JP2574126B2 - Sample centrifugation method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for centrifuging a sample such as blood for centrifuging.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Most of the conventional centrifugal separators of this type consist only of a combination of a centrifuge body and a drive source, and are integrated with a sample transport system to achieve systematization. I can't find anything.

[0003]

In the prior art, an operation of loading a sample into the centrifuge body, an operation of removing the sample from the centrifuge body after the centrifugation is completed,
Etc. were all done manually. For this reason, there have been many drawbacks in terms of hygiene, and it has been difficult to carry out a quick and accurate centrifugation treatment.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for centrifuging a specimen as described below. (1) A sample centrifugation method in which a large amount of sample can be efficiently centrifuged in a short time.

(2) A sample centrifuge that can immediately bring the rotor of the centrifuge into a well-balanced state even if the distribution of the loading positions of the sample containers loaded into the rotor of the centrifuge is unbalanced. Separation processing method.

(3) The transported sample-containing container can be automatically loaded into the centrifuge body, and the processed sample-containing container can be automatically removed from the centrifuge body and carried out. A sample centrifugal separation processing device that is capable of carrying out efficient and accurate centrifugal separation, which is preferable in terms of hygiene and efficient.

(4) Even if an imbalance occurs in the distribution of the loading positions of the sample-containing containers loaded in the rotor of the centrifuge body, the imbalance is automatically corrected, and the centrifuge rotor is always in a balanced state. Sample centrifugal separation processing device that can stably perform centrifugal separation processing.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, a sample centrifugation method and apparatus of the present invention are configured as follows. (1) In the sample centrifugal separation processing method of the present invention, a plurality of pre-processing sample container sets in a state where a sample-containing container before centrifugation is stored in a container holder are collectively taken in by a first method.
And a second step of loading by extracting the sample-containing container group from each of the pre-processing sample container set groups taken in in the first step, and sequentially feeding the sample-containing container groups to the respective container loading sections of the centrifuge body. A third step of sequentially feeding each container holder group after the extraction operation of each sample-containing container group in the second step to a standby area to be in a standby state, and in the second step, A fourth step of performing a centrifugal separation process by the centrifugal separator main body on the sample in the sample-containing container that has been completely loaded, and after the centrifugal separation process in the fourth step is completed, loading the sample into each of the container loading units. A fifth step of sequentially taking out the sample-containing container groups in a lump and collectively resetting them sequentially to the container holder groups in the waiting area in the waiting area. And a sixth step of sending out the processed sample container set group in a state in which each sample-containing container group after each centrifugal separation process is reset to each container holder group in the fifth step. . (2) The sample centrifugal separation processing method of the present invention is the method according to the above (1), wherein the feeding operation of the sample-containing container to the container loading portion of the centrifuge body is completed.
A seventh step of checking whether or not there is an unloaded portion in the container loading section of the centrifuge body that causes rotor imbalance; and, in the seventh step, an unbalanced rotor in the container loading section. And an eighth step of, when the presence of the loaded portion is confirmed, loading a dummy container containing the pseudo sample into the unloaded portion to secure the balance of the centrifugal separation rotor. (3) The sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus of the present invention carries out a sample container set before processing, in which a sample-containing container before centrifugation is stored in a container holder, from the outside to a container set transfer unit, and performs centrifugal separation. The post-processing sample container set in which the processed sample-containing container is stored in the container holder was taken out from the transport device provided so as to be carried out from the container set transfer unit to the outside, and the pre-processing sample container set. A centrifuge body having a plurality of container loading portions capable of loading a sample-containing container in the vicinity of the rotor and performing a centrifugal separation process on the sample in the sample-containing container, and a container loading portion of the centrifuge body. A standby device for holding a container holder in a state where the sample-containing container is pulled out during a period in which the sample-containing container is being fed, and a container set of the transport device. The plurality of pre-processed sample container sets captured by the sending unit are transferred to the container set transfer unit of the standby device, and the plurality of processed sample container sets captured by the container set transfer unit of the standby device, A reversible transfer device for reverse transfer to a container set transfer unit of a transport device, and a sample-containing container group extracted from the pre-processing sample container set group transferred by the reversible transfer device, and the sample-containing container group is separated from the centrifuge main body. Along with loading the sample-containing containers by collectively feeding them into the respective container loading portions, the sample-containing containers after the centrifugation process are collectively taken out from the respective container loading portions of the centrifuge body. And a sample container operating device that resets the sample-containing container group to the waiting container holder group to form a sample container set after processing. (4) The sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus of the present invention is the apparatus described in (3) above, wherein the dummy set in the vicinity of the standby device so that a plurality of dummy containers containing the pseudo sample can be taken out in a timely manner. In a state in which the container supply device and the operation of feeding the sample-containing container into the container loading portion of the centrifuge main body are completed, the container loading portion of the centrifuge main body has an unloaded portion that causes rotor imbalance. An unloaded portion detector for detecting whether or not, by the unloaded portion detector, when the presence of an unloaded portion that causes rotor imbalance in the container loading portion is detected, the sample container operating device is operated. And a balance securing means for securing a balance of the centrifugal separation rotor by taking out the dummy container containing the pseudo sample from the dummy container supply device and loading the dummy container with the unloaded portion.

