JPH06242129A - Biochemical analysis device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a biochemical analysis device, in which mounting and removal of a nozzle tip is carried out easily, the nozzle tip is prevented from falling off during mounting, an O-ring scarcely falls off, and a point application nozzle, in which exchanging work for the O-ring is easily carried out, is provided. CONSTITUTION:The point end part, 201 of a point application nozzle 91a is formed into a smooth tapered shape, which is narrowed toward the point end, and a silicone rubber O-ring 202 is arranged in the middle of the point end part 201 so as to be fitted and mounted in a lateral groove part 203 formed over the whole circumference in the circumferential direction of the point end part 201. Alternatively, a cutter knife 204 can be inserted in the point end part 201. A boat-shaped longitudinal groove part 205 crossing with the lateral groove part 203 at right angles is formed. For the tapered shape in the point end part 201, the shape, in which the outer wall face of the point end part 201 and the inner wall face of the nozzle tip are touched with each other without any clearance between them when the nozzle tip is installed in the point end part 201, is desirable, and this shape is specified by considering the inner wall shape of the nozzle tip to be used.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention applies the above sample liquid to a chemical analysis slide containing a reagent that causes an optical density change by a chemical reaction with a predetermined biochemical substance contained in a sample liquid such as blood and urine. The present invention relates to a biochemical analyzer for determining the substance concentration of a predetermined biochemical substance in a sample liquid by measuring the optical density of the chemical analysis slide, and more specifically, to a biochip analyzer equipped with a dot-wear nozzle tip. The present invention relates to an improvement in the structure of the tip of a spotting nozzle that sucks a sample liquid into a nozzle tip.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Qualitative or quantitative analysis of a specific chemical component in a liquid sample is a common operation in various industrial fields. Especially blood and urine,
Quantitative analysis of chemical components or formed components in biological fluids is extremely important in biochemistry and clinical fields.

In recent years, a dry-type slide has been developed which can quantitatively analyze a specific chemical component or a formed component contained in the sample liquid simply by spotting and supplying a small drop of the sample liquid (special feature: Practical application: JP-A-53-21677, JP-A-55-164356, etc.) The use of these slides makes it possible to perform simple and quick analysis of sample liquids as compared with conventional wet analysis methods, so its use is particularly useful in medical institutions, laboratories, etc. that need to analyze a large number of samples. It is preferable.

In order to analyze chemical components and the like in a sample liquid using such a slide, after the sample liquid is weighed and attached to the slide, it is kept at a constant temperature (incubation) in an incubator (incubator) for a predetermined time. ) To give a color reaction (dye formation reaction), and then irradiate the slide with measurement irradiation light containing a wavelength preselected by the combination of the sample component and the reagent contained in the reagent layer of the slide, and the reflection optics The concentration is measured, which allows quantitative analysis of the above chemical components and the like.

In carrying out such an analysis, it is necessary to accurately measure a predetermined amount of the sample liquid to be spotted and supplied to the reagent layer of the slide and spot the sample liquid. This is because when the amount of the sample liquid is different from the predetermined amount, the reflection optical density is different and the analysis accuracy is also lowered. For this reason, various pipettes and the like have been devised so that a predetermined amount can be correctly spotted when the spot liquid is supplied. Such pipettes, for example,
There is one in which a tip is attached to the tip of a pipette and a predetermined amount of sample liquid is sucked into the tip, and then this predetermined amount of sample liquid is spot-supplied and supplied onto the reagent layer of the slide. In many of such pipettes, a piston / cylinder mechanism is used to suck a predetermined amount of sample liquid into the chip and discharge the sample liquid. In order to aspirate the sample liquid into the tip and discharge it to the reagent layer using such a pipette, first insert the tip of the tip into the sample liquid and
A predetermined amount of sample liquid is sucked and held in the chip by a cylinder mechanism etc., and then the tip of the chip is positioned on the reagent layer of the slide, and the sample liquid in the chip is spot-supplied on the reagent layer by a piston / cylinder mechanism etc. To do.

