JP2015197351A - inspection chip - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspection chip for improving the quantification accuracy and measurement accuracy of a specimen or a reagent.SOLUTION: The second sum of the volume of a separation part 124 which is closer to a separation direction side from a second virtual plane 151 passing through a first end part 143 and the volume of a connection passage 120 which is closer to the separation part 124 side from a third virtual plane that is parallel to the second virtual plane 151 and extends from a contact 120F in contact with a second wall surface 120A to an intersection 120G where it intersects the third wall surface 120B, is a cubic volume V2. The cubic volume V1 of a first sum of volumes is equal to the cubic volume V2 of the second sum of volumes. A liquid level at which a separation component 17A separated in the separation part 124 coincides the third virtual plane 152 when it begins to be guided, via a passage 127, to a sample quantification part that is a receiving part, intersects a third wall surface 120B. Therefore, the possibility of a residual component 17B that is a second separation component flowing out to the passage 127 can be reduced, and the possibility of the separation component 17A becoming insufficient in the sample quantification part can be reduced.

Description

  The present invention relates to a test chip, and more particularly, to a test chip for separating liquids containing components having different specific gravities and performing, for example, chemical, medical, and biological tests.

  Conventionally, in the field of chemical, medical, and biological examinations, when detecting and quantifying DNA (Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid), enzymes, antigens, antibodies, proteins, viruses, cells and other biological materials, and chemical substances There are known inspection chips called microchips or inspection chips. In this inspection chip, a liquid to be inspected is injected into an internal liquid supply path, and the inspection chip is revolved. Using the centrifugal force generated by the revolution, the liquid is moved to a plurality of mixing tanks in the flow path formed in the inspection chip, and the inspection is performed. For example, in the test chip disclosed in Patent Document 1, a centrifugal force is applied to blood, and a plasma component and a blood cell component are separated in a separation unit, and a part of plasma is taken out. In this test chip, after separating the plasma, the separating portion is bent and deformed in order to take out only the plasma not containing blood cells.

JP 2009-139369 A

  However, in the test chip of the invention described in Patent Document 1, when centrifugal force is applied in the same direction as the plasma removal direction after plasma separation, residual components such as blood cells remaining in the separation part are transferred to the next process. There was a problem of flowing out. In this case, there is a problem in that residual components are mixed with plasma and the accuracy of the test is lowered.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to realize an inspection chip that can improve the inspection accuracy by reducing the possibility that the residual component separated in the separation unit flows out to the next process. And

  A test chip according to one aspect of the present invention is a separation unit in which an injected specimen is separated into a first separation component and a second separation component having a specific gravity greater than that of the first separation component, and a separation portion having a concave shape; A receiving portion that receives the first separation component separated in the separation portion; a first flow path that is connected to a first end portion that is one end portion of the separation portion and guides the first separation component to the receiving portion; A second flow path connected to a second end that is the other end of the separation section and extending from the separation section in a direction different from the extending direction of the first flow path; and the second flow path separated by the separation section Connecting a second separation component holding unit that holds at least a part of the separation component, a first side wall of the separation unit connected to the first end, the first side wall and the second separation component holding unit; The second wall surface on the first flow path side and the second wall surface facing the second wall surface A volume of the separation section on the separation direction side with respect to the first direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the separation direction of the specimen in the separation section. , The separation part side of the first virtual surface from the first position of the second wall surface closest to the separation direction to the second position of the third wall surface parallel to the first position and the first direction. The first volume sum with the volume of the third flow path is the third imaginary plane parallel to the second imaginary plane and the volume of the separation section on the separation direction side relative to the second imaginary plane passing through the first end. The volume of the third flow path on the separation portion side of the third virtual surface extending from the contact point at which the surface is in contact with the second wall surface to the intersection where the surface intersects with the third wall surface Is equal to the second volume sum.

  According to the inspection chip, the first volume sum and the second volume sum are equal, that is, when the first separation component separated in the separation portion starts to be guided to the receiving portion via the first flow path, The liquid surface coinciding with the three virtual surfaces intersects with the third wall surface. Therefore, the possibility that the second separation component flows out to the first flow path can be reduced, and the possibility that the first separation component is insufficient in the receiving portion can be reduced. As a result, inspection accuracy can be improved.

  In the test chip, the receiving unit is a quantification unit that quantifies the first separated component separated in the separation unit, and is connected to a third end that is one end of the quantification unit, A direction different from the extending direction of the fourth channel from the quantification unit, connected to the fourth channel in which the quantified first separation component moves and the fourth end which is the other end of the quantification unit. A fifth channel extending to the fourth channel, a fourth wall surface that is the surface of the fourth channel on the third end side, and a fifth end that is the end of the fourth wall surface opposite to the third end portion The separation between the second virtual surface and a fifth virtual surface passing through the first end portion in parallel with a fourth virtual surface including a tangent line between the second wall surface and the third wall surface The difference between the first volume that is the volume of the part and the second volume that is the volume of the third flow path between the fourth virtual surface and the third virtual surface The extraction amount of the first separation component is not more than a maximum volume that is a volume surrounded by the sixth virtual surface connecting the fourth end portion and the fifth end portion, the quantitative portion, and the fourth wall surface. It is characterized by being.

  In this case, the extraction amount of the first separation component extracted from the separation unit is a volume surrounded by the sixth virtual surface connecting the fourth end portion and the fifth end portion, the quantitative portion, and the fourth wall surface. Since it is below a certain maximum volume, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the extracted first separation component overflows from the quantification unit and mixes with the first separation component after quantification, resulting in a decrease in quantification accuracy.

  A first separation component holding portion that is formed in the first flow channel, opens in a direction opposite to the extending direction of the first flow channel, and holds the first separation component taken out from the separation portion; and the first separation A fifth wall surface that is a wall surface on the fourth flow path side of the component holding portion, and the extraction amount is a fifth virtual surface extending in parallel with the fifth wall surface from the fourth end portion, and the fixed amount It may be greater than or equal to the minimum volume that is the volume surrounded by the portion and the fourth wall surface.

  In this case, the extraction amount of the first separation component extracted from the separation unit is surrounded by the fifth virtual surface extending in parallel with the fifth wall surface from the fourth end, the quantitative unit, and the fourth wall surface. Since it is more than the minimum volume which is a volume, possibility that a 1st separation component will run short in a fixed_quantity | assay part can be reduced.

  The radius of curvature of the end portion of the third wall surface on the second separated component holding portion side may be smaller than the radius of curvature of the first end portion.

  In this case, since the curvature radius of the end of the third wall surface on the second separation component holding unit side is smaller than the curvature radius of the first end, the second separation component starts flowing into the second separation component holding unit. , The second separated component easily flows into the second separated component holding part.

    The first angle, which is an acute angle formed by the first direction and the second virtual surface, is greater than the second angle, which is an acute angle formed by the first direction and the surface on the first flow path side of the first end portion. Also good.

  In this case, when the first separation component is taken out from the separation unit, the first angle is larger than the second angle, so that the first separation component easily flows into the first flow path.

  A sixth wall surface that is a surface on the second separation component holding portion side of the first flow path, and a sixth end portion that is an end portion on the opposite side to the first end portion of the sixth wall surface most opposite to the separation direction; The first angle may be larger than a third angle which is an acute angle formed by the first direction and a sixth virtual surface from the first end portion toward the sixth end portion.

  In this case, when the first separation component is taken out from the separation unit, the first angle is larger than the third angle, so that the first separation component easily flows into the first flow path.

