JPH06324057A - Cartridge containing dry analysis film piece - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To take out a dry analysis film piece positively from a cartridge containing the film piece to be used in a biochemical analysis, an immune analysis or the like even when the film piece is greatly deformed. CONSTITUTION:A discharge port 821 is formed at the lower part of a casing 810 of the cartridge. A dry analysis film piece is discharged out through the discharge port 821. A notch part 834 is formed at an end plate 830 to accommodate a pressure reduction/suction pad for transportation. Two flexible retaining means 841 for the forefront film piece are formed at the lower part of the front face of the casing 810 and moreover, a retaining means 846 for a second film is provided in the middle of the means 841. An inclining/holding member 881 for raising a side end of the dry analysis film piece upward is integrally formed at the center of the end plate 830 at the opposite side to the discharge port 821.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a predetermined biochemical substance (hereinafter referred to as a test component) contained in a sample liquid such as blood or urine.
Or an analyte), a dry analysis film having a reagent layer that undergoes a chemical reaction, a biochemical reaction or an immunoreaction with an analyte to change the optical density, and a small piece (chip, square, rectangle, circle, ellipse, etc.) of a specific shape The present invention relates to a cartridge for accommodating a piece of dry analysis film (dry analysis film chip) cut in (1).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, qualitative or quantitative analysis of a specific chemical component in a sample liquid or an activity value of the chemical component is performed in various industrial fields. In particular, quantitative analysis of the content or activity value of biochemical components in biological fluids such as blood and urine, or the content of formed components is extremely important in the field of clinical biochemistry.

In recent years, quantitative analysis of the content of a specific chemical component contained in the sample solution or its activity value, or the content of a tangible component, simply by supplying a small drop of the sample solution. A dry (dry chemistry) integrated multilayer analytical film (also referred to as a multilayer analytical element or a multilayer analytical element) has been developed (Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-21677 (US Pat. No. 3,993).
2,158), JP-A-55-164356 (US Pat. No. 4,292,272)
No.) etc.) is in practical use. Also, a filter paper type test piece and an improved single-layer or multi-layer test piece (JP-A-57-53)
No. 661 (US Pat. No. 4,477,575) and the like have been proposed, and some of them have been put into practical use. The use of these dry analysis films allows the sample liquid to be analyzed easily and quickly as compared with the conventional wet analysis method, and therefore its use is particularly useful for medical institutions that need to analyze a large number of sample liquids. It is preferable in laboratories.

In order to quantitatively analyze the chemical components in a sample solution using such a dry analysis film, the sample solution is used as a dry analysis film (in the case of having a development layer, a development layer and a development layer are provided). If not, it is spotted directly on the reagent layer, and then it is kept at a constant temperature (incubation) in the ink beta (constant temperature device) for a predetermined time to cause a color reaction (dye formation reaction), and then a predetermined amount in the sample liquid The optical density of the dry analytical film is measured by irradiating the dry analytical film with a measuring irradiation light having a wavelength preselected by the combination of the biochemical substance and the reagent contained in the dry analytical film. A substance concentration or activity value of a predetermined biochemical substance in the sample solution is obtained by using a calibration curve showing the correspondence between the obtained optical density value and the substance concentration or activity value of the predetermined biochemical substance. .

By the way, the dry analysis film has a structure in which at least one reagent layer containing a reagent is provided on a support made of an organic polymer, and more preferably, a developing layer is provided on the upper side of the reagent layer. . Then, for automatic operation, the dry analysis film piece is used as a chemical analysis slide housed in a slide frame made of an organic polymer.

[0006]

However, the analyzer using the chemical analysis slide as described above tends to be large-sized. That is, large medical institutions use large cartridges because they consume a large amount of chemical analysis slides in a short period of time, and are equivalent to the number of biochemical substances (test components, analytes) to be analyzed. Since it is necessary to provide the same number of cartridges, the space required for the cartridges becomes large.

Further, the chemical analysis slide requires a large cost for the frame, which is one of the causes for increasing the cost of the chemical analysis slide. Further, the presence of this frame causes the cartridge, the ink beta, etc. to become large. there were.

Therefore, the present applicant has made it possible to use the dry analysis film piece (dry analysis film chip) as it is (without housing the dry analysis film piece in the frame), and downsizing is possible. Proposed several types of cartridges (Japanese Patent Application No. 4-99823 and Japanese Patent Application No. 5-58131).