By the way, the mounting of the tip on the tip nozzle portion of the pipette and the removal of the tip after use are all automatically performed from the viewpoint of the peculiarity of the inspection object and the speeding up of the processing.

When the chip is mounted, the nozzle is inserted into the chip with a constant pressure. After the insertion, the chip can be surely prevented from coming off the nozzle, and after the chip is used, a constant force is applied. It is necessary to have a structure in which the chip can be easily removed from the nozzle by adding.

As a structure for surely fitting the tip nozzle and tip of such a pipette and easily removing the fitting, a groove is formed at a predetermined position of the tip nozzle over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction. It is formed so that an O-ring made of nitrile or fluororubber is fitted into the groove, and when the tip nozzle is inserted into the tip, the O-ring is crushed by the inner wall surface of the tip and adheres to the inner wall surface. It is known to be composed.

[0009]

However, the above-mentioned O
In the technique using a ring, the O-ring is fitted on the side surface of the cylindrical portion of the tip nozzle and is configured to be in close contact with the inner wall surface of the tip formed in a tapered shape in this portion. Therefore, the inner wall surface of the tip is not in a state of being along the outer wall surface of the tip nozzle, and a space portion is formed between these both surfaces, and the O-ring pressed by the inner wall surface of the tip is easily displaced in the space portion direction. Otherwise, the inner wall surface of the tip may collide with the corner of the outer wall surface of the tip nozzle, and the tip nozzle may not be smoothly inserted into the tip.

Therefore, a first object of the present invention is that the spotting nozzle can be easily attached to and detached from the nozzle tip, and the nozzle tip can be prevented from falling off during the attachment and the O-ring can be prevented from coming off when the nozzle tip is attached and detached. It is to provide a biochemical analysis device equipped with a deposition nozzle.

Further, the above-mentioned chip is a system in which a new one can be replaced for each sample liquid, and since the chip is attached and detached for each sample liquid, it slides on the inner wall surface of this chip. Since the O-ring is severely damaged, it is necessary to replace the O-ring frequently.

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, when replacing a worn O-ring, the O-ring was cut with a cutter knife or hooked on a needle-shaped object to remove it. , The O-ring was fitted in the groove of the tip nozzle, and the width of this groove was small, so that the replacement work was not easy.

Therefore, a second object of the present invention is to provide a biochemical analyzer equipped with a spotting nozzle which facilitates the replacement work of O-rings.

Further, in the conventional O-ring, since the inner wall surface of the tip and the O-ring do not slide well, when the spotting nozzle is inserted into the nozzle tip, the O-ring does not collapse in the groove and the upward direction of the nozzle. Be pulled up. As a result, the repulsive force of the O-ring then acts in the downward direction, and the nozzle tip easily falls off from this spotting nozzle. Further, since the O-ring is not crushed in the groove, the crushing margin of the O-ring is small, and air leaks easily occur between the inner wall surface of the chip and the O-ring.

Therefore, a third object of the present invention is that when the spotting nozzle is inserted into the nozzle tip, the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip and the O-ring have a proper amount of slip, and the inner wall surface of the tip forms the O-ring. It is an object of the present invention to provide a biochemical analysis device equipped with a spotting nozzle that can be crushed in a groove.

[0016]

A first biochemical analyzer according to the present invention comprises: a sample liquid contained in a predetermined sample container;
Suction into a nozzle tip that is detachably attached to the tip of the spotting nozzle, and the sample solution in this tip is spotted on the reagent layer of the chemical analysis slide, and the chemical analysis in which the sample fluid is spotted In a biochemical analyzer for measuring the optical density of a slide to determine the concentration of a predetermined biochemical substance in the sample liquid, the tip of the spotting nozzle is formed in a taper shape that becomes thinner toward the tip, A first groove portion is formed in the taper forming portion over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the nozzle side surface, an O-ring is fitted in the first groove portion, and when the nozzle tip is attached to the spotting nozzle, the nozzle The inner wall surface of the tip and the outer wall surface of the tip portion of the spotting nozzle are substantially in contact with each other, and the O-ring is pressed inward by the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip. It is characterized by that.

