JPS58129349A - Removing device for choking of fine particle counting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To remove dusts through the operation of a pump in case a choking occurs in a pore, by a method wherein, in a Coulter counter, a nozzle of a pipe for removing a choking is located in the proximity of a pore. CONSTITUTION:With a pressure reducing pump 7 started, silver surfaces 9a and 9b of a manometer 8 are deflected, and a sample liquid 3 in a receptacle 1 is fed in a fine particle detector 24 and a pressure reducing pipe 5. A cock 6 is then closed, and the specified volume of the sample liquid 3 is sucked in a detector 24 as a result of the movement of the silver surfaces. The sample liquid 3 passes through pores 25, and blood cells 2 are detected as a pulse at a detecting circuit 13 by electrodes 26a and 26b. In case a choking occurs in the pores 25, the detecting circuit 13 is prevented from generating a pulse, and thereby a counting operation is brought to a stop to actuate a removing pump. This causes a pipe 27 to start sucking the sample liquid 3 by means of a nozzle 27a and to suck dusts by which the pores 25 and choked.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a device for removing clogging of a microparticle counter, specifically, in a device for counting microparticles such as red blood cells and white blood cells, when the pores through which the microparticles pass are clogged. , relates to a clogging removal device for removing this clogging.

A conventional microparticle counter that counts microparticles such as red blood cells and white blood cells is configured as shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, a container 1 is filled with a sample liquid 3 containing blood cells 2, which are microparticles to be counted. That is, this sample liquid 3 is a blood cell sample containing about 5 million blood cells 2 having a size of 7 to 8 μm per 1 mm cube, diluted 500 times with physiological saline or the like. Then, this sample solution 3
A microparticle detector 4 is placed in a container 1 filled with .

A pressure reducing tube 5 is connected to the upper end of this microparticle detector 4,
A pressure reduction pump 7 is connected to the upper end of the pressure reduction pipe 5 via a screw. A manometer 8 formed in a substantially U-shape is integrally provided at the tip of the branched pipe portion 5a of the pressure reducing pipe 5. Mercury 9 is injected into the tube of the manometer 8. Further, at a predetermined height position in the side tube of the manometer 8 that is open to the atmosphere, when the mercury surfaces 9a and 9b of the manometer 8 move due to pressure changes in the pressure reducing tube 5, they come into contact with the mercury surface 9a. A counting start electrode 10 and a counting stop electrode 11 are provided for detecting a time point.

The counting start electrode 10 and counting stop electrode 11 are connected to a counting command generation circuit 12.

The bottom wall of the microparticle detector 4 is provided with a pore 20 large enough to allow microparticles such as blood cells 2 to pass through, and as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. is a pair of detection electrodes 21a, 211) as a microparticle detection element.
is disposed in a state covered with an insulator such as glass forming the bottom wall of the microparticle detector 4.

By the way, the diluent is selected so that there is a difference in dielectric constant between the blood cells 2 in the sample liquid 3 and the diluent, and therefore the pair of detection electrodes 21a.

The capacitance between the capacitances 21b and 21b changes slightly depending on whether blood cells 2 are present in the pores 2o or not. Therefore, when the blood cells 2 pass through the pore 2o,
Blood cells 2 are counted using the change in capacitance detected between the electrodes 21a and 21b.

The lead wires of the detection electrodes 21a, 21b are drawn out from the connecting portion 4a at the upper end of the detector 4 and connected to a detection circuit 13 for converting the change in capacitance into an electrical signal. An output terminal of the detection circuit 13 is connected to a discrimination shaping circuit 15 via an amplifier circuit 14. The discrimination shaping circuit 15 discriminates and removes microparticles, dust, etc. other than the target microparticles to be counted. This discrimination shaping circuit 15 is connected to a monitoring device 16 such as an oscilloscope, so that the state of discrimination of the detection signal can be monitored. The output terminal of the discrimination shaping circuit 15 and the output terminal of the counting command generating circuit 12 are connected to a counting circuit 17.

The counting circuit 17 starts counting the detection signal from the discrimination shaping circuit 15 in response to a start pulse sent from the counting command generation circuit 12, and reaches K when the counting ends in response to a stop pulse. The counting circuit 17 is connected to a display circuit 18 for displaying the counted value.

