JPH0449920Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the invention] (Background of the invention) This invention is mainly used in the manufacturing process of influenza vaccines, and is mainly used in the production process of influenza vaccines. The machine consists of a piercing needle that makes a small hole in a predetermined part of the eggshell of a chicken egg, and a seeding needle that is inserted into a predetermined part of the egg and adheres the seed. The present invention relates to an inoculation needle for an automatic chicken egg inoculation machine that performs the above-mentioned perforation and inoculation while preventing the above-described problems.

Influenza vaccines are manufactured using fertilized chicken eggs, which are generally manufactured through the following steps: hatching, inoculation, culturing, cooling, excising the eggshell, and collecting (liquid).

Therefore, to explain the outline of the manufacturing process of this vaccine, Fig. 3 shows a partially cross-sectional fertilized chicken egg A, B is the eggshell, C is the air chamber, D is the chorioallantoic cavity,
E is the extraembryonic body.

(1) Hatching Fertilized chicken eggs A brought in from a poultry farm are placed in an incubation room and incubated for 11 days at an appropriate temperature (usually about 37°C).

(2) Inoculation Fertilized chicken eggs that hatched above (hereinafter simply referred to as eggs)
Sequentially send the eggs to the inoculator with the air chamber C facing upward (the feeding means will be described later). First, lower the piercing needle so that the tip of the outer needle reaches the air chamber C to make a small hole in the eggshell B. to be drilled. Next, lower the seed needle so that the tip of the inner needle reaches into the chorioallantoic cavity D through the hole, and evenly squirt 0.2 ml of seeds from the spout hole at the tip of the inner needle to enter the chorioallantoic cavity D. inoculate into the chorioallantoic fluid within.

(3) Cultivation Place the eggs after the above inoculation into an incubation room at an appropriate temperature (usually 34°C).
Incubate (incubate) for 24-48 hours at 50°C.

(4) Cooling The eggs after the above culture are placed in a cooling chamber and left to cool overnight at an appropriate temperature (usually 4 to 5°C).

(5) Resection The eggs after cooling are sent one by one to an automatic eggshell cutting machine with the air chamber C facing upward, and the eggshell on the air chamber C side of the egg is cut off using the cutting blade of the cutting machine.

(6) Collection Send the eggs after the shell removal described above to an automatic liquid collection machine one by one.
Lower the liquid sampling nozzle of the liquid sampling device into the egg, suck it up, and collect it into the sampling device.

Influenza vaccines are generally manufactured by the above-mentioned process, but the organic chicken eggs A used for manufacturing the above-mentioned vaccines are as shown in Figure 4.
The vaccines are placed in a row on a tray F with a stacking section G of 6 x 6 rows (36 in total), and are transported from a poultry farm to a vaccine manufacturer, usually in batches of about 60,000 to 70,000 pieces. From then on, the eggs A remain on the tray F and are stacked indoors during the above steps (1), (3), and (4); (5) and (6)
In this case, the material is placed on a conveyor and transferred intermittently to each processing machine, such as an inoculation machine, at a predetermined distance at a set timing, and during the interruption of this transfer, the above-mentioned processing such as inoculation is automatically performed. It is.

Therefore, the present invention is an inoculation needle for an automatic chicken egg inoculation machine that is in charge of the process (2) above. (However, in the example described later, 6 pieces and 2 pieces are set in parallel.)
By repeatedly moving the inoculation needle up and down, the eggs that are placed on tray F and sent one by one to the inoculator on a conveyor are continuously inoculated. be. Therefore, 6
To inoculate 60,000 eggs with one row of inoculating needles, 1
The inoculation needle in this book will move up and down 10,000 times.

As mentioned above, seed inoculation is carried out continuously by repeatedly moving the inoculation needle up and down.
If bacteria adhere to the inoculation needle, there is a risk that these bacteria will be implanted into the eggs that are sent one after another. Therefore, it is important to maintain the inoculation needle in a sterile state during the inoculation process, but sometimes germs may adhere to the inoculation needle. Causes of this bacteria adhesion include the presence of rotten eggs, or the presence of eggs with bacteria attached to their eggshells.