A second biochemical analysis device of the present invention is the above-mentioned first biochemical analysis device, characterized in that a second groove portion intersecting with the first groove portion is formed. To do.

A third biochemical analyzer according to the present invention is the above-mentioned first or second biochemical analyzer, wherein the O-ring is made of silicone rubber. is there.

[0019]

According to the first biochemical analyzer described above, the tip of the spotting nozzle is formed in a taper shape, and the nozzle tip having an inner wall surface with a tapered shape and the attachment / detachment of the spotting nozzle are extremely easy. Is.

In addition, an O-ring for preventing the nozzle tip from falling is arranged in the taper portion of the spotting nozzle so that the outer wall surface of the spotting nozzle is along the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip. When the mounting is completed, the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip presses the O-ring, so that the O-ring is crushed in the first groove and comes into close contact with the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip. Is prevented from falling off.

Further, according to the second biochemical analysis device, the second groove intersecting with the first groove into which the O-ring is fitted is formed at the tip of the spotting nozzle.
When exchanging the O-ring, a cutter or a needle-shaped member can be inserted into the second groove, so that the O-ring can be easily cut or removed and the O-ring can be easily replaced.

Further, according to the third biochemical analyzer, since the O-ring is made of silicone rubber, and the silicone rubber has a property of slipping easily with respect to the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip, the nozzle tip The O-ring is not pulled upward by the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip during mounting, and the O-ring is crushed to a desired state in the first groove.

As a result, the adhesion between the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip and the O-ring is improved, the nozzle tip is more reliably prevented from coming off the spotting nozzle, and the crushing margin of the O-ring is reduced to prevent air leakage. There is no fear of causing it.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 shows a schematic plan configuration of a biochemical analyzer according to one embodiment.

The biochemical analysis apparatus 10 comprises a slide standby section 12 for accommodating an unused chemical analysis slide 11, and a spotting section 13 for sequentially depositing a sample liquid such as serum or urine on the chemical analysis slide 11.
And an incubator 14 for accommodating the chemical analysis slide 11 and keeping it at a constant temperature for a predetermined time, and transporting means 15 sequentially deposits the chemical analysis slide 11 from the slide waiting section 12 in sequence.
Chemical analysis slide that is transported to 13 and located in this spotting part 13
On the other hand, the nozzle tip 25 (see FIG. 5) is attached to the tip of the spotting nozzle 91 of the spotting means 16 (sampler), and then the sample cup 26 of the sample accommodating portion 17 is placed in the nozzle tip 25.
After aspirating a sample liquid from the slide 11 and spotting a predetermined amount on the slide 11, the spotted chemical analysis slide 11 is inserted into the storage part 55 of the incubator 14 by the transporting means 15, and in the incubator 14. The coloration degree (reflection optical density) of the chemical analysis slide 11 kept at a constant temperature is measured by the photometric head 27 of the measuring means 18, and further, the chemical analysis slide after the measurement.
The transport means 15 drops and discharges 11 into a waste hole 56 on the center side of the incubator 14. The spotting means 16 is provided with a syringe means 19 for sucking and discharging the sample liquid by the nozzle tip 25, and the nozzle tip after use.
The reference numeral 25 is a tip extracting portion 20 arranged in the vicinity of the incubator 14 and is removed from the spotting nozzle 91 and dropped and discarded downward. Further, the chemical analysis slide 11 has a reagent layer arranged in a rectangular mount, and has a spotting hole and a photometric hole in the upper and lower parts of the mount, respectively.

