JP2006349582A - Agitating container and chemical analysis apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an agitating container capable of suppressing rises of a meniscus at wall surfaces of the container and uniformly agitating a retained liquid and provide an analysis apparatus using the same. <P>SOLUTION: The agitating container 7 is for a chemical analysis apparatus for agitating a small quantity of retained liquid through the use of acoustic waves and measuring properties of the small quantity of retained liquid, and the analysis apparatus uses the agitating container. The agitating container 7 is provided with a recess Pc for restricting the shape of the liquid and retaining it; a wall part Pw including a side wall 7b and a bottom wall 7a having a prescribed wall thickness; and a surface acoustic wave element 21 for generating surface acoustic waves for agitating the liquid retained in the recess. When a container having the same cross-sectional shape as a circumscribed rectangle having a minimum-area part at which a meniscus is formed and made of the same compositions as those of the wall part is assumed, the wall part is constituted in such a way that rises of a meniscus formed by the liquid retained in the recess is lower than rises of a meniscus formed by the liquid retained in the container. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a stirring container that stirs a held liquid in a non-contact manner using sound waves, and a chemical analyzer using the stirring container.

  Conventionally, in order to avoid downsizing the reaction container and contamination between specimens, chemical analyzers irradiate the reaction container with ultrasonic waves from outside to generate an acoustic stream in the liquid sample held in the reaction container. In addition, there is known a method in which a liquid sample is stirred and mixed without contact (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

German Patent Invention No. 10325307 Japanese Patent No. 3168886

  By the way, in recent years, there has been a strong demand for a small amount of sample and a small amount of reagent, and further miniaturization of the reaction vessel for liquids of the order of several μL and further increase in the frequency of sound waves as a non-contact stirring means are required. It has become. In order to meet these requirements, for example, when the volume is reduced by reducing the depth of the container while leaving the bottom area as it is, the ratio of the volume of the meniscus portion to the total volume of liquid held in the container is relative. Is expected to increase. At this time, when this meniscus portion cannot be stirred, the ratio of the actual sample and reagent held in the container and the ratio of the sample and reagent that cause a chemical reaction become so different that they cannot be ignored. As a result, accurate analysis can be difficult.

  In addition, in order to perform non-contact agitation with respect to a minute amount of liquid, when using ultrasonic waves having a higher frequency of several tens to several hundreds of MHz or more, in other words, from the lowest point of the meniscus, the upper end of the meniscus When using ultrasonic waves whose wavelength in the liquid is sufficiently shorter than the rise of the meniscus, the flow generated in the liquid is dominated by the acoustic flow. For this reason, when the ultrasonic waves are used, it is not possible to expect sufficient stirring of the liquid in the meniscus portion and the liquid in other portions due to deformation of the meniscus portion and circulation of the acoustic flow to the portion.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 26, for example, when the surface acoustic wave element Ds that emits a sound wave is provided on the outer surface of the bottom wall Wb of the rectangular parallelepiped container C, the surface acoustic wave element Ds is generated, and the liquid sample The acoustic flow Fs generated by the sound wave Wa leaking into the inside does not flow around, and a staying portion Ps where the liquid sample is not sufficiently stirred is generated at a portion where the meniscus M and the side wall are in contact with each other. Such a staying part Ps is similarly generated even when the surface acoustic wave element Ds is provided on the outer surface of the side wall. When the staying part Ps is generated in a very small amount of reaction vessel such as a few μL liquid sample, the staying part Ps Stirring of the liquid sample is hindered. For this reason, for example, a part of the reagent remains without being stirred with the sample, which becomes a factor that hinders accurate measurement of the sample. In particular, when the reaction vessel C has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the meniscus M rises sharply at the four corners where the side walls are adjacent to each other due to the capillary pressure acting from the adjacent side walls contacting at 90 °, and as shown in FIG. The contact angle between the wall and the wall becomes very small. For this reason, particularly in a reaction vessel of an analyzer that handles a liquid of several tens of μL to several μL or less as an object to be agitated, the generation of such a retention part Ps or the size (height) of the generated retention part Ps is suppressed. It becomes important.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a stirring container capable of uniformly stirring a held liquid while suppressing the rise of a meniscus on the wall surface of the container, and a chemical analyzer using the stirring container The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the stirring container according to claim 1 stirs a held small amount of liquid using sound waves, and measures the characteristics of the held small amount of liquid. A stirring vessel for a chemical analysis apparatus for performing a process, wherein the liquid regulates and holds a shape of the liquid so as to form a meniscus in contact with the gas, and defines the recess, and a predetermined meat A wall portion including a side wall and a bottom wall having a thickness; and a sound wave generating means that is provided outside the wall portion and generates a surface acoustic wave for stirring the liquid held in the recess, The portion where the meniscus is formed circumscribes the cross section in the direction orthogonal to the depth direction of the recess, and has the same cross section as the circumscribed rectangle having the smallest area, and the meniscus is formed. Before the part Assuming a container having the same composition as the wall, the rise of the meniscus formed by the liquid held in the recess is lower than the rise of the meniscus formed by the liquid held in the container. Further, the wall portion is configured.

  In the stirring container according to claim 2, in the above invention, the wavelength of the sound wave generated by the sound wave generating means in the liquid is substantially equal to the rising of the meniscus formed by the liquid in the assumed container. It is characterized by being sufficiently short.

  In the stirring vessel according to claim 3, in the above invention, the rising h of the meniscus formed by the liquid is h ≧ 10 · λL, where λL is the wavelength of the sound wave in the liquid. It is characterized by.

  Further, in the above-described invention, the stirring vessel according to claim 4 is such that a cross section in a direction perpendicular to the depth direction of the recess in the portion where the meniscus is formed has an area smaller than the circumscribed rectangle, and All line segments connecting two arbitrary points included in the cross section are convex shapes included in the cross section.

  The stirring vessel according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the depth direction is a vertical direction, and the direction orthogonal to the depth direction is a horizontal direction.

  The stirring vessel according to claim 6 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the sound wave generating means is a surface acoustic wave device having a piezoelectric substrate and a comb-shaped electrode formed on the piezoelectric substrate. To do.

  The stirring container according to claim 7 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the outer surface of the wall portion on which the sound wave generated by the sound wave generating means is incident is a flat surface.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the stirring vessel according to the above invention, wherein the sound wave generating means is disposed in contact with the outside of the side wall or the bottom wall of the wall portion.

  The stirring container according to claim 9 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the flow in the liquid generated by the surface acoustic wave element is dominated by acoustic flow.

  Further, in the above invention, the stirring container according to claim 10 further includes an opening for injecting the liquid held in the recess, and a projection image of the opening in the depth direction of the recess is, All cross sections in a direction perpendicular to the depth direction of the concave portion on the bottom wall side from the meniscus are included.

  Further, in the above-described invention, the stirring container according to an eleventh aspect is that the space occupied by the liquid holding portion which is the concave portion on the bottom wall side than the portion in contact with the meniscus is any two points included in the space. It is characterized by a convex shape including all line segments to be connected.

  The stirring container according to claim 12 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the stirring container is provided with portions having different wall thicknesses so that the outer shape is a rectangular parallelepiped or a prism. .

