Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US6833113?dq=6008737
Timestamp: 2014-12-25 18:45:48
Document Index: 688180469

Matched Legal Cases: ['application No. 2000', 'art 14', 'art 13', 'art 14', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 14']

Patent US6833113 - Sample suction apparatus - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsA sample suction apparatus includes: first through third members; a drive source; and a suction needle provided on the third member. The drive source reduces a distance between the first member and the third member to perform: a first action of shifting the first member toward the third member to contact...http://www.google.com/patents/US6833113?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US6833113 - Sample suction apparatusAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS6833113 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 09/899,178Publication dateDec 21, 2004Filing dateJul 6, 2001Priority dateJul 6, 2000Fee statusLapsedAlso published asUS7381372, US7867451, US20020004637, US20050042142, US20080247909Publication number09899178, 899178, US 6833113 B2, US 6833113B2, US-B2-6833113, US6833113 B2, US6833113B2InventorsMasayasu SentohOriginal AssigneeSysmex CorporationExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (13), Referenced by (3), Classifications (14), Legal Events (5) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetSample suction apparatusUS 6833113 B2Abstract A sample suction apparatus includes: first through third members; a drive source; and a suction needle provided on the third member. The drive source reduces a distance between the first member and the third member to perform: a first action of shifting the first member toward the third member to contact the first member with a portion of a specimen vessel; a second action of shifting the second member together with the third member toward the first member to contact the second member with another portion of the specimen vessel so that the specimen vessel is sandwiched between the first and second members; and a third action of shifting the third member toward the first member to bring the third member close to the second member so that the suction needle is inserted in the specimen vessel.
What is claimed is: 1. A sample suction apparatus, comprising:
a first member, a second member, and a third member capable of linearly reciprocating along the same direction and spaced from each other, the second member being located between the first member and the third member; an elastically compressible spacer inserted between the second member and the third member; a suction needle provided on the third member, the suction needle pointing to the first member, and a single drive source provided on the third member, said single drive source adapted to perform: a first action of shifting the first member toward the second member such that the first member makes contact with a portion of a specimen vessel while maintaining a predetermined distance between the second member and the third member by elasticity of the spacer; a second action of shifting the second member together with the third member toward the first member until the second member makes contact with another portion of the specimen vessel such that the specimen vessel is sandwiched between the first and second members; and a third action of shifting the third member, against the elasticity of the spacer, toward the first member to bring the third member closer to the second member while maintaining the specimen vessel sandwiched between the first member and the second member such that the suction needle is inserted in the specimen vessel. 2. A sample suction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a rail, wherein the first, second, and third members include three sliders slidably mounted on the rail. 3. A sample suction apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:
a stopper for restricting movement of the first member toward the third member; a substrate on which the rail and the stopper are provided; and a biasing member for biasing the third member toward a direction opposite to the first member. 4. A sample suction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is a compressible spring.
5. A sample suction apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
a sensor for detecting that the specimen vessel is sandwiched between the first member and the second member. 6. A sample suction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specimen vessel contains blood as a specimen.