Explaining the structure of each part, first, the conveying means.
As shown in FIG. 3, the cross-sectional front structure of the carrier 15 includes a carrier base 30 that extends linearly toward the center of the incubator 14, and leg portions 30a at the front and rear ends of the carrier base 30 are installed on a flat plate base 31 below. , The slide stand-by portion 12 is provided at the substantially central portion of the carrier table 30.
However, the spotting portion 13 is disposed on the incubator 14 side of the spotting portion 13.

A slide guide 32 for holding the chemical analysis slide 11 is formed in the slide standby section 12,
A plurality of unused chemical analysis slides 11 are usually stacked and held on the slide guide 32. Above slide guide
32 is mounted in the concave portion of the carrying table 30 so that the chemical analysis slide 11 at the lowermost part is located at the same height as the carrying surface of the carrying table 30, and one sheet is provided on the front surface side of the lowermost part. An opening 32a is formed through which only the chemical analysis slide 11 can pass. Further, an opening through which an insertion member described later can be inserted is formed on the rear surface side, and a groove 32b communicating with a slit 30b described later formed on the carrier table 30 is formed on the bottom surface. It should be noted that the slide guide 32 may be set with a cartridge in which a plurality of chemical analysis slides 11 are stacked and housed.

A slide retainer 33 having a circular opening 33a is installed on the spotting portion 13 in front of the slide waiting portion 12, and the slide retainer 33 is provided inside a cover 34 fixed above the carrier table 30. The cover 34 is housed so that it can be moved up and down slightly.
An opening 35a for spotting is also formed in the glass plate 35 fixed above the glass plate.

The chemical analysis slide 11 is conveyed by the forward movement of the plate-shaped insertion member 36 placed on the conveyance table 30. That is, a slit 30b extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the center of the carrier table 30, and the insertion member 36 is slidably placed on the slit 30b.
A block 37 is fixed to the bottom of the rear end of the insertion member 36 from below through a slit 30b, and the block 37 is provided slidably in the front-rear direction along the slit 30b.
Further, the insertion member is provided on the carrier table 30 at a position rearward of the slide standby portion 12 by the slide guide 32.
An auxiliary plate 38 for pressing the 36 is provided, and the auxiliary plate 38 is a cover.
It is held in 39 so that it can move up and down slightly.

A slider is provided below the block 37.
A slider 40 is attached, and the slider 40 is slidably supported in the front-rear direction by a guide rod 41 arranged along the carrier table 30. Further, a part of a belt 44 wound around pulleys 42, 43 arranged in front of and behind the carrier 30 is fixed to the slider 40. Then, the rear pulley 43 is rotationally driven by the transport motor 45, the insertion member 36 is moved in the front-rear direction by the block 37 that moves integrally with the slider 40, and the tip end of the insertion member 36 chemically moves the lower end of the slide guide 32. By pushing the rear end of the analysis slide 11, the chemical analysis slide 11 is linearly conveyed from the spotting part 13 to the incubator 14.

The chemical analysis slide 11 at the lower end of the slide guide 32 is transported to the spotting section 13 by the driving of the transport motor 45, and the chemical analysis slide 11 on which the sample liquid is spotted is further inserted into the storage section 55 of the incubator 14. Then, attach the chemical analysis slide 11 after measurement to the waste hole in the center of the incubator 14.
The drive control of the carry motor 45 is performed so that the carry motor is carried to 56.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, a sectional front view of the incubator 14, the disk-shaped rotating member 50 is rotatable with respect to the bearing portion 53 via the bearing 52 by the rotating cylinder 51 having the lower center. An upper member 54 is supported and disposed on the rotating member 50. The upper member 54 has a flat bottom surface, and the upper surface of the rotating member 50 has a plurality of recesses (six in the illustrated case) formed on the circumference at predetermined intervals to form a slit-shaped space between the members 51, 54. An accommodating portion 55 is formed, the height of the bottom surface of the accommodating portion 55 is provided to be the same as the height of the conveying surface of the conveying table 30 of the conveying means 15, and the rotating member 50 approaches the tip of the conveying table 30. The outer peripheral part of is located.

