Device for Processing and Infiltrating Histological and Biological Samples

Abstract

A device comprising a rotating means enclosed in a housing and having a horizontally arranged rotating shaft. Containers for cassettes containing samples are mounted on the rotating shaft and are joined in the form of a vertically arranged ring. The device has a means for rotating the rotating shaft at a variable speed and vessels containing processing and infiltrating liquids, said vessels being arranged outside the housing and being connected thereto by pipes for feeding in and discharging said liquids. The device additionally contains a mechanism for orienting the containers for cassettes containing samples, which mechanism is arranged between the ring of containers and the wall of the device, has a separate means for transferring the containers for cassettes containing samples into a horizontal or inclined position and holds same in the horizontal or inclined position.

Claims

1. A device for processing and infiltration of histological and biological samples, including rotating means enclosed in a housing, the axis of rotation of which is placed horizontally, with sample cassette containers mounted on it, combined in the form of a vertically arranged ring, means for rotating the axis of rotation with variable speed and vessels with processing and impregnating liquids located outside the housing and connected to it by pipes for supplying and unloading said liquids, characterized in that there additionally made a mechanism for orientation of containers for sample cassettes, located between the container ring and the device wall, which has a separate means for transferring sample cassettes containers for into horizontal or inclined position, holding them in a horizontal or inclined position.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the container orientation mechanism is made in the form of a gear transmission with intermediate gears engaged with the central and external gears.

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the container orientation mechanism is made in the form of a planetary gear.

4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the container orientation mechanism is made in the form of a parallelogram mechanism.

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the containers for cassettes have a square cross section.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The inventive processor is shown in FIGS. 1-4.

[0021] In FIGS. 1A and 1B schematically shown the arrangement of a ring of containers with cassettes housed therein, mounted on an axis of rotation.

[0022] In FIGS. 2A and 2B shown a gear transmission located between the container ring and the processor wall.

[0023] In FIG. 3A-3C shown a planetary gear located between the container ring and the processor wall.

[0024] In FIG. 4A-4C shown a parallelogram mechanism for transferring containers into a horizontal or inclined position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Presented schematically in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the processor has a housing 1 in which the axis of rotation 2 is located horizontally. A turntable 3 is mounted on the axis 2, on which containers 4 with cassettes or cassette-mold assemblies with histological samples are fixed. The containers are fixed with axes 5 on the supporting disk 6 (FIG. 1B). Axis 2 rotates by drive 7.

[0026] In the case of using a gear transmission (FIGS. 2A-2B), a container orientation mechanism 8 holding them in a horizontal or inclined position is placed between the wall of the housing 1 and the turntable 3 (FIG. 2A). The mechanism 8 includes the central gear 10, fixed on the hollow axis 9, entering the processor (FIG. 2B). Inside the hollow axis 9, there passes a rotation axis 2, on which the turntable 3 is fixed. The intermediate gears 11 and the external gears 12 are mounted on the turntable 3, the intermediate gears 11 being engaged simultaneously with the central gear 10 and the external gears 12. The containers 4 are fastened to the external gears 12. A separate drive 13 is used to transfer containers into a horizontal or inclined position.

[0027] A planetary gear is placed between the containers 4 and the turntable 3 and includes a central gear 14 and the external gears 15 to which containers 4 are fixed (FIGS. 3A and 3B). The turntable 3 is connected by a hollow axis 2 to the gear 16. Inside the hollow axis 2 passes an axis, connecting the central gear 14 of the planetary gear with the external gear 17, engaged with the gear 18, located on the axis of the drive 7. The gear 19 engaged with the gear 16, is made coaxial with the gear 18. To limit the angle of mutual rotation an eccentric pin 20 is made on the gear 18, and on the gear 19 is made a circular groove 21 (see FIG. 3C), into which the pin 20 enters.

