JPS5829464B2 - Liquid segmented flow acquisition method and fluid supply device for continuous flow devices - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a liquid segment flow acquisition method and fluid supply device for an automatic analyzer.

An automatic liquid analyzer that selectively processes and analyzes multiple types of liquid samples passing through one after another is disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 279
It is described in each specification of No. 7149 and No. 3241432.

In such devices, multiple liquid samples are sequentially introduced into the analyzer in a continuous stream, mixed with reagents, and analyzed for specific components.

Successive liquid samples within the flowing stream are arranged in at least one sample having a volume sufficient to occlude the conduit directing said stream.
They are separated from each other by two air sections.

Contamination between successive liquid samples within the flowing stream is prevented or reduced by the presence of each air segment.

These air sections keep each successive sample separate and clean the interior of the conduit of remnants of previously passed samples.

In the sample supply device described in U.S. Pat. It is sucked between.

The volumes of successive liquid samples to be analyzed are thus separated by at least one wash liquid section and two closed air sections.

Each air segment serves to clean the interior wall of sample residue, while subsequent cleaning liquid segments entrain any lingering residue.

The introduction of a wash liquid section between each successive liquid sample can be achieved by providing a wash liquid reservoir into which the sample aspiration tube is immersed during its immersion into a successive liquid sample.

It is an object of the present invention to further reduce contamination between liquid samples of shebuki introduced into an automatic analyzer.

According to one feature of the invention, the continuous flow analyzer has a take-off tube for passing a stream of liquid separated by an immiscible liquid, and a sample supply device for supplying this flow to said analyzer has a take-off tube that is thicker than the take-off tube. a further tube having a diameter and a device for passing a continuous main stream of liquid separated by an immiscible fluid through the further tube, the withdrawal tube extending axially into the another tube and displacing the main stream from the main stream. A sample supply device is obtained which has a small volume and is adapted to take out the main stream in the axial direction of the main stream, which is divided at approximately the same interval as the main stream, through the take-out tube.

According to another feature of the invention, the invention comprises an aspiration tube, a support for a plurality of liquid sample reservoirs, and a cleaning liquid supply device positioned at a predetermined position relative to the support, the cleaning liquid The supply device includes a tube through which a continuous main stream of cleaning liquid separated by an immiscible fluid such as air bubbles is passed, and the withdrawal tube is moved into and out of each of the sample reservoirs, and the movement of the cleaning liquid into each of these sample reservoirs is controlled. The outlet pipe enters and exits the cleaning liquid pipe in a substantially axial direction between the openings and the outlet pipe to receive an axial portion of the divided cleaning liquid flow into the extraction pipe, and the axial portion is treated in the same manner as the main stream of the cleaning liquid, but this A sectioned sample supply device is obtained having a volume smaller than the main wash liquid flow.

According to yet another feature of the invention, in a method of producing a stream of liquid segmented by an immiscible fluid for a continuous flow analyzer, a main stream of liquid segmented by an immiscible fluid is transferred to a first tube. Passing a take-out tube having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the main body through the first pipe located in the axial direction of the main body,
A liquid segment flow acquisition method is obtained which consists in withdrawing, along the withdrawal tube, an axial portion of the main stream sectioned by the immiscible fluid, having a volume smaller than the volume of the main stream, but at approximately the same spacing as the main stream.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a liquid segment flow acquisition method and a fluid supply device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The sample supply device obtained in accordance with the present invention is generally similar to the sample supply device described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,134,263 to de Jong; In place of the cleaning container of the sample supply device, a cleaning liquid supply device illustrated in FIG. 2 is provided.

The illustrated sample supply device 1 comprises a support in the form of a turntable for supporting a plurality of removable sample containers 2 .

This rotary table is rotated intermittently by a suitable drive mechanism (not shown) so that each container 2 is delivered to the sample suction or removal section 3 at the sample supply station 4.

The removal piece 3 is placed on one side of each container 2 in a transverse movement between a position above each container 2 and a position above the cleaning liquid supply device 5 and in an up and down movement at the sample supply location 4. It is attached so that it can enter and exit the container 2 and the supply device 5.

The cleaning liquid supply device 5 comprises a conduit 6 with a U-shaped section 7 .

One arm 7A of the U-shaped portion 7 has an open conical end 8 and rests within the outer casing 9.

The cleaning liquid W containing the wetting agent is conveyed along the conduit 6, for example by a driven pump P, and air or other gas is periodically introduced into the cleaning liquid W via the conduit 10, so that the air separates the cleaning liquid. This allows the flow to pass through the U-shaped portion 7 while keeping the bubbles intact.

The periodic introduction of air is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,654,959.
This can be done using a mechanism such as that described in the patent specification.

The extraction piece 3 comprises an extraction tube 11 arranged to extend axially within the arm IA of the conduit 6 and an external support piece 12 .

The support piece 12 partially occludes the conduit 6 above the distal end of the extraction piece 3 when the extraction piece 3 is inserted into the conduit 6 as shown in FIG. Limit the amount of flow past the tip of the extraction device.

In operation, the extraction piece 3 is connected to the drive pump P and lowered into the sample container 2 at the sample location 4 to aspirate sample liquid from the container 2.

After a predetermined time, the take-out piece 3 is lifted from this container 2,
It is moved laterally to a position above the cleaning liquid supply device 5 and then axially into the arm IA of the supply device 5.

In this case, the funnel-shaped end 8 reliably guides the removal piece 3 axially into the arm IA.

During the time that the extraction piece 3 moves from the sample to the wash liquid, air is sucked into the extraction piece 3.

