JP2012013553A - Inspection object acceptor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspection object acceptor capable of high accuracy examination and measurement of specimen.SOLUTION: An examination chip 40 which is an inspection object acceptor of the invention is arranged so that a line 56 extending backward from a left side wall 46A of a specimen guide portion 46 is perpendicular to a mouth of the quantitative determination portion 57 of a quantitative determination portion 50, which is a plane formed by including a front end portion of a wall 52A and a front end portion of a wall 51A. With the above arrangement, when a centrifugal force is applied to the examination chip 40 in a front-rear direction, the centrifugal force is uniformly applied to everywhere on the specimen liquid surface formed on the mouth of the quantitative determination portion 57. Therefore, the liquid surface is always formed at a constant position of the mouth of the quantitative determination portion 57 without being influenced by the centrifugal force. Therefore, no quantitative error is generated in the specimen in the quantitative determination portion 50, enabling a precise examination of the specimen.

Description

  The present invention relates to a test subject receiver for conducting chemical, medical, and biological tests.

  Conventionally, a test object receiver called a microchip or a test chip used for testing biological substances and chemical substances has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By using such a receptor to be examined, DNA (Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid), enzyme, antigen, antibody, protein, virus, cell, etc. can be detected or quantified.

  As shown in FIG. 13, in the test chip 100 described in Patent Document 1, a sample (blood or the like) to be tested is injected into the inside through the opening 101 and rotated by a centrifuge. The blood injected from the opening 101 passes through the outlet capillary 102 by the centrifugal force applied by the centrifugal device and is put into the separation chamber 103. In the separation chamber 103, centrifugation is performed with a centrifugal force to which the introduced blood is applied to obtain a supernatant. Thereafter, the supernatant liquid is measured in the sample measuring chamber 105. On the other hand, the reaction reagent for expressing the optical characteristics necessary for the blood test by mixing and reacting with the supernatant and the diluent are separately sealed in the reaction reagent chamber 107 and the diluent chamber 108 in advance. Then, the centrifugal force applied by the centrifugal device passes through the restriction opening 109 and flows into the reaction reagent measuring chamber 110. In the reaction reagent measuring chamber 110, a predetermined amount is measured after the reaction reagent and diluent are mixed to form a mixed solution. The obtained supernatant and mixed liquid are circulated in a predetermined order through the grooves formed on the chip surface due to the change in the direction of centrifugal force obtained by changing the holding angle of the test chip in the centrifuge. And reaches the cuvette chamber 111. By irradiating the cuvette chamber 111 with light, the optical characteristic of the liquid in which the supernatant liquid and the mixed liquid are mixed is measured, and the sample is inspected.

JP 60-238760 A

  In the inspection chip shown in Patent Document 1, the sample metering chamber entrance / exit surface 105A of the sample metering chamber 105 that measures the supernatant liquid separated in the separation chamber 102 that separates the supernatant from the sample is positioned at the left end. Not clear. In addition, the entrance / exit surface 110A of the reaction reagent metering unit 110 that measures the mixture of the reaction reagent and the diluent is slightly inclined with respect to the direction in which the restriction opening 107 through which the blood or the mixed solution flows into the portion. It is formed facing the direction.

  When blood or a mixed solution is allowed to flow into the sample measuring chamber 105 or the reaction reagent measuring chamber 108 from the inlet / outlet portion 106 or the restriction opening 109, the liquid flows by applying centrifugal force in the direction of the inlet / outlet portion 106 or the restriction opening 109. In this case, since the left end of the sample weighing chamber entrance / exit surface 105A is not clear with respect to the direction of the centrifugal force applied, when the sample weighing chamber 105 is filled with the supernatant liquid, the position of the liquid level is fixed. Hard to form. In addition, since the reaction reagent metering section entrance / exit surface 110A is slightly inclined, when the reaction reagent measurement chamber 110 is filled with the liquid mixture, the liquid surface is also easily formed in the inclined direction. Since the surface is inclined with respect to the direction in which the centrifugal force is applied, even if the liquid level is formed in the same direction as the entrance / exit surface, the position of the liquid level is unstable because the centrifugal force is not uniformly applied to all the liquid levels. It becomes. As a result, the liquid surface formed is not always formed at a position that coincides with the entrance / exit surface, so that the liquid surface may be formed at a position away from the entrance / exit surface, and the sample measuring chamber 105 or the reaction reagent may be formed. There is a problem that an error occurs in the measurement in the measurement chamber 110, which in turn affects the accuracy of the inspection.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inspection object receiver that can perform an inspection with high accuracy with little liquid measurement error.

