WO2009093731A1

WO2009093731A1 - Centrifuge, analysis device using the same, and vessel for centrifuge

Info

Publication number: WO2009093731A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/051154
Authority: WO
Inventors: Junichi Oka; Yukihiro Sukawa
Original assignee: Arkray, Inc.
Priority date: 2008-01-25
Filing date: 2009-01-26
Publication date: 2009-07-30

Abstract

A centrifuge (2A) includes a motor (21) and a rotor (22) rotated by the motor (21). A vessel (3A) is suspended on the rotor (22) so as to be driven around a predetermined drive axis. The vessel (3A) has a bottomed cylinder (31) and is configured to hold a liquid to be processed. An end of the cylinder with a bottom (31) protrudes outward radially from the rotor (22) during rotation of the rotor (22). A part of the cylinder with a bottom (31) is configured to be a flat portion having a major axis in a circumferential direction (θ) of the rotor (22), and a minor axis in an axial direction (z) of the rotor (22).

Description

Centrifuge, analyzer using the same, and container for centrifuge

The present invention relates to a centrifuge and an analysis apparatus using the same. The present invention also relates to a container for a centrifuge.

As is well known, blood contains various components such as glucose, albumin and calcium in addition to red blood cells and white blood cells. When measuring the concentration of a component (plasma) other than the blood cell component, it is desirable to separate the blood cell component and plasma in advance in order to avoid measurement errors. For this purpose, a centrifugal device is usually used.

Conventionally, in order to automatically measure the concentration of components in blood, various analyzers incorporating a centrifugal device have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). FIG. 13 shows an example of a centrifuge built in such an analyzer. The centrifuge device X shown in the figure includes a rotor 91 that is rotated by a motor 92. A container 93 is suspended from the rotor 91. The container 93 is made of, for example, a translucent resin and contains blood 94 that is a liquid to be processed. The container 93 is formed with a shaft portion 93a. The container 93 can be pivoted with respect to the rotor 91 by the shaft portion 93 a being locked to the rotor 91.

In a state where the rotor 91 is stopped, the container 93 is suspended in the axial direction z. In a state where the rotor 91 is rotated in the circumferential direction θ by the motor 92, the container 93 is pivoted by the centrifugal force, and the posture is directed in the radial direction r. When this rotating state is continued, blood 94 is separated into blood cell components and plasma. Such an analysis device incorporating a relatively small centrifugal device X is compact enough to be installed on a table, for example, and is suitable for use in a relatively small clinic or clinic.

In the above analyzer, in order to further improve the measurement accuracy or to measure more items, it is necessary to increase the amount of the liquid to be processed (blood 94). For this purpose, the container 93 must be made large, but the rotor 91 containing the container 93 becomes large accordingly. In order to rotate the container 93 and the rotor 91 which are large in size at a rotation speed suitable for separation, it is compelled to make the motor 92 have a higher output. However, increasing the output of the motor 92 has a problem in that it increases the size of the motor 92 itself (and increases the power consumption), and consequently increases the size of the analyzer incorporating the centrifugal device X.

WO 02/016043

The present invention has been conceived under the above circumstances. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can handle a larger amount of the liquid to be processed and can reduce the size of the entire apparatus.

The centrifuge provided by the first aspect of the present invention includes a drive source, a rotor rotated by the drive source, and a container that is pivotally suspended with respect to the rotor and holds a liquid to be processed. A swing body provided with a space, wherein the swing body has at least a tip projecting radially outward from the rotor in a rotating state of the rotor, and from the rotor. At least a part of the protruding portion is a flat portion in which the rotation circumferential direction of the rotor is a major axis direction and the rotation axis direction of the rotor is a minor axis direction. Examples of the purpose of use of the centrifuge of the present invention include separation processing and defoaming processing of the liquid to be processed. In other words, by centrifuging the liquid to be treated, separation processing due to the difference in specific gravity of a plurality of components in the liquid can be performed, and bubbles generated in the liquid to be treated can be eliminated.

According to the above configuration, the radius of rotation of the liquid to be treated contained in the swing body can be remarkably increased. Moreover, in the flat portion, the major axis direction coincides with the rotational circumferential direction in the rotating state. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the air resistance that is received by the swing body projecting from the rotor. Therefore, the power required for rotation can be reduced while increasing the centrifugal acceleration applied to the liquid to be processed. Accordingly, the centrifugal device can be reduced in size.

Preferably, the flattening portion has a flattening rate that increases toward the tip. According to such a configuration, the air resistance of the swing body can be further reduced. Moreover, it becomes easy to inject the liquid to be processed into the swing body or to collect the liquid to be processed from the swing body. The cross-sectional shape of the flat portion is, for example, a streamline type. A plurality of dimples may be formed on the flat portion.

