JP2011232274A - Inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspection device capable of reducing an installation area.SOLUTION: An inspection device 1 includes a principal axis 4 extending in the direction intersecting with the direction perpendicular to an installation surface. When the principal axis 4 rotates around an axis line, an extension body 10 which extends from the principal axis 4 in a direction intersecting with the axial direction of the principal axis 4 also rotates. On the extension body 10, a chip holder 20 which holds an inspection chip 40 at a position separated from the principal axis 4 is installed. Rotation of the principal axis 4 gives the inspection chip 40 a centrifugal force acting in a direction perpendicular to the principal axis 4.

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus for performing chemical, medical, and biological inspections. Specifically, the present invention relates to an inspection apparatus that holds a test object receptacle at a position separated from a rotation shaft and applies a centrifugal force by rotating the test object receptor.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an inspection apparatus that inspects a biological substance, a chemical substance, and the like using an inspection target receptacle called a microchip or an inspection chip has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By using such an inspection apparatus, DNA (Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid), enzyme, antigen, antibody, protein, virus, cell, etc. can be detected or quantified.

  In the inspection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a microchip is installed horizontally on a horizontal disk-shaped planetary gear. The planetary gear revolves around another main axis while rotating around one main axis. Thereby, centrifugal force is applied to the microchip while the centrifugal direction is appropriately switched. After the microchip is centrifuged, the microchip is stopped at a predetermined position, and light is incident from the light source to the absorbance portion of the microchip. When the detector receives light transmitted through the microchip, the detector calculates an inspection result based on the amount of light received.

JP 2008-8875 A

  In the above inspection apparatus, the microchip installed on the planetary gear revolves horizontally around the rotation axis extending in the vertical direction. Therefore, the inspection apparatus needs to include a circular region that spreads horizontally around the rotation axis as a space for rotating the planetary gear. As a result, the casing of the inspection apparatus becomes large in the horizontal direction, and as a result, the installation area of the inspection apparatus may increase.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide an inspection apparatus capable of reducing the installation area.

  An inspection apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention rotates an inspection object receiver on which a liquid circuit capable of moving a liquid to be inspected is formed, and moves the liquid in the liquid circuit by centrifugal force. A main shaft that extends in a direction intersecting the direction perpendicular to the apparatus installation surface and is rotatable about an axis, a drive unit that rotates the main shaft about the axis, and an axial direction of the main shaft from the main shaft Extending in a direction intersecting with the main shaft, and rotating with the rotation of the main shaft, and a receiver holding portion that is provided at a position away from the main shaft in the extension portion and holds the inspection target receiver. It has.

  According to this, the main shaft extends in a direction intersecting with the direction orthogonal to the apparatus installation surface. When the main shaft rotates around the axis, the extending portion extending from the main shaft in a direction intersecting with the axial direction of the main shaft also rotates. The extension part is provided with a receiver holding part that holds the test object receiver at a position separated from the main shaft. By the rotation of the main shaft, a centrifugal force acting in a direction perpendicular to the main shaft is applied to the test object receptacle. Therefore, it can suppress that the housing of a test | inspection apparatus becomes large in a horizontal direction, and can reduce the installation area of a test | inspection apparatus by extension.

  In the inspection apparatus according to the aspect described above, the extending portion is swingable about a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the main shaft, with a portion connected to the main shaft as a fulcrum, and the extending portion is swung. By doing so, you may provide the angle adjustment means which adjusts the extension angle from the said main axis | shaft of the said extension part. In this case, by adjusting the extension angle of the extension portion from the main shaft, the magnitude of the centrifugal force applied to the test subject receptacle can be adjusted while keeping the rotation speed of the main shaft constant.

  In the inspection apparatus according to the above aspect, the angle adjusting unit may be configured such that the receiver holding unit maintains the formation direction of the liquid circuit horizontally before the inspection target receiver is held by the receiver holding unit. The extension angle may be adjusted to the first angle so as to be in a first state in which the inspection object receptacle can be held. In this case, the inspector can hold the receiving object to be inspected and hold the receiving object in the receiving body holding part.

  In the inspection apparatus according to the aspect described above, the angle adjustment unit may be configured such that, after the centrifugal force is applied to the inspection object receiver, the reception object holding unit maintains the formation direction of the liquid circuit perpendicularly. The extension angle may be adjusted to the second angle so that the second state in which the receiver can be held is obtained. In this case, it is possible to suppress a change in the direction of the external force applied to the inspection target receptacle after the centrifugation of the inspection target receptacle is completed.

  In the inspection apparatus according to the above aspect, the smaller third angle among the angles formed by the axial direction of the main shaft and the apparatus installation surface may be greater than 0 ° and not greater than 45 °. . In this case, the installation area of the inspection apparatus can be further reduced.

