JP2010276444A - Instrument or method for measuring absorbance - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To find absorbance with errors in absorbance owing to large gas bubbles excluded therefrom. <P>SOLUTION: By a controller 7, a plurality of points in a reagent reaction chamber are determined as measurement candidates and a first light emitter 3 is moved to the plurality of measurement candidates while a light emission order is given to the light emitter 3. Further, a second light emitter 4 is relatively moved to the respective measurement candidates while the emission order is given to the light emitter 4. By an arithmetic means 8, measurement points are determined as out-of-object measurement points where the measured absorbance on light of a second wavelength is equal to or more than a threshold stored in a storage means 9. The absorbance of inspecting-object liquid matter is found based on the measured absorbance on a first wavelength at object measurement points other than the out-of-object measurement points. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to correction of absorbance measurement, and in particular, to elimination of influences caused by bubbles.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an inspection instrument 200 for inspecting a body fluid component. FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of such an inspection instrument 200. In the inspection instrument 200, the sample A is supplied from the sample supply port 211 by supplying the sample A to the sample supply port 211 and pressing the plug 205 by finger operation to pressurize the sample A in the supply port. The sample is transferred to the measurement chamber 207 via 281, 208, and 283. A reagent is placed in the measurement chamber 207, and the reagent and the sample A are reacted to measure the color after the reaction.

WO / 2009/034649 Publication

  However, Patent Document 1 has the following problems. When bubbles are mixed in the measurement chamber 207, accurate absorbance cannot be measured. This is because, in the case of minute bubbles, the amount of transmitted light decreases due to scattering of irradiation light, and when there are large bubbles, light is transmitted through that portion, and the amount of transmitted light increases as a whole.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an absorbance measuring apparatus or method for solving the above-mentioned problems and capable of eliminating the influence of bubbles on the absorbance measurement.

  (1) The absorbance measuring apparatus according to the present invention is: A) irradiates a reagent reaction chamber for reacting a liquid to be measured with a reagent, receives light transmitted through the reagent reaction chamber, An absorbance measuring device for determining the absorbance of the liquid to be measured in the reagent reaction chamber based on B) the following b1) first light emitting unit, b2) second light emitting unit, and b3) measuring unit having a light receiving unit, b1) a first light emitting unit that emits light of a first wavelength related to the dye of the liquid material to be measured when a light emission command is given; b2) a second that is different from the first wavelength when given a light emission command. A second light-emitting unit that emits light of a wavelength; b3) a light-receiving unit that receives light of the first wavelength and the second wavelength that has passed through the reagent reaction chamber; and C) when a scanning command is given, Scanning means for scanning on a scanning axis; D) the light emission command and the movement life E) Absorbance measuring apparatus comprising: E) a calculating means for calculating absorbance based on the measurement value of the light receiving unit; and G) the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit are arranged on the scanning axis. H) The scanning axis is arranged so as to cross the reagent reaction chamber, and the control unit repeats the following processes h1) and h2), and h1) the scanning axis. The measurement unit is moved to a position spaced apart by an integral number of the arrangement interval, h2) The phase is shifted to the first light emission unit and the second light emission unit with the moved position as a measurement candidate. The light emission command is given. I) The calculation means has threshold value storage means for storing a threshold value of the measured absorbance of the light having the second wavelength, and the first wavelength and the second wavelength for each measurement candidate point. Calculate the measured absorbance of each wavelength, and calculate the second wavelength Measuring absorbance to determine the measurement point greater than or equal to the threshold value as a non-target measurement point, based on the measurement absorbance by the first wavelength in the subject measurement point other than the target outer measurement point, determining the absorbance of the inspected liquid.

  Thereby, the influence by a big bubble can be excluded and an exact light absorbency can be measured. In addition, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit can have a simple configuration.

  (2) In the absorbance measuring apparatus according to the present invention, A) irradiates a reagent reaction chamber for reacting a liquid to be measured with a reagent, receives light transmitted through the reagent reaction chamber, and sets the amount of received light. An absorbance measuring device for determining the absorbance of the liquid to be measured in the reagent reaction chamber based on B) the following b1) first light emitting unit, b2) second light emitting unit, and b3) measuring unit having a light receiving unit, b1) a first light emitting unit that emits light of a first wavelength related to the dye of the liquid material to be measured when a light emission command is given; b2) a second that is different from the first wavelength when given a light emission command. A second light emitting unit that emits light of a wavelength; b3) a light receiving unit that receives light of the first wavelength and the second wavelength that has passed through the reagent reaction chamber; and C) when a scanning command is given, Scanning means for scanning on a scanning axis; D) the light emission command and the movement life E) Absorbance measuring apparatus comprising: E) a calculating means for calculating absorbance based on the measurement value of the light receiving unit; and G) the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit are arranged on the scanning axis. H) The scanning axis is arranged so as to cross the reagent reaction chamber, and the control unit shifts the phase to the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit. The deviation light emission processing for giving the light emission command is repeated every elapse of a predetermined time, and when the integral multiple of the predetermined time elapses, the measurement unit is moved at a speed that moves by the arrangement interval. Threshold storage means for storing a threshold value of the measured absorbance of the light of the second wavelength, and calculating the measured absorbance of the first wavelength and the second wavelength for each measurement candidate point, Measured absorbance of light Determine the measurement point greater than or equal to the threshold value as a non-target measurement point, based on the measurement absorbance by the first wavelength in the subject measurement point other than the target outer measurement point, determining the absorbance of the inspected liquid.