The above-mentioned cartridge is extremely preferable because it can be made compact and can use a dry analysis film piece which can be manufactured at low cost.

However, the dry analytical film pieces tend to warp and deform when dried. Therefore, when the deformation (warpage) of the dry analysis film piece is large,
In some cases, a piece of dry analysis film could not be taken out from the cartridge. That is, as shown in FIG. 13, when the dry analysis film piece 19 that has been largely deformed (warped) is brought to the lower end surface 839 of the casing 810 of the cartridge, the discharge port 829 side is lifted at the lower end surface 839. . Therefore, when the transport means is inserted from the cutout portion 834 and the dry analysis film piece 19 is discharged to the outside through the discharge port 829, the tip of the dry analysis film piece 19 is caught and cannot pass through the discharge port 829. Met.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems and provides a cartridge containing a dry analysis film piece capable of reliably discharging the dry analysis film piece from the cartridge even when the dry analysis film piece is largely deformed. The purpose is to

[0012]

The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and a cartridge for containing the dry analysis film piece of the present invention has at least one support on a support.
A casing for accommodating a plurality of dry analysis film pieces provided with a reagent layer of a layer and a conveying means for conveying the dry analysis film pieces provided on one end surface of the casing reach the dry analysis film pieces. End plate for locking the dry analysis film piece having a cutout and a dry analysis film piece housed on one wall in the vicinity of the end plate of the casing that can pass through in parallel to the film piece An outlet and a dry film piece tilt holding member that positions the edge of the dry analysis film piece that is in contact with the end plate on the side opposite to the outlet in a direction opposite to the end plate of the casing from the edge on the outlet side. , A biasing means for biasing the dry analytical film piece provided and housed in the casing toward the end plate.

The outlet may be of any size so that the dry analytical film piece can pass laterally. The discharge port is generally formed in the horizontal direction. The discharge port may be provided on two wall surfaces of the cartridge casing that face each other or that are adjacent to each other, and in this case, the conveyance can be performed from two directions.

The dry film piece tilt holding member is arranged such that the edge portion of the dry analysis film piece that is in contact with the end plate is opposite to the discharge port, and is diagonally positioned in the direction opposite to the end plate of the casing. Even if the dry analysis film piece is largely deformed, the edge of the dry analysis film piece located on the discharge port side is corrected so as to be substantially parallel to the discharge port. The dry film piece tilt holding member is not particularly limited as long as it is a means capable of bringing the dry analysis film piece into the above-described state. For example, a protrusion may be formed on the side wall opposite to the discharge port, a protrusion may be formed on the end plate, or an end plate may be inclined toward the discharge port from the side wall opposite to the discharge port. The thickest part is in contact with the side wall on the side opposite to the outlet, and the slope is about 1/3 from the side wall to the outlet.
~ 2/3 length, inclined surface is flat, curved flat shape like a part of a cylinder with a large curvature, etc., saddle shape inclined from the side wall on the side opposite to the outlet toward the outlet ( A horse-like protrusion is formed (the protrusion is highest at a portion in contact with the side wall opposite to the outlet and ends at a position of about 1/3 to 2/3 from the side wall to the outlet).

When the dry film piece tilt holding member is formed in a protruding shape on the side wall opposite to the discharge port, it can be appropriately set according to the size of the dry analysis film piece and the like. For example, in the case of a dry analytical film piece having a side of 12 mm, the length from the end plate is preferably 0.2 to 3.0 mm, more preferably 0.5 to 1.5 mm. Further, the protruding length from the inner surface of the side wall of the casing is preferably 0.3 to 4.0 mm, more preferably 0.5 to 2.0 mm.
Further, the width is preferably 1.0 to 8.0 mm, more preferably 2.0 to 5.0 mm.

The film piece lifting member may be formed integrally with the casing or may be attached to the casing later.

The outlet may be provided with a flexible locking means for locking the dry analytical film piece in a direction parallel to the wall surface of the casing, that is, in a hanging direction extending from the wall surface.

