JP2016070808A - Inspection apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspection apparatus with a lower possibility of reduced inspection accuracy.SOLUTION: An inspection chip 2 comprises a separator 124, a removal channel 127, a residual liquid retainer 121, and a connection channel 120. A channel inlet 401 of the connection channel 120 has a first cross-sectional area Sβ smaller than a second cross-sectional area Sγ of a portion 1271 with a smallest cross-sectional area in the removal channel 127. An inspection apparatus has CPU that separates a sample in the separator 124 into a first separated component and a second separated component. The CPU exerts a second centrifugal force in a second centrifugal direction with respect to the inspection chip 2. The second centrifugal direction is perpendicular to a tangent 471 to a first connection wall surface 411 and a second connection wall surface 412 of the connection channel 120. The CPU exerts a third centrifugal force larger than the second centrifugal force when exerting a centrifugal force in a third centrifugal direction with respect to the inspection chip 2. The third centrifugal direction is perpendicular to a direction of the first connection wall surface 411 extending from the channel inlet 401.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a test apparatus that performs a test by separating components of a specimen arranged on a test chip.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a testing apparatus that performs testing by separating components of a specimen arranged on a testing chip is known. For example, the inspection apparatus described in Patent Document 1 can support an inspection target receptacle that is an inspection chip. The test object receptacle is provided with a separation part, a first flow path, a second flow path, and a holding part. The first flow channel is a flow channel that is connected to the separation unit and extracts the separated components separated in the separation unit. The second channel is a channel that connects the separation unit and the holding unit. The inspection apparatus applies centrifugal force to the inspection chip, and centrifuges the liquid component in the separation unit. The inspection device rotates the inspection chip to change the direction in which the centrifugal force acts. The inspection apparatus rotates the inspection chip and takes out the separated component separated in the separation unit via the first flow path. The residual component that is the liquid remaining in the separation unit moves to the holding unit via the second flow path and is held by the holding unit.

JP 2013-79812 A

  In the inspection apparatus, the ease of liquid flow into the first flow path and the second flow path varies depending on the cross-sectional areas of the first flow path and the second flow path of the test chip. For this reason, depending on the magnitude of the centrifugal force, the liquid may flow into the second flow path before the necessary amount of the separation component is taken out from the first flow path, and the necessary amount of the separation component may not be taken out from the first flow path. There is. For this reason, the inspection accuracy may be lowered.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an inspection apparatus that reduces the possibility of a decrease in inspection accuracy.

  The inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes a separation unit that has a concave shape and separates an injected specimen into a first separation component and a second separation component having a specific gravity greater than that of the first separation component, and the separation unit. An extraction flow path through which the first separation component is taken out, and a residual liquid holding section that is provided on one side of the separation section and holds the residual liquid that is the specimen remaining in the separation section; A flow path connecting the separation part and the residual liquid holding part, comprising a first connection wall surface on the residual liquid holding part side and a second connection wall surface facing the first connection wall surface A first cross-sectional area at a flow path inlet that is a part connected to the separation portion in the connection flow path, and a second in a part having the smallest cross-sectional area in the extraction flow path. Smaller than the cross-sectional area, the first connection from the channel inlet An inspection apparatus in which a connection angle formed by a connection direction in which a surface extends and the one direction is larger than a take-out angle formed by the tangent line contacting the first connection wall surface and the second connection wall surface and the one direction is arranged. The first rotation control means for rotating the inspection chip about the first axis and applying the centrifugal force to the inspection chip, and rotating the inspection chip about the second axis, A second rotation control means for changing the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the chip, wherein the second rotation control means is a direction of the centrifugal force when performing separation in the separation unit, and is in the one direction. The first centrifugal direction that is orthogonal, the second centrifugal direction that is perpendicular to the tangent that defines the take-out angle, and the third centrifugal direction that is perpendicular to the connection direction that defines the connection angle are sequentially centrifuged. Force acts As described above, when the second rotation control unit executes the angle changing rotation, the first rotation control unit performs the angle changing rotation for rotating the inspection chip. A second centrifugal force is applied when the centrifugal force is applied in the second centrifugal direction, and a third centrifugal force greater than the second centrifugal force is applied when the centrifugal force is applied in the third centrifugal direction.