By the way, eggs sent to the inoculator are inspected in advance to exclude spoiled eggs and other rejected eggs, but currently this inspection is mainly carried out by monitoring multiple inspection tubes during the egg transfer line. This is done by checking the state of discoloration. As a result, inspections are sometimes overlooked, and in the case of eggshell contamination, it is virtually difficult to inspect.

As mentioned above, eggs containing germs may be sent to the inoculator despite prior egg checking. Among bacterial contamination, in the case of eggshell contamination, these bacteria attach to the outer needle when piercing the eggshell with a piercing needle, but the outer needle only descends to the air chamber C of the egg as described above. Therefore, there is no problem when bacteria adhere only to the outer surface of the needle, but when the bacteria adhere to the inner surface of the needle, there is a risk that the bacteria may be transferred to the inner needle, causing the problem of bacterial contamination. Next, if the egg rots and there are bacteria inside the egg, these bacteria will adhere to the inner needle when inoculating into the chorioallantoic cavity with the seeding needle. Through this bacteria-attached inner needle, bacteria are transplanted to the next egg one after another. If one bacterium enters the egg, this bacterium will multiply by 10 ⁹ /
ml.

As explained above, if bacteria adhere to the inoculation needle during inoculation, the needle will spread the bacteria contamination to the eggs that are sent in sequence, but this bacteria contamination will be transferred to the inner surface of the outer needle and the outer surface of the inner needle. This can be prevented by constantly cleaning. However, there is currently no technology that can prevent the above-mentioned bacterial contamination, and therefore, the development of this technology is desired in this industry.

(Purpose of the invention) The present invention was devised focusing on the above-mentioned points, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide an inoculation needle that can prevent bacterial contamination.

(Structure of the invention) The structure of the invention for achieving the above object will be explained using the embodiments and FIGS. 1 to 2, which correspond to the embodiments. The piercing needle 1 has a needle base 3 fixed to the proximal end of the outer needle 2, and is made of a tube material whose outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the outer needle 2, and a spout hole 8 at the tip.
A seeded needle 6 has a needle base 9 fixed to the base end of an inner needle 7 whose distal and proximal ends protrude a predetermined length from the perforation needle 1 and are formed to a length that can penetrate the perforation needle 1.
An injection tube 5 is protruded from an appropriate part of the needle base 2 of the perforation needle 1, and washing water is intermittently introduced into the perforation needle 1 from the injection tube 5 to remove the outer needle 2.
The inner needle 7 is configured to clean the inner surface of the inner needle 7 and the outer surface of the inner needle 7.

(Effect of the invention) Appropriate pressure (air pressure, etc.) for the injection tube 5 of the piercing needle 1
When the washing water is supplied under pressure, the washing water is introduced into the piercing needle, passes through the gap between the outer needle 2 and the inner needle 7, and is discharged from the tip of the outer needle 2 to the outside. Therefore, since the inner surface of the outer needle 2 and the outer surface of the inner needle 7 are washed with washing water, even if bacteria adhere to these parts,
It is washed away and cleaned with the above-mentioned washing water.

(Embodiments) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an inoculation needle for an automatic chicken egg inoculation machine showing one embodiment of the present invention. In these figures, 1 is a piercing needle made of SUS-316 (stainless steel), etc., and the piercing needle 1 has a needle base 3 integrated at the base end of an outer needle 2 made of a tubular material having an appropriate diameter and length. The outer needle 2 is fixed by forming or fitting, and the tip of the outer needle 2 is polished into a tapered shape to form a blade portion 4. An injection tube 5 is protruded from an appropriate portion of the needle base 3, and is configured to introduce an appropriate amount of washing water into the piercing needle 1 from the injection tube under an appropriate pressure such as air pressure.

