JP2019086062A - Gasket and seal structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gasket which is easily separated from one of a container and an injection device and easily adheres to the other when the injection device is lifted after injecting a sample into a container from the injection device. SOLUTION: A gasket is arranged between a container having a plurality of storage spaces for storing a liquid sample and an injection device having an injection port for injecting a sample into the container, and the injection device and the container are arranged. Seal the gap between them. The gasket is a flat plate made of elastomer and includes a lower surface that is brought into contact with the container, an upper surface that is brought into contact with the injection device, and a plurality of through holes formed for introducing the sample into the container through the injection port. .. Around the through hole on either the lower surface or the upper surface, a plurality of recesses having a size smaller than that of the through hole and arranged in a mesh pattern are formed, and the plurality of recesses are surrounded by a grid-like partition wall. There is. The lower surface and the other of the upper surface are formed flat. [Selection diagram] FIG. 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a gasket for sealing a gap between a container and an injection device for injecting a liquid sample into the container, and a sealing structure provided with the gasket.

  As an apparatus for analyzing a sample obtained from a living body, for example, apparatuses described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are known. In these devices, a pipette is used to inject the ligand solution and the analyte solution into the vessel, and the reaction between the ligand and the analyte in the vessel is measured.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2006-322850 JP 2008-82803 A

  It is conceivable to place an elastomeric flat gasket between the container for containing the liquid sample and the injection device having an inlet for injecting the sample into the container. The gasket will be formed with a through hole for introducing the sample from the inlet into the container. The gasket is compressed between the container and the injection device and will seal the gap between the container and the injection device so that the sample does not leak to the outside.

  It may be desirable for such a gasket to remain stationary on the container when the injector is lifted after injecting the sample from the injector into the container. Conversely, after injecting the sample from the injection device into the container, it may be desirable for the gasket to move away from the container and lift with the injection device when the injection device is lifted.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a gasket that is easy to separate from either the container or the injection device when the injection device is lifted after injecting the sample from the injection device into the container, and a sealing structure provided with this gasket. Do.

  The gasket according to an aspect of the present invention is disposed between a container having a plurality of storage spaces for storing a liquid sample and an injection device having an inlet for injecting the sample into the container, An elastomeric flat gasket for sealing a gap between an injection device and the container, the lower surface being in contact with the container, the upper surface being in contact with the injection device, and the sample as the injection port Are formed around a plurality of through holes formed to be introduced into the container from the bottom and the through hole in any one of the lower surface and the upper surface, and have a size smaller than the through holes, in a mesh shape The plurality of recessed portions are disposed, the plurality of recessed portions being surrounded by grid-like partition walls, and the other of the lower surface and the upper surface is formed flat.

  According to this aspect, after the sample is injected from the injection device into the container, when the injection device is lifted, the surface of the lower surface and the upper surface in which the recess is formed is easily separated from either the container or the injection device The formed surface is likely to adhere to the other of the container and the injector due to the tackiness of the elastomer. Thus, it is possible to deposit a gasket on the desired side of the container and the injection device. The plurality of concave portions are arranged in a mesh shape and surrounded by the grid-like partition walls. Therefore, even if the sample enters the concave portions, it is difficult for the sample to spread outside the partition walls. Therefore, the risk of the sample entering the storage space different from the storage space of the container in which the sample is originally stored is reduced.

  The plurality of concave portions are formed around the through hole, and preferably formed entirely on any one of the lower surface and the upper surface. In this case, it is not necessary to form the recess in accordance with the position of the through hole, which may facilitate the manufacture of the gasket.

  In one embodiment, it is preferable that the plurality of recesses be formed on the upper surface, and the lower surface be formed flat. In this case, after the sample is injected from the injection device into the container, when the injection device is lifted, the upper surface where the recess is formed is easily separated from the injection device, and the lower surface which is formed flat is the container due to the adhesion of the elastomer. Easy to adhere to Therefore, when lifting the injection device, a gap is less likely to be generated between the lower surface of the gasket and the container, and the sample may travel along the lower surface of the gasket and enter the storage space different from the storage space of the container to be stored. Is reduced.

  When the injection device is a pipette in which the injection port is formed at the tip, each of the plurality of recesses has a size smaller than the thickness of the tip of the pipette, and the tip of the pipette penetrates the penetration It is preferred to contact the septum continuously around each of the holes. Here, “size” means the largest length of the contour of the recess (for example, the length of the diagonal if the recess is a square, the diameter if the recess is a circle). In this case, the tip of the pipette contacts and compresses the septum continuously (without interruption) over the entire circumference of each through hole. Therefore, a gap does not easily occur between the tip of the pipette and the gasket, and the sample does not easily spread to the outside of the partition.

  When the injection device includes an injection head in which a plurality of injection ports are formed, each of the plurality of recesses has a size smaller than a distance between the plurality of injection ports, and the injection head is configured to receive the through hole It is preferred to contact the septum continuously around each of the In this case, the injection head contacts and compresses the partition continuously (without interruption) over the entire circumference of each through hole. Therefore, a gap does not easily occur between the injection head and the gasket, and the sample does not easily spread outside the partition wall.

  In another embodiment, it is preferable that the plurality of recesses be formed on the lower surface, and the upper surface be formed flat. In this case, after the sample is injected from the injection device into the container, when the injection device is lifted, the lower surface where the recess is formed is easily separated from the container, and the upper surface which is formed flat is an adhesive device due to the adhesion of the elastomer. Easy to adhere to Thus, when lifting the injection device, the gasket is likely to be lifted with the injection device. This makes it easy to inject the sample into the other container using the same injection device and the same gasket.

  When the injection device includes an injection head in which a plurality of injection ports are formed, each of the plurality of recesses has a size smaller than the distance between the inlets of the plurality of storage spaces, and the container is formed with the penetration It is preferred to contact the septum continuously around each of the holes. In this case, the container contacts and compresses the partition continuously (without interruption) over the entire circumference of each through hole. Therefore, a gap does not easily occur between the container and the gasket, and the sample does not easily spread to the outside of the partition wall.

  A sealing structure according to an aspect of the present invention includes the above-described gasket, the container for containing the sample, and the injection device having the inlet for injecting the sample into the container.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the use condition of the gasket which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the gasket of FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gasket in a preferred state in a later step of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gasket in an undesirable state in a later step of FIG. 1; It is an expanded sectional view of the gasket of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the recessed part formed in the gasket of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the use condition of the gasket of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the convex part formed in the gasket of the comparative example. It is a top view which shows the detail of the recessed part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the dimension of the recessed part of FIG. It is a top view which shows the gasket which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the detail of the recessed part formed in the gasket which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the dimension of the recessed part of FIG. It is a top view which shows the detail of the recessed part formed in the gasket which concerns on a modification. It is a top view which shows the detail of the recessed part formed in the gasket which concerns on another modification. It is a top view which shows the detail of the recessed part formed in the gasket which concerns on another modification. It is a top view which shows the detail of the recessed part formed in the gasket which concerns on another modification. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the use condition of the gasket which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the gasket of FIG. FIG. 20 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gasket in a preferred state in a later step of FIG. 19; FIG. 20 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gasket in an undesirable state in a later step of FIG. 19; FIG. 19 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the gasket of FIG. 18; It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the use condition of the gasket which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 24 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the gasket in a preferred state in a later step of FIG. 23; FIG. 24 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the gasket of FIG. 23;

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings, the scales do not necessarily accurately represent the products of the embodiments, and some dimensions may be exaggerated.

