and that holds the spring 107. A round bar-shaped guide shaft 106 is attached to the upper portion of the pawl 101. The guide shaft 106 is passed through the hollow portion of the spring 107, and is brought into contact with the spring retainer portion 105 of the pawl 101. Through the guide hole of the plate 109, and then the pawl mounting plate 10
9 through the stopper guide groove 110, the stopper 10
8 is screwed and attached to the side of the guide shaft 106. In this way, the pawl 101 is firmly attached below the pawl mounting plate 109 so as not to move left and right and front and back. On the other hand, when a force is applied to the pawl 101 from the lower side to the upper side, the pawl 101 moves upward while compressing the spring 107. Therefore, the pawl 101 is not deformed by the force and bent unlike the conventional engaging tool. . In this embodiment, eight pawls are attached to the pawl mounting plate 109 in parallel. Further, the gripping / feeding device used in the present embodiment is a pawl mounting plate having a pawl mounting plate 109 as shown in FIG.
A claw mounting plate rigidly attached to the drive unit (not shown) is provided. The front pawl mounting plate 109 is mounted on a drive unit (not shown) as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. That is, the bar-shaped pawl mounting plate support member 111 is fixed to the center of the pawl mounting plate 109, and is suspended by it. At the top of the pawl mounting plate support member 111,
The rotating shaft 112 is orthogonally fixed. Rotating shaft 112
Is attached to the rotary shaft supporting member 114 by passing it through a round hole and winding a spring 113. Therefore, the spring 113 urges the pawl mounting plate support member 111 to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. The adjusting screw 11 is provided near the upper end of the pawl mounting plate support member 111.
Since the tip of 6 is in contact, the pawl mounting plate support member 111 is prevented from rotating due to the spring force, and the normal position of the gripping / feeding device can be finely adjusted. The adjusting screw 11
Reference numeral 6 is screwed into the adjusting screw mounting plate 115, and the adjusting screw mounting plate 115 is fixed to the back of the rotary shaft supporting member 114. Therefore, when the front pawl mounting plate 109 is pushed from the front to the rear, the pawl mounting plate support member 111 rotates against the spring 113 and tilts inward. Therefore, the claws do not become a hindrance during the work of taking in and out the chemical liquid tank and the cleaning work on the chemical liquid tank placing surface, and the work is easy. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the slide holder basket in the embodiment is housed in the chemical liquid tank, and the gripping / feeding device is engaged with the slide holder basket. Engagement plate 2 of slide holder basket
04 and 207 are engaged with engaging parts 703 and 706 provided inside the front plate 701 and the back plate 705 of the chemical liquid tank 7, respectively, and are supported so as to be passed over, and the bottom of the slide holder basket is supported. The support rod 208 of is separated from the bottom of the chemical liquid tank 7. The engaging plates 204, 207 of the slide holder basket are further provided with engaging parts 703,
Pawls 101, 101 are engaged with the inside of 706, respectively. In this embodiment, the engagement between the engaging plate and the pawl of the slide holder basket is performed at two positions, the front and the rear, and by the groove having almost no play. There is almost no wobbling in the Y direction, and it can be gripped and conveyed firmly. Since the gripping / feeding device used in the embodiment has the above-mentioned configuration, as shown in FIGS. 13 to 19, the slide holder basket is gripped, conveyed, and dyed for isochronous time. FIG. 13 shows a state in which the first moving tank 6 accommodating the slide holder basket 2 of # 9 is placed and the supply elevator 5 is elevated. At this time, slide holders from # 1 to # 8
Each of the baskets 2 has an engaging component 70 of the chemical liquid tank 7.
3 and the engaging parts on the far side (not shown) are accommodated and housed, but they are not engaged with the gripping / feeding device. In FIG. 14, the supply elevator 5 is further raised and the chemical liquid tank 7
Shows the state of coming to the right end of the column and stopping. At this time, the height of the slide holder basket 2 of # 9 is aligned with the level of the slide holder baskets 2 of # 1 to # 8. In FIG. 15, the gripping / feeding device descends, the pawl mounting plate 109 descends while keeping horizontal, moves slightly to the left, and then slightly rises to be mounted below the pawl mounting plate 109. A large number of pawls 101 are simultaneously engaged with the slide holder baskets # 1 to # 9. FIG. 16 shows a state in which the pawl mounting plate 109 is raised while keeping the level. Along with this, the slide holder baskets 2 from # 1 to # 9, which are engaged with the pawl 101, are also raised and completely taken out from the chemical liquid tank 7. In FIG. 17, the gripping /
The feeding device advances (or moves forward) one step to the left, comes directly above the chemical solution tank 7 on the left, and is stopped. At this time, the empty supply elevator 5 is descending at the same time. In FIG. 18, each claw 101 is
Slide holder basket 2 from # 1 to # 9
And slide the holder holder baskets # 1 to # 9 into the respective chemical solution tanks 7, and if necessary, slightly move the gripping and feeding device up and down. Slide holder basket 2 after being repeatedly moved to the left or right, or slightly moved left and right and shaken.
The engaging plate is inserted into the engaging notch of the engaging component 703 inside the chemical liquid tank 7. Thereafter, each pawl 101 is simultaneously slightly lowered, then moved slightly to the right and then raised to disengage each pawl from the slide holder basket. Then, as shown in FIG. 19, the slide holder baskets 2 from # 1 to # 9 are attached to the respective chemical liquid tanks 7
It is stored inside and left unattended. At this time, the first new slide holder basket (# 10) was stored.
The supply elevator 5 on which the moving tank 6 of FIG. Further, although not shown, the slide holder basket, which has been soaked in all the chemical liquid tanks in sequence, is mounted on the take-out elevator stopped to the left from the chemical liquid tank at the left end at regular time intervals. It is transported to the second transfer tank and stored in it. Next, the take-out elevator descends with the second moving tank placed, and stops at the left end position of the take-out tank. Then, similar to the operation of the supply tank described above, the slide holder basket in the second moving tank is taken out by being engaged with the storage notch of the carrier plate and stored in the take-out tank. In addition, slide holders stored in the take-out tank at regular intervals.
The basket is conveyed to the right one step at a time. The slide holder basket is stored up to the right end of the take-out tank, and when the storage limit is reached, it is detected by a sensor, the automatic isochronous dyeing device is stopped, and an alarm buzzer sounds. Prior to that, it is preferable to automatically sound the caution buzzer, for example, when one step before the storage limit is reached.

