JP4809718B2 - Nozzle device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a nozzle device, and more particularly to a nozzle device in which a nozzle tip is detachably attached to a nozzle base.

  The dispensing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a nozzle including a nozzle base and a nozzle tip attached to the nozzle base. The nozzle is used to dispense liquids such as samples and reagents. In the dispensing apparatus, an ultrasonic vibrator is provided at the nozzle base, and the ultrasonic vibration generated there is transmitted to the joint between the nozzle base and the nozzle tip. This can reduce the force required when removing the nozzle tip from the nozzle base.

JP 2000-19181 A

  According to the inventor's experiment, when ultrasonic vibration is transmitted to the joint between the nozzle base and the nozzle tip, as described in Patent Document 1, the separation required when the nozzle tip is removed from the nozzle base. It has been confirmed that power can be reduced. In this case, it is desired to further reduce the necessary pulling force or to realize chip removal without generating a mechanical pulling force.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a nozzle device that can reduce or eliminate the mechanical action required when removing a nozzle tip from a nozzle base.

  Another object of the present invention is to allow the nozzle tip to be easily removed from the nozzle base.

  Another object of the present invention is to prevent the dropping position of the nozzle tip removed from the nozzle base from being fixed.

  The present invention transmits a nozzle base, a nozzle chip that is detachably attached to the nozzle base, and a coupling point between the nozzle base and the nozzle chip when the chip is removed to remove the nozzle chip from the nozzle base. Ultrasonic vibration generating means for generating ultrasonic vibration; and air generating means for generating air to be blown to apply a mechanical action to the nozzle tip when the chip is detached, and transmitting the ultrasonic vibration In addition, the present invention relates to a nozzle device characterized in that the bonding force between the nozzle base and the nozzle tip is weakened by the blowing of air.

  According to the above configuration, the coupling force between the nozzle base and the nozzle tip is weakened by transmission of ultrasonic vibration to the coupling point, and further, the coupling force is further weakened by blowing air to the nozzle tip. . By combining the transmission of ultrasonic vibration and air blowing, the nozzle tip can be removed without adding mechanical action, or even if the mechanical action by another means for dropping is weakened. Sufficient removal can be achieved.

  The air generating means may be connected to a pipe drawn from the nozzle base, or may be provided in the vicinity of the nozzle base or in itself. Although it can be incorporated in the movable part, if it is provided outside the movable part, the burden on the mechanism for driving the movable part can be reduced. The air generating means is preferably configured separately from the dispensing pump, but may be integrated. When configured separately, and when the dispensing air flow path is also used as the blowing air flow path, it is desirable to provide an air generating means so as not to lower the dispensing accuracy at the time of dispensing. It is also possible to form the blowing air channel separately from the dispensing air channel. Although it is desirable to perform transmission of ultrasonic vibration and air blowing at the same time, their start timings can be determined as appropriate. For example, the generation of ultrasonic vibration may be preceded and the coupling force may be weakened, and air may be blown there. The spraying may be repeated intermittently or only once. You may make it provide the sensor which confirms the state in which the nozzle chip fell off.

  Preferably, the nozzle tip has an internal space having a tapered shape at least in a tip portion, and the air is discharged downward from the upper opening of the nozzle tip into the internal space. According to this configuration, air can be blown out from the opening formed in the nozzle base. In particular, if the inside of the nozzle tip is tapered, that is, has a tapered shape, the nozzle tip behaves like a closed space with respect to the air that is instantaneously ejected from the upper opening. It is possible to cause a phenomenon.

In the first reference example, the nozzle chip includes a chip head having an upper surface, and the air is discharged downward toward the upper surface of the chip head. Since the upper part is an upward surface, if air is blown downward from above, a downward pushing force can be applied.

  The air may be discharged from the horizontal direction with respect to the side surface of the nozzle tip. By applying a horizontal force, the fitting state of the nozzle tip can be broken to reduce the frictional force at the joint. The place where the horizontal force is applied is preferably a body part which is lower than the upper part of the nozzle tip. Preferably, the air generating means has an ejection pump connected to the nozzle base or a pipe extending therefrom.

