KR20050103028A - A test fluid transportation device using a interval variable multi-capillaries - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sample solution transfer device using a variable spacing multi-capillary tube can be varied in the distance of the multi-capillary tube according to the position of the transfer device. To this end, in order to suck and transport each of the plurality of sample solutions at the same time, the suction discharge means 10 for sucking and discharging the plurality of sample solutions; A plurality of capillaries 10 having one end connected to the suction discharge means 10 and the other end immersed in the respective sample solutions; In the sample solution transfer apparatus comprising a; conveying means capable of transferring the capillary 10 in the XYZ axis direction orthogonal to each other, the interval of each capillary (10) corresponding to the first position and the second position of the conveying means An interval shifting means capable of shifting at predetermined intervals is provided.

Description

A test fluid transportation device using a interval variable multi-capillaries}

The present invention relates to a sample solution transfer apparatus using a variable spacing multiple capillary tube, and more particularly, to a sample solution transfer apparatus using a variable spacing multiple capillary tube can be varied in accordance with the position of the transfer device.

Generally, sample solutions, such as blood, are contained in each sample bath, and these sample baths are arranged in a matrix. Therefore, the sample solution transfer device enters the capillaries into these sample baths, sucks 4 to 10 sample solutions at a time, and transfers them to the next process.

However, in the conventional sample solution transfer device, since the space between the plurality of capillaries is fixed by a bolt or the like, not only the sample bath but all the containers to which the transfer device approaches should be arranged only at the same size or at the same interval. This conventional system only needs a little more space and has been widely used in many applications until now.

However, with the recent increase in the use of biochips, which are micro-analysis chips, for the inspection, analysis, and treatment of blood, proteins, genes, chemicals, etc., the conventional sample solution transfer device has great limitations in use. That is, the biochip has a variety of reagents buried on the chip, the pitch of these reagents is very fine, it was impossible to access the conventional capillary pitch. For example, the reagent pitch of the biochip is about 2 mm or less, and the pitch of the capillary is in the range of 10 mm to 30 mm. Therefore, the capillary can be sucked from the sample bath, but the sucked liquid could not be accurately discharged onto the biochip having a 2mm pitch.

If the spacing of the capillaries may be arranged as fine as the pitch of the biochip, in this case, there is another problem that the sample solution cannot be sucked from the sample bath. This is because the size of the sample set and the determinant arrangement are generally determined.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a sample solution between a sample tank 80 having a relatively large pitch (or spacing) and a biochip having a relatively small pitch. It is to provide a sample solution transfer device using a variable spacing multiple capillary tube that can be transferred.

The object of the present invention as described above, in order to suction and transport each of the plurality of sample solutions at the same time,

Suction discharging means 10 capable of sucking and discharging a plurality of sample solutions;

A plurality of capillaries 10 having one end connected to the suction discharge means 10 and the other end immersed in each sample solution;

Transfer means capable of transferring the capillary tube 10 in the X-Y-Z axis direction perpendicular to each other; In the sample solution transfer device comprising:

By a sample solution transfer device using a variable spacing multiple capillary, characterized in that it comprises a gap changing means for varying the interval of each capillary (10) at a predetermined interval corresponding to the first position and the second position of the transfer means. Can be achieved.

The gap shifting means includes holders 54 and 60 for holding each capillary;

A plurality of reciprocating means for reciprocating the holder 54 by a predetermined distance in one direction; And

Control means for outputting an operation command to each reciprocating transfer means based on the transfer coordinate data of the transfer device.

In addition, the reciprocating transfer means is a pneumatic cylinder 30 or a hydraulic cylinder, the holder 54 is more preferably fixed to the end of the cylinder (30).

In addition, since the cylinder 30 has different reciprocating stroke lengths, it is most preferable that the intervals of the capillaries 10 are equally spaced before and after the shift.

In addition, one of the plurality of holders is a fixed holder 60 fixed in the conveying means,

The remaining holders are most preferably moving holders 54 fixed to the ends of the cylinders 30.

The control means applicable to the present invention may be a programmable logic controller (PLC) or a microcomputer or a central control unit (CPU).

