Sheath flow impedance particle analyzer

Abstract

The present invention provides a sheath flow impedance particle analyzer, which includes a sample needle, a sheath flow impedance counting cell, a first pipeline and a second pipeline. The sheath flow impedance counting cell includes a front cell and a rear cell. The front cell and the rear cell are respectively provided with a front cell sheath liquid inlet and a rear cell sheath liquid inlet. The sheath liquid flows from the sheath liquid pool into the front cell sheath liquid inlet through the first pipeline to form a front sheath flow, and the sheath liquid flows from the sheath liquid pool into the rear cell sheath liquid inlet through the second pipeline to form a rear sheath flow. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer further includes a sheath flow control valve. The sheath flow control valve is connected to the first pipeline to control the on-off of the sheath liquid in the first pipeline, and the control valve is also connected to the second pipeline to control the on-off of the sheath liquid in the second pipeline. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer provided by the present invention simplifies the overall structure of the machine by combining the cleaning inlet and the sheath liquid inlet of the front cell, or by controlling the sheath liquid pipelines of the front and rear cells through a single control valve.

Description

[0001] This application claims the priority of a Chinese patent application with the application number 202010636401.1 and the invention title "Sheath Flow Impedance Particle Analyzer" submitted to the Chinese Patent Office on July 3, 2020, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to the technical field of particle analysis equipment, and in particular to a sheath flow impedance particle analyzer, which can measure and analyze the number, volume, etc. of particles by using the sheath flow impedance method. Background Art

[0003] Existing sheath flow impedance particle analyzers generally include components such as a premixing pool, a sample needle, a sheath flow impedance counting pool, a front sheath pool, a rear sheath pool, a rear sheath waste liquid pool, and a waste liquid pool. The measurement process of the sheath flow impedance particle analyzer is mainly as follows:

[0004] Clean the premixing pool and discharge the waste to the waste liquid pool, add the sample to the premixing pool and mix it evenly, clean the sheath flow impedance counting pool and discharge the waste to the waste liquid pool, prepare the sample with the sample needle, form the front and rear sheath fluids, push and measure the sample, and discharge the waste liquid from the rear sheath waste liquid pool, etc. In existing sheath flow impedance particle analyzers, the cleaning inlet and the sheath fluid inlet of the front pool are generally separate, and the cleaning pipeline and the sheath fluid pipeline are respectively controlled by different valves, and the two pipelines are respectively connected to two interfaces of the front pool of the counting pool; and the front and rear sheath fluid pipelines use two valves for control, which increases the cost and volume of the instrument. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a sheath flow impedance particle analyzer with a smaller volume and a more streamlined structure.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides:

[0007] A sheath flow impedance particle analyzer, which includes a sample needle, a sheath flow impedance counting pool, a first pipeline and a second pipeline. The sheath flow impedance counting pool includes a front pool and a rear pool, and the front pool and the rear pool are respectively provided with a front pool sheath fluid inlet and a rear pool sheath fluid inlet. The sheath fluid flows from the sheath fluid pool into the front pool sheath fluid inlet through the first pipeline to form a front sheath flow, and the sheath fluid flows from the sheath fluid pool into the rear pool sheath fluid inlet through the second pipeline to form a rear sheath flow. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer further includes a sheath flow control valve, and the sheath flow control valve is connected to the first pipeline to control the on-off of the sheath fluid in the first pipeline, and the control valve is also connected to the second pipeline to control the on-off of the sheath fluid in the second pipeline.

[0008] Optionally, the first pipeline and the second pipeline include a common section of pipeline, and the sheath flow control valve is arranged on this pipeline.

[0009] Optionally, both the first pipeline and the second pipeline are connected to the same sheath liquid pool, which is used to store the sheath liquid for forming the front sheath flow and the rear sheath flow.

[0010] Optionally, the front pool sheath liquid inlet and the rear pool sheath liquid inlet are respectively arranged on both sides of the sample needle in the length direction.

[0011] Optionally, the front pool and the rear pool of the sheath flow impedance counting pool are separated by a partition, and the partition is provided with a gem hole for the sample particles to pass through. The needle orifice of the sample needle is aligned with the gem hole, and the preset distance from the front pool sheath liquid inlet to the gem hole in the length direction of the sample needle is greater than 0.

[0012] Optionally, the preset distance is greater than or equal to 3 mm.

