JP2009092455A - Inspecting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspecting device that sufficiently brings a chip connecting part communicated with a micro pump into a close contact state with an inspection chip by removing contaminants and liquid without scattering them with a simple mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: In this inspecting device, a cleaning roller, whose rotary shaft is attached to a chip transport tray in the orthogonal direction to the moving direction of the chip transport tray, contacts with a chip connecting part and removes contaminants or liquid attached to the chip connecting part while rotating when the chip transport tray moves. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus.

  In recent years, by making full use of micromachine technology and ultrafine processing technology, devices and means (for example, pumps, valves, flow paths, sensors, etc.) for performing conventional sample preparation, chemical analysis, chemical synthesis, etc. have been miniaturized. A system integrated on a chip has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This is also called μ-TAS (Micro total Analysis System), bioreactor, Lab-on-chip, biochip, medical examination / diagnosis field, environmental measurement field, Its application is expected in the field of agricultural production. In reality, as seen in genetic testing, when complicated processes, skilled techniques, and equipment operations are required, automated, accelerated and simplified μ-TAS is cost-effective The benefits of enabling analysis not only in volume and time but also in any time and place are enormous.

  In μ-TAS as described above, a reagent or the like in a fine flow path of a test chip is fed by a micropump.

  Specifically, a micro pump unit in which a plurality of pumps using a piezoelectric element having the configuration disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 are provided on a chip, and a test chip, for example, the flow passage openings of each other match. By closely contacting the chip surface of the micropump unit and the chip surface of the inspection chip, the flow path on the pump side and the flow path on the inspection chip side are communicated with each other.

  However, if the contact surface is wet before connection at the connection between the micropump unit and the inspection chip, liquid such as driving liquid that passes through this connection from the micropump side to the inspection chip side during use May leak from between the contact surfaces.

  In addition, if fine foreign matter adheres to the contact surface before connection at the connection between the micropump unit and the inspection chip, the micropump unit and the inspection chip are not sufficiently adhered by the foreign matter, and the micropump is used during use. There is a possibility that liquid such as driving liquid passing through this connection portion from the side to the inspection chip side leaks from between these contact surfaces.

  Further, when the liquid tightness is not sufficient at the connection portion between the micropump unit and the inspection chip in this way, there is a possibility that contamination enters the flow path from the outside.

In order to solve such a problem, the present inventors provide a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the pump connection part of the inspection chip and / or the chip connection part of the micropump unit, and connect the inspection chip and the micropump unit. A method of cleaning the part has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 4). In Patent Document 4, when a wiping device is provided at the entrance / exit of the inspection chip and a chip transport tray on which the inspection chip is placed is inserted, the upper surface of the inspection chip comes into contact with the wiping device, thereby removing liquid or foreign matter attached to the inspection chip. A cleaning mechanism configured as described above is disclosed. Moreover, the cleaning mechanism comprised so that the wiping sheet | seat was dropped by the raising / lowering apparatus and the liquid and the foreign material adhering to the pump connection part were also disclosed. Furthermore, a cleaning mechanism is also disclosed that provides a blower that removes foreign matter or liquid by blowing air.
JP 2004-28589 A JP 2001-322099 A JP 2004-108285 A JP 2006-266926 A

  However, in the method using a spatula-like wiping device as disclosed in Patent Document 4, the amount of water that can be absorbed is limited even if a sponge or the like is used, and there is a possibility that the liquid is scattered in each part in the inspection device. Further, the method of providing the lifting device has a problem that a complicated mechanism is required and the inspection device becomes large. In the method of providing the blower, there is a problem that the inspection apparatus becomes large and there is a possibility that foreign matter or liquid may be scattered on each part in the inspection apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and removes foreign matters and liquids with a simple mechanism without scattering foreign matters and liquids, so that the chip connecting portion communicating with the micropump and the inspection chip are sufficiently adhered to each other. An object of the present invention is to provide an inspection apparatus that can be brought into a possible state.

  The object of the present invention can be achieved by the following constitution.