  Preferably, it includes a transport mechanism that transports a nozzle composed of the nozzle tip and the nozzle base, and the transport mechanism positions the nozzle at the chip disposal station when the chip is removed, and below the chip disposal station, A chip accommodating portion for accommodating the dropped nozzle chip is provided, and the transfer mechanism changes the position of positioning the nozzle in the chip disposal station in a non-fixed manner. That is, if the nozzle tip can be removed by transmitting ultrasonic vibration and blowing air, it can be performed freely at any position, that is, it is not necessary to fix the removal position. The nozzle tip can be dropped at the position, and for example, the height of the nozzle tip waste can be leveled.

In a second reference example, the air generating means has a spraying mechanism installed at a chip removal station where a nozzle comprising the nozzle tip and the nozzle base is positioned, and the spraying mechanism includes the air generating means. And an injection nozzle for injecting the air generated by the air generating means to the nozzle tip. According to this configuration, it is possible not to mount the spray mechanism on the movable part including the nozzle, and the burden on the transport mechanism can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the mechanical action required when removing the nozzle tip from the nozzle base can be reduced or eliminated. According to the present invention, the nozzle tip can be easily removed from the nozzle base. Alternatively, according to the present invention, the dropping position of the nozzle tip removed from the nozzle base can be prevented from being fixed.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a nozzle device according to the present invention. The nozzle device shown in FIG. 1 is a dispensing device in this embodiment. That is, it is a device that sucks a sample or reagent with a nozzle and dispenses it.

  In FIG. 1, the dispensing head 10 is conveyed in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction (three-dimensional direction) by a conveyance mechanism (not shown). The dispensing head 10 is provided with a nozzle base 12. An ultrasonic transducer 16 is connected to the nozzle base 12. In the present embodiment, the nozzle base portion 12 has a pipe shape, and the ultrasonic transducer 16 is provided so as to surround the periphery of the pipe. As the ultrasonic transducer 16, a magnetostrictive transducer, an electrostrictive transducer, or the like can be used. For example, a bolted ultrasonic transducer or the like may be used.

  A nozzle tip 14 as a disposable tip is detachably attached to the nozzle base 12. An opening 14D is formed in the upper part of the nozzle chip 14, and the nozzle base 12 is inserted into the opening 14D, and a fitting state of both is formed. A flat upper surface 14 </ b> A is formed on the nozzle chip 14. The internal cavity 14B of the nozzle tip 14 has a tapered shape, that is, a tapered shape from the upper side to the lower side. Reference numeral 14C denotes the tip of the nozzle tip.

  A nozzle is constituted by the nozzle tip 14 and the nozzle base 12, and a dispensing process is performed by the nozzle. In the chip mounting station, the nozzle chips on the chip rack are mounted on the nozzle base 12.

  A dispensing pump 22 is connected to the nozzle base 12 via a pipe 18 as an air tube. The dispensing pump 22 is composed of a syringe and a piston in this embodiment. A pressure sensor 24 is connected to the pipe 18, and the pressure in the pipe 18, that is, the pressure in the nozzle is monitored by the pressure sensor 24.

  A three-way valve 20 is provided in the pipe 18, and an ejection pump 26 is connected to the three-way valve 20 in a state branched from the pipe 18. The three-way valve 20 connects the nozzle base 12 to a dispensing pump 22 in a normal dispensing operation. On the other hand, the nozzle base 12 is connected to the ejection pump 26 at the time of removing the nozzle tip, which will be described in detail below.

  The control unit 28 performs operation control of each component shown in FIG. The control unit 28 controls the operation of the signal generator 30, and the signal generator 30 supplies a driving signal for generating ultrasonic vibration to the ultrasonic transducer 16. The frequency and power of the drive signal can be appropriately determined according to the situation. For example, the frequency and power may be varied depending on the type of the nozzle chip 14. The drive signal may be constituted by a so-called burst wave train or a continuous wave.

  The operation of nozzle tip removal will be described. First, the dispensing head 10 is positioned in the region of the nozzle tip removal station 100. A dust box 102 is provided below the nozzle tip removal station 100, that is, the nozzle tip after dropping is accommodated in such an accommodation portion. The position at which the dispensing head 10 is stopped in the nozzle tip removal station 100 may be fixed, but in this embodiment, the nozzle tip removal position is not fixed by using ultrasonic vibration transmission and air ejection together. The nozzle tip can be dropped at various positions within the opening of the dust box. As a result, the height of the group of nozzle tip wastes can be leveled.