First Embodiment As shown in FIG. 1, a gasket 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a container 4 for containing a liquid sample 2 and a pipette for injecting the sample 2 into the container 4 Disposed between the tip of the injection device 6 and compressed by the pipette 6 and the container 4, the gap between the tip of the pipette 6 and the container 4 is sealed.

  The sample 2 may be a sample such as a body fluid obtained from a living body, may be a liquid containing cells or a living body obtained from a living body, or is a culture solution for culturing the cells or the living body. May be Alternatively, sample 2 may be a chemically produced or purified liquid.

  The pipette 6 is made of, for example, glass or resin. An inlet 6 a for injecting a sample into the container 4 is formed at the tip (lower end) of the pipette 6. Although not shown, a cap formed of an elastic body which is compressed to aspirate liquid may be attached to the top of the pipette 6.

  The container 4 is made of, for example, a resin, and has a plurality of cells 5 which is a storage space for storing the sample 2. These cells 5 may contain different types of samples 2 or may contain the same type of samples 2. In addition, after injecting one type of sample 2 into one cell 5, another type of sample 2 may be injected and different types of samples 2 may be mixed in the same cell 5. Although the illustrated cells 5 are independent of one another, a plurality of cells 5 may be in communication.

  The gasket 1 is a substantially flat plate formed of an elastomer, and has a lower surface 10 in contact with the upper surface of the container 4 and an upper surface 11 in contact with the tip of the pipette 6. As shown in FIG. 2, the gasket 1 has a plurality of through holes 12 formed to introduce the sample 2 from the inlet 6 a of the pipette 6 into the container 4. Further, in the gasket 1, a through hole 14 for positioning the gasket 1 is formed. However, the through hole 14 is not essential.

  When the gasket 1 is in use, the gasket 1 is placed on the upper surface of the container 4, and at this time, the plurality of through holes 12 of the gasket 1 are disposed at positions matching the positions of the plurality of cells 5 of the container 4. Then, the tip of the pipette 6 is disposed relative to the gasket 1 such that the inlet 6 a at the tip of the pipette 6 is substantially concentric with any one of the through holes 12. At this time, the gasket 1 is compressed between the tip surface of the pipette 6 and the upper surface of the container 4. Next, the sample 2 is introduced from the pipette 6 into the cell 5 overlapped with the through hole 12 through the inlet 6 a and the through hole 12. The diameter of each through hole 12 of the gasket 1 is smaller than the diameter of the inlet 6 a of the pipette 6.

  After the sample 2 is injected from the pipette 6 into the cell 5, as shown in FIG. 3, the pipette 6 is lifted. In this embodiment, when the pipette 6 is lifted, it is desirable that the gasket 1 be left on the container 4 as shown. After this, the gasket 1 is removed from the top of the container 4, and the sample 2 in the cell 5 of the container 4 is used, for example, for a chemical reaction experiment or a culture experiment.

  If different types of sample 2 are mixed in the same cell 5, the sample 2 is preferably injected into the cell 5 by another pipette 6, and after all types of sample 2 have been introduced into the container 4, the container The gasket 1 is removed from above 4.

  When the pipette 6 is lifted, it is undesirable for the elastomeric gasket 1 to stick to the pipette 6 and be lifted out of the container 4 as shown in FIG. If a gap is formed between the lower surface 10 of the gasket 1 and the upper surface of the container 4 even for a short time, the sample 2 remaining in the through hole 12 gets into the gap and the sample 2 is not to be introduced into the cell 5 It is because there is a risk of introducing it.

  In this embodiment, after injecting the sample 2 from the pipette 6 into the container 4, the gasket 1 is devised as follows so as to stand still on the container 4 even if the pipette 6 is lifted. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the gasket 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the lower surface 10 of the gasket 1 is formed flat. On the other hand, around the through holes 12 on the upper surface 11 of the gasket 1, a plurality of recesses 16 having a size smaller than the diameter of each through hole 12 are formed.

  As shown in FIG. 6, these recesses 16 are arranged in a mesh shape, and each recess 16 is surrounded by grid-like partition walls 18. However, only the recess 16 a adjacent to the through hole 12 is not completely surrounded by the partition 18, and a part is surrounded by the partition 18. The upper surface of the partition wall 18 is flush with the region of the upper surface 11 of the gasket 1 where the recess 16 is not provided.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the used state of the gasket 1, the partition 18 of the gasket 1 is compressed by the tip end surface of the pipette 6. Since the tip surface of the pipette 6 contacts only the partition 18 of the gasket 1, the contact area between the tip surface of the pipette 6 and the gasket 1 can be reduced as compared with the case where the upper surface 11 is a flat surface without the recess 16. it can. Therefore, although the gasket 1 is formed of an elastomer, the adhesion between the tip surface of the pipette 6 and the upper surface 11 is weak, and the upper surface 11 is easily separated from the pipette 6.

  On the other hand, since the lower surface 10 of the gasket 1 in contact with the upper surface of the container 4 is formed flat, the adhesion between the container 4 and the lower surface 10 is strong due to the adhesiveness of the elastomer. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, when lifting the pipette 6, the gasket 1 tends to stand still on the container 4, and the gasket 1 is prevented from adhering to the pipette 6 and being lifted from the container 4.

  The plurality of concave portions 16 are arranged in a mesh shape and surrounded by the grid-like partition walls 18. Therefore, even if the sample 2 enters the concave portions 16, the sample 2 does not easily spread outside the partition walls 18. Therefore, the risk of the sample 2 entering the cell 5 different from the cell 5 of the container 4 to be originally stored is reduced.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the upper surface 11 of the gasket of the comparative example. In the comparative example, a plurality of convex portions 20 are formed on the upper surface 11 of the gasket. The convex portions 20 are arranged in a mesh shape, and the concave grooves 22 are formed between the convex portions 20.

  In the use state of the gasket of this comparative example, the convex portion 20 is compressed by the tip surface of the pipette 6. Since the tip end surface of the pipette 6 contacts only the convex portion 20 of the gasket 1, the contact area between the tip end surface of the pipette 6 and the gasket 1 can be reduced as compared with the case where the upper surface 11 is a flat surface. 11 is easy to separate from the pipette 6.

  However, in this comparative example, when the sample 2 enters the concave groove 22 between the convex portions 20, the concave groove 22 becomes a flow path of the sample 2 and the outer side of the region where the convex portion 20 is formed. The sample 2 easily spreads on the Therefore, the sample 2 may intrude into the cell 5 different from the cell 5 of the container 4 to be originally stored.

  On the other hand, in the case where the recess 16 is surrounded by the grid-like partition wall 18 as in the embodiment, such a possibility can be reduced.