1.
In a testing device that uses a micropump to inject driving liquid into the driving liquid inlet of the test chip to react the reagent with the sample and measure the reaction result,
A chip connecting portion having a channel opening of a channel for communicating the discharge port of the micropump and the driving liquid injection port;
A chip on which the inspection chip can be placed and a position where the driving liquid injection port of the placed inspection chip and the chip connection portion are in close contact with each other to communicate with each other. A transport tray;
A cleaning roller having a rotation shaft attached to the chip transport tray so as to be orthogonal to the direction of movement of the chip transport tray;
Have
The inspection apparatus, wherein the cleaning roller removes foreign matter or liquid adhering to the chip connection part while rotating while contacting the chip connection part when the chip transport tray moves.

2.
The chip connection portion has a plurality of the flow path openings,
2. The inspection apparatus according to 1, wherein the plurality of flow path openings are arranged at a predetermined interval or more with respect to the width direction of the cleaning roller.

3.
The cleaning roller is
3. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection apparatus is attached to the chip transport tray so as to clean the chip connection part before the driving liquid injection port communicates with the chip connection part.

  According to the present invention, since the cleaning roller is provided in the chip transport tray, the foreign matter and liquid adhering to the chip connecting portion communicating with the micropump can be removed without scattering the foreign matter and liquid with a simple mechanism. A sufficiently close contact state can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external view of an inspection apparatus 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The inspection device 80 is a device that automatically detects the reaction between the specimen previously injected into the inspection chip 1 and the reagent and displays the result on the display unit 84. After the inspection chip 1 is placed on the chip transport tray 2, the chip transport tray 2 is loaded into the insertion slot 83 and set inside the housing 82. Reference numeral 85 denotes a memory card slot, 86 denotes a print output port, 87 denotes an operation panel, 88 denotes an input / output terminal, 89 denotes a tray cover, and 91 denotes a discharge button.

  FIG. 1A is an external view of a state where the chip transport tray 2 is discharged to a position where the inspection chip 1 can be placed, and FIG. 1B is a state where the chip transport tray 2 is loaded to a position where inspection can be performed. It is an external view.

  The person inspecting places the inspection chip 1 on the chip transport tray 2 and presses the discharge button 91 to move the chip transport tray 2 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. When the chip transport tray 2 moves to a position where it can be inspected as shown in FIG. 1B, the inspection person operates the operation panel 87 to start inspection.

  Inside the housing 82, a micropump unit 75 (not shown in FIG. 1) injects a liquid such as a driving liquid into the inspection chip 1 according to a command from the control means, and the reaction in the inspection chip 1 is automatically inspected. Is called. When the inspection is completed, the result is displayed on the display unit 84 constituted by a liquid crystal panel or the like. The inspection result can be output from the print output port 86 or stored in a memory card inserted into the memory card slot 85 by operating the operation panel 87. Further, data can be stored in the personal computer or the like from the external input / output terminal 88 using, for example, a LAN cable.

  After the inspection is completed, the person inspecting presses the discharge button 91 to move the chip transport tray 2 to a position where the inspection chip 1 can be taken out as shown in FIG. The inspection person takes out the inspection chip 1 from the chip transport tray 2.

  In this embodiment, an example in which the chip transport tray 2 is moved by driving means such as a motor will be described. However, the application of the present invention is not particularly limited, and the chip transport tray 2 may be moved manually.

  Next, an example of the inspection chip 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  2A and 2B are external views of the inspection chip 1. FIG. In FIG. 2A, an arrow indicates an insertion direction in which the inspection chip 1 is inserted into the housing 82, and FIG. 2A illustrates a surface that becomes the lower surface of the inspection chip 1 when inserted. FIG. 2B is a side view of the inspection chip 1.

  The window 111a of the detection unit and the flow path 111b of the detection unit in FIG. 2A are provided for optically detecting the reaction between the specimen and the reagent, and are made of a transparent member such as glass or resin. . Reference numerals 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, and 110e denote driving liquid injection ports that communicate with internal fine flow paths. The driving liquids are injected from the respective driving liquid injection ports 110 to drive internal reagents and the like. Reference numeral 213 denotes a sample injection unit for injecting the sample into the test chip 1.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the inspection chip 1 includes a groove forming substrate 108 and a covering substrate 109 that covers the groove forming substrate 108. Next, materials used for the groove forming substrate 108 and the covering substrate 109 constituting the inspection chip 1 will be described.

