Patent US6237605B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0125857A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Grain counter
Assignee: Toshiba Corp
•
Filing: 1984-05-04
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2004-05-04
Abstract
Abstract A first syringe pump (72) feeds a sample solution (84) such as, for example, a diluted blood into an innertube (44) of a flow cell (40), and a second syringe pump (76) feeds a sheath solution (88) such as, for example, a physiological saline solution into an outer tube (42) of the flow cell (40). respective first and second plungers (74, 78) of the first and second syringe pumps (72, 76) are fixed onto a connecting plate (58). The connecting plate (58) is supported by a pair of guide rods (54) so that it may be moved in line with the moving direction (2, 4) of the plungers (74, 78). Into the connecting plate (58) is screwed an extemally threaded rod (60), which is driven by a motor (62) to rotate in the normal and reverse directions abount its axis. By the normal and reverse rotations of the threaded rod (60), the connecting plate (58) is reciprocally moved, whereby the first and second plungers (74, 78) are moved at the same speed. By the movement of the first and second plungers (74, 78) at the same speed, the sample solution and the sheath solution are respectively fed into the flow cell (40) at the same rate. Thus, in the flow cell, two flows of solution (water sheath), consisting respectively of the sample solution (84) and the sheath solution (88) existing around the sample solution, are formed. Laser beams are irradiated onto the flow of sample solution of the water sheath passing through a small-diameter portion (46) of the flow cell (40), whereby the laser beams scattered by grains (blood corpuscles) in the sample solution are sensed by a beam sensor (124).
Inventors
- 👤 Gousuke C/O Patent Division Anno
- 👤 Yoshinori C/O Patent Division Suzuki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 13:45
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N15/00; G01N15/10; G01N15/14; G01N15/1404; G01N21/00; G01N21/01; G01N21/11
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
306 words
A grain counter for forming a water sheath consisting of two flows of solution one of which is a flow of sample solution (84, 134) and the other of which is a flow of sheath solution (88) existing around the flow of sample solution and sensing the state of the grains contained in the flow of sample solution, comprising: a sample solution receptacle (82, 132) for storing therein a sample solution (84, 134), a sheath solution receptacle (86) for storing therein a sheath solution (88), a flow cell (40) having an inner tube (44) connected to said sample solution receptacle (82,132) and an outer tube (42) connected to said sheath solution receptacle (86) and forming a flow of said sheath solution fed into said outer tube around a flow of said sample solution fed into said inner tube thereby producing a water sheath consisting of said two flows of solutions, and a measuring means (110) for sensing the state of the grains contained in said flow of sample solution of said water sheath, characterized by comprising, a first syringe pump (72) having a first plunger (74) and sucking said sample solution (84, 134) from said sample solution receptacle (82, 132) by the movement of said first plunger (74) and feeding said sample solution into said inner tube (44) of said flow cell (40), a second syringe pump (76) having a second plunger (78) and sucking said sheath solution (88) from said sheath solution receptacle (86) by the movement of said second plunger (78) and feeding said sheath solution into said outer tube (42) of said flow cell (40), a connecting member (58) to which said first and second plungers (74, 78) are connected, and a drive means for moving said connecting member (58), thereby moving said first and second plungers (74, 78) at the same speed.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
306 words
A grain counter for forming a water sheath consisting of two flows of solution one of which is a flow of sample solution (84, 134) and the other of which is a flow of sheath solution (88) existing around the flow of sample solution and sensing the state of the grains contained in the flow of sample solution, comprising: a sample solution receptacle (82, 132) for storing therein a sample solution (84, 134), a sheath solution receptacle (86) for storing therein a sheath solution (88), a flow cell (40) having an inner tube (44) connected to said sample solution receptacle (82,132) and an outer tube (42) connected to said sheath solution receptacle (86) and forming a flow of said sheath solution fed into said outer tube around a flow of said sample solution fed into said inner tube thereby producing a water sheath consisting of said two flows of solutions, and a measuring means (110) for sensing the state of the grains contained in said flow of sample solution of said water sheath, characterized by comprising, a first syringe pump (72) having a first plunger (74) and sucking said sample solution (84, 134) from said sample solution receptacle (82, 132) by the movement of said first plunger (74) and feeding said sample solution into said inner tube (44) of said flow cell (40), a second syringe pump (76) having a second plunger (78) and sucking said sheath solution (88) from said sheath solution receptacle (86) by the movement of said second plunger (78) and feeding said sheath solution into said outer tube (42) of said flow cell (40), a connecting member (58) to which said first and second plungers (74, 78) are connected, and a drive means for moving said connecting member (58), thereby moving said first and second plungers (74, 78) at the same speed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
A grain counter according to claim 1, characterized in that said second syringe pump (76) has a cross sectional area greater than that of said first syringe pump (72).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
197 words