  In the inspection apparatus according to the above aspect, the fourth angle, which is the smaller of the angles formed between the axial direction of the main shaft and the device installation surface, is 45 °, and the extension portion is connected to the main shaft. The fifth angle formed by the portion extending from the portion to be installed toward the device installation surface and the extending direction of the extending portion may be 45 °. In this case, the installation area of the inspection apparatus can be reduced most efficiently. In addition, the inspector can hold the test object receiver horizontally while holding it on the receiver holder. Furthermore, it can suppress that the direction of the external force given to a test object receptacle changes after the centrifugation process of a test object receptacle is complete | finished.

It is a top view of inspection device 1 concerning a first embodiment. 2 is a left side view of the inspection apparatus 1. FIG. It is the figure which expanded the connection part of the main axis | shaft 4 and the extension body 10 which are shown in FIG. It is the left view which expanded the connection part of the main axis | shaft 4 and the extension body 10 at the time of rotating the main axis | shaft 4 180 degrees from the state shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the inspection apparatus 1 when the main shaft 4 is rotated 180 ° from the state shown in FIG. 2. It is a top view of the test | inspection chip 40 before a centrifugation process. 4 is a flowchart of main processing executed by the inspection apparatus 1. It is a top view of the test | inspection chip 40 after a centrifugation process. It is a left view of the inspection apparatus 100 based on 2nd embodiment. FIG. 10 is a left side view of the inspection apparatus 100 when the main shaft 4 is rotated 180 ° from the state shown in FIG. 9.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings to be referred to are used to explain technical features that can be adopted by the present invention, and are merely illustrative examples.

  The inspection apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the inspection apparatus 1 uses the inspection chip 40 that can accommodate a liquid to be inspected (hereinafter referred to as a specimen) and a liquid mixed with the specimen (hereinafter referred to as a reagent). The case where it is performed is illustrated.

  The structure of the inspection apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the upper, lower, right, and left sides in FIG. 1 are the right side, left side, front side, and rear side of the inspection apparatus 1, respectively. The upper, lower, right, and left sides in FIG. 2 are the upper, lower, front, and rear of the inspection apparatus 1, respectively. For ease of understanding, FIG. 2 shows only the base 2 in a cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow in the XX line shown in FIG. 3 and 4, the vicinity of the shaft pin 12 in the main shaft 4 is shown in a cutaway view. 4 and 5 show a state in which the main shaft 4 is rotated 180 ° from the state shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inspection device 1 includes a base 2 that is placed on a horizontal installation surface. The base 2 is a plate-like body having a rectangular shape in plan view with the longitudinal direction of the inspection apparatus 1 as the longitudinal direction. On the upper surface side of the base portion 2, a support portion 3 that is a hollow box-like body is provided. The support part 3 is formed of a rear wall 31, a front wall 32, a top wall 33, and a pair of side walls (not shown). The rear wall 31 is a wall portion that extends vertically upward along the rear edge of the base portion 2. The front wall 32 is a wall portion that extends obliquely upward from the rear side of the base portion 2 from a slightly rear side at a substantially central position in the front-rear direction. The top wall 33 is a wall portion that extends horizontally across the upper end edge of the rear wall 31 and the upper end edge of the front wall 32.

  A motor 5 is provided on the front side of the front wall 32. The motor 5 includes a shaft 6 that can rotate about an axis. The shaft 6 protrudes toward the front wall 32 and passes through a hole 34 formed in the front wall 32. A pulley 7 is fixed coaxially with the shaft 6 at the tip of the shaft 6. The tip end portion of the shaft 6 (in other words, the pulley 7) is rotatably arranged inside the support portion 3.

  Above the base 2 is provided a main shaft 4 that can rotate about an axis. The main shaft 4 is an elongated cylindrical body extending in a direction intersecting with a direction (specifically, a vertical direction) orthogonal to the installation surface of the inspection apparatus 1. Specifically, the main shaft 4 extends through the front wall 32 from the inside of the support portion 3 and extends upward on the front side. The main shaft 4 is rotatably supported by a support fitting 35 provided on the front wall 32. A pulley 8 is fixed coaxially to the main shaft 4 at the rear end portion of the main shaft 4. The rear end portion (in other words, the pulley 8) of the main shaft 4 is rotatably arranged inside the support portion 3. A belt 9 is stretched between the pulley 7 and the pulley 8.

  Of the angles formed by the axial direction of the main shaft 4 and the direction in which the installation surface extends (specifically, the horizontal direction), the smaller angle is the angle θ1. In other words, the angle θ1 is an angle when rotated in the clockwise direction until the axial direction of the main shaft 4 becomes the horizontal direction in the left side view. In the present embodiment, the inclination of the main shaft 4 is defined by the support fitting 35 so that the angle θ1 is 30 °.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a connecting hole 11 is formed on the front end side of the main shaft 4. The connecting hole 11 is a recess cut out in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the main shaft 4 (lower right in FIG. 3). Yes. One end side (the right end side in FIG. 3) of the extension body 10 is inserted into the connection hole 11. The extending body 10 is an elongated prismatic body that extends from the main shaft 4 in a direction intersecting the axial direction of the main shaft 4. In the following description, of the side surfaces of the extension body 10, the side surface (the lower surface in FIG. 3) that faces the main shaft 4 is referred to as the inner surface 10 </ b> A, and the side surface opposite to the inner surface 10 </ b> A (the upper surface in FIG. 3) Called side surface 10B.