  Further, in the stirring vessel according to claim 13, in the above invention, at least the side wall on the opening side from the portion where the meniscus is formed has a cross-sectional area in a direction perpendicular to the depth direction toward the opening. It has the part comprised so that it may increase monotonously, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  A stirring vessel according to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the stirring vessel according to the above invention, wherein the stirring container is provided on the bottom wall side with respect to the portion configured such that the cross-sectional area increases monotonously toward the opening, and is a set parallel to each other And a predetermined portion for measuring characteristics of the liquid held in the recess from a direction perpendicular to the parallel set of side walls. And a photometric unit to which light of a wavelength is incident.

  Further, in the above invention, the stirring container according to claim 15 is provided on the bottom wall side from the portion where the meniscus is formed, and includes a pair of side walls parallel to each other and one set of the parallel set of side walls. And a photometric unit that receives light of a predetermined wavelength for measuring characteristics of the liquid held in the recess from a direction perpendicular to the parallel set of side walls. It is characterized by having.

  The stirring container according to claim 16 is the above-described invention, wherein the cross section of the concave portion perpendicular to the depth direction of the concave portion in the portion where the photometric portion is provided is the concave portion in the portion where the meniscus is formed. It is characterized by being smaller than the cross section of the said direction.

  The stirring vessel according to claim 17 is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the sound wave generating means is arranged avoiding the photometric part.

  The stirring vessel according to claim 18 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the sound wave generating means is disposed on the side wall different from the parallel set of side wall portions.

  According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the sound wave generating means is disposed on the bottom wall.

  The stirring container according to claim 20 is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the side wall in contact with the liquid meniscus is hydrophobic.

  Further, in order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the stirring container according to claim 21 stirs a held small amount of liquid using sound waves, and characteristics of the held small amount of liquid. A stirring vessel for a chemical analysis apparatus for performing measurement on the liquid, wherein the liquid is regulated to hold the liquid so as to form a meniscus in contact with the gas, and the concave is defined. A wall portion including a side wall and a bottom wall having a wall thickness; and a sound wave generating means that is provided outside the wall portion and generates a surface acoustic wave for stirring the liquid held in the recess. In order to regulate the meniscus formed by the liquid crystal, the side wall portion in contact with the liquid meniscus is hydrophobic.

  The stirring vessel according to claim 22 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the sound wave generating means is a surface acoustic wave element having a piezoelectric substrate and a comb-shaped electrode formed on the piezoelectric substrate. To do.

  The stirring container according to claim 23 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the flow in the liquid generated by the surface acoustic wave element is dominated by acoustic flow.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a chemical analysis device according to claim 24 is provided to stir and react a liquid sample containing a specimen and a reagent, and to analyze the liquid sample. A chemical analyzer for measuring characteristics of a liquid sample, characterized in that a sample and a reagent are stirred using the stirring vessel.

  Here, in this specification, the quadrilateral circumscribing the cross-sectional shape in the direction orthogonal to the depth direction of the recess in the portion where the meniscus is formed is, for example, as shown in FIGS. When the shape of the cross section in the horizontal direction of the recess Pc in the formed portion is S, there are a quadrangle Qc and a quadrangle Qmin indicated by dotted lines. For this reason, the circumscribed rectangle having the smallest area refers to the quadrangle Qmin having the smallest area shown in FIG.

  Further, in this specification, the rising of the meniscus in the stirring vessel refers to the height from the lowest meniscus position to the upper end of the meniscus in the retained liquid, and is shown in FIG. 24 described in Embodiment 1, for example. In the reaction vessel 7, it means the height h from the lowest point of the meniscus M of the liquid L to the upper end of the meniscus M. Therefore, it means both the case where the meniscus shown in FIG. 24 is convex downward and the case where the meniscus is convex upward.

  The stirring container according to the present invention and the chemical analysis apparatus using the stirring container are configured to suppress the rising of the liquid meniscus held in the stirring container, and the volume of the portion that can become the accumulating portion of the acoustic flow by the rising of the meniscus Or in order to suppress or reduce height, uniform stirring can be expected even for a smaller amount of liquid.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 concerning the stirring container of this invention and the chemical analysis apparatus using this stirring container is demonstrated in detail, referring drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic analyzer showing Embodiment 1 of the chemical analyzer of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing only the reaction vessel used in the automatic analyzer of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the reaction vessel shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the reaction vessel broken along the line CC in FIG. 3 together with a stirring device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic analyzer 1 is provided with a sample table 3, a reaction table 6, and a reagent table 15 on a work table 2 that are spaced apart from each other and rotated and positioned in a circumferential direction. Yes. In the automatic analyzer 1, a sample dispensing mechanism 5 is provided between the sample table 3 and the reaction table 6, and a reagent dispensing mechanism 13 is provided between the reaction table 6 and the reagent table 15. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sample table 3 is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow by a driving means (not shown), and a plurality of storage chambers 3a are provided on the outer periphery at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. Yes. In each storage chamber 3a, a sample container 4 storing a sample is detachably stored.

  The sample dispensing mechanism 5 is means for dispensing a sample into a reaction container 7 described later, and sequentially dispenses the sample from a plurality of sample containers 4 in the sample table 3 into a reaction container 7 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the reaction table 6 is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow by a driving means (not shown), and a plurality of storage chambers 6a are provided on the outer periphery at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. Yes. In each storage chamber 6a, a reaction container 7 for reacting a specimen with a reagent as a stirring container is detachably stored. The reaction table 6 is provided with a light source 8 and a discharge device 11. The light source 8 emits analysis light (340 to 800 nm) for analyzing the liquid sample in the reaction vessel 7 in which the reagent and the sample have reacted. The light beam for analysis emitted from the light source 8 passes through the liquid sample in the reaction vessel 7 and is received by the light receiving element 9 provided at a position facing the light source 8. The light receiving element 9 is connected to the analysis unit 19 via the determination unit 18. The analysis unit 19 analyzes the component and concentration of the specimen based on the absorbance of the liquid sample in the reaction container 7. On the other hand, the discharge device 11 includes a discharge nozzle (not shown). The liquid sample after completion of the reaction is sucked from the reaction container 7 by the discharge nozzle and discharged to a discharge container (not shown). Here, the reaction container 7 that has passed through the discharge device 11 is transferred to a cleaning device (not shown) and washed, and then used again for analysis of a new specimen.

  The reagent dispensing mechanism 13 is a means for dispensing the reagent into the reaction container 7 and sequentially dispenses the reagent from the predetermined reagent container 16 of the reagent table 15 described later into the reaction container 7.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the reagent table 15 is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow by a driving unit (not shown), and a plurality of storage chambers 15a formed in a sector shape are provided along the circumferential direction. In each storage chamber 15a, the reagent container 16 is detachably stored. Each of the plurality of reagent containers 16 is filled with a predetermined reagent corresponding to the inspection item, and a barcode label (not shown) for displaying information on the stored reagent is attached to the outer surface.

  Here, a reading device 17 that reads information such as the type, lot, and expiration date of the reagent recorded on the barcode label affixed to the reagent container 16 to the outer periphery of the reagent table 15 and outputs the information to the determination unit 18. is set up. The determination unit 18 is connected to the light receiving element 9, the discharge device 11, and the reading device 17, and for example, a microcomputer or the like is used.

