JP3108144U - Microtube shock device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a shock device for a microtube capable of sufficiently mixing even a small amount of sample or a liquid sample and a sample piece.
SOLUTION: A vertical shaft 23 driven by a motor 22 provided on a base 21 and a central shaft 31 that can be fitted to the upper end of the vertical shaft 23, and for attaching a plurality of microtubes 40 to the periphery. A microtube holder 41 made of a leaf spring capable of fitting the microtube 40 on the outer peripheral side of the tongue piece 32 is always attached to the rotatable disc 30 having the tongue piece 32 so as to be movable left and right at a fixed angle. A microtube drive device 20 that is elastically attached so that the microtube 40 is vertically mounted, and an L-shaped arm 51 fixed to the base 21, a microtube holder 41 around the rotating disk 30. And a shock applying device 50 provided with a collision shaft 52 that collides with the tip of the microtube 40 fitted to the microtube 40.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention mainly relates to a microtube shock device in the field of molecular biology or biochemistry research, and more particularly, to improve a device for mixing and rotating a microtube containing a sample attached to a rotating disk. .

  Mainly in the field of molecular biology or biochemistry research, as shown in FIG. 9, a motor provided on a substrate is used as a device for attaching and rotating a microtube containing a sample to a rotating disk. A microtube enclosing a sample is attached to a rotatable disk that can be mounted in parallel with a plurality of microtubes on a surface that is mounted perpendicular to the driven parallel axis, and the microtube is rotated by rotating the disk. As a device for mixing the sealed sample, it has been widely used.

  That is, in the conventional apparatus, when the microtube is rotated by the rotation of a vertical disk to which the microtube is attached and the lid portion of the microtube is positioned below the bottom, the enclosed sample is moved downward by its own weight. When the microtube is pivoted and the bottom of the microtube is positioned below the lid, the enclosed sample flows or drops downward due to its own weight. Then, the sample is mixed by repeating the flow or dropping at the bottom or lid of the enclosed sample while the microtube continues to rotate and gathers in the bottom direction.

  However, the above-mentioned conventional apparatus mixes the sample enclosed by rotating the microtube attached to the disk only by flowing or dropping the bottom part or the lid part, and particularly the lid part or bottom part of the microtube. On the inner surface, part or all of the sample does not flow or drop at the bottom or lid, and often remains attached to the inner surface of the microtube, particularly if the amount of sample to be mixed becomes very small. As a result, the sample cannot be mixed sufficiently, and a sufficient mixture cannot be obtained, or variation occurs when mixing over multiple test tubes, making it difficult to make a sufficient comparison. there were.

  In view of the above-mentioned difficulties, the present inventors have improved the conventional apparatus as shown in FIG. 10 as shown in FIG. 10 by surrounding the surface of the surface vertically mounted on the parallel axis driven by the motor provided on the base. A plurality of microtubes are parallel to each other, and it is elastically moved by a bolt and a spring to the left and right at a fixed angle, and is always urged so that the tip of the microtube that is always attached protrudes in the normal direction from the periphery of the disk. A rotatable disk that can be attached to the disk, a collision shaft fixed to the base that collides with the tip of the microtube attached to the disk, and a microtube in which a sample is sealed is attached to the disk. There has been proposed a shock device for a microtube in which a tube is rotated by rotating a disk to mix the enclosed sample (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  That is, the microtube shock device mixes the sample by repeatedly flowing or dropping at the bottom or lid of the sample enclosed by the microtube attached to the disk in the conventional device described above. In addition to the configuration of the above, the microtube is rotated by the rotation of the attached vertical disk, collides with the collision shaft at the tip of the microtube (see FIG. 11), and further rotated. The microtube attached to the disk rotates and tilts (see FIG. 12), and further rotates and further rotates so that the microtube further rotates and the tip of the tilt passes through the collision shaft. The structure is such that it is vibrated by the spring action of the spring and restored to the state before the collision with the collision shaft (see FIG. 13).

  The microtube shock device configured as described above is a centrifugal force generated by shaking the tip of the microtube, and among the samples enclosed in the microtube, the sample on the lid and side surfaces of the microtube has its own weight at the bottom. The sample encapsulated inside the microtube can be mixed by flowing or dropping and collecting.