[0028] A parallelogram mechanism is placed between the turntable 3 and the wall of the housing 1 (FIGS. 4A-4C). The mechanism includes a ring 22 located above the turntable 3 and supported by a support roller 23, mounted on a pivot arm 24 with an axis and an additional drive 25, located outside the processor. The axes of the container holders 26 are connected by levers 27 with the corresponding axes 28 located on the ring 22.

[0029] The mechanisms for transferring containers for sample cassettes to a horizontal or inclined position work as follows.

[0030] Transferring (switching) of the gear mechanism: when the turntable 3 is stopped, with the help of a separate drive 13, the central gear 10 is rotated by a certain angle; while the external gears 12 and the associated containers 4 are also rotated by the same angle. After that, the drive 13 is stopped, the drive 7 is turned on, and the external gears 12 and the associated containers 4 rotate together with the turntable 3 in a new, unchanged position related to horizontal.

[0031] Transferring (switching) of the planetary mechanism: by means of drive 7 the gear 18 rotates counterclockwise; meanwhile the pin 20 moves in the groove 21. The second gear 19 is stationary until the pin 20 reaches the end of the groove 21during this period the turntable 3 is also stationary, the central gear 14 rotates and turns the external gears 15 with the holders of the containers 4, this changes the position of the containers relative to the horizontal. After the pin 20 reaches the end of the groove 21, the gears 18 and 19, the turntable 3 and the central gear 14 begin to rotate together and until the next switching of the planetary mechanism, the position of the external gears 15 with the holders of the containers 4 remains unchanged.

[0032] Transferring (switching) of the parallelogram mechanism: with the vertical position of the lever 24 (FIG. 4B) of the support roller 23, the connecting levers 27 of the axes 28 of the containers are also directed vertically, and the containers 4 are located horizontally. To change the position of the containers, the lever 24 of the support roller is rotated, the ring 22 is shifted in the same direction, the connecting levers 27 synchronously turns the axis 26 of the holders of the containers 4, which take an inclined position (FIG. 4C), which is maintained during rotation of the turntable 3.

[0033] The inventive device operates as follows.

[0034] At the beginning of the cycle, when loading containers with cassettes and cassette-mold assemblies, for the convenience of loading, the containers are arranged horizontally. The containers loaded with cassettes and cassette-mold assemblies are transferred by means of the used orientation mechanism to an inclined (5-90 to horizontal) position.

[0035] A small vacuum is created in the housing 1, under the influence of which the first liquid is sucked into the housing from a vessel placed outside the housing (not shown). The level of the processing liquids is set below axis 2 or at its level. Drive 7 begins to rotate containers 4 at a speed of 1-10 rpm. When the axis rotates, the containers alternately submerges and exits the processing liquid; wherein the processing liquid drips down from the containers and cassettes or cassette-mold assemblies and fills them again. At the end of each processing step, liquid from the housing is removed into an appropriate vessel and the drive rotational speed is increased, which allows droplet moisture to be removed from containers and cassettes (and cassette-mold assemblies) with samples. Processing can be carried out under a vacuum of 200-600 mm Hg.

[0036] Upon completion of processing and paraffin impregnation of the samples, the containers are transferred to the horizontal position by means of the used orientation mechanism, which makes it possible to embed the samples with paraffin to obtain blocks used in sectioning. Upon completion of embedding, the paraffin from the chamber is drained and the heating of the chamber is turned off so that the paraffin in the cassette-mold assemblies solidifies.

[0037] The inventive device allows not only to process and impregnate histological samples with high efficiency and productivity, using both standard cassettes and cassette-mold assemblies in one load, but also to embed blocks in the same apparatus in cassette-mold assemblies, which eliminates labourious and time-consuming manual embedding procedure, as well as possible identification errors of samples.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0038] The inventive device for processing and impregnation of histological and biological samples can be used in laboratories specializing in histological (pathological) and cytological studies, as well as in any other biological and medical institutions involved in microscopic studies of tissues and cells.