LIQUID ASPIRATING APPARATUS AND SAMPLE ANALYZER

• US 20100047128A1
• Filed: 10/27/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Inventors: Ootani, Toshihiro, Sumida, Hiroyasu, MOTOTSU, Kazunori
• Application Number:
  US12/606,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20100047128A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/63
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 13/02 for receptacle or instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/021 Pipettes, i.e. with only one conduit for withdrawing and redistributing liquids
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/02 Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/102 with means for agitating the liquid by agitating the container B08B3/042, B08B3/044, B08B3/045, B08B3/06
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/00 Cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto B08B6/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00801 Holders for sample carriers, e.g. trays, caroussel, racks
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0098 involving analyte bound to insoluble magnetic carrier, e.g. using magnetic separation magnetic particles used in immunoassays G01N33/54326; magnetic separation in general B03C

Abstract

The present invention is to present a liquid aspirating apparatus comprising: a liquid aspirating nozzle; an aspirator for aspirating liquid through the liquid aspirating nozzle; a washing liquid discharging nozzle being arranged along a longitudinal direction of the liquid aspirating nozzle, wherein a discharge hole for discharging washing liquid is formed on the washing liquid discharging nozzle and the discharge hole faces a side surface of the liquid aspirating nozzle; and a washing liquid supplier for supplying the washing liquid to the side surface of the liquid aspirating nozzle through the discharge hole of the washing liquid discharging nozzle.

Claims

1. A liquid aspirating apparatus comprising:

a liquid aspirating nozzle;

an aspirator for aspirating liquid through the liquid aspirating nozzle;

a washing liquid discharging nozzle being arranged along a longitudinal direction of the liquid aspirating nozzle, wherein a discharge hole for discharging washing liquid is formed on the washing liquid discharging nozzle and the discharge hole faces a side surface of the liquid aspirating nozzle; and

a washing liquid supplier for supplying the washing liquid to the side surface of the liquid aspirating nozzle through the discharge hole of the washing liquid discharging nozzle.

2. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the discharge hole is arranged at a position on a side surface of the washing liquid discharging nozzle, the position facing the side surface of the liquid aspirating nozzle.

3. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 2, wherein

a bottom discharge hole for discharging the washing liquid supplied from the washing liquid supplier downward from the washing liquid discharging nozzle is formed on a bottom end of the washing liquid discharging nozzle.

4. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 3, wherein

an opening of the discharge hole is larger than that of the bottom discharge hole.

5. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 2, wherein

a second discharge hole is formed at a position on the side surface of the washing liquid discharging nozzle and the second discharge hole faces the side surface of the liquid aspirating nozzle, the position facing the side surface of the liquid aspirating nozzle;

and

the discharge hole and the second discharge hole are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the washing liquid discharging nozzle with a space therebetween.

6. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 2,

wherein the liquid aspirating nozzle comprises:

a first body part being positioned on the bottom end side of the liquid aspirating nozzle, an aspirating hole for aspirating liquid being formed on the first body;

a second body part being positioned at a top end side of the liquid aspirating nozzle, and having an external diameter greater than that of the first body; and

a connecting part connecting the first body part and the second body part, an external diameter of the connecting part continuously decreasing from the second body part to the first body part,

and wherein the discharge hole faces an side surface of the connecting part.

7. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the liquid aspirating nozzle comprises:

a first body part being positioned on the bottom end side of the liquid aspirating nozzle, an aspirating hole for aspirating liquid being formed on the first body; and

a second body part being positioned at a top end side of the liquid aspirating nozzle, and having an external diameter greater than that of the first body,

and wherein the washing liquid discharging nozzle is arranged adjacent to the second body part of the liquid aspirating nozzle.

8. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the discharge hole is inclined relative to the longitudinal direction of the liquid aspirating nozzle.

9. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 8, wherein

an undersurface of the washing liquid discharging nozzle comprises an inclined part which is inclined so that a side nearest the liquid aspirating nozzle is positioned on an upstream side of the washing liquid flow and a side farthest from the liquid aspirating nozzle is positioned on a downstream side of the washing liquid flow;

and

the discharge hole is arranged at the inclined part.

10. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 8, wherein

a plurality of the washing liquid discharging nozzle are provided circularly along the longitudinal direction of the liquid aspirating nozzle.

11. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 10, wherein

the plurality of the washing liquid discharging nozzles are arranged in a mutually contacted state.

12. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 10, further comprising

a cylindrical part having a cylindrical shape with the same axis as a center axis of the liquid aspirating nozzle, and including the plurality of the washing liquid discharging nozzles.

13. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 12, wherein

the cylindrical part comprises:

a nozzle mounting part for mounting the plurality of the washing liquid discharging nozzles therein; and

a single flow channel part being connected to a top end of the nozzle mounting part, and comprising a single flow channel for leading the washing liquid supplied from the washing liquid supplier to each of the plurality of the washing liquid discharging nozzles in the nozzle mounting part.

14. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the liquid aspirating nozzle comprises:

a nozzle part being arranged so as to extend in a vertical direction, an aspirating hole to be immersed in the liquid being formed on the nozzle part; and

an aspiration flow channel part being connected to a top end of the nozzle part, and comprising a curved channel which is curved so that a liquid flowing upward through the nozzle part flows downward.

15. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 12,

wherein the liquid aspirating nozzle comprises:

a nozzle part being arranged so as to extend in a vertical direction, an aspirating hole to be immersed in the liquid being formed on the nozzle part; and

an aspiration flow channel part being connected to a top end of the nozzle part, and comprising a curved channel which is curved so that a liquid flowing upward through the nozzle part flows downward,

wherein the curved channel extends from within the cylindrical part;

and wherein the liquid aspirating apparatus further comprises a resin seal member for sealing a gap between the curved channel and the cylindrical part.

16. The liquid aspirating apparatus of claim 15, wherein

the seal member mutually fastens the curved channel and the cylindrical part.

17. A sample analyzer comprising:

a sample aspirating apparatus for aspirating a sample in a container; and

an analyzing apparatus for analyzing a predetermined component in the sample in the container, using either the sample aspirated by the sample aspirating apparatus or the sample remaining in the container after aspiration by the sample aspirating apparatus, wherein

the sample aspirating apparatus comprises;

a liquid aspirating nozzle for aspirating the sample in the container;

an aspirator for aspirating the sample in the container through the liquid aspirating nozzle;

a washing liquid discharging nozzle being arranged along a longitudinal direction of the liquid aspirating nozzle, a discharge hole for discharging washing liquid being formed on the washing discharging nozzle and the discharge hole facing a side surface of the liquid aspirating nozzle; and

a washing liquid supplier for supplying the washing liquid to the side surface of the liquid aspirating nozzle through the discharge hole of the washing liquid discharging nozzle.

18. The sample analyzer of claim 17, wherein

the predetermined component is an antigen or an antibody.

19. The sample analyzer of claim 17, wherein

the discharge hole is arranged at a position on a side surface of the washing liquid discharging nozzle, the position facing the side surface of the liquid aspirating nozzle.

20. The sample analyzer of claim 17, wherein

the discharge hole is inclined relative to the longitudinal direction of the liquid aspirating nozzle.