  The inspection chip 1 is required to be excellent in processability, non-water absorption, chemical resistance, weather resistance, cost, etc., and inspection is performed in consideration of the structure, application, detection method, etc. of the inspection chip 1. The material of chip 1 is selected. Various known materials can be used as the material, and usually the substrate and the flow path element are formed by appropriately combining one or more materials in accordance with individual material characteristics.

  In particular, it is desirable that a chip intended for a large number of measurement specimens, particularly clinical specimens at risk of contamination and infection, be of a disposable type. Therefore, a plastic resin that can be mass-produced, is lightweight, is strong against impact, and can be easily disposed of by incineration, for example, polystyrene that is excellent in transparency, mechanical properties, and moldability and is easy to be finely processed is preferable. For example, when it is necessary to heat the chip to near 100 ° C. in analysis, it is preferable to use a resin having excellent heat resistance (for example, polycarbonate). In addition, when protein adsorption becomes a problem, it is preferable to use polypropylene. Resin and glass have low thermal conductivity, and by using these materials in the locally heated region of the microchip, heat conduction in the surface direction is suppressed, and only the heated region is selectively heated. Can do.

  In the case where the detection unit 111 optically detects a color reaction product or a fluorescent substance, at least the substrate of this part uses a light-transmitting material (for example, alkali glass, quartz glass, transparent plastics). It is necessary to allow light to pass through. In the present embodiment, the groove forming substrate that forms the window 111a of the detection unit and at least the flow path 111b of the detection unit is made of a light-transmitting material so that light can pass through the detection unit 111. ing.

  The inspection chip 1 is provided with minute groove-like channels (microchannels) and functional parts (channel elements) for performing inspections, sample processing, and the like in an appropriate manner according to the application. ing. Here, an example of a process for performing amplification and detection of a specific gene performed in the test chip 1 by using these fine flow paths and flow path elements will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2C is an explanatory diagram for explaining the functions of the fine flow path and flow path element inside the test chip 1.

  The microchannel is provided with, for example, a sample storage unit 221 for storing a sample liquid, a reagent storage unit 220 for storing reagents, and the like, so that the reagent storage unit 220 can be quickly examined regardless of location and time. Necessary reagents, washing solution, denaturing treatment solution and the like are stored in advance. In FIG. 2C, the reagent storage unit 220, the sample storage unit 221 and the flow path element are represented by squares, and the fine flow path therebetween is represented by a solid line and an arrow.

  The inspection chip 1 includes a groove forming substrate 108 in which a fine flow path is formed and a covering substrate 109 that covers the groove-shaped flow path. The fine channel is formed on the order of micrometers, for example, the width is several μm to several hundred μm, preferably 10 to 200 μm, and the depth is about 25 to 500 μm, preferably 25 to 250 μm.

  At least in the groove forming substrate 108 of the inspection chip 1, the fine flow path is formed. The coated substrate 109 needs to cover at least the fine flow path of the groove forming substrate in close contact, and may cover the entire surface of the groove forming substrate. Note that the fine flow path of the inspection chip 1 is provided with a part for controlling liquid feeding, such as a liquid feeding control unit (not shown) and a backflow prevention unit (a check valve, an active valve, etc.). In this case, liquid feeding is performed according to a predetermined procedure.

  The sample injection unit 213 is an injection unit for injecting the sample into the test chip 1, and the drive liquid injection port 110 is an injection unit for injecting the drive liquid into the test chip 1. Prior to performing the test using the test chip 1, the tester injects the sample from the sample injection unit 213 using a syringe or the like. As shown in FIG. 2C, the sample injected from the sample injection unit 213 is stored in the sample storage unit 221 through the communicating fine channel.

