JPH10192737A - Component separating member - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately separate components without causing defective sedimentation of liquid or the like into components or defective mixing of components. SOLUTION: In the upper and lower parts of a member body 11, a sheet part 15 and an elastic piece 23 abutted on an inner wall 31a of a blood taking tube 31 are formed respectively. Further, on the upper surface of the sheet part 15, a hemispherical projection 16 is formed. Blood 41 in the blood taking tube 31 injected into below a separating member 2 is blocked by the lower elastic piece 23 not enter a clearance between the member body 11 and the inner wall 31a, causing no defective mixing. By the projection 16, in a stage before the separating member 2 is sunk in the blood 41, force resisting frictional force generated between the sheet part 15 and the inner wall 31a is fostered to increase settling gravity. After the member 2 is sunk in the blood 41, suitable sedimentation gravity as normally scheduled is obtained. Therefore, accurate component separation is performed without causing defective sedimentation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a component separating member suitable for separating a liquid sample into a plurality of components by a centrifugation operation, for example, for separating a blood sample into plasma and blood cells by a centrifugation operation. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a liquid sample is separated into a plurality of components by a centrifugal separation operation, a separating member is used to stabilize the separated state of these components. Usually, a cylindrical test tube is used for these centrifugation operations.
There are various types of separating members to be used, and one of them is a sheet type.

FIG. 5 shows a state in which a conventional sheet-type rubber separating member 51 is set inside a test tube 61. The separating member 51 is formed by integrally forming a disc-shaped sheet portion 55 via a neck portion 54 on an upper portion of a cylindrical member main body 53 having a hollow portion 52 opened downward at an axis. The upper surface of the portion 55 has a concave shape, and the diameter of the neck portion 54 is sufficiently smaller than the diameter of the member main body 53, so that the seat portion 55 can easily swing. Since the upper surface of the sheet portion 55 is concave, the test tube 6
Even if the inner diameter of 1 fluctuates, the seat portion 55 is arbitrarily inclined,
The outer periphery smoothly presses against the inner wall 61a of the test tube 61,
The sheet portion 55 can be in close contact with the upper and lower portions to ensure the sealing performance of the upper and lower portions. The separation member 51 is fixed to the opening of the test tube 61 in an ordinary state by an O-ring (O-ring) 56.

[0004] The cavity 52 is pierced with a liquid injection needle (not shown) from the sheet portion 55 so as to pass through the neck portion 54, and the test tube 6 is inserted.
1 is a part into which the liquid is injected.
In 1, the air in the cavity 52 is not entirely evacuated, a part of the air is retained in the cavity 52, and the remaining air is supplied to the member main body 53.
And escapes from the lateral through-hole 57 formed between the outer surface of the cavity and the upper part of the cavity 52. The air above the cavity 52 is compressed according to the centrifugal force during the centrifugation operation, whereby the apparent specific gravity of the separation member 51 changes. When the centrifugal separation operation is given, the separation member 51 sediments in the liquid (downward), and the centrifugal force, the position of the separation member 51 in the liquid (depth in the liquid), and the air held in the cavity 52 The apparent specific gravity differs depending on the type. By actively utilizing this phenomenon, it becomes possible to control the timing of the start of the sedimentation of the separation member 51 in the liquid and the control of the sedimentation speed in the liquid.

[0005] As described above, the O-ring 56 is
1 is fixed to the opening of the test tube 61, and when the centrifugal force reaches the set centrifugal force after the start of the centrifugal separation operation, the separating member 51 is released from the restraint by the O-ring 56 and drops downward. . Thus, the separation member 51 can be settled in the liquid in a state where the centrifugation has progressed to some extent, and after the centrifugation is completed, a good partition can be obtained by the separation member 51.

The separating member 51 is extremely effective for centrifugal separation and can perform liquid-liquid separation or liquid-solid separation, and is suitably used, for example, for a blood collection tube used in a clinical test. When used for blood collection tubes, it is used for separation of plasma and blood cells by liquid-liquid separation and separation of blood-clot by liquid-solid separation.