  A shaft pin 12 extending in a direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1) orthogonal to the direction in which the connection hole 11 is formed is provided inside the connection hole 11. The shaft pin 12 passes through one end of the extension body 10 inserted in the connection hole 11. That is, the extension body 10 is supported so as to be able to swing with the shaft pin 12 as a fulcrum, and is supported so as to be rotatable along with the rotation of the main shaft 4. The distance from the main shaft 4 to the tip of the extension body 10 (in other words, the total length of the extension body 10) is set so that the extension body 10 does not contact the base portion 2 when the main shaft 4 rotates. It is smaller than the distance to 12.

  A coil portion of a torsion spring 15 is attached to the shaft pin 12 so as to be adjacent to the extending body 10. The torsion spring 15 has two arms each having a bent tip. Inside the connecting hole 11, the tip of one arm is fixed to the bottom surface of the connecting hole 11, and the tip of the other arm is fixed to the inner side surface 10 </ b> A of the extension body 10. The torsion spring 15 is set so that the arm angle is 90 ° or more when no external force is applied. On the other hand, the torsion spring 15 is attached to the inside of the connection hole 11 in a state where the arm is pressed so that the arm angle is less than 90 °. Therefore, in the extended body 10, the repulsive force of the torsion spring 15 is always applied to the inner surface 10A. In other words, the torsion spring 15 always urges the extending body 10 in the direction facing the outer surface 10B (the direction of the arrow F shown in FIG. 3).

  An angle of the extension body 10 with respect to the main axis 4 (that is, an extension angle of the extension body 10) is an angle θ2. In other words, the angle θ2 is an angle on the inner surface 10A side among the angles formed by the axial direction of the main shaft 4 and the extending body 10. In the present embodiment, the angle at which the extension body 10 can rotate with respect to the main shaft 4 (that is, the range of the angle θ2) is defined by a first angle setting unit 13A and a second angle setting unit 14B described later.

  In the main shaft 4, a block portion 13 and a solenoid 14 are provided at positions adjacent to the connecting hole 11 so as to sandwich the extending body 10 in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the block portion 13 is provided along the rear end edge of the connection hole 11 so as to face the inner side surface 10 </ b> A of the extension body 10. The solenoid 14 is provided along the front end edge of the connection hole 11 so as to face the outer side surface 10 </ b> B of the extension body 10.

  The block portion 13 is a substantially rectangular solid that extends along the axial direction on the side surface of the main shaft 4, and has a first angle setting portion 13 </ b> A. The first angle setting portion 13 </ b> A is a wall surface formed on the block portion 13 that faces the inner side surface 10 </ b> A of the extension body 10. 13 A of 1st angle setting parts prescribe | regulate the maximum rotation angle (namely, lower limit angle of angle (theta) 2) in case the extending body 10 rotates to the inner surface 10A side (direction of arrow T1 shown in FIG. 3).

  The solenoid 14 includes a pressing pin 14A and a second angle setting unit 14B. The pressing pin 14 </ b> A protrudes toward the outer surface 10 </ b> B of the extending body 10, and can advance and retract in parallel with the axial direction of the main shaft 4 according to the on / off state of the solenoid 14. A substantially horizontal inclined surface is formed at the protruding end of the pressing pin 14A so that the outer surface 10B can be pressed efficiently and smoothly. The second angle setting unit 14B is a wall surface provided on the main shaft 4 side with respect to the pressing pin 14A and facing the outer surface 10B. The second angle setting unit 14B defines the maximum rotation angle (that is, the upper limit angle of the angle θ2) when the extending body 10 rotates toward the outer surface 10B (the direction of the arrow T2 shown in FIG. 4).

  On the other end side (the left end side in FIG. 3) of the extension body 10, a shaft 21 that protrudes in a direction (upward direction in FIG. 3) orthogonal to the extending direction of the extension body 10 is provided. The tip portion of the shaft 21 is fixed to the center portion of the chip holder 20 in plan view. The shaft 21 supports the chip holder 20 so that the plane of the chip holder 20 is parallel to the extending direction of the extending body 10. The chip holder 20 holds the inspection chip 40 at a position separated from the main shaft 4 serving as a rotation center.

  As an example, the chip holder 20 is a box-shaped body having an outer shape formed of a bottom plate, an upper plate, and a side wall. Specifically, the chip holder 20 is a box-like member formed in a rectangular shape in plan view that is slightly larger than the test chip 40 so that the test chip 40 formed in rectangular shape in plan view can be accommodated therein. The inspector can attach the inspection chip 40 to the chip holder 20 in a direction away from the main shaft 4 (in other words, in an extending direction of the extending body 10).