[0013] Optionally, the front pool is further provided with a front pool cleaning inlet and a front pool cleaning outlet for the diluent for cleaning the front pool to enter and flow out. The front pool sheath liquid inlet and the front pool cleaning outlet are arranged at the same position of the front pool.

[0014] Optionally, the front pool is further provided with a front pool cleaning inlet and a front pool cleaning outlet for the diluent for cleaning the front pool to enter and flow out. The distance between the front pool cleaning inlet and the gem hole in the length direction of the sample needle is less than 3 mm.

[0015] Optionally, the front pool is further provided with a front pool cleaning inlet and a front pool cleaning outlet for the diluent for cleaning the front pool to enter and flow out. The front pool sheath liquid inlet and the front pool cleaning inlet are arranged at the same position of the front pool.

[0016] Optionally, the sheath flow impedance particle analyzer further includes a third pipeline. The diluent flows into the front pool cleaning inlet through the third pipeline from the diluent pool to clean the front pool, and the sheath flow control valve is connected to the third pipeline to control the on-off of the diluent in the third pipeline.

[0017] Optionally, the first pipeline and the third pipeline are the same pipeline.

[0018] A sheath flow impedance particle analyzer, which includes a sample needle and a sheath flow impedance counting pool. The sheath flow impedance counting pool includes a sheath liquid inlet and a cleaning inlet. The sheath liquid enters the sheath flow impedance counting pool through the sheath liquid inlet to form a sheath flow, and the diluent enters the sheath flow impedance counting pool through the cleaning inlet to clean the sheath flow impedance counting pool. The sheath liquid inlet and the cleaning inlet are arranged at the same position of the sheath flow impedance counting pool.

[0019] Optionally, the sheath flow impedance counting pool includes a front pool and a rear pool. The front pool and the rear pool are separated by a partition. The front pool is provided with a front pool sheath liquid inlet and a front pool cleaning inlet. The sheath liquid enters the front pool through the front pool sheath liquid inlet to form a front sheath flow, and the diluent enters the front pool through the front pool cleaning inlet to clean the front pool. The front pool sheath liquid inlet and the front pool cleaning inlet are arranged at the same position of the front pool.

[0020] Optionally, the front cell is further provided with a first front cell cleaning outlet for the diluent to flow out of the front cell. The isolation part is provided with a gem hole for the sample particles to pass through. The needle opening of the sample needle is aligned with the gem hole. The distance between the first front cell cleaning outlet and the gem hole in the length direction of the sample needle is less than 3 mm.

[0021] Optionally, the front cell is further provided with a first front cell cleaning outlet for the diluent to flow out of the front cell. The preset distance from the first front cell cleaning outlet to the gem hole in the length direction of the sample needle is greater than 0.

[0022] Optionally, the front cell is further provided with a second front cell cleaning outlet for the diluent to flow out of the front cell. The second front cell cleaning outlet is arranged on the side of the front cell far from the gem hole in the length direction of the sample.

[0023] In the sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer provided by the present invention, the cleaning inlet of the front cell and the sheath liquid inlet are combined, or the sheath liquid pipelines of the front and rear cells are controlled by a control valve, which simplifies the overall structure of the machine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the implementation. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0025] Figure 1 is a liquid path schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 is a liquid path schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 3 is a liquid path schematic diagram of the third embodiment of the sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 is a liquid path schematic diagram of the fourth embodiment of the sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 is a liquid path schematic diagram of the fifth embodiment of the sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 is a liquid path schematic diagram of the sixth embodiment of the sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0031] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0032] As used herein, "connection" includes direct connection and indirect connection through other components, such as valves. For the convenience of describing the positional relationship, Figure 1 the up-down, left-right directions are defined herein, and this direction definition can be applied to the schematic diagrams of various embodiments.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 which is a schematic diagram of the liquid path of the first embodiment of the sheath flow impedance particle analyzer of the present invention. In this embodiment, the sheath flow impedance particle analyzer is a blood cell analyzer, which uses the sheath flow impedance method to count blood cells and measure blood cell volume parameters. Specifically, the sheath flow impedance particle analyzer includes a sample needle 101, a reaction cell, a sheath fluid cell, a sample pushing syringe 102, a sample preparation power source, a sheath flow impedance counting cell 103, a post-sheath isolation cell, a post-sheath waste liquid cell, a waste liquid cell, and various control valves; the sample needle 101 is used to hold and circulate the sample, the reaction cell is used to hold and prepare the sample, the sheath fluid cell is used to hold and prepare the sheath fluid, and when the dilution fluid for cleaning and the sheath fluid for measurement are the same sheath fluid, the sheath fluid cell can also be used to hold and prepare the dilution fluid. In this embodiment, the sheath flow impedance particle analyzer is provided with a sheath fluid cell 1 and a sheath fluid cell 2; wherein, the sheath fluid cell 1 supplies the sheath fluid and the dilution fluid for cleaning to the reaction cell; the sheath fluid cell 2 is connected to the sample pushing syringe 102 and is used to fill the sample pushing syringe 102 or clean the sample adding pipeline.

