JPS59150561A - Centrifugal separator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately detect the presence of a centrifugal pipe for the improvement of reliability, by detaching a phototransistor from a state directly opposite to an LED during the high-speed rotation of a turn table. CONSTITUTION:When a turn table 7 is rotationally driven at a high speed, the light accepting surface of a phototransistor 17 is covered with a shutter 20. When the presence of a centrifugal pipe 11 is to be detected by a pulse motor 13 after the stop of said high-speed rotation, the turn table is driven with damping force. Hence, even if blood adheres onto an outer tube for said centrifugal pipe 11, the spatters of said blood adheres onto the shutter 20 only without adhering onto the light-accepting surface of the phototransistor 17. Consequently, the erroneous detection of the presence of the centrifugal pipe 11 is eliminated.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a centrifugal separator that can centrifuge blood and automatically take out separated serum into an analysis system, particularly in a clinical automatic analyzer. It's about.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the general configuration of a clinical automatic analyzer that automatically analyzes blood.

In the figure, 1 is a centrifugal separator that centrifuges blood to separate serum (hereinafter referred to as a centrifugal device), 2 is an analysis section that automatically takes out and analyzes the centrifuged serum, and 3 is an analysis section. a detection unit for measuring the sample by colorimetric calculation, 4
is a control device that controls the centrifugal device 1, the analysis section 2, and the detection section 3. 5 is an output device for printing measured data. The centrifugal separator 1 used in such an automatic analyzer is designed to automatically identify a specimen and determine whether a centrifuge tube is contained therein.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a centrifugal separator that has been attempted by the present applicant in an unpublished manner, in which a turntable 7 is driven to rotate at high speed on a horizontal surface by a vertical motor. A plurality of holders 8 are attached to the periphery of the turntable 7 at equal intervals through shafts 9, and the holders 8
A centrifugal tube holder 8 having a cylindrical shape with a bottom is attached to the tube. A centrifugal tube 11 containing blood in a cylindrical shape with a bottom is detachably inserted into the centrifugal tube holder 10 with its upper portion protruding beyond the centrifugal tube holder 10. And centrifugal tube 1 during low speed rotation
A light emitting diode 16 is fixed to the inside of the rotation trajectory of the centrifugal tube 11 on the horizontal plane at the position of the part protruding from the centrifuge tube holder 10 of 1 toward the outer periphery, and a light emitting diode 16 is fixed to the outside of the rotation trajectory at a position opposite to the light emitting diode 16. A phototransistor 17 is attached to the centrifuge tube 11 in the centrifuge tube holder 10 during low speed simultaneous rotation.
Means for detecting the presence or absence of 0 is configured.

On the other hand, an electromagnetic clutch 12 is provided below the motor 6 so that it can be separated from the pulse motor 13 when rotating at high speed. After centrifugation at high speed, the motor 6 is stopped, and current is applied to the electromagnetic clutch 12 to connect it to the shaft of the pulse motor 13. The index plate 14, which has a plurality of holes for identifying numbers 11, is rotated, and the photointerrupter 15, which has a plurality of light emitting diodes and a plurality of phototransistors, detects the holes and stops it at a certain position. It looks like this. 18
is a frame to which the motor 6 etc. are mounted.

In this centrifugal separator, in rare cases, if the centrifuge tube 11 is set in the centrifuge 1 with blood attached to the outer tube and the turntable 7 is driven to rotate at high speed, the blood layered on the outer tube of the centrifuge tube 11 may scatter. )) There is a drawback that it adheres to the light-receiving surface of the transistor 17, making it impossible to detect the presence or absence of the centrifuge tube 11.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a centrifugal separator that can correctly detect the presence or absence of a centrifuge tube.