[0009]

The following effects are obtained as a result of taking the above measures. (1) In the sample centrifugal separation processing method of the present invention, a plurality of sample-containing containers to be carried in are loaded into the container loading section of the centrifuge body one by one, and the sample-containing containers are extracted. The subsequent container holder enters a standby state in the standby area. Thus, for example, a large centrifuge rotor can be loaded with a large number of sample containers at once,
A large amount of specimen can be centrifuged at a high speed by a large centrifugal force. (2) In the sample centrifugal separation processing method of the present invention, when the sample-containing container has been completely loaded into the container loading portion of the centrifuge body, does the container loading portion have an unloaded portion that causes the rotor to lose balance? It is confirmed whether or not there is an unloaded portion, and if it is confirmed, the dummy container containing the pseudo sample is loaded into the unloaded portion. Thus, the unbalance of the centrifugal separation rotor caused by the unloaded portion is eliminated. Therefore, even if an imbalance occurs in the distribution of the loading positions of the sample-containing containers loaded in the rotor of the centrifuge body, the centrifuge body can be immediately brought into a balanced state. (3) In the sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus of the present invention, the transported sample-containing container is automatically loaded into the centrifuge body by the transport device, the standby device, the reversible transfer device, the sample container operating device, and the like. The sample-containing container after the processing is automatically taken out of the centrifuge body and carried out. Thus, the centrifugal separation of the specimen by the specimen centrifugal separation method is automatically performed, and the centrifugal separation is preferable in terms of hygiene, and can be performed efficiently and accurately. (4) In the sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus of the present invention, in the state where the sample-containing container has been completely loaded into the container loading portion of the centrifuge body, is there any unloaded portion in the container loading portion that causes the rotor to lose balance? No is detected by the detector.
When the presence of the unloaded portion is detected, the dummy container containing the pseudo sample is taken out from the dummy container supply device by the sample container operating device, and is loaded into the unloaded portion. Thus, the unbalance of the centrifugal separation rotor caused by the presence of the unloaded portion is eliminated. Therefore, even if an imbalance occurs in the loading position distribution of the sample-containing container loaded in the rotor of the centrifuge body, the imbalance is automatically corrected, so that the centrifugal separation process can always be performed in a balanced state. Will be.

[0010]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire system of a sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Transfer device 10
Is the container (eg, test tube) containing the sample before centrifugation.
The sample container set 3 before processing in which the sample container is stored in the container holder 2 is loaded into the container set transfer unit V from outside, and the loading lane 11 and the sample container 1 after centrifugation are stored in the container holder 2. And an unloading lane 12 for unloading the processed sample container set 3 from the container set transfer unit V to the outside. The first in the loading lane 11
A stopper 13 is attached, and a moving lane 4 described later is provided.
1 is provided with a second stopper 14.

The centrifuge 20 has a centrifuge body 60 housed inside a case 21. The upper wall 22 of the case 21 is provided with a window 23 through which a plurality of (five in this embodiment) sample containers 1 before processing can be inserted into and removed from the container loading portion of the centrifuge body 60. .
The window 23 may have a structure having an opening / closing lid (not shown).

The standby device 30 includes a rectangular empty holder standby lane 31, a stopper 32 attached near the end of the empty holder standby lane 31, and the standby lane 3.
When a moving lane 41 of a reversible transfer device 40 described later is inserted into the container set transfer unit W in which a part of the sample set 1 is cut off and the container set transfer unit W is inserted, the sample-containing container 1 exists in the moved lane 41. And a container confirmation sensor 33 for confirming whether or not it is in the container.

Thus, during the period in which the sample-containing container 1 is being fed into the container loading portion of the centrifuge main body 60, the standby device 30 is provided with an empty container holder in which the sample-containing container 1 is pulled out. 2 is kept on standby.

In the vicinity of the container set transfer section W in the standby device 30, a dummy container supply device 34 is provided. The dummy container supply device 34 includes the cylindrical holder 3
Among the plurality (five in this embodiment) of dummy containers 36 containing the pseudo sample held by 5, the specified specific one is provided so as to be selectively extruded by the extruding mechanism 37.

A reversible transfer device 40 is provided for reciprocating movement between the container set transfer units V and W, and is provided with a moving lane 41 provided so as to be connectable to a transport lane and a standby lane, respectively. A driving mechanism 42 including an air piston / cylinder device and the like for driving the moving lane 41 and selectively inserting the moving lane 41 into the container set transfer unit V or W is configured. Thus, this reversible transfer device 4
Reference numeral 0 denotes a plurality (five in this embodiment) of unprocessed sample container sets 3 taken into the moving lane 41 in the container set transfer unit V of the transport device 10 and transferred to the container set transfer unit W of the standby device 20. The container set transfer unit W
(5 in this embodiment)
Of the sample container set 3 after the processing
To the container set transfer section V.