  A sample holding unit that holds a sample to be injected into the separation unit, and passes through a contact point between a wall surface forming the sample holding unit and a tip of a seventh wall surface that is a wall surface on the first flow path side of the sample holding unit; When the volume surrounded by the seventh imaginary plane is the first volume sum, the second direction of the first direction and the third flow path is more than the fourth angle which is an acute angle formed by the first direction. The fifth angle which is an acute angle formed by the wall surface and the tangent line of the third wall surface may be large.

  In this case, since the fifth angle is larger than the fourth angle when the sample is injected from the sample holding unit into the separation unit, the possibility that the sample flows into the second separation component holding unit from the third flow path can be reduced. .

It is a figure which shows the structure of the test | inspection system 3 containing the test | inspection apparatus 1 and the control apparatus 90. FIG. It is a front view of the test | inspection chip 2. FIG. 4 is a rear view of the inspection chip 2. FIG. It is the elements on larger scale of the front of the test | inspection chip. It is the elements on larger scale of the front of the test | inspection chip. It is the elements on larger scale of the front of the test | inspection chip. It is the elements on larger scale of the front of the test | inspection chip. It is the elements on larger scale of the front of the test | inspection chip. It is the elements on larger scale of the front of the test | inspection chip. It is the elements on larger scale of the front of the test | inspection chip. It is a flowchart of a centrifugation process. It is a state transition diagram of the test | inspection chip 2 in a centrifugation process. FIG. 13 is a state transition diagram of the test chip 2 continued from FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is a state transition diagram of the test chip 2 continued from FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a state transition diagram of the test chip 2 continued from FIG. 14.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a plane of the inspection apparatus 1 constituting the inspection system 3 and functional blocks inside the control apparatus 90.

<1. Schematic structure of inspection system 3>
A schematic structure of the inspection system 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The inspection system 3 of the present embodiment includes an inspection chip 2 that can store a sample and a reagent that are liquids, and an inspection apparatus 1 that performs an inspection using the inspection chip 2. When the inspection device 1 rotates the inspection chip 2 around the vertical axis A <b> 1 separated from the inspection chip 2, centrifugal force acts on the inspection chip 2. When the inspection apparatus 1 rotates the inspection chip 2 around the horizontal axis A2, the centrifugal direction, which is the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the inspection chip 2, is switched. In addition, since the inspection system 3 and the inspection apparatus 1 of this embodiment have a known structure as described in JP 2012-78107 A, in the following description, an outline of the structure of the inspection apparatus 1 will be described. To do.

<2. Structure of the inspection apparatus 1>
The structure of the inspection apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the upper side, the lower side, the right side, the left side, the front side of the paper surface, and the back side of the paper surface in FIG. 1 are defined as the front side, the rear side, the right side, the left side, the upper side, and the lower side, respectively. . In the present embodiment, the direction of the vertical axis A1 is the vertical direction of the inspection apparatus 1, and the direction of the horizontal axis A2 is the direction of the speed when the inspection chip 2 is rotated about the vertical axis A1. FIG. 1 shows a state where the top plate of the upper housing 30 of the inspection apparatus 1 is removed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection apparatus 1 includes an upper housing 30, a lower housing 31, an upper plate 32, a turntable 33, an angle changing mechanism 34, and a control device 90. The turntable 33 is a disk rotatably provided on the upper side of an upper plate 32 described later. The inspection chip 2 is held above the turntable 33. The angle changing mechanism 34 is a drive mechanism provided on the turntable 33. The angle changing mechanism 34 rotates the inspection chip 2 around the horizontal axis A2. The upper housing 30 is fixed to an upper plate 32 described later, and a measurement unit 7 that performs optical measurement on the inspection chip 2 is provided inside. The control device 90 is a controller that controls various processes of the inspection device 1.

  A schematic structure of the lower housing 31 will be described. The lower housing 31 has a box-shaped frame structure in which frame members are combined. An upper plate 32 that is a rectangular plate material is provided on the upper surface of the lower housing 31. A drive mechanism that rotates the turntable 33 around the vertical axis A1 is provided in the lower housing 31 as follows.

  A spindle motor 35 that supplies a driving force for rotating the turntable 33 is installed on the left side in the lower housing 31. A shaft 36 of the main shaft motor 35 protrudes upward, and a pulley 37 is fixed. A vertical main shaft 57 extending upward from the inside of the lower housing 31 is provided at the center of the lower housing 31. The main shaft 57 passes through the upper plate 32 and protrudes above the lower housing 31. The upper end portion of the main shaft 57 is connected to the center portion of the turntable 33.

  The main shaft 57 is rotatably held by a support member (not shown) provided immediately below the upper plate 32. A pulley 38 is fixed to the main shaft 57 below the support member. A belt 39 is stretched over the pulley 37 and the pulley 38. When the main shaft motor 35 rotates the shaft 36, the driving force is transmitted to the main shaft 57 via the pulley 37, the belt 39, and the pulley 38. At this time, the turntable 33 rotates around the main shaft 57 in conjunction with the rotation of the main shaft 57.

  A guide rail (not shown) extending in the vertical direction inside the lower housing 31 is provided on the right side in the lower housing 31. A T-shaped plate (not shown) is movable in the vertical direction in the lower housing 31 along the guide rail.

  The aforementioned main shaft 57 is a cylindrical body having a hollow inside. An inner shaft (not shown) is a shaft that can move in the vertical direction inside the main shaft 57. The upper end portion of the inner shaft passes through the main shaft 57 and is connected to the rack gear 43. A bearing (not shown) is provided at the left end of the T-shaped plate. Inside the bearing, the lower end portion of the inner shaft is rotatably held.

  A stepping motor 51 for moving the T-shaped plate up and down is fixed in front of the T-shaped plate. The shaft 58 of the stepping motor 51 protrudes rearward, that is, downward in FIG. A disc-shaped cam plate (not shown) is fixed to the tip of the shaft 58. A cylindrical projection (not shown) is provided on the rear surface of the cam plate. The tip of the protrusion is inserted into a groove (not shown). The protrusion can slide in the groove. When the stepping motor 51 rotates the shaft 58, the protrusion moves up and down in conjunction with the rotation of the cam plate. At this time, the T-shaped plate moves up and down along the guide rail in conjunction with the protrusion inserted in the groove.

  The detailed structure of the angle changing mechanism 34 will be described. The angle changing mechanism 34 has a pair of L-shaped plates 60 fixed to the upper surface of the turntable 33. Each L-shaped plate 60 extends upward from a base portion fixed in the vicinity of the center of the turntable 33, and its upper end portion extends outward in the radial direction of the turntable 33. A rack gear 43 (not shown) fixed to the inner shaft is provided between the pair of L-shaped plates 60. The rack gear 43 is a metal plate-like member that is long in the vertical direction, and gears are respectively carved on both end faces.

  On the front end side in the extending direction of each L-shaped plate 60, a horizontal support shaft 46 having a gear 45 is rotatably supported. The support shaft 46 is fixed to the inspection chip 2 via a mounting holder (not shown). For this reason, the inspection chip 2 also rotates around the support shaft 46 in conjunction with the rotation of the gear 45. Between the gear 45 and the rack gear 43, a pinion gear 44 supported by an L-shaped plate 60 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis (not shown) is interposed. The pinion gear 44 meshes with the gear 45 and the rack gear 43, respectively. In conjunction with the vertical movement of the rack gear 43, the pinion gear 44 and the gear 45 are driven to rotate, and the inspection chip 2 is rotated about the support shaft 46.