6 is a seeding needle made of SUS-316 (stainless steel), etc. The seeding needle 6 is made of a tube material whose outer diameter is smaller than the inside diameter of the outer needle 2, and the tip is bored laterally. The needle base 9 is fitted onto the proximal end of an inner needle 7, which has a spout hole 8 and whose distal and proximal ends protrude from the perforating needle 1 by a predetermined length to have a length that can be inserted into the perforating needle 1. The tip of the inner needle 7 is crushed and closed, and is sharply polished to form the insertion blade 10. Reference numeral 11 denotes a connecting body configured to be removably fitted and fixed to the base end of the needle base 9 of the seeding needle 6. An injection tube 12 is protruded from the base end of the connecting body 11. Inject an appropriate amount of seeds (seed virus) into the seeded needle 6 from the injection tube 12 at an appropriate pressure, and then insert the seeds into the injection hole 8 of the inner needle 7.
It is configured to be dispensed from.

The inoculation needle of this example is constructed as described above and is used by being set in an automatic chicken egg inoculation machine.Next, the construction etc. will be explained. FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams showing an example of an automatic chicken egg inoculation machine that employs the inoculation needle according to the present invention. In these figures, 20,2
Reference numeral 0 denotes a column that stands up and down at a predetermined distance, and pneumatic cylinders 22, 22, etc. fixed to the fixed part 21 are interposed at the lower ends of the columns 20, 20, and the cylinders 22, 22, etc. It is configured to move up and down intermittently at strokes and timings set by. 23, 23 are air cylinders 24, 2
The support rods 23, 23 are the support rods erected at the upper ends of both columns 20, 20 with the support rods 23, 23 interposed
It is configured to move up and down intermittently at strokes and timings set by numbers 4, 24, etc. As a result, the support rod 23 is attached to the cylinder 2.
2 and 24, it can be raised and lowered in two stages. Reference numeral 25 denotes a mounting body for attaching a punching needle, which is fixed at both ends to the support 20 and installed horizontally between both supports 20, 20. 3 is fixed to the mounting body 25 with a set screw 26 or the like and arranged vertically. In the embodiment, six perforating needles 1 are arranged in two rows, and six perforating needles 1 are arranged in two rows (12
The structure is such that eggs A of 2) are simultaneously pierced.

27 fixes both ends to the support rods 23 and attaches them to both support rods 2.
3 and 23 horizontally, and the seeding needle 6 is attached to the mounting body 2 by attaching the connecting body 11 with a set screw 28 or the like in a manner corresponding to the mounting position of each of the above-mentioned perforating needles 1.
7, and the inner needle 7 is inserted through the piercing needle 1. As a result, the inner needles 7 of the various attached needles 6 move up and down within the outer needle 2.

Reference numeral 29 denotes a distribution pipe for distributing seeds, and the distribution pipe 29 is supported by a support rod 30 and fixedly disposed on the mounting body 27. An injection pipe 31 is protruded from the distribution pipe 29, and branch nozzles 32 are protruded according to the number of inoculation needles (12 in the embodiment), and each nozzle 32 is connected to a corresponding seeded needle. Injection tube 12 of body 11
and is connected by an infusion tube 33, and is configured so that the seeds supplied into the distribution pipe 29 are evenly distributed by the distribution pipe 29 and supplied to the various needles 6. 3
4 is a storage container for airtightly storing seeds; 35 is a container 34 with its lower end located near the bottom of the container 34;
The container 34 connects the upper end of the supply pipe 35 and the injection pipe 31 with a connecting tube 36.
It is connected to a distribution pipe 29. 37 is a pressure generator such as a low pressure compressor, and the inside of the container 34 is constantly pressurized at an appropriate pressure (low pressure) by the pressure generator 37. With this pressure, the seeds in the container 34 are fed to the supply pipe 35.
the distribution pipe 2 through the connection tube 36.
It is designed to be supplied within 9.