The sample container operating device 50 includes the reversible transfer device 4
The sample container group 1 is extracted from the sample container set 3 before the process transferred at 0, and the sample container group 1 is collectively sent to each container loading section of the centrifugal separator main body 60. While loading the container 1 containing the specimen,
The sample-containing containers 1 after the centrifugation treatment are collectively taken out from each container loading section of the centrifugal separator main body 60, and these sample-containing containers 1 are reset to the waiting container holders 2 respectively. Then, the processed sample container set 3 is formed.

The sample container operating device 50 has an arm 51 provided so as to be movable up, down, left, and right, and is attached to the tip (lower end in the figure) of this arm 51, and a plurality (5 in this embodiment).
And a chucking mechanism 52 provided so as to be able to grasp the sample-containing containers 1 at a time.

The operation of each of the above-described devices 10 to 60 is controlled by a controller (CPU) C. The unloaded portion detector D detects the rotor imbalance in the container loading portion of the centrifuge main body 60 in a state where the operation of feeding the sample-containing container 1 to the container loading portion of the centrifuge main body 60 is completed. This is to detect whether or not there is a loading section. When the controller (CPU) C detects the presence of an unloaded portion that causes rotor imbalance in the container loaded portion by the unloaded portion detector D,
The sample container operating device 50 is operated to take out the dummy container 36 containing the pseudo sample from the dummy container supply device 34, load the dummy container 36 into the unloaded portion, and include balance securing means for securing the balance of the centrifugal separation rotor.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the centrifuge body 60 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG.
Is a main motor 61 for centrifugal separation, a drive shaft 62 connected to a rotation shaft of the motor 61, a centrifugal separation rotor 70 described later attached to a tip (upper end in the figure) of the drive shaft 62, A brake mechanism 63 including a disk 63a mounted on a shaft 62 and a brake 63b
And the slit disk 6 also attached to the drive shaft 62
4a and a light sensor 64b, a rotor rotation angle sensor 64, and a gear 65 similarly mounted on the drive shaft 62.
A gear 67 attached to the tip of an arm 66 so as to be able to mesh with the gear 65 as needed, an auxiliary motor 68 for driving the gear 67 to rotate, and a vibration sensor 69 for detecting abnormal vibration during centrifugal separation. It comprises a lock mechanism 80 described later.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a centrifugal separation rotor 70.
3A and 3B are a plan view and a side view, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the centrifugal separation rotor 70 is
A shaft 71 for fitting and fixing the central portion to the shaft 2;
, A plurality of spokes 72 provided radially, an annular body 73 connected to each end of the spokes 72, and a plurality of supports provided so as to be scattered at predetermined intervals on the outer periphery of the annular body 73. It comprises a projection 74 and a container loading section 75 attached between the support projections 74.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing only the container loading section 75 taken out. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A, the container loading section 75 has an axis O
0, at both ends of a rectangular parallelepiped base M which is disposed so as to face the tangential direction of the outer periphery of the base M between the support protrusions 74 so that the base M can rotate about the axis O. A support bar 78 provided with shaft portions 76a and 76b for supporting the shaft and a plurality (five in this embodiment) of tube support holes 77a to 77e arranged in the axial direction of the base M.
And container holding tubes 79a to 79e which are removably inserted with their necks locked in the respective support holes 77a to 77e of the support bar 78.

Thus, the container loading section 75 is attached to the outer periphery of the rotor 70 so as to hang in a free state. Therefore, when the rotor 70 rotates, the sample-containing container 1 is
8 and the container holding tubes 79a to 79e are rotated and displaced by centrifugal force so as to face the rotor radial direction (horizontal direction). In addition, on both side surfaces of the base body M of the support bar 78, uneven portions N for eliminating wind noise when the rotor is rotating are provided.
Are formed.

FIG. 4B is a perspective view showing a part of the sample container operating device 50 and a part of the lock mechanism 80 together with a part of the container loading section 75. As shown in the figure, the chucking mechanism 52 of the sample container operating device 50 has a plurality of (five in this embodiment) holding portions 54 provided on one side surface of a support base 53. Each of the holding portions 54 can grip the neck of the sample-containing container 1 by increasing or decreasing the distance between the pair of claws.

The lock mechanism 80 is provided below the container loading section 75 of the centrifugal separation rotor 70 and has a container holding tube 7.
It comprises a chucking mechanism provided to be able to chuck one of 9a to 79e. That is, a pair of chucking pieces 81 and 82 for chucking can be approached or separated from each other, and these pieces 81 and 82 are driven up and down as shown by arrows by a driving mechanism 83 such as an air piston / cylinder device. It has become something. Thus, the container holding tube 79 is held by the pair of holding pieces 81 and 82.
By holding one of a to 79e, the rotor 70 is stopped at a predetermined position.