When operating the microparticle counter configured as described above, first open the above-mentioned counter (by opening the vacuum pump 7).
is started to operate, and the air inside the pressure reducing tube 5 and the fine particle detector 4 is sucked to reduce the pressure inside the pressure reducing tube 5 and the detector 4. Then, the sample liquid 3 in the container 1 enters the detector 4 through the pore 20, and the pressure reducing tube 5 is filled with the sample liquid 3 from the detector 4. At this time, at the same time, the mercury surface 9b of the manometer 8 on the side communicating with the pressure reducing tube 5 is
rises and the mercury surface 9a on the open tube side falls. When the sample liquid 3 is completely filled in the vacuum tube 5 to its upper end, the vacuum pump 7 is stopped and the lid is closed. The state at this time is the state shown in FIG. 1, where the mercury surface 9a of the manometer 8 is located at a lower position than the counting start electrode IO.

After the lid is closed, the two deviated mercury surfaces 9a and 9b of the manometer 80 move in a direction in which the pressures on the rain mercury surfaces ga and 9b become equal. That is, the mercury surface 9a rises from the time when the kotsukuro is closed, and the mercury surface 9b rises.
is going down. Then, the mercury surface ga of manometer 8,
As 9b moves in this manner, the sample liquid 3 enters the detector 4 from inside the container 1 through the pore 20 in the bottom wall of the detector 4. At this time, each time the blood cells 2 in the sample liquid 3 pass through the pores 20, the capacitance between the detection electrodes 21 a and 21 b changes as described above, so the detection circuit 13 detects blood cells. 2) Detection of the number of particles passing through the pores 20) Curses are generated. This detection noculus is appropriately amplified by an amplifier circuit 14, and then waveform-shaped by a discrimination shaping circuit 15 into a signal that can reliably count, for example, only red blood cells or white blood cells, and then guided to a counting circuit 17.

The counting circuit 17 does not start counting until the mercury surface 9a of the manometer 8 reaches the counting start electrode 10 even if the detection norm is guided from the discrimination shaping circuit 15, but when the mercury surface 9a rises. When the counter contacts the counting start electrode 10, a start pulse is guided from the counting command generation circuit 12 to the counting circuit 17, and after resetting the circuit 17,
Start counting the detection pulses. After that, while the mercury level 9a of the manometer 8 continues to rise, the counting circuit 17 continues to count the detection pulses corresponding to the blood cells 2.The count value of the detection pulses is For example, it is displayed as a digital value by the display circuit 18. When the mercury surface 9a of the manometer 8 rises and contacts the counting stop electrode 11, a stop pulse is generated from the counting command generating circuit 12 and the counting operation of the counting circuit 17 is started. Therefore, the number of detection pulses counted while the mercury surface 9a of the manometer 8 reaches the counting start electrode 10 to the counting stop electrode 11 is displayed on the display circuit 18 as the number of blood cells.In other words, This blood cell count is the number of blood cells contained in a constant volume of sample liquid 3 in which the mercury surface 9a of the manometer 8 moves from the counting start electrode 1o to the counting stop electrode 11.

In this manner, the micro-counting device operates and the number of blood cells contained in a certain amount of sample liquid 3 is counted. However, in the above-mentioned microparticle counter, the pore 20 provided in the bottom wall of the microparticle detector 4 is a very fine hole with a diameter of, for example, about 10.1m.
If the sample liquid 3 contains lumps of blood cells 2, dust, etc., the pores 20 are often blocked by these particles. If the pores 20 become clogged with dust or the like, blood cells 2 will no longer be counted, so the operation of the counting device must be stopped immediately.

Since the counting of blood cells cannot be restarted unless the dust or the like that has clogged the pores 20 is removed, the conventional microparticle counter described above is extremely inconvenient and inefficient. If the diameter of the pores 2o is made larger, good results can be obtained as far as clogging is concerned, but this is not preferable because the detection accuracy will be reduced. Therefore,
In microparticle counting devices, it is important to prevent the pores of the detector from clogging in order to perform stable counting operations.

In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to arrange a nozzle of a pipe for removing clogging toward the pore of a microparticle detector;
It is an object of the present invention to provide a clogging removal device for a microparticle counting device in which a suction force and a discharge force for removing clogging are sent to the nozzle by a pump.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained based on illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a microparticle counting device showing an embodiment of the present invention. In this microparticle counter, a pore 25 is provided in the side wall of the microparticle detector 24, and a pore 25 is provided in the vicinity of the pore 25, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG.
A pair of detection electrodes z6a and z6b, which form a microparticle detection element by facing each other with 5 in between, are connected to this detector 2.
It is disposed in a state covered with an insulator such as glass forming the side wall of 4. This pair of detection electrodes z6a,
z6b is for detecting a change in capacitance in the pore 25. The lead wires of the detection electrodes 26a and 26b are pulled out from the connection part 24a with the pressure reducing tube 5 at the upper end of the microparticle detector 24, and connected to the detection circuit 13iC for converting changes in capacitance into electrical signals. ing.