A grain counter according to claim 2, characterized by further comprising a first three-way valve (100), a second three-way valve (102), first (92, 130), second (96),. and third pipes (104) connecting said first three-way valve (100) to the sample solution receptacle (82, 132), said first syringe pump (72), and said inner tube (44), respectively, and fourth (94), fifth (98), and sixth pipes (106) connecting said second three-way valve (102) to the sheath solution receptacle (86), said second syringe pump (76), and said outer tube (42), respectively, whereby, when said first or second syringe pump sucks said sample solution or sheath solution in said sample solution receptacle (82, 132) or sheath solution receptacle (86), respectively, said first or second three-way valve is set so as to allow the communication between said first and second pipes, or the communication between said fourth and fifth pipes, and whereby, when said first or second syringe pump feeds said sample solution or sheath solution, respectively, into said inner tube or outer tube, said first and second three-way valves are respectively set so as to allow the communication between said second and third pipes, or the communication between said fifth and sixth pipes.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
91 words
A grain counter according to claim 3, characterized by further comprising a guide means (54) for guiding said connecting member so as to permit its reciprocating movement in the directions (2, 4) in which said plunger is moved, a threaded bore (58a) provided in said connecting member (58), a screw rod (60) screwed into said threaded bore, and a motor (62) for rotating said screw rod, whereby said connecting member screwed onto said screw rod is reciprocally moved through the rotation of said screw rod by the rotation of said motor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
134 words
A grain counter according to claim 4, characterized in that said flow cell has a small-diameter portion (46) which reduces the diameter of said water sheath consisting of said two flows of solution one of which is said flow of sample solution and the other of which is said flow of sheath solution; and said measuring means (110) has a laser beam emission means (112) for emitting laser beams, an optical lens means (114) for focussing the laser beams emitted from said laser beam emission means so as to irradiate the laser beams onto said two flows of solution flowing through said small-diameter portion (46) of said flow cell, and a beam sensor (124) for sensing the laser beams scattered by the grains contained in said sample solution in said two flows of solution.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
77 words
A grain counter according to claim 5, characterized in that said measuring means (110) has a beam stopper (116) disposed in alignment with an optical axis of said optical lens means (114) so as to intercept the laser beams having passed straight through said small-diameter portion (46), and a condenser (118) for condensing the laser beams not intercepted by said beam stopper (116); and said beam sensor (124) senses the laser beams condensed by said condenser (118).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
186 words
A grain counter according to claim 3, characterized by further comprising a cleaning liquid receptacle'having a cleaning liquid stored therein, a switching means (128) for selectively switching said first pipe (130) to one of said sample solution and cleaning liquid receptacles (132, 136), from the other for effecting the communication between both, a third three-way valve (140) mounted on a portion of said second.pipe (96), a seventh pipe (142) connected to said third three-way valve (140), a third syringe pump (144) connected to said seventh pipe (142), said third syringe pump (144) having a third plunger (146) and having an inner cross sectional area greater than that of said first syringe pump (72), and a second drive means for reciprocally moving said third plunger (146), whereby, after said first syringe pump (72) sucks said sample solution, said switching means (128) switches said first pipe (130) to permit the same to communicate with said cleaning liquid receptacle (136); said third three-way valve (140) permits the communication of said second pipe (96) with said seventh pipe (142); and thus said third syringe pump (144) sucks said cleaning liquid.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
122 words
A grain counter'according to claim 7, characterized in that said third syringe pump (144) sucks said cleaning liquid until no said sample solution is left in said first pipe (130); subsequently said first three-way valve (100) is set so as to effect the communication of said second pipe (96) with said third pipe (104); said third plunger (146) is pushed into said third syringe pump (144) to feed said sample solution up to a position immediately before said flow cell (40); subsequently said third three-way valve (140) is set so as to effect the communication of said first syringe pump (72) with said third pipe (104); and thus said first syringe pump (72) feeds said sample solution into said flow cell (40).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
59 words
A grain counter according to claim 7, characterized in that said third syringe pump (150) has a cylinder (152); said third plunger has a cylindrical large-diameter piston (154); said first plunger has a small-diameter piston (156) inserted into said large-diameter piston; and said first syringe pump (72) is constituted by said large-diameter piston (154) and said small-diameter piston (156).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
A grain counter according to claim 3, characterized in that said sample solution (84, 134) is a diluted blood; said grain is a blood corpuscle; and said sheath solution (88) is a physiological saline solution.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
A grain counter according to claim 10, characterized in that said cleaning liquid (138), is a physiological saline solution.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.