JPH0121469B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention Background Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a preparative dispensing device for separating and dispensing sample liquid such as serum using a nozzle and a tube.
This invention relates to the structure of a residual liquid remover used to remove residual liquid from a tube in the process of automatically cleaning and drying nozzles, tubes, etc. after fractionation.

Prior Art This type of preparative dispensing device has conventionally performed automatic separation and dispensing of serum using nozzles and tubes. Drying and wiping are also performed automatically.

The conventional cleaning process, drying process, and wiping process will be explained based on FIG.
On the other hand, the dispensing head 4 is attached to a drainage tank (not shown), and the nozzle tip 1 is immersed in the cleaning water.
The liquid flows through the suction tube 2, liquid feeding tube 5, and discharge nozzle 6 to clean them.

After this cleaning step, air is flowed through the nozzle and tube to dry and remove the cleaning water that has adhered thereto. Although the cleaning water on the nozzle and the inner wall of the tube is removed in this drying process, the cleaning water on the surface of the nozzle tip 1 is not necessarily removed sufficiently, and a portion remains. Since the remaining washing water has a negative effect of diluting the serum when it is collected again, hot air is blown onto the nozzle tip 1 to dry it. As for the discharge nozzle 6, as shown in Fig. 1, a sponge 8 attached to the sweeper 7 is brought into contact with the discharge nozzle 6 by the action of the solenoid 9, links 10, 11, and lever 12 to wipe the water bottle there. was.

Problems with the prior art However, in the conventional device described above, which wipes the water bottle with the sponge 8, the sponge 8 is not connected to the discharge nozzle 6.
As shown in FIG. 2, the lower part of the sponge 8 extends to the open end of the discharge nozzle 6 and comes into contact with it, so that the water droplets contained in the sponge 8 conversely enter the discharge nozzle 6 from the open end. However, wiping is insufficient. Moreover, if the wiping with the sponge 8 is repeated many times, dirt will occur and the absorption performance will deteriorate. For this reason, the sponge 8 had to be replaced within a short period of time, resulting in a drawback that maintenance was troublesome.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to spray air instead of wiping with a sponge.
To provide a structure for a residual liquid remover for a preparative dispensing device that can reliably remove water droplets attached to a discharge nozzle, does not deteriorate in removal performance even after long-term use, and is easy to maintain. It is something.

That is, the present invention provides a sample liquid dispensing tube means comprising a sample liquid suction nozzle provided at one end of a tube having a sample liquid flow path and a sample liquid discharge nozzle provided at the other end of the tube, and a cleaning liquid tank provided on the side of the discharge nozzle, and a drainage tank provided with an air blowing nozzle in a direction perpendicular to the discharge nozzle on a side surface provided on the side of the discharge nozzle; a removable dispensing head which fixes the discharge nozzle from its tip to the suction nozzle side so that the dispensing nozzle is located in an airtight manner with the drainage tank; a suction means for suctioning air; a suction nozzle moving means for moving the suction nozzle in and out of the cleaning liquid tank; and a dispensing head moving means for moving the dispensing head to be attached to and removed from the drainage tank; The moving means is operated to lift the suction nozzle out of the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank, and the other dispensing head is brought into close contact with the draining liquid tank, and the suction means is operated to suck the air in the draining liquid tank. By blowing out air from the air blowing nozzle while the inside of the drainage tank is under negative pressure, the air is sucked from the suction nozzle, passes through the sample liquid trajectory of the preparative/dispensing tube means, and is discharged from the discharge nozzle. Preparative dispensing comprising a control means that operates so that the cleaning liquid accumulated at the tip of the discharge nozzle is blown away by the air discharged into the drainage tank and blown out from the air blowing nozzle of the drainage tank. This is the structure of the residual liquid remover of the device.

Furthermore, the present invention is a specific invention in which the tip of the discharge nozzle is sharpened.

Specific description of the invention The present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

The structure of the residual liquid remover of the preparative dispensing device according to the present invention is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, this device includes a sample liquid separation/dispensing tube means 21 and a washing liquid tank 2.
2, a drainage tank 23, a dispensing head 24, an air suction means 25, a suction nozzle moving means 26 , a dispensing head moving means 27 , and control means (not shown) for these. The sample liquid separating and dispensing tube means 21 has a sample liquid suction nozzle 29 provided at one end of a tube 28 having a sample liquid flow path, and a sample liquid discharge nozzle 30 provided at the other end. The discharge nozzle 30 has a sharp tip.

Further, the cleaning liquid tank 22 is provided on the suction nozzle side. A water supply pipe 31 is connected to this cleaning liquid tank 22, and this is connected to a water supply tank 32. The water supply pipe 31 is provided with a water supply valve 33 and a water supply pump 34. Also, cleaning tank 2
Drain pipe 3 equipped with a drain valve 35 on the drain side of 2
6 is installed.