Utility Model Registration No. 3085416

  When the total amount of the sample sealed and mixed inside the microtube is a liquid sample, the above-mentioned microtube shock device can be placed inside the microtube if the sample is about half the volume of the microtube. Even if sealed and subjected to the above-described mixing treatment, it is difficult to adhere to the inner surface of the microtube, and sufficient mixing can be performed.

  However, in the above-mentioned microtube shock device, the mixing process is, for example, mixing a small amount of sample in a container, such as mixing a 0.1 ml liquid sample inside a 0.5 ml microtube. The sample does not adhere to the side surface of the microtube, particularly the lid or side surface, and does not flow or drop with the liquid sample in the rotating microtube. There was a difficulty that it was not possible to perform a proper mixing process.

  Furthermore, when the sample to be mixed inside the microtube is a liquid sample and a sample piece, the above-mentioned microtube shock device attempts to mix beads used for immunoprecipitation, for example. If the specific gravity of the liquid sample is large and the sample piece is a sample such as a sphere whose surface is in contact with the surface at a point or a small area, the sample is sealed inside the microtube and mixed as described above. However, it is difficult to adhere to the inner surface of the microtube and it is possible to perform sufficient mixing.

  However, the above-described microtube shock device has a small specific gravity with respect to the liquid sample to be mixed, or a plate shape or a flat shape in which the surface of the sample piece is in contact with the surface. It is not suitable for a sample, and the sample piece adheres to the side surface of the microtube, particularly the lid or bottom, and does not flow or fall with the liquid sample in the rotating microtube. In particular, if the sample piece has a small specific gravity and a thin plate shape with respect to the liquid sample to be mixed, such as a nail piece to be analyzed for DNA, for example, it is more closely attached. There was a problem that the surface adhering to the liquid sample could not be sufficiently mixed with the liquid sample, and the surface adhering to the inner surface of the microtube was not in contact with the liquid sample to be mixed .

  Therefore, the present invention will solve the problem of providing a microtube shock device capable of sufficiently mixing even a minute sample mixing process or a liquid sample and sample piece mixing process that solves these difficulties. It was set as a problem.

  A shock absorber for a microtube according to the present invention has, as means for solving the above-mentioned problems, a vertical axis driven by a motor provided on a base and a central axis that can be fitted to the upper end of the vertical axis. A micro-tube holder made of a leaf spring capable of elastically fitting the micro-tube to the outside of the tongue piece is attached to a rotatable disc having a tongue piece for attaching a plurality of micro-tubes to the periphery of the tongue piece. A microtube driving device that is elastically attached by urging the microtube that is movable to the left and right at a fixed angle and is always attached vertically by a bolt and a metal spring inserted over the back side Colliding with an L-shaped arm fixed to the base body and colliding with the tip of the microtube fitted on the microtube holder around the rotating disk It was composed of a shocking device provided with a structure.

  That is, the microtube shock device according to the present invention rotates according to the rotation of a horizontal disk to which the microtube is attached, collides with the collision shaft at the tip of the microtube, and further rotates according to the rotation. The microtube attached to the disk rotates and tilts, and further rotates and further rotates so that the microtube further rotates and the tip end passes through the collision shaft, and the microtube is vibrated by the spring action of the spring. In this configuration, the state before the collision with the collision axis is restored.

  As a result, the shock absorber of the microtube according to the present invention is rotated by keeping the microtube containing the sample to be mixed substantially vertical, and the sample enclosed in the microtube is vibrated at the bottom of the microtube, resulting in this. Of the sample sealed inside the microtube due to centrifugal force and gravity, the sample adhering to the lid and side faces gathers by flowing or dropping the entire amount to the bottom by its own weight, and the sample sealed inside the microtube is The entire amount can be mixed well without the sample adhering to the lid or side surface inside the microtube.