In order to achieve the above object, the test object receptacle of the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention holds the action of the centrifugal force by holding it at a predetermined rotation angle by rotation with respect to the direction of the centrifugal force generated by revolution. When the centrifugal force is generated in the first direction by being held at the first rotation angle, the test object receiver used for the purpose of inspecting the liquid to be inspected by moving it inside A first guide unit that guides the liquid in the first direction; a fixed unit that receives the liquid guided through the first guide unit and can store a predetermined amount of the liquid; and the fixed unit When the predetermined amount of the liquid is stored in the unit and the centrifugal force is generated in the first direction, the second guide unit guides the excess liquid flowing out from the metering unit; Installed on the back side in the first direction from the quantitative unit The centrifugal force is maintained by maintaining the surplus portion where the surplus liquid guided by the second guide portion is stored and the second rotation angle different from the first rotation angle. And a third guide portion provided in a direction in which the liquid stored in the quantification portion flows out when it occurs in two directions, the end portion on the second guide portion side of the quantification portion And a fixed portion inlet / outlet portion, which is a plane including the end portion on the third guide portion side, is formed in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

  In addition, in the test subject receptacle of the invention according to claim 2 of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the invention of claim 1, the cross-sectional area of the cross section in the direction perpendicular to the first direction of the quantitative unit is The metering portion entrance / exit portion is the smallest and is formed so as to continuously change so that the cross section on the terminal side of the metering portion is the largest.

  In addition to the configuration of the invention according to claim 1 or 2, the test object receiver according to claim 3 of the present invention is formed such that one surface thereof is open and recessed, and the open surface thereof. Is covered with a cover material, and the depth of the depression is continuously changed so as to be shallowest on the inlet / outlet side of the quantitative unit and deepest on the terminal side of the quantitative unit. It is characterized by that.

  The test object receptacle of the invention according to claim 1 is a quantitative portion entrance / exit portion that is a plane including the end portion on the second guide portion side and the end portion on the third guide portion side of the quantitative portion. However, by being formed in a direction perpendicular to the first direction, the centrifugal force applied in the first direction is similarly applied anywhere on the liquid surface formed in the metering part inlet / outlet part. Therefore, the liquid level can always be formed at a fixed position of the metering portion inlet / outlet portion without being affected by the centrifugal force applied in the first direction. Accordingly, the liquid can be accurately inspected without causing a liquid quantitative error in the quantitative unit.

  In addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1, the test subject receptacle of the invention according to claim 2 has a cross-sectional area in a direction perpendicular to the first direction of the quantitative unit, wherein the quantitative unit entrance / exit part Is the smallest, and the cross-section of the quantification part inlet / outlet part is the smallest so that the cross-section on the end side of the quantification part continuously changes so as to be the largest. Can be formed.

  In addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 2, the test object receptacle of the invention according to claim 3 is formed such that one surface thereof is open and recessed, and the open surface is covered with a cover material. And the depth of the dent is formed so as to continuously change so that the depth is the shallowest on the entrance and exit side of the quantitative unit and the deepest on the end side of the quantitative unit. Since the cross section of the part is the smallest, the liquid level can be formed stably. Further, by being formed so as to continuously change so as to be the shallowest at the quantitative portion entrance / exit side and the deepest at the end side of the quantitative portion, for example, the bottom surface of the quantitative portion entrance / exit portion, Since the specimen guide unit side and the quantification unit side are provided with an angle, liquid breakage at the site is improved, and the liquid level can be formed more stably. By these things, the fixed_quantity | quantitative_assay precision of the said liquid in the said fixed_quantity | quantitative_assay part becomes higher, and can test | inspect a liquid more accurately. As a result, the quantification accuracy of the liquid in the quantification unit is higher, and the liquid can be inspected with higher accuracy. Moreover, when the said fixed_quantity | quantitative_assay part is open | released and hollowed in the same direction, when manufacturing a test object receptacle, it becomes possible to form these more easily and by extension, it is test object with simpler equipment. A receiver can be manufactured.