  In this case, since the first cross-sectional area is smaller than the second cross-sectional area, when the second centrifugal force acts in the second centrifugal direction, the first separation component easily flows to the extraction flow channel side than the connection flow channel. Therefore, compared with the case where the first cross-sectional area is equal to or larger than the second cross-sectional area, the first separation component can be taken out more reliably. Therefore, the possibility that the inspection accuracy is lowered can be reduced. In addition, by making the third centrifugal force larger than the second centrifugal force and facilitating the flow of the residual liquid into the connection channel having a small cross-sectional area, the amount of the sample that additionally flows through the extraction channel can be reduced. it can. Therefore, the possibility that liquid other than the first separation component flows can be reduced, and the possibility that the inspection accuracy is lowered can be reduced.

  In the inspection apparatus, the second rotation control unit rotates the inspection chip in one rotation direction so that the centrifugal force acts in the order of the second centrifugal direction and the third centrifugal direction in the angle change rotation. Then, further rotating in the one rotation direction, the centrifugal force acts in the fourth centrifugal direction, the first rotation control means, when the centrifugal force acts in the fourth centrifugal direction, A fourth centrifugal force greater than the third centrifugal force may be applied.

  In the inspection apparatus, when the centrifugal force is applied in the third centrifugal direction, the first rotation control unit applies the third centrifugal force that is smaller than the first centrifugal force that is applied in the first centrifugal direction. May be.

In the inspection apparatus, the extraction flow path is connected to the separation part at one end, and the first extraction wall surface is inclined so as to be located on the opposite side to the direction in which the separation part is recessed, as it goes in the one direction. A second extraction wall surface that is connected to the other end of the first extraction wall surface and is inclined so as to be located on the direction side in which the separation portion is recessed as it goes in the one direction;
L1 / {d1 × (d1 + W1)} <L2 / {d2 × (d2 + W2)}
(L1: Path along the first extraction wall surface in the extraction flow path, W1: Width in a portion having the smallest cross-sectional area in the extraction flow path, d1: Depth in a portion having the smallest cross-sectional area in the extraction flow path, L2: a distance between the intersection of the tangent line and the first connection wall surface in the connection flow path and the flow path entrance, W2: a width at a portion having the largest cross-sectional area in the connection flow path, d2: the connection It may be a depth at a portion having the largest cross-sectional area in the flow path.

In the inspection apparatus, one end of the connection channel on the side of the residual liquid holding unit is curved in the one direction side,
The first rotation control means includes
Fβ ≧ 2 × (d3 + W3) × B
And Fθ ≧ 2 × (d3 + W3) × B + V × L2 / {d5 × (d5 + L2) ^ 2} + 2 × (d4 + W4) × B + 2 × (d2 + W2) × B
(B: constant determined by the surface tension of the residual liquid and the contact angle of the residual liquid to the channel inlet, V: constant determined by the viscosity and density of the residual liquid, W3: the connection at the channel inlet. The width of the flow path, d3: the depth of the connection flow path at the flow path entrance, W4: the part of the connection flow path in the imaginary line drawn perpendicularly to the upper end of the first connection wall surface at the one end. Width of the connection channel at the channel outlet, d4: depth at the channel outlet, d5: depth of the channel between the channel inlet and the channel outlet in the connection channel, Fβ: the above You may rotate centering | focusing on the said 1st axial center so that it may become 3rd centrifugal force and F (theta): said 4th centrifugal force.

  In the inspection apparatus, the path of the extraction flow path is longer than the path of the connection flow path, the second centrifugal force and the third centrifugal force are smaller than the fourth centrifugal force, and the second rotation control means is , The time for changing the direction in which the centrifugal force acts from the second centrifugal direction to the third centrifugal direction in the angle changing rotation, and the first rotational control means applies the fourth centrifugal force to the inspection chip. It may be longer than the operating time.