  In the present embodiment, as the main shaft motor 35 rotationally drives the turntable 33, the inspection chip 2 rotates around the main shaft 57 that is a vertical axis, and a centrifugal force acts on the inspection chip 2. The rotation around the vertical axis A1 of the inspection chip 2 is referred to as revolution. On the other hand, as the stepping motor 51 moves the inner shaft up and down, the inspection chip 2 rotates about the support shaft 46 which is a horizontal axis, and the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the inspection chip 2 changes relatively. The rotation around the horizontal axis A2 of the inspection chip 2 is called autorotation.

  In a state where the T-shaped plate is lowered to the lowermost end of the movable range, the rack gear 43 is also lowered to the lowermost end of the movable range. At this time, the inspection chip 2 is in a steady state where the rotation angle is 0 degree. Further, in the state where the T-shaped plate is raised to the uppermost end of the movable range, the rack gear 43 is also raised to the uppermost end of the movable range. At this time, the test | inspection chip 2 will be in the state rotated 180 degree | times centering on the horizontal axis line A2 from the steady state. That is, in this embodiment, the angle width that the test chip 2 can rotate is the rotation angle of 0 degrees to 180 degrees.

  The detailed structure of the upper housing 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper housing 30 has a box-like frame structure in which frame members are combined, and is installed on the upper left side of the upper plate 32. More specifically, the upper housing 30 is provided outside the range in which the inspection chip 2 is rotated as viewed from the main shaft 57 at the rotation center of the turntable 33.

  The measurement unit 7 provided inside the upper housing 30 includes a light source 71 that emits measurement light, and an optical sensor 72 that detects the measurement light emitted from the light source 71. The light source 71 and the optical sensor 72 are disposed on both the front and rear sides of the turntable 33 outside the rotation range of the inspection chip 2. In the present embodiment, the position on the left side of the main shaft 57 in the reciprocable range of the inspection chip 2 is the measurement position at which the inspection chip 2 is irradiated with the measurement light. When the inspection chip 2 is at the measurement position, the measurement light connecting the light source 71 and the optical sensor 72 intersects the front surface and the rear surface of the inspection chip 2 substantially perpendicularly.

<3. Electrical configuration of control device 90>
The electrical configuration of the control device 90 will be described with reference to FIG. The control device 90 includes a CPU 91 that performs main control of the inspection device 1, a RAM 92 that temporarily stores various data, and a ROM 93 that stores a control program. Connected to the CPU 91 are an operation unit 94 for a user to input instructions to the control device 90, a hard disk device 95 for storing various data and programs, and a display 96 for displaying various information. As the control device 90, a personal computer may be used, or a dedicated control device may be used.

  Further, a revolution controller 97, a rotation controller 98, and a measurement controller 99 are connected to the CPU 91. The revolution controller 97 controls the revolution of the inspection chip 2 by transmitting a control signal for rotating the spindle motor 35 to the spindle motor 35. The rotation controller 98 controls the rotation of the inspection chip 2 by transmitting a control signal for rotating the stepping motor 51 to the stepping motor 51. The measurement controller 99 performs the optical measurement of the inspection chip 2 by driving the measurement unit 7. Specifically, the measurement controller 99 transmits a control signal for executing light emission of the light source 71 and light detection of the optical sensor 72 to the light source 71 and the optical sensor 72. The CPU 91 controls the revolution controller 97, the rotation controller 98, and the measurement controller 99.

<4. Structure of inspection chip 2>
With reference to FIG.2 and FIG.3, the detailed structure of the test | inspection chip 2 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. In the following description, the upper, lower, left, right, front side, and back side of FIG. 2 are the upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear sides of the inspection chip 2, respectively. .

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the inspection chip 2 has a square shape including an upper side portion 21, a right side portion 22, a left side portion 23, and a lower side portion 24 when viewed from the front, and has a predetermined thickness. Mainly composed of a synthetic resin plate 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the front surface 201 of the plate member 20 is sealed with a sheet 291 made of a transparent synthetic resin thin plate. As shown in FIG. 3, the rear surface 202 opposite to the front surface 201 is sealed with a sheet 292 made of a transparent synthetic resin thin plate. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a liquid flow path 25 is formed between the plate material 20 and the sheet 291 and between the plate material 20 and the sheet 292 so that the liquid sealed in the inspection chip 2 can flow. Has been. The liquid channel 25 is a recess formed at a predetermined depth on the front surface 201 side and the rear surface 202 side of the plate material 20, and extends in a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction, which is the thickness direction of the plate material 20. The sheets 291 and 292 seal the flow path forming surface of the plate material 20. The sheets 291 and 292 are not shown except for FIGS.

  The liquid flow path 25 in the test chip 2 includes the sample quantitative flow path 11, the reagent quantitative flow paths 13 and 15, the first connection flow path 301, the second connection flow path 331, the mixing unit 80, the measurement unit 81, and the like. . As shown in FIG. 2, the reagent fixed amount flow path 13 is provided in the upper left part of the front surface 201. The sample quantitative flow path 11 is provided on the right side of the reagent quantitative flow path 13 in the front surface 201. As shown in FIG. 3, the reagent fixed amount flow path 15 is provided in the upper left part on the rear surface 202 side. The mixing unit 80 is provided in the lower right part of the front surface 201. The mixing unit 80 is an area that includes a channel on the right side of an end 315 (described later) and an inlet 306 (described later) that is connected to a channel 117 (described later) and extends downward. The measurement unit 81 is a lower part of the mixing unit 80.

  A configuration common to the reagent quantitative channels 13 and 15 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the reagent quantification flow paths 13 and 15 include the injection port 130, the reagent injection part 131, the communication path 154, the first holding part 132, the second holding part 133, and the reagent quantifying part 134, respectively. 1st guide part 138, 2nd guide part 137, and reagent surplus part 136 are included. The reagent injection part 131 is provided in the upper left part of the test chip 2. The reagent injection part 131 is a recess that opens upward. The inlet 130 is a part where the first reagent 18 or the second reagent 19 is injected into the reagent injection part 131. The reagent injection part 131 of the reagent fixed amount flow channel 13 is a part where the first reagent 18 injected from the injection port 130 of the reagent fixed amount flow channel 13 is stored. The reagent injection part 131 of the reagent fixed amount flow channel 15 is a part where the second reagent 19 injected from the injection port 130 of the reagent fixed amount flow channel 15 is stored. In addition, the 2nd reagent 19 of this embodiment is a reagent mixed after the 1st reagent 18 and the separation component 17A mentioned later are mixed. In the following description, the first reagent 18 and the second reagent 19 are collectively referred to as “reagent 16” when not specified either.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first holding part 132 is a concave part that opens leftward, which is a direction that intersects the upward direction that is the opening direction of the reagent injection part 131. The first holding part 132 and the reagent injection part 131 are connected via a communication passage 154 extending in the left-right direction. The first holding part 132 includes a flow path extending downward from the right side portion of the communication path 154 on the left side, and is connected to the second holding part 133 via this flow path. Hereinafter, the “direction intersecting the opening direction of the reagent injecting portion 131” refers to a “direction toward the left direction parallel to the extending direction of the upper side portion 21”. A second holding part 133 is formed below the first holding part 132. The second holding part 133 is a bent wall surface that opens in a direction crossing the opening direction of the reagent injection part 131 and is bent at a bending point 133G. Moreover, the 1st holding | maintenance part 132 and the 2nd holding | maintenance part 133 are adjacent in the formation direction of a flow path. A reagent quantitative unit 134 is provided below the second holding unit 133. The reagent quantification part 134 is a part where the reagent 16 is quantified, and is a concave part recessed in the lower left.