  Thereby, the influence by a big bubble can be excluded and an exact light absorbency can be measured. In addition, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit can have a simple configuration.

  (3) The method for measuring absorbance according to the present invention comprises: A) irradiating light to a reagent reaction chamber for reacting a liquid to be measured with a reagent, and receiving transmitted light that has passed through the reagent reaction chamber; An absorbance measurement method for determining the absorbance of the liquid to be measured in the reagent reaction chamber based on B) a light emitting command that emits light of a first wavelength related to the dye of the liquid to be measured when given a light emission command. A light emitting unit and a second light emitting unit that emits light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength are arranged at a predetermined arrangement interval on a scanning axis that traverses the reagent reaction chamber; In the absorbance measurement method in which the measurement unit is scanned on the scanning axis, D) repeat the following processing 1) and 2), and 1) leave the scanning axis apart by an integral number of the arrangement interval. 2) Move the measuring unit to the position E) The light emission command is given to the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit by shifting the phase as a measurement candidate. E) The measured absorbances of the first wavelength and the second wavelength are calculated for the respective measurement candidate points. F) determining a measurement point where the measured absorbance of the light of the second wavelength stored in advance is a threshold value or more as a non-target measurement point, and G) measuring the non-target measurement point Based on the measured absorbance at the first wavelength at a target measurement point other than the above, the absorbance of the liquid to be examined is obtained.

  Thereby, the influence by a big bubble can be excluded and an exact light absorbency can be measured. In addition, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit can have a simple configuration.

  (4) In the method for measuring absorbance according to the present invention, A) irradiates light to the reagent reaction chamber in which the liquid to be measured is reacted with the reagent, and receives the transmitted light that has passed through the reagent reaction chamber. An absorbance measurement method for determining the absorbance of the liquid to be measured in the reagent reaction chamber based on B) a light emitting command that emits light of a first wavelength associated with a dye of the liquid to be measured. A light emitting unit and a second light emitting unit that emits light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength are arranged at a predetermined arrangement interval on a scanning axis that traverses the reagent reaction chamber; In the absorbance measurement method of scanning the measuring unit on a scanning axis, D) the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit are arranged on the scanning axis at a predetermined arrangement interval, and E) the above The scanning axis crosses the reagent reaction chamber The dislocation light emission process for giving the light emission command by shifting the phase to the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit is repeated every elapse of a predetermined time, and when the integral multiple of the predetermined time elapses, the arrangement interval F) move the first light-emitting part and the second light-emitting part at a moving speed, F) calculate the measured absorbance of the first wavelength and the second wavelength for each measurement candidate point, and A measurement point where the measurement absorbance of the light of the second wavelength in which the measurement absorbance of light of the second wavelength is stored in advance is determined as a non-target measurement point, and G) the first measurement point at a target measurement point other than the non-target measurement point Based on the measured absorbance by wavelength, the absorbance of the liquid to be examined is determined.

  Thereby, the influence by a big bubble can be excluded and an exact light absorbency can be measured. In addition, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit can have a simple configuration.

  In the present specification, “light having a wavelength related to the pigment of the liquid material to be measured” is a wavelength to be absorbed, and in the embodiment, light having a central wavelength of 630 nm is applicable. In the embodiment, “light having a wavelength other than the wavelength associated with the pigment of the liquid material to be measured” is 810 nm. In this case, the wavelength may be either longer or shorter than the main wavelength.

  Further, “the first and second light emitting units are arranged on the scanning axis” is a concept including not only the case where the centers of the first and second light emitting units are both on the scanning axis, but also cases where they are slightly shifted. It is.