  In order to form the recess 16, for example, a mold having mesh-like projections on the inner surface may be prepared, and the gasket 1 may be manufactured by pressing or injection molding. In this case, the projection of the mold corresponds to the recess 16 of the gasket 1. In order to form the projections on the mold, for example, the inner surface of the mold may be scraped by machining to leave mesh-like projections. Alternatively, the inner surface of the mold may be partially dissolved by etching to leave mesh-like projections.

  The gasket 1 may be formed by pressing or injection molding using a mold having an internal space corresponding to one gasket 1. Alternatively, a die may be used to form a large-area sheet having recesses 16 by pressing or injection molding, and a plurality of gaskets 1 may be formed from the sheet by stamping. The through holes 12 may be formed by a mold or may be formed, for example, by punching after pressing or injection molding.

  In this embodiment, it is formed only around each through hole 12, that is, only in a region where the tip end face of the pipette 6 may come in contact. In FIG. 2, a region 24 surrounded by a two-dot chain circle is a region in which the recess 16 is formed in this embodiment. In particular, in the case where a projection corresponding to the recess 16 is formed on the mold by machining, it may be preferable from an economic point of view to form the recess 16 only in the limited area 24.

  However, the recess 16 may be formed on the entire top surface 11 of the gasket 1. In this case, the recess 16 does not have to be formed in alignment with the position of the through hole 12, and the manufacturing of the gasket 1 can be facilitated. More specifically, since the projections corresponding to the recesses 16 may be formed on the entire inner surface of the mold, the manufacture of the mold may be easier than forming the projections in a limited position. In particular, in the case of forming a plurality of gaskets 1 by punching from a sheet, it is preferable to form the recess 16 on the entire upper surface 11.

  In this embodiment, each recess 16 has a rhombus-shaped outline as shown in FIGS. The length S (see FIG. 10) of one side of these recesses 16 is preferably 200 μm to 10 mm, more preferably 500 μm to 5 mm. The angle α (see FIG. 10) of the smaller internal angle of the rhombus is preferably 30 to 80 °, more preferably 50 to 70 °. The width W (see FIG. 10) of the partition wall 18 is preferably 100 μm to 1 mm.

  It is desirable that the diamond-shaped long diagonal length L (see FIG. 10) of each recess 16 be sufficiently smaller than the thickness t (see FIG. 9) of the tip of the pipette 6. In FIG. 9, D1 is an example of the outer diameter of the tip of the pipette 6, and D2 is an example of the inner diameter of the inlet 6a at the tip of the pipette 6. The outer diameter D1 is usually 2 to 5 mm, and the inner diameter D2 is usually 1 to 3 mm. The thickness t of the tip of the pipette 6 is usually 0.5 to 2 mm. By setting the length L of the long diagonal of the rhombus sufficiently smaller than the thickness t of the tip of the pipette 6, as shown in FIG. 9, the tip surface of the pipette 6 is around each through hole 12 Contact the partition wall 18 continuously. In this case, the tip end surface of the pipette 6 contacts the diaphragm 18 continuously (without interruption) over the entire circumference of the through hole 12 and compresses it. Therefore, a gap does not easily occur between the tip surface of the pipette 6 and the gasket 1, and the sample does not easily spread outside the partition wall 18. For this reason, a possibility that the sample 2 may infiltrate into the cell 5 different from the cell 5 of the container 4 to be originally stored is reduced. The length S of one side of the recess 16 and the angle α of the smaller internal angle of the rhombus are set such that the length L of the longer diagonal of the rhombus is sufficiently smaller than the thickness t of the tip of the pipette 6 There is.

  The width W of the partition wall 18 is such that the front end surface of the normal pipette 6 faces the plurality of recesses 16 around the through hole 12 and the partition wall 18 around the through hole 12 even if different sized pipettes 6 are used. It is set to contact continuously. From such a point of view, it is preferable that the diagonal length L and the width W of the partition 18 be small.

  Further, the smaller the width W of the partition wall 18, the larger the contact surface pressure of the tip surface of the pipette 6 and the partition wall 18 with the same pressing force, and therefore the liquid sample 2 leaks from the range of the tip surface of the pipette 6 It is hard to come out.

  On the other hand, the length S of one side of the recess 16 and the width W of the partition 18 are set so as not to be too small so that the recess 16 and the partition 18 can be easily formed at low cost. As described above, since the recess 16 is formed by a mold, it is preferable that projections corresponding to the recess can be easily formed on the mold at low cost. From such a viewpoint, the lower limit of the length S of one side and the width W of the partition 18 is set.

  The depth d of the recess 16 (see FIG. 5), that is, the height of the partition wall 18 is preferably 10 μm to 1 mm, more preferably 50 to 200 μm. As the depth d of the recess 16 is larger, the amount of compression is increased by the same pressing force, so that the liquid sample 2 is less likely to leak from the range of the tip surface of the pipette 6. However, as the depth d of the recess 16 is smaller, the recess 16 and the partition 18 can be easily formed at low cost.

  Also, the preferred depth of the recess 16 varies with the hardness of the gasket 1. When the tip end surface of the pipette 6 is pressed against the partition wall 18, the partition 18 is compressed and the gap between the gasket 1 and the tip end surface of the pipette 6 disappears, and the liquid sample 2 leaks from the range of the tip end surface of the pipette 6 It is preferable not to go out. When the hardness of the gasket 1 is high, the amount of compression with respect to the pressing force of the pipette 6 is small, but the contact surface pressure between the tip surface of the pipette 6 and the partition 18 tends to be high. preferable. On the other hand, when the hardness of the gasket 1 is low and the compression amount with respect to the pressing force is large, the pipette 6 is pressed against the partition 18 with a stronger force to compress the partition 18 deeply. Since the contact surface pressure can be increased, it is preferable that the depth d of the recess 16 be large.

  Examples of the material of the gasket 1 include silicone rubber, FKM (fluoro rubber), EPDM (ethylene propylene rubber), NBR (nitrile rubber) and the like. The preferred hardness of the gasket 1 is 10 to 80 in Shore A hardness.

  FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a gasket 1 according to a modification of the first embodiment. In FIG. 11, the same reference numerals are used to indicate components common to FIG. 1, and the description thereof is omitted. The contours of the gasket 1 are not limited to those shown in FIGS. 2 and 11, and gaskets 1 of various contours can be used.

Experimental Results of the First Embodiment The gasket 1 according to this embodiment having the contour shown in FIG. 2 was manufactured by VMQ (silicone rubber). The thickness of the gasket 1 was 3 mm, and the hardness was 40 in Shore A hardness. In the gasket 1, the depth d of the recess 16 in the upper surface 11 was 200 μm, the length S of one side was 2 mm, the angle α of the smaller internal angle of the rhombus was 60 °, and the width W of the partition 18 was 160 μm. The recess 16 was formed in the area 24 around the through hole 12.

  About this gasket 1, when the pipette 6 is lifted after the injection of the sample 2 by the pipette 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the gasket 1 adheres to the pipette 6 and does not lift up, and the gasket 1 is placed on the container 4 It was left.