  When the nozzle chip is removed, a drive signal is given to the ultrasonic transducer 16 under the control of the control unit 28. The ultrasonic vibrator 16 oscillates in response to the drive signal, and the ultrasonic vibration generated thereby is transmitted to the joint portion between the nozzle base 12 and the nozzle tip 14 via the nozzle base 12. That is, ultrasonic vibration is transmitted to the joint surface between the two. As a result, the frictional force at the coupling point is reduced, and the coupling force for the nozzle tip 14 is weakened.

  On the other hand, the eject pump 26 is connected to the nozzle base 12 simultaneously with the drive of the ultrasonic vibration or after the start of the drive of the ultrasonic vibration, and a considerably large pressure is applied from the eject pump 26 through the pipe 18 by the operation of the eject pump 26. The air with the air is sent into the nozzle base 12. The air is discharged from the lower end opening of the nozzle tip 14 and sent into the internal cavity 14 </ b> B of the nozzle tip 14. In response to such instantaneous and powerful air, the internal cavity 14B of the nozzle tip 14 behaves as a substantially closed space, that is, a sealed space. Nozzle tip 14 is dropped from 12.

  That is, the ultrasonic vibration works to weaken the frictional force at the joint, and in such a state, the nozzle tip itself can be dropped by positively applying a force from above to below to the nozzle tip 14. It is. Of course, even if such air supply is applied, the drop-off phenomenon does not occur, or in order to more reliably remove the nozzle tip, the tip removal by a mechanical action using a tip remover or the like similar to the conventional one is used together. May be.

  As described above, the control unit 28 sets the stop position of the nozzle base 12 in the nozzle tip removal station 100 at random by the control of the transport mechanism, and as a result, the height of the nozzle tip discard group can be leveled. There are advantages. Moreover, since it is not necessary to remove the nozzle tip with a strong mechanical force by blowing out air, it is possible to effectively suppress the problem of liquid scattering that may have occurred in the past. Become. In particular, according to the ejection of air, it is possible to blow off the liquid droplets adhering to the inner surface of the nozzle base 12 or the lower surface thereof, so that the ejection of air exhibits a cleaning action simultaneously with the removal action of the nozzle tip. become. Further, since air is blown out to the inner side of the nozzle tip 14, it is possible to suppress the phenomenon that droplets scatter upward from the inside, and in that sense, there is also an effect of preventing contamination.

  The vibration of the nozzle base 12 is preferably so-called longitudinal vibration, but it may be lateral vibration. It is also possible to give a spiral vibration. In the present embodiment, the ejection pump 26 is provided separately from the dispensing pump 22, but the dispensing pump 22 can also be used as an ejection pump. Such a configuration has an advantage that the configuration of the apparatus can be further simplified. However, while the dispensing pump 22 exhibits the effect of performing high-precision dispensing, the ejection pump needs to generate a very large amount of air instantaneously, and there is exceptionally high accuracy with regard to air control. Therefore, it is possible to use an inexpensive pump as the ejection pump 26.

  The configuration shown in FIG. 1 has an advantage that the weight of the movable part can be reduced because the dispensing pump 10 as the movable part is not equipped with the ejection pump 26. However, as will be described later, an ejecting pump can be mounted on the dispensing head 10. In order to confirm the state in which the chip is removed, an optical sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the chip may be arranged in the nozzle chip removal station 100. The removal of the chip can also be confirmed by monitoring the pressure in the pipe by the pressure sensor 26.

  The principal part of other embodiment is shown by FIG. In this embodiment, the nozzle base 12 has a double cavity structure such as a double cylinder, and the cavity 40 in the central portion thereof is a dispensing cavity. Air from an ejection pump (not shown) is supplied via a pipe 44 to a cavity 42 configured as a separate space so as to surround the cavity 40. The air is sent into the internal cavity 14B in the nozzle tip 14 through the opening 42A formed at the tip of the nozzle base 12, and this exerts the action of pushing the nozzle tip 14 downward. 3 shows an A-A ′ cross section in FIG. 2. A double cavity structure is constructed as shown.