[0034] The sample pushing syringe 102 is used to push the sample in the prepared pipeline into the gem hole 106 for measurement; the sample power source is used to suck the sample in the reaction cell to the sample needle 101, and the sample power source can be any one of a negative pressure chamber, a pump, a syringe, and a diaphragm metering pump, which is selected according to the quantitative accuracy requirements or the power source composition of the instrument. The post-sheath waste liquid cell and the waste liquid cell are used to collect waste liquid, and at the same time, the post-sheath waste liquid cell and the post-sheath isolation cell are used for electrical isolation. Specifically, the liquid levels in the post-sheath isolation cell and the post-sheath waste liquid cell do not exceed a preset height, and there is always a certain volume of air in the cells.

[0035] The sheath flow impedance counting cell 103 includes a front cell 103a and a rear cell 103b. The front cell 103a and the rear cell 103b are separated by a partition 106a. The partition 106a can be a structure such as a baffle that divides the sheath flow impedance counting cell 103 into two independent spaces. In this embodiment, the partition 106a divides the sheath flow impedance counting cell 103 into two independent left and right spaces. Among them, the gem hole 106 is provided in the partition 106a, and the sample needle 101 is provided in the front cell 103a. The front cell 103a and the rear cell 103b are respectively provided with a front cell sheath liquid inlet 107a and a rear cell sheath liquid inlet 107b for the sheath liquid to enter the front cell 103a and the rear cell 103b during counting. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer further includes a first pipe 105a and a second pipe 105b. The sheath liquid in the sheath liquid pool 1 flows into the front cell sheath liquid inlet 107a through the first pipe 105a to form a front sheath flow, and the sheath liquid in the sheath liquid pool 1 flows into the rear cell sheath liquid inlet 107b through the second pipe 105b to form a rear sheath flow. The flow directions of the sheath liquid in the first pipe 105a and the second pipe 105b are as Figure 1 shown by the arrows in Figure 1 . After the sheath liquid flows from the sheath liquid pool 1 to the valve 14, the solid-line arrow indicates the flow direction of the sheath liquid in the second pipe 105b, and the dashed-line arrow indicates the flow direction of the sheath liquid in the first pipe 105a.

[0036] The front sheath flow and the rear sheath flow wrap the sample flow through the gem hole 106 and flow into the rear sheath waste liquid pool. Specifically, the front sheath flow wraps the sample flow through the gem hole 106. Since the aperture of the gem hole 106 is very small, generally in the order of 70-100 um, and the flow rate of the front sheath flow is small, generally in the order of 20-60 uL / s, the first pipe 105a is directly connected to the front cell 103a; the rear sheath flow is used to wrap the sample flow coming out of the gem hole 106 and enter the rear sheath waste liquid pool. A rear sheath throttle tube 104 is added to this pipe to control the rear sheath flow rate within a reasonable range, and the pressure drop in the pipe is not obvious to ensure that both the front sheath flow and the rear sheath flow can work properly; the rear sheath throttle tube 104 can be a device with a throttling function such as a section of rubber tube with a small inner diameter or a small hole with a very small aperture.