  A gasket 1 according to a modification of this embodiment, having the contour shown in FIG. 11, was manufactured by FKM. The thickness of the gasket 1 was 3 mm, and the hardness was 50 in Shore A hardness. In the gasket 1, the depth d of the recess 16 in the upper surface 11 was 80 μm, the length S of one side was 3 mm, the angle α of the smaller internal angle of the rhombus was 60 °, and the width W of the partition 18 was 160 μm. The recess 16 was formed in the area 24 around the through hole 12.

  About this gasket 1, when the pipette 6 is lifted after the injection of the sample 2 by the pipette 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the gasket 1 adheres to the pipette 6 and does not lift up, and the gasket 1 is placed on the container 4 It was left.

  As a comparative example, a gasket having flat surfaces on both sides was manufactured by VMQ. The thickness of the gasket was 3 mm, and the hardness was 40 in Shore A hardness.

  With respect to the gasket of this comparative example, when the pipette 6 is lifted after the injection of the sample 2 by the pipette 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the gasket adheres to the pipette 6 and can not be lifted, as shown in FIG. A gasket was left on 4. However, at a rate of 50%, as shown in FIG. 4, the gasket adhered to the pipette 6 and was lifted from the container 4.

  Furthermore, as a comparative example, as shown in FIG. 8, the convex part 20 with a circular outline was formed in the upper surface 11, and the gasket which formed the lower surface 10 flatly was manufactured by FKM. The thickness of the gasket was 3 mm, and the hardness was 50 in Shore A hardness. In this gasket, the height of the convex portion 20 on the top surface 11 was 80 μm.

  In the gasket of this comparative example, when the pipette 6 is lifted after the injection of the sample 2 by the pipette 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the gasket adheres to the pipette 6 and does not lift up, and the gasket is It was left. However, in this comparative example, at the time of injection of the sample 2 by the pipette 6, the convex portion 20 can not be sufficiently compressed, a gap is generated between the tip surface of the pipette 6 and the upper surface 11, and the concave groove 22 In some cases, the sample 2 may spread outside the area where the convex portion 20 is formed.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the pipette 2 is injected with the sample 2 from the pipette 6 and then the pipette 6 is lifted, the upper surface 11 in which the concave portion 16 is formed is easily separated from the pipette 6 and formed flat. The lower surface 10 that has been formed easily adheres to the container 4. Therefore, when the pipette 6 is lifted, a gap is unlikely to be generated between the lower surface 10 of the gasket 1 and the container 4, and the sample 2 travels along the lower surface 10 of the gasket 1 and is the cell 5 of the container 4 The risk of entering into different cells 5 is reduced.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the plurality of concave portions 16 are arranged in a mesh shape and surrounded by the grid-like partition walls 18, even if the sample 2 enters the concave portions 16, the sample is formed outside the partition walls 18. 2 is hard to spread. Therefore, the risk of the sample 2 entering the cell 5 different from the cell 5 of the container 4 to be originally stored is reduced.

  Further, in this embodiment, each of the plurality of recesses 16 has a length L smaller than the thickness t of the tip of the pipette 6, and the tip surface of the pipette 6 is a partition 18 around each through hole 12. Contact with the For this reason, the tip surface of the pipette 6 contacts the diaphragm 18 continuously (without interruption) over the entire circumference of the through hole 12 and compresses it. Therefore, a gap does not easily occur between the tip end surface of the pipette 6 and the gasket 6, and the sample 2 does not easily spread outside the partition wall 18.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 12 shows the details of the recesses 16 formed in the gasket according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 shows the dimensions of these recesses 16. In the second embodiment, the shape of the recess 16 formed on the upper surface 11 of the gasket 1 is square. Other features are the same as in the first embodiment and will not be described in detail.

  The gasket 1 according to this embodiment is also used in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Therefore, when the pipette 6 is lifted after the sample 2 is injected from the pipette 6 into the cell 5, it is desirable that the gasket 1 be left on the container 4 as shown in FIG. When the pipette 6 is lifted, it is undesirable for the elastomeric gasket 1 to stick to the pipette 6 and be lifted out of the container 4 as shown in FIG.

  The manufacturing method of the gasket 1 may be the same as the manufacturing method of the first embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the length S (see FIG. 13) of one side of each square recess 16 is preferably 200 μm to 10 mm, more preferably 500 μm to 5 mm. The width W (see FIG. 13) of the partition 18 is preferably 100 μm to 1 mm.

  It is desirable that the diagonal length L (see FIG. 13) of each recess 16 be sufficiently smaller than the thickness t (see FIG. 12) of the tip of the pipette 6. By setting the diagonal length L sufficiently smaller than the thickness t of the tip of the pipette 6, as shown in FIG. 12, the tip surface of the pipette 6 is continuous to the partition 18 around each through hole 12 Contact In this case, the tip end surface of the pipette 6 contacts the diaphragm 18 continuously (without interruption) over the entire circumference of the through hole 12 and compresses it. Therefore, a gap does not easily occur between the tip surface of the pipette 6 and the gasket 1, and the sample does not easily spread outside the partition wall 18. For this reason, a possibility that the sample 2 may infiltrate into the cell 5 different from the cell 5 of the container 4 to be originally stored is reduced. The length S of one side of each recess 16 is set such that the length L of the diagonal is sufficiently smaller than the thickness t of the tip of the pipette 6.

  The width W of the partition wall 18 is such that the front end surface of the normal pipette 6 faces the plurality of recesses 16 around the through hole 12 and the partition wall 18 around the through hole 12 even if different sized pipettes 6 are used. It is set to contact continuously. From such a point of view, it is preferable that the diagonal length L and the width W of the partition 18 be small.

  Further, as the width W of the partition wall 18 is smaller, the contact pressure between the tip surface of the pipette 6 and the partition wall 18 is larger for the same pressing force, so the liquid sample 2 leaks from the range of the tip surface of the pipette 6 Hateful.

  On the other hand, the length S of one side of the recess 16 and the width W of the partition 18 are set so as not to be too small so that the recess 16 and the partition 18 can be easily formed at low cost. As described above, since the recess 16 is formed by a mold, it is preferable that projections corresponding to the recess can be easily formed on the mold at low cost. From such a viewpoint, the lower limit of the length S of one side and the width W of the partition 18 is set.

  The depth d of the recess 16 (see FIG. 5), that is, the height of the partition wall 18 is preferably 10 μm to 1 mm, more preferably 50 to 200 μm. As the depth d of the recess 16 is larger, the amount of compression of the partition 18 by the pressing of the pipette 6 is larger for the same pressing force, so the liquid sample 2 is less likely to leak from the range of the tip surface of the pipette 6. However, as the depth d of the recess 16 is smaller, the recess 16 and the partition 18 can be easily formed at low cost.

  Moreover, the preferable depth of the recessed part 16 changes with the hardness of the gasket 1 similarly to 1st Embodiment.

  An example of the material of the gasket 1 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the preferable hardness of the gasket 1 is 10 to 80 in Shore A hardness.

  The gasket 1 may have the contour shown in FIG. 2, may have the contour shown in FIG. 11, or may have another contour.