[0007]

However, the separating member 51 has the following drawbacks. One of them is poor sedimentation. That is, when the centrifugal separation operation is started and reaches a certain centrifugal force, the separating member 51 is moved to the O-ring 56.
From the liquid and reaches the liquid surface. At this time, due to the presence of the air held in the hollow portion 52, the sedimentation into the liquid does not immediately start, and when the centrifugal force further increases and reaches a predetermined centrifugal force, the apparent specific gravity of the separation member 51 is reduced. When the specific gravity is larger than the liquid specific gravity and the sheet portion 55 overcomes the friction generated between the sheet portion 55 and the inner wall 61a of the test tube 61, the separating member 51 starts to sink in the liquid. However, the friction between the seat portion 55 and the inner wall 61a of the test tube 61 is caused by the friction between the seat portion 55 and the inner wall 61a.
Since the contact with a is not uniform, it does not become constant and varies. Therefore, the separation member 51 may drop from the O-ring 56, reach the liquid surface, compress the air in the cavity 52, and cause a problem that the liquid does not settle even if the apparent specific gravity becomes larger than that of the liquid.

As a solution to this problem, the member main body 53 is made of a material having a large specific gravity so as to increase the apparent specific gravity, or the apparent specific gravity is increased by reducing the air holding volume of the hollow portion 52. It is easily conceivable that the separation member 51 starts to settle. However, in this case, the sedimentation speed of the separation member 51 in the liquid also increases, and the separation member 51
If the phase reaches the boundary between the phases of heavy specific gravity and light specific gravity and becomes a partition of both phases, a phase of heavy specific gravity may be present on the separating member 51, which is not preferable.

Second, the diameter of the member body 53 is smaller than the inner diameter of the test tube 61, and the mixing caused by the formation of a gap with the inner wall 61a of the test tube 61 is insufficient. That is, when the test tube 61 is made of plastic such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the inner wall 61a needs to have a gradient (the upper part of the tube is thicker and the diameter becomes smaller as it goes down). When the separation member 51 moves to the boundary between the light phase and the heavy phase after the operation is completed, the inner diameter of the test tube 61 at the boundary is the position where the separation member 51 is fixed to the opening (the upper end opening of the test tube). It is necessary to consider that the inner diameter is smaller than the inner diameter.

For example, if the test tube 61 is a PET tube having a length of 75 mm, an upper end inner diameter of 10 mm, and a gradient of 3/1000 on one side, 2 ml of blood is collected and centrifuged, the inner diameter of the tube at the boundary between plasma and blood cells is It is about 9.6 mm. Therefore, the outer diameter of the lower portion of the separation member 51 must be 9.6 mm or less. Now, if the outer diameter of the separation member 51 is set to 9.5 mm, the separation member 51 is connected to the test tube 61.
Is fixed to the upper end opening of the main body 53 and the inner wall 61a.
Is about 0.5 mm, and if fixed coaxially, the gap is 0.25 mm.

On the other hand, when the test tube 61 is a vacuum blood collection tube, the blood sample is often tilted or leveled when blood is collected. As a result, the blood flows between the member main body 53 and the inner wall 61a during blood collection. Into the gap. After the blood collection is completed, the test tube 61 is erected or left in a sealed state even after the blood collection, so that the blood does not adhere to the surface or the inner wall 61a of the separation member 51 in the gap, and immediately after the start of the centrifugation operation. Since it falls with a low centrifugal force, there is no particular problem, but it is considered better that blood does not enter the gap.

Further, depending on the type of the test tube, a drug such as an anticoagulant may be put in the test tube in advance. In this case, there is a possibility that the liquid or powdery drug may enter the gap. In that case, there is a possibility that the blood and the medicine are not sufficiently mixed by the inversion mixing performed after the blood collection.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a component separating member capable of accurately separating components without causing poor sedimentation in components such as liquids and poor mixing of components. And

[0014]

The present invention achieves the above object by the following means. That is, claim 1
The component separating member according to the above, component-separated by integrally forming an elastic portion that circumferentially extends around the upper outer peripheral portion of the member body inserted into the cylindrical container and presses against the inner wall of the container. The member is characterized in that a protrusion having a columnar shape or a semi-spherical shape is integrally formed substantially at the center of the upper surface of the elastic portion. In addition, the component separating member according to claim 2 is formed integrally with an elastic portion that makes a round in the circumferential direction and presses against the inner wall of the container on an upper outer peripheral portion of the member main body inserted into the cylindrical container. In the component separating member, the elastic portion, which is thinner than the elastic portion of the upper outer peripheral portion at the lower portion of the member main body and presses the inner wall of the container in a state where the component separating member is set in the container, extends in the circumferential direction. It is characterized by being formed in a circle.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (1) First Embodiment A. First Embodiment Configuration of First Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a component separation member 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Is shown. This separating member 1 is a sheet type similar to that shown in FIG. 5, and reference numeral 11 is a cylindrical member main body. A hollow portion 12 that opens downward is formed in the axial center of the member main body 11, and the member main body 11 is
1 is a lateral through hole 1 communicating from the outer surface side to the upper part of the cavity 12
Two (though only one is shown in the drawing) are formed at symmetrical positions. The lateral through-hole 13 is provided in the member body 1
1 in the radial direction.

