JP4747341B2 - Homogenizer for pretreatment of solid and / or plant specimens - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a homogenizer for the pretreatment of solid and / or plant specimens for the purpose of microbiological, eg bacteriological analysis and / or examination.

Background field

  It is well known that, typically, to perform this type of pretreatment, the specimen is placed in a flat bag made of transparent plastic. Inside the bag, a limited small part used for collection is separated by a filtering partition.

  Usually, an aqueous solution is added to the substance to be analyzed, and the whole is subjected to a mechanical action so as to wash off the solid portion of the specimen. Separation of the liquid phase and the solid phase can be obtained by collecting the liquid phase from the collection portion, since the solid phase is then retained by the filter. The collected liquid is subjected to chemical and / or bacteriological analysis by, for example, being smeared on a nourishing medium by a spiral-type rotational movement by a spiral plater (automatic bacterial liquid smearing device).

  The mechanical action described above is usually carried out by means of a homogenizer equipped with a door on which the bag is placed and two paddles which operate at right angles to the door. The two paddles mentioned above are performed by stroking the bag inside the homogenizer. Of course, in order to prevent the bag from being damaged during the final stage of stroking the bag, there is a space left between the inside of the homogenizer and the paddle that approximately matches the thickness of the bag. Until now, the aforementioned intervals have not changed and have been determined at the factory by the average thickness of the bag containing the sample to be analyzed.

  The above solution has some disadvantages, especially when the bag thickness is below the average value or the bag contains solids whose thickness is much greater than the average value. In fact, in the first situation, homogenizing may be insufficient. In the second situation, the bag and / or the entire device can be damaged, especially when the solid is hard.

  Using a shock absorber between the paddle and the motor to adapt the interior of the homogenizer door and the paddle space to the final stage of stroking the bag is not enough to solve the above mentioned problems. It is enough.

  Moreover, using a conventional homogenizer under standard conditions, on the one hand, the space between the paddle and the door, and on the other hand, to protect the paddle and the motor from accidental injection of the specimen present in the bag and two A parallelepiped-shaped cavity made up of the space between the other partitions to guide the alternating movement of the moving paddle is a cavity that is subject to periodic injection of the specimen present in the filter bag. It becomes.

  In fact, in the process of specimen homogenization, the specimen and the bag containing the specimen are subjected to strong pressure transmitted by the moving paddle. Depending on the use of homogenizer and bag, specimen pretreatment and homogenizing process conditions, the bag may be torn. The contents may overflow. Following the assumptions described above, in some cases, the entire contents of the bag may flow partially or entirely through substantially the entire cavity.

  For the purpose of performing microbiological tests such as bacteriological tests, it is suspected that pretreatment of solids and / or nutrients and / or plant specimens requires important hygienic conditions so as not to distort the results of the tests and analyses. It is unacceptable. For this reason, the cavity must be frequently cleaned as a whole so that the sample bag is not inadvertently contaminated with bacteria from one or several previous samples. For hygiene and safety reasons, it is necessary to clean the space behind the paddle frequently, but this place is very small and it is very difficult to reach the space behind the paddle.

  Moreover, the two front paddles occupy almost the entire cavity for optimal homogenization of the specimen in the filter bag, taking into account the volume of the entire homogenizer. Therefore, in order to meet the new hygiene standards necessary for proper microbiological testing, the two paddles must be removed so that the entire cavity is effectively cleaned.

  To disassemble two paddles, it is common to first remove the housing screws that protect the basic elements inside using a tool, then unscrew the mandrel that connects the motor to the paddles, and secure the two moving paddles to their respective axes. However, it is usually necessary to remove the nuts located behind the two paddles, but it is difficult, time consuming and very cumbersome to put the tools behind the paddles. In order for the instrument to operate properly, the disassembly process is performed again in the opposite direction, but it is also time consuming and very cumbersome.

  Also, when using a conventional homogenizer under normal conditions, one or several sample fragments will remain even after extending the homogenization cycle, depending on the nature of the sample in the bag and the time of homogenization. Sometimes. Specimens with a density exceeding a certain value may not be homogenized by any method or at any time of homogenization.

  Microbiological, for example, bacteriological analysis and / or testing of solid and / or plant specimens requires that at least the majority of the specimens be homogenized at a stage where they can be examined leading to the final analysis of the specimen. That is, for example, extraction with a tool such as a pipette, smearing on the medium on the surface of the Petri dish with an instrument such as a spiral plater (automatic bacterial liquid smearing device), growth on the surface of the Petri dish, an instrument such as a colony counter Means analysis. The specimen must therefore be broken down to the microscopic level. Specimens that do not exhibit the aforementioned characteristics will therefore be unable to perform the previously described analysis.