This flexible locking means is provided when the conveying means conveys the most advanced dry analysis film piece toward the outlet.
With the most advanced dry analysis film piece slid along the end plate, it is bent in a direction parallel to the end plate and the most advanced dry analysis film piece is discharged through the discharge port.
It has a strength capable of locking the second dry analysis film piece that is in contact with the slid and discharged frontmost dry analysis film piece.

The shape of the flexible locking means is not particularly limited as long as it has the above-mentioned action, but it is preferable to take the shape of the Greek letter "Π" or the Roman numeral "II". When the flexible locking means is formed in the shape of “Π” or “II”, the substantial part is a downwardly (upward) protruding portion. In this specification, the portion protruding downward is referred to as a locking tongue. The shape of the locking tongue can be a tongue type, a long tongue type, a scale type, an inverted triangle type, a wedge type, or the like.

The tip (bottom end) of the locking tongue may be in contact with the lower surface (upper surface) of the discharge port, but the tip of the locking tongue may extend from the lower surface (upper surface) of the discharge port to the dry analysis film piece. It is preferable that they are separated by 1/2 to 2/3 of the thickness. As a specific numerical value, the thickness of the thinnest dry analysis film piece is about 300 μm, so between the tip of the locking tongue and the lower surface (upper surface) of the discharge port is about 100 μm to about 300 μm.
Gaps in the μm range are preferably present. The width of the locking tongue is about 1.0 mm to about 3.0 mm in maximum width, and the length is about
A range of 250 μm to about 3.0 mm is preferred. The distance between the locking tongues is almost the same as the maximum width of the spreading area or the diffusion area in the surface direction (lateral direction) of the liquid sample that is spot-supplied in the spreading layer or the reagent layer, which is the uppermost layer of the dry analysis film piece, or Wider (longer) is preferable, but when the size of the dry analysis film piece is small, it is possible to use a distance (shorter) slightly narrower than the maximum width of the spreading area or the diffusion area. Specifically, each locking tongue is preferably located within a range of about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm from the side edge of the dry analytical film piece. In the case of a dry analysis film piece having a spreading layer, the distance between the locking tongues is about 7 mm at the shortest (narrowest), and in the case of the dry analysis film piece having the reagent layer as the top layer, the distance between the locking tongues is The shortest (narrowest) is about 5 mm.

The shape of the tip (lower end) of the locking tongue is preferably a polygonal vertex (whether it is an acute angle or an obtuse angle) and a rounded vertex. In addition, it is preferable that the edges of the both side surfaces of the locking tongue also have rounded ends (shapes having a U-shaped cross section). In the flexible locking means, only the locking tongue projecting downward (upward) is installed in the vicinity of both horizontal ends of the discharge port, and one or two of them are respectively installed in the shape of Π or II with a gap. It may have a structure. Also, the inner surface of the flexible locking means is preferably flush with the inner surface of the casing.

The flexible locking means is a sheet (thin plate) of a hard organic polymer (eg, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene, hard polyethylene, polystyrene, polyamide (nylon, etc.), polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride). Is preferably formed from
For example, in the case of a PET sheet, the rigidity of the hard organic polymer sheet is preferably in the range corresponding to the rigidity of the amorphous PET sheet having a thickness of about 80 μm to about 120 μm.

The flexible locking means is embedded, screwed, fixed by rivets, fixed by welding or an adhesive at the edge of the wall surface of the casing or in the vicinity thereof, or is molded integrally with the casing by a molding method or the like. .

In addition to the above-mentioned sheet-like form, the flexible locking means includes hook-and-loop fasteners (Hook-and-Loop Fasteners).
A long loop-shaped elastic monofilament (or twisted yarn of elastic multifilament) of a different name (magic tape) can be arranged in 1 to 4 rows, preferably 2 to 3 rows in a substantially parallel manner. The bristle-like elastic single fibers (or the twisted yarns of the elastic multi-fibers) of the brush may be arranged in one to four rows, preferably in two to three cases, substantially in parallel. The bristle-like elastic monofilament tip has a spherical shape having a diameter larger than the thickness of the fiber or a structure in which the tip of the fiber is rounded. Also in the case of yarn, a structure in which the tips of individual fibers are rounded is preferable.