  Furthermore, it is desirable that the microtube shock device according to the present invention is configured so that the vertical axis and the central axis of the disk are detachable by screwing together with the above structure, and a plurality of microtube disks enclosing a sample are enclosed. Can be attached to or detached from the disk with the disk removed from the substrate, making the operation easy and attaching or removing a plurality of microtubes containing samples at once to the device. The device can be used efficiently, and moreover, a plurality of microtubes enclosing the mixed sample attached to the device using a plurality of discs and the next attached to the device are mixed. It is possible to exchange a plurality of microtubes filled with the sample to be processed at a time, and the use efficiency of the apparatus is improved, and other processing is performed on the sample that has been mixed. However, the disc is removed from the apparatus with a plurality of microtubes enclosing the sample that has been mixed, attached to the thermostat together with the microtube in which the sample is encapsulated. It is easy to perform other processes such as putting in, and the process can be performed efficiently.

  In addition, the microtube shock device according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, and the microtube holder is configured by a leaf spring that has an outer peripheral side as an opening for inserting and removing the microtube and holds the microtube lid on the top. It is desirable that the microtube can be easily fitted and removed, and does not come off due to collision with the collision shaft or subsequent strong vibration, and prevents the fitted microtube from coming off in the direction of the lid or opening the lid. Can do.

  In addition to the above configuration, the microtube shock device according to the present invention may have a configuration in which the microtube holder has two fitting portions that can be elastically fitted to the microtube in a continuous manner. The fitting portions have different sizes so as to fit microtubes having different diameters.

  In addition, the microtube shock device according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, and the collision shaft that collides with the tip of the microtube is screwed into the vertical hole so that the height can be adjusted to the L-shaped arm. Desirably, it can be adjusted according to the difference in the shape due to the difference in the inner volume of the microtube, etc., and the intensity of mixing can be adjusted by adjusting the collision position and adjusting the amplitude of subsequent strong vibration. Can be adjusted.

  In addition, the microtube shock device according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, and the vertical axis is provided with a base for supporting the base at the bottom of the base, and the side of the base and the side of the base are arranged on the horizontal axis. Attached to the base, a fixing screw is inserted into an arc-shaped long hole centered on the horizontal axis provided on the side of the base, and the side of the base is screwed. The base and the base are connected to the microtube drive device. It is preferable that the angle of the vertical axis with respect to the installation surface can be adjusted.

  In addition, the microtube shock device according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, and the microtube attached to the disk is molded from a plastic having a bottom and having a lid portion provided with an openable / closable lid. It is desirable to have a configuration, which can withstand collision with the collision axis and subsequent strong vibration, and is non-reactive and non-polar with respect to any sample.

  With the configuration as described above, the shock absorber for a microtube according to the present invention can mix a microtube enclosing a sample to be mixed in an almost upright state, and the sample hardly adheres to the lid or side surface inside the microtube. Even if it is a very small amount of sample with respect to the capacity of the microtube, it can be mixed sufficiently even if the sample enclosed and mixed in the microtube is not only a liquid sample but also a liquid sample and a sample piece. .

  Furthermore, the shock device of the microtube according to the present invention is not attached to the vertical disk in the radial arrangement as in the conventional apparatus, but the microtube attached to the disk is mounted upright. Before and after mixing, the sample enclosed in the microtube does not adhere to the lid or upper side surface in the microtube, and starts mixing under the same conditions over a plurality of microtubes. Thus, a sample mixed under the same conditions over the plurality of microtubes can be obtained.

  In addition, the microtube shock device according to the present invention can adjust the position of the collision axis and give strong vibration suitable for the size of the microtube attached to the disk. The intensity of strong vibration can be adjusted according to the above.

  In addition, the shock device for a microtube according to the present invention can be prepared by adjusting the angle of the disk by providing a base, and can perform trials under conditions of various angles to mix the sample. In the experiment in the basic research in each field of the biochemical research field, the optimum angle for the sample to be mixed can be searched or searched, which is useful.