Further, the inner hole of the rotary cylinder 51 is formed in the waste hole 56 of the chemical analysis slide 11 after the measurement, and the diameter of the waste hole 56 is set to a dimension through which the chemical analysis slide 11 can pass. Also, in the central portion of the rotating member 50, the waste hole 56
Is formed with an opening 50a. The central portion of the storage portion 55 communicates with the central opening 50a at the same height as the storage portion 55, and when the chemical analysis slide 11 located in the storage portion 55 moves to the center side as it is, the waste is removed. It is configured to drop into the reject hole 56.

The upper member 54 is provided with a heating means (not shown), and the temperature of the chemical analysis slide 11 in the container 55 is kept constant by adjusting the temperature thereof, while the upper member 54 corresponds to the container 55. A holding member 57 is provided which holds the mount of the chemical analysis slide 11 from above to prevent evaporation of the sample liquid. A cover 58 is provided on the upper surface of the upper member 54, while the incubator 14 is covered by an upper cover 59 at the upper and side portions and a lower cover 60 at the bottom to shield light.

Further, an opening for photometry is provided at the center of the bottom surface of each storage portion 55 for storing the chemical analysis slide 11 of the rotating member 50.
55a is formed, and the reflection optical density of the chemical analysis slide 11 is measured by the photometric head 27 disposed below through the opening 55a. Further, the rotating member 50 is formed with a storage portion 61 (see FIG. 2) for the density reference plate on the same circumference as the storage portion 55, and white and black for calibration of the photometric head 27 are formed in this portion. Two density reference plates 62 are installed.

Here, in the rotational driving of the incubator 14, a timing belt 64 is wound around the outer peripheral portion of the rotary cylinder 51 supporting the rotary member 50.
Is also wound around the drive pulley 66 of the drive motor 65, and the reciprocating rotational drive of the rotating member 50 is performed by the forward and reverse rotational drive of the drive motor 65. The rotating operation of the incubator 14 is performed by the photometric head 27 disposed below the predetermined rotating position of the incubator 14.
On the other hand, first, after detecting the concentration of the white reference plate, and then performing the calibration by detecting the concentration of the black reference plate, of the color reaction of the chemical analysis slide 11 sequentially inserted in the storage unit 55. The optical density is measured, and after this series of measurements, it is rotated in the reverse direction to return to the reference position, and it is controlled to perform reciprocal rotation drive within the specified angle range so that the next unit can be measured. is there.

Further, below the incubator 14, a recovery box 70 for recovering the chemical analysis slide 11 after measurement is arranged. The collection box 70 has a storage chamber 71 formed below the waste hole 56 at the center of the rotary cylinder 51.
The accommodation chamber 71 is formed wide at one side with respect to the center point C of the incubator 14 in relation to the arrangement of other various devices. In addition, an inclined portion 72 on which the nozzle tip 25, which is replaced for each sample liquid in the spotting means 16 described later, is dropped is formed at a corner portion of the storage chamber 71. The inclined portion 72 is located below the tip extracting portion 20 from which the nozzle tip 25 is dropped, and the bottom surface of the inclined portion 72 tilts the falling nozzle tip 25 to guide it toward the center of the accommodation chamber 71. It is formed on a slope (20 to 45 °) that lowers the 71 side.

In addition, the waste hole is provided at the bottom of the accommodation chamber 71.
A protrusion 73 is erected at a position displaced from the center of the storage chamber 71 to the side opposite to the widened portion of the storage chamber 71. This protrusion 73
Has a spherical or needle-like tip, and has a function of contacting the chemical analysis slide 11 falling from the disposal hole 56 and changing the falling direction to disperse the slide. In addition, collection box
A decorative member 74 that is continuous with the outer case portion of the biochemical analysis device 10 is connected to the side wall of the storage chamber 71 of the container 70.