1 is a plan view of an inspection apparatus 1. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the inspection apparatus 1. FIG. It is a top view of the test | inspection chip 40 which is 1st embodiment of this invention. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the vicinity of a front end portion of a fixed amount portion 50 of the inspection chip 40. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an inspection chip 40. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an inspection process executed by the inspection apparatus 1. It is a top view of the test | inspection chip 40 of the state filled with the sample and the reagent. It is a top view of the test | inspection chip 40 which shows the state of the angle "0 degree" of a centrifugal force direction. It is a top view of the test | inspection chip 40 which shows the state of the angle "80 degrees" of a centrifugal force direction. It is another top view of the test | inspection chip 40 which shows the state of the angle "0 degree" of a centrifugal force direction. It is a top view of the test | inspection chip 140 of 2nd embodiment. It is AA sectional drawing of the fixed_quantity | quantitative_assay part 150 of the test | inspection chip 140 of 2nd embodiment. It is a top view of the conventional test | inspection chip 100. FIG.

<First embodiment>
In the present embodiment, the inspection apparatus 1 uses the inspection chip 40 that can store 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 inspection device 1 can apply a centrifugal force by rotating the inspection chip 40 at a high speed. At that time, the inspection device 1 is applied to the inspection chip 40 by changing the rotation angle of the inspection chip 40. The direction of centrifugal force (hereinafter referred to as centrifugal force direction) can be switched.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-2, the schematic structure of the test | inspection apparatus 1 is demonstrated. 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. In addition, in order to facilitate understanding, in FIG. 2, the outer wall portion 2 is shown as a cross-sectional view in the direction of the arrow in the XX line shown in FIG. 1.

  The inspection apparatus 1 includes an outer wall portion 2 that is a cylindrical casing. Inside the outer wall 2, a turntable 3, which is a disk body having a smaller diameter than the outer wall 2, is rotatably provided. A pair of chip holders 4 are provided at both ends in the diameter direction of the turntable 3, that is, in the vicinity of the circumference of the turntable 3.

  An inner wall 21 is provided on the inner surface of the outer wall 2 so as to bisect the space in the outer wall 2. A hole 23 is provided near the center of the inner wall 21. A motor 5 is provided on the lower surface near the center of the inner wall 21. The motor 5 includes a shaft 6 that extends upward from the motor 5 through the hole 23.

  A turntable 3 is connected to the upper end of the shaft 6. The shaft 6 is connected to the plane center of the turntable 3. As the motor 5 rotates the shaft 6, the turntable 3 also rotates about the shaft 6.

  A shaft 18 extends through the hole 24 in the vertical direction of the turntable 3 at a position spaced in the outer peripheral direction from the rotation center of the turntable 3 (position where the shaft 6 is connected). The tip holder 4 is rotatably supported on the upper end portion of the shaft 18. As an example, the chip holder 4 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 4 has a rectangular shape in plan view from the upper surface side that is slightly larger than the test chip 40 so that the test chip 40 formed in a rectangular shape in plan view from the upper surface side can be housed and held therein. It is a formed box-shaped member. The inspector stores the inspection chip 40 in the chip holder 4 from the rotation center side of the turntable 3 toward the radial direction (in the example of FIG. 1, from the rotation center of the turntable 3 toward the direction indicated by the arrow A). Is possible.

  An angle changing mechanism 19 is provided on the lower surface at a position spaced from the rotation center of the turntable 3 in the outer circumferential direction. The angle changing mechanism 19 can have any configuration as long as the tip holder 4 rotates by a predetermined angle by its operation.

