JPH03127644A - Centrifugal separator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To carry out the agitation of less shock by providing a frame driving means which gives a whirling motion to a frame means supporting a drive means. CONSTITUTION:Centrifugal sedimentation pipes 2 receiving liquid are mounted in a bucket 3, and a mounting base board 15 is set in the fixed state by plunger units 17, and a 2nd motor 14 is put in operation. By the revolution of the 2nd motor 14, an eccentric cam 13 is revolved, and a knob 12 is whirled. By this whirling motion, the mounting base board 7 for a 1st motor 6, the 1st motor 6, and a rotor 1 are whirled, so that each centrifugal sedimentation pipe 2 is all whirled with a same whirling radius. Thus, a same swirling flow is generated in each content liquid, and the agitating action of less shock is carried out by smooth flow.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a centrifugal separator, and particularly to a centrifugal separator that also has a stirring function.

[Conventional technology]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In analytical tests of various substances in clinical tests and separation of, for example, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in genetic manipulation, mixing and centrifugation of sample substances and reagents are repeatedly performed in test tubes called centrifuge tubes. The conventional and common method for such operations is to mix reagents into a centrifuge tube containing a sample, stir to react uniformly, and then separate the reaction products by centrifugation several times. Repeated. In particular, in genetic engineering, there are cases where it is required to perform a series of these operations automatically, and it is necessary to go through the steps of each operation, such as applying one centrifuge tube to a stirring device and then to a centrifugal separator. Therefore, if stirring and centrifugation can be performed in one device, the operation of transferring the centrifuge tube from the stirring device to the centrifugal separator can be omitted, and the efficiency of the series of operations can be improved, especially in the process of automation. This is advantageous because it allows the omission of . As one such device, Utility Model Application No. 59-19352
The centrifugal stirring device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 7 can be mentioned. This device repeatedly rotates and stops the rotor that holds the centrifuge tube, and when it rotates, the lower end of the centrifuge tube is swung outward in the radial direction by centrifugal force, and the lower end of the swung out centrifuge tube is stopped by the rotor. The centrifuge tube is swung back inward in the radial direction, and the lower end of the centrifuge tube collides with the backing plate using the return motion, and the content of the centrifuge tube is stirred by the impact caused by the collision. It is clear that this device functions as a centrifugal separator if the rotor is rotated continuously, and is considered to be an example of a centrifugal separator equipped with the stirring function provided by the present invention.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, the major feature of the stirring function in the above-mentioned prior art is that centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the rotor is used to cause the centrifuge tube to collide with the centrifuge tube. In other words, the centrifuge tube is swung up by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the rotor), the swung centrifuge tube is swung back down when the rotor stops rotating), and this swinging action causes the centrifuge tube to collide with the centrifuge tube, and due to the impact. This stirs the liquid inside the centrifuge tube. Such a stirring operation requires stirring with a fairly strong impact or stirring with a high impact.For example, in order to perform stirring and mixing in the process before DNA separation,
However, it is unsuitable because it is very fragile to mechanical shock. In this way, even if the same stirring and mixing is performed, the intensity should be selected depending on the physical properties of the specimen. Therefore, the inventors of the present application have developed a system in which the rotation of the rotor is alternately rotated and stopped at short intervals while allowing free pendulum movement of the centrifuge tube without using a mechanism that causes it to collide with the caul plate as described above. A centrifugal separator that can perform a stirring action with relatively little impact by repeatedly rotating the rotation direction or reversing the direction of rotation in short cycles.
This invention was developed prior to the invention of the present application. However, in this centrifugal separator, when holding multiple centrifuge tubes in the rotor, if the radial distance from the rotation center of the rotor to each centrifuge tube is not equal, there will be differences in the centrifugal force acting on the centrifuge tubes. This causes a problem in that the degree of stirring and mixing differs from centrifuge tube to centrifuge tube, and the centrifuge tubes must be arranged in a row in the circumferential direction of the rotor. The present invention was created in view of the above-mentioned technical problems in stirring and centrifugation, and to effectively solve the problems. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to integrate a centrifugal separator and a stirring device, to provide a stirring function with low impact suitable for stirring delicate substances that are easily damaged by impact, and to To provide a centrifugal separator capable of evenly stirring all centrifuge tubes even when the centrifuge tubes are arranged in multiple rows.

[Means to solve the problem]

The centrifugal separator according to the present invention solves the problems of the prior art as described above, and is configured as follows in order to achieve the object. That is, a rotating body having a centrifuge tube holding means on its peripheral edge, a driving means for rotationally driving the rotating body, a pedestal means for holding the driving means supported by a flexible vibration isolating means, and a rotating body for holding the driving means. and gantry driving means for rotating the gantry means supporting the means in a plane perpendicular to the output axis of the driving means.