38 indicates a stenosis device for seeds, stenosis device 3
8 is a pincher plate 39 which is fixed to both ends of the support rod 23 and installed horizontally between the support rods 23, 23; Pinchers 40, 40 are provided so as to be movable in the direction of the plate 39, and both pinchers 40, 40 are provided.
are configured to move back and forth intermittently at a set stroke and timing using pneumatic cylinders 42, 42, etc. fixed on mounting boards 41, 41 fixed to the support rod 23. Each of the above-mentioned infusion tubes 33 connects the branch nozzle 32 and the injection tube 12 through the plate 39 and the pincher 40, so that when the pincher 40 approaches the plate 39 (the seventh (see the imaginary line in the figure), the infusion path of the tube 33 is narrowed and blocked, so the supply of seeds is stopped, and the pincher 40 is separated from the plate 39 (see the solid line in Fig. 7). Since the stenosis is released and the infusion path of the tube 33 is opened, seeds can be supplied during this time. In this way, the tube 33 is
The infusion channel is opened and closed intermittently, and an appropriate amount (usually 0.2 ml) of seeds is poured out from the spout hole 8 of the seeding needle 6 for inoculation. It is adjusted and set in conjunction with the timing of other series of drive mechanisms.

43 is a distribution pipe for distributing washing water, and support rods 23,
It is fixedly supported by supporting rods 45, 45 located at the rear part (on the delivery side) of 23 and fixedly erected on a suitable fixing part 44. An injection pipe 46 is protruded from the distribution pipe 43, and branch nozzles 47 are protruded according to the number of inoculation needles (12 in the embodiment), and each nozzle 47 is used for injecting the corresponding perforating needle 1. The pipe 5 is connected to the infusion tube 48, and the distribution pipe 43
The cleaning water supplied therein is evenly distributed by a distribution pipe 43 and is supplied into each piercing needle 1. 49 is a storage container that airtightly stores cleaning water; 5
0 is a supply pipe disposed in the container 49 with its lower end located near the bottom of the container 49, and the container 49 is connected to the supply pipe 5.
0 and the injection pipe 46 are connected by a connecting tube 51 and connected to the distribution pipe 43. Reference numeral 52 denotes a pressure generator such as a low pressure compressor, and the inside of the container 49 is constantly pressurized with an appropriate pressure (low pressure) supplied by the pressure generator 52. At this pressure, the cleaning water in the container 49 flows through the supply pipe 50. The liquid is raised and supplied into the distribution pipe 43 through the connecting tube 51.

53 indicates a constriction device for washing water, and the constriction device 5
3 is a fixing part 4 located at the lower front side of the container 43.
4. A pincher plate 55 which is horizontally installed with both ends fixed to support rods 54, 54 which are erected; A freely disposed pincher 56 is provided, and the pincher 56 is configured to be moved back and forth intermittently at a set stroke and timing by a pneumatic cylinder 57 etc. fixed to the fixed part 44. Each of the infusion tubes 48 on the washing water side connects the branch nozzle 47 and the injection tube 5 by passing between the plate 55 and the pincher 56, so that each tube 48 is similar to the tube 33. When the pincher 56 approaches the plate 55, the infusion path of the tube 48 is blocked and the supply of washing water is stopped.
Furthermore, as the pincher 56 separates from the plate 55, the stenosis is released and the tube 48
During this time, irrigation water will be supplied to the perforating needle. In this way, the infusion path of the tube 48 is opened and closed by the constriction device 53, and by opening the infusion path intermittently, an appropriate amount of washing water is injected into the needle 1 from the injection tube 5 of the perforating needle 1, and the tip of the outer needle 2 is injected. The cleaning water is discharged from the water to wash the inner surface of the outer needle 2 and the outer surface of the inner needle 7, and this timing is adjusted and set in conjunction with the timing of the series of drive mechanisms as described above. The intermittent supply time (supply amount) is configured to be variable by appropriately adjusting it.

Reference numeral 58 denotes a guide rail laid between the supports 20, 20, and the tray F on which the eggs are placed is moved from the entrance side of the inoculator to the rail 6 by a conveyor (not shown).
The tray F is intermittently sent to the exit side one frame at a time (corresponding to row G2 of the loading section) at a predetermined timing, and while the tray F is stopped, drilling, inoculation, and cleaning are performed. Cylinder 22, 24, 42
And 57 is the lowering of the perforating needle 1 → the lowering of the seeding needle 6 → the injection of seeds (inoculation) → the stop of dispensing of seeds → the raising of the perforating needle 1 and the seeding needle 6 → one-frame advance of tray F → cleaning The timing is adjusted and set so that the cycle of supplying water (washing) → stopping the supply of washing water is repeated to drive intermittently.