  On top of that, using conventional homogenizers under normal conditions, during the two homogenizing processes, in most cases the two moving paddles will be at a distance away from their balanced position. That is, in some cases, one of the moving paddles is displaced several centimeters compared to the other.

  In fact, the homogenizer requires a crushing section equipped with a door for standing a bag as described above and two paddles that are perpendicular to each other and operate alternately. Thus, the two paddles will not be in the same position, i.e. they will not be in a position that is symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis of the fixed structure, twice per cycle of stroking movement. The fact that the stop positions of the two paddles are displaced relative to the balanced position, ie one paddle is displaced by a few centimeters relative to the other paddle, has a negative result in the use of the homogenizer.

  The deviation between the two paddles forms a “heterogeneous” volume inside the cavity, and the bag containing the specimen and liquid is placed in the same position between the door and the two moving paddles, Compared to positions that are symmetrical to each other with respect to the vertical axis of the fixed structure, it is not possible to simply place under optimal conditions. It is a homogenizing preparation process, specifically the process of positioning the bag between the door and the moving paddle, and the effectiveness of the homogenizer may be lost or the bag may be torn.

  When using a homogenizer as described above, a certain number of problems arise and can be summarized as follows: adjustment and visualization of the distance between the working paddle and the door, the parallelepiped shaped cavity Cleaning, removing two complicated paddles, leaving part of the specimen, and stopping the two paddles out of alignment.

  In fact, the accumulation of these problems can lead to significant time loss, risk of damage to the bag and the specimen itself, adjustments and corrections, even if not necessarily a hindrance to cancel in a satisfactory homogenizing process. Problems such as having to stop the equipment during this time will arise.

  The object of the present invention is to eliminate such inconvenience, and it is easy to adjust, remove and install the paddles without tools. It is to be able to greatly improve.

  The present invention proposes a homogenizer of the type consisting of a box with a crushing part with a vertical door against which a bag can be stood and a pair of operating paddles. This paddle is designed so that the rotational movement becomes a linear movement so that the bag is hit against the door like a bag and the reciprocating movement of one paddle is in a phase opposite to the reciprocating movement of the other paddle, This movement is made possible by a system with a motor connected to the conversion means.

  According to the present invention, this homogenizer is characterized as follows. The motor-equipped system is supported by a moving support structure in the box by a guidance device parallel to the paddle movement axis. Movement of the support structure is effected from the control device in a rotational manner from the outside of the box by means of a worm provided in a rotational manner around an axis parallel to the movement axis of the paddle. The position of the support structure with respect to the box is displayed on the box as an index that is solid with the support structure.

  The steering device has two rods or tubes on which at least one of the solid platforms slides on a support structure parallel to the movement axis of the paddle that slides on the solid platform on the box and with a motorized system. The position of the system with the motor, and finally the distance between the paddle and the door is one crank or rod attached at right angles to the extreme end of the screw coming out of the box by the longitudinal axis of the support structure I have it.

  For example, using a crank or rod to make a round trip in the trigonometric direction will cause the screw structure and intermediate / motor / paddles to fall back 5 millimeters. The transition from the adjustment stage to the use stage is performed, for example, by fixing a crank or a rod in a groove provided for this purpose. As a result, the entire position can be fixed and maintained without changing the environment setting of the movement such as striking. Unlike conventional systems, no tools are required to adjust the effective distance between the paddle and the door.

  The scale system has one end of a metal rod shaft attached to the support structure, and the other end attached to a thin rod along a line calibrated parallel to the longitudinal axis of the box. Therefore, it is advantageous to always display the distance between the paddle and the door on, for example, a millimeter scale without touching the device.

  Moreover, the paddle can also be assembled on the coupling shaft to move along the shaft. In this case, it is easy to attach and remove two paddles to and from two shafts that connect to a motorized system without tools, and a safe and effective system can be anticipated.

  This system consists of a mechanism in which two paddles are positioned at right angles to the rod axis, for example, a ball that is mounted at a right angle to each paddle and fitted into a rod shaft connected to a motorized system. It is embodied by a cylinder with. The following examples leading to the same result are also conceivable: one or several guide rails, grooves on each rod axis or on the cylinder on each rod axis.