It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the test | inspection instrument 200 of patent document 1. FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the light absorbency measuring device 1 by one embodiment of this invention. This is a hardware configuration when the absorbance measuring apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 2 is realized using a CPU. It is an external view (part) of the light absorbency measuring apparatus 20. FIG. It is a figure which shows a reagent chip | tip. The structure of the light emission part of the light absorbency measuring apparatus 20 is shown. The pulse signal of a light emission part and a light-receiving part is shown. It is a figure explaining the relationship of the measurement position by LED91,92. It is a flowchart of a calculation process. It is an example of data of a measurement result. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the data of FIG. It is a figure which shows a bubble. It is an example of data before and after correction. It is a figure which shows the time course before and behind correction | amendment. It is measurement result data of other measurement objects. It is a figure which shows the arrangement pattern of LED.

1. Functional Block Diagram FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of the absorbance measuring apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Absorbance is the inverse logarithm of the ratio between the amount of light transmitted when the liquid is irradiated with light and the amount of light irradiated. Since the absorbance is proportional to the concentration of the liquid, analysis using this is possible.

  The absorbance measuring device 1 irradiates light to the reagent reaction chamber that reacts the liquid to be measured with the reagent, receives light transmitted through the reagent reaction chamber, and based on the received light quantity, measures the liquid to be measured in the reagent reaction chamber. This is an absorbance measuring device for determining the absorbance of an object, and includes a first light emitting unit 3, a second light emitting unit 4, a light receiving unit 5, a moving unit 6, a control unit 7, and a calculating unit 8.

  When a light emission command is given, the first light emitting unit 3 emits light having a first wavelength related to the dye of the liquid to be measured. The second light emitting unit 4 emits light having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength when a light emission command is given. The light receiving unit 5 receives the light having the first wavelength and the second wavelength transmitted through the reagent reaction chamber. When the moving command is given, the moving means 6 moves the first light emitting unit 3, the second light emitting unit 4, and the light receiving unit 5 relative to the reagent reaction chamber. The control unit 7 determines a plurality of points in the reagent reaction chamber as measurement candidates, moves the first light emitting unit 3 to the plurality of measurement candidates, gives the light emission command, and further supplies a second light to each measurement candidate. The light emitting unit 4 is relatively moved and the light emission command is given.

  The calculating means 8 calculates the absorbance based on the measurement value of the light receiving unit 5. Specifically, it includes a threshold storage unit 9 that stores a threshold of measured absorbance of light of the second wavelength, calculates the measured absorbance of the first wavelength and the second wavelength for each measurement candidate point, A measurement point where the measured absorbance of light of a wavelength is equal to or greater than the threshold stored in the threshold storage unit 9 is determined as a non-target measurement point, and an inspection is performed based on the measured absorbance at the first wavelength at a target measurement point other than the non-target measurement point. Obtain the absorbance of the target liquid.

  In this way, a measurement point having a measured absorbance by the second wavelength that is equal to or greater than the threshold is determined as a non-target measurement point, and the inspection target is based on the measured absorbance by the first wavelength at a target measurement point other than the non-target measurement point. Obtain the absorbance of the liquid. Here, the light having the first wavelength is a wavelength related to the pigment of the liquid material to be measured, and the second wavelength is light having a wavelength different from the first wavelength. Therefore, the second light emitting unit 4 emits light having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength when a light emission command is given. In this way, by measuring with an LED having a wavelength different from that of the LED for measuring the absorbance, as will be described later, it is possible to obtain an absorbance that excludes an error in absorbance due to a large bubble.

2. Hardware Configuration Next, the hardware configuration of the absorbance measurement apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is an example of a hardware configuration of the absorbance measuring apparatus 1 configured using a CPU.

  The absorbance measurement apparatus 1 includes a CPU 23, a RAM 27, a ROM 26, a display unit 30, a switch unit 31, an I / O port 36, and a bus line 29. The CPU 23 controls each unit via the bus line 29 according to each program stored in the ROM 26.

  The ROM 26 includes an operating system program (hereinafter abbreviated as OS) 26o, a threshold storage unit 26h, and a main program 26p. As will be described later, the threshold storage unit 26h stores a threshold for sub-wavelength.

  The I / O port 36 is connected to a measuring instrument 41, a scanning mechanism 45 that scans the measuring instrument 41, and a two-dimensional code reader 43. As will be described later, the measuring instrument 41 has a light emitting part and a light receiving part, and measures the reagent absorbance in a reagent chip that is a reagent holding member. The two-dimensional code reader 43 reads data recorded in the two-dimensional code of the reagent chip. The switch unit 31 is an input means for a user to input commands such as start of various processes in the absorbance measurement apparatus 1. Data from the measuring instrument 41 and the two-dimensional code reader 43 is given to the CPU 23 via the I / O port 36a.

  Details of processing by the main program 26p will be described later. In the present embodiment, an embedded real-time OS conforming to the μITRON specification is used as the operating system program (OS) 26o. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  FIG. 4 shows an external view of the absorbance measuring apparatus 1. In the absorbance measuring apparatus 1, a reagent chip 61 that is a reagent holding member is placed on a heater 53.