  The reagent fixed amount unit 134 is connected to the mixing unit 80 via the first guide unit 138 and the first connection channel 301, and is connected to the reagent surplus unit 136 via the second guide unit 137. The end of the reagent quantitative unit 134 on the mixing unit 80 side is referred to as a reagent quantitative end 141. The end of the reagent quantification unit 134 opposite to the mixing unit 80 is referred to as a reagent quantification end 142. A surface connecting the reagent fixed amount end portion 141 and the reagent fixed amount end portion 142 is a reagent fixed amount surface 146. The reagent quantification surface 146 is a virtual surface that is the position of the upper surface of the reagent 16 when the reagent 16 is quantified by the reagent quantification unit 134. Therefore, the volume of the liquid channel 25 below the reagent quantification surface 146 is the quantification amount in the reagent quantification unit 134. Hereinafter, the direction from the reagent quantitative end portion 141 toward the reagent quantitative end portion 142 is referred to as “quantitative direction”.

  From the upper part of the reagent fixed amount unit 134, the first guide unit 138 extends obliquely upward to the right. That is, the first guide portion 138 extends from the reagent fixed amount end portion 141 toward the first connection channel 301. The first guide unit 138 is a flow path through which the first reagent 18 quantified by the reagent quantification unit 134 moves.

  The first connection channel 301 will be described. In the following description, the reagent quantitative unit 134 of the reagent quantitative channel 13 is referred to as a reagent quantitative unit 134A, and the reagent quantitative unit 134 of the reagent quantitative channel 15 is referred to as a reagent quantitative unit 134B. The first connection channel 301 is a channel formed on the front surface 201 and connecting the first guide part 138 and the mixing part 80. The first connection channel 301 includes a reagent receiving unit 305 and is connected to the inflow port 306.

  The reagent receiver 305 is provided on the lower side 24 side of the first connection channel 301 and is connected to the inflow port 306. The inflow port 306 is formed by the right end 313 of the wall 302 and the right end 314 of the tenth wall 303 positioned above the right end 313. The inflow port 306 is located on the left side of the mixing unit 80 and is a part for allowing the reagent 16 to flow into the mixing unit 80.

  A confluence hole portion 351 is provided on the left side of the reagent receiving portion 305. The merge hole 351 is a hole that penetrates the plate member 20 in the front-rear direction and joins the second connection channel 331 to the first connection channel 301.

  The second connection channel 331 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the second connection channel 331 is formed on the rear surface 202 and extends from the reagent quantification unit 134B to the merging hole 351 side, and is a channel that connects the reagent quantification unit 134B and the merging hole 351. is there. The second connection channel 331 includes two reagent receiving portions 341 and 342. The reagent receiving parts 341 and 342 are parts that receive the second reagent 19 quantified by the reagent quantifying part 134B. The second connection channel 331 extends obliquely upward to the right from the reagent determination unit 134B and is connected to the reagent receiver 341, and extends obliquely downward to the left from the reagent receiver 341 and is connected to the reagent receiver 342. The right end portion of the reagent receiving portion 342 is connected to the merge hole portion 351 and is connected to the first connection channel 301 on the front surface 201 side.

  The specimen quantification channel 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the sample fixed amount flow path 11 includes an injection port 110, a sample injection unit 111, a first sample holding unit 112, a sample guide unit 113, a separation unit 124, a channel 125, a channel 127, a sample surplus unit 126, A first separation component holding unit 123, a specimen quantification unit 114, a passage 115, a passage 117, and a second surplus portion 116 are included. The sample injection part 111 is provided on the right side of the first holding part 132 of the reagent fixed amount flow path 13. The specimen injection unit 111 is a recess that opens upward. The injection port 110 penetrates the plate material 20 from the upper part of the specimen injection part 111 toward the upper side part 21 of the test chip 2. The injection port 110 is a part where the sample 17 is injected into the sample injection unit 111. The specimen injection unit 111 is a part where the specimen 17 injected from the injection port 110 is stored. The specimen 17 of the present embodiment is a liquid containing components such as blood, plasma, blood cells, bone marrow, urine, vaginal tissue, epithelial tissue, tumor, semen, saliva, or foodstuff. The first sample holding unit 112 and the sample injection unit 111 are connected via a communication path extending in the left-right direction. The first sample holder 112 is a recess that opens in a direction toward the sample injector 111, and has a seventh wall surface 112A and a vertical wall surface 112D connected to the seventh wall surface 112A. A lower end portion of the first sample holding unit 112 is connected to a sample guide unit 113 that is a passage of the sample 17. The first sample holding unit 112 holds the sample 17 injected into the separation unit 124.

  A separation unit 124 is provided below the sample guide unit 113. The sample guide unit 113 guides the sample 17 to the separation unit 124. The separation unit 124 is a part where components contained in the specimen 17 are separated. The separation part 124 is a recess that opens upward and tilts diagonally downward to the right. The separation unit 124 centrifuges the specimen 17 into a component having a small specific gravity and a component having a large specific gravity by the action of centrifugal force. In the following description, the first separation component having a small specific gravity of the specimen 17 separated in the separation unit 124 is referred to as a separation component 17A, and the second separation component having a large specific gravity is referred to as a residual component 17B.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the separation portion 124 includes a second upper end portion 147 and an upper right first end portion 143 that form an opening. A connection channel 120 extends obliquely upward to the right from the central portion in the vertical direction of the right side wall 124 </ b> A of the separation unit 124, and the connection channel 120 is connected to the upper end 121 </ b> A of the second separation component holding unit 121. The connection channel 120 is formed of a second wall surface 120A and a third wall surface 120B that are opposed to and spaced from each other. The second separated component holding unit 121 is a holding unit that holds at least a part of the residual component 17 </ b> B separated in the separation unit 124. That is, the specimen 17 before separation or the separation component 17A may flow into the second separation component holding unit 121. Further, the width of the flow path of the connection flow path 120 is narrower than the width of the flow path of the passage 127 described later.

  From the upper part of the separation part 124, the passage 125 extends obliquely to the left and the passage 127 extends obliquely upward to the right. The passage 125 extends to the specimen surplus portion 126 provided on the lower left side of the separation portion 124. The sample surplus portion 126 is a portion where the sample 17 overflowing from the separation portion 124 is stored, and is a recess provided in the right direction and the downward direction from the lower end portion of the passage 125.