  In addition, in the process of homogenization, another mechanism in which two paddles are fixed to each rod shaft can be seen in a stationary and unchanged position. It is embodied on the one hand by a repetitive groove, for example, at a distance of several centimeters from the extreme end perpendicular to each of the two respective rod axes. The repetitive groove is surrounded by a detachable steel ball supported by a rubber circular interface or a spring having a diameter slightly larger than its depth.

  On the other hand, it is embodied by an annular and perpendicularly located groove, a circular joining surface provided in each of the two cylinders. In any case, when the user lightly pushes the paddle in the longitudinal direction of the bar shaft, each two paddles are “clipped” to the respective bar shaft by mediation of the cylinder so that the homogenizer is activated again.

  It is possible to devise a device with a push rod with a spring and a cylindrical hole with a corresponding ball on each rod axis. In the above-described example, a slope is provided at the extreme end of each of the two rod shafts and a head hole is provided at the extreme ends of the two tubes in advance so that each of the tubes can be gradually and intuitively fixed to the respective rod shafts.

  It is worth noting that, in order to implement the mechanism described above, this system does not require any tools when removing and attaching the two paddles to their respective bar shafts, unlike conventional systems.

  In addition, one can foresee a system in which the two paddles are "adjacent in the same position", i.e. symmetrical with respect to the longitudinal axis of the fixed support structure.

  This system is embodied by a screw structure and an optical sensor fixed to one of the elements of the intermediate, motor, paddle; for example, for a motor, one of the moving parts, for example one connected to the paddle It is devised to move relative to the metallic reflector located in the drive.

  The optical sensor is electrically connected to the output unit of power and changes the frequency of the paddle movement, so that when the homogenizing process is stopped, the displacement between the two paddles is eliminated, Adjust so that the paddles stay in the same position next to each other.

  Unlike the conventional system, most of the inconveniences come from the misalignment between the two paddles at the time of stoppage, such as time loss due to difficulty in properly placing the bag and invalidation of homogenization due to bag breakage. Excluded.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the paddle type laboratory homogenizer having a paddle with a spring, a cylinder with a sphere, etc. can be easily removed and attached without a tool. It is easy to clean, very effective in terms of hygiene and safety and saves time.

  According to the present invention, since the paddle is simultaneously stopped on the same plane by the optical sensor, it is easy to insert the bag containing the sample and the solution into the homogenizer.

  According to the present invention, since the paddle and the entire motor can be moved forward and backward very easily and the distance between the paddle and the door can be easily adjusted, the size and hardness of the specimen can be adjusted. The homogenizer can be adjusted under optimum conditions by adjusting the crushing force of the homogenizer according to the properties.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic horizontal sectional view for explaining the kinematic principle of the homogenizer according to the present invention.

  FIG. 2 is a variation of the method of actually making a homogenizer according to the present invention and is part of the perspective image.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing that one paddle is attached to a moving bar shaft.

  FIG. 4 shows an elevation view of one paddle. On the paddle, a method of attaching to the moving rod shaft is specified.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view when the paddle is removed from the shaft. The spring is compressed and the paddle is easily removed. FIG. 6 is a sectional view when the paddle is fixed to the rod shaft by the same mechanism as FIG . The spring is in a position to block the ball and fix the paddle.

  FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the position sensor used to return the two paddles to the same plane when the motorized system stops.

  In the example shown in FIG. 1, the homogenizer has a structure with a box (1), for example in the form of a parallelepiped made of stainless steel.

  This structure is assembled on a leg that absorbs vibrations. The front of the box consists of a door (3) connected to two vertical sides, possibly transparent.

  The volume in the box (1) is divided into two compartments C1 and C2 by a transverse partition (5). The compartment C1 contains a mechanism for driving the two paddles (6) and (7). Here, it consists of two removable vertical paddles that move according to the axis in the compartment C2 opposite the door (3) when the door (3) is closed. In this position, this door (3) constitutes a supporting element on which the bag (8) containing the sample to be analyzed can be placed.

  In a fixed structure is assembled a detachable structure, here illustrated schematically as a box (2), including an electric motor coupled with a mechanism for driving the paddles (6) and (7). Yes. It is assembled to slide along the axis by four screws V1 to V4 fixed in the long elongated holes P1 to P4.

  For this purpose, the paddles (6) and (7) are respectively fixed to the tips of the rod shafts (9) and (10) assembled so as to slide into the holes provided in the threshold (5). ing. This shaft leads by its other tip to a spring-loaded shock absorber which leads to the crankshaft crankpins (11) and (12) driven by an electric motor in the box.