7. A sample suction apparatus, comprising:
a first member, a second member, and a third member capable of linearly reciprocating along the same direction and spaced from each other, the second member being located between the first member and the third member; a drive source provided on the third member to increase and reduce a distance between the first member and the third member, an elastically compressible spacer inserted between the second member and the third member; and a suction needle provided on the third member, the suction needle pointing to the first member, wherein the drive source is adapted to reduce the distance between the first member and the third member to perform: a first action of shifting the first member toward the third member to contact the first member with a portion of a specimen vessel; a second action of shifting the second member together with the third member toward the first member to contact the second member with another portion of the specimen vessel so that the specimen vessel is sandwiched between the first and second members; and a third action of shifting the third member toward the first member to compress the spacer to bring the third member closer to the second member so that the suction needle is inserted in the specimen vessel, and wherein the drive source includes an air cylinder having a piston rod, the air cylinder being provided on the third member and a distal end of the piston rod being connected with the first member. 8. A sample suction apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:
a stopper for restricting the movement of the first member toward the third member; a substrate on which the rail and the stopper are provided; and a biasing member for biasing the third member toward a direction opposite to the first member. 9. A sample suction apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:
a resilient member that urges the piston rod to extend in a direction increasing a distance between the first member and the third member, the resilient member having a spring coefficient smaller than a spring coefficient of the spacer. 10. A sample suction apparatus, comprising:
a first member, a second member, and a third member capable of linearly reciprocating along the same direction and spaced from each other, the second member being located between the first member and the third member; a drive source provided on the third member to enlarge and reduce a distance between the first member and the third member; an elastically compressible spacer inserted between the second member and the third member; a suction needle provided on the third member, the suction needle pointing to the first member; and a washing bath provided in the second member for washing the suction needle, wherein the drive source is adapted to reduce the distance between the first member and the third member to perform: a first action of shifting the first member toward the third member to contact the first member with a portion of a specimen vessel; a second action of shifting the second member together with the third member toward the first member to contact the second member with another portion of the specimen vessel so that the specimen vessel is sandwiched between the first and second members; and a third action of shifting the third member toward the first member to compress the spacer to bring the third member closer to the second member so that the suction needle is inserted in the specimen vessel.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is related to Japanese application No. 2000-205358 filed on Jul. 6, 2000, whose priority is claimed under 35 USC �119, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view cut along a line III�III shown in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 5(a) to 5(d) are views for illustrating an operation procedure of the apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; and
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The first, second, and third member according to the present invention may be sliders mounted on a linear rail. For example, commercially available RSR-ZM type sliders manufactured by THK Co., Ltd. may be utilized. In this case, a single rail, or two or three parallel rails may be used.
It is suitable that the drive source according to the present invention reciprocates linearly. As such a drive source, a fluid pressure cylinder (e.g., an air cylinder and a hydraulic cylinder), an electric cylinder driven by a motor and the like may be used.
FIG. 1 is a front view for illustrating a sample suction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a bottom view for illustrating the same and FIG. 3 is a sectional view cut along a line III�III shown in FIG. 1.
Compressible spring 22>compressible spring 25 Compressible spring 22>compressible spring 21 An operation procedure of the thus constructed apparatus will be detailed with reference to FIGS. 5(a) to 5(d).
As shown in FIG. 5(a), a specimen vessel 15 held by a hand clipper (not shown) is introduced between the supporting part 14 and the washing bath 11 of the sample suction apparatus which is in a starting state.
Then, the air cylinder 7 is actuated to drag the piston rod 7 a along the direction of the arrow C. Since the compressible spring 21 is provided between the stopper 20 and the air cylinder 7 for biasing them to keep away from each other, the air cylinder 7 keeps contact with the stopper 19 without moving and the mounting part 13 is shifted along the direction of the arrow C to abut on the stopper 20 as shown in FIG. 5(b). Thus, the supporting part 14 contacts the bottom 15 a of the specimen vessel 15.
As the air cylinder 7 further drags the piston rod 7 a along the direction of the arrow C, the compressible spring 21 is compressed since the distal end of the piston rod 7 a is fixed with the stopper 20, and then the air cylinder 7 and the mounting part 6 are shifted along the direction of the arrow B as shown in FIG. 5(c).
Then, as the air cylinder 7 further drags the piston rod 7 a along the direction of the arrow C, the air cylinder 7 and the mounting part 6 are shifted toward the direction of the arrow B as shown in FIG. 5(d). At this stage, the washing bath 11 is abutting on the specimen vessel 15 and does not move, so that the compressible spring 22 is compressed and the tip of the piercer 8 passes through the small pore 18 and penetrates the rubber plug 15 b to enter the specimen vessel 15.
After the suction of the sample has been completed, the air cylinder 7 pushes out the piston rod toward the direction of the arrow B. As a result, the actions carried out in the order of FIGS. 5(a) to 5(d) are performed in an opposite order. When the sample suction apparatus returns to the state shown in FIG. 5(a), washing solution is supplied from a washing apparatus 29 (FIG. 1) to the washing bath 11 via the piercer 8.
In the case where the photointerrupter 26 is not actuated while shifting from the state of FIG. 5(b) to the state of FIG. 5(c), a control section (not shown) judges that the specimen vessel 15 is absent or introduced improperly between the supporting part 14 and the washing bath 11, and then returns the sample suction apparatus to the state of FIG. 5(a).
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