  In the present embodiment, when the turntable 3 is rotationally driven by the motor 5, the inspection chip 40 held by the chip holder 4 also rotates about the shaft 6 as a rotation center. The rotation of the inspection chip 40 around the axis 6 is called “revolution” of the inspection chip 40. On the other hand, when the chip holder 4 is rotated by a predetermined angle by the stepping motor 10, the inspection chip 40 held by the chip holder 4 also rotates by a predetermined angle around the shaft 18 as a rotation center. The rotation of the inspection chip 40 around the axis 18 is referred to as “rotation” of the inspection chip 40.

  The inspection device 1 is connected to a control device 70 provided outside the outer wall portion 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 turntable 3 and rotation of the chip holder 4). The control device 70 is provided with an operation unit (not shown) for an inspector to instruct various operations of the inspection device 1.

  In front of the inspection apparatus 1 (on the right side in FIGS. 1 and 2), an outer wall extending part 22 is provided extending from the tip of the outer wall part 2 to above the turntable 3 inside the inspection apparatus 1. An optical inspection composed of a light source 7 and a detector 8 arranged in the same direction on the lower surface of the distal end portion of the outer wall extending portion 22 with respect to the chip holder 4 provided on the upper surface of the turntable 3. Part 9 is provided. The light source 7 irradiates the mixture (that is, reaction product) of the reagent and specimen generated in the test chip 40 held by the chip holder 4 from above the test chip 40. The detector 8 detects the light reflected by the reaction product above the inspection chip 40. The control device 70 can perform various measurements based on the amount of received light detected by the detector 8.

  Next, the schematic structure of the test chip 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is a top view of the test chip 40, FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the front end portion of the fixed amount portion 50 of the test chip 40, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the test chip 40. In the following, the upper, lower, right, and left sides in FIG. 3 will be described as the front, rear, right, and left sides of the test chip 40, respectively. Also, the front side and the back side of FIG. 3 will be described as being above and below the inspection chip 40, respectively.

  In this embodiment, when the inspection chip 40 is used in the inspection apparatus 1, the inspector attaches the inspection chip 40 to the chip holder 4 so that the vertical direction of the inspection chip 40 coincides with the vertical direction of the inspection apparatus 1. To do. At this time, the inspector attaches the inspection chip 40 to the chip holder 4 so that the rear side surface of the inspection chip 40 faces in the radial direction (that is, the direction indicated by the arrow A) (see FIG. 1).

  The inspection chip 40 is a thin box-shaped body having a rectangular shape when viewed from the upper surface side with the front-rear direction being the longitudinal direction, and is configured by a plate material 43 and a cover material 71. The plate member 43 is a rectangular plate member having a predetermined thickness when viewed from the upper surface side. The material is an organic material such as a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin, or an inorganic material such as silicon, glass, or quartz. There is no particular limitation.

  The plate 43 is formed with a sample inlet 41 for injecting a sample and a reagent inlet 42 for introducing a reagent as a circular depression when viewed from above, and is open to the upper surface of the plate 43. The specimen injection port 41 and the reagent injection port 42 are formed side by side from the right side to the left side when the plate member 43 is viewed in plan from the upper surface side (see FIG. 3).

  The specimen injection port 41 is a part where the examiner injects the specimen in order to supply the specimen into the examination chip 40. The reagent injection port 42 is a part where the inspector injects the reagent in order to supply the reagent into the inspection chip 40. Therefore, the examiner can inject one reagent for one specimen into the test chip 40 and mix these specimens and reagents.

  A sample supply path 44 is connected to the sample injection port 41, and a reagent supply path 45 is connected to the reagent input port 42. The sample supply path 44 and the reagent supply path 45 are formed in a groove shape having a rectangular cross section opened on the upper surface of the plate member 43, and extend parallel to each other in the front-rear direction of the test chip 40. Further, a sample guide 46 is provided at the rear end of the sample supply path 44, and a reagent guide 47 is provided at the rear end of the reagent supply path 45. Is provided.