The present apparatus constructed as described above operates as follows. As shown in FIG. 1, the pre-processing sample container set 3 transported on the loading lane 11 includes a second stopper 1.
4, the transport is stopped.
Stored on top. When five pre-processing sample container sets 3 are accumulated on the moving lane 41, the first stopper 13 operates to prevent the succeeding pre-processing sample container set 3 from further moving to the moving lane 41. Therefore, five pre-processing sample container sets 3 are taken in the moving lane 41. Next, the moving lane 41 is moved up by the drive mechanism 42 and fits into the cutout portion of the standby device 30, that is, the container set transfer portion W. Here, the container confirmation sensor 33 confirms whether or not the container 1 with a sample exists on the moving lane 41. If the required number of sample containers 1 are present on the moving lane 41, the sample container operating device 50 is operated based on the sensor information, and the five sample containers 1 are gripped. It is extracted. Then, the extracted sample-containing container 1 is collectively loaded into the container loading section 75 of the centrifuge main body 60 from the window 23 of the centrifuge 20.

On the other hand, the group of empty container holders 2 after the group of sample containers 1 has been extracted is sent out onto the standby lane 31 of the standby device 30. The group of empty container holders 2 sent out onto the standby lane 31 is transported in the direction indicated by the arrow.
The first container holder 2 is stopped by the stopper 32, the subsequent container holders 2 are also stopped sequentially, and all the container holders 2 are in a standby state.

A batch loading operation of the group of containers containing the specimen,
By repeatedly performing the standby operation of the container holder 2 group, the operation of loading the sample-containing container 1 into the centrifuge body 60 is completed.

At this time, if the number of sample-containing containers 1 to be carried in is equal to or greater than the total number of container holding tubes in the container loading section 75 of the centrifuge body 60, the container loading section 75 is loaded in a full state. However, if the number of sample-containing containers 1 to be carried in is smaller than the total number of container holding tubes of the container loading section 75 of the centrifuge main body 60, the centrifugal separation rotor 7
At 0, an unloaded portion occurs. If there is a possibility that imbalance may occur in the rotor 70 due to the presence of the unloaded portion, an operation for eliminating imbalance by using the dummy container 36 is performed.

That is, when an unloaded portion that may cause rotor imbalance is detected by the detector D, a detection signal is input to the controller C. Then, a balance operation command is given from the controller C to the sample container operation device 50 and the dummy container supply device 34. As a result, in the dummy container supply device 34, the pushing mechanism 3
The dummy containers 36 containing the pseudo sample at the position and the number designated by 7 are selectively pushed upward. On the other hand, in the sample container operating device 50, the arm 51 moves to above the dummy container supply device. Then, the dummy container 36 containing the pseudo sample in the extruded state as described above is taken out and loaded into the unloaded portion of the centrifugal separation rotor 70. Thus, the balance of the centrifugal separation rotor 70 is ensured.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show the dummy container 36.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a rotor imbalance eliminating operation by the above. (A) shows three container loading parts 75a, 75b, 75
In the case where all the container holding tubes of c are empty, 5
This is an example in which five dummy containers 36A are loaded into an empty container holding tube 79A to balance the whole.

(B) shows three container loading sections 75a and 75
b and 75c, the container holding tubes of the two container loading portions 75a and 75b at the symmetric positions are all empty, and the remaining one of the container loading portions 75c at the asymmetric position is empty.
In the case where three container holding tubes are empty, three dummy containers 36B are loaded into the three empty container holding tubes 79B.
This is an example of balancing the whole.

As described above, the dummy container 36 need only be loaded into an asymmetrical portion, and it is not necessary to load all the unloaded portions. Therefore, the size of the dummy container supply device 34 may be any as long as it can supply about five dummy containers 36 in this embodiment.

When the loading of the sample container 1 and the necessary dummy container 36 into the centrifuge body 60 is completed, when the main motor 61 is rotated, the drive shaft 62 rotates, and the centrifugal rotor 70 rotates at high speed. Therefore, a centrifugal force acts on the sample-containing container 1 stored in the container holding tube 79 of the rotor 70, and the sample-containing container 1 is rotated 90 ° from the posture at the time of steady state, and turns in a direction perpendicular to the drive shaft 62, that is, in a horizontal direction. The sample in the sample container 1 is centrifuged in this posture. By the action of the uneven portions N provided on both sides of the base M of the support bar 78, turbulence occurs in the air near the container loading portion 75 during rotation, and as a result, so-called wind noise is eliminated.