Also in such a flexible locking means, the dry analysis film piece is provided at the central portion of the end surface (corresponding to the development area of the liquid sample to be spot-supplied and the diffusion area in the surface direction (lateral direction)). It is preferable that neither the nanah or the hairy elastic single fiber (or the twisted yarn) is present, or the number thereof is small even if they are present. In both the case of the loop and the elastic single filament (or the twisted yarn) of the hair, the gap between the tip and the lower surface of the discharge port, the maximum width and the length are “Π” or “II” formed by the above-mentioned sheet. It is similar to the case of the shape.

Further, the discharge port may be provided with a flexible locking means for the most advanced film piece and a second film piece locking means. Flexible cutting means for cutting-edge film pieces prevents the dry analysis film pieces located at the leading edge of the casing from going out, and dry analysis is performed when the cutting-edge dry analysis film pieces are discharged by the conveying means. It has the flexibility to allow a film piece to pass through.

The flexible locking means for the cutting edge film piece engages the second dry analysis film piece which is dragged and moved by the cutting edge dry analysis film piece when discharging the cutting edge dry analysis film piece. It differs from the flexible locking means described above in that it need not be stopped. That is, in this cartridge, the second film piece locking means prevents the second dry analysis film piece from being discharged, and the most advanced film flexible locking means is the most advanced dry type film. It is sufficient if the rigidity is sufficient to prevent accidental pop-out of the analysis film. Therefore, the flexible means for the leading edge film piece can have the same configuration as the flexible locking means described above, except for the configuration described above.

The flexible locking means for the most advanced film piece can also be provided with the function of preventing the discharge of the second dry analysis film piece, like the above-mentioned flexible locking means. . With such a configuration, even when a thin dry analysis film piece is used and the second film piece locking means described later cannot prevent the discharge of the second dry analysis film piece, the most advanced film piece is used. The flexible locking means can prevent the second dry analysis film piece from being discharged. Therefore, it can be used for dry analytical film pieces having different thicknesses.

The second film piece locking means is the second dry analysis film piece placed on the upper surface of the latest dry analysis film piece to be discharged when the dry analysis film piece located at the front end is discharged. Is prevented from being dragged and discharged by the state-of-the-art dry analysis film piece. Therefore, the second film piece locking means has its lower end located between the lower surface and the upper surface of the second dry analysis film piece,
In addition, the shape, material, etc. are not particularly limited as long as the second dry analysis film piece has sufficient rigidity to be locked. For example, it may be formed integrally with the casing, or may be configured by attaching the second film piece locking means, which is a separate body, to the casing.

The shape and dimensions of the cartridge casing are determined according to the shape and size of the dry analytical film piece used, and the material, color, etc. may be appropriate. Further, the form of accommodating the dry analysis film pieces is not limited to the form of vertically stacking, but may be the form of obliquely overlapping.

The urging means toward the end of the casing has a function of urging the dry analytical film piece toward the end. Examples of the urging means in the end direction include a coil spring, a bent leaf spring, a weight, and a desiccant package that also serves as a weight. A pressing plate having substantially the same size as the dry analysis film piece is fixed to the tip of the urging means in the end direction. The surface of the pressing plate that contacts the dry analysis film piece is
It is made of an inert material that does not adversely affect the reagent layer or the spreading layer of the analytical film piece. Specifically, it is preferable that the non-adsorptive surface is formed by a mirror surface of stainless steel or chrome-plated metal or a coating of a non-adsorptive substance such as polytetrafluoroethylene. Further, a structure having a hole penetrating in the central portion is also preferable so that it is not sucked by the suction pad.

Further, as another example of the urging means, vertical positioning means such as ratchet teeth are provided on the two opposing inner surfaces of the cartridge casing, and the pressing plate is provided with positioning means such as ratchet teeth. There is a combination that provides a reverse-going (upward working) prevention means that engages. Such a combination can be configured by the technique of the reverse return preventing means which engages with the well-known positioning means with reference to the description of the specification of Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 54-180030 (corresponding to US Pat. No. 4,151,931).

The casing prevents the pressing plate from moving in the direction opposite to the discharge port or discharge opening so that the stored dry analysis film piece does not rise when the cartridge is impacted by being dropped or the like. It is preferable to provide rising prevention means. As the rising prevention means, when a coil spring is used as the biasing means, a rod-shaped body is provided in the coil spring, or when a weight is used as the biasing means, the length of the weight is stored in the casing of the dry analysis film. It is configured to have the same length as the empty space (that is, the inside of the casing has a pressing plate as a boundary, and the dry analysis film is stored on one side and the weight is stored on the other side).
A leaf spring or the like may be attached to the surface of the pressing plate opposite to the surface in contact with the dry analysis film piece, and a convex rib may be provided in the vertical direction on the inner wall of the casing to engage the leaf spring with the rib.