Experimental Results of Second Embodiment The gasket 1 according to this embodiment having the outline shown in FIG. 1 was manufactured by VMQ. The thickness of the gasket 1 was 3 mm, and the hardness was 40 in Shore A hardness. In the gasket 1, the depth d of the recess 16 in the upper surface 11 was 200 μm, the length S of one side was 2 mm, and the width W of the partition 18 was 250 μm. The recess 16 was formed in the area 24 around the through hole 12.

  About this gasket 1, when the pipette 6 is lifted after the injection of the sample 2 by the pipette 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the gasket 1 adheres to the pipette 6 and does not lift up, and the gasket 1 is placed on the container 4 It was left.

  A gasket 1 according to a modification of this embodiment, having the contour shown in FIG. 11, was manufactured by FKM. The thickness of the gasket 1 was 3 mm, and the hardness was 50 in Shore A hardness. In the gasket 1, the depth d of the recess 16 in the upper surface 11 was 80 μm, the length S of one side was 3 mm, and the width W of the partition 18 was 250 μm. The recess 16 was formed in the area 24 around the through hole 12.

  About this gasket 1, when the pipette 6 is lifted after the injection of the sample 2 by the pipette 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the gasket 1 adheres to the pipette 6 and does not lift up, and the gasket 1 is placed on the container 4 It was left.

  As a comparative example, a gasket having flat surfaces on both sides was manufactured by VMQ. The thickness of the gasket was 3 mm, and the hardness was 40 in Shore A hardness.

  With respect to the gasket of this comparative example, when the pipette 6 is lifted after the injection of the sample 2 by the pipette 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the gasket adheres to the pipette 6 and can not be lifted, as shown in FIG. A gasket was left on 4. However, at a rate of 50%, as shown in FIG. 4, the gasket adhered to the pipette 6 and was lifted from the container 4.

  Furthermore, as a comparative example, as shown in FIG. 8, the convex part 20 with a circular outline was formed in the upper surface 11, and the gasket which formed the lower surface 10 flatly was manufactured by FKM. The thickness of the gasket was 3 mm, and the hardness was 50 in Shore A hardness. In this gasket, the height of the convex portion 20 on the top surface 11 was 80 μm.

  In the gasket of this comparative example, when the pipette 6 is lifted after the injection of the sample 2 by the pipette 6, as shown in FIG. 3, the gasket adheres to the pipette 6 and does not lift up, and the gasket is It was left. However, in this comparative example, at the time of injection of the sample 2 by the pipette 6, the convex portion 20 can not be sufficiently compressed, a gap is generated between the tip surface of the pipette 6 and the upper surface 11, and the concave groove 22 In some cases, the sample 2 may spread outside the area where the convex portion 20 is formed.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be achieved.

  In the first embodiment, the outline of the recess 16 is a rhombus, and in the second embodiment, the outline of the recess 16 is a square. However, the contour of the recess 16 is not limited to these, and may have another shape. For example, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the contour of the recess 16 may be circular. As shown in FIG. 16, the contour of the recess 16 may be elliptical. As shown in FIG. 17, the contour of the recess 16 may be hexagonal. Although not shown, the outline of the recess 16 may be a rectangle other than a square or a triangle.

  In any case, the size of the recess 16 is smaller than the thickness t of the tip of the pipette 6, and the tip of the pipette 6 is preferably in continuous contact with the partition 18 around each through hole 12. Here, “size” refers to the largest length of the outline of the recess 16 (for example, the diameter of the recess if it is circular, the length of its major axis if the recess is oval, and the hexagonal shape of the recess Means the length of the diagonal through the center). In this case, the tip of the pipette 6 contacts the diaphragm 18 continuously (without interruption) over the entire circumference of the through hole 12 and compresses it. Therefore, a gap does not easily occur between the tip of the pipette 6 and the gasket 1, and the sample 2 does not easily spread outside the partition wall 18.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 18, the gasket 30 according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes a container 32 for containing the liquid sample 2 and an injection head 35 of an injection device 34 for injecting the sample 2 into the container 32. And is compressed by the injection head 35 and the container 32 to seal the gap between the injection head 35 and the container 32.

  The sample 2 may be a sample such as a body fluid obtained from a living body, may be a liquid containing cells or a living body obtained from a living body, or is a culture solution for culturing the cells or the living body. May be Alternatively, sample 2 may be a chemically produced or purified liquid.

  The injection device 34 includes, for example, an injection head 35 formed of glass, resin or metal, a plurality of tube connectors 36 attached to the injection head 35, and a plurality of tubes liquid-tightly connected to the tube connectors 36 respectively. And 37. The injection head 35 has a plurality of through holes 38 respectively communicating with the plurality of tubes 37. The through holes 38 have a shape that spreads downward, and the lower ends of the through holes 38 are inlets 38 a for injecting a sample into the container 32.

  The container 32 is made of, for example, a resin, and has a plurality of cells 33 which are storage spaces for storing the sample 2. These cells 33 may accommodate different types of samples 2 or may store the same type of samples 2. Alternatively, after injecting one type of sample 2 into one cell 33, another type of sample 2 may be injected, and different types of samples 2 may be mixed in the same cell 33. Although the illustrated cells 33 are independent of one another, a plurality of cells 33 may be in communication.

  The injection device 34 can inject the sample 2 into all the cells 33 simultaneously. Also, the injection device 34 may inject the sample 2 into one or more cells 33.

  The gasket 30 is a generally flat plate formed of an elastomer and has a lower surface 40 in contact with the upper surface of the container 32 and an upper surface 41 in contact with the lower surface of the injection head 35 of the injection device 34. As shown in FIG. 19, the gasket 30 has a plurality of through holes 42 formed to introduce the sample 2 from the injection port 38 a of the injection device 34 into the container 32. Further, through holes 44 for positioning the gaskets 30 are formed in the gaskets 30. However, the through hole 44 is not essential.

  Although the gasket 30 has a rectangular profile, the profile of the gasket 30 is not limited to the illustrated shape. Also, the arrangement of the through holes 42 is not limited to the illustrated arrangement.

  When the gasket 30 is in use, the gasket 30 is placed on the upper surface of the container 32, and at this time, the plurality of through holes 42 of the gasket 30 are respectively disposed at positions matching the positions of the plurality of cells 33 of the container 32. Then, the injection device 34 is disposed relative to the gasket 30 such that the plurality of injection ports 38 a of the injection device 34 are substantially concentric with the plurality of through holes 42 respectively. At this time, the gasket 30 is compressed between the lower surface of the injection head 35 of the injection device 34 and the upper surface of the container 32. Next, the sample 2 is introduced from the injection device 34 into the cell 33 overlapping the through hole 42 through the injection port 38 a and the through hole 42. The diameter of the through hole 42 of the gasket 30 is approximately the same as the diameter of the inlet 38 a of the injection device 34, and is also approximately the same as the diameter of the cell 33.

  After the sample 2 is injected from the injection device 34 into the cell 33, as shown in FIG. 20, the injection device 34 is lifted. In this embodiment, it is desirable for the gasket 30 to be left above the container 32, as shown, when the injection device 34 is lifted. After this, the gasket 30 is removed from above the container 32, and the sample 2 in the cell 33 of the container 32 is used, for example, for a chemical reaction experiment or a culture experiment.