When the centrifugal separation process is completed, the main motor 61
Is turned off. At this time, since the brake mechanism 63 is operated, the motor 61, the drive shaft 62, and the centrifugal separation rotor 70 are decelerated within a short time and stop rotating. When the rotation is stopped, the sample-containing container 1, the container holding tube 79, and the support bar 78 return to the original vertical posture. The stop position, that is, the rotation angle of the centrifugal separation rotor 70 is detected by the rotor rotation angle sensor 64. When the stop position of the rotor 70 is deviated from the predetermined position, the gear 67 is engaged with the gear 65, and the auxiliary motor 68 operates based on the detection signal of the rotor rotation angle sensor 64. As a result, The rotation of the centrifugal separation rotor 70 is controlled to a predetermined rotation angle. When the rotation angle of the rotor 70 reaches a specific rotation angle, the rotation control by the auxiliary motor 68 ends, and the engagement between the gears 65 and 67 is released. Thus, the position of the container holding tube is managed.

When it is confirmed that the rotor 70 has stopped, the drive mechanism 83 of the lock mechanism 80 is operated, and the holding pieces 81 and 82 are raised, and the holding pieces 81 and 82 are moved to the container holding tube 79.
a to 79e. Therefore, the rotor 70 is kept stationary.

In this state, the sample container operating device 50 is operated, and a group of containers containing each sample in the container holding tubes 79a to 79e is collectively taken out and inserted into the container set transfer section W of the standby device 30. Carry to moving lane 41. In the moving lane 41, the first group of five container holders 2 among the empty container holders 2 waiting in the standby lane 31 are sent by the operation of releasing the stopper 32 or the like. Accordingly, the group of processed sample containers 1 transported from the centrifuge body 60 to the moving lane 41 by the sample container operating device 50 is collectively transferred into the container holder 2 group fed into the moving lane 12. Inserted and reset.

When the reversible transfer device 40 operates, the moving lane 4
Reference numeral 1 denotes a transfer device 1 from the container set transfer section W of the standby device 30.
0 is transferred to the container set transfer unit V. Here, the sample container set 3 is sent out to the carry-out lane 12 by the release operation of the second stopper 14.

The sample-containing container 1 thus carried in through the carry-in lane 11 is automatically loaded into the centrifuge body 60, and after the sample is subjected to centrifugal separation, it is automatically taken out of the centrifuge body 60. It is carried out to a target location through the carry-out lane 12.

The configuration, operation and effect of this embodiment are summarized as follows. (1) In the sample centrifugation processing method of the present embodiment, as shown by a solid line in FIG. 6, a sample container set 3 before processing in a state in which a sample-containing container 1 before centrifugation is stored in a container holder 2 is used. A first step S1 in which a plurality of samples (five in this embodiment) are taken together, and a sample-containing container 1 from each of the three pre-processing sample container sets taken in the first step S1.
The group is extracted, and each container loading section 75 of the centrifuge body 60 is removed.
A second step S2 for loading by sequentially and collectively feeding the sample holders, and each container holder 2 group after the extraction operation of each sample containing container 1 group in the second step S2.
A third step S3 in which the sample is sequentially sent to a standby area to be in a standby state, and the sample in the sample-containing container 1 which has been completely loaded into the centrifuge body 60 in the second step S2 is subjected to the centrifugal separator body 60. Step S4 for performing the centrifugal separation process according to the above, and after the centrifugal separation process in the fourth step S4 is completed, one group of the containers containing the specimens respectively loaded in the respective container loading sections 75 is sequentially and collectively taken out. A fifth step S5 of sequentially and collectively resetting each of the two container holders 2 in the standby area in the standby area, and in this fifth step S5, each of the sample-containing container groups 1 after the centrifugal separation is performed by And a sixth step of sending out the sample container set 3 after the processing in a state of being reset to the container holder 2 group.

Accordingly, a plurality of sample-containing containers 1 to be carried in are loaded into the container loading portion 75 of the centrifugal separator main body 60 at a time, and the container holder 2 from which the sample-containing containers 1 have been extracted is removed. The standby state is set in the standby area. Thus, for example, a large number of sample-containing containers 1 can be loaded into the large-sized centrifugal separation rotor 70 at a time, and a large amount of samples can be centrifuged at a high speed by a large centrifugal force. (2) The sample centrifugation treatment method of the present embodiment is the same as the method (1) described above.
And as shown by the dashed line in FIG.
When the feeding operation of the sample-containing container 1 into the container loading portion 75 of the centrifuge main body 60 is completed, whether or not the container loading portion 75 of the centrifuge main body 60 has an unloaded portion that causes rotor imbalance. 7th step S7 for confirming
When it is confirmed in the seventh step S7 that there is an unloaded portion that causes rotor imbalance in the container loading portion 75, the dummy container 3 containing the pseudo sample is supplied to the unloaded portion.
An eighth step S8 of loading the centrifugal separator 6 to secure the balance of the centrifugal separation rotor 70 is provided.