  The shock absorber for a microtube according to the present invention can be used for mixing any sample by using a microtube made of plastic.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, a shock absorber 10 for a microtube according to the present invention includes a vertical shaft 23 driven by a motor 22 provided on a base 21 and a central shaft 31 that can be fitted to the upper end of the vertical shaft 23. A leaf spring that can elastically fit the microtube 40 to the outer peripheral side of the tongue 32 on a rotatable disc 30 having a tongue 32 for attaching a plurality of microtubes 40 to the periphery. The microtube holder 41 is urged by a bolt 42 and a metal spring 43 inserted on the back side of the tongue piece 32 so that the microtube 40 can be moved left and right at a fixed angle and is always attached vertically. The micro tube driving device 20 that is elastically attached and the L-shaped arm 51 fixed to the base body 21 are provided with micros around the rotating disk 30. It is constituted comprising a shocking device 50 for collisions shaft 52 is provided for impinging on the tip portion of the microtube 40 is fitted to Yubuhoruda 41.

  The vertical shaft 23 is a shaft that is driven and rotated by a motor 22 built in the base body 21 or a shaft that is driven and rotated via a drive transmission means that decelerates, etc., if necessary, and is preferably an operation unit 24 provided on the base body 21. To adjust the rotation speed of the motor 22 to adjust the rotation speed of the vertical shaft 23 (see FIG. 1). If necessary, the display unit is provided on the base 21 to improve the reproducibility of the mixing process. 25 may be provided to display the rotation speed of the vertical axis 23.

  The tongue piece 32 is preferably a series of members formed by bending the peripheral edge of the whole plate-like disk 30 (see FIG. 2 and the like). It is desirable that the balance when the discs are rotated as equal intervals is improved (see FIG. 1 and the like).

  The collision shaft 52 is a strong cylindrical member made of metal or the like that is horizontally provided on an L-shaped arm 51 fixed to the base 21 via a horizontal base 26 provided on the base 21. Since the required number is provided and the tip of the microtube 40 collides and rubs on the side surface, in order to reduce the load on the motor and the like, the surface is a smooth surface that does not catch on the microtube 40 (See FIG. 2 etc.).

  The microtube holder 41 has a bolt suspended in a fixed manner on the inner peripheral side of the base portion 41a inserted from an outer peripheral side into an attachment hole provided in the tongue piece 32, and a nut or the like on the inner peripheral side of the tongue piece 32 Is provided so as to be rotatable about the bolt, and one end of the spring 43 is connected to the inside of the tongue piece 32 of the bolt so that the microtube 40 fitted to the microtube holder 41 is vertical. The other end is attached to the peripheral side and the other end is attached to the tongue piece 32, and the microtube 41 and the tongue piece 32 are connected. The microtube 40 is always vertical, and even if it is tilted by applying an external force, the external force is lost. It is restored to become vertical (see FIG. 2 etc.).

  In addition to the above, the micro-tube shock device according to the present invention has a vertical shaft 23 fitted vertically to the upper end of the vertical shaft 23 as shown in FIG. A screw corresponding to the upper end of the shaft 23 and the center axis of the disk may be screwed and detachably screwed in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the vertical shaft 23.

  Further, in the microtube shock device according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the microtube holder 41 is bent at both sides of the plate-like base portion to the outer peripheral side to form a pair of leaf springs, and the tip of the leaf springs. The opening of the microtube 40 is used as an opening 41b for inserting / removing the microtube 40, the microtube is fitted into the fitting portion 41c from the opening 41b, and the side surface is elastically held. It is desirable that the leaf spring 41d press the lid portion of the microtube 40 bent and fitted to the side.

  Further, in the microtube shock device according to the present invention, the microtube holder 41, as shown in FIG. 3, the fitting portion 41c on which the microtube 40 can be elastically fitted is arranged in a horizontal cross-sectional shape. Two microtubes 40 having different capacities and different diameters may be provided in this case, so that the two microtubes 40 having different capacities can be fitted with one microtube holder 41 so as to fit the respective microtubes. It is good to have different sizes.

  Further, in the microtube shock device according to the present invention, the vertical position of the collision shaft 52 is adjusted to the vertical hole 51a provided in the vertical surface of the bent plate-like L-shaped arm 51 as shown in FIG. It is desirable that the screw is horizontally screwed, and a long hole is provided in the horizontal surface of the L-shaped arm 51 so that the horizontal position of the base mounting base can be adjusted. It is preferable.