  In the above configuration, when the shaft 6 of the motor 5 rotates, the pulley 7 fixed to the shaft 6 rotates. The rotation of the pulley 7 is transmitted to the pulley 8 by the belt 9, and the pulley 8 rotates. As a result, the main shaft 4 to which the pulley 8 is fixed rotates. As the main shaft 4 rotates, the extension body 10 connected to the main shaft 4 via the shaft pin 12 rotates. The tip holder 20 fixed to the shaft 21 is also rotated by the rotation of the extending body 10. Thereby, a centrifugal force generated in a direction (in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 2) perpendicular to the axial direction of the main shaft 4 and away from the main shaft 4 is applied to the test chip 40.

  In the present embodiment, the main shaft 4 can be rotated 360 ° clockwise when viewed from the front (that is, when the inspection apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from the right side). When the extension body 10 reaches directly above the main shaft 4 when the main shaft 4 rotates, the height of the extension body 10 (that is, the vertical length between the extension body 10 and the installation surface) becomes maximum (FIG. 1). To FIG. 3). The rotation angle of the main shaft 4 at this time is 0 °. On the other hand, when the extending body 10 reaches directly below the main shaft 4 during rotation of the main shaft 4, the height of the extending body 10 is minimized (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The rotation angle of the main shaft 4 at this time is 180 °.

  When the solenoid 14 is in the ON state, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pressing pin 14 </ b> A advances rearward (in the direction of the arrow S <b> 1 shown in FIG. 3) and presses the outer surface 10 </ b> B. Thereby, the extension body 10 rotates in the direction (direction of arrow T1 shown in FIG. 3) facing the inner surface 10A against the urging force of the torsion spring 15. At this time, when the inner side surface 10A comes into contact with the first angle setting portion 13A, the rotation of the extension body 10 is restricted and the angle θ2 is held at the lower limit angle. That is, the lower limit angle of the angle θ2 is defined at a position where the inner surface 10A and the first angle setting unit 13A are in contact with each other.

  In the present embodiment, the formation angle of the first angle setting unit 13A is adjusted so that the lower limit angle of the angle θ2 is equal to the angle θ1 (that is, 30 °). Thereby, the state (henceforth a 1st state) in which the chip holder 20 hold | maintains the test | inspection chip 40 horizontally is realizable. That is, when the main shaft 4 rotates to a rotation angle of 0 ° when the solenoid 14 is in the on state, the extending body 10 is in the state shown in FIG. In this state, the extending direction of the first angle setting unit 13A is horizontal, and the extending direction of the extending body 10 that is in contact with the first angle setting unit 13A is also horizontal. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2, since the test | inspection chip 40 is horizontally hold | maintained by the chip holder 20, said 1st state is implement | achieved.

  When the solenoid 14 is in the OFF state, as shown in FIG. 4, the pressing pin 14 </ b> A retreats forward (in the direction of arrow S <b> 2 shown in FIG. 3). Thereby, the extension body 10 rotates in the direction (direction of arrow T2 shown in FIG. 4) facing the outer surface 10B by the urging force of the torsion spring 15. At this time, when the outer surface 10B comes into contact with the second angle setting unit 14B, the rotation of the extension body 10 is restricted and the angle θ2 is held at the upper limit angle. That is, the upper limit angle of the angle θ2 is defined at the position where the outer surface 10B and the second angle setting unit 14B are in contact with each other.

  In the present embodiment, the formation angle of the second angle setting unit 14B is adjusted by an angle obtained by subtracting the angle θ1 from 90 ° (that is, 60 °) as the upper limit angle of the angle θ2. As a result, a state in which the chip holder 20 holds the inspection chip 40 vertically (hereinafter referred to as a second state) can be realized. That is, when the main shaft 4 rotates to a rotation angle of 180 ° when the solenoid 14 is in the off state, the extended body 10 is in the state shown in FIG. In this state, the extending direction of the second angle setting unit 14B is vertical, and the extending direction of the extending body 10 that is in contact with the second angle setting unit 14B is also vertical. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, since the test | inspection chip 40 is hold | maintained perpendicularly by the chip holder 20, said 2nd state is implement | achieved.

  A light source 23 and a detector 24 facing in the front-rear direction are provided at predetermined positions on the base 2. When the chip holder 20 is in the second state, the light source 23 and the detector 24 face each other in the front-rear direction with the inspection chip 40 interposed therebetween. The light source 23 irradiates the test chip 40 with light from the rear side to the mixture of the reagent and the sample generated in the test chip 40 (that is, a reaction product). The detector 24 detects the light transmitted through the reaction product on the front side with respect to the inspection chip 40. In addition, by providing the light source 23 and the detector 24 in the same direction with respect to the test chip 40, various measurements may be performed by detecting light reflected by the reaction product.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection device 1 is connected to a control device 70 provided outside the base 2. The control device 70 incorporates a CPU, RAM, ROM, etc., not shown, and controls various operations of the inspection device 1 (for example, rotation of the spindle 4 and ON / OFF of the solenoid 14). The control device 70 can perform various measurements by irradiating light from the light source 23 and detecting the amount of received light with the detector 24. The control device 70 is provided with an operation unit (not shown) for an inspector to instruct various operations of the inspection device 1.