Next, the spotting means 16 has a bearing member 80 installed on the base 31 as shown in FIG.
A rotary base 82 is rotatably supported by a bearing 81, and a flange member 83 is attached to the upper part of the rotary base 82 so as to rotate integrally therewith. Guide rods 84, 84 are provided on both outer peripheral sides of the flange member 83, respectively.
The guide rods 84, 84 are provided upright. The upper end portions of the guide rods 84, 84 on both sides are fixed to the connecting member 85, and the guide rods 84, 84 are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. In addition, the connecting member 85
The feed screw 86 is arranged in the vertical direction at the center of rotation of
An upper end of the feed screw 86 is rotatably supported by the connecting member 85, a lower end thereof is rotatably supported by a central portion of the flange member 83, and a tip portion of the feed screw 86 is projected from the flange member 83 and a pulley 87 is fixed thereto. ing. Further, the guide rods 84, 84 on both sides allow the spotting arm to be freely moved up and down.
A base end portion of 88 is supported, and a sleeve 89 into which the guide rods 84, 84 are fitted is inserted in the spotting arm 88 of the supporting portion. Further, the feed screw 86 penetrates the spotting arm 88, and a nut member 90 screwed to the feed screw 86 is provided in the penetrating portion, and the spotting arm 88 is moved up and down according to the rotation of the feed screw 86. Is configured to.

At the tip of the spotting arm 88, there is provided a spotting nozzle 91 penetrating in the vertical direction for sucking and discharging the sample liquid. A shaft portion of the spotting nozzle 91 is slidably inserted into the spotting arm 88, and is urged downward by a spring 92. Further, a pipette-shaped nozzle tip 25 is detachably attached to the tip of the spotting nozzle 91, and the unused nozzle tip 25
Is set in the sample accommodating portion 17, which is fitted and held at the tip of the spotting nozzle 91 by the downward movement of the spotting arm 88, and after use, the nozzle tip 25 is inserted in the engaging groove 20a of the tip extracting portion 20. The fitting arm 88 is disengaged by the upward movement of the spotting arm 88 with the upper end of the tip being engaged, and is dropped into the recovery box 70 below from the opening 20b of the chip extracting portion 20 and discarded.

In the turning operation of the spotting arm 88, the timing belt 94 is engaged with the outer peripheral portion of the flange member 83 or the rotary base 82 (see FIG. 2), and the timing belt 94 is rotated.
94 is wound around the drive pulley 96 of the turning motor 95 (see FIG. 2), and is turned to a predetermined position by drive control of the forward and reverse rotation of the turning motor 95. Also, the spotting arm 88
The vertical movement of the feed screw 86, that is, the rotation drive of the feed screw 86, is performed by a belt 99 being hung between the pulley 87 at the lower end portion and the drive pulley 98 of the lifting motor 97 (see FIG. 2), and the forward and reverse rotation of the lifting motor 97. It is moved to a predetermined height by the drive control of.

Next, in the mechanism for sucking and discharging the sample liquid into the nozzle tip 25, an air passage 101 opening to the tip is formed at the center of the spotting nozzle 91, and this air passage 101 is formed. An air pipe (not shown) is connected to the upper end of the. The other end of the air pipe is connected to the upper end portion of the syringe 102 of the syringe means 19, and the syringe 102 is a syringe-like air pump and a columnar support member.
The tubular portion 102a is fixedly supported by the stopper 104 by the stopper 104, and the operating portion 102b at the tip of the rod connected to the piston fitted inside the tubular portion 102a is engaged and fixed to the elevating member 105. This elevating member 105 is a guide shaft arranged in the vertical direction.
It is supported so as to move up and down along 106, and a belt 109 hung on upper and lower pulleys 107 and 108 is fixed to the end thereof. The lower pulley 108 has a syringe motor 110
Is driven, the pulley 108 is rotated by the driving, and the elevating member 105 is operated via the belt 109, and the syringe 10
It is configured to perform suction and discharge by the operation of 2.