  In addition, the shock absorber for a microtube according to the present invention is provided with a base 27 for supporting the base 21 at the bottom of the base 21 as shown in FIG. The side surface of the base body 21 and the side surface of the base body 21 are attached by a horizontal shaft 27a, and a fixing screw 27b is inserted into an arc-shaped elongated hole 27c centered on the horizontal shaft 27a provided on the side surface of the base 27 to It is possible to adjust the angle of the vertical axis 23 with respect to the installation surface of the microtube driving device 20 by screwing the base body 21 and the base 27, and in experiments in basic research in each field of molecular biology or biochemistry research field. In addition, it is possible to verify the results of various samples by adjusting the angle of the vertical axis 23 and verifying the results. In order to ensure the reproducibility of the experiment, a scale is provided along the long hole 27c. do it Serial may there as to indicate the angle of the vertical axis 23 relative to the installation surface of the micro tube driving device 20 at the position of the fixing screw 27b.

  Further, the shock absorber of the microtube according to the present invention adjusts the vertical shaft 23 so that at least the vertical shaft 23 can be adjusted in the vertical or horizontal range, and the disk 30 attached to the vertical shaft 23 is adjusted in the horizontal or vertical range. In general, it is preferable that the microtube 40 is rotated in the vertical direction so that the mixing process is performed. Therefore, the disk 30 fitted by adjusting the vertical axis 23 to the vertical position is set in the horizontal direction. The liquid sample to be mixed when the microtube 40 attached to the sample tube is vertically mixed (see FIG. 4), and the sample piece sealed in the microtube and mixed with the liquid sample is set to the vertical position. When the sample piece has a length such that a part of the sample protrudes from the liquid surface, the sample is obtained by rotating the microtube with the microtube 40 horizontal. In some cases, the side surface inside the microtube is circulated and mixed, and the vertical shaft 23 is adjusted horizontally to make the fitted disk vertical, and the microtube 40 attached to the disk is leveled and mixed. It is preferable to obtain it (see FIG. 5).

  Furthermore, the microtube 40 used in the shock absorber 10 of the microtube according to the present invention has an overall cylindrical shape in which one end is a lid portion provided with an openable / closable lid and the other end is a conical tapered bottom portion. The microtube with an inner volume of 0.5 ml has a diameter of about 7.5 mm and the length of the lid or bottom is about 30 mm, and the microtube with an inner volume of about 1.5 ml has a diameter of about 10.5 mm. The lid or bottom has a length of about 40 mm and is widely used in the field of molecular biology or biochemistry research. The material is preferably a plastic that is harmless to an internal sample such as polyolefin or polyester.

  The above-described mixing treatment by the shock device 10 of the microtube according to the present invention is such that the diameter of the disc 30 is 70 mm and the distance from the central axis 31 of the disc 30 to the center of the microtube 40 attached to the microtube holder 41 is 85 mm. In this case, it is preferable to perform the mixing treatment in the range of 1 to 15 rpm depending on the sample to be mixed.

  In addition, the mixing process by the above-described microtube shock device 10 according to the present invention is performed by attaching a weight having an eccentric shaft to the base body 21 and attaching an eccentric motor that rotates and vibrates to slightly vibrate the disk 30. Preferably, a part of the vertical shaft 23 is used as an elastic member to make it difficult to transmit fine vibrations of the disk 30 to the base, or unevenness is provided on the lower surface of the disk 30 or on the side periphery of the vertical shaft 23 to scrape it. Further, it is possible to perform the operation more efficiently by fixing the claw to be slightly vibrated to the base body 21 and applying the fine vibration to the disc 30.

  With the configuration as described above, the microtube shock device 10 according to the present invention has a microtube 40 fitted vertically to a microtube holder 41 attached to a tongue 32 provided on a disc 30, as shown in FIG. Is rotated in accordance with the direction A1 of rotation of the disk 30 by the drive rotation of the vertical shaft 23, the collision shaft 52 collides with the tip of the microtube 40 (see FIG. 6), and further rotated. As a result, the microtube 40 is rotated and tilted together with the microtube holder 41 (see FIG. 7), and further rotated so that the microtube 40 is further tilted and the tip passes through the collision shaft 52. The state before the microtube 40 collides with the collision shaft 52 by the restoring force of the spring 43 connecting the microtube holder 41 and the tongue piece 32. Tip is to restore an arc-shaped trajectory A2 (see FIG. 8.).