  The structure of the inspection chip 40 will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the upper, lower, right, and left sides in FIG. 6 will be described as the front, rear, right, and left sides of the test chip 40, respectively. The front side and the back side of FIG. 6 will be described as being above and below the inspection chip 40, respectively.

  In this embodiment, when using the test | inspection chip 40 with the test | inspection apparatus 1, an inspector mounts | wears the chip | tip holder 20 in the 1st state with the test | inspection chip 40 horizontally. At this time, the inspector places the inspection chip 40 in the chip holder so that the front-rear direction of the inspection chip 40 coincides with the extending direction of the extending body 10 and the front side of the inspection chip 40 faces the main shaft 4. 20 (see FIG. 1). Thereby, the front-back direction of the test | inspection chip 40 and the direction (direction of arrow A shown in FIG. 2) of the centrifugal force produced at the time of rotation of the main axis | shaft 4 extend on the same side seeing from the main axis | shaft 4 used as a rotation center. Therefore, the centrifugal force generated when the main shaft 4 rotates can be applied from the front side to the rear side of the inspection chip 40.

  The inspection chip 40 is a thin box-shaped body having a rectangular shape in plan view, the longitudinal direction being the front-rear direction. The inspection chip 40 has an outer shape formed of a synthetic resin plate 49 having a predetermined thickness. The sample inlet 41 and the reagent inlet 42 are formed in the plate member 49 as a circular recess in plan view. Although not shown, the upper surface of the inspection chip 40 is covered with a transparent synthetic resin lid (not shown). Openings are formed in the lid only at positions corresponding to the sample inlet 41 and the reagent inlet 42, respectively. That is, only the sample inlet 41 and the reagent inlet 42 are opened upward in the upper surface of the test chip 40.

  The sample insertion port 41 is a part into which a tester inputs a sample in order to supply the sample into the test chip 40. The reagent inlet 42 is a part where the inspector inputs the reagent in order to supply the reagent into the inspection chip 40. Therefore, the examiner can put the specimen and reagent into the examination chip 40 and mix these specimen and reagent.

  The sample supply path 43 and the reagent supply path 44 are formed in the plate material 49 in a groove shape. The sample supply path 43 is a sample flow path extending backward from the sample insertion port 41. The reagent supply path 44 is a reagent flow path extending rearward from the reagent inlet 42. That is, the sample supply path 43 and the reagent supply path 44 are extended in the front-rear direction (in other words, the longitudinal direction) of the test chip 40. At the end portions (that is, the rear end portions) of the sample supply path 43 and the reagent supply path 44, outlets having a narrow width are provided.

  A mixing tank 45 is formed on the rear side (the lower side in FIG. 6) of the sample supply path 43 and the reagent supply path 44. The mixing tank 45 is a portion that is formed as a depression with respect to the plate material 49 and is recessed backward from the specimen supply path 43 and the reagent supply path 44 in plan view. In the mixing tank 45, the sample supplied from the sample supply path 43 and the reagent supplied from the reagent supply path 44 are mixed to generate a reaction product.

  An inspection method using the inspection apparatus 1 and the inspection chip 40 will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the inspector accommodates the specimen and the reagent in the inspection chip 40 in advance before turning on the power of the inspection apparatus 1. Specifically, the examiner drops a sample to the sample insertion port 41 and drops a reagent to the reagent insertion port 42. When the inspector accommodates the specimen and the reagent in the inspection chip 40, the inspection apparatus 1 is turned on. When the power supply of the inspection device 1 is set to ON, the CPU of the control device 70 executes the main process shown in FIG. 7 based on the control program stored in the ROM.

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the inspection apparatus 1 in which the power is set to ON, first, the solenoid 14 is set to ON (S1). Thereby, the pressing pin 14A of the solenoid 14 advances, the extending body 10 rotates toward the inner side surface 10A, and the angle θ2 is fixed at the lower limit angle (see FIG. 3). Further, the main shaft 4 is rotated to a rotation angle of 0 ° (S3). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 2, the inspection chip 40 is held horizontally by the chip holder 20. That is, the chip holder 20 is in the first state by steps S1 to S3.

  After execution of step S3, it is determined whether there is an instruction to perform centrifugation (S5). For example, when the inspector inputs an instruction to execute centrifugation using the operation unit (not shown) of the control device 70, it is determined that there is an instruction to execute centrifugation (S5: YES). If there is no instruction to perform centrifugation (S5: NO), the process returns to step S5. That is, the tip holder 20 is maintained in the first state until there is an instruction to perform centrifugation.

  The examiner attaches the test chip 40 containing the sample and the reagent to the chip holder 20 before inputting the execution instruction of the centrifugation process. At this time, since the chip holder 20 is in the first state, the inspector can mount the inspection chip 40 horizontally. At this time, in the test chip 40, the formation direction of the sample supply path 43 and the reagent supply path 44 is horizontal. Therefore, when the test chip 40 is mounted on the chip holder 20, the sample and the reagent flow out to an unexpected flow path in the test chip 40 (for example, the sample and the reagent flow out to a flow path other than the mixing tank 45. Can be suppressed.