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. It is a rear view of the test | inspection chip 2. FIG. It is a principal part enlarged view of the test | inspection chip 2 seen from the front. 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. 7 is a state transition diagram of the test chip 2 continued from FIG. 6. It is a principal part enlarged view of the test | inspection chip 2 in which the 1st centrifugal force X1 acted in the 1st centrifugation direction. It is a principal part enlarged view of the test | inspection chip 2 in which the 2nd centrifugal force X2 acted on the 2nd centrifugation direction. It is a principal part enlarged view of the test | inspection chip 2 in which the 3rd centrifugal force X3 acted on the 3rd centrifugation direction. It is a principal part enlarged view of the test | inspection chip 2 in which the 4th centrifugal force X4 acted on the 4th centrifugation direction. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a main part of the inspection chip 2 in a state where a fourth centrifugal force X4 is applied in a fourth centrifugal direction and the residual liquid 17C is moved to the residual liquid holding part 121. FIG. 8 is a state transition diagram of the test chip 2 continued from FIG. 7. FIG. 14 is a state transition diagram of the test chip 2 continued from FIG. 13.

  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 first axis A <b> 1 separated from the inspection chip 2, centrifugal force acts on the inspection chip 2. The first axis A1 extends in the vertical direction that is the vertical direction. When the inspection device 1 rotates the inspection chip 2 around the second axis A2 extending in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the first axis A1, the centrifugal direction that is the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the inspection chip 2 is the inspection chip 2. Can be 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 rear side of the paper surface in FIG. . In the present embodiment, the direction of the first axis A1 is the vertical direction of the inspection apparatus 1, and the direction of the second axis A2 is the speed at which the inspection chip 2 is rotated about the first axis A1. Direction. 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 second 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. Inside the lower housing 31, a drive mechanism for rotating the turntable 33 around the first axis A1 is provided 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. That is, the main shaft motor 35 rotates the inspection chip 2 around the first axis A1 and applies a centrifugal force. The rotation around the first 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. That is, the stepping motor 51 rotates the inspection chip 2 around the second axis A2. The rotation around the second axis A2 of the inspection chip 2 is referred to as rotation.

  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 2nd axial center 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 respectively referred to as the upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear sides of the inspection chip 2, respectively. To do.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 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 as an example, and has a predetermined thickness. Mainly a transparent 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.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the liquid flow path 25 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, and the measurement. Part 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 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 reagent injection part 131 is formed by a left side part 23 and a wall part 27 extending from the left side part 23 to the upper right. The inlet 130 penetrates the plate member 20 from the upper part of the reagent injection part 131 toward the upper side part 21 of the test chip 2. 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 1st 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 FIG.2 and FIG.3, the 1st holding | maintenance part 132 is a recessed part opened leftward. 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 is connected to the second holding part 133 through a flow path extending downward from the right side portion of the communication path 154. The second holding portion 133 is formed by a bent wall surface that opens to the upper left. A third holding unit 160 is provided on the right side of the second holding unit 133. The third holding part 160 is connected to the upper part of the second holding part 133 and extends downward. The third holding unit 160 is a part that holds the first reagent 18 overflowing from the first holding unit 132 when the first reagent 18 is injected from the reagent injection unit 131 to the first holding unit 132.

  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 volume of the reagent quantification unit 134 is the volume of the liquid flow path 25 below the reagent quantification surface 146 extending in the right direction from the end 142 on the reagent surplus unit 136 side of the reagent quantification unit 134. 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.

  From the upper part of the reagent fixed amount unit 134, the second guide unit 137 extends obliquely downward to the left. The second guide unit 137 is a flow path through which the reagent 16 overflowing from the reagent quantitative unit 134 moves. A reagent surplus part 136 is provided at the lower left of the reagent quantification part 134. The reagent surplus part 136 is a part in which the reagent 16 that has moved through the second guide part 137 is accommodated, and is a concave part provided downward and rightward from the lower end part of the second guide part 137.

  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. As shown in FIG. 2, the first guide part 138 extends obliquely upward to the right from the upper part of the reagent fixed amount part 134 </ b> A and is connected to the first connection channel 301. The first guide part 138 of the reagent quantitative flow path 13 is a flow path through which the first reagent 18 quantified in the reagent quantitative part 134A moves. 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 extends obliquely downward to the right from the right end of the first guide portion 138 and further extends to the right from the lower end portion.