  The structure of the reagent chip 61 will be described with reference to FIG. The structure of the reagent chip 61 is substantially the same as that of Patent Document 1 except that there are a plurality of reaction chambers. Specifically, in the reagent chip 61, when blood to be measured or the like is introduced into the opening 63 and pressure is applied with a cap (not shown), the introduced blood is separated into blood cells and plasma by a filter (not shown). The separated plasma is sent into the reaction chambers 71 to 78 through a fine channel. A reaction reagent is applied to the reaction chamber, and the fed plasma mixes with the lumbar. The reaction chambers 71 to 78 are made of a material having transparency so that the absorbance can be measured by the light emitting unit 57 and the light receiving unit 55 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the dimensions of each reaction chamber are p3 = 1.6 mm and p4 = 1.8 mm.

  The light emitting unit 57 shown in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIG. The light emitting unit 57 includes two LEDs 91 and 92 arranged on the scanning axis 141 at a distance P20 (P20 = 0.4 mm in the present embodiment). The LEDs 91 and 92 have center wavelengths of 630 nm and 810 nm, respectively.

  The block 56 to which the light emitting unit 57 and the light receiving unit 55 shown in FIG. 4 are fixed is scanned by the rack and pinion 59 in the depth direction of FIG. The rack and pinion 59 is controlled so that the block 56 moves at a constant speed by a motor (not shown). Such a motor is controlled by the CPU 23 and the main program in FIG. Thereby, the absorbance of the eight reaction chambers can be measured with one set of light receiving unit and light emitting unit.

  After the reagent chip 61 is placed on the heater 53 (see FIG. 4) and sent to the reaction chamber by a cap (not shown), the CPU 23 gives a light emission command to the light emitting unit 57.

  Light passing through the reaction chamber is measured by the light receiving unit 55. The measurement value measured by the light receiving unit is given to the CPU 23, and the CPU 23 obtains the absorbance. The CPU 23 displays the measurement result based on the measured absorbance. Since the display of the measurement result is the same as the conventional one, the description is omitted.

  The light emission timing will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7A, the CPU 23 gives a pulse to the LED 91 that repeats light emission for 0.5 milliseconds every 0.5 milliseconds as a light emission command. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, the CPU 23 gives a pulse whose phase is shifted by 0.5 milliseconds from the LED 91 to the LED 92 as a light emission command. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, the LEDs 91 and 92 emit light for a predetermined time at predetermined intervals.

  Light passing through the reaction chamber is measured by the light receiving unit 55. The amount of light received by the light receiver 55 is shown in FIG. 7C. Thus, no light reception is detected in the region 103 in FIG. 5C at the timing of light emission in FIGS. 5A and 5B. This indicates light emission outside the reaction chamber. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the width of one reaction chamber in the direction of the scanning axis 141 is 1.6 mm. The irradiation spot diameter of the LEDs 91 and 92 is 0.8 mm in diameter, and the scanning speed and the light emission timing are determined so that the LED 91 and the LED 92 emit light whenever they move 0.1 mm. Therefore, if there is no color unevenness in the reaction chamber, the amount of received light gradually increases until the irradiation spot moves. If the irradiation spot is all located within the width of the reaction chamber, the amount of light received changes, and when the spot diameter is located on the opposite side of the reaction chamber and goes outward, the amount of received light gradually decreases. Further, since the width of the reaction chamber is 1.6 mm and the light emission interval is 0.1 mm, about 14 light receptions are detected with respect to one reaction chamber by one LED.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the light emission timings of the LEDs 91 and 92 are shifted by 0.5 milliseconds. The CPU 23 distributes the received light as shown in FIGS. 7D and 7E based on the light emission timing. Thereby, it can be judged whether it is light reception based on the irradiation light from two LED91,92.

  As already described, in the present embodiment, the arrangement pitch P20 of the LEDs 91 and 92 is 0.4 mm. Further, the LED 91 and the LED 92 emit light every time they move 0.1 mm. In this manner, the LEDs 91 and 92 emit light at substantially the same point by causing the LEDs 91 and 92 to emit light by moving by an integral number of the arrangement pitch (in this case, 1/4 times). Measurement of the same point will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows the positional relationship of the LEDs 91 and 92 with respect to points Po1 to Po14 separated by an interval of 0.1 mm. The point Po1 is the foremost position in the scanning direction in the reaction chamber. When the LED 91 is located at the point Po1, the LED 92 is located at a point (not shown) that is 0.4 mm away from the arrow 95 on the opposite side. When the LED 91 emits light at the point Po1, the irradiation light of the LED 91 at Po1 is measured by the light receiving unit. The LED 92 emits light with a delay of 0.5 milliseconds, but is not detected because it is outside the width of the reaction chamber. Since the LEDs 91 and 92 are scanned at a constant speed in the direction of the arrow 95, when a predetermined time elapses, the LEDs 91 and 92 move to a point Po2 that is 0.1 mm away from the point Po1. At this timing, the LED 91 emits light. Thereby, the irradiation light at the point Po2 is measured by the light receiving unit. The LED 92 emits light with a delay of 0.5 milliseconds, but is not detected because it is outside the width of the reaction chamber. Similarly, the amount of light received by the LED 91 is measured at the point Po3.

