CASSETTE AND MEASURING APPARATUS

• US 20090324448A1
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd. (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd. (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Inventors: Sugiura, Miharu, Sato, Hiroyuki, Yano, Takakazu, Fukuda, Tadahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,367,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/82.05
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/4077 by other techniques involving separation of suspended solids
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/4088 filtration
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/21 Polarisation-affecting properties G01N21/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/493 urine

Abstract

An object of the invention is to provide a cassette and a measuring apparatus that can filter a sample for the optical measurement of an optically active substance and clean a sample flow channel by using a simple configuration. More specifically, the invention is directed to a cassette which includes a filter for filtering out a measurement interfering component from a sample, a container containing the filter, a cleaning liquid or cleaning agent for cleaning a sample flow channel, and a storage tank for storing the cleaning liquid or cleaning agent, and to a measuring apparatus having such a cassette.

Claims

1. A cassette for filtering a sample, comprising:

a filter for filtering out a measurement interfering component from said sample;

a container containing said filter;

a cleaning liquid or cleaning agent for cleaning a sample flow channel; and

a storage tank for storing said cleaning liquid or cleaning agent.

2. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein said container has a first inlet port through which said sample is introduced from outside said cassette, and a first outlet port through which said sample passed through said filter exits, and wherein

said cassette further comprising:

a discharge drain having a second inlet port through which said sample passed through said filter is introduced, and a second outlet port through which said sample introduced through said second inlet port is discharged outside said cassette; and

a transferring member for transferring said sample exiting from said first outlet port of said container onto said second inlet port of said discharge drain, and

said storage tank has a third outlet port through which said cleaning liquid or cleaning agent is fed out of said cassette.

3. The cassette according to claim 2, wherein said first inlet port, said second outlet port, and said third outlet port are all provided on an underside of said cassette.

4. The cassette according to claim 3, wherein said filter is formed from resin particles,

said first outlet port is formed to have a larger cross-sectional area than said second inlet port, and

said transferring member is formed in a teardrop shape in order to transfer said sample from said first outlet port to said second inlet port while preventing said resin particles from flowing out.

5. The cassette according to claim 2, wherein said cassette has a plurality of pairs of said filter and said discharge drain.

6. A measuring apparatus for filtering a sample, comprising:

a cassette having a filter for filtering out a measurement interfering component from said sample, a container containing said filter, a cleaning liquid or cleaning agent for cleaning a sample flow channel, and a storage tank for storing said cleaning liquid or cleaning agent;

a cassette holder for detachably holding said cassette;

a measuring container for holding said sample from which said measurement interfering component has been filtered out by said filter; and

an optical measuring section for optically measuring an optically active substance contained in said sample in said measuring container.

7. The measuring apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said container has a first inlet port through which said sample is introduced from outside said cassette, and a first outlet port through which said sample passed through said filter exits, and wherein

said cassette further comprising:

a discharge drain having a second inlet port through which said sample passed through said filter is introduced, and a second outlet port through which said sample introduced through said second inlet port is discharged outside said cassette; and

a transferring member for transferring said sample exiting from said first outlet port of said container onto said second inlet port of said discharge drain, and

said storage tank has a third outlet port through which said cleaning liquid or cleaning agent is fed out of said cassette.

8. The measuring apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said first inlet port, said second outlet port, and said third outlet port are all provided on an underside of said cassette.

9. The measuring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said filter is formed from resin particles,

said first outlet port is formed to have a larger cross-sectional area than said second inlet port, and

said transferring member is formed in a teardrop shape in order to transfer said sample from said first outlet port to said second inlet port while preventing said resin particles from flowing out.

10. The measuring apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said cassette has a plurality of pairs of said filter and said discharge drain.

11. The measuring apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said cassette holder has a sample inlet tube for introducing said sample into said first inlet port, a sample outlet tube for discharging said sample from said second outlet port, and a cleaning liquid outlet tube for feeding said cleaning liquid from said third outlet port.

12. The measuring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said first inlet port, said second outlet port, and said third outlet port are all provided on an underside of said cassette, and

said sample inlet tube, said sample outlet tube, and said cleaning liquid outlet tube are all provided on an underside of said cassette holder.

13. The measuring apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a feed tube for feeding said filtered sample discharged from said sample outlet tube into said measuring container.

14. The measuring apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said cleaning liquid or cleaning agent is used to clean at least said measuring container.