  Next, when the driving liquid is injected from the driving liquid injection port 110 a, the driving liquid pushes out the sample stored in the sample storage unit 221 through the communicating fine channel, and sends the sample to the amplification unit 222.

  On the other hand, the driving liquid injected from the driving liquid injection port 110b pushes out the reagent a stored in the reagent storage unit 220a through the communicating fine channel. The reagent a pushed out from the reagent storage unit 220a is sent to the amplification unit 222 by the driving liquid. Depending on the reaction conditions at this time, it is necessary to set the amplification unit 222 to a predetermined temperature, and as described later, the reaction is performed at a predetermined temperature by heating or absorbing heat inside the housing 82.

  After a predetermined reaction time, a solution containing the sample after reaction sent out from the amplification unit 222 by the driving liquid is injected into the detection unit 111. The injected solution reacts with the reactants carried on the flow path wall of the detection unit 111 and is immobilized on the flow path wall.

  Next, when the driving liquid is injected from the driving liquid injection port 110c, the driving liquid pushes the reagent b stored in the reagent storage unit 220b through the communicating fine channel and injects the reagent b from the micro channel into the detection unit 111. .

  Similarly, when the driving liquid is injected from the driving liquid injection port 110d, the driving liquid pushes the reagent stored in the reagent storage unit 220c through the communicating fine flow path, and injects the reagent from the fine flow path into the detection unit 111.

  Finally, the driving liquid is injected from the driving liquid injection port 110e, the cleaning liquid is pushed out from the cleaning liquid storage unit 223, and is injected into the detection unit 111. The unreacted solution 41 remaining in the detection unit 111 is washed with the washing liquid.

  After washing, the detected substance such as the amplified gene is detected by optically measuring the concentration of the reactant adsorbed on the flow path wall of the detection unit 111. Thus, a predetermined process is performed inside the test chip 1 by sequentially injecting the driving liquid from the driving liquid injection port 110.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an internal configuration of the inspection apparatus 80 according to the embodiment. The inspection device 80 includes a temperature adjustment unit 152, a light detection unit 150, an intermediate flow path unit 180, a micro pump unit 75, packings 90a and 90b, a chip connection unit 8, a driving liquid tank 91, and the like. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those described so far, and description thereof will be omitted.

  FIG. 3 shows a state in which the lower surface of the inspection chip 1 is brought into close contact with the chip connection portion 8 so that the driving liquid injection port 110 and the flow path opening 185 of the chip connection portion 8 communicate with each other. The inspection chip 1 is placed on a chip transport tray 2 (not shown in FIG. 3), and moves in the left-right direction on the paper surface as the chip transport tray 2 moves. When the chip transport tray 2 moves to a position where the driving liquid injection port 110 and the flow path opening 185 can communicate with each other, the pressing plate 3 (not shown in FIG. 3) moves downward in the drawing to press the upper surface of the inspection chip 1. Thus, the driving liquid inlet 110 and the flow path opening 185 are brought into close contact with each other. Further, the temperature adjustment unit 152 is attached to the pressing plate 3 (not shown in FIG. 3), and comes into close contact with the upper surface of the inspection chip 1 when the pressing plate 3 is lowered. The chip transport tray 2 and the pressing plate 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  The temperature adjustment unit 152 is a unit that incorporates a Peltier element, a power supply device, a temperature control device, and the like and adjusts the upper surface of the inspection chip 1 to a predetermined temperature by generating heat or absorbing heat.

  When the inspection chip 1 is transported to the predetermined position by the chip transport tray 2, the detection unit 95 detects the chip transport tray 2 and is turned on.

  The driving liquid injection port 110 of the inspection chip 1 is provided at a position that communicates with a corresponding flow path opening 185 provided in the chip connection portion 8 when the inspection chip 1 and the chip connection portion 8 are brought into close contact with each other. . The intermediate flow path portion 180 includes a transparent first substrate 184 provided with a groove of the intermediate flow path 182 and a transparent second substrate 183 that covers the first substrate 184. One end of the intermediate flow path 182 has a flow path opening. The other end communicates with the flow path opening 186 of the packing 90b. The intermediate flow path 182 communicates with the input / output port 146 of the micro pump unit 75 through the flow path opening 186.

