JP4829022B2 - Pre-opening treatment device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a pre-opening processing apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus for performing a pre-opening process prior to an opening process for removing a sealing plug from a specimen container.

  In general, a blood sample pretreatment system includes a centrifugal separator, an opening device, a dispensing device, and the like. The centrifugal separator performs a centrifugal separation process on a blood collection tube containing blood collected from a human body. Thereby, in the blood collection tube, the blood sample is separated into a lower blood clot and an upper serum. In some cases, a separating agent is used to improve the separation of clot and serum. The blood collection tube is generally provided with a seal plug or a rubber plug. Here, the seal plug is adhered to the upper opening edge of the blood collection tube by the action of an adhesive or the like. Prior to dispensing, it is necessary to remove the sealing plug from the blood collection tube. The opening device described above is a device that executes an opening process prior to dispensing. And the dispensing process using a dispensing device is performed with respect to the serum in the blood collection tube after opening. That is, serum is divided into a plurality of child samples using the parent sample. The seal plug is generally a film-like member made of aluminum foil or the like. In some cases, the upper opening of the blood collection tube is sealed using a rubber stopper. The following Patent Documents 1-7 disclose various opening devices.

JP-A-5-294329 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-243463 Japanese Patent No. 2731729 Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-306467 Japanese Patent No. 2753200 Japanese Patent No. 3086417 JP 2005-289456 A

  In a specimen container such as a blood collection tube, the seal stopper is attached fairly firmly. When performing the opening process on the seal plug, a considerably large opening force is inevitably required. Specifically, a sufficient force is required to pull up and peel off the sealing plug. If a specimen (droplet) adheres to the lower surface (back surface) of the sealing plug at the time of peeling, it may be scattered around. When such scattering occurs, there arises a problem of contamination between samples (cross contamination). Even if the opening portion is surrounded by a cover, it does not prevent the scattering itself. In order to increase the operation reliability of the opening device, a means capable of reliably preventing the specimen from scattering is desired.

  An object of the present invention is to prevent or suppress specimen scattering that occurs when a seal plug is opened.

  The present invention relates to vibration generation that generates vibration in a pre-opening processing apparatus that performs pre-opening processing prior to opening processing for removing a sealing plug attached to an upper opening edge of a sample container containing a sample. And a vibration transmission unit that transmits vibration generated in the vibration unit directly or indirectly to the seal plug prior to the opening process of removing the seal plug. To do.

  According to the above configuration, since vibration is transmitted to the seal plug prior to the opening process, the liquid droplets adhering to the back side of the seal plug are dropped into the specimen container by the action of the vibration. It is possible to eliminate or reduce the risk of the specimen scattering when the seal plug is peeled off. Such pre-opening processing is executed prior to the opening processing. For example, after the centrifugation, the pre-opening process is applied to the specimen container before the specimen container to be opened is positioned at the opening position. However, the pre-opening process and the open process may be executed continuously or partially overlapping. The vibration transmitting unit may be in direct contact with the seal plug, or may be transmitted indirectly by contacting the sample container. Generally, the former can efficiently obtain a droplet sieving action, and the former can prevent problems such as bubbling of a specimen in a specimen container. The pre-opening process may be executed by pulling up the sample container from the sample rack, or the pre-opening process may be executed on the sample container while being held in the sample rack. As long as vibration is applied continuously or intermittently, vibration having an audible frequency can be used. However, it is desirable to use ultrasonic waves if harsh sounds are generated. .

  Preferably, the vibration transmission unit transmits the vibration to the upper surface of the seal plug, and thereby drops a droplet attached to the lower surface of the seal plug into the sample container. It is also possible to drop the droplets adhering to the inner surface of the sample container by transmitting vibrations to the sample container.

  Preferably, the vibration generating unit includes an ultrasonic vibrator that generates ultrasonic vibration. Preferably, the vibration transmitting unit has a contact surface that contacts the periphery of the elastic member on the upper surface of the seal plug. The elastic member is generally provided at the center of the seal plug and functions as a member into which a sharp needle such as an injection needle is inserted. If vibration is directly transmitted to the elastic member, in some cases, the elastic member absorbs vibration and vibration is not efficiently transmitted to the seal plug itself. It is desirable to transmit vibration directly to the surroundings. The ultrasonic vibration may be transmitted to the inner region of the seal plug, not to the region where the seal plug is attached, that is, the region of the upper opening edge. According to this, the vibration of the seal plug can be increased. Preferably, an elevating mechanism is provided that lowers the vibration transmitting portion so that the contact surface of the vibration transmitting portion contacts the upper surface of the seal plug.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent or suppress specimen scattering that occurs when the seal plug is opened.

  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 pre-opening processing apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the device is shown as a pre-opening mechanism 24. The plug opening pretreatment mechanism 24 constitutes a plug opening device together with the plug opening mechanism 26.