FIG. 4 shows a first reference example . A plurality of air passages 46 and 48 are formed in the nozzle base 12, and the openings 46 </ b> A and 48 </ b> A are opposed to the upper surface 14 </ b> A of the nozzle tip 14. An ejecting pump is connected through the pipes 50 and 52, and the air generated by the pump is strongly blown out from the openings 46A and 48A to the upper surface 14A side through the air passages 46 and 48. As a result, a pushing force from the top to the bottom is applied to the nozzle tip 14, and coupled with the transmission of ultrasonic vibration, the nozzle tip 14 falls off due to the ejection, or the coupling force with respect to the nozzle tip is increased. It can be weakened.

FIG. 5 shows a second reference example . In the configuration example shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of ejection ports 54 and 56 are installed in the nozzle chip removal station 100 in advance, and these ejection ports 54 are shown. , 56 is connected to an ejection pump 58. When the nozzle tip 14 is removed, the dispensing head is positioned at an appropriate position. In this state, each of the ejection ports 54 and 56 faces the upper surface 14A of the nozzle tip 14. If the air is blown out while transmitting the ultrasonic vibration to the coupling location in this state, the nozzle tip 14 can be removed from the nozzle base 12 as in the above-described embodiments. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 5, a mechanism may be provided in which each of the ejection ports 54 and 56 is moved forward and positioned at the ejection position in a state where the nozzle is positioned. According to the configuration shown in FIG. 5, there is an advantage that a pressure transmission means by blowing out air can be added to an existing dispensing system. Further, according to the configuration shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to clean the outer surface of the nozzle base 12 by discharging air. One or a plurality of openings constituting the ejection port can be provided. For example, a ring-shaped opening may be formed.

  By the way, a modified example will be described. It is also possible to mount the nozzle tip while transmitting ultrasonic vibration to the nozzle base. In that case, the force at the time of attachment can be increased by suction of air.

It is a key map showing an embodiment of a nozzle device concerning the present invention. It is a figure which shows the air ejection structure which concerns on other embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the A-A 'cross section shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st reference example . It is a figure which shows the 2nd reference example .

Explanation of symbols

  10 dispensing head, 12 nozzle base, 14 nozzle tip, 16 ultrasonic transducer, 18 piping, 20 three-way valve, 22 dispensing pump, 24 pressure sensor, 26 ejection pump, 100 nozzle tip removal station, 102 dust box.

Claims (5)

A nozzle base;
A nozzle tip detachably attached to the nozzle base;
An ultrasonic vibration generating means for generating an ultrasonic vibration transmitted to a joint portion between the nozzle base and the nozzle chip when the chip is removed to remove the nozzle chip from the nozzle base;
Air generating means for generating air to be blown to apply a mechanical action to the nozzle tip when the tip is removed;
Including
The nozzle tip has an internal space having a tapered shape at least in the tip portion,
The air is discharged downward from the upper opening of the nozzle tip into the internal space,
The nozzle device is characterized in that the coupling force between the nozzle base and the nozzle tip is weakened by simultaneously transmitting the ultrasonic vibration and blowing air to the internal space when the tip is removed . The apparatus of claim 1.
A dispensing pump connected to the nozzle base via a pipe is provided,
The nozzle device, wherein the air generating means is connected in the middle of the pipe. The apparatus of claim 1.
The nozzle base is
A first air passage connected to the dispensing pump;
A second air passage connected to the air generating means;
A nozzle device comprising: The apparatus of claim 1.
The nozzle device according to claim 1, wherein the air generating means includes an ejection pump connected to the nozzle base or a pipe extending therefrom. The apparatus of claim 1 .
A transport mechanism for transporting a nozzle composed of the nozzle tip and the nozzle base,
The transport mechanism positions the nozzle at a chip disposal station when the chip is removed,
Below the tip disposal station is provided a tip storage portion for storing the dropped nozzle tip,
The nozzle device according to claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism changes a position for positioning the nozzle in the chip disposal station in a non-fixed manner.

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