  On the rear side (the lower side in FIG. 3) of the sample supply path 44, a quantification unit 50 for measuring a predetermined amount of the sample supplied from the sample supply path 44 is formed. The quantification unit 50 is a portion that is formed between the first wall portion 51 and the second wall portion 52 and that can store a specimen extending rightward in plan view from the upper surface side. The second wall portion 52 has a wall surface 52A facing the outlet (sample guide portion 46) of the sample supply path 44 in the front-rear direction and a wall surface 52B extending continuously from the front end of the wall surface 52A to the left side. It is a wall part which has. The first wall portion 51 is a wall portion having a wall surface 51A continuously extending to the right side from the rear end of the wall surface 52A, and a wall surface 51B continuously extending to the right side from the front end of the wall surface 51A. is there. The quantification unit 50 is partitioned by a wall surface 51A and a wall surface 52A. The quantitative unit 50 is formed as a dent having a rectangular cross-section that is recessed downward from the upper surface of the plate material 43, and is open to the upper surface of the plate material 43.

  The wall surface 51A and the wall surface 51B forming the first wall portion 51 are continuously provided with an angle at the contact point 51C. The front end portion of the wall surface 51B opposite to the wall surface 51A side is located on the right side of the contact point with the wall surface 51A (that is, on the right side of the quantifying unit 50).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the angle formed by the extending direction of the wall surface 52A and the left-right direction of the test chip 40 is the first angle θ1. More specifically, the first angle θ <b> 1 has the wall surface 52 </ b> A in the left-right direction with the intersection point between the line extending in the extending direction of the wall surface 52 </ b> A and the line extending in the left-right direction of the inspection chip 40 in plan view from the upper surface side. Is the angle when rotated clockwise until it becomes parallel to. In the present embodiment, the second wall portion 52 is formed so that the first angle θ1 is at least an acute angle (for example, 70 °). The wall surface 52B is continuous with the wall surface 52A at a contact point 52C with the wall surface 52A, and is provided with an angle. The angle formed between the extending direction of the wall surface 52B and the horizontal direction of the inspection chip 40 is the second angle θ2. More specifically, the second angle θ <b> 2 has the wall surface 52 </ b> B in the left-right direction with the intersection point between the line extending in the extending direction of the wall surface 52 </ b> B and the line extending in the left-right direction of the inspection chip 40 in plan view from the upper surface side. Is the angle when rotated clockwise until it becomes parallel to. In the present embodiment, the second wall portion 52 is formed so that the second angle θ2 is smaller than the first angle θ1 (for example, 10 °). By forming in this way, the wall surface 52A and the wall surface 52B are continuously provided with an angle at the contact 52C.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the contact point 52 </ b> C is provided on a straight line 56 extending rearward from the left side surface 46 </ b> A of the specimen guide unit 46. And with respect to the straight line 56, the contact point 52C and the contact point 51C are formed so that the fixed-portion entrance / exit surface 57 formed by connecting each other is orthogonal.

  The flow path 61 is formed in a groove shape by the second wall portion 52 and the fourth wall portion 59 provided to face the second wall portion 52. The channel 61 is a channel for guiding the sample measured by the quantification unit 50 to the mixing tank 55 described later. On the other hand, an excess specimen is guided to the surplus tank 54 by the flow path 60 formed by the first wall 51 and the third wall 58 provided to face the first wall 51. The surplus tank 54 is a portion that is provided behind the first wall portion 51 and has a rectangular shape in the rear in plan view from the upper surface side, and stores the specimen that has flowed out from the quantification unit 50. The flow path 61, the flow path 60, and the surplus tank 54 are formed as grooves and dents each having a rectangular cross section that is recessed downward from the upper surface of the plate material 43, and open to the upper surface of the plate material 43.

  In the first wall portion 51, the wall surface continuously extending rearward from the right end portion of the wall surface 51 </ b> B (that is, the end portion on the surplus tank 54 side) is a guide surface 53. The guide surface 53 guides the specimen that has flowed into the flow path 60 toward the surplus tank 54.

  A mixing tank 55 is formed on the rear side (the lower side in FIG. 3) of the reagent supply path 45. The mixing tank 55 is a portion that is formed on the rear side of the reagent supply path 45 (reagent guide portion 47) and the flow path 61 and has a rectangular shape rearward in a plan view from the upper surface side. In the mixing tank 55, the sample flowing out through the flow path 61 and the reagent supplied from the reagent supply path 45 through the reagent guide 47 are mixed to generate a mixed solution. The mixing tank 55 is formed as a depression having a rectangular cross section that is recessed downward from the upper surface of the plate member 43, and is open to the upper surface of the plate member 43.