  The opening device is incorporated in, for example, a dispensing system. The dispensing system has a centrifugal separator, an opening device, a dispensing device, and the like from the upstream side to the downstream side. Incidentally, the sample container to be transported is a blood collection tube in the present embodiment, and blood collected from a human body is accommodated as a sample in the blood collection tube.

  In FIG. 1, the plug opening device includes the plug opening pre-processing mechanism 24 and the plug opening mechanism 26 as described above, and further includes the transport mechanism 10 and the controller 28. The transport mechanism 10 includes a belt 12 that transports the racks 14 and 16. Each rack 14 and 16 holds a plurality of blood collection tubes (test tubes as specimen containers). The blood collection tubes 20 and 22 as the sample containers have seal plugs 20A and 22A attached to the upper opening edges thereof. After centrifuging and before dispensing, a capping mechanism 26 is used to remove the sealing plug from each blood collection tube, and blood droplets attached to the back surface of the sealing plug are collected prior to the capping process. A pre-opening process is performed to drop into the tube. The seal plug is provided with a tab 22B as a knob.

  The opening mechanism 26 includes a chuck mechanism 42, an opening guide mechanism 40, a blood collection tube holding mechanism (not shown), and the like. The target blood collection tube 22 is pulled up from the rack 16, the tab 22 </ b> B is sandwiched by the chuck mechanism 42 under the guidance of the opening guide mechanism 40, and the container 22 is lowered downward in this state, whereby the container The seal plug 22 </ b> A can be peeled off from 22 and removed. Since the position where the tab 22B exists is different for each blood collection tube, the blood collection tube holding mechanism (rotation mechanism) (not shown) rotates the blood collection tube 22, and the opening guide mechanism 40 causes the tab 22B to be chucked. The mechanism 42 exhibits the action of holding the tab 22B. The opening mechanism 26 is known per se.

  The controller 28 controls the operation of each component included in the apparatus. The controller 28 also controls the operation of the signal generator 36, and the signal generator 36 supplies a drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer included in the vibration unit. The frequency, amplitude, and waveform form of the ultrasonic wave can be appropriately determined by the action of the controller 28.

  FIG. 2 shows the operation of the opening mechanism 26. As shown in (A), the upper portion 50C of the blood collection tube 50 is slightly enlarged, and a seal plug 50A is attached to the upper opening edge, which is the upper surface, with an adhesive. The seal plug 50A has the tab 50B as described above. The plug opening mechanism 26 shown in FIG. 1 pinches the tab 50B, and a blood collection tube holding mechanism (not shown) pulls the blood collection tube downward, so that the seal plug 50A is peeled off. This is shown in FIG. 2 from (B) to (D). In the process of peeling off the seal plug 50A, if a droplet, that is, a specimen adheres to the back surface 50E of the seal plug 50A, the droplet may be scattered to the outside due to the peeling force or the reaction force at the time of peeling. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the liquid drop adhering to the back surface of the seal plug is removed in advance by the plug opening pretreatment mechanism 24 shown in FIG.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the pre-opening processing mechanism 24 executes pre-opening processing on the blood collection tube 20 held by the positioned rack 14 on the upstream side of the position where the opening processing is performed. The plug opening pretreatment mechanism 24 includes an actuator 34, a vibration unit 30, and a transmission unit 32. The vibration unit 30 and the transmission unit 32 may be collectively referred to as a striking head 29. The actuator 34 drives the striking head 29 in the vertical direction. In the present embodiment, an ultrasonic vibrator is built in the vibration unit 30, and ultrasonic vibration is generated by the ultrasonic vibrator. The ultrasonic vibration is transmitted to the transmission unit 32.

  In the pre-opening pretreatment, the striking head 29 is pulled down from the upper side of the blood collection tube 20 held in the rack 14 to the upper surface of the seal plug 20A, and the lower surface, that is, the contact surface of the transmission portion 32 is the seal plug. It is closely attached to the upper surface of 20A. In this state, the ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic vibrator is transmitted to the seal plug 20A via the transmission unit 32. As a result, it is possible to shake down the liquid droplets adhering to the back surface of the seal plug 20A. After the pre-opening processing for the blood collection tube 20 is completed, the striking head 29 is lifted upward, the rack 14 is sent forward by one step, and the pre-opening processing is executed for the next blood collection tube. This is repeated.

  FIG. 3 conceptually shows a perspective view of the pre-opening processing mechanism. As described above, the transport mechanism 10 has the belt 12, and a rack (not shown) is transported by the belt 12. With respect to the blood collection tube that has reached the pre-opening processing position, the impact head is pulled down from above by the action of the actuator 34, and the transmission portion 32 is brought into contact with the seal plug. In this state, the ultrasonic vibration generated in the vibration unit 30 is transmitted to the seal plug via the transmission unit 32.