  In the automatic analyzer 1 configured as described above, the sample dispensing mechanism 5 applies the sample from the plurality of sample containers 4 on the sample table 3 to the reaction container 7 conveyed along the circumferential direction by the rotating reaction table 6. Dispense sequentially. The reaction container 7 into which the specimen has been dispensed is transported to the vicinity of the reagent dispensing mechanism 13 by the reaction table 6 and the reagent is dispensed from a predetermined reagent container 16. The reaction container 7 into which the reagent has been dispensed reacts while the reagent and the sample are stirred while being conveyed along the circumferential direction by the reaction table 6, and passes between the light source 8 and the light receiving element 9. . At this time, the liquid sample in the reaction vessel 7 is photometrically measured by the light receiving element 9, and the component, concentration, etc. are analyzed by the analysis unit 19. Then, after the analysis, the reaction container 7 is used for analysis of the specimen again after the liquid sample after the completion of the reaction is discharged by the discharge device 11 and cleaned by a cleaning device (not shown).

  At this time, the automatic analyzer 1 stirs the liquid sample in the reaction container 7 transported along the circumferential direction by the reaction table 6 with the stirring device, and causes the reagent and the sample to react. The reaction vessel 7 used for stirring the liquid sample will be described below together with a stirring device.

  The reaction container 7 transmits 80% or more of the light contained in the analysis light (340 to 800 nm) emitted from the light source 8 and includes a material having high affinity with the liquid, for example, hydrophilicity, for example, heat-resistant glass. Glass is used. The reaction vessel 7 is provided with a surface acoustic wave element 21. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer shape of the horizontal section is a quadrangle by a wall portion Pw including a bottom wall 7a and a side wall 7b, and liquid injection is provided at the top. A recess Pc having an opening 7c is formed in the vertical direction. The recess Pc regulates and holds the liquid shape. In the reaction vessel 7, a liquid level contact area AM in which a convex meniscus M is in contact with a predetermined amount of liquid sample is formed on the inner surface of the concave portion Pc surrounded by the wall portion Pw. Here, in this specification, the liquid holding part PL refers to a part below the meniscus M in the concave part Pc for holding the liquid, and the same applies to other embodiments.

  At this time, the wall Pw has a horizontal cross-sectional shape that is the same as the circumscribed rectangle of the minimum area circumscribing the horizontal cross-sectional shape in the liquid surface contact area AM where the meniscus M is formed, and the meniscus M Assuming a container having the same composition as the wall portion Pw of the liquid surface contact area AM where the liquid is held, the liquid held in the reaction vessel 7 is released from the rising of the meniscus formed by the liquid held in the assumed container. The rising of the meniscus M to be formed is configured to be lower. That is, the side wall 7b is composed of a curved surface FC and a vertical surface FP in which the liquid surface contact area AM on the inner surface is curved in the horizontal direction, and the curved surface FC and the vertical surface FP are alternately in contact with each other. For this reason, the liquid surface contact area AM is curved in the horizontal direction at the four corners where the meniscus M of the liquid sample contacts. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the side wall 7b has portions with different thicknesses. Further, the liquid holding part PL is formed such that the lower part of the liquid surface contact area AM is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped concave part Pd by a bottom wall 7a and a side wall 7b. Here, the pair of side walls 7b parallel to each other are indicated by alternate long and short dash lines below the liquid surface contact area AM, and the analysis light beam emitted from the light source 8 is transmitted therethrough so that the liquid sample is optically transmitted. It is used as a photometry unit AL to measure.

  The reaction vessel 7 has a horizontal cross section perpendicular to the depth direction of the recess Pd in the liquid surface contact area AM where the meniscus is formed so that the rising of the meniscus M formed by the held liquid is low. It is assumed that all line segments connecting any two points included in the horizontal cross section have a smaller area than the circumscribed rectangle and are included in the horizontal cross section. Furthermore, the reaction vessel 7 is shaped so that the projected image of the opening 7c on the horizontal plane includes all the arbitrary horizontal cross sections of the liquid holding portion PL so that the horizontal cross sectional area does not change significantly in the vertical direction. To do. For this reason, the liquid holding part PL has a convex shape including all line segments connecting any two points in the liquid holding part PL in the liquid holding part PL. The photometry unit AL is set so that the horizontal cross-sectional area is smaller than the horizontal cross-sectional area in the liquid surface contact area AM. In the liquid surface contact area AM, the curvature of the curved surface FC curved in the horizontal direction is set smaller than the curvature in the horizontal cross section of the photometry unit AL. For this reason, the liquid surface contact area AM has four corners where the meniscus M of the liquid sample contacts, compared to a conventional reaction container (corresponding to a hypothetical container having a circumscribed rectangle Qmin with the smallest area) where the side wall 7b contacts at 90 °. Since the portion is curved in the horizontal direction, the steep rise of the meniscus M on the curved surface FC can be suppressed.

  The stirrer 20 is disposed in the lower portion of the storage chamber 6a between the light source 8 and the light receiving element 9 that are arranged opposite to each other and the position where the reagent dispensing mechanism 13 dispenses the reagent into the reaction container 7, and FIG. As shown, the power source 22, the controller 23, and the acoustic matching layer 24 are provided, and the liquid held in the reaction vessel 7 is agitated by driving the surface acoustic wave element 21.

  The surface acoustic wave element 21 is a sound wave generating means for generating an ultrasonic wave which is a surface acoustic wave. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a comb-shaped electrode such as gold is provided on the surface of a piezoelectric substrate 21a such as lithium niobate. A vibrator 21b made of (IDT) is provided. The vibrator 21b converts the electric power transmitted from the power source 22 into a surface acoustic wave (sound wave), and is attached to the lower surface of the bottom wall 7a via the acoustic matching layer 24 as shown in FIG. At this time, in the surface acoustic wave element 21, the wavelength of the sound wave generated by the vibrator 21b in the liquid held in the reaction container 7 is substantially equal to the rise of the meniscus formed by the liquid in the container (see FIG. 24). Short enough. That is, the rise h (see FIG. 24) of the meniscus formed by the liquid L held in the container is h ≧ 10 · λL, where λL is the wavelength of the sound wave in the liquid. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the vibrator 21b is connected to the electrical terminal 21c by a conductor circuit 21d. Since the surface acoustic wave element 21 uses a comb-shaped electrode (IDT) as the vibrator 21b, the structure can be simplified and the structure can be made small.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the power source 22 is connected to the electrical terminal 21 c by a wiring 25, and supplies high-frequency alternating current of about several MHz to several hundred MHz to the surface acoustic wave element 21. The controller 23 controls the power supply 22 to generate a sound wave characteristic (frequency, intensity, phase, wave characteristic), waveform (sine wave, triangular wave, rectangular wave, burst wave, etc.) or modulation (amplitude). Modulation, frequency modulation) and the like. The acoustic matching layer 24 is a means for optimizing the acoustic impedance between the reaction vessel 7 and the surface acoustic wave element 21, and can use gel, liquid, or the like in addition to an adhesive such as epoxy resin or shellac. . The acoustic matching layer 24 is adjusted to have a thickness of n · λ / 4 (n is an odd number) with respect to the wavelength λ of the frequency emitted by the surface acoustic wave element 21 in order to increase the transmission efficiency of sound waves. Alternatively, the acoustic matching layer 24 is adjusted to be as thin as possible.