  The inspector attaches the inspection chip 40 to the chip holder 20 and then inputs an instruction to perform centrifugation (S5: YES). In this case, the solenoid 14 is set off (S7). As a result, the pressing pin 14A of the solenoid 14 is retracted, the extending body 10 is rotated to the outer surface 10B side, and the angle θ2 is fixed at the upper limit angle (see FIG. 4). Under the state where the angle θ2 is fixed at the upper limit angle, the test chip 40 is centrifuged (S9). That is, the main shaft 4 is rotated clockwise for a predetermined time so that a predetermined centrifugal force is applied to the inspection chip 40.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the centrifugation process (S <b> 9) of the test chip 40, a centrifugal force acting in the direction orthogonal to the main shaft 4 (the direction of arrow A) is applied to the test chip 40. That is, in the inspection chip 40, centrifugal force acts from the front side toward the rear. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8, the sample input from the sample input port 41 flows out to the mixing tank 45 through the sample supply path 43. The reagent charged from the reagent charging port 42 flows out to the mixing tank 45 via the reagent supply path 44. In the mixing tank 45, the sample supplied from the sample supply path 43 and the reagent supplied from the reagent supply path 44 are mixed, and a reaction product is generated and stored.

  In the present embodiment, the centrifuge process of the test chip 40 is performed in a state where the angle θ2 is fixed at the upper limit angle (S7 to S9). In this state, the inspection chip 40 is held at a position far away from the rotation center (that is, the main shaft 4) as compared with the state where the angle θ2 is fixed at the lower limit angle. Therefore, since a larger centrifugal force is applied when the inspection chip 40 is subjected to the centrifugal process, the centrifugal process can be performed efficiently. That is, by adjusting the angle θ2, the magnitude of the centrifugal force applied to the inspection chip 40 can be adjusted while keeping the rotation speed of the main shaft 4 constant.

  As shown in FIG. 7, after execution of step S9, the main shaft 4 is rotated to a rotation angle of 180 ° (S11). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5, the inspection chip 40 is held vertically by the chip holder 20. That is, immediately after the centrifugation process is executed, the chip holder 20 is brought into the second state in step S11. At this time, in the test chip 40, the formation direction of the sample supply path 43 and the reagent supply path 44 is vertical. Further, the inspection chip 40 has moved to a predetermined position (that is, an appropriate inspection position) sandwiched between the light source 23 and the detector 24.

  Thereby, a centrifugal force directed toward the rear side of the test chip 40 is applied during the execution of the centrifugal process, and a gravity directed toward the rear side of the test chip 40 is applied after the completion of the centrifugal process (S9 to S11). That is, even if the centrifugation process is completed, there is no change in the direction of the external force applied to the inspection chip 40. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the reaction product generated in the inspection chip 40 from flowing into an unexpected flow path (for example, the reaction product flowing out from the mixing tank 45) after the end of the centrifugation process.

  After execution of step S11, light is irradiated from the light source 23 to the inspection chip 40. The detection result is measured by detecting the light transmitted through the inspection chip 40 by the detector 24 (S13). Finally, the inspection result measured in step S13 is displayed on the screen (not shown) of the control device 70 (S15).

  As described above, according to the inspection apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, since the main shaft 4 is inclined upward by 30 ° from the installation surface, the axial direction of the main shaft 4 is inclined by 60 ° with respect to the vertical direction. ing. Thereby, the extension body 10 which rotates with rotation of the main shaft 4 also rotates in a direction inclined by 60 ° with respect to the horizontal direction. Therefore, the inspection apparatus 1 can reduce the area to be secured in the horizontal direction around the main shaft 4 as a space for rotating the extension body 10. As a result, it is possible to prevent the casing of the inspection apparatus 1 from becoming large in the horizontal direction, and thus the installation area of the inspection apparatus 1 can be reduced.

  Furthermore, in the inspection apparatus 1, the extension angle of the extension body 10 can be adjusted by turning on and off the solenoid 14. Specifically, when the solenoid 14 is on, the extension body 10 rotates to the lower limit angle, and the chip holder 20 is held in the first state. In this case, the inspector can hold the inspection chip 40 on the chip holder 20 while keeping the inspection chip 40 horizontal. Moreover, when the solenoid 14 is OFF, the extension body 10 rotates to the upper limit angle, and the chip holder 20 is held in the second state. In this case, it is possible to suppress a change in the direction of the external force applied to the test chip 40 after the centrifugation process of the test chip 40 is completed.

  An inspection apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. In the following description, the same components as those in the inspection apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only differences from the inspection apparatus 1 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the inspection apparatus 100 differs from the above-described inspection apparatus 1 in the extension angle of the main shaft 4. Specifically, the angle θ3 is the smaller of the angles formed by the axial direction of the main shaft 4 and the direction in which the installation surface extends (specifically, the horizontal direction), like the angle θ1 described above. However, in the present embodiment, the inclination of the main shaft 4 is defined by the support fitting 35 so that the angle θ3 is 45 °.