  Each moving rod shaft (9) and (10) is cylindrical and is secured to the paddles (6) and (7) by means of devices (16) and (17) capable of breaking the contacts.

  As shown in FIG. 3, this device is made of a cylinder (20) having a tip fixed at a right angle to the center of the paddle (6).

  This cylinder (20) comprises a cylindrical inner diameter (21) leading to a cavity, for example in the form of a parallelepiped (22), the other side of the paddle (6) being open and the other side not circular. The cylindrical inner diameter (21) includes, for example, a circular ratchet device (23) near the entrance.

  The diameters of the tips of the moving rod shafts (9) and (10) are slightly smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical inner diameter (21). Moreover, the shape of the tips of the rod axes (9) and (10) is in the form of a cavity (22), ie a parallelepiped (24) with the same cross-sectional view as the cavity (22).

  Each of the rod shafts (9) and (10) has a groove (25) cut at a predetermined distance from the tip. There is a circular joint made of elastic rubber, and when the paddle (6) and the rod shaft (9) are in the connected position together with the ratchet device (23) of the cylinder (20) Used to lock and remove

  For ease of use by the operator, the principle of assembly is illustrated on the paddle surface in FIG.

  In FIG. 2, the motorized system (2) is supported by a moving structure including two parallel guide shafts (27) and (28) mounted to slide on the bearing base of the box (1). It has been.

  The shafts (27) and (28) pass through the rear plate of the box (1) and are connected by a horizontal shaft (29).

  The movement of the entire moving structure consisting of the system with motor (2) and the guide shafts (27) and (28) is made in the box (1) with a screw hole in the horizontal shaft (29). Commanded by a screw (30) attached to The rotational movement of the screw (30) is made by the handle (31).

  The position of the axis of the entire moving structure is visible from the outside of the box by the pointers attached to the metal pieces (33) which are firmly connected to one of the rod axes (28). This pointer (32) moves in a creviced crack (34) opened in the horizontal plate of the box.

  In this example, the shock absorber part contributes to converting the rotational movement produced by the motorized system (2) into the translational movement of the rod axes (9) as well as (10). This is done by means of a drive part (37) attached to the crankpin (38) of the crankshaft for rotation and a driven part (39) connected to the rearmost end of the rod shaft (9).

  The connection between the drive part and the driven part is ensured by two spiral springs arranged in parallel.

  As mentioned before, of course, the alternating movement of the paddles is a reciprocal phase, but the electric motors that drive the system with the motors are in the same plane when the paddles (6) and (7) are stopped. Commanded by an electronic circuit designed to be.

  To achieve this result, the electronic circuit is connected to an optical sensor (42) that determines the position measured by the angle of the drive shaft so that the paddles (6) and (7) are in the same plane. The electronic circuit then commands the stop of the two paddles to the same plane.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the optical sensor (42) detects the position of the shock absorber drive (37). The electronic circuit (43) commands the distribution of the electric motor with a flexible wire (44) to avoid the propagation of vibrations.

It is a schematic horizontal sectional view for explaining the kinematic principle of the homogenizer according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is the variation of the homogenizer concerning embodiment of this invention, and is a part of the perspective image. This is a perspective image showing that one paddle is attached to a moving shaft. An elevation view of one paddle is shown. On the paddle, a method of attaching to the moving rod shaft is specified. It is sectional drawing when removing a paddle from an axis | shaft. The spring is compressed and the paddle is easily removed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view when the paddle is fixed to the shaft by the same mechanism as FIG. 5. The spring blocks the ball and secures the paddle. Fig. 5 is an exploded view of a sensor used to return two paddles to the same plane position when a motorized system stops.

Explanation of symbols

1 stainless steel parallelepiped box 2 system with electric motor 3 door 5 threshold 6, 7 paddle 8 bag 9, 10 with specimen 11 horizontal rod 11, 12, 38 crankpin 16, 17 paddle Device 20 capable of separating the horizontal bar 20 Tube 21 Cylindrical inner diameter 22 Cavity 23 Claw wheel device 24 Tip 25 in the shape of a parallelepiped 25 Grooves 27, 28 Guide rod 29 Horizontal shaft 30 Screw 31 Handle 32 Pointer 33 Small piece of metal 34 Split 35 Scale 37 Drive part 39 Drive part 40, 41 Shock spring 42 Optical or other type of sensor 43 Electronic circuit 44 Flexible wire
45 Axis with several hemispherical small cavities
46 Several spheres 48 Cylinder 49 Spring
50 Several hemispherical cavities V Crankshafts V1, V2, V3, V4 Screws P1, P2, P3, P4 Side long hole C1 Compartment with built-in mechanism C2 Compartment in which bag with specimen is placed and crushed with paddle