[0037] In this embodiment, the sheath flow control valve is connected to the first pipeline 105a to control the on-off of the sheath fluid in the first pipeline 105a, and the sheath flow control valve is also connected to the second pipeline 105b to control the on-off of the sheath fluid in the second pipeline 105b. That is to say, the sheath flow control valve simultaneously controls the on-off of the sheath fluid in the first pipeline 105a and the second pipeline 105b. As an alternative embodiment, the first pipeline 105a and the second pipeline 105b include a common pipeline section, and the sheath flow control valve is a single-pipeline control valve, which is arranged on this common pipeline section to control the pipelines of the sheath fluid in the two pipelines. As another alternative embodiment, the sheath flow control valve is a double-pipeline control valve, which is connected to the respectively independent first pipeline 105a and second pipeline 105b. The sheath flow control valve is specifically valve 14. In this embodiment, the two ends of the first pipeline 105a are respectively connected to the sheath fluid pool 1 and the front pool sheath fluid inlet 107a, and the two ends of the second pipeline 105b are respectively connected to the sheath fluid pool 1 and the rear pool sheath fluid inlet 107b. As an alternative embodiment, both the first pipeline 105a and the second pipeline 105b are connected to the same sheath fluid pool 1, and the sheath fluid pool 1 is used to store the sheath fluid for forming the front sheath flow and the rear sheath flow.

[0038] The front pool sheath fluid inlet 107a and the rear pool sheath fluid inlet 107b are respectively arranged in the front pool 103a and the rear pool 103b, and are respectively arranged on both sides of the length direction of the sample needle 101. As Figure 1 shown, the front pool sheath fluid inlet 107a and the rear pool sheath fluid inlet 107b are respectively arranged on the upper and lower sides of the sheath flow impedance counting pool 103. The needle tip of the sample needle 101 is aligned with the gem hole 106. The front pool sheath fluid inlet 107a is arranged on the right side of the gem hole 106 in the length direction of the sample needle 101. The front pool sheath fluid inlet 107a has a preset distance from the gem hole 106 in the length direction of the sample needle 101, and this preset distance is greater than 0 to form a stable sheath flow and wrap the sample flow coming out of the sample needle 101; further, this preset distance is greater than or equal to 3mm; furthermore, this preset distance is greater than or equal to 6mm and less than or equal to 20mm. In this embodiment, the width of the front pool 103a in the length direction of the sample needle 101 is about 12mm. The gem hole 106 is arranged at the leftmost side of the front pool 103a. When the front pool sheath fluid inlet 107a is more than half of the width of the front pool 103a in the length direction of the sample needle 101, that is, the front pool sheath fluid inlet 107a is arranged on the right side of the front pool 103a, the sheath flow is more stable. However, when this distance is too large, the width of the front pool 103a also needs to be increased accordingly, which is not conducive to streamlining the structure and saving costs.

[0039] On the front cell 103a, there are also provided a front cell cleaning inlet 107c and a front cell cleaning outlet 107a for the diluent for cleaning the front cell 103a to enter and flow out. The front cell sheath fluid inlet 107a and the front cell cleaning outlet 107a are arranged at the same position of the front cell 103a to further simplify the liquid path structure. Preferably, considering the formation of a stable front sheath flow at the front cell sheath fluid inlet 107a, the preset distance from the front cell sheath fluid inlet 107a and the front cell cleaning outlet 107a to the gem hole 106 in the length direction of the sample needle 101 is greater than 0, that is to say, the front cell sheath fluid inlet 107a and the front cell cleaning outlet 107a are arranged at a preset position on the right side of the front cell 103a in the length direction of the sample needle 101. Of course, it can be understood that the front cell sheath fluid inlet 107a and the front cell cleaning outlet 107a can also be arranged at a preset position on the left side of the front cell 103a in the length direction of the sample needle 101.

[0040] The distance between the front cell cleaning inlet 107c and the gem hole 106 in the length direction of the sample needle 101 is less than 3 mm to improve the cleaning effect on the gem hole 106. That is to say, the front cell cleaning inlet 107c is arranged at a position close to the gem hole 106 on the left side of the front cell 103a in the length direction of the sample needle 101. Preferably, the front cell cleaning inlet 107c is arranged at a position directly below the front cell 103a and facing the gem hole 106, that is, the distance between the front cell cleaning inlet 107c and the gem hole 106 in the length direction of the sample needle 101 is approximately equal to 0.