  As a result, the shock absorber 10 of the microtube according to the present invention is not limited to a liquid sample and, for example, the sample piece is made of DNA, even if the sample to be mixed is a very small amount. Even a thin and light sample piece such as a claw piece for the purpose of extraction does not adhere to the lid part or the side surface during the mixing process, and collides with the collision shaft 52 and the subsequent strong vibration. Therefore, even if mixing is performed simultaneously over a plurality of microtubes 40, a homogeneous mixing process can be performed.

  The microtube shock device according to the present invention is suitable mainly for the molecular biology or biochemical research field, especially for the mixing treatment of a small amount of the sample piece and the liquid sample for the purpose of extracting DNA etc. from the sample piece. In addition, it is possible to obtain a sample that can be carried out homogeneously and that is suitable for later analysis processing.

Front view of shock device for micro tube Perspective view of micro tube holder Perspective view of two micro tube holders Side view with the disc horizontally adjusted Side view with the disc adjusted vertically Schematic diagram showing collision of collision axis Schematic diagram showing collision of collision axis Schematic diagram showing collision of collision axis Front view showing an overview of conventional equipment Front view showing an overview of conventional equipment Schematic diagram showing the collision of the collision shaft of the conventional device Schematic diagram showing the collision of the collision shaft of the conventional device Schematic diagram showing the collision of the collision shaft of the conventional device

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Microtube shock device 20 Microtube drive device 21 Base body 22 Motor 23 Vertical axis 24 Operation part 25 Display part 26 Horizontal base 27 Base 27a Horizontal axis 27b Fixing screw 27c Long hole 30 Disc 31 Central axis 32 Tongue piece 40 Micro Tube 41 Microtube holder 41a Base 41b Opening port 41c Fitting portion 41d Lid leaf spring 42 Bolt 43 Spring 50 Shock applying device 51 L-shaped arm 51a Vertical hole 52 Collision axis A1 Microtube follow direction A2 Microtube Tip trajectory

Claims (7)

  A rotatable disk having a vertical shaft driven by a motor provided on a base and a central shaft that can be fitted to the upper end of the vertical shaft, and having tongue pieces for attaching a plurality of microtubes to the periphery. A microtube holder made of a leaf spring having a fitting portion on which the microtube can be elastically fitted to the outside of the tongue piece is fixed at a fixed angle by a bolt and a metal spring inserted on the back side of the tongue piece. A microtube drive device that is movable to the left and right and that is normally attached so that the attached microtube is vertical and elastically attached, and an L-shaped arm that is fixed to the base, and the rotating circle A shock applying device provided with a collision shaft that collides with a tip of a microtube fitted to a microtube holder around the plate. Yokku apparatus.   2. The shock device for a microtube according to claim 1, wherein the vertical axis and the central axis of the disc are detachable by screwing.   The micro tube holder is configured by a leaf spring that has an outer peripheral side as an opening for inserting and removing the micro tube, and an upper portion for pressing the lid portion of the micro tube. Microtube shock device.   4. The shock absorber for a microtube according to claim 1, wherein the microtube holder has two fitting portions that can elastically fit the microtube in a continuous manner. .   5. The microtube according to claim 1, wherein the collision shaft is screwed into the vertical hole so that the height can be adjusted to the L-shaped arm. Shock device.   A base for supporting the base is provided at the bottom of the base, and the side surface of the base and the side of the base are pivotally attached by a horizontal axis, and a fixing screw is provided on the side of the base. The microtube shock device according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the side surface of the substrate is screwed through the long hole.   7. The microtube is formed of a bottomed plastic body having a lid portion provided with a lid that can be freely opened and closed, and is made of a cylindrical tube as a whole. A shock absorber for a microtube according to any one of the above.

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