Then, by the above-mentioned spotting means 16, the piston of the syringe 102 is moved downward to suck while the tip of the nozzle tip 25 is immersed in the sample liquid in the sample cup 26, and is rotated to the spotting part 13. Then, a predetermined amount of the chemical analysis slide 11 is spotted. The nozzle tip 25 and the sample cup 26, the spotting portion 13, and the tip extracting portion 10 prepared in the sample storage portion 17 are all on the swirl locus of the tip of the spotting nozzle 91 accompanying the swiveling of the spotting arm 88. It is set to be located.

The spotting nozzle, which is the main feature of the present invention, will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 6 to 8. 1 and FIGS. 6 to 8 have a slightly different construction from the spotting nozzle 91a shown in FIG. 5, but are functionally substantially the same.

That is, as shown in FIG.
On the tip of a, vertically penetrate this spotting arm 88.
A spotting nozzle 91a held by a is provided. A shaft portion of the spotting nozzle 91a is slidable on the spotting arm 88a and is urged downward by a spring 92a.

The tip 201 of the point-wearing nozzle 91a has a substantially smooth taper shape that becomes thinner toward the tip. In the middle of the tip 201, a silicon rubber O-ring 202 is formed. It is arranged so as to be fitted into a lateral groove portion 203 formed over the entire circumference of the portion 201 in the circumferential direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a boat-shaped vertical groove portion 205 orthogonal to the horizontal groove portion 203 and having a length into which the cutter knife 204 can be inserted is formed on the tip portion 201.

As shown in FIG. 7 (A), when the nozzle tip 25 is attached to the tip 201, the outer wall surface of the tip 201 and the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip 25 have no gap. The shape is preferably such that they abut, and this shape is defined in consideration of the shape of the inner wall of the nozzle tip 25 to be used.

O-ring 202 made of the above silicone rubber
Due to the characteristics of this silicone rubber, the friction with the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip 25 can be reduced, and even when the tip 201 is inserted into the nozzle tip 25 as shown in FIG. The O-ring 202 is not pulled upward, and the lateral groove 20
The O-ring 202 and the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip 25 can be in good contact with each other due to the crushed state.

Further, it is desirable that the silicone rubber used for the O-ring 202 is appropriately hard with a hardness of about 70 °. If the hardness is about 50 °, the O-ring 20
When used for 2, it is too soft and slips too easily to come off the lateral groove 203.

The depth and width of the lateral groove portion 203 are O.
It is defined by the relationship with the diameter of the ring 202. When the nozzle tip 25 is attached to the tip 201 of the spotting nozzle 91a, the O-ring 202 has a squeezing margin of about 12.5%. It is desirable to specify the size and diameter of the O-ring 202.

For example, when the material of the O-ring 202 is hydrogenated nitrile rubber or fluororubber, and the diameter of the lateral groove portion 203 is large, and the designed margin of the O-ring 202 is as large as about 15%, As shown in FIG. 7 (B), the O-ring 202 is pulled upward by the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip 25, and as a result, the repulsive force of the O-ring 202 acts downward and the nozzle tip 25 easily falls off. Further, a gap is formed between the outer wall surface of the tip portion 201 and the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip 25, and the actual squeezing margin of the O-ring 202 becomes small, so that air leakage easily occurs. Further, the height of the tip of the nozzle tip 25 at the time of spotting becomes low, and an error is likely to occur in the spotting amount.

When the lateral groove portion 203 has a large diameter and the designed squeezing margin of the O-ring 202 is as large as about 15%, the nozzle tip 25 is attached to the tip portion 20 as shown in FIG. 7 (C).
When mounted on 1, the phenomenon occurs that the central axis 206 of the nozzle tip 25 and the central axis 207 of the spotting nozzle 91a do not coincide with each other, resulting in an error in the spotting position and easy occurrence of air leakage.

Further, if the crushing margin of the O-ring 202 is as small as about 10% when the nozzle tip 25 is attached, the O-ring 202 also tends to come off when the nozzle tip 25 is attached and detached.