  Therefore, the liquid sample held in the reaction vessel 7 is stirred by the stirring device 20 as follows. First, the agitation device 20 drives the surface acoustic wave element 21 with electric power supplied from the power source 22 under the control of the controller 23. Thereby, in the surface acoustic wave element 21, the vibrator 21b shown in FIG. The induced sound wave propagates through the piezoelectric substrate 21a and the acoustic matching layer 24 to the bottom wall 7a of the reaction vessel 7, and as shown in FIG. 4, the sound wave indicated by an arrow into the liquid sample Ls having a close acoustic impedance. Wa leaks obliquely upward from the inner surface of the bottom wall 7a.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, the liquid sample Ls generates a counterclockwise acoustic flow Fcc and a clockwise acoustic flow Fcw that reach the meniscus M by the sound wave Wa, and the flow in the liquid sample Ls is acoustic. The flows Fcc and Fcw are dominant. At this time, the reaction vessel 7 has a curved surface FC and a vertical surface FP in which the liquid surface contact area AM on the inner surface is curved in the horizontal direction at the meniscus M, and the curved surface FC and the vertical surface FP are alternately in contact with each other. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, the liquid sample Ls is suppressed from a sharp rise of the meniscus M that contacts the curved surface FC, and becomes almost flat as shown by the solid line. Here, in FIG. 4, the broken line indicates the meniscus M in the conventional reaction vessel, and the same applies to the following description.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the meniscus M becomes nearly flat at the portion in contact with the curved surface FC, so that the acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw easily enter the portion where the liquid surface contact area AM and the meniscus M are in contact. As a result, the automatic analyzer 1 using the reaction vessel 7 and the stirring device 20 uniformly stirs the liquid sample Ls over a wide range from the bottom to the meniscus M by these two acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw. Can do. Moreover, since the reaction container 7 is stored and used in the storage chamber 6a provided in the reaction table 6, it can be used as it is for a conventional automatic analyzer.

  However, the reaction vessel 7 may be subjected to a water repellent treatment in advance by coating or sputtering a water repellent treatment agent such as a fluororesin on the liquid surface contact area AM where a predetermined amount of the liquid sample contacts. When such a water repellent treatment is performed, the reaction vessel 7 has a meniscus M of the liquid sample to be held in a convex shape. As a result, in the reaction vessel 7, the acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw can easily enter the portion where the liquid surface contact area AM and the upwardly protruding meniscus M are in contact, and the stirring by the stirring device 20 can be performed uniformly.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the reaction container 7 corresponds to the cross-sectional shape of the light beam for analysis that passes through the photometric part AL through the inner bottom surface 7d of the concave part Pd formed in the lower part of the liquid surface contact area AM. It may be curved into a shape. In this way, the reaction vessel 7 has a two-directional acoustic flow Fcc generated by the sound wave Wa emitted from the surface acoustic wave element 21 attached to the outer surface of the side wall 7b, while ensuring photometric accuracy, as shown in FIG. , Fcw, the clockwise acoustic flow Fcw generated on the lower side smoothly flows along the curvature of the inner bottom surface 7d, so that no stagnant portion is generated, and the stirring efficiency can be improved. At this time, the surface acoustic wave element 21 may be attached to the outer surface (see the dotted line) of the side wall 7b facing the side wall 7b or the outer surface (see the dotted line) of the bottom wall 7a. In addition, the reaction vessel 7 includes portions having different thicknesses on the bottom wall 7a in addition to the side wall 7b.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, the reaction vessel 7 has an inclined surface 7e that is in contact with the inner surface of the side wall 7b adjacent to the side wall 7b on which the photometric portion AL is formed at an angle θ that is an obtuse angle with respect to the inner bottom surface Fb of the recess Pd. Even if it provides, an acoustic flow can be guided by the inclined surface 7e, and stirring efficiency can be improved. Further, as in the reaction container 7 shown in FIG. 9, each curved surface FC and each vertical surface FP constituting the liquid surface contact area AM are extended downward, and light for analysis passing through the photometric part AL through the inner bottom surface Fb. A similar effect can be obtained by using a curved surface having a spherical surface substantially the same as the radius of the cross section of the beam. Therefore, like the reaction vessel 28 shown in FIG. 10, the liquid surface contact area AM may be constituted by the vertical surface FP and the curved surface FBC larger than the curved surface FC of the reaction vessel 7. At this time, the reaction vessel 28 is formed with a curved surface with an inner bottom surface Fb convex downward from the side wall 28c adjacent to the side wall 28b where the photometric part AL is formed toward the opposite side wall 28c.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The reaction container of the first embodiment has a curved surface and a vertical surface in which the liquid surface contact area is curved in the horizontal direction, whereas the reaction container of the second embodiment has a liquid surface contact area in the horizontal direction. Adjacent planes consist of vertical planes that meet at an obtuse angle. Here, in each embodiment described below, the automatic analyzer 1 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are used for members having the same configurations as those in the first embodiment. Therefore, the reaction vessel will be described below. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the reaction container according to Embodiment 2 excluding the surface acoustic wave element. FIG. 12 is a plan view of the reaction vessel shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a reaction container of the present invention having a reaction container and a surface acoustic wave element.

  Similar to the reaction vessel 7, the reaction vessel 30 is made of a material that transmits 80% or more of the light contained in the analysis light (340 to 800 nm) emitted from the light source 8, for example, glass including heat-resistant glass. The reaction container 30 is used by being stored in a storage chamber 6 a provided in the reaction table 6. The reaction vessel 30 includes a surface acoustic wave element 21. As shown in FIG. 11, the outer shape of the horizontal section is a quadrangle by a wall portion Pw including a bottom wall 30a and a side wall 30b, and liquid injection is provided on the top. A recess Pc having an opening 30c is formed in the vertical direction. The recess Pc regulates and holds the liquid shape. In the reaction vessel 30, a liquid surface contact area AM in which a convex meniscus M is in contact with a predetermined amount of a liquid sample is formed on the inner surface of the concave portion Pc surrounded by the wall portion Pw. As shown in FIG. 11, the liquid surface contact area AM has a hydrophobic portion Php that has been subjected to water repellent treatment by coating or sputtering a water repellent treatment agent such as fluororesin on the surface. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the reaction vessel 30 is composed of a vertical surface FP in which the liquid surface contact area AM on the inner surface is in contact with an angle θM where the surface adjacent in the horizontal direction becomes an obtuse angle. For this reason, as shown in FIG.11 and FIG.12, the side wall 30b has a part from which thickness differs. Further, in the liquid holding part PL, the lower part of the liquid surface contact area AM is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped concave part Pd by the inner surface of the bottom wall 30a and the vertical surface FP of the side wall 30b. Here, the pair of side walls 30b that are parallel to each other are indicated by alternate long and short dashed lines below the liquid surface contact area AM, and the analysis light beam emitted from the light source 8 is transmitted therethrough, so that the liquid sample is optically transmitted. It is used as a photometry unit AL to measure.

