JP2010145177A - Photometric sensor system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance measuring sensitivity by enhancing the signal sensitivity of a wavelength having a risk of lowering in sensitivity. <P>SOLUTION: A photometric sensor system 5 has: a photometric sensor 52 constituted by two-dimensionally arranging a plurality of photodetectors for detecting the transmitted light from a measuring target, the color filter 51, which includes a plurality of color filters having mutually different color wavelengths in order to spectrally diffract the light entering the respective photodetectors, arranged on the measuring target side of the photometric sensor 52; and a reading part 53 for sequentially reading the signals from the respective photodetectors of the photometric sensor 52. In the color filter 51, a short wavelength colorimetric filter 51S being a color filter having a color wavelength low in the output of a light source 1 is constituted so as to occupy an area wider than that of a color filter having another color wavelength. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a photometric sensor device in an analyzer based on a method of identifying the amount of a component by transmitting light from a light source through a liquid such as blood as a measurement object and measuring a difference in light amount for each color wavelength. .

  Conventionally, a colorimetric method has been used as a method for measuring the amount of each component in blood in a blood analyzer.

For example, in the automatic analyzer disclosed in Patent Document 1, white light is passed through a liquid obtained by reacting a reagent for measuring components and serum in a photometric cell, and the transmitted light is transmitted to the photometric sensor device. Make it incident. In the photometric sensor device, the incident transmitted light is dispersed by a grating, and a photo sensor array is arranged at a position of a dispersion angle with respect to light having a necessary wavelength. The component amount can be measured by reading the signal value of each photosensor in the photosensor array.
JP 59-100822 A

  However, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the wavelength resolution is determined by the dispersion angle of the grating. Therefore, it is not possible to take a means of changing the dispersion angle for a specific wavelength. In blood component analysis, measurement with near-ultraviolet light is important, but due to the spectral characteristics of the light source, the light intensity in the near-ultraviolet region is low and the sensitivity of the photosensor is low. It was difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a photometric sensor device that can increase the signal sensitivity of a wavelength at which a decrease in sensitivity is a concern and can improve the measurement sensitivity. To do.

One aspect of the photometric sensor device of the present invention is an analyzer based on a technique for identifying a component amount by transmitting light from a light source to a liquid as a measurement object and measuring a difference in light amount for each color wavelength. A photometric sensor device comprising:
A photometric sensor unit in which a plurality of light receiving elements that receive transmitted light that has passed through the measurement object are two-dimensionally arranged;
A color filter unit that is arranged on the measurement object side of the photometric sensor unit and includes a plurality of color filters having different color wavelengths to separate light incident on each of the light receiving elements;
A readout unit for sequentially reading out signals from the respective light receiving elements of the photometric sensor unit;
Have
In the color filter unit, the color filter having a color wavelength with a low output of the light source is configured to occupy a larger area than color filters having other color wavelengths.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the photometric sensor apparatus which can raise the signal sensitivity of the wavelength which is a concern about the fall of a sensitivity, and can improve a measurement sensitivity can be provided.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a configuration of a blood analyzer to which a photometric sensor device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  This hematology analyzer is an analyzer based on a technique for identifying the component amount by transmitting light from a light source to a liquid as a measurement object and measuring a difference in light amount for each color wavelength. It is comprised from the condensing part 2, the photometry cell 3, the condensing part 4, the photometry sensor apparatus 5 which concerns on this one embodiment, and the control part which is not shown in figure. Here, the liquid to be measured is a reaction liquid 31 in which a reagent for measuring a component and serum are put into the photometric cell 3 and reacted.

  As the light source 1, for example, a halogen lamp is used, and the light from the light source 1 is condensed on the photometric cell 3 via the condenser 2. The collected light passes through the reaction solution 31 in the photometric cell 3, and light having a specific wavelength is absorbed by the specific substance in the reaction solution 31. By quantifying this change, the amount of the specific substance in the reaction solution 31 can be identified. Therefore, the light transmitted through the photometric cell 3 is guided to the photometric sensor device 5 through the light collecting unit 4.

  The photometric sensor device 5 includes a color filter unit 51, a photometric sensor unit 52, and a reading unit 53, and is preferably shielded so that light other than the transmitted light collected by the light collecting unit 4 does not enter. . The photometric sensor unit 52 is configured by two-dimensionally arranging a plurality of light receiving elements (not shown), and receives the transmitted light transmitted through the photometric cell 3. The color filter unit 51 is disposed on the photometric cell 3 side of the photometric sensor unit 52, and includes a plurality of color filters having different color wavelengths in order to split light incident on each light receiving element of the photometric sensor unit 52. . The reading unit 53 sequentially reads signals from the respective light receiving elements of the photometric sensor unit 52.

  The signal read by the reading unit 53 of the photometric sensor device 5 is supplied to a control unit (not shown), and the component amount is calculated.

FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of a plurality of color filters in the color filter unit 51.
Since the transmitted light guided to the photometric sensor device 5 as described above normally has a circular spot when it reaches the photometric sensor unit 52, in the present embodiment, the color filter unit 51 A number of color filters are arranged concentrically. In FIG. 1 (B), only the color filters for three types of color wavelengths are shown for simplification of the drawing, but actually, for example, the color filters for 13 types of color wavelengths are arranged on concentric circles. Is done.