[Summary of the invention]

The centrifugal separator of the present invention includes a turntable that is rotationally driven on a horizontal plane by a vertical motor, and a centrifuge tube that is rotatably attached to the periphery of the turntable via a shaft, and a centrifuge tube is inserted into each of the turntables. a plurality of centrifuge tube holders; the centrifuge tubes removably inserted into the centrifuge tube holders so that their upper portions protrude beyond the centrifuge tube holders; and the centrifuge tubes protrude from the centrifuge tube holders during low speed rotation. The turntable has a light emitting diode mounted on the inner circumferential side of the centrifugal tube toward the outer circumferential side in a horizontally raised position, and a phototransistor provided on the outer circumferential position of the centrifugal tube opposite to the light emitting diode. means for detecting the presence or absence of a centrifuge tube in the centrifuge tube holder during low-speed rotation; and means configured to remove the phototransistor from directly facing the light-emitting diode when the turntable is driven to rotate at high speed. It was established.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, the centrifugal separator of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, using an embodiment, in which the same parts as in FIG. 3 is a plan view of section A in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line W--■ in FIG. 3. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the state of centrifuge tube presence/absence detection will be explained in detail. When the centrifuge tube 11 is between the light emitting diode 16 and the phototransistor 17, the light is blocked, and when the centrifuge tube 11 is not present, the light reaches the phototransistor 17.Due to this difference, the centrifuge tube 11 is detected. 20 is a shutter which is rotatably driven by a rotary solenoid 19;
When the turntable 7 is driven to rotate at high speed, it moves so as to cover the light-receiving surface of the phototransistor 17, and when the high-speed rotation is stopped and the presence or absence of the centrifuge tube 11 is identified by the pulse motor 13, it moves to the position indicated by the chain line in FIG. It is designed to be controlled and driven so that it moves.

Therefore, even if blood were to adhere to the outer cylinder of the centrifuge tube 11, the blood would not be scattered on the light receiving surface of the phototransistor 17, but would only adhere to the shutter 2o.
Misconceptions in detecting the presence or absence of 1 are eliminated. That is, the rotary solenoid 19 and the shutter 20 form a means for shielding the phototransistor 17 from the position directly opposite the light emitting diode 16 and removing it when the turntable 7 rotates at high speed.

In this way, the centrifugal separator of this embodiment prevents blood from adhering to the outer cylinder of the centrifugal tube.Even if blood is scattered during high-speed centrifugation, the shutter 20 stops the blood from being collected, so it is possible to prevent blood from adhering to the outer tube of the centrifuge tube during low-speed rotation. Detecting the presence or absence of centrifuge tubes can be accurate and improve reliability.

Instead of providing a shutter to cover the light-receiving surface of the transistor during high-speed rotation as in the above embodiment, a means for removing the phototransistor from the surface facing the light-emitting diode during high-speed rotation may be provided. That is, even if the phototransistor itself is driven by a rotary solenoid or the like and is displaced so as to avoid the position where blood is splattered when rotating at high speed, the effect is exactly the same as in the above embodiment.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the centrifugal separator of the present invention has the effect of accurately detecting the presence or absence of a centrifuge tube and improving reliability.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a conventional automatic blood analyzer for clinical use.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of section A in FIG. 2 of the embodiment of the centrifugal separator of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the ■-■ arrow in FIG. 3. . DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Centrifugal device, 6... Motor, 7... Turntable, 9... Axis, 10... Centrifugal tube holder, 11...
... Centrifugal tube, 16... Light emitting diode, 17... Phototransistor, 19... Rotary lenoid, 20
···Shutter. (9) -40° 1st? 2nd B

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A turntable that is rotationally driven on a horizontal plane by a vertical motor, and a plurality of turntables each rotatably attached to the periphery of the turntable via a shaft and each having a centrifugal tube inserted therein. a centrifuge tube holder, the centrifuge tube removably inserted into the centrifuge tube holder so that its upper portion protrudes beyond the centrifuge tube holder, and a nuclear centrifuge tube that protrudes beyond the centrifuge tube holder during low-speed rotation. A light-emitting diode is attached to the inner circumferential side of the centrifugal tube on a horizontal plane at a position where the turntable rotates at low speed. means for detecting the presence or absence of the centrifuge tube in the centrifuge tube holder; and means for removing the phototransistor from the state of directly opposing the light emitting diode when the turntable is driven to rotate at high speed. A centrifugal separator characterized by: 2. The means to be formed so as to be removed from the directly facing state,
A shutter is provided to cover a surface of the phototransistor facing the light emitting diode when the turntable rotates at high speed, and to be removed from the facing surface when detecting the presence or absence of the centrifugal tube during low speed rotation. A centrifugal separator according to claim 1.