  A driving liquid tank 91 is connected to the suction side of the micropump unit 75 via a packing 90a, and the driving liquid filled in the driving liquid tank 91 is sucked via the packing 90a. On the other hand, since the input / output port 146 provided on the discharge-side end face of the micropump unit 75 communicates with the driving liquid injection port 110 of the test chip 1 via the intermediate flow path 182, the micropump unit 75 is sent out from the micropump unit 75. The driving liquid thus injected is injected from the driving liquid inlet 110 of the inspection chip 1 into the flow path 250 formed in the inspection chip 1. In this way, the driving liquid is injected from the micropump unit 75 into the driving liquid injection port 110.

  The micropump unit 75 is provided with at least one micropump. When the inspection chip 1 illustrated in FIG. 2 is driven, five micropumps MP corresponding to the five driving liquid injection ports 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, and 110e are necessary. Further, the corresponding five flow path openings 186, intermediate flow paths 182 and flow path openings 185 are necessary so that the five micropumps MP communicate with the five driving liquid injection ports 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, and 110e, respectively. is there.

  In the detection unit 111 of the test chip 1, the sample and the reagent stored in the test chip 1 react to cause, for example, coloration, light emission, fluorescence, turbidity, and the like. In the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 2, the reaction result of the reagent that occurs in the detection unit 111 is optically detected. The light detection unit 150 includes a light emitting unit 150a and a light receiving unit 150b, and is arranged so as to be able to detect light transmitted through the detection unit 111 of the test chip 1.

  Next, the cleaning mechanism of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. 4, FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of the chip transport tray 2 provided with the cleaning roller 12, and FIG. 5 is a side view of the chip transport tray 2 provided with the cleaning roller 12. FIG. 5A shows a state in which the chip transport tray 2 has moved to a position where the inspection chip 1 can be placed, and FIG. 5B shows a state in which the chip transport tray 2 is moving. FIG. 5C shows a state in which the driving liquid inlet 110 of the inspection chip 1 on which the chip transport tray 2 is placed and the chip connection portion 8 are brought into close contact with each other and communicated with each other.

  FIG. 4 shows a state in which the inspection chip 1 is placed on the chip transport tray 2, and FIG. 5 (a) corresponds to a side view. The rotating shaft 13 of the cleaning roller 12 shown in FIG. 4 is supported by a support base 14 attached to the chip transport tray 2 and is orthogonal to the moving direction of the chip transport tray 2 indicated by an arrow. Reference numeral 7 denotes an inspection chip positioning base, to which an intermediate flow path 180 and a chip connection portion 8 are attached.

  When the chip transport tray 2 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4, the cleaning roller 12 contacts the chip connection unit 8 and rotates to remove foreign matter or liquid adhering to the chip connection unit 8.

  The material of the cleaning roller 12 is not particularly limited, but a water absorbent resin or sponge can be used.

  As such a water-absorbing resin, preferably, polyvinyl alcohol, polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate, or polyethylene glycol can be used. More preferably, a water-absorbing resin such as a polyvinyl alcohol / polyacrylic acid superabsorbent polymer, a starch / polyacrylic acid graft superabsorbent polymer, or the like can be used.

  The material of the sponge is not particularly limited, but a sponge made of polyurethane, nonwoven fabric, nylon or the like is preferably used.

  In the present invention, since the tip connection portion 8 is cleaned while the cleaning roller 12 rotates, a high water absorption capability can be maintained even if cleaning is performed many times.