As shown in FIG. 1, the light emitting element 22 is arranged so that the light beam 25 always runs slightly above the row of the stoppers 108. Should one of the pawls 101 hit an obstacle below, the pawl 101 and the guide shaft 1 are resisted against the spring 107.
Since 06 moves upward, not only does the pawl 101 not bend, but the stopper 108 protruding laterally of the guide shaft 106 also moves upward to block the light beam 25.
This can be detected by the light receiving element 23, and the gripping / feeding device can be automatically stopped in an emergency.

[0026]

According to the present invention, since the engaging plates attached to the front surface and the rear surface of the slide holder basket are engaged and gripped at two points with less play, the slide holder basket can be used. The slide holder basket can be made larger by firmly grasping and transporting it without unnecessary shake. As a result, the slide glass refilling process between the dyeing process and the encapsulation process is not required,
The efficiency of sample preparation is improved and the burden on the operator is also reduced.

In the present invention, the supply of the slide holder basket from the supply tank capable of accommodating a large number of slide holder baskets to the chemical solution tank is automated, and the slide from the chemical solution tank to the take-out tank is automated. The removal of holders and baskets is automated, and a large number of slide holders and baskets can be stored in the ejection tank. As a result, the operator is always near the dyeing machine,
The slide holder basket is almost continuously attached to the gripping tool and completely removed from the work of removing it. For example, a large amount of slide holder baskets of about 9 to 15 every 30 minutes can be installed in the supply tank at one time, and other work can be performed for about 30 minutes thereafter. The burden is reduced.

In the present invention, since the chemical solution tanks are arranged in a line, the depth of the dyeing device is not significantly increased, which is convenient for installation and the problem of exchanging the chemical solution tanks does not occur. As a result, the size of the slide holder basket can be increased, and the work of refilling the slide glass between the dyeing process and the mounting process can be completely omitted.

According to the present invention, since the pawl is biased by the spring and movable upward, the pawl does not bend even if the obstruction below the pawl hits the pawl. As a result, the accurate position and arrangement of the claws are maintained.

Further, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, since the grasping / feeding device in the front can be rotationally moved so as to temporarily approach the top plate inward, the manual work of taking out and inserting the chemical solution tank is easy. is there.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a gripping / feeding device used in an example.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of an upper portion of the gripping / feeding device used in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the lower portion of the gripping / feeding device used in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a slide holder basket used in an example.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a supply tank, a first moving tank, and a supply elevator used in the examples.

FIG. 6 shows a slide holder for the supply tank used in the embodiment.
It is sectional drawing which shows the state which accommodated the basket.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a chemical liquid tank used in Examples.