  At this time, in the reaction container 30, the projection image on the horizontal plane of the opening 30c is projected on the horizontal plane in an arbitrary horizontal section of the liquid holding part PL so that the horizontal sectional area does not change greatly in the vertical direction. Shaped to contain an image. For this reason, the liquid holding part PL has a convex shape including all line segments connecting any two points in the liquid holding part PL in the liquid holding part PL. The photometry unit AL is set so that the horizontal cross-sectional area is smaller than the horizontal cross-sectional area in the liquid surface contact area AM. In the liquid level contact area AM, the angle θM at which the vertical plane FP adjacent in the horizontal direction contacts is set larger than the angle θL (= 90 °) at which the vertical plane FP adjacent in the horizontal direction of the photometry unit AL contacts. (ΘM> θL). For this reason, the liquid surface contact area AM is compared with the conventional reaction container in which the side wall 30b is in contact at 90 °, and the vertical surfaces FP adjacent in the horizontal direction at the four corner portions where the meniscus M of the liquid sample is in contact with each other at an obtuse angle. As shown in FIG. 13, the meniscus M of the liquid sample has an upwardly convex shape due to the portion Php.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the reaction vessel 30 configured as described above is driven by the stirring device 20 with the surface acoustic wave element 21 attached to the outer surface of the bottom wall 30a via the acoustic matching layer 24, and a liquid holding unit. The liquid sample held at PL is agitated as follows. First, the agitation device 20 drives the surface acoustic wave element 21 with electric power supplied from the power source 22 under the control of the controller 23. Thereby, in the surface acoustic wave element 21, the vibrator 21b shown in FIG. The induced sound wave propagates through the acoustic matching layer 24 to the bottom wall 30a of the reaction vessel 30, and, as shown in FIG. 13, the sound wave Wa indicated by an arrow enters the liquid sample Ls having a close acoustic impedance. It leaks diagonally upward from the inner surface.

  As a result, a counterclockwise acoustic flow Fcc and a clockwise acoustic flow Fcw that reach the meniscus M by the sound wave Wa are generated in the liquid sample Ls. At this time, since the hydrophobic portion Php is formed on the surface of the liquid surface contact area AM, the reaction vessel 30 has a meniscus M of the liquid sample to be held in a convex shape. As a result, in the reaction vessel 30, the acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw protrude upward from the liquid surface contact area AM more than the vertical surface FP that contacts at an angle θM where the plane adjacent to the liquid surface contact area AM in the horizontal direction becomes an obtuse angle. It becomes easy to enter the part in contact with the meniscus M, and the stirring by the stirring device 20 can be performed uniformly. In this case, the flow in the liquid sample Ls is dominated by the acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw. Therefore, the automatic analyzer 1 using the reaction vessel 30 can uniformly agitate the liquid sample Ls over a wide range from the bottom to the meniscus M by these two acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw. Moreover, since the reaction container 30 is accommodated and used in the storage chamber 6a provided in the reaction table 6, it can also be used as it is for a conventional automatic analyzer.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, the stirring container according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The reaction container of the first embodiment has a curved surface and a vertical surface whose liquid surface contact area is curved in the horizontal direction, whereas the reaction container of the third embodiment has a liquid surface contact area in the horizontal direction. It has a curved surface that curves. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the reaction container according to Embodiment 3 excluding the surface acoustic wave element. FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a reaction vessel of the present invention provided with a surface acoustic wave device.

  The reaction vessel 32 includes the surface acoustic wave element 21. As shown in FIG. 14, the outer shape of the horizontal section is circular due to the wall portion Pw including the bottom wall 32a and the side wall 32b, and liquid injection is performed on the upper portion. A recess Pc having an opening 32c is formed in the vertical direction. The recess Pc regulates and holds the liquid shape. In the reaction vessel 32, a liquid level contact area AM where a convex meniscus M is in contact with a predetermined amount of liquid sample is formed on the inner surface of the concave portion Pc surrounded by the wall portion Pw. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the bottom wall 32 a is recessed in a spherical shape with the center of the inner bottom surface Fb protruding downward. For this reason, the bottom wall 32a has portions with different wall thicknesses. On the other hand, the side wall 32b is a curved surface in which the liquid surface contact area AM on the inner surface is curved in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG.

  At this time, the wall Pw has a horizontal cross-sectional shape that is the same as the circumscribed rectangle of the minimum area circumscribing the horizontal cross-sectional shape in the portion where the meniscus M is formed, and the meniscus M is formed. When a container having the same composition as the wall portion Pw of the part is assumed, the rising of the meniscus M formed by the liquid held in the reaction container 7 is higher than the rising of the meniscus formed by the liquid held in the assumed container. Is configured to be low. That is, the side wall 32b is formed into a curved surface whose inner surface is curved in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. For this reason, the liquid surface contact area AM is curved in the horizontal direction at the portion where the meniscus M of the liquid sample contacts, so as shown in FIG. 15 as compared with a conventional rectangular column shaped reaction vessel whose side wall contacts at 90 °. In addition, the sharp rise of the meniscus M of the liquid sample can be suppressed.

  The reaction vessel 32 has a horizontal cross section perpendicular to the depth direction of the recess Pd in the liquid surface contact area AM where the meniscus is formed so that the rise of the meniscus M formed by the held liquid is low. It is assumed that all line segments connecting any two points included in the horizontal cross section have a smaller area than the circumscribed rectangle and are included in the horizontal cross section. Furthermore, the reaction vessel 7 is shaped so that the projected image of the opening 7c on the horizontal plane includes all the arbitrary horizontal cross sections of the liquid holding portion PL so that the horizontal cross sectional area does not change significantly in the vertical direction. To do. For this reason, the liquid holding part PL has a convex shape including all line segments connecting any two points in the liquid holding part PL in the liquid holding part PL.

  For this reason, when the reaction vessel 32 drives the surface acoustic wave element 21 by the stirring device 20, the sound wave induced by the vibrator 21 b passes through the piezoelectric substrate 21 a and the acoustic matching layer 24 to the bottom wall 32 a of the reaction vessel 32. As shown in FIG. 15, the sound wave Wa indicated by the arrow leaks obliquely upward from the inner bottom surface Fb of the bottom wall 32a into the liquid sample Ls having a close acoustic impedance.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 15, the liquid sample Ls generates a counterclockwise acoustic flow Fcc and a clockwise acoustic flow Fcw that reach the meniscus M by the sound wave Wa, and the flow in the liquid sample Ls is acoustic. The flows Fcc and Fcw are dominant. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, in the reaction vessel 32, as in the case of the reaction vessel 7 shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the steep rise of the meniscus M in the liquid surface contact area AM is suppressed, as shown by the solid line. In addition to being nearly flat, the center of the inner bottom surface Fb is recessed in a downwardly convex spherical shape.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, the automatic analyzer 1 using the reaction vessel 32 and the stirring device 20 uses the two acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw to cause the two acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw to be in contact with the liquid surface contact area AM and the meniscus. It is easy to enter the part in contact with M, and the acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw flow smoothly, so that no stagnant portion is generated, and the liquid sample Ls is uniformly agitated over a wide range from the bottom to the meniscus M. be able to. Moreover, since the reaction container 32 can be accommodated in the storage chamber 6a provided in the reaction table 6, it can also be arrange | positioned in the storage chamber which accommodates the cuvette of the conventional automatic analyzer, and can be used as it is.

(Embodiment 4)
Next, the reaction container according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17. The reaction container of the first embodiment has a curved surface and a vertical surface in which the liquid surface contact area is curved in the horizontal direction, whereas the reaction container of the fourth embodiment has the liquid surface contact area facing upward. And has a pair of open side walls that open outward. FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing only the container of the reaction container according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a reaction container of the present invention having a reaction container and a surface acoustic wave element.

