JPS6123506B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a support conveying mechanism that automatically conducts serum testing by electrophoresis using a sheet-like support.

Electrophoresis has traditionally been used to test serum proteins in hospitals. In this electrophoretic test, as is well known, serum is applied in a linear manner with a pipette onto the surface of a support made of cellulose acetate paper, and an electric current is applied to it to create a separate image of the serum to be examined. Form. The support on which the serum minute image was formed was stained with a staining solution prepared by dissolving Ponceau 3R in a trichloroacetic acid solution, and then the areas other than the minute image were decolored in an acetic acid solution, and then dried. It is immersed in a clarifying liquid such as paraffin to make it transparent, and then quantitatively determined using a colorimeter. Conventionally, all of these steps were performed manually, which was extremely inefficient. Furthermore, when applying serum to serum, accurate measurement results cannot be obtained unless the applied serum forms a thin line of a certain width. Even when performed by different operators, different results were often obtained depending on the operator. This applies not only to the application of serum onto the support, but also to each of the electrophoresis procedures described above.
As described above, serum testing by electrophoresis must be performed by a skilled person, and it also has the drawback that accurate and uniform test results are difficult to obtain.

In order to eliminate these drawbacks of the conventional method, each step of the electrophoresis method described above is performed automatically, and all steps are connected by appropriate conveyance means. An automatic electrophoresis device has been developed that automatically performs these steps continuously. However, in this automatic electrophoresis device, serum is coated on the support coated with a wet paper using a buffer solution using an appropriate serum applicator, and then carried into the electrophoresis box using a transport device and energized. In addition, during transport, there is a risk that the support may get caught in the apparatus or become deflected, especially when applying serum and the electrophoresis chamber, and in the worst case, it may cause a jam.
It was necessary to apply serum again. For this reason, extremely high precision was required for the conveyance means, and there was a drawback that extremely accurate adjustments had to be made.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and provides a support transport mechanism in an electrophoresis apparatus in which a transport platform on which a support is mounted can be inserted into an electrophoresis box in a movable manner. be.

The present invention will be described below based on one embodiment shown in the drawings. In Figures 1 to 3, 1 is a support wound into a roll, 2 and 3 are support feed rollers, 4 is a cutter, 5 is a photo sensor that determines the length of the support, and 6 is a support feed roller. 10 is a wet paper web device, which includes a buffer tank 11 containing a buffer solution 12, two rollers 13 arranged so that a part of one roller 13 is immersed in the buffer solution 12, 14 and a guide 15. Reference numeral 16 denotes a feed roller made of a sponge or the like which also serves to adsorb and remove excess buffer solution adhering to the support, and 20 indicates support 1 moistened with the buffer solution.
21 is a support transporting device used to carry the electrophoresis box into the electrophoresis box and carry out the support after energization from the electrophoresis box, and 21 has a nearly U-shaped cross section as shown in Figure 3. Fig. 1 A guide rod 22 supported by a support column 23 on a transport platform with a structure long in the left and right direction.
and a guide rod 2 attached to the lower surface of the carrier 21.
A pair of bearings 24 and a pair of rollers 25, which are capable of sliding along the axis 2, are held so as to be movable in the left-right direction in FIG. Reference numeral 26 denotes a rack provided on the longitudinal side of the transport platform 21, and 27 a gear provided to mesh with the rack 28 and rotated by the motor 28. The rotation of this gear 27 causes the rack 26 to mesh with the rack 28. and move the carrier 21. Reference numerals 29 denote belts attached to the upper end surfaces of both side plates 21a of the U-shaped carrier 21, respectively. Reference numeral 30 denotes a coating cradle, as shown in the plan view in FIG. and a plurality of pairs of rollers 33 attached to legs 32 formed integrally with the carrier 21, and is disposed in a recessed portion in the center of the carrier 21. 35 is the transport platform 21
The tip of the 30th coating receptacle is held in place by a clamp provided at the 30th plate spring 35a between the two plate springs 35a. Reference numeral 36 is a pin provided on the carrier 21, which connects the application receiving plate 30 to the carrier 21.
It is inserted into a groove 30a formed in the rear part of the coating tray 30 when the coating tray 30 is placed in the carriage 21 to prevent the coating tray 30 from shaking sideways when the carrier 21 moves. 37 is the stopper pin 38 and this is always the second
In the figure, this is a stopper means composed of a spring 39 pushing downward. When the coating tray 30 is placed in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stopper pin 38 is inserted into the notch 3 of the coating tray 30.
It is designed to be inserted into 0b.