  4 to 6 show some specific examples of the transmission unit. In each figure, a seal plug 50A is affixed to the upper opening edge of the blood collection tube 50, and an elastic member 52 is provided at the center of the seal plug 50A. The elastic member 52 is a member for piercing an injection needle, for example.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, the central portion of the transmission portion 32 </ b> A is a cavity 100, and the elastic member 52 is not in contact with the transmission portion 32 </ b> A by the cavity 100. The lower surface, that is, the contact surface of the transmission portion 32A entirely covers the periphery of the elastic member 52, and thereby ultrasonic vibration is transmitted over a wide range of the seal plug 50A. As a result, as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 4, the droplet attached to the back surface 50 </ b> E of the seal stopper 50 </ b> A falls downward, and in some cases, the droplet attached to the upper inner surface 50 </ b> F of the blood collection tube 50. Will fall down. According to such a process, there is an advantage that droplets can be effectively prevented or reduced even when the seal plug is peeled off during the opening process.

  In the example shown in FIG. 5, the ring-shaped contact surface of the transmission portion 32 </ b> B is in contact with the area around the elastic member 52 on the upper surface of the seal plug 50 </ b> A and inside the upper opening edge 50 </ b> B. That is, according to this configuration, the longitudinal wave is not generated linearly with respect to the container of the blood collection tube, but the longitudinal wave is efficiently transmitted to the seal plug 50A, and the seal plug 50A is vibrated greatly. It becomes possible. Also in this example, the transmitting portion 32B is formed with a hollow portion 102 for avoiding direct contact with the elastic member 52.

  4 and 5, the transmission of ultrasonic waves to the elastic member 52 is avoided. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the ultrasonic vibration from the transmitting portion 32C to the elastic member 52 is avoided. It is also possible to vibrate the seal plug 50A through the elastic member 52.

  In the above embodiment, ultrasonic vibration is used. However, droplets may be shaken off using a sound wave having a frequency lower than that. However, if sound waves in the audible range are used, they may be heard as harsh sounds in some cases. Therefore, it is desirable to use ultrasonic vibration when such problems occur.

  In the striking head 29 shown in FIG. 1, it is desirable to design the lower surface of the transmission portion 32, that is, the position of the contact surface, to be the position of the vibration antinode, ie, the maximum amplitude. In this embodiment, the vibration is directly transmitted to the seal plug, but the vibration is transmitted to the main body of the blood collection tube, and the vibration is transmitted from the main body to the seal plug. Is also possible.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the opening pretreatment mechanism is provided separately from the opening mechanism. However, the opening mechanism and the opening pretreatment mechanism are integrated to form a series of opening processes. In the process, pre-opening treatment may be performed. For example, the droplet shaking process may be performed when the blood collection tube is lifted upward, and then the seal plug may be quickly removed.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the stopper opening pretreatment apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating an opening process. It is a perspective view of an opening pretreatment mechanism. It is a figure which shows an example of a transmission part. It is a figure which shows the other example of a transmission part. It is a figure which shows the further another example of a transmission part.

Explanation of symbols

  10 transport mechanism, 14, 16 rack, 20, 22 specimen container (blood collection tube), 20A, 22A seal stopper, 24 opening pretreatment mechanism, 26 opening mechanism, 28 controller, 29 striking head, 30 vibration unit, 32 transmission Department.

Claims (4)

In the pre-opening pretreatment device that performs the pre-opening processing prior to the opening processing for removing the sealing plug attached to the upper opening edge of the sample container containing the sample,
A vibration generator for generating vibrations;
Prior to the opening process of removing the sealing plug, the member transmits vibration from the vibration generating unit to the sealing plug, and a contact surface is brought into contact with the upper surface of the sealing plug so that the contact surface A vibration transmitting portion for transmitting the vibration to a seal plug, thereby dropping a droplet adhering to the lower surface of the seal plug into the sample container ;
Including
In the vibration transmitting portion, the position of the abutment surface corresponds to a vibration antinode, and the pre-opening pretreatment device. The apparatus of claim 1.
The pre-opening pretreatment device, wherein the vibration generating unit includes an ultrasonic vibrator that generates ultrasonic vibration. In the pre-opening pretreatment device that performs the pre-opening processing prior to the opening processing for removing the sealing plug attached to the upper opening edge of the sample container containing the sample,
A vibration generator for generating vibrations;
Prior to the opening process of removing the sealing plug, a vibration transmitting unit that transmits vibration generated in the vibrating unit to the sealing plug;
Including
The vibration transmission section has a contact surface that contacts the periphery of an elastic member on the upper surface of the seal plug. The apparatus of claim 1.
A plug opening pretreatment apparatus comprising: an elevating mechanism that lowers the vibration transmission unit to bring a contact surface of the vibration transmission unit into contact with an upper surface of the seal plug.

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