In addition, the reciprocating means is a linear motor, the holder may be fixed to the end of the linear motor.

In the present invention, the plurality of capillaries 10 ranges from 2 to 20, and the mutual spacing of the plurality of capillaries 10 is preferably 2 mm or less at the first position of the conveying means or 10 mm to 30 mm at the second position of the conveying means. Do.

Other objects, obvious advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the preferred embodiments according to the accompanying drawings.

Sample solution transfer apparatus using a variable spacing multiple capillary tube according to the present invention will be described in detail with the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a multi-capillary tube in an expanded state (second position) of a sample solution transfer apparatus using a variable-variable multiple capillary tube according to the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the sample solution transfer device of the present invention is approximately orthogonal XYZ axis transfer device (only Z-axis transfer device shown in Figure 1), suction discharge device 20, capillary tube 10, holder housing It consists of 50 and the cylinder 30. As shown in FIG.

The capillary tube 10 has an inner diameter of about 200 μm, and the material is made of stainless steel or an elastic synthetic resin material. In FIG. 1, eight capillaries 10 are expanded in a line. One end of the capillary tube 10 is directly immersed in the sample bath 80 or the biochip 70 to suck or discharge the sample solution, and the other end extends to the suction discharge device 20. The capillary 10 is fixed to the ends of the holders 54 and 60 and is subject to the swivel of the holders 54 and 60.

The suction discharge device 20 is located at the rear of the Z-axis servomotor 40 to be described later, and eight capillaries 10 are provided to generate positive pressure or negative pressure.

The Z axis servomotor 40 is a drive source for reciprocating the holder housing 50 to be described later in the Z axis direction (vertical direction). The drive shaft of the servomotor 40 is connected to the Z-axis ball screw 44 installed upright through the timing belt 42. Therefore, the rotational movement of the servomotor 40 can be converted to the vertical movement of the Z-axis ball screw 44. The member interlocking with the Z-axis ball screw 44 is a holder housing 50, a holder transfer guide 52, holders 54 and 60, and a cylinder 30.

The holder housing 50 is movable up and down by the Z-axis ball screw 44 and has a configuration for supporting both ends of the four holder transfer guides 52 arranged in parallel.

Holder transfer guide 52 is a circular cross-section rod, both ends are connected to the holder housing (50). The pair of holder transfer guides 52 are arranged up and down to prevent rotation of the holders 54 and 60, and four holders 54 and 60 are simultaneously connected. In addition, the pair of holder guides 52 are also arranged symmetrically in the holder housing 50, and functions to transfer and guide the other four holders 54 in the same manner.

Therefore, two holder transfer guides 52 pass through the holes formed in the respective holders 54 and 60, and the holders 54 and 60 are supported in one direction while being supported and guided by the holder transfer guide 52. Reciprocating transfer is possible. Specific shapes and configurations of the holders 54 and 60 will be described later.

The cylinder 30 is an actuator for directly driving the holders 54 and 60 and the capillary 10 connected to the holders 54 and 60. These cylinders 30 are arranged parallel to the expansion and contraction direction of the capillary tube 10, and seven cylinders 30 are used when eight capillary tubes 10 are used. That is, one capillary tube 10 is a reference point at which the position does not move, and the desired spacing can be obtained by expanding and contracting the intervals of the remaining seven capillary tubes 10.

In addition, each of the seven capillaries 10 has to travel relatively different distances with respect to the capillary 10 which is a reference point, so each of the seven cylinders 30 has a different stroke distance. In addition, the cylinder 30 used in the present invention is a pneumatic cylinder, but can also be replaced by an inlet cylinder.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the multiple capillaries in the sample solution transfer device shown in FIG. 1 are in a reduced state (first position). FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, as each cylinder 30 contracted, the eight capillary tubes 10 reduced the spacing to 2 mm or less. This reduced state (second position) is just before discharging the sample solution onto the biochip 70, which will be described later.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating only the multiple capillary regions in the expanded state of FIG. 1. 3 illustrates a part of the holder housing 50 in a cut state for convenience of description, and shows only a pair of holder transfer guides 52. As shown in Figure 3, the holder 54 is a capillary 10 is fixed to each end, four holders 54 are formed in one row, a total of two rows are arranged.