4 and 5 show cross-sectional views of the electrophoresis box 50, and 51 is a main body of the electrophoresis box installed on a holding table 52 and has an inlet 51a, a part of which is shown in FIG. As shown, the conveying device 20 is installed so that its tip is located near the entrance 51a. 53 is a lid, and 54 is a serum application window equipped with a rotating body 54a whose cross section is approximately semicircular as shown in FIG. A serum applicator 40, in which a holding plate 42 holds a number of pen nibs 41 for applying serum onto the support by pressing the same, is arranged so as to be able to move up and down.
Note that 43 is a push rod fixed to both sides of the holding plate 42. 56 is a shutter 5 arranged at the entrance 51a
6 is the rod that performs the closing operation, 59 is the rod 58
60 is a motor for rotating the camshaft 63 via bevel gears 61 and 62, and 64 is a pair of filter paper holders, each of which has a buffer tank in which a filter paper 65 is formed in the migration box body 51. It is attached and held so that one end thereof is immersed in a buffer solution 66 stored in the interior of the buffer 51b. Reference numeral 67 indicates a pair of filter paper holding plates disposed on each of the filter paper holders 65; 68 indicates a separation plate that is slidably held in the vertical direction by the filter paper holding plates 67; 69;
A plurality of pairs of rods are provided to support a coating tray 64 and move it up and down, and the lower portions of the rods are fixed to a support 70. 71 is a cam fixed to the camshaft 72, 73 is a gear 7
4 and 75, a motor rotates the camshaft; 76 is a rod for vertically moving the coating tray 30 disposed approximately in the center of the migration box body 51;
77 is a cam fixed to the camshaft 72, 78
is an electrode.