Further, a pipe 27 for removing clogging is supported on the connecting portion 24a of the detector 24, and one end of the pipe 27 extends downward along the side wall of the detector 24 outside the detector 24. A nozzle 27a formed at the tip of the nozzle 27a opens toward the fine hole 25 at the height of the fine hole 25. The diameter of the pipe 27 is sufficiently larger than the microparticles to be counted, that is, the blood cells 2. The other end of the pipe 27 is connected to a declogging pump 28 and its intake port. This clogging removal pump 28 is adapted to perform a suction operation depending on the state of the detection circuit 13 when the pore 25 is clogged and the detection circuit 13 no longer performs the operation of detecting blood cells 2. The rest of the configuration is the same as the device shown in FIG. 1,
In FIG. 3, parts that are the same as those shown in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals and their explanations will be omitted.

The procedure for operating the microparticle counting device constructed as described above is exactly the same as that of the conventional counting device shown in FIG. When the vacuum pump 7 is started, its suction action causes the mercury surfaces 9a and gb of the manometer 8 to be deflected, and the sample liquid 3 in one container 1 is transferred to the microparticle detector 24.
and guided into the pressure reducing pipe 5. The sample liquid 3 is connected to the detector 2.
4 and the pressure reducing pipe 5 are completely filled, and the container is closed. After the lid is closed, the mercury level 9a of the manometer 8 rises, so the sample liquid 3 in the container 1
is further sucked into the detector 24. The sample liquid 3 is introduced into the detector 24 through the pore 25 mentioned above. When the blood cells 2 contained in the sample liquid 3 pass through the pore 25, the capacitance changes between the pair of detection electrodes 26a and 26b provided in the pore 251c, and this static The change in capacitance is detected by the detection circuit 13 as an electrical pulse. The pulses detected by the detection circuit 13 are amplified by the amplifier circuit 14, and then guided to the discrimination shaping circuit 15, where pulses and noise corresponding to small dust other than blood cells are discriminated and removed, and a pulse waveform that is easy to count is created. The signal is formatted into a shape and guided to the counting circuit 17. The pulse waveform in the discrimination shaping circuit 15 can be monitored by a monitoring device 16.

The counting circuit 17 receives a start pulse from the counting command generation circuit 12 when the mercury surface 9a of the manometer 8 rises and contacts the counting start electrode 1o. Start counting the detection pulses derived from . The counting circuit 17 operates until the mercury surface 9a of the manometer 8 reaches the height position of the counting start electrode 10 and the counting stop electrode 11. As the blood cells 2 pass through the hole 25, the detection pulses sequentially sent from the detector 24 are counted.

Here, if the pore 25 of the detector 24 is blocked by a mass of blood cells, dust, etc., this pore 25
5 so that the sample liquid 3 no longer flows through the detection electrode z
Since no change in capacitance occurs between 6a and 26b, the detection circuit 13 no longer generates a detection pulse, and therefore the counting operation of the counting circuit 17 is stopped. Detection circuit 1
3 no longer performs the detection operation, a signal is sent from the detection circuit 13 to the clogging removal pump 28 to start the operation of the pump 28. Then, the clogging removal pump 28
At this time, K.

Since the suction operation is started, the pipe 27 starts sucking the sample liquid 3 through the nozzle 27a as shown in FIG.
B) It is sucked into the pipe 27 as shown in K. As a result, when the clogging of the pores 25 is removed, the container 1
Since the sample liquid 3 inside flows into the detector 24 through the pore 25, the capacitance between the detection electrodes 26a and 26b changes as the blood cells 2 pass through the pore 25 at this time, and the detection circuit 13 Restart blood cell 2 detection operation. Detection circuit 1
3 starts to resume the detection operation, the clogging removal pump 28 stops the suction operation. and,
The detection pulse generated from the detection circuit 13 is guided to the counting circuit 17 via the amplifier circuit 14 and the discrimination shaping circuit 15, so that the counting circuit 17 restarts the counting of the blood cells 2.