  The passage 127 is connected to the first separated component holding unit 123. The first separation component holding part 123 is a flow path that extends downward from the upper right part of the passage 127. The lower end of the first separation component holding portion 123 is connected to a separation component guide portion 128 that is a passage having a narrow channel. Below the separation component guide unit 128, a sample quantitative unit 114 is provided. The separation component guide unit 128 guides the separation component 17A to the sample quantitative unit 114. The specimen quantification unit 114 is a part that quantifies the separated component 17A, and is a recess that opens upward.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sample determination unit 114 is connected to the mixing unit 80 via a passage 117 extending obliquely upward to the right. The sample quantification unit 114 is a part that quantifies the separated component 17A, which is the first separated component separated in the separation unit 124, and is a recess that opens upward. As shown in FIG. 4, the end on the mixing unit 80 side of the sample quantitative unit 114 is referred to as a first sample quantitative unit end 118. The end of the sample quantitative unit 114 opposite to the mixing unit 80 is referred to as a second sample quantitative unit end 119. That is, the passage 115 extends from the second specimen quantification part end 119 to the second surplus part 116. A surface connecting the first sample quantitative portion end 118 and the second sample quantitative portion end 119 is a sample quantitative surface 129. The sample quantification surface 129 is a virtual surface serving as the position of the upper surface of the separation component 17A when the separation component 17A is quantified by the sample quantification unit 114. Therefore, the volume of the sample quantitative unit 114 below the sample quantitative surface 129 is the quantitative amount in the sample quantitative unit 114. The sample quantification unit 114 is formed below the sample quantification surface 129 and shallower than the upper side.

  A passage 115 extends obliquely downward to the left from the upper part of the sample determination unit 114. A second surplus part 116 is provided at the lower left of the sample quantification part 114. The second surplus part 116 is a part where the separated component 17A overflowing from the specimen quantification part 114 is stored. The second surplus portion 116 is a recess provided in the right direction from the lower end portion of the passage 115.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the wall surface on the side of the mixing unit 80 connected to the sample quantitative unit 114 is referred to as a sample channel wall surface 312. The sample channel wall surface 312 extends obliquely upward to the right from the first sample determination unit end 118 of the sample determination unit 114. The mixing unit 80 extends downward on the right side of the end 315 of the sample channel wall surface 312 and the inlet 306. As shown in FIG. 2, the mixing unit 80 is connected to the reagent quantitative unit 134 </ b> A via the first connection channel 301. The mixing unit 80 is connected to the reagent quantification unit 134B via the second connection channel 331. In the mixing unit 80, the separated component 17A quantified in the sample quantification unit 114, the first reagent 18 quantified in the reagent quantification unit 134A, and the second reagent 19 quantified in the reagent quantification unit 134B are mixed. When optical measurement described later is performed, the measurement light is transmitted to the measurement unit 81 that forms the lower part of the mixing unit 80.

<5. Other structures of inspection chip 2>
As shown in FIG. 1, the support shaft 46 extending from the L-shaped plate 60 is vertically connected to the center of the rear surface of the plate member 20 via a mounting holder (not shown). As the support shaft 46 rotates, the inspection chip 2 rotates around the support shaft 46. When the inspection chip 2 is in the steady state shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper side 21 and the lower side 24 are orthogonal to the direction of gravity G, the right side 22 and the left side 23 are parallel to the direction of gravity G, and The left side portion 23 is disposed closer to the main shaft 57 than the right side portion 22. In a state where the inspection chip 2 in the steady state is arranged at the measurement position, the inspection apparatus 1 performs inspection by optical measurement by allowing the measurement light connecting the light source 71 and the optical sensor 72 to pass through the measurement unit 81.

<6. Example of inspection method>
An inspection method using the inspection apparatus 1 and the inspection chip 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the sample 17 is injected from the injection port 110 and placed in the sample injection unit 111. The first reagent 18 is injected from the injection port 130 of the reagent fixed amount flow path 13 and is arranged in the reagent injection portion 131 of the reagent fixed amount flow path 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the second reagent 19 is injected from the inlet 130 of the reagent quantitative flow channel 15 and is arranged in the reagent injection part 131 of the reagent quantitative flow channel 15. The arrangement method of the first reagent 18, the second reagent 19, and the specimen 17 is not limited. For example, holes are opened at positions corresponding to the sample injection unit 111 and the reagent injection unit 131 in the sheets 291 and 292, and the user injects the sample 17, the first reagent 18, and the second reagent 19 from the holes, You may seal and seal. In addition, the first reagent 18 and the second reagent 19 may be arranged in advance in the respective reagent injection portions 131 of the reagent quantitative flow paths 13 and 15 and sealed with sheets 291 and 292. In this case, a hole may be opened in the sheet 291 at a position corresponding to the sample injection part 111 of the sample fixed amount flow channel 11, and the user may inject the sample 17 from the hole, and further seal and seal. In addition, the volume V1 that is a predetermined injection amount of the first reagent 18 is determined, for example, by the user injecting the predetermined volume V1 into the reagent injection unit 131 using a pipette. The injection amounts of the second reagent 19 and the specimen 17 are also determined, for example, by the user injecting a predetermined volume into the reagent injection part 131 and the specimen injection part 111 using a pipette.

  The user attaches the inspection chip 2 to a mounting holder (not shown) and inputs a processing start command from the operation unit 94. As a result, the CPU 91 executes the centrifugal process shown in FIG. 11 based on the control program stored in the ROM 93. The inspection apparatus 1 can inspect two inspection chips 2 at the same time. For convenience of explanation, a procedure for inspecting one inspection chip 2 will be described below. In the following description, the steady state of the inspection chip 2 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is referred to as a rotation angle of 0 degree, and the state rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the steady state is referred to as a rotation angle of 90 degrees. In the following description, when the CPU 91 rotates the inspection chip 2 from 0 degree to 90 degrees, the inspection chip 2 rotates counterclockwise as viewed from the front. Further, when the CPU 91 rotates the inspection chip 2 from 90 degrees to 90 degrees, the inspection chip 2 rotates clockwise as viewed from the front.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the CPU 91 reads motor drive information stored in advance in the HDD 95, sets drive information of the spindle motor 35 in the revolution controller 97, and sets drive information of the stepping motor 51 in the rotation controller 98. (S1). At this time, the test chip 2 is in a steady state and has a rotation angle of 0 degree as shown in FIGS. Next, the CPU 91 shown in FIG. 1 controls the revolution controller 97 to start driving the spindle motor 35 (S2). As a result, the inspection chip 2 having a rotation angle of 0 degrees revolves. The spindle motor 35 increases the rotation speed of the turntable 33 to the speed V based on an instruction from the revolution controller 97. The speed V is, for example, 3000 rpm. When the turntable 33 is rotated at this speed V, a centrifugal force X of several hundred G acts on the inspection chip 2. The CPU 91 maintains the rotation speed of the spindle motor 35 at the speed V (S3). As shown in FIG. 12A, the centrifugal force X acts on the test chip 2 from the left side portion 23 toward the right side portion 22. The reagent 16 moves from the reagent injection part 131 to the first holding part 132 by the action of the centrifugal force X. Further, the sample 17 moves from the sample injection unit 111 to the first sample holding unit 112. In the following description, the rotation speed of the turntable 33 is assumed to be constant at the speed V, but the value of the speed V may be changed during the centrifugal process.

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51, and rotates the inspection chip 2 to a rotation angle of 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 12C (S4). FIG. 12C shows a state in which the inspection chip 2 has been rotated to a rotation angle of 90 degrees, and FIG. 12B shows an intermediate state during which the inspection chip 2 is rotated from a rotation angle of 0 degrees to 90 degrees of rotation. Indicates the state. In the state shown in FIG. 12C, the test chip 2 is rotated up to 90 degrees, and the centrifugal force X acts on the test chip 2 from the upper side portion 21 toward the lower side portion 24. By the action of the centrifugal force X, the reagent 16 flows from the first holding unit 132 to the reagent quantifying unit 134 via the second holding unit 133 that is a bent wall surface. The excess reagent 16 in the reagent quantitative unit 134 flows to the reagent surplus unit 136 via the second guide unit 137. The centrifugal force X acts in the direction perpendicular to the reagent fixed amount surface 146. Thereby, the reagent 16 for the capacity of the reagent quantification unit 134 is quantified. In addition, the sample 17 flows from the first sample holding unit 112 to the separation unit 124 via the sample guide unit 113. The excess specimen 17 in the separation unit 124 flows to the specimen surplus part 126 via the passage 125. Therefore, the sample 17 corresponding to the volume of the separation unit 124 remains in the separation unit 124. The capacity of the separation part 124 is the capacity of the liquid flow path 25 below the virtual surface 148 extending in the right direction from the second end 147 on the passage 125 side in the separation part 124 shown in FIG.