Further, in order to improve the slippage of the dry analysis film piece and to prevent the dry analysis film piece from being scratched, it is preferable to provide a convex rib continuous in the longitudinal direction of the casing on the inner surface of the casing.

The discharge port may be provided in the upper portion of the casing instead of the lower portion. When the discharge port or the discharge opening is provided in the upper part of the casing, the dry analytical film pieces are sequentially taken out from the upper side. The direction in which the dry analysis film pieces to be housed in the casing are stacked can be either the substrate facing downward or the substrate facing upward. In the cartridge of this aspect, it is preferable that the casing is provided with vertical positioning means such as ratchet teeth on the inner surface of the casing, and the press-back plate is provided with reversion preventing means for engaging with the positioning means.

On the outer surface of the casing, there are notches, recesses, protrusions, magnetic cords, bar cords, carla cords (1
It is also possible to record and display information about the dry analysis film pieces that are stored in a field-shaped code that can express hexadecimal numbers individually. Human-readable characters (kanji, hiragana,
It is also preferable to print this information in katakana, alphanumeric characters, etc.) from the viewpoint of preventing misuse and misoperation.

The above-described cartridge containing the dry analysis film piece is stored in the cartridge storage portion of the chemical analysis device in the state where the dry analysis film piece is stored, and the dry analysis film piece is taken out by the conveying means. .
The dry analytical film strips removed from the cartridge are
The liquid sample is sent to the liquid sample spotting section and the liquid sample is spotted thereon, and the dry analysis film piece on which the liquid sample is spotted is sent to the ink beta to be inked. Then, after the light is measured by the light measuring unit, it is discharged from the ink beta.

The structure of the dry analytical film piece (chip) of the present invention will be described below. The dry analysis film piece is prepared by cutting the dry analysis film into a predetermined shape. The basic structure of the dry analytical film piece is such that a reagent layer and a spreading layer are laminated and integrated on a support in this order.

A reinforcing sheet-shaped member or a thin plate-shaped member may be laminated and adhered to the lower portion of the support for the purpose of increasing the rigidity of the support (strengthening the waist). The support and the reinforcing sheet-shaped member or thin plate-shaped member each have a function of maintaining the flatness of the dry analytical film piece. further,
The support and the reinforcing sheet-like member or thin plate-like member that may be laminated and adhered are preferably light-transmitting.
Examples of the support and the reinforcing sheet-shaped member or thin plate-shaped member are organic polymer sheets such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polystyrene. Generally, the reinforcing sheet-shaped member or thin plate-shaped member is preferably a sheet-shaped or thin plate-shaped member of an organic polymer having the same thickness as the support, or thicker than the support and having high rigidity (stiffness). The thickness of the support is in the range of about 100 μm to about 1000 μm, preferably about 150 μm to about 300 μm. The thickness of the reinforcing sheet member or thin plate member is about 150 μm to about 1000
μm, preferably in the range of about 180 μm to about 500 μm.

The support and the reinforcing sheet-like member or thin plate-like member which may be laminated and adhered are not particularly limited in shape and size as long as the flatness of the dry analysis film piece can be maintained. For example, the shape may be a square, a rectangle, a circle, or the like, and is usually the same as the shape of the reagent layer described later. The size may be the same as, smaller or larger than that of the reagent layer as long as the flatness of the dry analysis film piece can be maintained. When the support or the reinforcing sheet-like member or thin plate-like member that may be laminated and adhered has a shape protruding from the reagent layer, the protruding portion can be sandwiched at the time of transportation, so that the selection range of the transportation means is widened. become.

The support and the reinforcing sheet-like member or thin plate-like member which may be laminated and bonded are generally configured to allow light to pass therethrough. In order to pass light, the support, the reinforcing sheet-shaped member or the thin plate-shaped member itself may be formed of a transparent material that allows light to pass through, or a light-passing hole should be provided in a portion through which light passes during photometry. You may make it pass light. Examples of materials that transmit light include polymers having excellent transparency such as polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, and acrylic polymers represented by polymethylmethacrylate. Also,
The light passage hole may be any one that allows light to pass therethrough at the time of photometry, and may have, for example, a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a square shape, a rectangular shape, or the like.