Preferably, the rotor is provided with a cover that is located closer to the rotational axis than the swing body and that is closer to the swing body than the position of the rotor in the rotational state than in the non-rotation state of the rotor. ing. According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the processing target liquid from being excessively evaporated from the swing body by the cover.

Preferably, the swing body includes a container that is detachable from the rotor. According to such a configuration, the container can be used as a disposable type.

Preferably, the swing body includes a casing suspended so as to be pivotable with respect to the rotor, and a container accommodated in the casing and detachable. Such a configuration can also reduce the size of the centrifugal device.

The analyzer provided by the second aspect of the present invention includes the centrifuge provided by the first aspect of the present invention and a measuring device for analyzing the sample separated by the centrifuge.

Such a configuration is preferable for making the analyzer small enough to be installed on a table, for example, while providing a sufficient centrifugal device to the analyzer.

The container for a centrifuge provided by the third aspect of the present invention includes a supported part for being pivotably suspended around a pivot axis with respect to the centrifuge and a right angle with respect to the pivot axis. And a bottomed tube portion having a longitudinal direction. At least a part of the bottomed cylindrical part is a flat part, and the flat part has the pivot axis direction as a major axis direction and is perpendicular to both the pivot axis and the longitudinal direction. The direction is the short axis direction.

According to such a configuration, the air resistance of the centrifuge device container can be reduced when the centrifuge device container projects from the rotor, for example, in a rotating state.

Preferably, the flattening portion has a flattening rate that increases toward the tip of the bottomed tubular portion. Such a configuration is advantageous for reducing the air resistance.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of the analyzer which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows 1st Embodiment of the centrifuge which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of the centrifuge shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows 1st Embodiment of the container for centrifuges which concerns on this invention. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4. It is a perspective view which shows the non-rotation state and rotation state of the centrifuge shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the mode of the cover in a non-rotation state and a rotation state. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7. It is a perspective view which shows 2nd Embodiment of the container for centrifuges which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows 3rd Embodiment of the container for centrifuges which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows 4th Embodiment of the container for centrifuges which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows 2nd Embodiment of the centrifuge which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the conventional centrifuge.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an example of an analyzer according to the present invention. The illustrated analyzer 1 is configured to measure the concentration of a specific component (for example, glucose, albumin, calcium, etc.) contained in blood. The analyzer 1 includes a housing 11, a centrifuge 2A, a slider unit 4, and a test piece table 5.

The housing 11 is made of resin, for example, and houses the centrifuge 2A, the slider unit 4, and the test piece table 5. A door 12 that can be opened and closed is provided on the front surface of the housing 11. In the state where the door 12 is closed, the centrifuge 2A and the test piece table 5 are accommodated in the housing 11. In the state where the door 12 is opened, the centrifuge 2A and the test piece table 5 can be pulled out from the housing 11.

The test piece table 5 is housed in the right portion of the housing 11 and can be configured to mount a plurality of test pieces. Each test piece is configured for multi-component measurement, for example, and a plurality of reagent pads are provided on a strip-shaped substrate. Each reagent pad is impregnated with a reagent that develops color in response to one of detection target substances such as glucose, albumin, and calcium. On the other hand, it is also possible to adopt a configuration for single component measurement in which only one reagent pad is provided on one substrate. Each test piece is held in a slit formed in the test piece table 5.

The slider unit 4 is housed in the left part of the housing 11 and is a drive device for projecting the centrifugal device 2A to an operable position. As shown in FIG. 2, the centrifugal unit 2 A is assembled to the slider unit 4 and includes a motor 41 and a belt 42. By rotating the belt 42 in a desired direction using the driving force of the motor 41, the centrifugal device 2A can be advanced and retracted in the arrow direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the centrifugal device 2 includes a motor 21, a rotor 22, a housing 24, and a container 3A. The illustrated centrifugal apparatus 2 is an apparatus for separating blood, which is a specimen, into a blood cell component and plasma, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the centrifuge of the present invention can be used for a defoaming process for eliminating bubbles generated in the liquid to be processed. The housing 24 has a substantially circular shape in plan view and houses the motor 21, the rotor 22, and the container 3A. The housing 24 has a lid 24a and a rotation space 24b. The lid 24a can be opened and closed. In the open state, the container 3A is loaded. In the centrifugation step, the lid 24a is closed. The rotation space 24b is a donut-shaped space surrounding the rotor 22, and allows the container 3A to rotate at a high speed in the centrifugation step.