  On the upper surface of the plate member 43, as shown in FIG. 5, the supply paths 44, 45, the fixed amount portion 50, the surplus portion 54, the mixing tank 55, and the flow connecting them are provided by opening the upper surface side of the plate member 43. A cover material 71 is provided so as to cover the road and the like. The cover material 71 is provided by being affixed to the upper surface of the plate material 43. FIG. 3 shows a state where the cover material 71 is transparent.

  The material of the cover material 71 is not particularly limited as long as it is partially transparent and can be bonded to the plate material 43. On the upper surface of the specimen inlet 41 and the reagent inlet 42 of the cover material 71, holes 41A and 42A are formed smaller than the specimen inlet 41 and the reagent inlet 42. When injecting a specimen or a reagent from each of the injection ports 41 and 42, the sample and the reagent are injected through these holes 41A and 42A.

  In addition, the portion of the cover material 71 covering the upper surface of the mixing tank 55 is configured to be transparent by a material that transmits light as the optical measurement window 72. Of course, as shown in FIG. 5, the entire cover member 71 may be transparent. The cover material 71 can be attached to the plate material 43 by a bonding method such as thermal welding, adhesion using UV light or laser light, or hot melt adhesion.

  Next, an inspection method using the inspection apparatus 1 and the inspection chip 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the operation of the inspector and the operation of the inspection apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 6, and an outline of the state change of the inspection chip 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10 show a state where the cover material 71 is transparent.

  First, the examiner installs the test chip 40 so that the injection ports 41 and 42 are on the upper side, and then injects the sample into the sample injection port 41 of the test chip 40. Similarly, the examiner injects a reagent into the reagent injection port 42 (S11). Thereby, the specimen and the reagent are supplied into the test chip 40 and stay in the supply paths 44 and 45 (see FIG. 7).

  After execution of S11, the inspector operates the operation unit (not shown) of the control device 70 to turn on the power of the inspection device 1 (S12). Next, the inspector attaches the inspection chip 40 to the chip holder 4 so that the rear side surface of the inspection chip 40 faces in the radial direction (that is, the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 1) (see FIG. 1). (S13). Then, when the inspector operates the operation unit of the control device 70, the CPU (not shown) of the control device 70 performs the centrifugal process of the inspection chip 40 based on the control program stored in the ROM (not shown). Is executed (S14).

  In the centrifuge processing (S14) of the test chip 40, first, in the state where the angle between the front-rear direction of the test chip 40 (the extending direction of the sample supply path 44 and the reagent supply path 45) and the centrifugal force direction is “0 °”, Revolution to which a centrifugal force of 200 G is applied is performed for 10 seconds. At this time, the rear side surface of the test chip 40 faces the centrifugal force direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the sample injected from the sample injection port 41 and staying in the sample supply path 44 flows out to the quantification unit 50 through the sample guide unit 46 by centrifugal force. In the quantification unit 50, as described above, a predetermined amount of specimen is stored, and a surplus specimen flows out into the surplus tank 54 and stored. At the same time, the specimen injected from the reagent inlet 42 and staying in the reagent supply path 45 flows out into the mixing tank 55 through the reagent guide path 47 by centrifugal force.

  At this time, the centrifugal force direction is a direction from the front to the rear of the inspection chip 40. Therefore, the metering portion entrance / exit surface 57 formed by connecting the contact 51C and the contact 52C is formed so as to be orthogonal to the straight line 56 extending from the left side surface 46A of the specimen guide portion 46 in the centrifugal force direction. It is also orthogonal to the force direction. For this reason, when the quantification unit 50 is filled with the sample and the liquid level is formed on the quantification unit inlet / outlet surface 57, the centrifugal force is similarly applied everywhere on the liquid surface. Since the liquid level can be formed at the position, it is difficult for a quantification error of the sample liquid in the quantification unit to occur. Further, the first wall portion 51 and the second wall portion 52 are formed so that the wall surfaces 51A and 51B and 52A and 52B are connected so as to have an angle at the contact points 51C and 52C. As a result, it becomes easy to cause liquid breakage at the contacts 51C and 52C, and therefore, it becomes easy to form the liquid surface at a fixed position on the surface connecting the contact 51C and the contact 52C (that is, the metering portion entrance / exit surface 57).