When the counting operation is restarted, the mercury surface 9a of the meter 8 rises, and the counting stop electrode 11 rises.
When the count reaches 1, a stop pulse is sent from the counting command generating circuit 12 to the counting circuit 17, and the counting operation of the counting circuit 17 is stopped. At this time, the display circuit 18 shows a certain amount of mercury that has entered the microparticle detector 24 from the container 1 through the pores 25 while the mercury surface 9a of the manometer 8 reaches from the counting start electrode 10 to the counting stop electrode 11. The number of blood cells contained in the sample liquid 3 is displayed. In this manner, even if the pores 25 of the detector 24 become clogged during the counting operation from the start of counting to the end of counting, the microparticle counter immediately operates the clogging removal pump 28. The above pore 25
A stable counting operation is performed because the substance that has blocked the cell is sucked out by the pipe 27 to eliminate the clogging state and return to the counting state.

The microparticle counting device of the above embodiment applies suction force to the pipe 27 by the clogging removal pump 28 to remove the clogging that has occurred in the pore 25 (C). The clogging is not limited to this, and the clogging may be removed by a discharge force. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG.
is arranged so as to face the outer opening of the pore 25 of the detector 24 from diagonally above, and the other end of the pipe 37 is connected to the outlet of the pump ZS. As a result, pore 2
When the tube 5 becomes clogged, air or circulating sample liquid is discharged from the nozzle 37a of the pipe 37 by the operation of the clog removal pump 28, and the discharge force closes the pore 25. Substances such as clumps of blood cells are blown away and the clogging is cleared.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, in the detector 24, the opening of the pore 25 is made to protrude outward, and
The end surface of the protruding opening 25a is formed into a slope, and the nozzle 47a of the discharge pipe 47 is arranged above the protruding opening 25H along the inclined end surface of the opening 25a. The nozzle 57a of the suction vibrator 57 can be arranged below. In this case, when the protruding opening 25a of the pore 25 becomes clogged, the masses of blood cells 2, etc. that are blocking the pore 25 are blown away by the discharge pipe 47 in the direction of the suction pipe 57. The vibrator 57 immediately sucks this in and removes it from the sample liquid. The above discharge pipe 47
There will be 0 less.

Note that the above-mentioned microparticle counting device includes a microparticle detector 4.
, 24, the microparticles are counted by detecting the change in capacitance when microparticles such as blood cells pass through the pores of the microparticles. It can also be applied to a device that counts microparticles by detecting changes in resistance when microparticles pass through pores using the difference in resistance.

In this case, a pair of detection electrodes as a microparticle detection element disposed near the pore are configured to be able to detect the resistance value between the two electrodes.

As described above, according to the present invention, even if the pores of a microparticle detector become clogged, the clogging pump immediately operates to remove the pores, so that the pores can be counted. Efficient and stable counting operation is performed from the start to the end of counting.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a conventional microparticle counting device; FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of the detector shown in FIG. 3; and FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part of the detector shown in FIG. 3, and FIGS. 5 (A) and (B) are the detection shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the main parts showing the clogging removal operation when the pores of the container are clogged. FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of a clogging removal device for a microparticle counter showing still another embodiment of the present invention. 2... Blood cells (microparticles) 3... Sample liquid 4.24... Microparticle detector 20.25... Pores 21a, 21b, 26a, 26b ---・Detection electrode [
Microparticle detection element] 27.37, 4L57...
・Pipe 28 for removing clogging 9... Clogging removal pump Patent applicant Olympus Optical Industry Co., Ltd. - 2 ・Continued from page 1 0 Inventor Hideo Adachi 2-43 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Author: Satsuki Kanbara, 2-4 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Author: Michio Nawa, 2-4 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Author: Michio Nawa Inside Sairinpus Optical Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A detector having a pore in which a microparticle detection element is arranged,
By placing the sample solution containing microparticles in it and passing the sample solution through the pores of the detector, the microparticles in the sample solution passing through the pores are detected, and the microparticles contained in a certain amount of the sample solution are detected. A microparticle counting device configured to count the number of microparticles that are detected includes a pipe for removing clogging arranged with a nozzle facing near the pore of the detector, and a pipe connected to the pipe. A clogging removal device for a microparticle counting device, comprising: a clogging removal pump that operates to send a suction force or a discharge force to the nozzle when the pore is clogged.