[0041] In this embodiment, the valves 11 and 12 are sample preparation pipeline control valves. When the valves 11 and 12 are opened, the sample preparation power source sucks the sample in the reaction cell to the sample needle 101. The valve 13 is a front cell cleaning outlet control valve. When the valve 13 is opened, the diluent flows into the waste liquid tank from the front cell cleaning outlet 107a. The valve 15 is a rear cell cleaning inlet control valve. When the valve 15 is opened, the diluent flows from the sheath fluid tank 1 into the rear cell cleaning inlet 107b (i.e., the rear cell sheath fluid inlet). The flow rate of this channel is large, and it can clean and remove the bubbles in the rear cell 103b. The valve 16 is a front cell cleaning inlet control valve. When the valve 16 is opened, the diluent flows from the sheath fluid tank 1 into the front cell cleaning inlet 107c. The working process of using the sheath flow impedance particle analyzer of this embodiment for sample analysis is as follows:

[0042] (1) Add diluent to the reaction cell to clean the reaction cell;

[0043] (2) Add the sample and diluent to the reaction cell and mix them evenly;

[0044] (3) Open the valves 16 and 13 to clean the front cell 103a of the counting cell, and close the valves 16 and 13; open the valve 15 and the valve 17 to clean the rear cell 103b of the counting cell, and close the valve 15 and the valve 17;

[0045] (4) Open valves 11 and 12, and aspirate the sample in the reaction cell to the sample needle 101 using the sample preparation power source;

[0046] (5) Open valve 14 to form a front sheath flow and a rear sheath flow to wrap the sample flow;

[0047] (6) Push the sample in the prepared pipeline into the gem hole 106 for measurement using the sample pushing syringe 102;

[0048] (7) Open valve 17 during the measurement process to drain the waste liquid collected in the rear sheath waste liquid pool to the waste liquid pool.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 is a schematic liquid path diagram of the second embodiment of the sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer. The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the front cell sheath liquid inlet 207a is not set at the same position as the front cell cleaning outlet 207c in the front cell 203a, but the front cell sheath liquid inlet 207a and the front cell cleaning inlet are set at the same position in the front cell 203a. The sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer further includes a third pipeline 205c, and the diluent flows into the front cell cleaning inlet through the third pipeline 205c from the diluent pool to clean the front cell 203a, and the first pipeline 205a is connected to the third pipeline 205c. It should be noted that the diluent pool and the sheath liquid pool 1 can be the same pool. Similar to the first embodiment, a front cell cleaning pipeline control valve, i.e., valve 26, is provided on the third pipeline 205c to control the on-off of the diluent in the third pipeline 205c.

[0050] Preferably, the preset distance from the front cell sheath liquid inlet 207a (i.e., the front cell cleaning inlet) to the gem hole 206 in the length direction of the sample needle 201 is greater than 0 to form a stable front sheath flow. That is to say, the front cell sheath liquid inlet 207a (i.e., the front cell cleaning inlet) is set at a preset position on the side of the front cell 203a away from the gem hole 206 in the length direction of the sample needle 201. Figure 2 In, the gem hole 206 is set on the left side of the front cell 203a in the length direction of the sample needle 201, and the front cell sheath liquid inlet 207a and the front cell cleaning inlet are set on the right side of the front cell 203a. At this time, in order to improve the cleaning efficiency of the gem hole 206, the consumption of diluent for cleaning can be increased. Of course, it can be understood that in other embodiments, the front cell sheath liquid inlet 207a (i.e., the front cell cleaning inlet) can also be set at a position close to the gem hole 206 in the length direction of the sample needle 201 to improve the cleaning efficiency of the gem hole 206.

[0051] The working process of using the sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer of this embodiment for sample analysis is as follows:

[0052] (1) Add diluent to the reaction cell to clean the reaction cell;

[0053] (2) Add the sample and diluent to the reaction cell and mix well;

[0054] (3) Open valve 26 and valve 23 to clean the front cell 203a of the counting cell, and then close valve 26 and valve 23; open valve 25 and valve 27 to clean the rear cell 203b of the counting cell, and then close valve 25 and valve 27;

[0055] (4) Open valve 21 and valve 22, and use the sample preparation power source to suck the sample in the reaction cell to the sample needle 201;

[0056] (5) Open valve 24 to form a front sheath flow and a rear sheath flow for wrapping the sample flow;

[0057] (6) Use the sample pushing syringe 202 to push the sample in the prepared pipeline into the gem hole 206 for measurement;

[0058] (7) During the measurement process, open valve 27 to drain the waste liquid collected in the rear sheath waste liquid pool to the waste liquid pool.

[0059] Other contents identical to those of the first embodiment can be applied to this embodiment and will not be elaborated here.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 which is the schematic liquid path diagram of the third embodiment of the inventive sheath flow impedance particle analyzer.