The reagent layer is, for example, in a hydrophilic polymer binder such as gelatin, polyacrylamide, or polyvinyl alcohol, a color (a dye is formed) for detecting an analyte (a biochemical component to be quantitatively analyzed). ) Or at least one layer containing reagent components necessary for the color change reaction. However, there are some that do not require reagents, such as a dry analysis film for quantification such as hemoglobin.

In the case of a filter paper type test element or a modified single-layer or multi-layer test element, such a test element may be adhered and laminated on the above-mentioned support with a known suitable adhesive. , Herein included in dry analytical films.

The shape of the dry analysis film piece (dry analysis film chip) is generally a small piece (chip) such as a square, a rectangle, a circle, and an ellipse, and the size (dimension) is
In the case of a square or a rectangle, the length of one side is in the range of about 8 mm to about 20 mm, in the case of a circle, the diameter is in the range of about 8 mm to about 20 mm, and in the case of an ellipse, both the diameter and the minor axis are in the range of about 8 mm to about 20 mm, the thickness. The size is about 300 μm to about 1.5 mm in any shape.
From the viewpoint of analytical operation and ease of production, the shape of the dry analytical film piece is preferably a square or a rectangle close to a square.

Examples of biological components that can be analyzed with this dry analysis film include blood glucose (glucose), cholesterol, urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, bilirubin, GOT (glutamate oxaloacetate transferase), G
There are PT (glutamate pyruvate transferase), amylase, and C-reactive protein (CRP).

[0046]

In the cartridge containing the dry analysis film piece of the present invention, when the greatly deformed dry analysis film piece comes into contact with the end plate, the film piece lifting member moves the end of the dry analysis film piece on the side opposite to the discharge port. Since it is lifted, the end of the dry analysis film piece on the outlet side is in a state substantially parallel to the outlet. Therefore, the dry analysis film piece is not caught on the wall surface of the casing above the discharge port.

[0047]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a cartridge containing a dry analysis film piece according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the dry analytical film piece housed in the cartridge for housing the dry analytical film piece according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7, the dry analytical film piece 10 is a square having a size of 12 mm × 12 mm × 0.5 mm (thickness), and is provided on the support 11 and a support 11 made of polyethylene terephthalate or polystyrene. Further, a reagent layer 12 and a spreading layer 13 laminated on the reagent layer are provided. When dried before use, the dry analytical film piece 10 is usually in a more or less curved state with the developing layer 13 or the reagent layer 12 inside as shown by the chain double-dashed line in the figure.

Next, an analyzer using a cartridge containing the dry analysis film piece of the present invention will be described.

The analyzer is, as shown in FIGS.
Dry analysis film piece storage section 20 for storing unused dry analysis film section 10, dry analysis film piece transfer section 30 for taking out dry analysis film piece 10 from storage section 20 and sending it to ink beta described later, dry analysis film piece transfer section A spotting section 40 for spotting the sample solution on the dry analysis film piece 10 in the middle of the conveying path of 30, and an ink beta 50 for keeping the dry analysis film piece 10 on which the sample solution is spotted at the spotting section 40 at a constant temperature for a predetermined time. , A photometric section 60 for measuring the reflection optical density of the dry analytical film piece 10 that has caused a color reaction with the ink beta 50, and a dry analytical film piece for ejecting the dry analytical film piece 10 photometrically measured by the photometric section 60 from the ink beta 50 The discharge unit 70 is provided.

The dry analysis film piece storage section 20 is provided with a box-shaped cartridge storage section 21, and a number of dry analysis film pieces corresponding to the number of types of analytes are stored in the cartridge storage section 21. A cartridge 80 according to the invention is loaded.

A suction pad for sucking and fixing the dry analytical film strip 10 under reduced pressure is provided in the dry analytical film strip transport section 30.
31 is used. Adsorption means (not shown) for decompressing and sucking air is connected to the suction pad 31. Also,
A moving means (not shown) for moving the suction pad 31 is provided, and the suction pad 31 can be moved horizontally and vertically between the cartridge 80 and the ink beta 50 by this moving means.