A disc-shaped sheet portion (elastic portion) 15 is integrally formed on the upper portion of the member main body 11 via a neck portion 14 sufficiently smaller than the diameter of the member main body 11. The neck 14 and the seat 15 are coaxial with the main body 11. Seat part 1
5 is such that when the separation member 1 is inserted into a test tube (not shown), its outer peripheral portion is elastically pressed against the inner wall of the test tube. A hemispherical projection 16 is integrally formed at the center of the upper surface of the sheet portion 15.

The upper surface of the seat portion 15 is
It is preferable that the outer peripheral portion of 5 is formed in a concave shape so as to easily adhere to the inner wall of the test tube. In the illustrated example, the protrusion 1
6 is hemispherical, but may be cylindrical or the like.

Although the material of the separation member 1 depends on the sample, for example, when used for a blood collection tube for plasma-blood cell separation, the average specific gravity of the member main body 11 in consideration of the air in the cavity 12 is determined by the difference between the plasma and blood cells. Intermediate, and the blood collection needle can easily penetrate,
In addition, any material having elasticity and flexibility that can be closed again after the blood sampling needle is pulled out may be used. Specifically, rubbers and elastomers, for example, styrene-butadiene rubber, butyl rubber, silicone rubber, polystyrene-based elastomer, polyamide-based elastomer, silicone-based elastomer, or the like, or an inorganic material such as barium sulfate mixed with these materials Those having a specific gravity adjusted are preferably used. According to JISA (JIS K6301), the hardness of these rubbers and elastomers is, for example, 30 to
It is about 60 degrees.

According to the separating member 1, when the sheet portion 15 is inserted into the test tube and the sheet portion 15 is not buried in the liquid, the protrusion 16 is in the air above the liquid phase, and the centrifugal force acts directly. However, when the sheet portion 15 is immersed in the liquid, a liquid film exists between the outer peripheral portion of the sheet portion 15 and the inner wall of the test tube, the movement of the sheet portion 15 becomes smooth, and the separation member 1 is settled. Start. As the separation member 1 sinks, the protrusion 16 is also buried in the liquid. In this case, the protrusion 16
Although it depends on the size, the force of the projecting portion 16 to settle is obtained by subtracting the buoyancy of the projecting portion 16, so that the influence on the increase in the settling speed of the separation member 1 is small.

B. Experimental Example of First Embodiment Next, an experimental example of the separating member 1 will be described. The separation member 1 shown in FIG. 1 was manufactured with the following dimensions using an elastomer having a hardness of 45 degrees and a specific gravity of 1.085. Height H _{1 of} member body 11 = 15 mm Outer diameter D ₁ of member body 11 = 9.5 mmφ Height H _{2 of} cavity 12 = 10 mm Diameter D _{2 of} cavity 12 = 4 mmφ Upper surface of cavity 12 and lateral through hole 13 Distance L = 5 mm Height of neck 14 H ₃ = 0.3 mm Diameter of neck 14 = ₃ mmφ Thickness of seat 15 H ₄ = 0.75 mm Diameter of seat 15 D ₄ = 10.2 mmφ Projection 16 radius R = 1.75 mm diameter D ₅ of horizontal through hole 13 = 1 mmφ

FIG. 2 shows a separation member 3 manufactured as a comparative example. This separation member 3 does not have the projection 16 in the separation member 1 of FIG. Is the same as The volume of the separation member 1 of the present embodiment is 1.01157 cm ³ , and the volume of the separation member 3 of the comparative example is equal to the protrusion 16 (0.01122 c 3).
m ³ ) to be 1.00035 cm ³ .

The two types of sheet type separating members 1 and 3 are
2 ml injected into a blood collection tube with a total length of 75 mm and an inner diameter of 10 mm
Was used for the separation of plasma-blood cells from the blood. It is assumed that the centrifugal separation operation is started, and the separation members 1 and 3 have reached the blood level of the blood (since the separation slightly proceeds when the centrifugation is started, the liquid level can be almost regarded as plasma). Also, it is assumed that the upper surface of the sheet portion 15 is at the same position as the liquid surface, and that the centrifugal force acting on the separation members 1 and 3 is 1000G. At this time, the air above the horizontal through-hole 13 in the cavity 12 is compressed by the pressure based on the centrifugal force. The apparent specific gravity of the separation members 1 and 3 in consideration of the volume of the compressed air is calculated as 1.037.

