Reagent cartridge, reagent cartridge set, and pathological specimen preparation device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10871499-B2
Application number	US-201816135610-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2018
Priority date	Sep 20, 2017
Publication date	Dec 22, 2020
Grant date	Dec 22, 2020

Abstract

A reagent cartridge includes a drug solution storage section which has a first window section and a drug solution chamber, a case section which holds the drug solution storage section movably in the negative Z-axis direction and has a second window section and a nozzle section, a spring which biases the drug solution storage section, and a discharge mechanism for discharging a predetermined amount of the drug solution from the nozzle section by the moving motion of the drug solution storage section within a predetermined range.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A reagent cartridge, comprising:
a drug solution storage section which has a light transmissive first window section and a drug solution chamber capable of storing a drug solution;
a case section which holds the drug solution storage section movably in a first direction and has a light transmissive second window section, a drug solution flow path, and a nozzle section communicating with the drug solution flow path;
a biasing unit which biases the drug solution storage section in a direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the case section; and
a discharge mechanism for discharging a predetermined amount of the drug solution stored in the drug solution chamber from the nozzle section by the moving motion of the drug solution storage section in the first direction within a predetermined range, wherein
the second window section is provided on a first side face of the case section, and
the first window section and the second window section are disposed along a second direction crossing the first direction to form an optical path with respect to the drug solution chamber.

2. The reagent cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein
the drug solution storage section has
a constricted section disposed in the first direction, and
a protruding section located on the side closer to the tip than the constricted section in the first direction, and

the optical path includes the constricted section.

3. The reagent cartridge according to claim 2 , wherein
a portion of the drug solution chamber is exposed in a direction opposite to the first direction in a state where the drug solution storage section is held in the case section and the drug solution storage section has a light transmissive section having light transmissivity in the portion of the drug solution chamber, and
the light transmissive section forms another optical path in parallel to the optical path.

4. The reagent cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein
the drug solution storage section has a second drug solution flow path which communicates with the drug solution chamber and is provided inside the protruding section,
the second drug solution flow path includes a through-hole which is provided on the tip side in the first direction of the protruding section and passes through from the inner face to the outer face along the first direction of the protruding section, and a bottom section which closes the tip of the protruding section,
the discharge mechanism is provided in the drug solution flow path, and includes
a stroke chamber in which the protruding section is housed along the first direction,
a ring member having elasticity, which is disposed on the drug solution storage section side of the stroke chamber, and on which the outer face of the protruding section is provided slidably in the first direction,
a ball chamber which communicates with the stroke chamber,
a spherical body which is housed in the ball chamber, and
a ball stopper section which is disposed on the opposite side to the stroke chamber with respect to the spherical body of the ball chamber, and

the through-hole is sealed by the ring member when the drug solution storage section is held in the case section by being biased in a direction opposite to the first direction with respect to the case section by the biasing unit, and
the sealing by the ring member is released and the through-hole faces the stroke chamber when the drug solution storage section moves in the first direction from a state where the drug solution storage section is held in the case section.

5. The reagent cartridge according to claim 4 , wherein
the ball stopper section is provided attachably to and detachably from the ball chamber.

6. The reagent cartridge according to claim 4 , wherein
the ball stopper section includes an opening section having a circular planar shape, and
the center of the circular opening section is located eccentrically with respect to the center of the spherical body housed in the ball chamber.

7. The reagent cartridge according to claim 4 , wherein the ball stopper section includes an opening section having a polygonal shape through which the spherical body housed in the ball chamber is not inserted.

8. The reagent cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the drug solution is selected from the group consisting of a primary antibody reagent, a secondary antibody reagent, a coloring reagent, a tissue staining reagent, a nuclear staining reagent, an endogenous peroxidase blocking reagent, hematoxylin, a color developing reagent, a reagent for a deparaffinization treatment, a reagent for activation, and a washing solution.

9. A reagent cartridge set, comprising two or more types of reagent cartridges according to claim 8 .

10. A pathological specimen preparation device, comprising:
a holding section capable of attaching and detaching the reagent cartridge according to claim 1 thereto and therefrom;
a stage capable of supporting a substrate having a tissue specimen fixed thereto; and
a cartridge operation section capable of supplying the drug solution stored in the reagent cartridge to the substrate supported by the stage, wherein
the cartridge operation section has a pusher capable of a reciprocating motion in the first direction, and
the pusher comes into contact with the drug solution storage section of the reagent cartridge attached to the holding section by the reciprocating motion in the first direction so as to move the drug solution storage section in the first direction.

11. The pathological specimen preparation device according to claim 10 , wherein
the drug solution storage section has a light transmissive first window section and a light transmissive section in a portion exposed in a direction opposite to the first direction in a state where the drug solution storage section is held in the case section, and the case section has a light transmissive second window section,
the first window section and the second window section form an optical path disposed along a second direction crossing the first direction with respect to the drug solution chamber, and the light transmissive section forms another optical path in parallel to the optical path,
the device includes
an emission section which can emit a light beam onto the optical path and the other optical path,
a light receiving section, and
an arithmetic section which calculates the luminous quantity of the light beam received by the light receiving section and converts the luminous quantity into an electrical signal, and

the emission section and the light receiving section are disposed in a state where the light receiving section can receive the light beam emitted from the emission section.

12. The pathological specimen preparation device according to claim 11 , wherein
the device includes a control unit and a display section,
the arithmetic section determines the presence or absence of the drug solution on the optical path or the other optical path through which the light beam has passed from the luminous quantity of the light beam, and
the control unit displays the presence or absence of the drug solution on the display section.

13. The pathological specimen preparation device according to claim 12 , wherein
the arithmetic section emits the light beam from the emission section when the reagent cartridge is attached, and determines the presence or absence of the drug solution on the optical path and the other optical path through which the light beam has passed, and
the control unit displays the presence or absence of the drug solution on the display section.

14. The

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Aoki Taro

Classifications

• B01L2400/0616

  Ball valves · CPC title

• B01L2200/04

  Exchange or ejection of cartridges, containers or reservoirs · CPC title

• B01L3/0293

  for liquids · CPC title

• B01L2300/0654

  Lenses; Optical fibres · CPC title

• B01L2200/026

  Fluid interfacing between devices or objects, e.g. connectors, inlet details · CPC title