A cartridge containing the dry analytical film piece according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of a cartridge containing a dry analytical film piece, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway enlarged perspective view of the lower portion of the cartridge, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the lower portion of the cartridge. 4 is a side view showing a process of taking out the dry analysis film piece from the cartridge.

The cartridge 80 shown in these figures comprises a casing 810 having an outer diameter of approximately 16 mm × 16 mm × 100 mm, a wall thickness of approximately 1 mm to 2 mm, and a hollow interior having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.
The casing 810 is formed of a black-colored organic polymer so as to have a light-shielding property. A discharge port 821 is formed in the lower part of the casing 810, and the bottom end plate 8
Notch part 834 for the vacuum suction pad to enter 30
Are formed. 2 on the lower front of the casing 810
A flexible locking means 841 for a piece of the most advanced film is formed, and a locking means 846 for a second film piece is provided in the middle thereof.
Are formed. The cutting edge film piece flexible locking means 841 is formed integrally with the casing 810 so that the width and the thickness thereof become smaller from the base end (upper side in the drawing) toward the tip, and are made deformable. There is. Further, the tip of the flexible locking means 841 for the most advanced film piece extends to a position where it engages with the dry analysis film piece 10 located at the most advanced end, and in the normal state, the most advanced dry analysis film piece 10 is out. It prevents you from going to.

The second film piece locking means 846 is formed integrally with the casing 810 so that the second film piece locking means 846 is not easily bent, and its tip is on the most advanced dry analysis film piece. It extends to the position where it engages with the second dry analysis film piece 10, and prevents the second dry analysis film piece 10 from being dragged by the most advanced dry analysis film piece 10 and going out. There is.

An analysis film piece edge lifting member 881 for lifting the side end of the dry analysis film piece 10 upward is integrally formed at the center of the end plate 830 opposite to the discharge port 821. This film piece lifting member 881
Is formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and the corner of the upper part on the inner surface side is chamfered, its height is 1.5 mm, width is 2.0 mm, and depth is
It is 2.0 mm.

Inside the casing 810, the pressing plate 8
51 and a dry analysis film piece 1 accommodated and provided with a coil spring 855 as an urging means for contacting the pressing plate 851.
0 is constantly pushed toward the end plate 830 by the coil spring 855 via the pressing plate 851. Further, in the coil spring 855, a rising prevention bar 861 for preventing the dry analysis film piece 10 from rising is provided. That is, when the cartridge 80 is accidentally dropped, the coil spring 855 may contract due to the shock of the drop and the dry analysis film piece 10 may become vertical (parallel to the wall surface of the casing). Press plate 851 even if 855 shrinks
Does not move, the dry analytical film piece 10 does not stand up.

Further, two ribs 871 for smoothing the movement of the dry analytical film piece 10 in the casing 810 are formed on each of the four inner surfaces of the casing 810 in the vertical direction.

A large number of dry analytical film pieces 10 are filled in the cartridge as described above with the support 11 facing downward and the developing layer 13 (or reagent layer 12) facing upward. Are urged downward by a coil spring 855.

In order to take out the dry analytical film piece from the cartridge as described above, as shown in FIG. 4, first, the vacuum suction pad 31 is attached to the lower surface of the lowermost analytical film piece 10 through the cutout portion 834 on the bottom surface of the cartridge. Suction and fix, then horizontally along the notch 834 (sideways)
Then, the vacuum suction pad 31 is moved toward the discharge port 821. At this time, the outlet of the dry analysis film piece 10 at the bottom end
Since the side edge on the 821 side is located substantially parallel to the outlet 821,
As shown in FIG. 3, as the vacuum suction pad 31 moves in the horizontal direction, the dry analytical film piece 10 passes through the outlet 821 and reaches the outside of the cartridge 80. At this time, the dry analysis film piece 10 on the cutting edge dry analysis film piece 10 tries to go out together with the cutting edge dry analysis film piece 10 due to friction. Since the second dry analysis film piece 10 is locked by 846, the second dry analysis film piece 10 remains in the casing 810.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the lower part of another embodiment of the cartridge for accommodating the dry analysis film piece of the present invention.