[Effect]

In the centrifugal separator according to the present invention, when performing a centrifugal separation action, the gantry driving means is not operated and the gantry means does not perform active movement. Then, only the drive means for driving the rotating body is operated. Therefore, the pedestal means holds the rotating body driving means while absorbing the vibrations of the rotating body driving means in a state where it is supported by the vibration isolating means, that is, in a generally stationary state, as in a normal centrifugal separator. Further, when performing the stirring action, the rotating body driving means is not operated, and the rotating body does not perform rotational movement during the centrifugal separation action. Then, only the gantry driving means is operated. Since the vibration isolating means supporting the pedestal means has flexibility, when an output in the form of an external force from the gantry drive means is applied to the gantry means, the gantry means is allowed to move in the direction of the force. , the pedestal means pivots in a plane perpendicular to the output axis of the rotating body drive means. When the pedestal means performs a rotating motion, the rotating body driving means and the rotating body perform a rotating motion integrally with the rotating body, and the centrifuge tube held by the rotating body also performs a rotating motion to stir the liquid contained therein. This stirring is not a shocking action such as that caused by collision, but a relatively gentle stirring action due to a swirling motion, which is advantageous for stirring when the content liquid contains fragile substances. The swirling movement that acts on the plurality of centrifuge tubes held by the rotating body is a movement that applies centrifugal force equally to all the centrifuge tubes, and there is no difference in the degree of stirring depending on the location of the centrifuge tubes.

【Example】

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a centrifugal separation mechanism excluding the pedestal driving means in an embodiment of the centrifugal separator according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a rotating body and the rotating body in the embodiment of the centrifugal separator according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a centrifuge tube is attached to the centrifuge tube. The centrifugal separator of this embodiment includes a disk-shaped rotor 1 as a rotating body, and the peripheral edge portion at each center angle 900 is cut radially. A box-shaped packet 3 that accommodates and holds four centrifuge tubes 2 arranged in an I row is swingably supported in the cut portion. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shaft supporting the packet 3 is constituted by a bin member 4 protruding from the side surface of the cut portion of the rotor l.
On the other hand, vertical grooves 5 into which the bottle member 4 fits are formed on both sides of the packet 3. When the packet 3 is pivotally supported by the bin member 4, the direction of the axis is fixed to the rotor 1.
Therefore, the swinging direction of the packet 3 is in the radial direction of the rotor 1. The rotating shaft 11 of the rotor 1 is directly connected to the output shaft of a first motor 6 located directly below it, and the first motor 6 is mounted on a base 7 and supported by a vibration isolation mechanism. The first motor 6 is installed such that its output shaft is perpendicular to the base surface of the base 7. The vibration isolating mechanism consists of a combination of an elliptical rubber ring 8 and a coil spring 9 to constitute a vibration isolating means having a certain degree of flexibility, and these are each mounted on the base IO at three locations. A base 7 is fixedly configured to be placed thereon. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of essential parts in which an embodiment of the gantry driving means is assembled to the centrifugal separation mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. For installation, use a circular hole 30 in one place on the base 7.
is formed, and a cylindrical knob 1 that approximately fits into the circular hole 30 and can freely rotate smoothly inside the circular hole 30.
2 has been inserted. An eccentric cam 13 is attached to the lower end of the knob 12, and the axis of the knob 12 and the axis of the eccentric cam 13 are shifted from each other. The eccentric cam 13 is connected to the output shaft of a second stirring motor 14 provided below the eccentric cam 13, and the eccentric cam 13 rotates when the second motor 14 is operated. The second motor 14 is fixed on the base 15 with a mounting for this motor. For installation, the base plate 15 has openings 16 formed at multiple locations (four locations in this embodiment) on its periphery, and below each opening 16 is a plunger device 1.
7 are fixedly arranged. The plunger device 17 inserts and removes a vertically movable plunger into the opening 16. In the inserted state, the base plate 15 and the second motor 14 are fixed, and when the plunger device 17 is removed, the base plate 15 and the second motor 14 are fixed. Do not restrict 14. For installation, the base 15 is supported by a vibration isolator 22 similar to the vibration isolator described above, as shown in the figure, and when it is not restrained by the plunger device 17, this vibration isolator 2
2 absorbs vibrations. The plunger is inserted and removed during centrifugation operation and inserted during stirring operation. When using the centrifugal separator of this embodiment configured in this way to stir a solution containing a sample containing DNA and a reagent, four centrifuge tubes 2 filled with the above-mentioned solution are used. The packet 3 is loaded, and the plunger device 17 is used to fix the base plate 15 and operate the second motor 14. At this time, since the first motor 6 is stopped, the rotor 1
is not rotated by the drive of the first motor 6. When the second motor 14 is operated, the eccentric cam 13 rotates and the knob 12
performs a turning movement. This turning movement causes the first motor 6
In the installation, the base 7, the first motor 6, and the rotor 1 make a turning movement, and each centrifuge tube 2 makes a turning movement with the same turning radius. As a result, an even swirling flow is generated in any of the contents in each centrifuge tube 2, and a stirring action is performed by smooth flow with little impact. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration in which another embodiment of the gantry drive means is assembled to the centrifugal separation mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6. FIG. For installation, the base 7' is disk-shaped, and the first motor 6' for driving the rotor is installed in the center of the base 7', and is supported by vibration isolating means 8° and 9' similar to the vibration isolating means shown in Fig. 1. has been done. As shown in Fig. 6, the vibration isolating means are installed at three locations around the base 7゛ with central angles of 120° each, 8° and 9°.
A plunger device (electromagnetic plunger) 21 is disposed approximately in the center between 1 and 2, and the tip of its extensible rod portion 18 is in contact with the side surface of the mounting base 7. Each plunger device 21 is arranged so as to be located within one horizontal plane, and is fixed to the device main body side by a mounting bracket 19. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the state of the electromagnetic plunger 21 used as the plunger device of this embodiment when it is energized.
When energized, the internal iron core is attracted by the magnitude of the operating signal, and the electrical energy is converted into mechanical linear motion, which overcomes the strength of the spring 20 and removes the rod portion 18 connected to the internal iron core. Push the board 7° in the direction of voltage. In addition, when the power is not energized, the internal iron core is held in a position where there is no elastic deformation of the spring, and in that position, the tip of the rod part 18 contacts the 7° side of the base with almost no load when the installation is in the neutral position. The situation is as follows. Therefore, when the plunger device 21 on the opposite side is energized, the rod portion 18 is pushed in by its pressing force via the mounting base ff17'. The voltage applied to each of the three electromagnetic plungers 21 is
As shown in the figure, the voltages are single-half wave rectified voltages or similar square waves, each having a phase difference of 120'. By applying such a voltage, each electromagnetic plunger 21 sequentially performs an operation represented by a sine wave with a constant phase difference as shown in FIG. make a rotational movement. In addition, in Figure 1O, on the vertical axis showing the amount of operation of each electromagnetic plunger, the 0 position indicates the neutral position when not energized, the + side indicates the amount of pushing when energized, and the - side indicates the amount of operation pushed when not energized. It shows. In this embodiment as well, as in the embodiment shown in FIG.
" makes a swirling motion, and all centrifuge tubes make a swirling motion with the same swirling radius. As a result, an even swirling flow is generated in every content liquid in each centrifugation tube, resulting in a smooth flow with little impact. The stirring action can be performed by