  When the LED 91 moves to the point Po4, the LED 91 emits light. Thereby, the irradiation light of LED91 in point Po4 is measured by a light-receiving part. Further, the LED 92 emits light with a shift of 0.5 milliseconds. Thereby, the irradiation light of LED92 in point Po1 is measured by a light-receiving part. As described above, at the point Po1, the irradiation light from the LED 92 is received with a delay in time series from the detection of the LED 91. As described above, the light emission timing distance is set to 1 / integer of the arrangement pitch of the two LEDs, and the measurement values at the same point are combined and stored, whereby the light emitted from the LEDs 91 and 92 at each point can be measured by the light receiving unit.

  Thereafter, in the same manner, measurement by the points Po3, Po4,..., The main wavelength and the sub wavelength is obtained.

  Since the light emission timings of the LED 91 and the LED 92 are shifted by 0.5 milliseconds, the measurement point is shifted by that amount. For example, when the scanning speed is 55 mm / second, it is 0.03 mm. Since the spot diameter of emitted light is 0.8 mm, there is substantially no influence.

3. Arithmetic Processing In this embodiment, as already described, the width of the reaction chamber is 1.6 mm, the light emission interval is 0.1 mm, and the light emission spot diameter is 0.8 mm. Therefore, among the measurement points measured in one reaction chamber, the light emission spot diameters are all located in the reaction chamber at the nine points before and after the center, but the others are located outside the reaction chamber. It becomes. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the center of the reaction chamber is determined from the fluctuation of the measured amount of received light, and the light received at a total of nine measurement points including the central measurement value and the measurement values at the four measurement points before and after the central measurement value. From the value, the absorbance of the reagent in the reactant is obtained.

  Such calculation processing will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that “0.12” is adopted as the value stored in the threshold storage unit 26h. In addition, what is necessary is just to determine an appropriate value for this threshold value by the diameter, thickness, etc. of a reaction chamber.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, triglyceride was employ | adopted as a detection target. Since triglyceride uses light having a central wavelength of 630 nm, an LED 91 having a central wavelength of 630 nm was selected as the first wavelength (main wavelength), and an LED 92 having a central wavelength of 810 nm was selected as the second wavelength (subwavelength).

  CPU23 calculates | requires the light absorbency of a main wavelength and a sub wavelength about all the measurement points (step S101). Here, it is assumed that measurement point points Po1 to Po14 are detected.

  CPU23 determines the measurement point to start and the measurement point to complete | finish based on the light absorbency of subwavelength (step S102). The determination of the absorbance from the measured value is the same as in the prior art, so the description is omitted. The detection method of the start measurement point and the end measurement point may be performed as follows. As for the absorbance due to the sub-wavelength, the absorbance decreases from the upper limit value as the measurement point advances, and the received light amount eventually becomes the upper limit value although it fluctuates. A measurement point that is the next upper limit value may be extracted from the upper limit value, and set as a start measurement point and an end measurement point, respectively.

  CPU23 determines a central point (step S103). The center of the start measurement point and the end measurement point may be determined as a central point. Here, it is assumed that the point po8 shown in FIG. 8 is determined as the central point.

  The CPU 23 sets a point that is a predetermined number away from the center of the central point po8 as a candidate measurement point (step S104 in FIG. 9). In the present embodiment, since the predetermined number is “4”, the measurement points po4 to po12 are candidate measurement points.

  In FIG. 10, the measurement result of the light absorbency by the main wavelength and subwavelength in nine measurement points po4-po12 in 300 seconds after reaction is shown about sample Nos. 1-4. FIG. 11 is a graph of this. Thus, at some of the nine measurement points, the tendency of the main wavelength and the sub wavelength is almost opposite. For example, in FIG. 11A, at points po5 to po8, the main wavelength has a small absorbance, and the sub-wavelength has a large absorbance. The same applies to the other FIGS. 11B and 11C.