[0061] The difference between this embodiment and the second embodiment is that in this embodiment, the sheath flow control valve (i.e., valve 34) is connected to the third pipeline 305c to control the on-off of the diluent in the third pipeline 305c. That is to say, in this embodiment, the front cell cleaning inlet control valve and the sheath flow control valve are the same valve (i.e., valve 34), and valve 34 controls both the on-off of the sheath liquid in the first pipeline 305a and the second pipeline 305b and the on-off of the diluent in the third pipeline 305c, combining the functions of the three valves into one valve to reduce costs. As an alternative implementation, the first pipeline 305a and the third pipeline 305c are the same pipeline; as another alternative implementation, the first pipeline 305a, the second pipeline 305b, and the third pipeline 305c can also be different pipelines, and the three pipelines have a common pipeline section, and the front cell cleaning inlet control valve, i.e., the sheath flow control valve (i.e., valve 34) is arranged on this common pipeline.

[0062] The working process of using the sheath flow impedance particle analyzer of this embodiment for sample analysis is as follows:

[0063] (1) Add diluent to the reaction cell to clean the reaction cell;

[0064] (2) Add the sample and diluent to the reaction cell and mix well;

[0065] (3) Open valves 34 and 33 to clean the front chamber 303a of the counting chamber, and then close valves 34 and 33; open valve 35 and valve 37 to clean the rear chamber 303b of the counting chamber, and then close valve 35 and valve 37;

[0066] (4) Open valves 31 and 32, and use the sample preparation power source to suck the sample in the reaction chamber to the sample needle 301;

[0067] (5) Open valve 34 to form the front sheath flow and the rear sheath flow to wrap the sample flow;

[0068] (6) Use the sample pushing syringe 302 to push the sample in the prepared pipeline into the gem hole 306 for measurement;

[0069] (7) During the measurement process, open valve 37 to drain the waste liquid collected in the rear sheath waste liquid chamber to the waste liquid chamber.

[0070] Other contents identical to those of the second embodiment can be applied to this embodiment and will not be elaborated here.

[0071] Please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 which is a schematic liquid path diagram of the fourth embodiment of the sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer of the invention.

[0072] The difference between this embodiment and the third embodiment is that in this embodiment, the front chamber 403a is provided with two front chamber cleaning outlets, namely the first front chamber cleaning outlet 407b and the second front chamber cleaning outlet 407c. Specifically, the front chamber cleaning inlet 407a (i.e., the front chamber sheath liquid inlet) is arranged at the bottom of the front chamber 403a; the two front chamber cleaning outlets are located at the top of the front chamber 403a. The first front chamber cleaning outlet 407b and the second front chamber cleaning outlet 407c are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the front chamber 403a, that is, the first front chamber cleaning outlet 407b is arranged close to the gem hole 406, and the second front chamber cleaning outlet 407c is arranged far from the gem hole 406. The first front chamber cleaning outlet 407b enables the flow path to cover the gem hole 406 during the cleaning of the front chamber 403a, improving the cleaning efficiency, and the second front chamber cleaning outlet 407c can discharge the possible air bubbles on the right side in the front chamber 403a to ensure no dead accumulation when filling the front chamber 403a.

[0073] The working process of using the sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer of this embodiment for sample analysis is the same as that of the third embodiment, and other contents identical to those of the third embodiment can also be applied to this embodiment and will not be elaborated here.

[0074] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 which is a schematic liquid path diagram of the fifth embodiment of the sheath flow impedance method particle analyzer of the present invention.

[0075] The sheath flow impedance counting cell 503 includes a sheath liquid inlet and a cleaning inlet. The sheath liquid enters the sheath flow impedance counting cell 503 through the sheath liquid inlet to form a sheath flow, and the diluent enters the sheath flow impedance counting cell 503 through the cleaning inlet to clean the sheath flow impedance counting cell 503. The sheath liquid inlet and the cleaning inlet are arranged at the same position of the sheath flow impedance counting cell 503 to simplify the liquid path structure and save costs.