FIG. 8 shows a slide holder for the chemical bath used in the example.
It is sectional drawing which shows the state which accommodated the basket and engaged the nail.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing the operation of the supply tank used in the examples.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing the operation of the supply tank used in the examples.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing the operation of the supply tank used in the examples.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing the operation of the supply tank used in the examples.

FIG. 13 is a front view showing the operations of the gripping / feeding device and the supply elevator used in the examples.

FIG. 14 is a front view showing the operations of the gripping / feeding device and the supply elevator used in the examples.

FIG. 15 is a front view showing the operations of the gripping / feeding device and the supply elevator used in the examples.

FIG. 16 is a front view showing the operation of the gripping / feeding device and the supply elevator used in the examples.

FIG. 17 is a front view showing the operations of the gripping / feeding device and the supply elevator used in the examples.

FIG. 18 is a front view showing the operations of the gripping / feeding device and the supply elevator used in the examples.

FIG. 19 is a front view showing the operations of the gripping / feeding device and the supply elevator used in the examples.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a conventional dyeing device.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a conventional gripping tool and slide holder basket.

FIG. 22 is a schematic view of an automatic isochronous staining apparatus for a slide sample of the example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Slide holder basket 201 Side plate 202 Groove 203 Front plate 204 Engagement plate 205 Side plate 206 Groove 207 Engagement plate 208 Support rod 3 Primary slide sample 301 Tissue slice 4 Supply tank 401 Front plate 402 Storage notch 403 Storage notch 404 Back plate 405 Storage notch 406 Storage notch 410 Conveyor plate 411 Conveyor plate 5 Supply elevator 501 Feed screw 6 First moving tank 601 Storage notch 602 Storage notch 7 Chemical solution tank 701 Front plate 702 Handle 703 Engagement component 704 Engagement notch 705 Back plate 706 Combined 707 Engagement notch 8 Conventional dyeing device 12 Conventional slide holder basket 121 Handle 13 Conventional gripping tool 14 Elevating / backward / backward moving unit 15 Movable rail 17 Conventional chemical solution tank 10 Grasping / feeding device 101 Pawl 102 Training section 103 Return section 104 Engagement section 105 Spring retainer section 106 Guide shaft 107 Spring 108 Stopper 109 Pawl mounting plate 110 Stopper guide groove 111 Pawl mounting plate support member 112 Rotating shaft 113 Spring 114 Rotating shaft supporting member 115 Adjusting screw mounting plate 116 Adjustment screw 90 Liquid level 91 Liquid level 20 Second moving tank 21 Extracting elevator 24 Extracting tank 22 Light emitting element 221 Wiring 23 Light receiving element 231 Wiring 25 Ray

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A slide holder for storing a large number of primary slide specimens arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals.
A basket having a slide plate having engagement plates extending horizontally outward from the center of the upper portion of each of the front surface and the rear surface.
Holder basket and (2) slide holder
A large number of baskets are stored and sequentially transported, and one slide, holder and basket are supplied one by one on the elevator
Transporting the supply tank to the transfer tank of (1) and (3) the first transfer tank containing the slide holder basket from the side edge of the supply tank to the side edge of the dyeing section, A supply elevator that conveys the transfer tank from the side edge of the dyeing section to the side edge of the supply tank, and (4) a large number of chemical solution tanks arranged in a row, and a large number of slide holder baskets that are held one by one. The nails are arranged in two rows on the front side and the back side, and a large number of slide holder baskets are simultaneously immersed in each chemical solution tank, and then a dyeing section equipped with a gripping / feeding device for sending to the next chemical solution tank, (5) The second moving tank containing the slide holder basket is conveyed from the side edge of the dyeing tank to the side edge of the take-out tank, and the empty second moving tank is dyed from the side edge of the take-out tank. Take-out elevator that conveys to the side edge of the unit, and (6) slide There is a take-out tank that can store a large number of holders / baskets, and the slide holder / basket that is stored in the second moving tank on the take-out elevator is taken out to the take-out tank while it is already stored in the take-out tank. The take-out tank that sequentially conveys the slide holder / basket, (7) the sensor that detects the position of the supply elevator, the position of the slide holder / basket, the position of the take-out elevator, and (8) the supply tank by the detection signal of the sensor The automatic isochronous dyeing device for slide specimens, which includes a control unit for controlling the operation of the slide specimen, the operation of the supply elevator, the operation of the gripping / feeding device, the operation of the unloading elevator, and the operation of the unloading tank, with the pawls movable up and down. Is attached to the slide mark and is urged downward by a spring. Automatic such time dyeing apparatus of use. 2. The automatic slide specimen according to claim 1, wherein the front row of pawls is rotatable and is biased by a spring so that the pawls are in a vertical posture. Isochron dyeing device.