As shown in FIG. 3, the motor 21 is disposed immediately below the rotor 22 and is directly connected to the rotor 22 via a drive shaft. The rotor 22 is made of resin, for example, and has a thick cylindrical shape. The rotor 22 has two locking portions 22a. Each locking portion 22a is formed as a semicircular groove, for example. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the rotor 22 is formed with a cover 22b and two spring portions 22c. The cover 22b is located closer to the center of rotation in the radial direction r than the locking portion 22a, and is suspended by two spring portions 22c. The spring portion 22c has, for example, a relatively thin bellows shape, and allows the cover 22b to move in that direction when an external force is applied to the cover 22b in the radial direction r.

The container 3A has a storage space for holding blood. The container 3A is made of, for example, a translucent resin, and includes a bottomed cylindrical part 31, two shaft parts 32, and a gripping part 33 as shown in FIGS. The bottomed cylindrical portion 31 extends in the longitudinal direction L and can inject blood from the opening 31a. As clearly shown in FIG. 5, the cross section of the bottomed cylindrical portion 31 has the pivot axis direction S as the major axis direction and is perpendicular to the direction N (longitudinal direction L and pivot axis direction S). The shape is a flat ellipse with the direction as the minor axis direction. The two shaft portions 32 are columnar shapes that protrude in the opposite directions along the pivot axis direction S from the bottomed tubular portion 31. The two shaft portions 32 are supported portions that are supported by the locking portions 22 a of the rotor 22. As a result, the container 3A functions as a swing body that is suspended so as to pivot about the pivot axis direction S with respect to the rotor 22. The two gripping portions 33 are tongue-shaped portions extending in the longitudinal direction L from both sides of the opening 31 a of the bottomed cylindrical portion 31. The two grip portions 33 are used by the user to carry the container 3A.

The container 3A having such a configuration is a disposable type that is replaced every time the blood centrifugation step is performed once. The container 3A has, for example, a total length of about 22 mm, an inner diameter of the bottomed cylindrical portion 31 of about 6 mm, and a volume of stored blood of about 340 μL.

Analyzing device 1 has an optical measuring device in addition to the above-described elements. This optical measuring device includes, for example, a plurality of light emitting elements and a plurality of light receiving elements. Each light emitting element is constituted by, for example, a light emitting diode (LED). Each light receiving element is constituted by, for example, a photoelectric conversion element, and receives light reflected from the reagent pad of the above-described test piece. For example, one multi-component measurement test strip (having five reagent pads) and six single-component measurement test strips (having one reagent pad) can be placed on the test strip table 5 at a time. When configured, this optical measuring device is provided with 11 light emitting elements and 11 light receiving elements so that 11 (= 5 + 1 × 6) reagent pads can be individually irradiated with light.

Next, the usage method and operation of the analyzer 1 having the above configuration will be described.

When measuring the concentration of a specific component (glucose, albumin, calcium, etc.) other than the blood cell component in the blood, it is necessary to centrifuge the blood cell component in the analyzer 1. For this purpose, first, the collected blood (for example, 340 μl) is injected into the container 3A. Then, the container 3 A is set on the rotor 22. As shown in FIG. 6, in this state, the longitudinal direction L of the suspended container 3A coincides with the axial direction z. By driving the motor 21, the rotor 22 rotates in the circumferential direction θ. In FIG. 6, the housing 24 is omitted for convenience of understanding. The rotation speed at this time is, for example, about 8500 rpm. As the rotor 22 rotates, a centrifugal force acts on the container 3A, and the container 3A pivots about the shaft portion 32. In the steady state of the centrifugal separation process, the container 3A is in a posture in which the longitudinal direction L substantially coincides with the radial direction r. That is, the container 3 A rotates in a state where most of the bottomed cylindrical portion 31 protrudes from the rotor 22 in the radial direction r. This protruding portion of the container 3 A rotates at high speed in the rotation space 24 b of the housing 24. By this rotation, centrifugal acceleration acts on the blood stored in the container 3A, and the magnitude thereof is approximately 1500 G at the blood level.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotor 22 acts on the cover 22b. As a result, the two spring portions 22c are elastically deformed, and the cover 22b moves outward in the radial direction r. That is, the cover 22b approaches the opening 31a of the container 3A that is pivoted approximately 90 degrees by the centrifugal force. As a result, the container 3A is completely sealed by the cover 22b or is covered with a slight gap.

The centrifugation step under the above conditions is continued for about 2 minutes, for example. As a result, the blood in the container 3A is separated into blood cell components and plasma. After the blood centrifugation is completed, the concentration of a specific component is automatically measured. This automatic concentration measurement basically includes spotting of the supernatant (plasma) on the reagent pad, optical detection of the color state of the reagent pad, and calculation of the detection result. The supernatant liquid is spotted by, for example, a pipette device (not shown) built in the housing 11.