  The reaction vessel 34 includes the surface acoustic wave element 21, and, as shown in FIG. 16, a bottom wall 34a, a set of parallel side walls 34b parallel to each other, and at least a set of open side walls adjacent to the parallel side walls 34b. 34c includes a wall portion Pw, and the horizontal cross section has a rectangular outer shape, and a concave portion Pc having a liquid injection opening 34c in the upper portion is formed in the vertical direction. The recess Pc regulates and holds the liquid shape. In the reaction vessel 34, a liquid level contact area AM where a convex meniscus M is in contact with a predetermined amount of liquid sample is formed on the inner surface of the concave portion Pc surrounded by the wall portion Pw.

  The surface acoustic wave element 21 is attached to the outer surface of the bottom wall 34a. A pair of parallel side walls 34b parallel to each other are indicated by alternate long and short dash lines below the liquid surface contact area AM, and the light beam for analysis emitted from the light source 8 is transmitted therethrough to optically measure the liquid sample. It is used as the photometry unit AL.

  At this time, the wall Pw has a horizontal cross-sectional shape that is the same as the circumscribed rectangle of the minimum area circumscribing the horizontal cross-sectional shape in the portion where the meniscus M is formed, and the meniscus M is formed. When a container having the same composition as the wall portion Pw of the part is assumed, the rising of the meniscus M formed by the liquid held in the reaction vessel 34 is higher than the rising of the meniscus formed by the liquid held in the assumed container. Is configured to be low. That is, the pair of open side walls 34c are configured such that the horizontal sectional area increases monotonously toward the opening 34c, and as shown in FIG. 17, the angle θ is inclined with respect to the inner surface of the bottom wall 34a. Then, adjacent to the parallel side wall 34b and inclined with respect to the vertical surface, the liquid surface contact area AM on the inner surface is opened outwardly upward. For this reason, in the reaction vessel 34, the meniscus M of the liquid sample Ls in contact with the open side wall 34c becomes flat compared to a conventional reaction vessel whose side wall is vertical. Here, the surface acoustic wave element 21 may be provided on the open side wall 34c as shown by a dotted line in FIG.

  At this time, the reaction vessel 34 has a horizontal cross section perpendicular to the depth direction of the recess Pd in the liquid surface contact area AM where the meniscus is formed so that the rising of the meniscus M formed by the held liquid is low. It is assumed that all line segments connecting any two points included in the horizontal section are smaller than the circumscribed rectangle and are included in the horizontal section. Further, the reaction vessel 34 is shaped so that the projection image onto the horizontal plane of the opening 34c includes all the arbitrary horizontal cross sections of the liquid holding part PL so that the horizontal cross sectional area does not change significantly in the vertical direction. To do. For this reason, the liquid holding part PL has a convex shape including all line segments connecting any two points in the liquid holding part PL in the liquid holding part PL.

  Therefore, when the reaction vessel 34 drives the surface acoustic wave element 21 by the stirring device 20, the sound wave induced in the vibrator 21 b passes through the piezoelectric substrate 21 a and the acoustic matching layer 24 to the bottom wall 34 a of the reaction vessel 34. As shown in FIG. 17, the sound wave Wa indicated by an arrow leaks obliquely upward from the inner bottom surface of the bottom wall 34a into the liquid sample Ls having a close acoustic impedance.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 17, the liquid sample Ls generates a counterclockwise acoustic flow Fcc and a clockwise acoustic flow Fcw that reach the meniscus M by the sound wave Wa, and the flow in the liquid sample Ls is acoustic. The flows Fcc and Fcw are dominant. At this time, as shown in FIG. 17, the liquid sample Ls is nearly flat as shown by the solid line in the liquid sample Ls in contact with the open side wall 34c, and the liquid surface contact area AM and the meniscus M are in contact with each other. The acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw are easy to enter. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, the open side wall 34c is inclined at an angle θ that becomes an obtuse angle with respect to the inner surface of the bottom wall 34a. For this reason, the reaction vessel 34 flows while the generated acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw are guided by the obtuse angled inner surface formed by the bottom wall 34a and the open side wall 34c.

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 17, the automatic analyzer 1 using the reaction vessel 34 uniformly agitates the liquid sample Ls over a wide range from the bottom to the meniscus M by these two acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw. can do. Moreover, since the reaction container 34 can be stored in the storage chamber 6a provided in the reaction table 6, it can also be used by being placed in a storage chamber for storing a cuvette of a conventional automatic analyzer.

  Here, the reaction container according to the fourth embodiment has at least one pair of open side walls whose liquid surface contact area opens outwardly and is provided with the surface acoustic wave element 21, as shown in FIG. The reaction vessel 36 may be used. The reaction vessel 36 is formed from the same material as the reaction vessel 7, and as a wall portion Pw, a bottom wall 36a, a set of open side walls 36b that open outward, and a set of adjacent side walls 36c adjacent to the open side wall 36b. And has an opening 36d for liquid injection at the top.

  The surface acoustic wave element 21 is attached to the outer surface of the bottom wall 36a. The pair of open side walls 36b and the pair of adjacent side walls 36c form a liquid surface contact area AM where the convex meniscus M is in contact with a predetermined amount of liquid sample on the inner surface, and are parallel to each other below the liquid surface contact area AM. Vertical walls 36e and 36f. The set of open side walls 36b and the set of adjacent side walls 36c are inclined with respect to the vertical surface, so that the liquid level contact area AM on the inner surface is opened outward. For this reason, in the reaction vessel 36, the meniscus M of the liquid sample Ls in contact with the open side wall 36b and the adjacent side wall 36c becomes flat compared to a conventional reaction vessel having a vertical side wall as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the vertical wall 36e is used as a photometric part AL for optically measuring a liquid sample through which a portion indicated by a one-dot chain line transmits an analysis light beam emitted from the light source 8. In the reaction vessel 36, a liquid holding portion PL is formed by a bottom wall 36a, a set of open side walls 36b, a set of adjacent side walls 36c, and vertical walls 36e, 36f.

  At this time, the reaction vessel 36 has a horizontal cross section perpendicular to the depth direction of the recess Pd in the liquid surface contact area AM where the meniscus is formed so that the rising of the meniscus M formed by the held liquid is low. It is assumed that all line segments connecting any two points included in the horizontal section are smaller than the circumscribed rectangle and are included in the horizontal section. Further, the reaction container 36 is shaped so that the projected image of the opening 36d on the horizontal plane includes all of the arbitrary horizontal cross section of the liquid holding portion PL so that the horizontal sectional area does not change significantly in the vertical direction. . For this reason, the liquid holding part PL has a convex shape including all line segments connecting any two points in the liquid holding part PL in the liquid holding part PL.

  Therefore, when the reaction vessel 36 drives the surface acoustic wave element 21 by the stirring device 20, the sound wave induced in the vibrator 21 b passes through the piezoelectric substrate 21 a and the acoustic matching layer 24 to the bottom wall 36 a of the reaction vessel 36. As shown in FIG. 19, the sound wave Wa indicated by an arrow leaks obliquely upward from the inner bottom surface of the bottom wall 36a into the liquid sample Ls having a close acoustic impedance.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 19, the liquid sample Ls generates a counterclockwise acoustic flow Fcc and a clockwise acoustic flow Fcw that reach the meniscus M by the sound wave Wa, and the flow in the liquid sample Ls is acoustic. The flows Fcc and Fcw are dominant. At this time, as shown in FIG. 19, the liquid sample Ls is nearly flat as shown by the solid line in the liquid sample Ls in contact with the open side wall 36c, and the liquid surface contact area AM and the meniscus M are in contact with each other. The acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw are easy to enter.