  At the same time, the reagent injected from the reagent inlet 42 and staying in the reagent supply path 45 flows out into the mixing tank 55 through the reagent guide 47 by centrifugal force. This reagent is stored in the mixing tank 55 by the action of centrifugal force.

  Next, the tip holder 4 is rotated by a predetermined angle. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the tip holder 4 rotates counterclockwise until the angle in the centrifugal force direction becomes “80 °”. In this state, a revolution to which a centrifugal force of 200 G is applied is performed for 10 seconds. At this time, the centrifugal force direction is inclined by 80 ° clockwise compared to the example shown in FIG. Of the angle formed between the applied centrifugal force direction and the extending direction of the wall surface 52A, the angle θ11 on the quantifying unit 50 side is an obtuse angle, so the sample measured by the quantifying unit 50 is on the distal side along the wall surface 52A. Move to. Further, the angle θ12 on the flow channel 61 side of the angle formed between the applied centrifugal force direction and the extending direction of the wall surface 52B is obtuse as in the angle θ11, so that the specimen moves in the flow channel 61. Then, it flows into the mixing tank 55 and a mixed liquid composed of the specimen and the reagent is generated and stored.

  Finally, the tip holder 4 is rotated so as to return to the original state. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the tip holder 4 is rotated clockwise until the angle in the centrifugal force direction becomes “0 °”. In this state, a revolution to which a centrifugal force of 200 G is applied is performed for 10 seconds. At this time, similarly to the example shown in FIG. 7, the rear side surface of the test chip 40 faces the centrifugal force direction. As a result, the liquid mixture accumulates in the lower portion of the mixing tank 55 by the action of centrifugal force.

  Thereafter, the rotation of the turntable 3 (that is, the revolution of the chip holder 4) is stopped, and the application of the centrifugal force is terminated. At this time, the turntable 3 is stopped at a predetermined rotational position so that the optical inspection window 62 provided on the inspection chip 40 is positioned directly below the optical inspection portion 9 (S15). After the execution of S16, light is irradiated from the light source 7 to the inspection chip 40. By detecting the light reflected by the specimen in the test chip 40 by the detector 8, the test result is measured (S16). Finally, the inspection result measured in S16 is displayed on the screen (not shown) of the control device 70 (S17).

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inspection chip 40 of the present embodiment includes a contact 52C between the wall surface 52A and the wall surface 52B of the second wall portion 52, and a contact point 51C between the wall surface 51A and the wall surface 51B of the first wall portion 51. Quantitative portion inlet / outlet portion 57 formed by connecting the two is provided so as to be orthogonal to a straight line 56 extending rearward from the left side surface 46A of the specimen guide portion 46. That is, the fixed amount entrance / exit part 57 is orthogonal to the centrifugal force direction when applied in the front-rear direction of the test chip 40 (that is, when the specimen flows out of the specimen guide section 46). For this reason, when the quantification unit 50 is filled with the sample and the liquid level is formed on the quantification unit inlet / outlet surface 57, the centrifugal force is similarly applied everywhere on the liquid surface. Since the liquid level can be formed at the position, it is difficult for a quantification error of the sample liquid in the quantification unit to occur. Further, the first wall portion 51 and the second wall portion 52 are formed so that the wall surfaces 51A and 51B and 52A and 52B are connected so as to have an angle at the contact points 51C and 52C. As a result, it becomes easy to cause liquid breakage at the contacts 51C and 52C, and therefore, it becomes easy to form the liquid surface at a fixed position on the surface connecting the contact 51C and the contact 52C (that is, the metering portion entrance / exit surface 57). As a result, the quantification error of the sample in the quantification unit 50 does not occur, the sample can be quantified with high accuracy, and the sample can be inspected with high accuracy.