Next, the operation of the analyzer 1, the centrifuge 2A, and the container 3A will be described.

According to the above-described embodiment, in the centrifugation step, a part of the bottomed cylindrical portion 31 that stores blood is in a state of protruding from the rotor 22. According to such a configuration, for example, the rotor 22 can be made relatively small in comparison with a configuration in which the container 3A is completely accommodated in the rotor 22 even in a rotating state (however, the rotation of blood) The radius is the same). It is possible to reduce the inertia moment of the rotor 22 by reducing the size of the rotor 22 that is a heavy object with respect to the container 3A and keeping it away from the center of rotation. This is suitable for rotating the rotor 22 at a high speed without increasing the output of the motor 21.

In addition, when the size of the rotor 22 is considered to be constant, the rotation radius of blood can be increased by causing the container 3A to protrude from the rotor 22. In addition, the portion of the container 3A that protrudes from the rotor 22 (bottomed tubular portion 31) has a major axis direction that coincides with the circumferential direction θ in the rotating state. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the air resistance that is received by the container 3 A protruding from the rotor 22. Therefore, the power required for rotation can be reduced while increasing the centrifugal acceleration applied to the blood. For example, when the container 93 is not protruded from the rotor 91 as in the configuration shown in FIG. 13, the centrifugal acceleration with respect to blood obtained by the motor 21 having the same specifications as in this embodiment is only about 1100 G.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the centrifuge 2A while appropriately centrifuging more blood. This is advantageous in that the analyzer 1 has a size suitable for being placed on a table while having a sufficient centrifuge capability.

It is preferable from the viewpoint of hygiene that the container 3A is a disposable type, and furthermore, it is possible to appropriately use the container 3A having a shape and size suitable for the amount of blood to be separated. Further, the container 3 A is not all accommodated in the rotor 22. For this reason, even when using containers having different shapes (for example, containers having different shapes of protruding portions), the rotor 22 does not need to be changed at all.

When the cover 22b approaches the opening 31a in the rotating state, the amount of air flowing around the opening 31a is reduced. Thereby, it is possible to suppress that the water | moisture content in the blood evaporates in a centrifugation process. This is suitable for increasing the measurement accuracy of the analyzer 1. Moreover, although such a countermeasure against evaporation is taken, it is not necessary to provide the container 3A with a structure for that purpose. This is suitable for reducing the cost of the container 3A used as a disposable type, that is, the running cost required for the measurement using the analyzer 1.

9 to 12 show other embodiments of the present invention. In these drawings, the same or similar elements as those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of the centrifuge device container according to the present invention. The illustrated container 3B is different from the container 3A described above in the shape of the bottomed cylindrical portion 31. That is, in the container 3B, the flatness ratio of the bottomed cylindrical portion 31 increases as it goes toward the tip (downward in the longitudinal direction L in FIG. 9). Specifically, while the width in the pivot axis direction S is constant, the direction N dimension becomes thinner toward the tip.

According to such a configuration, the air resistance to the container 3B generated in the rotating state can be further reduced. Moreover, the opening 31a accommodated in the rotor 22 in the rotating state has a small flatness. Even if the flatness ratio of this portion is small, an increase in air resistance is not caused. On the other hand, when blood is collected from the patient and then poured into the container 3 or when the supernatant plasma is collected by the pipette device described above, a nozzle or the like used for these operations is inserted from the opening 31a. There is an advantage that it is easy to do.

FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment of the centrifuge device container according to the present invention. The illustrated container 3 C is different from any of the containers 3 A and 3 B described above in the shape of the bottomed cylindrical portion 31. That is, in the container 3C, the position in the pivot axis direction S of the maximum dimension portion 31b having the maximum dimension in the minor axis direction is deviated from the center. This shape is a shape that approximates a streamlined shape. When the container 3C is mounted on the rotor 22 and rotates, the maximum dimension portion 31b is configured to be positioned in front of the circumferential direction θ. According to such a configuration, it is possible to further reduce the air resistance of the container 3C in the rotating state. Instead of the container 3C having such a streamlined cross section, a cross section defined by a plurality of straight lines, for example, a container having a rhombus shape (having a relatively long diagonal line and a relatively short diagonal line) is used. May be. In this case, in order to reduce the air resistance of the container in the rotating state, it is desirable that the relatively long diagonal is parallel to the pivot axis direction S in FIG.