  If different types of sample 2 are mixed in the same cell 33, preferably after another sample 34 has been injected into the cell 33 and all types of sample 2 have been introduced into the container 32, by means of another injection device 34 The gasket 30 is removed from above the container 32.

  When the pouring device 34 is lifted, it is undesirable for the elastomeric gasket 30 to stick to the pouring device 34 and be lifted out of the container 32, as shown in FIG. If a gap is formed between the lower surface 40 of the gasket 30 and the upper surface of the container 32 even for a short time, the sample 2 remaining in the through hole 42 gets into the gap and the sample 2 is not to be introduced into the cell 33 It is because there is a risk of introducing it.

  In this embodiment, after injecting the sample 2 into the container 32 from the injection device 34, the gasket 30 is devised as follows so that the gasket 30 can stand still on the container 32 even if the injection device 34 is lifted. FIG. 22 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the gasket 30. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 22, the lower surface 40 of the gasket 30 is formed flat. On the other hand, on the upper surface 41 of the gasket 30, a plurality of recesses 46 having a size smaller than the diameter of each through hole 42 are formed.

  The recesses 46 are arranged in a mesh, and each recess 46 is surrounded by a grid-like partition wall 48. However, only the recess 46 a adjacent to the through hole 42 is not completely surrounded by the partition wall 48, and a part is surrounded by the partition wall 48. These are the same as the recessed parts 16 and 16a and the partition 18 of 1st Embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the used state of the gasket 30, the partition 48 of the gasket 30 is compressed by the lower surface of the injection head 35 of the injection device 34. The lower surface of the injection head 35 of the injection device 34 contacts only the partition wall 48 of the gasket 30, and therefore the lower surface of the injection head 35 of the injection device 34 and the gasket 30 compared to the flat surface without the recess 46. Contact area can be reduced. Therefore, although the gasket 30 is formed of an elastomer, the adhesion between the lower surface of the injection head 35 of the injection device 34 and the upper surface 41 of the gasket 30 is weak, and the upper surface 41 easily separates from the injection device 34.

  On the other hand, since the lower surface 40 of the gasket 30 in contact with the upper surface of the container 32 is formed flat, the adhesion between the container 32 and the lower surface 40 is strong due to the adhesiveness of the elastomer. Thus, as shown in FIG. 20, when lifting the injection device 34, the gasket 30 tends to rest on the container 32 as it is, reducing the possibility of the gasket 30 adhering to the injection device 34 and being lifted from the container 32.

  The plurality of recesses 46 are arranged in a mesh shape and surrounded by the grid-like partition walls 48. Therefore, even if the sample 2 enters the recesses 46, the sample 2 does not easily spread outside the partition walls 48. Therefore, the risk of the sample 2 entering the cell 33 different from the cell 33 of the container 32 to be originally stored is reduced. This is in contrast to the comparative example having the convex portion 20 shown in FIG. 8 for the first embodiment.

  The method of manufacturing the gasket 30 may be the same as the method of manufacturing the gasket 1 of the first embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the recess 46 is formed on the entire top surface 41 of the gasket 30. In this case, it is not necessary to form the recess 46 in alignment with the position of the through hole 42, and the manufacture of the gasket 30 can be facilitated. It is preferable to form the recessed part 46 in the whole upper surface 41, when shape | molding several gaskets 30 by stamping from a sheet | seat especially.

  However, the recess 46 may be formed only in a limited area around each through hole 42. In particular, in the case where a projection corresponding to the recess 46 is formed on a mold by machining, it may be preferable from an economic point of view to form the recess 46 only in a limited area.

  In this embodiment, each recess 46 has, for example, a rhombus-shaped contour, similar to the recess 16 shown in FIGS. The length S (see FIG. 10) of one side of these recesses 46 is preferably 200 μm to 10 mm, more preferably 500 μm to 5 mm. The angle α (see FIG. 10) of the smaller internal angle of the rhombus is preferably 30 to 80 °, more preferably 50 to 70 °. The width W (see FIG. 10) of the partition wall 48 is preferably 100 μm to 1 mm.

  Each recess 46 may have a square profile, similar to the recess 16 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. The length S (see FIG. 13) of one side of each recess 46 is preferably 200 μm to 10 mm, more preferably 500 μm to 5 mm. The width W (see FIG. 13) of the partition wall 48 is preferably 100 μm to 1 mm.

  The longer diamond diagonal length L (see FIG. 10) or the square diagonal length (see FIG. 13) of each recess 46 is greater than the spacing In (see FIG. 20) of the injection ports 38a of the injection head 35. It is desirable that it be small enough. By setting the length L sufficiently smaller than the interval In of the injection ports 38 a, the lower surface of the injection head 35 continuously contacts the partition wall 48 around each through hole 42. In this case, the lower surface of the injection head 35 contacts and compresses the partition wall 48 continuously (without interruption) over the entire circumference of each through hole 42. Therefore, a gap does not easily occur between the lower surface of the injection head 35 and the gasket 30, and the sample does not easily spread to the outside of the partition wall 48. For this reason, the possibility that the sample 2 intrudes into a cell 33 different from the cell 33 of the container 32 to be originally stored is reduced. When the recess 46 is in the shape of a rhombus, the length S of one side of the recess 46 and the angle α of the smaller inner angle of the rhombus are sufficiently smaller than the length In of the long diagonal of the rhombus Is set as. When the recess 46 is square, the length S of one side of the recess 46 is set such that the length L of the diagonal is sufficiently smaller than the interval In of the inlets 38 a.

  The width W of the partition wall 48 is set so that the lower surface of the injection head 35 faces the plurality of recesses 46 around each through hole 42 and continuously contacts the partition wall 48 surrounding the periphery of each through hole 42. ing. From such a point of view, it is preferable that the diagonal length L and the width W of the partition 48 be small.

  Further, the smaller the width W of the partition wall 48, the larger the contact surface pressure of the lower surface of the injection head 35 and the partition wall 48 with respect to the same pressing force.

  On the other hand, the length S of one side of the recess 46 and the width W of the partition 48 are set so as not to be too small so that the recess 46 and the partition 48 can be easily formed at low cost. As described above, since the recess 46 is molded with a mold, it is preferable that projections corresponding to the recess can be easily formed on the mold at low cost. From such a viewpoint, the lower limit of the length S of one side and the width W of the partition wall 48 is set.

  The depth d of the recess 46 (see FIG. 22), that is, the height of the partition wall 48 is preferably 10 μm to 1 mm, more preferably 50 to 200 μm. As the depth d of the recess 46 is larger, the amount of compression of the partition 48 by the pressing of the injection head 35 is larger for the same pressing force, so the liquid sample 2 is less likely to leak from the recess 46. However, as the depth d of the recess 46 is smaller, the recess 46 and the partition wall 48 can be easily formed at low cost.

  Also, the preferred depth of the recess 46 varies with the hardness of the gasket 30, as in the first embodiment.

  As an example of the material of the gasket 30, it is the same as that of the gasket 1 of 1st Embodiment, and preferable hardness of the gasket 30 is 10-80 by Shore A hardness.