4 is an enlarged perspective view in which only the multiple capillary regions in the reduced state of FIG. 2 are enlarged. As shown in Fig. 4, each holder 54 is formed in a wedge shape in order to avoid interference between the holders 54 in a reduced state.

5 is a bottom view of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a bottom view of FIG. 4. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, four holders 54 are supported by a pair of holder transfer guides 52, and another four holders 54 are another pair of holder transfer guides 52. Is supported). Of the eight holders, the innermost holder of the equipment is a fixed holder 60 which is not transported, and the remaining seven holders are a movable holder 54 which can be transported along the holder transport guide 52. Such a configuration is to enable the seven moving holders 54 to maintain equal intervals based on the fixed holder 60 and to save one cylinder 30.

A link 35 is formed at the end of the piston rod 33 of each cylinder 30. One end of this link 35 is fixed to the piston rod 33 and the other end is fixed to the holder 54 by a bolt 56. 5 and 6 are plan views, and thus, not all seven cylinders 30 are overlapped, but in the present invention, seven cylinders 30, seven links 35, seven moving holders 54, and one fixing are not shown. Holder 60 has been applied.

7 is a partial perspective view illustrating a coupling relationship between a holder and a capillary region according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, one end of the capillary tube 10 is vertically disposed in the various sample baths 80 to facilitate entry and exit, and an inlet 7 having an inner diameter of about 200 μm is formed.

The holders 54 and 60 are generally wedge-shaped, and recessed grooves 58 are formed at sharp ends. The capillary 10 is inserted into and fixed to the recess 58. The fixing method may be one of adhesive or soldering or welding.

Hereinafter, the operation of the sample solution transfer device having the above configuration will be described.

First, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an enlarged state (second position) of the sample solution transfer device of FIG. 1 to suck sample solution from a plurality of sample tanks 80 having a wide interval. For the state shown in FIG. 8, the X-Y-Z axis feeder first places the holder housing 50 over the plurality of sample baths 80. At this time, a PLC (not shown) or a microcomputer (not shown) transmits an expansion command to each cylinder 30 through a relay (not shown), and accordingly, each cylinder 30 has an expanded state as shown in FIG. 5. do. At this time, the interval between the capillaries 10 is 10mm ~ 30mm.

Then, the Z-axis servomotor 40 rotates to lower the Z-axis ball screw 44 and thus the holder housing 50 is lowered together. Therefore, the area of the suction port 7 of each capillary 10 is immersed in the sample solution in each sample bath 80.

Then, the piston in the suction discharge device 20 descends to generate a slight sound pressure. This negative pressure serves to suck the sample solution into the capillary (10).

When the suction is stopped, the X-Y-Z axis feeder transfers the holder housing 50 to the first position of FIG. 9 which will be described later. Then, a PLC (not shown) or a microcomputer (not shown) transmits a contraction command to each cylinder 30 through a relay (not shown), and accordingly, each cylinder 30 is contracted as shown in FIG. 6. do. At this time, the interval between the capillaries 10 is 2 mm or less. At this time, according to the designer's choice, it may be contracted after being transferred to the first position, may be transported to the first position after contraction, or may be contracted during the transfer if necessary.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the multiple capillary 10 is positioned on the biochip 70 in a reduced state (first position) in order to apply the sample solution sucked in FIG. 7 onto a very small biochip 70. .

When the position is determined, the Z axis is lowered in the same manner with respect to the capillary tube 10, and the suction discharge device 20 generates a positive pressure to precisely discharge the sample solution in the capillary tube 10 onto the biochip 70. . When the discharge is completed, after some cleaning process, if necessary, the cylinder 30 is expanded again to return to the second position as shown in FIG. As this process is repeated, a plurality of sample tanks 80 placed in a matrix form are inspected.

In the present invention, a pneumatic cylinder is used to adjust the capillary spacing, but a hydraulic cylinder, a combination of a servo motor or a step motor and a ball screw, a cam or a linear motor may be used, which is easy for those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention. .