Therefore, when the sample-containing container 1 is completely loaded into the container loading section 75 of the centrifuge main body 60,
It is confirmed whether or not the container loading section 75 has an unloaded section that causes the rotor 70 to lose its balance. If the existence of the unloaded section is confirmed, the pseudo loaded sample is included in the unloaded section. Loading of the dummy container 36 is performed. Thus, the unbalance of the centrifugal separation rotor 70 due to the unloaded portion is eliminated. Therefore, even if an imbalance occurs in the distribution of the loading positions of the sample-containing containers 1 loaded in the rotor of the centrifuge main body 60, the centrifuge main body 60 can be immediately brought into a balanced state. (3) In the sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus of the present embodiment, the sample container set 3 before processing in which the sample container 1 before centrifugation is stored in the container holder 2 is carried into the container set transfer unit V from outside. And a transport device 10 provided to carry out the processed sample container set 3 in a state where the sample-containing container 1 after the centrifugation processing is stored in the container holder 2 from the container set transfer unit W to the outside, A centrifugal separator having a plurality of container loading sections 75 at the periphery of the rotor capable of loading the sample-containing container 1 taken out of the pre-processing sample container set 3 and performing a centrifugal separation process on the sample in the sample-containing container 1 The main body 60 and the container holder 2 with the sample-containing container 1 pulled out during the period in which the sample-containing container 1 is being fed into the container loading section 75 of the centrifugal separator main body 60 are removed. And transferring the plurality of pre-processing sample container sets 3 fetched by the container set transfer unit V of the transport device 10 to the container set transfer unit W of the standby device 30, The plurality of post-processing sample container sets 3 captured by the container set transfer unit W of the device 30 are transferred to the container set transfer unit V of the transport device 10.
Transfer device 40 for reverse transfer to the
The sample container group 1 is extracted from the pre-processing sample container set 3 transferred at 0, and the sample container group 1 is collectively sent to each container loading section 75 of the centrifuge main body 60, and The sample-containing container 1 is loaded, and a group of sample-containing containers after the centrifugation is collectively taken out from each container loading section 75 of the centrifuge main body 60.
A sample container operating device 50 is provided for resetting the group of sample containers 1 to the group of container holders 2 on standby to form a sample container set 3 after processing.

Therefore, the transfer device 10, the standby device 30,
The transported sample container 1 is automatically loaded into the centrifuge body 60 by the reversible transfer device 40, the sample container operating device 50, and the like, and the processed sample container 1 is automatically transferred from the centrifuge body 60. It is taken out and carried out. Thus, the centrifugation of the specimen by the specimen centrifugation processing method described above is all automatically performed, which is preferable for hygiene,
In addition, efficient and accurate centrifugation can be performed. (4) The sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus of the present embodiment is the same as the above (3).
And a dummy container supply device 34 installed near the standby device 30 and a container loading unit of the centrifugal separator main body 60 so that the plurality of dummy containers 36 containing the pseudo sample can be taken out in a timely manner. When the feeding operation of the sample-containing container 1 into the container 75 has been completed, the unloaded portion detector for detecting whether or not the container loaded portion 75 of the centrifugal separator main unit 60 has an unloaded portion causing rotor imbalance. D
And the container loading unit 75 by the unloaded unit detector D.
When the presence of the unloaded portion causing the rotor imbalance is detected, the sample container operating device 50 is operated to take out the dummy container 36 containing the pseudo sample from the dummy container supply device 34 and load the dummy container 36 with the dummy sample therein. , Centrifuge rotor 70
And means for ensuring balance.

Therefore, when the sample-containing container 1 is completely loaded into the container loading section 75 of the centrifuge body 60,
The detector D detects whether or not an unloaded portion has occurred in the container loading portion 75 that causes the rotor 70 to lose balance.
If the presence of the unloaded portion is detected, the dummy container 36 containing the pseudo sample is taken out of the dummy container supply device 34 by the sample container operating device 50, and is loaded into the unloaded portion. Thus, the unbalance of the centrifugal separation rotor 70 due to the presence of the unloaded portion is eliminated. Therefore, the rotor 7 of the centrifuge body 60
Even if an imbalance occurs in the distribution of the loading positions of the sample-containing containers 1 loaded at 0, the imbalance is automatically corrected.
The centrifugation process can always be performed in a well-balanced state. (5) The sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus of the present embodiment is the same as the above (3).
And the centrifuge body 60 includes:
An abnormal vibration detection sensor 69 is provided.