  Here, the circular spot light received by the photometric sensor unit 52 has a strong light intensity at the center and becomes weaker toward the periphery. Further, the wavelength to be measured usually differs depending on the item to be analyzed. On the other hand, when the halogen lamp is used as the light source 1, the output is reduced at a short wavelength (around 350 nm) as compared to the long wavelength region. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a short wavelength side color filter 51S having a wavelength on the short wavelength side among the plurality of color filters is disposed in the central portion where the light intensity is strong among the spot lights, By disposing a long wavelength side color filter 51L having a wavelength on the long wavelength side in the part, it is possible to compensate for the amount of light received at a wavelength for which a decrease in sensitivity is a concern.

  Further, since the photometric sensor unit 52 is a two-dimensional arrangement of light receiving elements (two-dimensional sensor array), the light receiving area of a specific wavelength can be changed depending on the size of each color filter of the color filter unit 51. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by increasing the area of the short wavelength side color filter 51S to increase the portion where the short wavelength light hits, and gradually decreasing the area toward the long wavelength side color filter 51L. The sensitivity of the short wavelength portion can be improved by reducing the portion where the long wavelength light hits.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on one Embodiment, this invention is not limited to one Embodiment mentioned above, Of course, a various deformation | transformation and application are possible within the range of the summary of this invention. It is.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the short wavelength side color filter 51S is disposed in the center and in a wide area. However, where the color filter having which color wavelength is disposed, and in what area, the light source It is determined by the type of item 1 and the item to be analyzed.

  Further, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the analyzer may be an automatic analyzer having a mechanism for sequentially transporting a plurality of photometric cells 3.

  Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment has been described as an example applied to a blood analyzer that analyzes blood components, the present invention is applicable to any analyzer that analyzes components of other measurement objects by a colorimetric method. Is possible.

(Appendix)
The invention having the following configuration can be extracted from the specific embodiment.

(1) A photometric sensor device in an analyzer based on a technique for identifying a component amount by transmitting light from a light source to a liquid as a measurement object and measuring a difference in light amount for each color wavelength,
A photometric sensor unit in which a plurality of light receiving elements that receive transmitted light that has passed through the measurement object are two-dimensionally arranged;
A color filter unit that is arranged on the measurement object side of the photometric sensor unit and includes a plurality of color filters having different color wavelengths to separate light incident on each of the light receiving elements;
A readout unit for sequentially reading out signals from the respective light receiving elements of the photometric sensor unit;
Have
The photometric sensor device according to claim 1, wherein in the color filter section, the color filter having a low color wavelength of the light source occupies a larger area than the color filters having other color wavelengths.

(Correspondence with corresponding embodiment)
In one embodiment, for example, the light source 1 is the light source, the reaction solution 31 in the photometric cell 3 is the liquid that is the measurement object, the photometric sensor device 5 is the photometric sensor device, and the photometric sensor unit 52 is In the photometric sensor section, the color filter section 51 is in the color filter section, the readout section 53 is in the readout section, the short wavelength side color filter 51S is in the color filter having a low color wavelength of the light source, and the long wavelength side. The color filter 51L corresponds to each of the color filters having the other color wavelengths.

(Function and effect)
According to the photometric sensor device described in (1), it is possible to increase the signal sensitivity of a wavelength for which a decrease in sensitivity is a concern, and to improve the measurement sensitivity.

  (2) The photometric sensor according to (1), wherein in the color filter unit, a color filter having a color wavelength with a low output of the light source is arranged in a central portion of the color filter unit.

(Correspondence with embodiment)
In one embodiment, for example, the short wavelength side color filter 51S corresponds to a color filter having a color wavelength with a low output of the light source.

(Function and effect)
According to the photometric sensor device described in (2), it is possible to arrange a wavelength at which a decrease in sensitivity is a concern at the central portion where the light amount of the light spot is strong, and the measurement sensitivity can be improved.

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a configuration of a blood analyzer to which a photometric sensor device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 1B shows the arrangement of a plurality of color filters in a color filter unit. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

    DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Light source, 2 ... Condensing part, 3 ... Photometry cell, 31 ... Reaction liquid, 4 ... Condensing part, 5 ... Photometric sensor apparatus, 51 ... Color filter part, 51S ... Short wavelength side color filter, 51L ... Long wavelength Side color filter, 52: Photometric sensor unit, 53: Reading unit.

Claims (2)

A photometric sensor device in an analyzer based on a technique for identifying a component amount by transmitting light from a light source to a liquid as a measurement object and measuring a difference in light amount for each color wavelength,
A photometric sensor unit in which a plurality of light receiving elements that receive transmitted light that has passed through the measurement object are two-dimensionally arranged;
A color filter unit that is arranged on the measurement object side of the photometric sensor unit and includes a plurality of color filters having different color wavelengths to separate light incident on each of the light receiving elements;
A readout unit for sequentially reading out signals from the respective light receiving elements of the photometric sensor unit;
Have
The photometric sensor device according to claim 1, wherein in the color filter section, the color filter having a low color wavelength of the light source occupies a larger area than the color filters having other color wavelengths.   2. The photometric sensor device according to claim 1, wherein in the color filter unit, a color filter having a color wavelength with a low output of the light source is disposed in a central portion of the color filter unit.

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