Next, the effects etc. will be explained. Eggs A are placed on tray F and sent one frame at a time on a conveyor. At this point, pinchers 42 and 56 are close to plates 39 and 56, so tube 3
3 and 48 are crushed and the infusion channel is closed. Therefore, first, the cylinder 22 causes the column 20 to
is lowered, the piercing needle 1 descends so that the tip of the outer needle 2 reaches the air chamber C of the egg A (at this time, the seeding needle 6 also descends at the same time, but the tip of the inner needle 7 The inserting blade 10 is inserted into the outer needle 2.) Then, a pore is bored in the eggshell B. Next, the support rod 23 is lowered by the cylinder 24, so that the seeding needle 6 is lowered so that the tip of the inner needle 7 reaches the chorioallantoic cavity D of the egg A. Next, the pincher 40 is opened by the cylinder 42, so the infusion path of the tube 33 is opened, and an appropriate amount (0.2 ml) of seeds is force-fed to the seeding needle 6, and this seed is passed through the tip spout hole 8 of the inner needle 7.
It is poured out into the chorioallantoic fluid in the chorioallantoic cavity D and inoculated. Then, the pincher 40 is immediately closed by the cylinder 42 after the time limit has elapsed. Thereafter, the cylinders 22 and 24 raise the strut 20 and the strut rod 23, and therefore the perforating needle 1 and the seeding needle 6, and return them to their original positions. Then,
After tray F is sent to one frame by the conveyor,
Since the pincher 56 is opened by the cylinder 57, the transport path of the tube 48 is opened, and a predetermined amount of cleaning water is introduced from the injection tube 5 to the piercing needle 1. The washing water is discharged to the outside from the tip of the outer needle 2 through the gap between the inner needle 6 and the outer needle 2.
The inside of the body is washed clean.

Inoculation is carried out by repeating the above pattern, so the inoculation needle is constantly cleaned during the inoculation process.

(Effect of the invention) As described above, the present invention provides an injection tube that protrudes from an appropriate part of the needle base of the piercing needle, and intermittently introduces washing water into the piercing needle from this injection tube at a predetermined timing to flush the outside of the piercing needle. Since it is configured to wash the inner surface of the needle and the outer surface of the inner needle, the inoculation needle can be constantly cleaned during the inoculation operation. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an inoculation needle that can contribute to preventing bacterial contamination.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side view showing one embodiment of the inoculation needle according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a partially enlarged view, and Fig. 3 is a partially cross-sectional view of a fertilized chicken egg. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which eggs are placed on a tray used for manufacturing influenza vaccines; FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing an automatic chicken egg inoculation machine employing the inoculation needle according to the present invention. The front view and FIG. 6 are an enlarged sectional view taken along the - indicator line in FIG. 5, showing a part thereof, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing an enlarged part of the constriction device of the same inoculator. 1...Punching needle, 2...Outside needle, 3...Needle base, 5
... Injection tube, 6 ... Seed needle, 7 ... Inner needle, 8 ...
...Spout hole, 9... Needle base.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A piercing needle is made of a tubing material having an appropriate diameter and length and has a needle base fixed to the proximal end of the outer needle. consisting of a seeded needle having a needle base fixed to the proximal end of an inner needle, which is provided with an exit hole, has a tip and a proximal end protruding from the perforating needle by a predetermined length, and is formed to a length that can penetrate the perforating needle; An injection tube is protruded from an appropriate part of the needle base of the piercing needle, and washing water is intermittently introduced into the piercing needle from the injection tube to wash the inside of the outer needle and the outer surface of the inner needle. An inoculation needle for an automatic chicken egg inoculation machine, characterized in that the inoculation needle is configured to do so.