Next, the function of the electrophoresis box will be explained. First, the support 1 wound into a roll is sent by a support feed roller 2, and after passing through a cutter 4, it is further advanced by a support feed roller 3.
When the leading end of the support reaches the photo sensor 5, the cutter 4 is operated based on the detection of the support by the photo sensor 5 to cut the support into a sheet of a predetermined length. Cut support 1
is further advanced by the feed roller 3 and fed into the wet paper web device 10, where the wet paper paper roller 1
3 and 14, the support 1 is soaked in the buffer solution 12 by the wet paper roller 13 immersed in the buffer solution 12. When the tip of the support 1 wet-papered with the buffer solution 12 reaches the position where the belt 29 attached to the support conveying device 20 and the feed roller 16 are in contact, the motor 28 starts. ing. In this case, the motor 28 may be started after a predetermined period of time after the photo sensor 6 detects the tip of the support until the tip of the support reaches between the belt 29 and the roller 16 described above. Alternatively, the photo sensor 6 may be used to start the motor 60 and open the shutter 56 of the electrophoresis box 50. In this way, the gear 27 is rotated by the rotation of the motor 28.
6, the carrier 21 moves to the right side in FIG.
It is inserted into it from a. When the coating tray 30 is completely inserted into the electrophoresis box 50, the rotation of the motor 73 causes the cams 71 and 77 to rotate clockwise by 90 degrees in FIG.
77 raises the rods 69 and 76, respectively, and raises the filter paper holder 64 and the coating holder 30 (shown by chain lines in FIG. 5). As a result, the support 1 is also raised, and at the same time its both ends are held between the filter paper holder 64 and the filter paper presser plate 67 together with one end of the filter paper 65, respectively. In this state, both electrodes 7
8 to preliminarily energize the filter paper 65 and the support 1, and check the energization state. When the check is completed, the serum applicator 40 with the serum attached to the nib 41 is lowered through the window 54, and the push rods 43 at both ends push the rotating body 54a to open the window 54, and the applicator 40 is inserted through the window 54 to remove the support. Apply serum on 1.
At this time, since there is a coating tray 30 under the serum, the serum can be applied well. When the application is completed, the serum applicator 40 rises and exits the electrophoresis box 50 through the window 54. If a weight is embedded in a portion of the rotating body 54a of the window 54 indicated by the symbol A, the rotating body rotates due to gravity and closes the window 54 again. After that, the camshaft 72 is rotated again, and the cams 71 and 77 are further rotated by 90
When rotated 180 degrees from the position shown in FIG. 4, rod 69 remains at the same height, but rod 76 lowers, thereby lowering coating platform 30 back onto carrier 21. . Next motor 2
8 is reversed, the carrier 21 is moved to the left in FIG. 1, and returned to the outside of the electrophoresis box 50. When the carrier 21 comes out of the electrophoresis box 50, the motor 60 is rotated to close the shutter 56 at the entrance 51a. In this way, electricity is applied for a predetermined period of time while the electrophoresis box 50 is completely closed, thereby forming an image of serum. After electrophoresis is completed, rotate the motor 60 and open the inlet 51.
After opening the shutter 56 of a, turn the motor 2 on again.
1 to move the carrier 21 to the right side in FIG. In this case, since the stopper pin 38 of the stopper means 37 is inserted into the notch 30b of the coating pedestal 30, only the carrier 21 enters the electrophoresis box 50 without moving the coating pedestal 30.
Next, when the motor 73 is rotated to further rotate the cams 71 and 77, the filter paper holder 64 is lowered.
At this time, the separation plate 68 provided on the filter paper holding plate 67 which had been pushed up from the filter paper holder 64 falls under its own weight, so even if the support 1 is attached to the filter paper holding plate 67, this separation plate 68 As it descends, it is separated and placed on the belt 29 of the carrier 31. Here, the carrier 21 is returned to the outside of the electrophoresis box 50 through the entrance 51a by means of racks and gears, and the support 1 is transferred to the next step of dyeing, decolorization, etc.

In addition, an outlet is provided on the opposite side of the electrophoresis box inlet.
When the support is transferred to the next step after the electrophoresis described above is completed, the carrier may be taken out from this outlet and transferred to the next step by appropriate means. Furthermore, a carrier having a structure similar to this carrier may be arranged outside one of the outlets, and this carrier may be introduced into the migration box from the exit side to carry away the support after migration. It goes without saying that when an electrophoresis box is provided with an exit in this manner, it is preferable to provide a shutter mechanism with a structure similar to that of the entrance.

As explained above, the support conveyance mechanism in the electrophoresis apparatus of the present invention is such that the sheet-like support can be placed on the same surface of the conveyor table and the receiving table and carried into the electrophoresis box. be.

Therefore, only the support is not conveyed, and the sheet-like support can always be maintained in a flat state on the pedestal, thereby completely eliminating problems such as catching, bending, and jamming.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a conveying device for conveying a support, showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a conveying platform and a coating tray, showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an electrophoresis box showing an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of FIG. 4; . DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Support, 21...Transport stand, 30...Coating tray, 50...Electrophoresis box.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a support conveyance mechanism in an electrophoresis apparatus in which a sheet-like support is placed and conveyed into an electrophoresis box, a carrier that can move forward and backward into the electrophoresis box; a cradle that can move forward and backward into the electrophoresis box together with a carrier and that can move up and down with respect to the carrier within the electrophoresis box, and the support is flush with the carrier and the cradle. A support conveying mechanism in an electrophoresis apparatus, characterized in that the support is placed on the electrophoresis apparatus.