On the other hand, the drain tank 23 is provided on the discharge nozzle 30 side, and has an air blowing nozzle 37 horizontally attached to the upper side of the drain tank 23 . In this drain tank 23,
A drain pipe 38 is attached to the bottom, and an air trap 39 is connected to this drain pipe. A drain valve 40 is attached to the lower part of this air trap 39, and a vacuum pump 41, an air switching valve 42,
and a suction pipe 44 equipped with an air valve 43. Furthermore, the air blowing nozzle 37 attached to the drain tank 23 is connected to a tube 46 provided with an air valve 45 that opens and closes in pulses as shown in FIG. 6, and this tube 46 is connected to an air heating device as necessary. are doing.

The dispensing head 24 is fixed to the suction nozzle side so that the discharge nozzle 30 protrudes from its tip, and is removably configured to create an airtight connection with the drain tank 23. In this state, the tip of the discharge nozzle is positioned in the airflow blown out from the discharge nozzle 37.

The suction means 25 is attached to the side surface of the dispensing head 24, and is designed to suction the air in the drain tank 23 from there.

The suction nozzle moving means 26 is for moving the suction nozzle 29 into and out of the cleaning liquid tank 22.
, and then insert the tube 28 into the swing plate 49.
is installed. Note that there is an electrode 5 inside the tube 28.
0, 51 and a stopper 52 for closing the sample liquid passage.

The dispensing head moving means 27 is for moving the dispensing head 24 to be attached to and removed from the drain tank 23.
A compression coil spring 55 is provided between the dispensing nozzle 53 and the swing rod 54, and a sleeve 56 is provided around the discharge nozzle 30.

Specific Effects of the Invention The moving means 26 , 27 , the suction means 25, and the air blowing nozzle 37 are operated in a predetermined manner by a control means (not shown) as described below.

First, the operation of the sample liquid separating and dispensing tube means 21 during separation and washing, which are performed as a premise for the operation of the residual liquid remover according to the present invention, will be explained.

At the time of fractionation, the rocking plate 49 and the rocking channel 47 are lowered as shown in FIG. Immediately above the blood collection tube 57, the rocking plate 49 also stops at its lower limit. The tube 28 and suction nozzle 29 then enter the blood collection tube 57 along the guide 48, with the suction nozzle 29 stopping at the layer of bead separator 58. Here, the tube 28 is made of flexible silicone resin, for example, and is curved to prevent the suction nozzle 29 from being pushed down any further. Meanwhile, the dispensing head 24 descends and stops at the lower limit. In this state, the dispensing head 24 contacts the sample tube (sampler) 59 and is pressed by the force of the compression coil spring 55 to seal it.

The suction means 25 is connected to a vacuum pump 41 via an air switching valve 42 operating on the A side, and the operation of the vacuum pump 41 causes the sample tube 59 to open.
There is negative pressure inside. Therefore, when the suction nozzle 29 reaches the serum surface due to this negative pressure, the serum 60 in the blood collection tube 57 is discharged into the sample tube 59 through the suction nozzle 29, the tube 28, and the discharge nozzle 30.

When all the serum 60 is suctioned, the suction nozzle 29
Air enters from the stopper 52, which is detected by the electrodes 50 and 51, and the operation of the stopper 52 is temporarily stopped. Thereafter, the suction nozzle 29 and the tube 28 rise and stop at the upper limit, and the stopper 52 is opened. Since the dispensing side remains under negative pressure, all of the serum 60 remaining in the tube is discharged into the sample tube 59.

Thereafter, the vacuum pump 41 is stopped, the air valve 43 is opened, the sample tube 59 is returned to atmospheric pressure, and the dispensing head 24 is raised and stopped at the upper limit, completing the serum collection.

The washing after fractionation operates as follows.

After fractionation, the rocking plate 49, the rocking channel 4
7 and the swinging angle rod 54 swing and move to the position shown in FIG. The suction nozzle 29 and tube 28 are then inserted into the cleaning liquid tank 22, and the dispensing head 24 is lowered and attached to the drainage tank 23. Simultaneously with these lowerings, the cleaning liquid tank 22 is filled with cleaning water from the water supply tank 32 via the water supply valve 33 and the water supply pump 34.

Furthermore, the vacuum pump 41 is activated, and the air switching valve 42 and air trap 39 are activated on the B side.
The inside of the drain tank 23 is made to have a negative pressure through the drain tank 23. This negative pressure causes the cleaning water in the cleaning liquid tank 22 to flow to the suction nozzle 29,
These are washed through the tube 28 and the discharge nozzle 30 and discharged into the drain tank 23.

The residual liquid remover according to the present invention operates in the drying process that is performed after the above-mentioned washing process, and its operation will be explained below.