The cartridge containing the dry analysis film piece shown in this figure has a discharge port 822 formed in the lower part of the casing 810 and having a width slightly smaller than the thickness of the dry analysis film piece, and on the side opposite to the discharge port 822. Is provided with an analysis film piece edge lifting member 882 for lifting the dry analysis film piece. Analysis film One edge lifting member 882
Are continuously formed only on the wall surface of the casing 810 without contacting the end plate 830. Other configurations are shown in FIG.
It is similar to the cartridge of.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the lower portion of another embodiment of the cartridge for accommodating the dry analysis film piece of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is its sectional view.

The cartridge for containing the dry analysis film piece shown in these figures has a lower end plate 8 of the casing 810.
The inclined surface 891 is formed linearly as 31 goes from the position of about 1/3 from the outlet 822 to the opposite side wall.
Has become.

FIG. 11 is also a sectional view of the lower portion of another embodiment of the cartridge containing the dry analytical film piece of the present invention.

The cartridge containing the dry analysis film piece shown in this figure has an end plate 832 at the bottom of the casing 810.
However, as it goes from the position of about 1/3 from the discharge port 822 to the opposite side wall, the curved surface becomes thicker to form an inclined surface 892.

FIG. 12 is also a sectional view of the lower portion of another embodiment of the cartridge containing the dry analysis film piece of the present invention.

The cartridge for containing the dry analytical film piece shown in this figure has an end plate 833 at the bottom of the casing 810.
However, a sloped surface 893 is formed in a saddle shape from a position approximately 2/3 from the outlet 822 to the opposite side wall.

[0071]

According to the present invention, even if the dry analytical film piece is greatly deformed, it can be reliably taken out from the cartridge.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of an embodiment of a cartridge containing a dry analysis film piece of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a lower portion of an embodiment of a cartridge containing a dry analysis film piece of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the lower portion of an embodiment of a cartridge containing the dry analytical film piece of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a step of taking out the dry analysis film piece from the cartridge containing the dry analysis film piece of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of a chemical analysis device using a cartridge containing a dry analysis film piece of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a chemical analysis device using a cartridge containing a dry analysis film piece of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a dry analysis film piece housed in a cartridge containing the dry analysis film piece of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a lower portion of another embodiment of the cartridge for containing the dry analysis film piece of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a lower portion of another embodiment of the cartridge containing the dry analysis film piece of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the lower portion of another embodiment of the cartridge containing the dry analysis film piece of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a lower portion of another embodiment of the cartridge containing the dry analytical film piece of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a lower portion of another embodiment of the cartridge containing the dry analysis film piece of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a lower portion of a conventional accommodating dry textural film piece.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Dry analysis film piece 11 ... Support 12 ... Reagent layer 13 ... Development layer 20 ... Dry analysis film piece storage section 19 ... Largely deformed (largely warped) dry analysis film piece 21 ... Cartridge storage section 30 ... Dry analysis film Single-sided transport unit 31 ... Transport means (vacuum suction pad) 40 ... Liquid sample spotting unit 50 ... Ink beta 53 ... Storage unit 60 ... Photometric unit 70 ... Ejection unit 80 ... Cartridge 810 ... Casing 821, 822 ... Ejection port 830 ... End Part plate 834 ... Notch 841 ... Cutting-edge film piece locking means 846 ... Second film piece locking means 851 ... Pressing plate 855 ... Coil spring 861 ... Analytical film one side rising prevention bar 871 ... Rib 881, 882 ... Analytical film one-sided inclined holding member 891,892,893, ... Inclined surface (prior art) 810 ... Caging 839 ... Lower end surface 829 ... Discharge port 834 ... Notched portion

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A casing for accommodating a plurality of dry analysis film pieces in which at least one reagent layer is provided on a support in a stacked state, and a dry analysis film piece provided on one end surface of the casing. An end plate for locking the dry analysis film piece having a notch so that the conveying means for conveying can reach the dry analysis film piece, and a contained dry analysis film piece provided on one wall surface near the end plate of the casing And a discharge port that can pass through the film piece in the parallel direction,
Inside the casing, a dry film piece tilt holding member that positions the edge of the dry analysis film piece that is in contact with the end plate on the side opposite to the outlet in the direction opposite to the end plate of the casing from the edge on the outlet side. And a urging means for urging the contained dry analytical film piece toward the end plate, the cartridge containing the dry analytical film piece.