Thus, the squeezing margin of the O-ring 202 is 1
It is desirable to set it to about 2.5%, and it is not desirable to set it to about 15% or more or about 10% or less.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1 (B), the tip portion 201
The blade of the tip of the cutter knife 204 can be easily inserted in the vertical groove portion 205 of the cutter in the O-ring direction.
The O-ring 202 can be easily cut by cutting it down along the 205. This facilitates troublesome O-ring replacement work.

The biochemical analyzer of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

For example, the above-mentioned vertical groove portion 205 can be changed to a vertical groove portion 205a having a shape as shown in FIG. 8, and in this case, the tip portion of the needle-shaped member 208 is inserted into this vertical groove portion 205a. It is possible to remove the O-ring 202 from the lateral groove portion 203 by hooking the O-ring 202 at this tip portion.

[0059]

As described above, according to the biochemical analysis apparatus of the present invention, the tip of the spotting nozzle has a tapered shape which matches the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip, and the tapered portion has a predetermined shape. At the position, since the O-ring is fitted in the first groove portion formed over the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the nozzle side surface, the nozzle tip can be attached and detached to and from the tip portion very easily, and O It is possible to prevent the ring from coming off, and it is possible to reliably prevent the nozzle tip from falling off.

If a second groove portion that intersects the first groove portion is formed in the tip portion, a tip of a cutter knife or a needle-shaped member is inserted into the second groove portion to cut the O-ring or It becomes extremely easy to remove it, and the frequent replacement work of the O-ring becomes extremely easy.

Further, if silicon rubber is used for the O-ring, the friction between the nozzle tip and the O-ring can be reduced, and the O-ring can be prevented from coming off when the nozzle tip is attached or detached.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view (A) and a side view (B) showing a part of a spotting nozzle in a biochemical analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a main part mechanism of a biochemical analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional front view of a portion of a transport unit.

FIG. 4 is a sectional front view of a portion of an incubator.

FIG. 5 is a sectional front view of a portion of the spotting means.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a spotting nozzle in a biochemical analyzer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a state in which a nozzle tip is attached to a spotting nozzle.

FIG. 8 is a front view (A) and a side view (B) of a part of the spotting nozzle showing an example of changing the vertical groove portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Biochemical analysis device 11 Chemical analysis slide 13 Pointing part 14 Incubator 15 Conveying means 16 Pointing means 20 Tip extracting part 25 Nozzle tip 36 Inserting member 45 Conveying motor 50 Rotating member 51 Rotating cylinder 55 Storage part 56 Disposal hole 70 Recovery Box 73 Protrusion 88,88a Dotting arm 91,91a Dosing nozzle 201 Tip 202 O-ring 203 Horizontal groove 204 Cutter knife 205,205a Vertical groove 208 Needle-like member

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A sample liquid contained in a predetermined sample container is sucked into a nozzle chip detachably attached to the tip of a spotting nozzle, and the sample liquid in this chip is used as a reagent for a chemical analysis slide. In the biochemical analysis device for spotting on a layer and measuring the optical density of the chemical analysis slide on which the sample liquid is spotted to obtain the concentration of a predetermined biochemical substance in the sample liquid, the spotting nozzle Is formed in a taper shape that becomes narrower toward the tip, and a first groove portion is formed in the taper forming portion along the entire circumference in the circumferential direction of the nozzle side surface, and an O-ring is formed in the first groove portion. When fitted and the nozzle tip is mounted on the spotting nozzle, the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip and the outer wall surface of the tip of the spotting nozzle are substantially in contact with each other, and the O-ring is formed by the inner wall surface of the nozzle tip. Pushes inward of the spotting nozzle Biochemical analysis apparatus characterized by comprising is configured to be. 2. The biochemical analyzer according to claim 1, wherein a second groove portion intersecting with the first groove portion is formed. 3. The biochemical analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the O-ring is made of silicone rubber.