【Effect of the invention】

As is clear from the above description, the present invention provides the following excellent effects. That is, since one device can serve as both a centrifugal separator and a stirring device, processing efficiency can be improved by omitting the step of moving the centrifuge tube in a process in which stirring and centrifugation are performed as a series of operations. This makes it possible to achieve gentle stirring with little impact, making it easy to automate a series of operations, especially for DNA separation. Furthermore, a rotating body that holds the centrifuge tube and performs rotational movement,
Even if a plurality of centrifuge tubes are arranged in the radial direction, uniform stirring can be performed in any centrifuge tube.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the schematic configuration of the centrifugal separation mechanism excluding the pedestal driving means in an embodiment of the centrifugal separator according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a centrifuge tube is attached to the centrifuge body and the rotating body; FIG. Figure 4 is a side view of the packet in Figure 3, and Figure 5 is a side view of the packet in Figure 3.
This figure is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of essential parts in which an embodiment of the gantry driving means is assembled to the centrifugal separation mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration in which another embodiment of the gantry drive means is assembled to the centrifugal separation mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. 6. FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram explaining the electromagnetic plunger used in one embodiment of the centrifugal separator according to the present invention and its operation, and FIG. 9 shows the voltage applied to each of the three electromagnetic plungers shown in FIG. 8. Graph, FIG. 10 is a graph showing the operation of each of the three electromagnetic plungers shown in FIG. 1... Rotor as a rotating body, 2... Centrifuge tube, 3...
... Packet as centrifuge tube holding means, 6. First motor as rotating body driving means, 7. Base for mounting as mount means, 8. Rubber ring as vibration isolating means,
9... Fill spring as vibration isolation means, 12...
・Knob as gantry drive means, 13... Eccentric cam as gantry drive means, 14... Second motor as gantry drive means, 21... Electromagnetic plunger as gantry drive means Patent applicant: Kurashiki Representative of Spinning Co., Ltd.
Person Patent Attorney Blue Ao (1 other person) Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 14 Figure 5 Figure 8 Slide 8゜ Figure 9 Figure 10

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) a rotating body (1) having a centrifuge tube holding means (3) on its peripheral edge; a driving means (6) for rotationally driving the rotating body (1); and a flexible vibration isolating means (8). , 9) to hold the driving means (6), and the gantry means (7) supporting the driving means (6) to
6) A centrifugal separator comprising gantry drive means (12, 13, 14, 21) for rotating in a plane perpendicular to the output axis of item 6).