After cleaning, as shown in FIG. 5, the swing plate 49 constituting the moving means 26 is
rises, and the suction nozzle 29 is pulled up from the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank 22. The other dispensing head 24
is in the same state as in the cleaning process, that is, in close contact with the drain tank 23. In this state, the suction means 25 is operated by the control means to suction the air in the drain tank 23, and the air is suctioned from the suction nozzle 29 by blowing out the air from the air blowing nozzle 37.
This air passes through the sample liquid passage of the preparative dispensing tube means 21 and is discharged from the discharge nozzle 30 into the drain tank 23. This drying process usually lasts several 10 seconds.

However, after the lever is dried, some water droplets remain on the peripheral surface of the tip of the discharge nozzle 30. In the present invention, in order to remove the remaining water droplets, the control device is operated to open the air valve 45 in a pulsed manner. Since the inside of the drain tank 23 is kept under negative pressure by the vacuum pump 41, air is jetted out from the air blowing nozzle 37 when the air valve 45 is opened, and is blown vertically onto the tip of the discharge nozzle 30. Through this operation, water droplets attached to the outside of the discharge nozzle 30 are blown away and dried. In this case, the air blown out from the air blowing nozzle 37 may be at room temperature or may be heated air.

Specific Effects of the Invention In the present invention, water droplets adhering to the outside of the discharge nozzle 37 are removed by blowing air to dry this area. By making the tip of the nozzle 37 sharp, water droplets do not move to the back surface of the discharge nozzle 37, thereby improving the reliability of drying.

Furthermore, unlike conventional wiping devices, the residual liquid remover of the present invention can maintain its performance even after repeated use many times, so there is no need to replace it and maintenance is easy.

Other specific examples of the invention In addition, the present invention provides cleaning water to be flushed in the cleaning process, such as
Foods that have been heated in advance in a hot water tank (e.g. 50 to 70
°C) may be used. When heated washing water is used, the inside of the nozzle can be reliably cleaned of serum in a short time during the washing process. Furthermore, water droplets can be easily removed during the drying process.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional preparative dispensing device, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the main parts of the same device, FIGS. 3 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation during washing, Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation during drying, and Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation during air blowing. FIG. 21...Sample liquid separation/dispensing tube means, 22...
...Washing liquid tank, 23...Draining liquid tank, 24...Dispensing head, 25...Air suction means, 26...Suction nozzle moving means, 27...Dispensing head moving means, 28...
...Tube, 29...Sample liquid suction nozzle, 30...
...Sample liquid discharge nozzle, 31...Water supply pipe, 32...
Water tank, 33... Water supply valve, 34... Water supply pump, 35... Drain valve, 36... Drain pipe,
37... Air blowing nozzle, 38... Drain pipe, 3
9... Air trap, 40... Drain valve, 41
...Vacuum pump, 42...Air switching valve, 4
3... Air valve, 44... Suction pipe, 45...
Air valve, 46...tube, 47...swinging channel, 48...guide, 49...swinging plate, 50, 51...electrode, 52...stopper,
53...Dispensing nozzle, 54...Swivel angle bar, 55...
...Compression coil spring, 56...Sleeve, 57...
Blood collection tube, 58...bead separator, 59...sample tube, 60...serum.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A sample liquid dispensing tube means comprising a sample liquid suction nozzle provided at one end of a tube having a sample liquid flow path and a sample liquid discharge nozzle provided at the other end of the tube; A cleaning liquid tank provided on the nozzle side, a drainage tank provided with an air blowing nozzle perpendicular to the discharge nozzle on a side surface provided on the discharge nozzle side, and a cleaning liquid tank provided in the air flow blown from the blowing nozzle. a removable dispensing head that fixes the discharge nozzle from its tip to the suction nozzle side so that the tip of the discharge nozzle is located, and makes an airtight space between the dispensing liquid and the drain tank; a suction means for suctioning air from the tank; a suction nozzle moving means for moving the suction nozzle into and out of the cleaning liquid tank; and a dispensing head moving means for moving the dispensing head to be attached to and removed from the drain tank; The two moving means are moved to pull up the suction nozzle from the cleaning liquid in the cleaning liquid tank, bringing the other dispensing head into close contact with the draining liquid tank, and moving the suction means to remove the air in the draining liquid tank. By suctioning the liquid and blowing out air from the air blowing nozzle while the inside of the drainage tank is under negative pressure, the air is sucked from the suction nozzle, passes through the sample liquid passage of the preparative/dispensing tube means, and exits from the discharge nozzle. It is characterized by comprising a control means that operates so that the cleaning liquid accumulated at the tip of the discharge nozzle is blown away by the air discharged into the drainage tank and blown out from the air blowing nozzle of the drainage tank. A residual liquid remover for preparative dispensing equipment. 2. A residual liquid remover for a preparative dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge nozzle has a sharp tip.