Claims (10)

From the box (1) having a crushing part (C2) consisting of a pair of paddles (6, 7) having a door (3) against which the bag (8) is leaned and making an alternating movement like striking the door A motor formed and devised so that the reciprocating motion of one paddle (6) is in phase relative to the reciprocating motion of another paddle (7) and connected to means for converting from rotational motion to linear motion. The structure (2) having the above-mentioned motor is used in the structure (2) having four horizontal long holes P1 to P4 which slide in the box parallel to the movement axis of the paddles (6, 7). A laboratory homogenizer supported by a support structure that is moved by a guiding means consisting of four screws V1 to V4 fixed to the laboratory, characterized by the following (a) and (b):
(A) The movement of the support structure is performed by a worm (30) provided in a rotational manner around an axis parallel to the movement axis of the paddle (6, 7).
(B) The movement of the support structure described above is performed by the rotary control device (31) from the outside of the box, and the position of the support structure with respect to the box (1) is supported by the rotary control device (31) from the outside of the box. A solid index to the structure is displayed on the box as a scale (35). The homogenizer according to claim 1 has the following characteristics:
Guidance means, mounted parallel to the axis of movement of the paddle (6,7), comprising at least two axes or tubes (27, 28). The homogenizer according to claim 1 or 2 has the following characteristics:
Each paddle (6, 7) is fixed in the partition of the box (1) that separates the crushing part (C2), and is fixed to the extreme end of the rod shaft that slides along the hole provided in the bearing stand. The other end of the shaft is connected to a helical spring-loaded shock absorber, and the other end of the shock absorber is connected to the crank pin (11, 12) of the crankshaft (V) driven by a motorized system. ing. The homogenizer according to claim 3 has the following characteristics:
The connection between the rod shaft (9, 10) and each paddle is ensured by a connecting device that can disconnect the contacts and disconnect them ,
Coupling device described above, be linked with the aforementioned paddle (6,7), a tube containing an inner diameter (21) a cylindrical leading to the cavity (22) in the shape not circular (20), a bar axis The tips of (9, 10) have the shape of a parallelepiped that is substantially the same as the cavity (22) of the cylinder (20). The homogenizer according to claim 4 has the following characteristics:
Cylindrical internal diameter of the foregoing, in the vicinity of the inlet, comprises a ratchet device (23), each rod shaft (9, 10) is at a predetermined distance from the tip, it is engraved grooves (25) ,
The above-mentioned groove is fitted with a circular joint made of elastic rubber, and when the paddle (6) and the rod shaft (9) are in the connection position together with the above-mentioned pawl wheel device (23), it locks it. Used to remove or remove. The homogenizer according to claim 3 has the following characteristics:
The connection between the rod shaft (45) and each paddle is ensured by means of joining, which can break the contacts and separate them,
The means for joining the rod shaft (45) and the paddle (6) is a number of spheres (46) in the tube (47), each of which is on the rod shaft (45). in a small cavity (50) of the sphere of hemispherical in corresponding positions, Ri no longer taken at all motion sandwiched conical portion of the disc (48),
When the disk (48) is pulled toward the paddle (6) with a finger, the spring (49) is compressed and the balls (46) are free, so that the paddle (6) can be easily removed from the bar shaft (45). To be removed. The homogenizer according to claim 3 has the following characteristics:
The aforementioned shock absorber is connected to a drive part (37) attached to the crank pin (38) of the crankshaft so as to rotate and a rearmost driven part (39) of the rod shaft (9). The connection of the driven parts is ensured by two helical springs arranged in parallel. The homogenizer according to any of claims 1 to 7 has the following characteristics:
The electric motor that drives the system with the motor is operated according to the instructions of the electronic circuit created so that when the paddles (6, 7) stop, the paddles stop at the same position next to each other in the same plane. . The homogenizer according to claim 8 has the following characteristics:
The aforementioned electronic circuit is coupled to an optical sensor or other type of sensor (42) that detects the position of the drive shaft of the system with a motor that allows the paddles (6, 7) to be in the same plane. The homogenizer according to claim 9 has the following characteristics:
Optical sensor or another type of sensor (42) is to detect the position of the driving portion of the shock absorber (37), avoiding the propagation of vibrations by a flexible conductor (44), and instructs the distribution of electric motors, electronic circuits ( 43).

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