  Regarding the difference in absorbance tendency between the main wavelength and the sub wavelength, the present invention considered as follows. As shown in FIG. 12A, the reaction chamber in this embodiment has a small reaction chamber 207 diameter (p3 = 1.6 mm) and a thin reaction chamber thickness t of about 0.15 mm. Therefore, not only small bubbles 122 but also large bubbles 121 that exist in the thickness direction may be generated. Regarding the measurement error of the absorbance due to the large bubbles 121 and the small bubbles 122, there is a tendency between light of the central wavelength (light of the main wavelength) absorbed by the dye to be measured and light of the other wavelengths (light of the sub wavelength). Different.

  First, since the sub-wavelength light is non-measurement target light for the dye, it is not affected by the dye. That is, since the dye does not attenuate light, the absorbance should theoretically be zero in the first place. However, if there are small bubbles, the light reflected by the bubbles increases, and as a result, the light passing through decreases. Therefore, if there is a region for only small bubbles, it becomes a fluctuation value of absorbance due to bubbles. On the other hand, in a large bubble portion, light is reflected by the inner interface of the bubble, and as a result, the amount of transmitted light is reduced, thereby increasing the absorbance.

  The same phenomenon occurs with light of the dominant wavelength. That is, if there are small bubbles, the light reflected by the bubbles will increase and consequently the light passing through will decrease. However, with respect to light of the dominant wavelength, light is further reflected by the inner interface of the bubble in the large bubble portion. Here, since the dominant wavelength is light for measurement with respect to the dye, if it is a part other than the bubble, it is affected by the dye and a considerable amount is absorbed. However, a large bubble portion such as the bubble 121 is in the same state as color loss, and a considerable amount of light is transmitted. The increase due to such color loss is considerably larger than the degree of reflection at the interface, and the reflection of light by the inner interface at the substantially large bubble portion is absorbed. Thereby, the tendency of the main wavelength and the sub wavelength is reversed.

  The CPU 23 excludes measurement points whose sub-wavelengths exceed a predetermined threshold from measurement candidates (step S105 in FIG. 9). In this case, since “0.12” is stored as the threshold value, the CPU 23 excludes the measurement points po5 to po8 having a value larger than this if the sample is No1.

  The CPU 23 calculates the average value of the main wavelength and the sub wavelength for the remaining candidates (step S106 in FIG. 9). In this case, since the sample No. 1 is a candidate for which the measurement points po4 and po9 to po12 remain, the absorbances “0.5293”, “0.5318”, “0.5275”, and “0” of the main wavelengths at these points. .5216 ”and“ 0.5235 ”, the average value“ 0.5267 ”is obtained. Similarly, “0.0698” is acquired for the sub-wavelength.

  The CPU 23 subtracts the average value of the absorbance at the sub wavelength from the average value of the absorbance at the main wavelength obtained in step S106 (step S107). The average value of the absorbance at the sub-wavelength is a fluctuation value due to small bubbles as described above, because the fluctuation value exists for the main wavelength by the same value.

  As described above, the position of the large bubble is estimated from the measurement result of the sub-wavelength, and the absorbance of the reagent in the reaction chamber is obtained from the measurement result at the measurement point other than the position where the large bubble is present. At that time, the measurement result of the sub-wavelength at the measurement point other than the position where the large bubble is present is an influence due to the small bubble, so that the subtraction is made accordingly. Thereby, since the reflection error by a small bubble can be removed using the data of the measurement point where a big bubble does not exist, a more exact light absorbency can be calculated | required.

  FIG. 13 shows the difference in absorbance before and after correction. As described above, by the process of step S105 in FIG. 9, the average can be obtained by eliminating the missing color portion.

  FIG. 14 shows a reaction time course in which the reaction time is shown on the X axis and the amount of change in absorbance is shown on the Y axis. The graph shown by the solid line is the reaction time course after correction, and the graph shown by the wavy line is the correction time course before correction. Thus, a preferable value is obtained with the passage of time after correction.

  This is because when a sample is introduced into the reaction chamber, a specific component in the sample reacts, and as a result, the color former is colored. This is because such a reaction proceeds gradually and the absorbance increases with time.

  Before the correction, it is thought that the absorbance changed abruptly due to “large bubbles”, but this was not generated at this point, but the large bubbles moved on the scan axis. Conceivable.

  In addition, about the measured value of a main wavelength, the same effect as this invention may be acquired by removing the measured value of the point where the value is changing greatly. For example, there is no variation in pigments. On the other hand, there are the following merits by determining that the bubble is a large bubble at the measurement point where the sub-wavelength is equal to or greater than the predetermined absorbance as in the present embodiment. Unlike triglyceride as a measurement target in the present embodiment, uneven coloring occurs in glucose and the like. In the case of a reagent having such coloring unevenness, the absorbance is calculated by obtaining an average value of a plurality of measurement results. Therefore, if a point where the value of the main wavelength greatly fluctuates is excluded from the measurement target, it is impossible to deal with such color unevenness. When the method of determining whether or not to set the measurement point based on the sub-wavelength as in the present embodiment is adopted, the absorbance can be determined by removing only a portion that is a large bubble. This is because the measurement result of the sub-wavelength does not change for uneven coloring. FIG. 15 shows the measurement result of glucose. As described above, by using the sub-wavelength, even when the main wavelength does not vary due to specific absorbance, even a large bubble can be dealt with.