Experimental Results of Third Embodiment The gasket 30 according to this embodiment having the contour shown in FIG. 19 was manufactured by VMQ. The thickness of the gasket 30 was 1 mm, and the hardness was 10 in Shore A hardness. In this gasket 30, a plurality of rhombus-shaped recesses 46 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are formed on the entire upper surface 41.

  With regard to the gasket 30, when the injection device 34 is lifted after the injection of the sample 2 by the injection device 34, as shown in FIG. 3, the gasket 30 adheres to the injection head 35 of the injection device 34 and can not be lifted. Gasket 30 was left on 32. Further, in order to seal the gap between the lower surface of the injection head 35 and the upper surface of the container 32 without a gap with a gasket 30, the force for pressing the injection head 35 against the gasket 30 was smaller than in a comparative example described later.

  A similar gasket 30 according to this embodiment was manufactured by VMQ. The thickness of the gasket 30 was 1 mm, and the hardness was 20 in Shore A hardness. In the gasket 30, a plurality of square recessed portions 46 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 were formed on the entire upper surface 41.

  As to this gasket 30, when the injection device 34 is lifted after injection of the sample 2 by the injection device 34, as shown in FIG. 3, the gasket 30 adheres to the injection head 35 of the injection device 34 and can not be lifted. Gasket 30 was left on 32. Further, in order to seal the gap between the lower surface of the injection head 35 and the upper surface of the container 32 without a gap with a gasket 30, the force for pressing the injection head 35 against the gasket 30 was smaller than in a comparative example described later.

  As a comparative example, a gasket having flat surfaces on both sides was manufactured by VMQ. The thickness of the gasket was 1 mm, and the hardness was 10 in Shore A hardness.

  About the gasket of this comparative example, when the injection device 34 is lifted after injection of the sample 2 by the injection device 34, the gasket adheres to the injection device 34 with a certain probability as shown in FIG. It had to be lifted from 32. Also, in order to seal the gap between the lower surface of the injection head 35 and the upper surface of the container 32 with no gap, the force pressing the injection head 35 against the gasket 30 as compared to the gaskets 30 according to the two embodiments described above. Was great.

  As described above, in this embodiment, after the sample 2 is injected from the injection device 34 into the container 32, when the injection device 34 is lifted, the upper surface 41 in which the recess 46 is formed is the injection head 35 of the injection device 34. The flat lower surface 40 is likely to adhere to the container 32. Therefore, when lifting up the injection device 34, a gap is unlikely to occur between the lower surface 40 of the gasket 30 and the container 32, and the sample 2 travels along the lower surface 40 of the gasket 30 to form the cells 33 of the container 32 to be originally accommodated. Is less likely to enter different cells 33.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the plurality of recesses 46 are arranged in a mesh shape and surrounded by the grid-like partition walls 48, even if the sample 2 enters the recesses 46, the sample is formed on the outside of the partition walls 48. 2 is hard to spread. Therefore, the risk of the sample 2 entering the cell 33 different from the cell 33 of the container 32 to be originally stored is reduced.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the plurality of concave portions 46 are formed on the upper surface 41, the contact area between the upper surface 41 and the injection head 35 can be reduced as compared with the case where both surfaces are flat. Even with force, a high contact surface pressure between the upper surface 41 and the injection head 35 can be secured. Therefore, in order to seal the gap between the lower surface of the injection head 35 and the upper surface of the container 32 with no gap, the force for pressing the injection head 35 against the gasket 30 may be small. Can be stretched.

  Further, in this embodiment, each of the plurality of recesses 46 has a length L smaller than the distance In of the injection ports 38 a, and the lower surface of the injection head 35 is continuous with the partition wall 48 around each through hole 42. Contact. For this reason, the lower surface of the injection head 35 contacts and compresses the partition wall 48 continuously (without interruption) over the entire circumference of the through hole 42. Therefore, a gap does not easily occur between the lower surface of injection head 35 and gasket 6, and sample 2 does not easily spread outside partition wall 48.

  The contour of the recess 46 in this embodiment is rhombic or square. However, the contour of the recess 46 is not limited thereto, and may have other shapes. For example, similar to the recess 16 shown in FIGS. 14-17, the contour of the recess 46 may be circular, oval or hexagonal. Although not shown, the outline of the recess 46 may be a rectangle other than a square or a triangle. In any case, the size of the recess 46 is smaller than the interval In of the inlets 38 a, and the lower surface of the injection head 35 preferably faces the plurality of recesses 16 around each through hole 42.

Fourth Embodiment Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 23, a gasket 30 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention includes a container 32 for containing a liquid sample 2 and an injection head 35 of an injection device 34 for injecting the sample 2 into the container 32. And is compressed by the injection head 35 and the container 32 to seal the gap between the injection head 35 and the container 32.

  In the drawings from FIG. 23 on, the same reference numerals are used to indicate components common to the third embodiment, and the components will not be described in detail.

  The through holes 38 formed in the injection head 35 of the injection device 34 are cylindrical, and the lower ends of the through holes 38 are injection ports 38 a for injecting a sample into the container 32.

  The diameter of the through hole 42 of the gasket 30 is substantially the same as the diameter of the through hole 38 of the injection device 34 and is larger than the diameter of the cell 33. The upper end of each cell 33 is an inlet 33 a of the sample 2 of the container 32. In this embodiment, the diameter of the inlet 33a is the same as the diameter of the other part of the cell 33, but may be different from the diameter of the other part of the cell 33.

  After the sample 2 is injected from the injection device 34 into the cell 33, as shown in FIG. 24, the injection device 34 is lifted. In this embodiment, contrary to the third embodiment, when the injection device 34 is lifted, it is desirable that an elastomeric gasket 30 be attached to the injection device 34 and lifted from the container 32, as shown. This makes it easy to inject the sample 2 into the other container 32 using the same injection device 34 and the same gasket 30.

  For this reason, in this embodiment, it is devised as follows. FIG. 25 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the gasket 30 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 25, the upper surface 41 of the gasket 30 is formed flat. On the other hand, on the lower surface 40 of the gasket 30, a plurality of recesses 46 having a size smaller than the diameter of each through hole 42 are formed.

  The recesses 46 are arranged in a mesh, and each recess 46 is surrounded by a grid-like partition wall 48. However, only the recess 46 a adjacent to the through hole 42 is not completely surrounded by the partition wall 48, and a part is surrounded by the partition wall 48. These are the same as the recessed parts 16 and 16a and the partition 18 of 1st Embodiment shown in FIG.

  In use of the gasket 30, the septum 48 of the gasket 30 is compressed between the lower surface of the injection head 35 of the injection device 34 and the upper surface of the container 32. Since the upper surface of the container 32 contacts only the partition wall 48 of the lower surface 40 of the gasket 30, the contact area between the upper surface of the container 32 and the gasket 30 is reduced as compared with the case where the lower surface 40 is a flat surface without the recess 46. Can. Therefore, although the gasket 30 is formed of an elastomer, the adhesion between the upper surface of the container 32 and the lower surface 40 of the gasket 30 is weak, and the lower surface 40 easily separates from the container 32.