  Between the rotation angle 0 degrees shown in FIG. 12 (A) and the rotation angle 90 degrees shown in FIG. 12 (C), as shown in FIG. 12 (B), from the rotation angle 0 degrees toward the rotation angle 90 degrees. The test chip 2 is rotated, and the sample 17 flows from the first sample holding unit 112 to the separation unit 124.

  The CPU 91 maintains the rotation speed of the spindle motor 35 at the speed V for a predetermined time (S5). As a result, the centrifugal force X acts from the upper side portion 21 toward the lower side portion 24 for a predetermined time on the inspection chip 2 having a rotation angle of 90 degrees shown in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13A, in the separation unit 124, the component of the specimen 17 is separated into the separation component 17A and the residual component 17B. For example, when the specimen 17 is blood, blood cells having a large specific gravity accumulate on the side in which the centrifugal force X acts, and plasma having a small specific gravity accumulates on the side opposite to the direction in which the centrifugal force X acts. That is, the residual component 17B that is blood cells in the blood and the separation component 17A that is plasma are separated.

  Next, referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 4 and FIG. 12C, the separation part 124 of the inspection chip 2 and the second separation component holding in the inspection chip 2 up to a rotation angle of 90 degrees shown in FIG. The details of the structure of the unit 121 and the volume of the specimen 17 to be held will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a step 124 </ b> B is formed on the right side wall 124 </ b> A of the separation portion 124 at the joint portion with the connection channel 120. The step 124 </ b> B is a boundary between the separation portion 124 and the connection channel 120. The depth of the flow channel on the connection flow channel 120 side with respect to the step 124B is shallower than that of the separation portion 124. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 12C, when the sample 17 is injected into the separation unit 124 and quantified, the centrifugal force X is applied in the direction from the upper side 21 to the lower side 24 as shown in FIG. 12C. Works. Therefore, the virtual plane 148 passing through the second end 147 is the quantitative surface of the specimen 17.

The virtual surface 148 is a virtual surface extending in a first direction that is a direction perpendicular to the direction of action of the centrifugal force X, which is the separation direction of the specimen 17 in the separation unit 124. The volume of the separation part 124 on the left side of the imaginary plane 148 on the separation direction side and the right side wall 124A and the step 124B of the separation part 124 is the volume V10.

  Connection on the separation portion 124 side from the first virtual surface 120E from the first position 120D closest to the separation direction of the second wall surface 120A to the second position 120C of the third wall surface 120B parallel to the first position 120D and the first direction. The volume of the flow path 120 is the volume V11. The first volume sum of the volume V10 and the volume V11 is the volume V1.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the second volume sum of the volume V20 and the volume V21 is the volume V2. Volume V1 and volume V2 are equal. The volume V <b> 20 is the volume of the separation part 124 on the separation direction side with respect to the second virtual surface 151 passing through the first end part 143. The volume V21 is the volume of the connection flow path 120 on the separation unit 124 side of the third virtual surface 152 from the contact point 120F to the intersection 120G. The contact point 120F is a contact point at which a third virtual surface 152 parallel to the second virtual surface 151 contacts the second wall surface 120A. The intersection 120G is an intersection where the third virtual surface 152 intersects the third wall surface 120B. The second virtual surface 151 is a liquid surface of the separation component 17A in the separation portion 124 when the separation component 17A starts to flow from the separation portion 124 into the passage 127.

  That is, when the separation component 17A starts to be guided to the specimen fixed amount unit 114 that is the receiving part via the passage 127 that is the first flow path, the liquid level that coincides with the third virtual surface 152 intersects the third wall surface 120B. To do. Accordingly, when the separated component 17A starts to flow into the passage 127, the liquid does not flow into the second separated component holding portion 121. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the separated component 17A flows into the second separated component holding unit 121 when the separated component 17A starts to be guided to the sample quantifying unit 114 which is the receiving unit via the passage 127, and the sample quantification. In the part 114, the possibility that the separation component 17A is insufficient can be reduced. As a result, inspection accuracy can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the separation unit 124, the virtual surface passing through the first end 143 that is the first end is the second virtual surface 151. A fifth virtual surface 156 is a virtual surface that contacts the third wall surface 120B at the contact 120H and passes through the first end 143 in parallel with the fourth virtual surface 155 that contacts the second wall surface 120A at the contact 120K. Therefore, the fifth virtual surface 156 is a liquid surface of the separation component 17A in the separation unit 124 immediately before the separation component 17A or the residual component 17B flows from the separation unit 124 to the second separation component holding unit 121. The fourth virtual surface 155 is a liquid surface of the separation component 17A or the residual component 17B in the connection channel 120 immediately before the separation component 17A flows from the connection channel 120 to the second separation component holding unit 121. In FIG. 6, the liquid stored in the specimen surplus portion 126 shown in FIG. 2 is not shown.

  Therefore, in the separation unit 124, the volume between the second virtual surface 151 passing through the first end 143 and the fifth virtual surface 156 is the reduced volume ΔVdown. Further, the volume between the fourth virtual surface 155 and the third virtual surface 152 in the connection channel 120 is the increased volume ΔVup. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the amount V3 extracted from the separation unit 124 is the volume after subtracting the increase volume ΔVup from the decrease volume ΔVdown. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6, the separated component 17 </ b> A with the extraction amount V <b> 3 is held in the first separated component holding unit 123.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the first sample quantification unit end 118, which is one end of the sample quantification unit 114, has a passage 117 that is a fourth channel through which the separated component 17 </ b> A quantified by the sample quantification unit 114 moves. It is connected. A second sample quantification unit end 119 that is the other end of the sample quantification unit 114 is connected to a passage 115 that is a fifth flow path extending in a direction different from the extending direction of the passage 117. The surface of the passage 117 on the side of the first sample quantification portion end 118 is the sample flow channel wall surface 312 that is the fourth wall surface. In the sample channel wall surface 312, the end opposite to the first sample determination unit end 118 is an end 315 that is a fifth end.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the extraction amount V3 of the separated component 17A extracted from the separation unit 124 connects the second sample quantification unit end 119 and the end 315 as shown in FIG. Since the volume is less than or equal to the maximum volume Vmax that is the volume surrounded by the sixth virtual surface 174, the sample quantification unit 114, and the sample channel wall surface 312, the extracted separated component 17A gets over the end 315 and the sample quantification unit 114. The possibility of overflowing and mixing with the separated component 17A after quantification can be reduced.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the first separation component holding portion 123 is formed in the passage 127, opens in a direction opposite to the extending direction of the passage 127, and separates the separation component 17 </ b> A taken out from the separation portion 124. Hold. The first separation component holding portion 123 includes a separation component holding portion wall surface 123A that is a wall surface on the passage 117 side. As shown in FIG. 6, the extraction amount V3 of the separation component 17A extracted from the separation unit 124 includes a seventh virtual surface 175 extending in parallel with the separation component holding unit wall surface 123A from the second sample quantitative unit end 119, It is not less than the minimum volume Vmin that is the volume surrounded by the sample quantification unit 114 and the sample channel wall surface 312.