  In the present embodiment, light is emitted without stopping movement (scanning). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and control may be performed so as to stop after moving to the measurement point and emit the main wavelength and the sub wavelength and then move. In this case, the problem of deviation between the main wavelength and the sub wavelength is eliminated. For such control, a control program may be stored in the hard disk 26 and controlled by the CPU 23.

  In the present embodiment, one reaction chamber has been described, but the absorbance can be similarly calculated by repeating this for a plurality of reaction chambers.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the measurement point is shifted by the amount of deviation in the light emission timing between the LED 91 and the LED 92 has been described. However, the shift distance is calculated from the deviation time of the scanning speed and the light emission timing, and that amount is calculated. Only the arrangement interval may be adjusted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the case where the centers of the main wavelength and sub wavelength LEDs are arranged on the scanning axis 141 without shifting is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two LEDs may be arranged substantially on the scanning axis even when the center is shifted. The degree of such deviation is allowed to the following value.

  In the present invention, when large bubbles exist in the reagent reaction chamber, a problem of color loss occurs, and therefore, it is intended to prevent an adverse effect due to such large bubbles. Bubbles that cause such color loss are present in the reagent reaction chamber in a thickness (depth direction) or larger. When such bubbles are viewed in the optical axis direction, the diameter is not less than the thickness t. Since it is only necessary to detect bubbles having such a diameter, as shown in FIG. 16, the deviation p30 in the scanning axis is allowed.

  In the present embodiment, the case where a thickness (depth direction) in the reagent reaction chamber or a size larger than that in the reagent reaction chamber is present in the reagent reaction chamber has been described. Similarly, when color loss occurs even with bubbles slightly smaller than the thickness, this can be eliminated.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the main wavelength and sub wavelength LEDs are set to 630 nm and 810 nm has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Since the central wavelength to be detected differs depending on the reagent, when detecting the absorbance of another reagent, there are cases where the main wavelength and the sub wavelength are reversed, and further, an LED having another wavelength is used.

  When three LEDs are used, the three LEDs may be arranged side by side on the scanning axis as in the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the measuring instrument 41 is scanned has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, light is emitted to a plurality of locations with an optical fiber or the like, and the light receiving unit receives the light. Also good.

  The measurement may be performed by a terminal, transferred to a server, and the correction process may be performed by a center computer.

  In the above embodiment, in order to realize each function, a CPU is used and this is realized by software. However, some or all of them may be realized by hardware such as a logic circuit.

  In addition, you may make it make an operating system (OS) process a part of said program.

Claims (4)

