Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Nobutaka Kaneko

Toshihide Fujiwara

Hideo Suzuki

Takeo Takahashi

Ryo Fujimori

Takashi Yamada

Shinichi Kamachi

Sadahiro Watanabe

Takashi Tabara

Hidehiko Yamamoto

Akihiko Yamamoto

In an electrophoresis system, a specimen is analyzed on the basis of a division image obtained by applying the specimen on a substrate and causing an electrophoresis phenomenon to occur. The electrophoresis system comprises a refractometer for measuring the total protein amount of said specimen, a mechanism for applying the specimen onto the head surface of the refractometer, a mechanism for cleaning the head surface of the refractometer, and memory and processing sections for storing the measured data and performing the arithmetic processing with the data obtained on the basis of the division image.

Electrophoresis system

A method for analyzing antigen or antibody contained in a sample by introducing a first end surface of at least one measuring light guide member and a second end surface of at least one reference light guide member in the sample. Each of said measuring and reference light guide members being coated with a protection layer except for said first and second end surfaces and an other end surface of respect light guides. Only on said first end surface of the measuring light guide member being fixed an antigen or antibody which is specifically reactive with the antigen or antibody contained in the sample to effect an antigen-antibody reaction. Photoelectrically detecting optical properties of said first and second end surfaces of the measuring and reference light guide members, respectively, by transmitting light through the meauring and reference light guide members to derive detection signals as a measure of antigen or antibody in the sample. Further, when first and second measuring light guide members having A-type antibody and B-type antibody fixed onto one end surfaces thereof are used, a blood type of a blood sample can be determined by detecting the optical condition of the one end surfaces of the first and second measuring light guide members.

Method of effecting immunological analysis and apparatus for carrying

In a method of printing on a test report a pattern of fraction images of various kinds of proteins contained in a serum sample, an electrophoretic signal obtained by photoelectrically scanning a substrate bearing electrophoretic images is sampled to derive a number of digital samples, a reference digital sample having a maximum amplitude and denoting a peak point of albumin component is detected, a predetermined number of digital samples are extracted on the basis of the reference digital sample having the maximum amplitude, an electrophoretic image pattern is printed on a test report by using the extracted digital samples such that the reference digital sample is recorded at a predetermined point on the test report.

Method of recording electrophoretic image pattern

A method of recording a densitogram representing densities of albumin, .alpha..sub.1 -globulin, .alpha..sub.2 -globulin, .beta.-globulin and .gamma.-globulin in an electrophoresis is disclosed. In order to display the densitogram representing the change in density of the substances, an area of the densitogram surrounded by a densitogram curve and a base line is made proportional to a total density T which is measured separately by a colorimetric method. Successive density signals X.sub.n are adjusted by multiplying them with a density output ratio R which is derived in accordance with the following equation, ##EQU1## wherein K is a coefficient denoting an area on a record paper per unit density, .SIGMA.X.sub.n is an accumulated density signal, Y is a gain of a recorder and P is a recording pitch of the recorder.

Method of recording densitogram representing densities of fractionated

A densitometer comprises a first carrier supporter for supporting a carrier formed of a cellulose acetate film for carrying a blood serum specimen after an electrophoresis process is completed and a second carrier supporter for supporting a carrier for a blood serum which is formed of a gel or the like and reinforced with a transparent plate. The first and second carrier supporters are disposed between a light projector and a light receiver in such a manner that the density measurement of fractionated patterns of a blood serum may be effected upon occasion by supporting either the carrier formed of a cellulose acetate film or the carrier formed of a gel or the like.

Densitometer for an electrophoresis apparatus

A sample centering system comprising a photometric system for colorimetrically measuring samples applied onto a carrier shifted in a definite direction, a detection system arranged at a definite interval apart from said photometric system, a sample detection signal generating means for generating a signal on the basis of the output from said detection system, and a shifting timer which is operated on the basis of said sample detection signal or at a definite time after shifting of said carrier is started, said sample centering system being so adapted as to stop said carrier when said shifting timer is turned off after a definite time, thereby making it possible to stop said carrier always at a time when a sample is located on the optical axis of said photometric system regardless of sample conditions.

Sample centering system

A sample detector is comprised of a first group of optical fibers having exit end surfaces arranged in the direction perpendicular to the shifting direction of the carrier, a second group of optical fibers having entrance end surfaces arranged opposite said exit end surfaces of the first group of optical fibers, a plural number of light emitting diodes arranged in the vicinity of the entrance end surfaces of the first group of optical fibers, a single photo detector element arranged in the vicinity of the exit end surfaces of the second group of optical fibers and a preamplifier connected to the output side of said photo detector element. Said sample detector is adapted in such a manner that the light emitting diodes are caused to glow consecutively, the light, having passed through the first group of optical fibers the carrier and the second group of optical fibers, is received by said photo-detector element, subjected to photoelectric conversion and amplified by said preamplifier. The presence of samples on the carrier is detected based on the outputs thus obtained.

Sample detector

A method for detecting samples by comparing outputs corresponding to a carrier portion free from sample with those corresponding to a carrier portion onto which a sample is applied while detecting said outputs with a plural number of sample detectors arranged in the direction perpendicular to the shifting direction of a carrier, selecting a sample detector showing the highest output reduction ratio as the one to be utilized for sample detection and detecting the end edge of a sample as a time at which output of said sample detector changes from a level darker than a preset value to another level brighter than said preset value.

Method for detecting samples

An electrophoretic apparatus comprising three electrode chambers serially arranged and filled with buffer solutions respectively, electrodes arranged in said electrode chambers respectively, three filter paper supports arranged above the spaces between the respective electrode chambers and above the central electrode chamber, a filter paper mounted on the central filter paper support and having both ends dipped into the buffer solution contained in the central electrode chamber and filter papers mounted on the other two filter paper supports and dipped at one end into the buffer solutions contained in the other electrode chambers. Said electrophoretic apparatus is so adapted as to form electrophoretic patterns of respective sera by electrically energizing a carrier onto which the sera are applied in two rows and which is mounted on said filter paper supports.

Electrophoretic apparatus

A coloring-decoloring apparatus for electrophoretic system comprising a bonding drum, a support plate, two rollers arranged in contact with the outer circumference of said bonding drum and a liqued trough. Said coloring-decoloring apparatus functions to color and decolor a sample carrier with coloring or decoloring liquid agent while holding said sample carrier onto said bonding drum with said two rollers and rotating said drum, and has a circumferential section which is lower in curvature than the imaginary circular circumference of said bonding drum and serves to prevent said sample carrier from being deformed or torn due to contraction even when said sample carrier is dried while being held onto said bonding drum.

Coloring-decoloring apparatus for electrophoretic systems

A device for moistening a blood serum bearing film before it is wetted with a buffer solution comprises a conveyor roller assembly including a first roller having its surface layer formed of sponge and partly maintained in immersion in a buffer solution and a second roller disposed above and in abutting relationship with the first roller, wetting means for passing a blood serum bearing film between the rollers to supply a buffer solution thereto from the surface layer, and a vapor ejection tube disposed adjacent to the both rollers for spraying a vapor to the film before it is wetted.

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Hachioji, Japan

Nobutaka Kaneko