Therefore, when the centrifuge main body 60 loses balance due to any cause and the centrifuge main body 60 generates abnormal vibration, the abnormal vibration detection sensor 69 detects it, and the centrifuge main body 60 automatically turns off. The rotation will be stopped. For this reason, as described above, temporarily the dummy container 3
In the case where the imbalance of the rotor 70 does not disappear even after the loading of 6, the operation of the apparatus is automatically stopped. Therefore, the safety of the device is high. (6) The sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus of the present embodiment is the same as the above (3).
And the centrifuge main body 60 includes a main motor 61 for centrifugation, a rotor 70 driven to rotate by the main motor 61, and a plurality of containers provided on an outer peripheral portion of the rotor 70. A container loading section 75 having a holding tube 79; a brake mechanism 63 for braking the rotor 70 when the power of the main motor 61 is cut off; and a rotor 70 stopped by the brake mechanism 63 and stopped rotating. Rotor rotation angle sensor 6 for detecting rotation angle
4, an auxiliary motor 68 for stopping the rotor 70 at a predetermined specific rotation angle based on the rotor rotation angle detected by the rotor rotation angle sensor 64, and the auxiliary motor 68 stopped at a specific rotation angle by the auxiliary motor 68. A lock mechanism 80 for locking the rotor 70 in a stationary state.

Therefore, when the centrifuge body 60 is stopped, the rotor 70 is rapidly braked by the brake mechanism 63. Therefore, the rotor 70 can be stopped in an extremely short time after the main motor 61 is turned off. The rotation angle of the rotor 70 is detected by the rotor rotation angle sensor 64, and is accurately stopped at a specific rotation angle set by the auxiliary motor 68 based on the detected angle. Therefore, the operation of loading the sample-containing container 1 before the processing into the container loading unit 75 and the operation of taking out the sample-containing container 1 after the processing from the container loading unit 75 are always performed in the predetermined orientation of the centrifuge body 60. Can be done at corner positions. Further, when the rotor is stopped, the rotor 70 is kept stationary by the lock mechanism 80. Therefore, the loading and unloading operations of the sample-containing container 1 to and from the centrifuge body 60 can be performed extremely efficiently and stably. (7) The sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus of the present embodiment is the same as the above (6).
And the lock mechanism 80 comprises a chucking mechanism for chucking one of the container holding tubes 79a to 79e.

Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a portion to be chucked by the chucking mechanism in a part of the rotor 70, so that the structure is simplified. (8) The sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured as described in (6) above.
And the rotor 70 of the centrifugal separator main body 60 has a structure in which an annular body 73 is connected to a shaft 71 via a plurality of spokes 72, and an outer peripheral portion of the annular body 73. The container loading section 75 can be attached to the cradle.

As described above, the rotor 7 of the centrifuge 60
Numeral 0 has a structure provided with spokes like wheels of a bicycle or a motorcycle. That is, a space is provided in the flat plate portion of the rotor 70. Therefore, the weight of the rotating portion including the rotor 70 is reduced, and the capacity of the main motor 61 can be made relatively small. (9) The sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus of the present embodiment is the same as the above (6).
, And the container loading section 75 is provided at both ends of a rectangular parallelepiped base M which is disposed so that an axis thereof is tangential to the outer peripheral portion of the rotor of the centrifuge main body 60. Are provided with shaft portions 76a and 76b for pivotally supporting the base M on the outer periphery of the rotor so as to be rotatable about the axis O, and a plurality of support holes 77a to 77b along the axial direction of the base M. A support bar 78 having juxtaposed 77e, and container holding tubes 79a to 79e which are removably inserted into the support holes 77a to 77e of the support bar 78 with their necks being supported, respectively. When the rotor 61 rotates, the specimen-containing container 1 is rotated and displaced together with the support bar 78 and the container holding tubes 79a to 79e so as to be directed in the radial direction of the rotor by centrifugal force.

Therefore, the container holding tubes 79a to 79e are provided in the support holes 77a to 77e in the container loading section 75.
Since e is removably inserted, if a failure occurs in the container holding tubes 79a to 79e, it can be easily replaced with a new one. Further, when the centrifugal separation process is performed, the entire container loading section 75 including the sample-containing container 1 is rotationally displaced by the centrifugal force so as to be directed in the rotor radial direction, so that an efficient centrifugal separation process is performed. (10) The sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus according to the present embodiment is the apparatus according to the above (9), and the side surface of the base M of the support bar 78 has unevenness for eliminating wind noise when the rotor rotates. A portion N is formed. Therefore, when the rotor rotates, turbulence occurs in the air near the container loading section 75, and so-called wind noise is eliminated. (11) The sample centrifugation method and apparatus of the present embodiment include the following modifications.

A device having a standby device 30 having a substantially annular standby lane. As a drive source of the reversible transfer device 40 or the like, a drive source composed of, for example, a piston / cylinder device using hydraulic pressure is used.

The number of sample containers 1 to be operated collectively by the sample container operating device 50 or the like is less than 5 or 5
And more. A device provided with a lock mechanism 80 for locking a plurality of or all of the container holding tubes 79a to 79e collectively.

[0051]

According to the present invention, the following method and apparatus for centrifuging a specimen can be provided. (1) A sample centrifugation method in which a large amount of sample can be efficiently centrifuged in a short time.

(2) Sample centrifugation that can immediately bring the rotor of the centrifuge into a well-balanced state even if the loading position distribution of the sample-containing containers loaded into the rotor of the centrifuge is unbalanced. Separation processing method.