FIG. 11 shows a fourth embodiment of the centrifuge container according to the present invention. The illustrated container 3D is different from any of the containers 3A to 3C described above in that the dimple 34 is formed in the bottomed cylindrical portion 31. The dimples 34 have a shallow circular shape, for example, and are arranged two-dimensionally at an equal pitch. According to such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the frictional force between the surface of the container 3D and the air, and it is possible to further reduce the air resistance.

FIG. 12 shows a second embodiment of the centrifuge according to the present invention. The illustrated centrifugal device 2B is different from the centrifugal device 2A described above in the configuration of the swing body. In this figure, the housing 24 is omitted for convenience of understanding. In the centrifugal device 2B, the swing body is constituted by the casing 23 and the container 3E. The casing 23 is suspended so as to be pivotable with respect to the rotor 22. The casing 23 may be detachable from the rotor 22. The casing 23 is formed with an accommodating portion 23a and two shaft portions 23b. The accommodating part 23a is a deep bottom concave part having a circular cross section, and accommodates the container 3E. The two shaft portions 23 b are used to suspend the casing 23 so as to be pivotable with respect to the rotor 22. The casing 23 is a flat part with the pivot axis direction S as the major axis direction. The container 3E has a bottomed cylindrical portion 31 and two gripping portions 33. The bottomed cylindrical portion 31 of the container 3E is cylindrical and has a shape that fits into the accommodating portion 23a.

When the rotor 22 rotates, the casing 23 and the container 3E rotate integrally as a swing body. Due to the centrifugal force at this time, the casing 23 and the container 3E pivot as in the case of the container 3A shown in FIG. As a result, a portion near the tip of the casing 23 is projected from the rotor 22. Even in such a configuration, the portion of the casing 23 protruding from the rotor 22 in the rotating state is a flat portion, so that the air resistance can be reduced while increasing the centrifugal acceleration to blood.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. The specific configuration of each part of the centrifuge according to the present invention, the analysis apparatus using the centrifuge, and the centrifuge apparatus container can be varied in design in various ways.

The supported portion formed in the centrifuge device container is not limited to the shaft portion 32 in the above-described embodiment. For example, a shaft portion may be provided on the rotor 22 side, and a hook-shaped portion as a supported portion that is locked to the shaft portion may be formed on the container 3A. 12 may be applied to the casing 23 shown in FIG. 12 having a shape with a flattening rate that increases toward the tip shown in FIG. 9, the streamlined shape shown in FIG. 10, or the dimple 34 shown in FIG. Good. The centrifuge according to the present invention is suitable for being incorporated in an analyzer installed on a table, but is not limited thereto. For example, the centrifugal device according to the present invention may be incorporated in a device other than the analysis device, or may be used alone.

Claims

A driving source;
A rotor rotated by the drive source;
A swing body that is pivotably suspended with respect to the rotor and provided with a storage space for holding a liquid to be treated, and a centrifugal device comprising:
In the rotational state of the rotor, the swing body projects at least at the tip thereof outward in the rotational radial direction from the rotor, and at least a part of the portion projecting from the rotor has a long axis in the rotational circumferential direction of the rotor. The centrifuge is characterized in that it is a flat part with the direction of the rotation axis of the rotor as the minor axis direction.
The centrifugal device according to claim 1, wherein the flattening portion has a flattening rate that increases toward the tip.
The rotor is provided with a cover that is located closer to the rotational axis than the swing body, and in which the position in the rotation state of the rotor is closer to the swing body than the position in the non-rotation state of the rotor. The centrifuge according to claim 1.
The centrifugal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the swing body is a container that is detachable from the rotor.
2. The centrifugal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the swing body includes a casing that is pivotably supported with respect to the rotor, and a container that is accommodated in the casing and is detachable.
The centrifuge according to claim 1, wherein the flat part is a streamlined type.
The centrifuge according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of dimples are formed in the flat part.
A centrifuge according to claim 1;
A measuring device for analyzing the sample centrifuged by the centrifuge,
An analysis device comprising:
A supported portion to be pivotably suspended about a pivot axis with respect to the centrifuge device;
A bottomed tube portion having a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the pivot axis;
A centrifuge container comprising:
At least a part of the bottomed cylindrical part is a flat part, and the flat part has the pivot axis direction as a major axis direction and is perpendicular to both the pivot axis and the longitudinal direction. A centrifuge container having a configuration in which the direction is a short axis direction.
The centrifuge device container according to claim 9, wherein the flattened portion has a flattening rate that increases toward the tip of the bottomed cylindrical portion.
The said flat part is a container for centrifuges of Claim 9 which is a streamlined type.
The centrifuge device container according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of dimples are formed in the flat portion.