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 19, the automatic analyzer 1 using the reaction vessel 36 uniformly agitates the liquid sample Ls over a wide range from the bottom to the meniscus M by these two acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw. can do. Moreover, if the reaction container 36 is designed so that the outer shape can be stored in the storage chamber 6 a provided in the reaction table 6, it can also be used in a conventional automatic analyzer.

  Here, the reaction vessels 34 and 36 of the fourth embodiment use the open side walls 34c and 36b and the adjacent side wall 36c as a pair of side walls that open outwardly upward, but outwardly outward. If they are open, these side walls 34c, 36b, 36c may be curved walls instead of inclined walls.

(Embodiment 5)
Next, a reaction container according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In the reaction containers of the first to fourth embodiments, the sound wave generating means for stirring the retained liquid sample is provided in contact with the reaction container, whereas in the reaction container of the fifth embodiment, the position where the sound wave generating means is separated. Is provided. FIG. 20 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a reaction vessel according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 21 is a longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the reaction container according to Embodiment 5.

  The reaction container according to the fifth embodiment uses the reaction container 7 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 according to the first modification of the first embodiment, and the reaction container 7 is accommodated in the holder 37. . The holder 37 is stored in a storage chamber 6 a provided in the reaction table 6, and the surface acoustic wave element 21 is provided on the inner wall 37 a. Further, the holder 37 accommodates the reaction vessel 7 via an acoustic matching material 38 such as water or a constant temperature liquid. Accordingly, the reaction vessel 7 is provided at a position away from the surface acoustic wave element 21 without contact.

  Accordingly, when the surface acoustic wave element 21 is driven by the stirring device 20 under the control of the controller 23, the sound wave induced in the surface acoustic wave element 21 propagates through the acoustic matching material 38. Then, the light enters the side wall 7b from the outer surface of the reaction vessel 7. The sound wave incident on the side wall 7b propagates in the side wall 7b, and then, as shown in FIG. 20, the sound wave Wa indicated by the arrow leaks from the side wall 7b into the liquid sample Ls having a close acoustic impedance in the horizontal direction.

  As a result, the reaction vessel 7 generates in the liquid sample Ls an acoustic flow Fcw flowing in the clockwise direction that reaches the meniscus M by the sound wave Wa and a counterclockwise acoustic flow Fcc flowing along the curvature of the inner bottom surface 7d. The flow in the liquid sample Ls is dominated by the acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw. At this time, as shown in FIG. 20, the reaction vessel 7 is suppressed from a sharp rise of the meniscus M in the liquid surface contact area AM, and the meniscus M is nearly flat as shown by the solid line.

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 20, the meniscus M of the liquid sample Ls becomes flat in the reaction vessel 7, so that the acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw easily enter the portion where the liquid surface contact area AM and the meniscus M are in contact with each other. Further, since the acoustic flow Fcc flows smoothly while being guided by the curvature of the inner bottom surface 7d, no stagnant portion is generated and the stirring efficiency can be improved. Therefore, the automatic analyzer 1 using the reaction vessel 7 of the fifth embodiment uniformly agitates the liquid sample Ls over a wide range from the bottom to the meniscus M by these two acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw. be able to.

  As described above, the reaction container according to the fifth embodiment is provided with the surface acoustic wave element 21 at a position away from the reaction container 7, so that the reaction container 34 according to the fourth embodiment can be used as shown in FIG. . At this time, as shown in FIG. 21, the holder 37 is provided with the surface acoustic wave element 21 on the inner bottom wall 37b.

  When the reaction vessel of the fifth embodiment is configured as shown in FIG. 21, the reaction vessel 34 is induced by the surface acoustic wave device 21 when the surface acoustic wave device 21 is driven by the stirring device 20 under the control of the controller 23. The sound wave propagates through the acoustic matching material 38 and enters the bottom wall 34 a from the outer surface of the reaction vessel 34. The sound wave incident on the bottom wall 34a propagates in the bottom wall 34a, and then, as shown in FIG. 21, the sound wave Wa indicated by an arrow leaks upward from the bottom wall 34a into the liquid sample Ls having a close acoustic impedance.

  As a result, in the reaction vessel 34, the acoustic flow Fcw flowing in the clockwise direction and reaching the meniscus M by the sound wave Wa is generated in the liquid sample Ls, and the flow in the liquid sample Ls is the acoustic flow Fcc. , Fcw is dominant. At this time, as shown in FIG. 21, the reaction vessel 34 is restrained from a sharp rise of the meniscus M in the liquid surface contact area AM, and the meniscus M is nearly flat as shown by a solid line. Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the open side wall 34c is inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to the inner surface of the bottom wall 34a.

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 21, since the meniscus M becomes flat, the acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw easily enter the portion where the liquid surface contact area AM and the meniscus M are in contact with each other. In the reaction vessel 34, the generated acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw flow while being guided by the obtuse angled inner surface formed by the bottom wall 34a and the open side wall 34c. For this reason, the automatic analyzer 1 using the reaction vessel 34 and the stirring device 20 according to the fifth embodiment does not contact the liquid sample Ls over a wide range from the bottom to the meniscus M by these two acoustic flows Fcc and Fcw. It can be stirred uniformly. Moreover, since the holder 37 can be stored in the storage chamber 6a provided in the reaction table 6, the reaction containers 7 and 34 of Embodiment 5 can also be used in a conventional automatic analyzer.

  As described above, the automatic analyzer 1 using the reaction vessels 7 and 34 according to the fifth embodiment is provided with the surface acoustic wave element 21 at a position away from the reaction vessels 7 and 34, and thus the stirring device 20 and the automatic analyzer 1. There is an advantage that the degree of freedom in mechanical design increases.

  In addition, although Embodiment 1-5 demonstrated the reaction container as a stirring container, if it is a container which stirs the trace amount liquid of the microliter order hold | maintained, it will not be limited to a reaction container, A reagent container other Can be used as a container.