<Second embodiment>
Next, the inspection chip 140 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The test chip 140 of the second embodiment is different from the test chip 40 of the first embodiment in the configuration of the quantitative unit 150.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the quantification unit 150 of the test chip 140 of the present embodiment has the shallowest depth of the depression having a square cross section forming the quantification unit 150 in the quantification unit inlet / outlet portion 157, and It is formed so as to be deepest at the rear end. The bottom surface 158 of the quantification unit 150 is formed continuously with the bottom surface 161 of the flow path 61 at the quantification unit inlet / outlet portion 157. The bottom surface 161 of the channel 61 is formed in parallel with the front-rear direction of the plate member 43 and is connected to the bottom surface 158 at an angle.

  The test chip 140 of this embodiment is formed such that the depth of the recess forming the quantification unit 150 is shallowest at the quantification unit inlet / outlet portion 157 and deepest at the rear end of the quantification unit 150. Since the cross-section of the quantification part inlet / outlet part 157 is the smallest, the liquid level of the sample does not spread over a wide area, and the liquid level can be formed more stably. Liquid inspection can be performed. In addition, since the bottom surface of the quantitative portion entrance / exit portion is provided with an angle between the sample guide portion side and the quantitative portion side, the liquid level at the site is improved, so the liquid level is more stable. Can be formed. This also increases the accuracy of quantification of the sample in the quantification unit 150, so that the sample can be examined with higher accuracy.

  The sample guides 46, 146, and 246 correspond to the “first guide” of the present invention. The wall surface 51B corresponds to the “second guide portion” of the present invention. The wall surface 52B corresponds to the “third guide portion” of the present invention. Further, the centrifugal force direction “0 °” corresponds to the “first direction” of the present invention, and the centrifugal force direction “80 °” corresponds to the “second direction” of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Test | inspection apparatus 40 Test | inspection chip 41 Sample injection port 42 Reagent injection port 46 Specimen guide part 46A Side surface 51 (Sample guide part) Side wall 51A Wall surface 51B Wall surface 51C Contact point 52 Second wall part 52A Wall surface 52B Wall surface 52C Contact point 54 Surplus Unit 55 mixing tank 71 cover material 72 optical measurement window 100 (conventional) inspection chip 140 inspection chip 150 quantification unit 157 bottom surface (of quantification unit)

Claims (3)

A test object receiver used for a purpose of inspecting a liquid to be inspected by moving it inside by the action of the centrifugal force by holding it at a predetermined rotation angle by rotation with respect to the direction of centrifugal force generated by revolution. ,
When the centrifugal force is generated in the first direction by being held at the first rotation angle, a first guide portion that guides the liquid in the first direction;
Receiving the liquid guided through the first guide unit, and a fixed amount unit capable of storing a predetermined amount of the liquid;
A second guide for guiding the excess liquid flowing out from the metering unit when the predetermined amount of the liquid is stored in the metering unit and the centrifugal force is generated in the first direction; ,
The surplus part which is provided in the back side about the first direction rather than the fixed quantity part, and stores the liquid for the surplus guided by the second guide part, and
When the centrifugal force is generated in the second direction by being held at a second rotation angle different from the first rotation angle, the liquid stored in the metering unit is provided in a direction in which the liquid flows out. With a third guide section,
A metering portion inlet / outlet portion, which is a plane including the end portion on the second guide portion side and the end portion on the third guide portion side of the metering portion, is formed in a direction perpendicular to the first direction. It is an object to be inspected.   The cross-sectional area of the cross section in the direction perpendicular to the first direction of the quantifying unit is continuously changed so that the quantifying unit entrance / exit part is the smallest and the terminal side cross section of the quantifying unit is the largest. The test object receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the test object receiver is formed.   The quantification unit is formed so that one surface thereof is open and recessed, and the open surface is covered with a cover material, and the depth of the dent is the shallowest on the entrance and exit side of the quantification unit, and the end of the quantification unit The test object receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the test object receptacle is formed so as to continuously change so as to be deepest on the side.