  At the completion of injection of the separation component 17A from the first separation component holding unit 123 into the specimen quantification unit 114, the centrifugal force X acts perpendicularly to the separation component holding unit wall surface 123A. Accordingly, the seventh virtual surface 175 is parallel to the separation component holding unit wall surface 123A, and the volume surrounded by the seventh virtual surface 175, the sample quantification unit 114, and the sample channel wall surface 312 is the minimum volume Vmin. become.

  In the above embodiment, the extraction amount V3 of the separation component 17A extracted from the separation unit 124 is equal to or greater than the minimum volume Vmin that is the volume surrounded by the seventh virtual surface 175, the sample quantification unit 114, and the sample channel wall surface 312. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the separated component 17A is insufficient in the sample quantitative unit 144.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first end portion 143 of the separation portion 124 is a curved surface, and the end portion 120J on the second separation component holding portion 121 side of the third wall surface 120B is also a curved surface. The curvature radius 120R of the end 120J is smaller than the curvature radius 143R of the first end 143. Accordingly, the residual component 17B easily flows into the second separated component holding unit 121 at the start of the inflow of the residual component 17B as the second separated component into the second separated component holding unit 121. That is, after the flow into the second separated component holding unit 121, the separated component 17A is not guided to the sample quantifying unit 114 via the passage 127 which is the first flow path, and therefore the amount of the separated component 17A flowing to the sample quantifying unit 114 is small. The variation can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the surface of the passage 127 on the second separated component holding unit 121 side includes a sixth wall surface 127 </ b> B and a wall surface 127 </ b> A that is connected to the sixth wall surface 127 </ b> B and is inclined toward the first end portion 143. Is done. A first angle θ1 that is an acute angle formed by the first direction and the second virtual surface 151 is a second angle that is an acute angle formed by the wall 127A on the passage 127 side of the first end 143 of the separation portion 124 and the first direction. It is larger than θ2. Therefore, the separation component 17A easily flows into the passage 127. The sixth wall surface 127B includes a sixth end portion 127C that is an end portion on the second separation component holding unit 121 side. The first angle θ1 is larger than the third angle θ3, which is an acute angle formed by the sixth virtual surface 127D from the first end 143 toward the sixth end 127C and the first direction. When the separation component 17A is taken out from the separation unit 124, the first angle θ1 is larger than the third angle θ3, so that the separation component 17A easily flows into the passage 127.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a wall passing through the contact point 112B of the wall surface forming the first sample holder 112 and the tip of the seventh wall surface 112A that is the wall surface on the passage 127 side of the first sample holder 112 is the virtual surface 112C. When the enclosed volume V1 is the same volume as the first volume sum volume V1, the acute angle formed by the first direction and the virtual surface 112C is the fourth angle θ4. The fifth angle θ5, which is an acute angle formed by the fourth virtual surface 155 including the first direction and the tangent line between the second wall surface 120A of the connection channel 120 and the third wall surface 120B, is larger than the fourth angle θ4. The fifth angle θ5 is shown in FIG. Therefore, when the sample 17 is injected from the first sample holding unit 112 into the separation unit 124, the possibility that the sample 17 flows from the connection channel 120 into the second separation component holding unit 121 can be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the volume of the separation part 124 on the right side of the eighth virtual plane 176 extending in the vertical direction perpendicular to the first direction from the first end 143 is defined as a volume V4. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the connected flow from the ninth virtual surface 177 that is the liquid surface of the separation component 17A in the separation unit 124 when the second separation component holding unit 121 is filled with the liquid containing at least the residual component 17B. The sum of the volume V51 of the separation component 17A on the side of the path 120, the volume V52 of the connection flow path 120, and the volume V53 of the second separation component holding part 121 holding part is defined as a volume V5. The ninth virtual surface 177 extends in the vertical direction orthogonal to the first direction. When the connection channel 120 is clogged with the residual component 17B, the liquid remaining in the separation unit 124, the connection channel 120, and the second separation component holding unit 121 after removal becomes the volume V4. On the other hand, when the connection channel 120 is not clogged with the residual component 17B, the liquid remaining in the separation unit 124, the connection channel 120, and the second separation component holding unit 121 after removal becomes the volume V5. In each case, the separation unit 124, the connection channel 120, and the second separation component holding unit are such that “volume V4 = volume V1-maximum volume Vmax” and “volume V3 = volume V1-minimum volume Vmin”. The shape of 121 is determined.

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51, and as shown in FIG. 13B, the inspection chip 2 is rotated to a rotation angle of 0 degrees (S6). As a result, the centrifugal force X acts on the test chip 2 from the left side 23 toward the right side 22.

  When the posture of the test chip 2 changes to the state shown in FIG. 13B, the first reagent 18 quantified by the reagent quantification unit 134A moves to the mixing unit 80 and is stored. The second reagent 19 quantified in the reagent quantification unit 134B moves to the reagent receiving unit 341. Further, the separated component 17A moves to the first separated component holding part 123 through the passage 127. As shown in FIG. 13C, the separation component 17A remaining in the separation unit 124 and a part of the residual component 17B move to the second separation component holding unit 121 via the connection channel 120.

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51 to rotate the inspection chip 2 up to a rotation angle of 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 14A (S7). As a result, the centrifugal force X acts from the upper side portion 21 toward the lower side portion 24. Due to the action of the centrifugal force X, the separated component 17A flows from the first separated component holding unit 123 to the sample quantitative unit 114 via the separated component guide unit 128. Further, the second reagent 19 moves from the reagent receiving part 341 to the reagent receiving part 342. As shown in FIG. 14B, the excess separated component 17A in the specimen quantification unit 114 flows to the second surplus unit 116 via the passage 115. The centrifugal force X acts in a direction perpendicular to the specimen quantification surface 129. As a result, the separation component 17A corresponding to the volume of the specimen quantification unit 114 is quantified. Further, the second reagent 19 that has moved to the reagent receiving part 342 joins the first connection channel 301 formed in the front surface 201 via the joining hole part 351.

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51. As shown in FIGS. 14 (C), 15 (A), and 15 (B), the inspection chip 2 is rotated until the rotation angle is 0 degree. Is rotated (S8). As a result, the centrifugal force X acts on the test chip 2 from the left side 23 toward the right side 22.

  As the centrifugal force X acts in the process of changing the posture of the test chip 2 from the state shown in FIG. 14B to the state shown in FIG. 15B, as shown in FIG. The separated component 17A quantified by the sample quantification unit 114 flows into the first reagent 18 stored in the first reagent 18, and is mixed to generate a mixed liquid 261. Next, the second reagent 19 that has joined from the joining hole portion 351 flows into the mixing portion 80, and the second mixed liquid 262 is generated as shown in FIG.

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51 to rotate the inspection chip 2 up to a rotation angle of 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 15C (S9). As a result, the centrifugal force X acts on the inspection chip 2 from the upper side portion 21 toward the lower side portion 24. Due to the action of the centrifugal force X, the second mixed liquid 262 moves to the measuring unit 81.