  Foreign substances and liquids are likely to adhere to the flow path openings 185 of the chip connection portion 8, and many foreign substances and liquids are adsorbed to the portions corresponding to the flow path openings 185 of the cleaning roller 12 that have passed through the chip connection portions 8. Therefore, in the case where the plurality of flow path openings 185 are provided, the flow path openings 185 are arranged at a predetermined interval or more with respect to the width direction of the cleaning roller 12, so that the cleaning roller 12 The water absorption ability can be fully demonstrated.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, five flow path openings 185 a, 185 b, 185 c, 185 d, and 185 e are arranged at equal intervals d in parallel with the cleaning roller 12. The intervals between the flow passage openings 185a, 185b, 185c, 185d, and 185e are not necessarily equal, but the predetermined distance or more is provided in the width direction of the cleaning roller 12 in consideration of the water absorption capability of the cleaning roller 12. There is a need. The flow path openings 185 a, 185 b, 185 c, 185 d, and 185 e are not necessarily arranged in parallel with the cleaning roller 12 as long as a predetermined interval or more is provided in the width direction of the cleaning roller 12.

  Next, a drive mechanism for driving the chip transport tray 2 and the like will be described with reference to FIG.

  All the drive mechanisms are attached to the base plate 5. 5A and 5B, the pressing plate 3 is lifted upward by the rotating cam follower 4a communicating with the pressing cam 3a provided on the pressing plate 3, and the pressing plate 3 is positioned between the pressing plate 3 and the chip transport tray 2. Shows a state in which there is a gap. The chip transport tray 2 has a gear portion that meshes with the loading pinion gear 9. When the loading pinion gear 9 is driven by the motor 6, the chip conveying tray 2 can move in the left-right direction on the paper surface.

  Here, the operation during loading will be described. When the motor 6 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the chip transport tray 2 moves to the left in the drawing as shown in FIG. FIG. 5B shows a state where the cleaning roller 12 is in contact with the chip connecting portion 8. Thereafter, as the chip transport tray 2 moves, the cleaning roller 12 moves over the chip connection portion 8 while rotating and moves leftward on the paper surface.

  The state of FIG. 5C is a state in which the detection unit 95 is turned on, and the chip transport tray 2 has moved to the position at the time of inspection. Further, the pressing plate driving gear A 10 and the pressing plate driving gear B 11 that rotate in conjunction with the loading pinion gear 9 rotate the rotating cam 4 counterclockwise. The rotating cam follower 4a pushes down the pressing cam 3a to be engaged in the downward direction of the paper, and presses the inspection chip 1 by the pressing plate 3 as shown in FIG. The inspection chip 1 is in close contact with the chip connection portion 8 and the protrusion 7 a and is supported in parallel with the inspection chip positioning base 7. The flow path openings 185a, 185b, 185c, 185d, and 185e corresponding to the driving liquid injection ports 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d, and 110e communicate with each other.

  At the time of discharging, the motor 6 is rotated in the reverse direction to that at the time of loading, and the operation reverse to that at the time of loading described so far is performed.

  That is, the pressing plate 3 rises from the state of FIG. 5C, and the chip transport tray 2 moves to the right in the drawing. As the chip transport tray 2 moves, the cleaning roller 12 moves over the chip connecting portion 8 while moving in the right direction on the paper surface. In this way, the chip connection portion 8 can be cleaned along with the movement of the chip transport tray 2 even during discharge.

  This completes the description of the drive mechanism.

  FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram of the reaction detection device 80 in the embodiment of the present invention.

  The control unit 99 includes a CPU 98 (central processing unit), a RAM 97 (Random Access Memory), a ROM 96 (Read Only Memory), and the like, and reads a program stored in the ROM 96 as a nonvolatile storage unit to the RAM 97. Each part of the reaction detector 80 is centrally controlled according to the program.

  Hereinafter, functional blocks having the same functions as those described so far are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  The mechanism control unit 411 controls the motor 6 to move the chip transport tray 2. The detection unit 95 transmits a detection signal to the CPU 98 when the chip transport tray 2 comes into contact with the detection unit 95. The mechanism control unit 411 stops the motor 6 when receiving the detection signal.

  The pump drive unit 500 is a drive unit that drives the piezoelectric element 112 of each micropump MP. Based on the program, the pump drive control unit 412 controls the pump drive unit 500 to inject or suck a predetermined amount of drive fluid. The pump drive unit 500 receives a command from the pump drive control unit 412 and generates a drive voltage to drive the piezoelectric element 112.