  Furthermore, unlike the above-described inspection apparatus 1, the inspection apparatus 100 has the extension angle of the extension body 10 fixed. Specifically, at the front end side of the main shaft 4, one end side (the right end side in FIG. 9) of the extension body 10 is fixed to the main shaft 4 by the fixing pin 51. Further, an elongated plate-like connecting body 50 is bridged between the main shaft 4 and the extending body 10. One end side (upper left side in FIG. 9) of the connecting body 50 is fixed by a fixing pin 53 at a substantially central portion in the extending direction of the extending body 10. The other end side (lower right side in FIG. 9) of the connecting body 50 is fixed by a fixing pin 52 on the rear side of the fixing pin 51 in the main shaft 4 so that the connecting body 50 extends in a direction orthogonal to the main shaft 4. Yes.

  The angle θ4 is the extension angle of the extension body 10 in the same manner as the angle θ2 described above. However, in this embodiment, the inclination of the extending body 10 is defined by the coupling body 50 so that the angle θ4 is 45 °. Although not shown, the inspection apparatus 100 includes a control device 70 (see FIG. 1) as in the inspection apparatus 1 described above.

  The inspection method using the inspection apparatus 100 and the inspection chip 40 is the same as that of the first embodiment. When the power of the inspection apparatus 100 is turned on, the CPU of the control apparatus 70 executes the main process shown in FIG. 7 based on the control program stored in the ROM. However, in the inspection apparatus 100, a main process in which steps S1 and S7 are omitted is executed.

  That is, in the inspection apparatus 100 with the power set to ON, the main shaft 4 is first rotated to a rotation angle of 0 ° (S3). In the present embodiment, since the angles θ3 and θ4 are both 45 °, when the main shaft 4 is rotated to a rotation angle of 0 °, the inspection chip 40 is held horizontally by the chip holder 20 (see FIG. 9). That is, the chip holder 20 is in the first state by step S3.

  After the inspector attaches the inspection chip 40 to the chip holder 20 and inputs an instruction to execute centrifugation (S5: YES), the inspection chip 40 is centrifuged as shown in FIG. 10 (S9). After execution of step S9, the main shaft 4 is rotated to a rotation angle of 180 ° (S11). In the present embodiment, since the angle θ4 is an angle obtained by subtracting the angle θ3 from 90 ° (that is, 45 °), when the main shaft 4 is rotated to a rotation angle of 180 °, the inspection chip 40 is vertically aligned by the chip holder 20. Is held (see FIG. 10). That is, immediately after the centrifugation process is executed, the chip holder 20 is brought into the second state in step S11. Thereafter, the inspection result is measured (S13). Finally, the inspection result measured in step S13 is displayed on the screen (not shown) of the control device 70 (S15).

  As described above, according to the inspection apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment, since the main shaft 4 is inclined 45 ° upward from the installation surface, the axial direction of the main shaft 4 is inclined 45 ° with respect to the vertical direction. ing. Thereby, the extending body 10 that rotates as the main shaft 4 rotates also rotates in a direction inclined by 45 ° with respect to the horizontal direction. Therefore, the inspection apparatus 100 can reduce an area to be secured in the horizontal direction around the main shaft 4 as a space for rotating the extension body 10. As a result, it is possible to prevent the casing of the inspection apparatus 100 from becoming large in the horizontal direction, and consequently, the installation area of the inspection apparatus 100 can be reduced.

  Further, in the inspection apparatus 100, the chip holder 20 is held in the first state only by adjusting the rotation angle of the main shaft 4 to 0 °. In this case, the inspector can hold the inspection chip 40 on the chip holder 20 while keeping the inspection chip 40 horizontal. Further, the chip holder 20 is held in the second state only by adjusting the rotation angle of the main shaft 4 to 180 °. In this case, it is possible to suppress a change in the direction of the external force applied to the test chip 40 after the centrifugation process of the test chip 40 is completed.

  In the above embodiment, the sample supply path 43 and the reagent supply path 44 correspond to the “liquid circuit” of the present invention. The inspection chip 40 corresponds to the “inspection object receiver” of the present invention. The motor 5 corresponds to the “drive unit” of the present invention. The extending body 10 corresponds to the “extending portion” of the present invention. The chip holder 20 corresponds to the “receiver holding part” of the present invention. The solenoid 14 corresponds to the “angle adjustment means” of the present invention. The angle θ2 corresponds to the “extension angle” of the present invention. The lower limit angle of the angle θ2 corresponds to the “first angle” of the present invention. The upper limit angle of the angle θ2 corresponds to the “second angle” of the present invention. The angle θ1 corresponds to the “third angle” of the present invention. The angle θ3 corresponds to the “fourth angle” of the present invention. The angle θ5 corresponds to the “fifth angle” of the present invention.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, the shaft length, inclination, shaft diameter, etc. of the main shaft 4 may be changed as appropriate. However, the larger the inclination of the main shaft 4 (in the above embodiment picture, the angles θ1, θ3) (for example, larger than 45 °), the horizontal direction is secured around the main shaft 4 to rotate the extension body 10. The area that should be increased. Therefore, in order to further reduce the installation area of the inspection apparatus, it is preferable that the inclination of the main shaft 4 is larger than 0 ° and not larger than 45 °.