According to the sample solution transfer device using a variable spacing multi-capillary tube according to the present invention as described above, the sample solution is rapidly transferred between the sample tank 80 having a relatively large pitch (or spacing) and the biochip having a relatively small pitch You can. This has the effect of reducing the overall process time or inspecting more sample solutions per unit time.

In addition, since the capillary spacing can be adjusted as needed, it can be put into the transfer device without any additional movement during the inspection, analysis and processing of blood, proteins, genes, chemicals, etc. contained in containers of various dimensions. This is characterized by simplifying the preparation process for inspections.

Although the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments mentioned above, many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover such modifications and variations as fall within the true scope of the invention.

1 is a perspective view of a multi-capillary tube in an expanded state (second position) of a sample solution transfer apparatus using a variable-variable multiple capillary tube according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the multi-capillary tube in the sample solution transfer device shown in FIG. 1 is in a reduced state (first position); FIG.

3 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating only the multiple capillary regions in the expanded state of FIG. 1;

4 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating only the multiple capillary regions in the reduced state of FIG. 2;

5 is a bottom view of FIG. 3;

6 is a bottom view of FIG. 4,

7 is a partial perspective view illustrating a coupling relationship between a holder and a capillary region according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an expanded state of the sample solution transfer device of FIG. 1 to suck sample solutions from a plurality of sample tanks 80 having a wide interval;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which multiple capillaries are positioned on the biochip 70 in a reduced state in order to apply the sample solution sucked in FIG. 7 onto a very small biochip 70.

<Description of Symbols for Major Parts of Drawings>

7: inlet, 10: capillary,

20: suction and discharge device, 30: cylinder,

33: piston rod, 35: link,

40: Z axis servomotor, 42: timing belt,

44: Z axis ball screw, 50: holder housing,

52: holder transfer guide, 54: holder

56: bolt, 60: (fixed) holder,

70: biochip, 80: sample tank,

90: X axis feeder, 100: Y axis feeder,

Claims (10)

In order to suction and transport each of the plurality of sample solutions simultaneously, Suction discharging means 10 capable of sucking and discharging a plurality of sample solutions; A plurality of capillaries 10 having one end connected to the suction discharge means 10 and the other end immersed in each sample solution; Transfer means capable of transferring the capillary tube 10 in an orthogonal X-Y-Z axis direction; In the sample solution transfer device comprising: Sample solution transfer device using a variable spacing multiple capillary, characterized in that it comprises a gap changing means for varying the interval of each capillary (10) at a predetermined interval corresponding to the first position and the second position of the transfer means . The method of claim 1, wherein the gap shift means, Holders (54, 60) for holding each capillary; A plurality of reciprocating means for reciprocating the holder 54 by a predetermined distance in one direction; And And control means for outputting an operation command to each of the reciprocating transfer means based on the transfer coordinate data of the transfer device. The method of claim 2, wherein the reciprocating transfer means is a pneumatic cylinder (30) or a hydraulic cylinder, The holder (54) is a sample solution transfer device using a variable spacing multiple capillary, characterized in that fixed to the end of the cylinder (30). According to claim 3, wherein the cylinder 30 has a different reciprocating stroke length, the sample solution transfer device using a variable spacing multiple capillary, characterized in that the interval between each capillary 10 before and after the transition is equal intervals . The method of claim 3, wherein One of the plurality of holders is a fixed holder 60 fixed in the conveying means, The remaining holder is a sample solution transfer device using a variable variable capillary tube, characterized in that the movable holder 54 is fixed to the end of the cylinder (30). The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the control means is a programmable logic controller (PLC) or a microcomputer. The method of claim 2, wherein the reciprocating means is a linear motor, The holder is a sample solution transfer device using a variable spacing multiple capillary, characterized in that the holder is fixed to the end of the linear motor. 8. The sample solution transfer device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of capillaries are in the range of 2 to 20. 9. 8. A sample solution transfer apparatus using a variable spacing multiple capillary according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the mutual spacing of the plurality of capillaries (10) is 2 mm or less at the first position of the transfer means. 8. The sample solution transfer device of claim 1, wherein the mutual spacing of the plurality of capillaries 10 is 10 mm to 30 mm at a second position of the transfer means. .