It is a schematic block diagram of the automatic analyzer which shows Embodiment 1 of the analyzer of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows only the container of the reaction container used with the automatic analyzer of FIG. It is a top view of the reaction container shown in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the reaction container fractured | ruptured along the CC line of FIG. 3 with a stirring apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a sound wave generating unit included in the reaction container according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a first modification of the reaction container according to Embodiment 1. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second modification of the reaction vessel according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a third modification of the reaction container according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a fourth modification of the reaction container according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a fifth modification of the reaction container according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the reaction container which concerns on Embodiment 2 except a surface acoustic wave element. It is a top view of the reaction container shown in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the reaction container of Embodiment 2 which has a reaction container and a surface acoustic wave element. It is a perspective view which shows the reaction container which concerns on Embodiment 3 except a surface acoustic wave element. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the reaction container of this invention provided with the surface acoustic wave element. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing only a container of a reaction container according to Embodiment 4. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the reaction container of this invention which has a reaction container and a surface acoustic wave element. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a modification of the reaction container according to Embodiment 4. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the reaction container shown in FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a reaction container according to Embodiment 5. FIG. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modification of the fifth embodiment. It is explanatory drawing explaining the definition of the circumscribed rectangle circumscribed to the cross section of the direction orthogonal to the depth direction of the recessed part in the part in which the meniscus in the stirring container of this invention is formed. It is explanatory drawing explaining the definition of the circumscribed rectangle with the smallest area among the circumscribed rectangles demonstrated in FIG. It is explanatory drawing explaining the definition of the rising of the meniscus in the stirring container of this invention. It is a perspective view of the reaction container currently used as a conventional stirring container. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the reaction container of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic analyzer 2 Work table 3 Sample table 3a Storage chamber 4 Sample container 5 Sample dispensing mechanism 6 Reaction table 6a Storage chamber 7 Reaction container 7a Bottom wall 7b Side wall 8 Light source 9 Light receiving element 11 Discharge device 13 Reagent dispensing mechanism 15 Reagent Table 16 Reagent container 17 Reading device 18 Judgment unit 19 Analysis unit 20 Stirring device 21 Surface acoustic wave element 21a Piezoelectric substrate 21b Vibrator 22 Power source 23 Controller 24 Acoustic matching layer 28, 30 Reaction vessel 28a, 30a Bottom wall 28b, 30b Side wall 28c Side wall 32 Reaction vessel 32a Bottom wall 32b Side wall 34 Reaction vessel 34a Bottom wall 34b Parallel side wall 34c Open side wall 36 Reaction vessel 36a Bottom wall 36b Open side wall 36c Adjacent side wall 37 Holder 38 Acoustic matching material 40 Stirrer 41 Thickness longitudinal vibrator 41a Piezoelectric substrate 41b electrode 41c Extraction electrode 42 Power source 43 Controller 45 Acoustic matching layer AL Metering section AM Liquid surface contact area FBC Curved surface Fb Inner bottom surface FC Curved surface Fcc, Fcw Acoustic flow FP Vertical surface Ls Liquid sample M Meniscus Pc Recessed part PL Liquid holding part Pw Wall part Wa Sound wave

Claims (24)

A stirring vessel for a chemical analysis device that stirs a held small amount of liquid using sound waves and performs measurement on characteristics of the held small amount of liquid,
A recess that regulates and holds the shape of the liquid so that the liquid forms a meniscus in contact with the gas;
A wall portion defining the recess and including a side wall and a bottom wall having a predetermined thickness;
A sound wave generating means that is provided outside the wall portion and generates a surface acoustic wave for stirring the liquid held in the recess;
Comprising
The portion where the meniscus is formed circumscribes the cross-sectional shape in the direction orthogonal to the depth direction of the concave portion, and has the same cross-sectional shape as the circumscribed rectangle having the smallest area, and the meniscus is Assuming a container having the same composition as the wall of the part to be formed,
The wall portion is configured such that the rise of the meniscus formed by the liquid held in the recess is lower than the rise of the meniscus formed by the liquid held in the container. To stir container.   2. The stirring according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength of the sound wave generated by the sound wave generating means in the liquid is substantially sufficiently short with respect to the rising of the meniscus formed by the liquid in the assumed container. container.   The stirring vessel according to claim 2, wherein the rise h of the meniscus formed by the liquid satisfies h ≧ 10 · λL, where λL is the wavelength of the sound wave in the liquid.   The cross section in the direction perpendicular to the depth direction of the recess in the portion where the meniscus is formed has a smaller area than the circumscribed rectangle, and all the line segments connecting any two points included in the cross section The stirring container according to claim 1, wherein the stirring container has a convex shape included in a cross section.   The stirring container according to claim 1, wherein the depth direction is a vertical direction, and a direction orthogonal to the depth direction is a horizontal direction.   The stirring container according to claim 1, wherein the sound wave generating means is a surface acoustic wave element having a piezoelectric substrate and a comb-shaped electrode formed on the piezoelectric substrate.   The stirring container according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the wall portion on which a sound wave generated by the sound wave generating unit is incident is a flat surface.   The stirring container according to claim 7, wherein the sound wave generating means is disposed in contact with the outside of the side wall or the bottom wall of the wall portion.   The stirring vessel according to claim 1, wherein the flow in the liquid generated by the surface acoustic wave element is dominated by an acoustic flow.   An opening for injecting the liquid held in the recess is further provided, and a projection image of the opening in the depth direction of the recess is orthogonal to the depth direction of the recess on the bottom wall side from the meniscus. The stirring container according to claim 1, comprising all cross-sections in the direction in which to move.   The space occupied by the liquid holding portion, which is the recess on the bottom wall side than the portion in contact with the meniscus, has a convex shape including all line segments connecting any two points included in the space. The stirring container according to claim 10.   The stirring container according to claim 10, wherein the stirring container is provided with portions having different wall thicknesses so that the outer shape thereof is a rectangular parallelepiped or a prism.   The side wall on the opening side at least from the portion where the meniscus is formed has a portion configured such that a cross-sectional area in a direction orthogonal to the depth direction monotonously increases toward the opening. The stirring container according to claim 10. A set of side walls provided on the bottom wall side of a portion configured such that the cross-sectional area monotonously increases toward the opening;
Light having a predetermined wavelength for measuring characteristics of the liquid held in the recess from a direction perpendicular to the parallel set of side walls is provided on a part of the parallel set of side walls. An incident photometry unit;
The stirring container according to claim 13, further comprising: A set of side walls provided on the bottom wall side from the portion where the meniscus is formed, and parallel to each other;
Light having a predetermined wavelength for measuring characteristics of the liquid held in the recess from a direction perpendicular to the parallel set of side walls is provided on a part of the parallel set of side walls. An incident photometry unit;
The stirring container according to claim 1, further comprising:   The cross section of the concave portion orthogonal to the depth direction of the concave portion in the portion where the photometric unit is provided is smaller than the cross section in the direction of the concave portion in the portion where the meniscus is formed. The stirring container as described.   The stirring container according to claim 15, wherein the sound wave generation unit is disposed so as to avoid the photometry unit.   The stirring container according to claim 17, wherein the sound wave generating means is disposed on the side wall different from the parallel set of side wall portions.   The stirring container according to claim 17, wherein the sound wave generating means is disposed on the bottom wall.   The stirring container according to claim 1, wherein the side wall with which the liquid meniscus contacts is hydrophobic. A stirring vessel for a chemical analysis device that stirs a held small amount of liquid using sound waves and performs measurement on characteristics of the held small amount of liquid,
A recess that regulates and holds the shape of the liquid so that the liquid forms a meniscus in contact with the gas;
A wall portion defining the recess and including a side wall and a bottom wall having a predetermined thickness;
A sound wave generating means that is provided outside the wall portion and generates a surface acoustic wave for stirring the liquid held in the recess;
The stirring vessel is characterized in that the side wall portion in contact with the liquid meniscus is hydrophobic so as to regulate the meniscus formed by the liquid crystal.   The stirring container according to claim 21, wherein the sound wave generating means is a surface acoustic wave device having a piezoelectric substrate and a comb-shaped electrode formed on the piezoelectric substrate.   The stirring vessel according to claim 21, wherein the flow in the liquid generated by the surface acoustic wave element is dominated by an acoustic flow.   24. A chemical analyzer for stirring and reacting a liquid sample containing a specimen and a reagent, and measuring the characteristics of the liquid sample in order to analyze the liquid sample. A chemical analyzer characterized in that a specimen and a reagent are stirred using the stirring container described.

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