  The CPU 98 performs inspections in a predetermined sequence and stores the inspection results in the RAM 97. The inspection result can be stored in the memory card 501 by the operation of the operation unit 87 or printed by the printer 503.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining drive control of the chip transport tray 2.

  Assume that the mechanism control unit 411 monitors the state of the discharge button 91 at regular intervals.

  S101: This is a step of determining the state of the discharge button 91.

  The mechanism control unit 411 determines the command content from the current state of the chip transport tray 2 when the discharge button 91 is pressed. For example, in the state of FIG. 5A, it is determined that the loading is instructed.

  In the case of discharging (step S101; discharging), the process proceeds to step S102.

  In the case of loading (step S101; loading), the process proceeds to step S110.

  If the discharge button 91 has not been pressed (step S101; No), the process ends.

  S102: A step of discharging the chip transport tray 2.

  The mechanism control unit 411 rotates the motor 6 in the direction in which the chip transport tray 2 is discharged.

  S103: It is a step which cleans a chip | tip connection part.

  As the chip transport tray 2 moves, the cleaning roller 12 moves in the direction of overcoming and discharging the chip connection portion 8 while rotating.

  S104: This is a step of stopping the chip transport tray 2.

  The mechanism control unit 411 detects that a position detection switch (not shown) is turned on, and stops the motor 6.

  This is the end of the processing at the time of discharge.

  S110: a step of loading the chip transport tray 2.

  The mechanism control unit 411 rotates the motor 6 in the direction in which the chip transport tray 2 is loaded.

  S111: This is a step of cleaning the chip connecting portion 8.

  As the chip transport tray 2 moves, the cleaning roller 12 moves in the loading direction over the chip connecting portion 8 while rotating.

  S112: This is a step of stopping the chip transport tray 2.

  The mechanism control unit 411 stops the motor 6 when receiving the detection signal from the detection unit 95.

  This is the end of the loading process.

  As described above, according to the present invention, foreign matter and liquid can be removed with a simple mechanism without scattering foreign matter and liquid, and the chip connection portion communicating with the micropump and the inspection chip can be sufficiently brought into close contact with each other. It is possible to provide an inspection apparatus that can perform the inspection.

It is an external view of the test | inspection apparatus 80 in embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating an example of the test | inspection chip. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of an internal structure of the test | inspection apparatus 80 of embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view of a chip transport tray 2 provided with a cleaning roller 12. It is a side view of the chip conveyance tray 2 provided with the cleaning roller 12. It is a circuit block diagram of the reaction detection apparatus 80 in the embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart for explaining drive control of a chip transport tray 2;

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microchip 2 Chip conveyance tray 3 Press plate 4 Rotating cam 5 Base plate 6 Motor 7 Inspection chip positioning base 8 Chip connection part 9 Loading opinion gear 12 Cleaning roller 80 Inspection apparatus 82 Housing 83 Insertion port 84 Display part 90 Packing 91 Drive Liquid tank 110 Driving liquid inlet 111 Detector 150 Photodetector 152 Liquid temperature adjustment unit

Claims (3)

In a testing device that uses a micropump to inject driving liquid into the driving liquid inlet of the test chip to react the reagent with the sample and measure the reaction result,
A chip connecting portion having a channel opening of a channel for communicating the discharge port of the micropump and the driving liquid injection port;
A chip on which the inspection chip can be placed and a position where the driving liquid injection port of the placed inspection chip and the chip connection portion are in close contact with each other to communicate with each other. A transport tray;
A cleaning roller having a rotation shaft attached to the chip transport tray so as to be orthogonal to the direction of movement of the chip transport tray;
Have
The inspection apparatus, wherein the cleaning roller removes foreign matter or liquid adhering to the chip connection part while rotating while contacting the chip connection part when the chip transport tray moves. The chip connection portion has a plurality of the flow path openings,
The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of flow path openings are arranged at a predetermined interval or more with respect to a width direction of the cleaning roller. The cleaning roller is
3. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inspection apparatus is attached to the chip transport tray so as to clean the chip connection part before the driving liquid injection port and the chip connection part communicate with each other.

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