At this time, the force of sedimentation of the separating member 3 of the comparative example (assuming sedimentation gravity = W1), from which the buoyancy is subtracted, is as follows: centrifugal force acting on the separating member 3 = 1000 G specific gravity of blood = 1. 025, Wl = 1000 × 1.00035 × (1.037−1.025) = 12.042 g. If the frictional resistance generated when the sheet portion 15 is pressed against the inner wall of the blood collection tube is smaller than 12.0042 g, the separation member 3 starts sedimentation in blood. However, the frictional resistance is 1
If it is larger than 2.0042 g, the separation member 3 will be in a state of floating on the blood surface.

On the other hand, the separating member 1 of this embodiment has the same configuration as the separating member 3 of the comparative example, except that a projection 16 having a radius of 1.75 mm is formed on the upper surface of the sheet portion 15. Here, assuming that the upper surface of the sheet portion 15 and the liquid level are at the same level, only the protrusion 16 is completely in the air phase, and the other portions satisfy the condition that the upper surface of the sheet portion 15 is at the same level as the liquid surface. Submerged in blood. When a centrifugal force of 1000 G is applied to the separation member 1 under these conditions, the separation member 1
The sedimentation gravitational force (referred to as W2), which is to be settled, is as follows: W2 = W1 + 1000 × 1.085 × 0.001122 (volume of the protrusion 16) = 12.042 + 12. 1737 = 24.1779 g, and a sedimentation gravity about twice that of the comparative example can be obtained.

The volume of the projection 16 is about 1% of the entire separation member 1.
%, The sedimentation gravitational force immediately before the separation member 1 starts to sedimentation is almost twice as large as that without the protrusion 16. By the way, the sedimentation gravity (referred to as W3) when the entire separation member 1 including the protrusion 16 is once submerged in blood.
Assuming that the centrifugal force is unchanged at 1000 G, W3 = 1000 × (1.00035 + 0.01122) × (1.037-1.025) = 12.1388 g, which is almost the same as W1. That is, the separating member 1
After the whole is buried in blood, the protrusion 16 does not increase the sedimentation gravity.

As described above, according to the separating member 1 in which the projection 16 is formed at the center of the upper surface of the sheet portion 15, the sedimentation gravity is increased immediately before the sheet portion 15 is submerged in the liquid. After the entire separation member 1 including the portion 16 is submerged in the liquid, the sedimentation speed is not affected. Therefore,
Liquid separation can be performed accurately without causing sedimentation failure.

(2) Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Configuration of Second Embodiment FIG. 3 shows a component separation member 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Is shown. The separating member 2 has a disc-shaped sheet portion 15 formed integrally with a cylindrical member main body 11 having a hollow portion 12 and a lateral through hole 13 via a neck portion 14. A hemispherical projection 1
6 is similar to the separating member 1 shown in FIG. In this case, the hollow portion 12 is formed in a conical shape whose diameter gradually increases downward. Further, the upper surface of the sheet portion 15 is formed in a concave shape so that the outer peripheral portion of the sheet portion 15 can easily adhere to the inner wall of the test tube.

In addition to the structure of the separating member 1 described above, a peripheral groove 21 having a semicircular cross section is formed on the upper outer peripheral surface of the member main body 11. Further, an annular and sheet-like elastic piece (elastic portion) 23 which makes a round in the circumferential direction via a neck portion 22 is integrally formed at a lower portion of the member main body 11. The elastic piece 23 is thinner than the sheet portion 15 and, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the separation member 2 is set in the upper end opening of the test tube, the elastic piece 23 is larger than the inner wall of the test tube at that position. The elastic piece 23 is elastically pressed against the inner wall of the test tube.

When the separating member 2 is fixed to the opening at the upper end of the test tube by the elastic piece 23, the liquid which has been put in advance does not enter the gap between the member main body 11 and the inner wall of the test tube. What is important here is that the elastic piece 23 does not significantly impede the sedimentation speed of the separation member 2 into the liquid during the centrifugation operation. That is, the friction between the elastic piece 23 and the inner wall of the test tube must be larger than the friction between the sheet portion 15 and the inner wall of the test tube so that the separating member 2 cannot be settled in the liquid. Therefore, the elastic piece 23
Is thinner than that of the sheet portion 15 and the neck portion 22
Is set to be moderately thin. Thereby, the elastic piece 23 can flexibly bend along the inner wall of the test tube.