  Although not shown in FIG. 15, after S <b> 9 is executed, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive the stepping motor 51. The CPU 91 rotates the inspection chip 2 until the rotation angle is 0 degree (S10). Further, the CPU 91 controls the revolution controller 97 to stop the rotation of the spindle motor 35 (S10). Therefore, the revolution of the inspection chip 2 is completed. Centrifugation is terminated.

  After execution of the centrifugal process, the CPU 91 controls the revolution controller 97 to rotate and move the inspection chip 2 to the angle of the measurement position. When the measurement controller 99 shown in FIG. 1 causes the light source 71 to emit light, the measurement light passes through the second mixed liquid 262 stored in the measurement unit 81. The CPU 91 performs optical measurement of the second liquid mixture 262 based on the change amount of the measurement light received by the optical sensor 72, and acquires measurement data. CPU91 calculates the measurement result of the 2nd liquid mixture 262 based on the acquired measurement data. The inspection result of the second mixed liquid 262 based on the measurement result is displayed on the display 96 shown in FIG. In addition, the measuring method of the 2nd liquid mixture 262 is not restricted to an optical measurement, Another method may be sufficient.

  In the above embodiment, the passage 127 is an example of the “first flow path” in the present invention. The passage 125 is an example of the “second flow path” in the present invention. The first reagent 18 and the second reagent 19 are examples of the “reagent” in the present invention. The sample quantification unit 114 is an example of the “quantification unit” in the present invention. The separation unit 124 is an example of the “separation unit” in the present invention. The second separated component holding unit 121 is an example of the “second separated component holding unit” in the present invention. The connection channel 120 is an example of the “third channel” in the present invention. The decrease volume ΔVdown is an example of the “first volume” in the present invention, and the increase volume ΔVup is an example of the “second volume” in the present invention.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, A various change is possible. For example, the first reagent 18 may be changed to a specimen. In addition, the measurement unit 81 is a lower part of the mixing unit 80, but may be provided separately from the mixing unit 80. In the above embodiment, as an example, the depth of the connection channel 120 may be 1 mm, the depth of the second separation component holding part 121 may be 3 mm, and the depth of the separation part 124 may be 3 mm.

  In addition, the reagent fixed amount flow channel 15 and the second connection flow channel 331 are formed on the rear surface 202 side, and the reagent fixed amount flow channel 13 and the first connection flow channel 301 are formed on the front surface 201. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . For example, the reagent fixed amount flow path 15, the second connection flow path 331, the reagent fixed amount flow path 13, and the first connection flow path 301 may be formed on the front surface 201. In this case, the first connection flow path 301 and the second connection flow path 331 may join at the flow path of the front surface 201 instead of joining at the joining hole portion 351. Further, the reagent quantitative flow channel 15 and the second connection flow channel 331 may not be provided in the test chip 2. In this embodiment, the reagent quantification unit 134 is a quantification unit that quantifies the reagent, but may be used as a sample quantification unit. Further, the sample quantification unit 114 as a receiving unit may be a simple recess without a quantification function. Further, the receiving part may be a mixing part, a measuring part, or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Test | inspection apparatus 2 Test | inspection chip 17 Sample 17A Separation component 17B Residual component 18 First reagent 19 Second reagent 111 Sample injection part 112 First sample holding part 113 Sample guide part 114 Sample fixed part 115 Passage 116 Second surplus part 120 Connection Flow path 120A Second wall surface 120B Third wall surface 120C Second position 120D First position 120E First virtual surface 121 Second separation component holding portion 123 First separation component holding portion 124 Separation portion

Claims (7)

A separation part in which the injected specimen is separated into a first separation component and a second separation component having a specific gravity greater than that of the first separation component, and having a concave shape;
A receiving portion for receiving the first separated component separated in the separating portion;
A first flow path that is connected to a first end that is one end of the separation portion and guides the first separation component to the receiving portion;
A second flow path that is connected to a second end that is the other end of the separation section and extends in a direction different from the extending direction of the first flow path from the separation section;
A second separated component holding unit holding at least a part of the second separated component separated in the separating unit;
A first side wall of the separation portion connected to the first end portion;
Connecting the first side wall and the second separation component holding unit, and comprising a second channel on the first channel side, and a third channel comprising a third wall facing the second wall,
The volume of the separation part on the separation direction side with respect to the first direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the separation direction of the specimen in the separation part, and the most separation direction side of the second wall surface The first volume of the third flow path on the separation part side with respect to the first virtual surface from the first position to the second position of the third wall surface parallel to the first position and the first direction. The sum is
From the contact of the volume of the separation portion on the separation direction side with respect to the second virtual surface passing through the first end portion and the third virtual surface parallel to the second virtual surface in contact with the second wall surface, the third virtual surface An inspection that extends in parallel with the surface and is equal to the second volume sum with the volume of the third flow path on the separation part side from the third virtual surface to the intersection that intersects with the third wall surface Chip. The receiver is a quantitative unit that quantifies the first separated component separated in the separation unit,
A fourth channel connected to a third end which is one end of the quantification unit, and the first separation component quantified by the quantification unit is moved;
A fifth flow path that is connected to a fourth end that is the other end of the fixed quantity section and extends from the fixed quantity section in a direction different from the extending direction of the fourth flow path;
A fourth wall surface that is a surface on the third end side of the fourth flow path;
A fifth end which is an end opposite to the third end in the fourth wall surface;
With
The volume of the separation part between the fifth virtual surface passing through the first end portion in parallel with the fourth virtual surface including the tangent line between the second wall surface and the third wall surface and the second virtual surface. The amount of the first separation component that is the difference between the first volume and the second volume that is the volume of the third flow path between the fourth virtual surface and the third virtual surface is the fourth end. The inspection chip according to claim 1, wherein the inspection chip is equal to or less than a maximum volume that is a volume surrounded by a sixth virtual surface that connects a portion and the fifth end portion, the quantitative portion, and the fourth wall surface. . A first separation component holding portion that is formed in the first flow channel, opens in a direction facing the extending direction of the first flow channel, and holds the first separation component taken out from the separation portion;
A fifth wall surface which is a wall surface on the fourth flow path side of the first separation component holding portion;
With
The amount to be taken out is equal to or larger than a minimum volume that is a volume surrounded by the fifth virtual surface extending in parallel with the fifth wall surface from the fourth end portion, the quantitative portion, and the fourth wall surface. 3. The inspection chip according to claim 2, wherein   The inspection chip according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a radius of curvature of an end portion of the third wall surface on the second separation component holding portion side is smaller than a radius of curvature of the first end portion.   The first angle which is an acute angle formed by the first direction and the second virtual plane is larger than the second angle which is an acute angle formed by the first direction and the surface on the first flow path side of the first end portion. The inspection chip according to claim 1, wherein: A sixth wall surface that is a surface of the first flow path on the second separated component holding unit side;
A sixth end that is the end opposite to the separation direction from the first end of the sixth wall;
With
6. The first angle according to claim 5, wherein the first angle is larger than a third angle that is an acute angle formed by the first direction and a sixth virtual surface from the first end portion toward the sixth end portion. Inspection chip. A sample holding unit for holding the sample to be injected into the separation unit;
The volume surrounded by the wall surface forming the sample holder and the seventh virtual plane passing through the contact point of the tip of the seventh wall surface that is the wall surface on the first flow path of the sample holder is the first volume sum. In the seventh virtual plane, the fifth angle, which is the acute angle formed by the first direction, the tangent line between the second wall surface, and the third wall surface, is larger than the fourth angle that is the acute angle formed by the first direction. The test chip according to claim 1, wherein the test chip is a test chip.

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