[0076] In this embodiment, specifically, the sheath flow impedance counting cell 503 includes a front cell 503a and a rear cell 503b. The front cell 503a and the rear cell 503b are separated by a partition. The front cell 503a is provided with a front cell sheath liquid inlet 507a and a front cell cleaning inlet. The sheath liquid enters the front cell 503a through the front cell sheath liquid inlet 507a to form a front sheath flow, and the diluent enters the front cell 503a through the front cell cleaning inlet to clean the front cell 503a. The front cell sheath liquid inlet 507a and the front cell cleaning inlet are arranged at the same position of the front cell 503a. The difference between this embodiment and the second embodiment is that the sheath flow impedance particle analyzer includes a front cell sheath flow control valve and a rear cell sheath flow control valve. The front cell sheath flow control valve, i.e., valve 56, is arranged in the first pipeline to control the on-off of the sheath liquid in the first pipeline, and the rear cell sheath flow control valve, i.e., valve 54, is arranged in the second pipeline to control the on-off of the sheath liquid in the second pipeline. That is to say, in this embodiment, different valves are used to control the on-off of the sheath liquid in the first pipeline and the second pipeline, rather than being integrated into the same valve.

[0077] Regarding the position of the front cell cleaning outlet 507b, as an alternative embodiment, the partition is provided with a gem hole 506 for the sample particles to pass through. The needle tip of the sample needle 501 is aligned with the gem hole 506. The distance between the front cell cleaning outlet 507b and the gem hole 506 in the length direction of the sample needle 501 is less than 3 mm. Further, the distance between the front cell cleaning outlet 507b and the gem hole 506 in the length direction of the sample needle 501 is 0. As another alternative embodiment, the preset distance from the front cell cleaning outlet 507b to the gem hole 506 in the length direction of the sample needle 501 is greater than or equal to 3 mm. That is to say, the front cell cleaning outlet 507b can be arranged either close to or far from the gem hole 506 in the length direction of the sample needle 501.

[0078] In this embodiment, only one front cell cleaning outlet 507b is provided. When there is only one front cell cleaning outlet, in order to ensure good perfusion of the front cell 503a and discharge of the air bubbles in the front cell 503a, the amount of cleaning reagent is increased to reduce the carry-over contamination in the front cell 503a. Additionally, if the sheath fluid of the front cell 503a is turned on during sample preparation and the front cell cleaning outlet 507b is arranged on the right side of the front cell 503a, it is possible to prevent the sample of the sample needle 501 from diffusing into the sheath fluid of the front cell 503a. Selecting a reasonable sample pushing flow rate during the measurement process can also prevent the sample from diffusing into the sheath fluid of the front cell 503a, and this deformation scheme can also be adopted without increasing the amount of cleaning reagent.

[0079] The working process of using the sheath flow impedance particle analyzer of this embodiment for sample analysis is as follows:

[0080] (1) Add diluent to the reaction cell for cleaning;

[0081] (2) Add the sample and diluent to the reaction cell and mix well;

[0082] (3) Open valve 56, and valve 53 cleans the front cell 503a of the counting cell. Close valve 56 and valve 53. Open valve 55, and valve 57 cleans the rear cell 503b of the counting cell. Close valve 55 and valve 57;

[0083] (4) Open valve 51 and valve 52, and use the sample preparation power source to suck the sample in the reaction cell to the sample needle 501;

[0084] (5) Open valve 56 to form a front sheath flow, and open valve 54 to form a rear sheath flow for wrapping the sample flow;

[0085] (6) Use the sample pushing syringe 502 to push the sample in the prepared pipeline into the gem hole 506 for measurement;

[0086] (7) During the measurement process, open valve 57 to discharge the waste liquid collected in the rear sheath waste liquid pool to the waste liquid pool.

[0087] The above solution provides the functions of forming and cleaning the sheath fluid of the front cell 503a through one valve 56. When valve 56 and valve 53 are opened, it is possible to achieve perfusion of the front cell 503a, discharge of air bubbles, and cleaning of possible sample contamination in the front cell 503a. When only valve 56 is opened, it provides a front sheath to wrap the sample flow coming out of the sample needle 501 and enter the gem hole 506 for measurement. By operating the front cell cleaning outlet valve 53, it can freely switch between the two functions, achieving the purpose of reducing the instrument cost and streamlining the structure.

[0088] Other contents that are the same as those in the second embodiment can also be applied to this embodiment and will not be elaborated here.

[0089] Please refer to Figure 6 ,Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the liquid path of the sixth embodiment of the sheath flow impedance particle analyzer of the present invention.