The extraction piece 3 aspirates the axial portion of the segmented wash liquid stream over a predetermined period of time and lifts it back into the next subsequent sample container 2 indexed to the sample supply location 4 .

The samples of ashbuki are thus separated from each other by the wash liquid stream separated by a selected number of trapped air bubbles and sent to the analysis section of the analyzer.

The number of air bubbles in the isolation cleaning liquid can be controlled, depending on the rate at which each air segment is introduced into the conduit 6 and the immersion time of the extraction piece 3 in the arm IA.

The cleaning liquid flow that is not aspirated into the extraction piece 3 flows beyond the extraction tube tip into the funnel-shaped end 8.

At the funnel-shaped end 8 the air separates from the cleaning liquid.

This cleaning liquid flows out via overflow pipe 13 into a waste sump.

The drive pump P causes a pulsation in the segmented flow flowing through the section 7 of the conduit 6, so that the velocity of this flow decreases instantaneously at predetermined time intervals.

Air is preferably introduced into the flow at the same time as these pulsations to reduce the effects of the pulsations.

In addition, the distance between each conduit 6,100 junction and the tip of the extraction piece when inserted into the arm IA changes in flow rate as the pulsation of the cleaning liquid flow brings bubbles into alignment with the tip of the extraction piece. It is best to arrange the location so that this does not occur.

This variation results in irregular dimensions of the suction bubble.

In some applications, irregularities caused by the insertion or withdrawal of the extraction piece 3 into the arm IA are not critical.

However, the speed of the extraction piece 3 is related to the velocity of the bubble along the arm 7A, and the extraction piece 3 is pulled up when its tip is immersed in the cleaning liquid section to maintain a constant bubble size. Good.

The squeeze portion formed in the supply device by the outer support piece 12 of the take-out piece 3, located beyond the tip of the take-out piece, maintains the integrity of the air bubbles sucked into the take-out piece 3, and the arm 6A.
This is sufficient to ensure that the bubbles within the tube do not easily break in the region of the distal tip of the dispensing piece.

The present delivery system described above eliminates or reduces carryover from one sample to the next using a simple and relatively inexpensive wash liquid delivery system that partitions the wash liquid flow.

The present delivery device is particularly useful for yes-no tests such as complement fixation tests, antibody filtration tests, and automated reagin tests.

Although the present invention has been described in detail above, specific examples of the configuration of the present invention can be summarized as follows.

(1) said patent further comprising axially positioning an inlet portion of said tube within said conduit and directing an unaspirated portion of said liquid flow along said conduit and beyond said artificial portion; A liquid segment flow acquisition method as claimed in claim 1.

(2) placing an inlet portion of the tube in fluid flow communication with a different fluid source in the second position; and while the inlet portion is in the second position, fluid from the different fluid source is supplied to the The method of claim 1 further comprising aspiration through a tube.

(3) disposing an inlet portion of the tube in said position so as to extend spaced apart into said conduit, and directing an unaspirated portion of said liquid flow past said inlet portion; The method of claim 1 further comprising partially restricting the flow of liquid at a location spaced downstream from the inlet section.

(4) the preceding clause further comprising: maintaining the inlet section submerged within the liquid section of the flow when the inlet section is removed from the conduit; The liquid segment flow acquisition method described in (3).

(5) intermittently introducing gas segments into a liquid continuously flowing along said conduit to form a stream of said liquid, said conduit when one said gas segment is introduced into said liquid; 3. The method of claim 3, further comprising maintaining an inlet portion of the liquid section immersed within one of the liquid sections.

(6) the inlet portion extends axially into the conduit element in the first position, the inlet portion comprising:
3. A fluid supply device for a continuous flow device as claimed in claim 2, having cross-sectional dimensions that do not obstruct the conduit element.

(7) The inlet portion is in fluid flow communication with a different fluid in the second position, and the suction means aspirates the different fluid through the withdrawal tube element. 3. The fluid supply device for a continuous flow device according to item 2.

(8) a protrusion on one of the conduit element and the outlet conduit element, the protrusion being spaced downstream from the inlet section at the first position of the inlet section and restricting flow within the conduit element; The fluid supply device for a continuous flow device according to item (6), wherein the fluid in the immiscible fluid section is glass.

(9) The conduit element is provided with an open funnel-shaped end for guiding the outlet pipe element therein, and the inlet portion extends through the funnel-shaped end. Fluid supply device for continuous flow equipment.

It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from its spirit.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a portion of an embodiment of the supply device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged axial sectional view of the cleaning liquid supply device of the supply device of FIG. 6... Conduit (another pipe), 10... Conduit, P... Drive pump (structure), 11...
・Take-out tube.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A liquid segment flow separation method for obtaining a flow of a subsequent liquid segment separated by an immiscible fluid segment for a continuous flow analyzer, comprising: (a) an immiscible fluid segment; (b) intermittently positioning an inlet portion of the conduit within the conduit and in fluid flow communication with the liquid flow; Liquid segment flow acquisition comprising drawing portions of the liquid segment and the immiscible fluid segment of ashelf sequentially through the conduit when the inlet portion is positioned within the conduit. Method. 2. (a) a conduit element; (b) a flow means for causing a flow of liquid divided by immiscible fluid sections to flow along the conduit element; , said first
an extraction conduit element having an inlet portion disposed within the conduit element and in fluid flow communication with the liquid flow at the positions; () moving means for moving the inlet portion to each of the positions; coupled to the withdrawal tube element, while the withdrawal tube element is in the first position, sequentially removing portions of the liquid section of the ash pipe and the immiscible fluid section from the liquid stream; suction means, the inlet portion being removed from the fluid flow communication while the inlet portion is in the second position;
Fluid supply device for continuous flow equipment.