B. Next, an experimental example of the separating member will be described. The separating member 2 shown in FIG. 3 was manufactured with the following dimensions using an elastomer having a hardness of 42 degrees and a specific gravity of 1.085. Height H _{1 of} member body 11 = 16 mm Outer diameter D ₁ of member body 11 = 9.5 mmφ Height H _{2 of} cavity 12 = 15 mm Upper end diameter of cavity 12 D ₂ a = 3.5 mmφ Lower end of cavity 12 Diameter D ₂ b = 4 mmφ Distance L between bottom surface and lateral through hole 13 L = 9.5 mm Height H _{3 of} upper neck 14 = 0.3 mm Diameter D ₃ of upper neck 14 = ₃ mmφ Thickness H _{4 of} sheet portion 15 = 0.75 mm Diameter D ₄ of seat portion 15 = 10.2 mm φ Radius R ₁ of projection 16 = 1.75 mm Height H _{5 of} lower neck 22 = 1.5 mm Diameter D ₅ of lower neck 22 = 7. 8 mmφ Thickness H _{6 of the} elastic piece 23 = 0.3 mm Diameter D ₆ of the elastic piece 23 = 10.2 mmφ Diameter D ₇ of the horizontal through hole 13 = 1 mmφ Radius R _{2 of the} circumferential groove 21 = 0.5 mm

The separating member 2 was used for separating plasma-blood cells of 1.8 ml of blood 41 injected into a PET test tube (blood collection tube: container) 31 shown in FIG. This blood collection tube 31
Has a total length of 75 mm, an inner diameter of 11 mm at the upper end, and a depth of 1 from the upper end.
The inner diameter remains at 11 mm up to 0 mm, and then the inner diameter becomes 10 mm.
mm, and the taper below that is a gradient of one-sided taper 3/1000. The bottom surface is formed in a hemispherical shape. The separating member 2 is first set in the upper end opening of the blood collection tube 31. Before setting, a hydrophobic silicone oil (for example, KF96 manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) is thinly applied to the surface of the separation member 2 and the inner wall 31a of the blood collection tube 31 in advance.
Further, 0.2 ml of 3.8% sodium citrate was previously placed in the blood collection tube as an anticoagulant (not shown).

To insert and set the separating member 2 inside the blood collection tube 31, a plastic (hard polyethylene or the like) sleeve 32 fixed to the inner wall of the blood collection tube 31 is used. In the sleeve 32, an annular convex portion 34 having a semicircular cross section is formed on the inner periphery of an annular main body portion 33, and the circumferential groove 21 is fitted into the convex portion 34 to set the separating member 2. The sleeve 32 is formed, for example, by forming a plurality of ridges (not shown) slightly larger than the inner wall 31a of the blood collection tube 31 on the outer periphery of the main body 33, and fitting the blood collection tube 31 tightly to the inner wall 31a of the blood collection tube 31. Secure inside.

When the blood collection tube 31 on which the separating member 2 is set is centrifuged, the centrifugal force is 1000 G to 1200 G, and the separating member 2 falls off the sleeve 32. The sleeve 32 remains fixed and does not move erratically.

Next, a blood collection needle (not shown) was pierced into the separation member 2, and 1.8 ml of the collected blood 41 was injected into the blood collection tube 31 below the separation member 2. Immediately after the blood 41 was injected, the blood collection tube 31 was mixed by inversion several times, and the blood 41 and the anticoagulant were mixed well. At this time, since the elastic piece 23 is pressed against the inner wall 31 a of the blood collection tube 31, the blood 4 flows into the gap between the member main body 11 and the inner wall 31 a of the blood collection tube 31.
No intrusion of 1 was observed. That is, it indicates that the separating performance of the elastic piece 23 is sufficient. Six blood collection samples were prepared, rubber gaps 35 were put on all the blood collection tubes 31, and the samples were left in the room for 30 minutes. Thereafter, the six tubes were centrifuged at 1500 G for 5 minutes.

As a result of the experiment, hemolysis did not occur in any of the six tubes, and as shown in FIG. 4B, plasma 41a was separated above the separation member 2 and blood cells 41b were separated below the separation member 2. There was no blood cell 41b above, and the separation performance was good.

C. Comparative Example Next, two comparative examples with respect to the experimental example based on the second embodiment will be described.