A) Light is irradiated to the reagent reaction chamber for reacting the measurement target liquid substance with the reagent, and the transmitted light transmitted through the reagent reaction chamber is received. Based on the received light amount, the measurement target liquid substance in the reagent reaction chamber An absorbance measuring device for obtaining absorbance,
B) The following b1) first light emitting part, b2) second light emitting part, and b3) measuring part having a light receiving part,
b1) When a light emission command is given, a first light emitting unit that emits light of a first wavelength related to the pigment of the liquid material to be measured;
b2) a second light emitting unit that emits light having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength when a light emission command is given;
b3) a light receiving unit that receives the light having the first wavelength and the second wavelength that has passed through the reagent reaction chamber;
C) a scanning unit that scans the measuring unit on a scanning axis when a scanning command is given;
D) a control unit that gives the light emission command and the movement command;
E) Calculation means for calculating the absorbance based on the measurement value of the light receiving unit,
F) with an absorbance measuring device comprising:
G) The first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit are arranged on the scanning axis at a predetermined arrangement interval,
H) The scanning axis is arranged to cross the reagent reaction chamber, and the control unit repeats the following processes h1) and h2),
h1) moving the measuring unit on the scanning axis to a position spaced apart by an integral number of the arrangement interval,
h2) Giving the light emission command by shifting the phase to the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit with the moved position as a measurement candidate,
I) The calculation means includes threshold storage means for storing a threshold value of the measured absorbance of the light of the second wavelength, and the measured absorbances of the first wavelength and the second wavelength for the respective measurement candidate points, respectively. Calculating a measurement point where the measured absorbance of the light of the second wavelength is equal to or greater than the threshold as a non-target measurement point, and based on the measured absorbance by the first wavelength at a target measurement point other than the non-target measurement point, Obtaining the absorbance of the liquid to be examined;
Absorbance measuring apparatus characterized by. A) Light is irradiated to the reagent reaction chamber for reacting the measurement target liquid substance with the reagent, and the transmitted light transmitted through the reagent reaction chamber is received. Based on the received light amount, the measurement target liquid substance in the reagent reaction chamber An absorbance measuring device for obtaining absorbance,
B) The following b1) first light emitting part, b2) second light emitting part, and b3) measuring part having a light receiving part,
b1) When a light emission command is given, a first light emitting unit that emits light of a first wavelength related to the pigment of the liquid material to be measured;
b2) a second light emitting unit that emits light having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength when a light emission command is given;
b3) a light receiving unit that receives the light having the first wavelength and the second wavelength that has passed through the reagent reaction chamber;
C) a scanning unit that scans the measuring unit on a scanning axis when a scanning command is given;
D) a control unit that gives the light emission command and the movement command;
E) Calculation means for calculating the absorbance based on the measurement value of the light receiving unit,
F) with an absorbance measuring device comprising:
G) The first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit are arranged on the scanning axis at a predetermined arrangement interval,
H) The scanning axis is arranged so as to cross the reagent reaction chamber, and the control unit performs a deviation light emission process for giving the light emission command by shifting the phase to the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit. It repeats every elapse of time and moves the measuring unit at a speed that moves by the arrangement interval when an integral multiple of the predetermined time has elapsed.
I) The calculation means includes threshold storage means for storing a threshold value of the measured absorbance of the light of the second wavelength, and the measured absorbances of the first wavelength and the second wavelength for the respective measurement candidate points, respectively. Calculating a measurement point where the measured absorbance of the light of the second wavelength is equal to or greater than the threshold as a non-target measurement point, and based on the measured absorbance by the first wavelength at a target measurement point other than the non-target measurement point, Obtaining the absorbance of the liquid to be examined;
Absorbance measuring apparatus characterized by. A) Light is irradiated to the reagent reaction chamber for reacting the measurement target liquid substance with the reagent, and the transmitted light transmitted through the reagent reaction chamber is received. Based on the received light amount, the measurement target liquid substance in the reagent reaction chamber An absorbance measurement method for obtaining absorbance,
B) When a light emission command is given, a first light emitting unit that emits light of a first wavelength related to the dye of the liquid material to be measured and a second light emission that emits light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength Are arranged at predetermined arrangement intervals on a scanning axis that crosses the reagent reaction chamber,
C) In an absorbance measurement method for scanning the measurement unit on a scan axis when a scan command is given,
D) Repeat the following processing 1) and 2),
1) The measurement unit is moved to a position spaced apart by an integral number of the arrangement interval on the scanning axis.
2) Using the moved position as a measurement candidate, giving the light emission command by shifting the phase to the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit.
E) Calculate the measured absorbance of the first wavelength and the second wavelength for each measurement candidate point,
F) The measurement absorbance of the light of the second wavelength is determined as a measurement point where the measurement absorbance of the light of the second wavelength stored in advance is not less than a threshold,
G) obtaining the absorbance of the liquid to be examined based on the measured absorbance at the first wavelength at a target measurement point other than the non-target measurement point;
An absorbance measurement method characterized by the above. A) Light is irradiated to the reagent reaction chamber for reacting the measurement target liquid substance with the reagent, and the transmitted light transmitted through the reagent reaction chamber is received. Based on the received light amount, the measurement target liquid substance in the reagent reaction chamber An absorbance measurement method for obtaining absorbance,
B) When a light emission command is given, a first light emitting unit that emits light of a first wavelength related to the dye of the liquid material to be measured and a second light emission that emits light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength Are arranged at predetermined arrangement intervals on a scanning axis that crosses the reagent reaction chamber,
C) In an absorbance measurement method for scanning the measurement unit on a scan axis when a scan command is given,
D) The first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit are arranged on the scanning axis at a predetermined arrangement interval,
E) The scanning axis is arranged so as to cross the reagent reaction chamber, and a deviation light emission process for giving the light emission command by shifting the phase to the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit is repeated every predetermined time. And moving the first light emitting unit and the second light emitting unit at a speed that moves by the arrangement interval when an integral multiple of the predetermined time has elapsed,
F) The measured absorbance of the first wavelength and the second wavelength is calculated for each measurement candidate point, and the measured absorbance of the light of the second wavelength in which the measured absorbance of the light of the second wavelength is stored in advance is a threshold value. The above measurement points are determined as non-target measurement points,
G) obtaining the absorbance of the liquid to be examined based on the measured absorbance at the first wavelength at a target measurement point other than the non-target measurement point;
An absorbance measurement method characterized by the above.

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