[0090] The difference between this embodiment and the fifth embodiment is that in this embodiment, the front chamber 603a is provided with two front chamber cleaning outlets, namely the first front chamber cleaning outlet 607b and the second front chamber cleaning outlet 607c. Specifically, the front chamber cleaning inlet, that is, the front chamber sheath liquid inlet 607a, is provided at the bottom of the front chamber 603a; the two front chamber cleaning outlets are located at the top of the front chamber 603a. The first front chamber cleaning outlet 607b and the second front chamber cleaning outlet 607c are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the front chamber 603a, that is, the first front chamber cleaning outlet 607b is arranged close to the gem hole 606, and the second front chamber cleaning outlet 607c is arranged far from the gem hole 606. The first front chamber cleaning outlet 607b enables the flow path to cover the gem hole 606 of the front chamber 603a during the cleaning of the front chamber 603a, improving the cleaning efficiency, and the second front chamber cleaning outlet 607c can discharge the possible air bubbles on the right side in the front chamber 603a, ensuring no dead accumulation when filling the front chamber 603a.

[0091] The working process of using the sheath flow impedance particle analyzer of this embodiment for sample analysis is the same as that of the fifth embodiment, and other contents that are the same as those of the fifth embodiment can also be applied to this embodiment, which will not be elaborated here.

[0092] The above are the implementation manners of the embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principles of the embodiments of the present invention, several improvements and refinements can be made, and these improvements and refinements are also regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sheath flow impedance particle analyzer, which includes a sample needle, a sheath flow impedance counting cell, a first pipeline and a second pipeline. The sheath flow impedance counting cell includes a front cell and a rear cell. The front cell and the rear cell are respectively provided with a front cell sheath fluid inlet and a rear cell sheath fluid inlet. Sheath fluid flows from a sheath fluid pool through the first pipeline into the front cell sheath fluid inlet to form a front sheath flow, and sheath fluid flows from the sheath fluid pool through the second pipeline into the rear cell sheath fluid inlet to form a rear sheath flow. It is characterized in that: The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer further includes a sheath flow control valve. The sheath flow control valve is connected to the first pipeline to control the on-off of the sheath fluid in the first pipeline, and the sheath flow control valve is also connected to the second pipeline to control the on-off of the sheath fluid in the second pipeline. Wherein, the first pipeline and the second pipeline include a common section of pipeline, and the sheath flow control valve is arranged on this pipeline. Or, the first pipeline and the second pipeline are independent of each other, and the sheath flow control valve is a dual-pipeline control valve, and the dual-pipeline control valve is connected to the independent first pipeline and second pipeline.

2. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer according to claim 1, It is characterized in that, Both the first pipeline and the second pipeline are connected to the same sheath fluid pool, and the sheath fluid pool is used to store the sheath fluid for forming the front sheath flow and the rear sheath flow.

3. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer according to claim 1, It is characterized in that, The front cell sheath fluid inlet and the rear cell sheath fluid inlet are respectively arranged on both sides of the sample needle in the length direction.

4. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer according to claim 1, It is characterized in that, The front cell and the rear cell of the sheath flow impedance counting cell are separated by a separation part. The separation part is provided with a gem hole for sample particles to pass through. The needle opening of the sample needle is aligned with the gem hole, and the preset distance from the front cell sheath fluid inlet to the gem hole in the length direction of the sample needle is greater than 0.

5. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer according to claim 4, It is characterized in that, The preset distance is greater than or equal to 3mm.

6. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer according to claim 4, It is characterized in that, The front cell is further provided with a front cell cleaning inlet and a front cell cleaning outlet for the dilution fluid for cleaning the front cell to enter and flow out. The front cell sheath fluid inlet and the front cell cleaning outlet are arranged at the same position on the front cell.

7. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer according to claim 6, It is characterized in that, The front cell is further provided with a front cell cleaning inlet and a front cell cleaning outlet for the dilution fluid for cleaning the front cell to enter and flow out. The distance between the front cell cleaning inlet and the gem hole in the length direction of the sample needle is less than 3mm.

8. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer according to claim 1, It is characterized in that, The front cell is further provided with a front cell cleaning inlet and a front cell cleaning outlet for the dilution fluid for cleaning the front cell to enter and flow out. The front cell sheath fluid inlet and the front cell cleaning inlet are arranged at the same position on the front cell.

9. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer according to claim 8, It is characterized in that, The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer further includes a third pipe, and the diluent flows from the diluent pool into the front cell cleaning inlet through the third pipe to clean the front cell. The sheath flow control valve is connected to the third pipe to control the on / off of the diluent in the third pipe.

10. The sheath flow impedance particle analyzer according to claim 9, wherein, the first pipe and the third pipe are the same pipe.

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