  On the other hand, the smaller the inclination of the main shaft 4, the greater the load applied to the tip side of the main shaft 4. If the inclination of the main shaft 4 is too small, the main shaft 4 may be bent during the centrifugal process, which may cause vibration of the inspection chip 40, for example. In order to suppress the bending of the main shaft 4 during the centrifugal treatment, the inclination of the main shaft 4 is preferably 30 ° or more.

  Further, the centrifugal force applied to the inspection chip 40 becomes smaller as the inclination of the main shaft 4 becomes smaller. When the inclination of the main shaft 4 is too small, it is necessary to increase the rotation speed of the motor 5 that rotates the main shaft 4 in order to ensure the magnitude of the centrifugal force applied to the inspection chip 40. If it does so, there exists a possibility that an installation area may be expanded by the enlargement of the motor 5, the manufacturing cost of the motor 5 may rise, or the vibration which arises at the time of a centrifugation process may increase. In order to apply an appropriate centrifugal force to the inspection chip 40, the inclination of the main shaft 4 is preferably 30 ° or more.

  Furthermore, in consideration of the balance between the weight applied to the distal end side of the main shaft 4 and the centrifugal force applied to the inspection chip 40 and the installation area of the inspection device, the inclination of the main shaft 4 is more preferably 45 °. is there.

  In the first embodiment, the extension angle of the extension body 10 is adjusted by the solenoid 14, but may be adjusted by another angle adjustment member (for example, a stepping motor). Moreover, although the extension angle of the extension body 10 is adjusted to 30 degrees or 60 degrees, you may adjust to other angles (for example, 45 degrees etc.). Moreover, although the extension angle of the extension body 10 is adjusted before execution of a centrifugation process, you may adjust at another timing. For example, when the extension angle of the extension body 10 is adjusted during the centrifugal processing, the magnitude of the centrifugal force is adjusted without changing the rotation speed of the main shaft 4 and without stopping the rotation of the main shaft 4. be able to.

  In the above embodiment, one extension body 10 is connected to the main shaft 4, but the number of extension bodies 10 connected to the main shaft 4 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the two extending bodies 10 may be provided so as to extend in the opposite direction from the main shaft 4. In this case, the centrifuge process can be simultaneously performed on the two test chips 40 by holding the test chips 40 on the chip holders 20 provided on the respective extending bodies 10.

  In addition, the overall length, size, shape, and the like of the extended body 10 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the inspection chip 40 can be held by the chip holder 20 at a position farther away from the main shaft 4 by increasing the overall length of the extension body 10. In this case, the centrifugal force applied at the time of the centrifugation process of the test chip 40 can be further increased. Further, the extension body 10 may be formed of a tapered plate-like member that extends to the entire circumference of the main shaft 4.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inspection apparatus 4 Main axis | shaft 5 Motor 10 Extension body 13 Block part 13A First angle setting part 14 Solenoid 14A Pressing pin 14B Second angle setting part 15 Torsion spring 20 Tip holder 23 Light source 24 Detector 40 Inspection chip 41 Sample insertion port 42 Reagent insertion port 43 Specimen supply path 44 Reagent supply path 45 Mixing tank 70 Control apparatus 100 Inspection apparatus

Claims (6)

An inspection apparatus for rotating an inspection target receptacle on which a liquid circuit capable of moving a liquid to be inspected is formed, and moving the liquid in the liquid circuit by centrifugal force,
A main shaft extending in a direction intersecting the direction perpendicular to the device installation surface and rotatable about an axis,
A drive unit for rotating the main shaft about the axis;
An extending portion extending from the main shaft in a direction intersecting with the axial direction of the main shaft, and rotating with the rotation of the main shaft;
An inspection apparatus comprising: a receiving body holding portion that is provided at a position apart from the main shaft in the extending portion and holds the receiving body to be inspected. The extending portion is swingable around a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the main shaft, with a portion connected to the main shaft as a fulcrum,
The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an angle adjusting unit that adjusts an extension angle of the extension part from the main shaft by swinging the extension part.   The angle adjusting means holds the inspection object receiver while the receiving body holding part maintains a horizontal direction of formation of the liquid circuit before the inspection object body is held by the receiving body holding part. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the extension angle is adjusted to the first angle so that the first state is possible.   The angle adjusting means is configured to be capable of holding the inspection target receptacle while the receptacle holding portion maintains the formation direction of the liquid circuit vertical after the centrifugal force is applied to the inspection target receptacle. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the extension angle is adjusted to a second angle so as to be in two states.   The smaller third angle among the angles formed by the axial direction of the main shaft and the device installation surface is greater than 0 ° and not more than 45 °. The inspection apparatus in any one. The smaller fourth angle among the angles formed by the axial direction of the main shaft and the device installation surface is 45 °,
A fifth angle formed by a portion of the main shaft extending from the portion to which the extension portion is connected toward the device installation surface and the extension direction of the extension portion is 45 °. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1.

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