  On the other hand, since the upper surface 41 of the gasket 30 in contact with the lower surface of the injection head 35 of the injection device 34 is formed flat, the adhesion between the injection head 35 and the upper surface 41 is strong due to the adhesiveness of the elastomer. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 24, when lifting up the injection device 34, the gasket 30 separates from the container 32 and tends to be lifted together with the injection head 35.

  The plurality of recesses 46 are arranged in a mesh shape and surrounded by the grid-like partition walls 48. For example, even if the sample 2 bounces from the cells 33 and enters the recesses 46, the sample 2 is formed outside the partition 48. Is hard to spread. Therefore, the risk of the sample 2 entering the cell 33 different from the cell 33 of the container 32 to be originally stored is reduced.

  The method of manufacturing the gasket 30 may be the same as the method of manufacturing the gasket 1 of the first embodiment.

  In this embodiment, the recess 46 is formed on the entire lower surface 40 of the gasket 30. In this case, it is not necessary to form the recess 46 in alignment with the position of the through hole 42, and the manufacture of the gasket 30 can be facilitated. In particular, in the case of forming a plurality of gaskets 30 by punching from a sheet, it is preferable to form the recess 46 on the entire lower surface 40.

  However, the recess 46 may be formed only in a limited area of the lower surface 40 around the inlet 33 a of each cell 33 to which the upper surface of the container 32 may come in contact. In particular, in the case where a projection corresponding to the recess 46 is formed on a mold by machining, it may be preferable from an economic point of view to form the recess 46 only in a limited area.

  In this embodiment, each recess 46 may have, for example, a rhombus-shaped contour similar to the recess 16 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, or a square-profile similar to the recess 16 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. May be included. Alternatively, for example, similar to the recess 16 shown in FIGS. 14-17, the contour of the recess 46 may be circular, oval, or hexagonal. Although not shown, the outline of the recess 46 may be a rectangle other than a square or a triangle.

  The size of each recess 46 is desirably sufficiently smaller than the distance In2 (see FIG. 23) of the inlets 33a of the plurality of cells 33. By setting the size of each recess 46 sufficiently smaller than the distance In2 between the inlets 33a, the upper surface of the container 32 continuously contacts the partition wall 48 around each through hole 42 (especially around each inlet 33a) . In this case, the upper surface of the container 32 contacts and compresses the partition wall 48 continuously (without interruption) over the entire circumference of each through hole 42 (particularly, the entire circumference of each inlet 33a). Therefore, a gap does not easily occur between the upper surface of the container 32 and the gasket 30, and the sample does not easily spread outside the partition wall 48. For this reason, the possibility that the sample 2 intrudes into a cell 33 different from the cell 33 of the container 32 to be originally stored is reduced.

  The size of each recess 46 and the width of the partition wall 48 are set from the viewpoint similar to the third embodiment. Further, the depth d of each recess 46 (see FIG. 25), that is, the height of the partition wall 48 is also set from the viewpoint similar to that of the third embodiment.

  As an example of the material of the gasket 30, it is the same as that of the gasket 1 of 1st Embodiment, and preferable hardness of the gasket 30 is 10-80 by Shore A hardness.

  In this embodiment, after the sample 2 is injected from the injection device 34 into the container 32, when the injection device 34 is lifted, the lower surface 40 in which the recess 46 is formed is easily separated from the container 32, and the upper surface 41 formed flat. Easily adheres to the injection head 35 of the injection device 34. Thus, when lifting the infusion device 34, the gasket 30 is likely to be lifted away from the container 34 and with the infusion head 34. This makes it easy to inject the sample 2 into the other container 32 using the same injection device 34 and the same gasket 30.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the plurality of recesses 46 are arranged in a mesh shape and surrounded by the grid-like partition walls 48, for example, even if the sample 2 bounces from the cells 33 and enters the recesses 46. The sample 2 is difficult to spread outside the partition wall 48. Therefore, the risk of the sample 2 entering the cell 33 different from the cell 33 of the container 32 to be originally stored is reduced.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the plurality of concave portions 46 are formed in the lower surface 40, the contact area between the lower surface 40 and the container 32 can be reduced as compared with the case where both surfaces are flat, and the pressing force is small. Even in this case, the contact surface pressure between the lower surface 40 and the container 32 can be maintained high. Therefore, in order to seal the gap between the lower surface of the injection head 35 and the upper surface of the container 32 with no gap, the force for pressing the injection head 35 against the gasket 30 may be small. Can be stretched.

  Also, in this embodiment, each of the plurality of recesses 46 has a size smaller than the distance In2 of the inlets 33 a of the cells 33 of the container 32, and the top surface of the container 32 is a partition 48 around each through hole 42. Contact with the For this reason, the upper surface of the container 32 contacts and compresses the partition 48 continuously (without interruption) over the entire circumference of the through hole 42. Therefore, a gap does not easily occur between the upper surface of the container 32 and the gasket 6, and the sample 2 does not easily spread outside the partition wall 48.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above description does not limit the present invention, and various modifications including deletion, addition, and replacement of components can be considered within the technical scope of the present invention. .

1, 30 gaskets 2, 32 samples 4 containers 6 pipettes (injection apparatus)
6a Inlet 10, 40 lower surface 11, 41 upper surface 5, 33 cell (housing space)
12, 42 through hole 16, 46 recessed portion 16a, 46a recessed portion 18, 48 partition wall 33a inlet 34 injection device 35 injection head 38a inlet

Claims (8)

A gap between the injection device and the container, which is disposed between a container having a plurality of storage spaces for containing a liquid sample and an injection device having an injection port for injecting the sample into the container. A flat gasket made of an elastomer that seals
A lower surface brought into contact with the container;
A top surface brought into contact with the injection device;
A plurality of through holes formed to introduce the sample into the container from the inlet;
A plurality of recesses formed in the periphery of the through hole in one of the lower surface and the upper surface, having a size smaller than the through hole, and arranged in a mesh shape, the plurality of recesses having a grid shape Surrounded by
The other of the lower surface and the upper surface is formed flat,
A gasket characterized by The gasket according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of concave portions are formed on the entire one of the lower surface and the upper surface. The plurality of recesses are formed on the upper surface,
The gasket according to claim 1, wherein the lower surface is formed flat. The injection device is a pipette having the injection port formed at its tip,
Each of the plurality of recesses has a size smaller than the thickness of the tip of the pipette,
The gasket according to claim 3, wherein the tip of the pipette is in continuous contact with the partition wall around each of the through holes. The injection device comprises an injection head having a plurality of injection ports formed therein,
Each of the plurality of recesses has a size smaller than the distance between the plurality of inlets,
The gasket according to claim 3, wherein the injection head is in continuous contact with the partition wall around each of the through holes. The plurality of recesses are formed in the lower surface,
The gasket according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface is formed flat. The injection device comprises an injection head having a plurality of injection ports formed therein,
Each of the plurality of recesses has a size smaller than the distance between the inlets of the plurality of storage spaces,
The gasket according to claim 6, wherein the container is in continuous contact with the partition wall around each of the through holes. A gasket according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
The container for containing the sample;
And the injection device having the injection port for injecting the sample into the container.

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