C-1. Comparative Example 1 The separating member of Comparative Example 1 has exactly the same configuration as the separating member 2 of the experimental example shown in FIG. 3 except that there is no protrusion 16 on the upper surface of the sheet portion 15 and no elastic piece 23 on the lower side. Was prepared and set in the blood collection tube 31 in the same manner as in FIG. When the number of blood samples was set to 6 and the mixture was overturned immediately after blood collection, the member main body 11 and the inner wall 31 of the blood collection tube 31 were all formed.
The invasion of blood 41 into the gap between a and b was observed. Next, 30 minutes after blood collection, centrifugation was performed at 150 OG for 5 minutes.

As a result, all the separation members were dropped from the set position, but three of them stopped at the liquid level and did not settle in the blood 41. In the remaining three, the separation member reached the boundary between the plasma 41a and the blood cells 41b, but two of them were observed to have some blood cells 41b resting on the sheet portion 15. One was a good separation performance with no blood cells 41b on the sheet portion 15.

From Comparative Example 1, it can be seen that the separation member of Comparative Example 1 has a considerable resistance to being buried in the blood 41 from the liquid surface.
It turns out that the sedimentation velocity in the inside is fast.

C-2. Comparative Example 2 As the separating member of Comparative Example 2, a member having exactly the same configuration as that of the separating member 2 of the experimental example shown in FIG. Blood collection tube 31
Set to When the number of blood collections was set to 6 and the mixture was inverted and mixed immediately after blood collection, the member main body 11 and blood collection tube 31 were all obtained.
Of blood 41 into the gap between the inner wall 31a and the inner wall 31a was observed. Thirty minutes after blood collection, centrifugation was performed at 150 OG for 5 minutes.

As a result, hemolysis did not occur, and the six separating members reached the boundary between the blood plasma 41a and the blood cells 41b in each blood collection tube 31, but in four out of the six blood separating tubes, Had some blood cells 41b.

According to Comparative Example 2, the separation member 2 of the experimental example was used.
The effect of the elastic piece 23 formed on the surface of the separating member 2 is to prevent the blood 41 from entering the gap between the member main body 11 and the inner wall 31a of the blood collection tube 31 and to settle the separating member 2 into the blood 41. Has the effect of delaying. That is, when the separating member 2 drops from the set position due to the centrifugal force, the separating member 2 temporarily stops at the liquid surface of the blood 41, but at this time, the elastic piece 23 is already in the blood 41. Elastic piece 23 and blood collection tube 31
Between the inner wall 31a and the blood 4
The presence of 1 as a lubricant makes it smooth and less variable, and as a result, the sedimentation speed of the separation member 2 is effectively controlled.

[0043]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
According to the component separation member described in the above, since a columnar or semi-spherical projection is formed at a substantially central portion of the upper surface of the elastic portion at the upper portion of the member body, when a centrifugal separation operation is given, the component is removed into the component. Before the separation member is buried, the sedimentation gravity is increased by promoting the force against the frictional force generated between the elastic part and the inner wall of the container. Gain gravity. Therefore, accurate component separation can be performed without causing sedimentation failure. Further, claim 2 of the present invention
According to the component separating member described in (1), the elastic portion formed at the lower portion of the member main body prevents components from penetrating into the gap between the member main body and the inner wall of the container, preventing mismixing, and preventing the elastic portion and the container from being mixed. Appropriate friction is generated between the inner wall and the inner wall, so that the sedimentation speed of the separation member is effectively controlled.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a separating member according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a separation member of a comparative example with respect to the separation member according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a separation member according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a separation member according to a second embodiment of the present invention is set in a test tube (blood collection tube), and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing a state after a centrifugation operation. It is.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a conventional separation member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2, separation member 11 member main body 15 sheet portion (upper elastic portion) 16 projecting portion 23 elastic piece (lower elastic portion) 31 test tube, blood collection tube (container) 31a inner wall.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A component separating member integrally formed with an elastic portion that circumferentially extends around an upper outer peripheral portion of a member main body inserted into a cylindrical container and presses an inner wall of the container. A component separating member, wherein a projection having a shape such as a columnar shape or a semi-spherical shape is integrally formed substantially at the center of the upper surface of the elastic portion. 2. A component separating member comprising an elastic portion integrally formed on an outer peripheral portion of an upper portion of a main body of a member inserted into a cylindrical container so as to make a circuit in a circumferential direction and press against an inner wall of the container. At the lower part of the member main body, an elastic part which is thinner than the elastic part of the upper outer peripheral part and which presses the inner wall of the container in a state where the component separating member is set in the container is formed in a circumferential direction. A component separating member characterized by the above-mentioned.