(3) The transported sample-containing container can be automatically loaded into the centrifuge body, and the processed sample-containing container can be automatically removed from the centrifuge body and carried out. A sample centrifugal separation processing device that is capable of carrying out efficient and accurate centrifugal separation, which is preferable in terms of hygiene and efficient.

(4) Even if an imbalance occurs in the loading position distribution of the sample-containing containers loaded in the rotor of the centrifuge body, the imbalance is automatically corrected, and the centrifuge body is always balanced. A sample centrifugal separation processing device that can stably centrifuge in a state.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a configuration of a centrifuge main body of the sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a centrifugal separation rotor of the sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a plan view,
(B) is a side view.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a main configuration of a sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view of a container loading section,
(B) is a perspective view showing a part of the sample container operating device and a part of the lock mechanism together with a part of the container loading unit.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an imbalance eliminating action by a dummy container of the sample centrifugal separation processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a sample centrifugation processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Container containing sample 2 ... Container holder 3 ... Sample container set 10 ... Transport device 20 ... Centrifuge 30 ... Stand-by device 34 ... Dummy container supply device 36 ... Dummy container 40 ... Reversible transfer device 50 ... Sample container operating device 60 ... Centrifuge main unit 70 Centrifuge rotor 75 Container loading section 79 Container holding tube 80 Lock mechanism

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A first step in which a plurality of pre-processing sample container sets in which a sample-containing container before a centrifugal separation process is stored in a container holder are collectively loaded one by one; A second step of extracting the sample-containing container group from the sample container set group, and sequentially loading the sample-containing container group into each of the container loading units of the centrifuge body, and loading the sample-containing container group in the second step; A third step of sequentially feeding each subsequent container holder group to a standby area to be in a standby state; and a sample in the sample-containing container, which has been completely loaded into the centrifuge body in the second step, A fourth step of performing a centrifugal separation process by the centrifuge body, and after completion of the centrifugal separation process in the fourth step, each of the container loading sections is loaded. A fifth step of sequentially taking out the loaded sample-containing container groups in a lump, and sequentially and collectively resetting the loaded container holder groups in the waiting area in the waiting area; A sixth step of sending out the post-processing sample container set group in a state where each of the sample-containing container groups after the processing has been reset to the respective container holder groups. 2. When the feeding operation of the sample-containing container to the container loading section of the centrifuge main body is completed, whether or not there is an unloaded section causing rotor imbalance in the container loading section of the centrifuge main body. And confirming the presence of an unloaded portion that causes rotor imbalance in the container loading portion. In this seventh step, a dummy container containing a pseudo sample is placed in the unloaded portion. The sample centrifugal separation processing method according to claim 1, further comprising: an eighth step of loading the centrifugal separation rotor to secure a balance. 3. A sample container set before processing in which a sample container before centrifugation is stored in a container holder is carried into the container set transfer unit from outside, and the container with sample after centrifugation is placed in a container. A transport device provided to carry out the sample container set after processing in the holder from the container set transfer unit to the outside, and a plurality of containers capable of loading the sample-containing containers taken out from the sample container set before processing. A centrifuge body having a container loading section at the periphery of the rotor and performing a centrifugal separation process on the sample in the sample-containing vessel; and the sample-containing container is fed into the container loading section of the centrifuge body. And a standby device for holding the container holder in a state where the sample-containing container has been pulled out during the period, and a plurality of containers taken in by the container set transfer unit of the transport device. The pre-processing sample container set is transferred to the container set transfer unit of the standby device, and the plurality of post-processing sample container sets captured by the container set transfer unit of the standby device are transferred to the container set transfer unit of the transport device. A reversible transfer device that performs reverse transfer, a sample-containing container group is extracted from the pre-processing sample container set group that is transferred by the reversible transfer device, and the sample-containing container group is loaded into each container loading unit of the centrifuge body. While loading the sample-containing container by sending it all at once,
The sample-containing container group after the centrifugal separation process is collectively removed from each container loading section of the centrifugal separator main body, and these sample-containing container groups are respectively reset to the waiting container holder groups and then processed. A sample centrifugal separation processing device, comprising: a sample container operating device serving as a sample container set. 4. A dummy container supply device installed near a standby device and a feeding operation of a sample container to a container loading portion of a centrifuge body so that a plurality of dummy containers containing a pseudo sample can be taken out at appropriate times. In the completed state, the unloaded portion detector detects whether the unloaded portion causing the rotor imbalance exists in the loaded portion of the centrifuge body, and the unloaded portion detector detects the unloaded portion. When the presence of an unloaded portion causing rotor imbalance in the loaded portion is detected, the sample container operating device is operated to take out the dummy container containing the pseudo sample from the dummy container supply device and load the dummy container with the unloaded portion into the unloaded portion. 4. The sample centrifugal separator according to claim 3, further comprising: balance securing means for securing balance of the centrifuge rotor.