  The first connection channel 301 includes a reagent receiving unit 305. 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 right part of the reagent receiving part 305 is formed by a wall part 304 extending obliquely upward to the right. The inflow port 306 is formed above the right end of the wall portion 304. 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 merge 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 merges a second connection channel 331 described later with the first connection channel 301.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first guide part 138 extends obliquely upward to the right from the upper part of the reagent quantification part 134 </ b> B and is connected to the second connection channel 331. The first guide part 138 of the reagent quantitative flow path 15 is a flow path through which the second reagent 19 quantified in the reagent quantitative part 134B moves. The second connection channel 331 is a channel that is formed on the rear surface 202 and extends from the reagent quantification unit 134B toward the merging hole 351, and connects the reagent quantification unit 134B and the merging hole 351. 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 from the upper right portion of the first guide portion 138 to the lower left and is connected to the reagent receiving portion 341, and extends from the reagent receiving portion 341 to the lower left and is connected to the reagent receiving portion 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 quantification channel 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 passage 125, an extraction channel 127, and a sample surplus unit. 126, a second sample holding unit 123, a sample quantification unit 114, a passage 115, a passage 117, and a second surplus portion 116. 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 166 extending in the left-right direction. The first sample holding unit 112 is a recess that opens to the sample injection unit 111 side. The lower end portion of the first sample holding unit 112 is connected to the sample guide unit 113 that is a passage.

  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 has a concave shape that is recessed obliquely downward to the right, and is a part where components contained in the specimen 17 are separated. 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, a component having a small specific gravity of the specimen 17 separated by the separation unit 124 is referred to as a first separation component 17A, and a component having a large specific gravity is referred to as a second separation component 17B. The specimen 17 remaining in the separation unit 124 after the specimen 17 is centrifuged is referred to as a residual liquid 17C.

  The residual liquid holding unit 121 is provided on the right side with respect to the separation unit 124. The residual liquid holding part 121 is a storage part that holds at least a part of the residual liquid 17C. The residual liquid 17C may be only the second separation component 17B or a liquid containing the first separation component 17A and the second separation component 17B. Further, the residual liquid 17C may include the specimen 17 that has not been separated. In the following description, the right direction in which the residual liquid holding unit 121 is located with respect to the separation unit 124 may be referred to as one direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the connection channel 120 connects the separation unit 124 and the residual liquid holding unit 121. The connection flow channel 120 extends obliquely upward to the right from a flow channel inlet 401 (described later), has an upper end curved in one direction, and is connected to the upper end of the residual liquid holding unit 121.

  The connection channel 120 is formed by a first connection wall surface 411 and a second connection wall surface 412. The first connection wall surface 411 forms a right wall surface on the residual liquid holding unit 121 side in the connection channel 120. The first connection wall surface 411 includes an extending part 413 and a bending part 414. The extending part 413 extends linearly from the center in the vertical direction of the right wall part 400 of the separating part 124 to the upper right. The bending portion 414 is connected to the upper end of the extending portion 413 and is bent in one direction to be connected to the upper portion of the residual liquid holding portion 121.

  The second connection wall surface 412 faces the first connection wall surface 411 and forms the left wall surface of the connection channel 120. The second connection wall surface 412 includes a bending portion 415, an extending portion 416, and a bending portion 417. The extending portion 416 extends obliquely upward to the right in parallel with the extending portion 413 of the first connection wall surface 411. The bending portion 415 is connected to the lower end of the extending portion 416 and is bent to the left to be connected to the separation portion 124. The bending portion 417 is connected to the upper end of the extending portion 416 and is bent in one direction to be connected to the upper end of the residual liquid holding portion 121.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a portion connected to the separation portion 124 in the connection channel 120 is referred to as a channel inlet 401. The flow path inlet 401 is a part of the connection flow path 120 in the imaginary line 461 drawn in one direction from the lower end of the second connection wall surface 412, that is, the lower end of the curved portion 415. The first sectional area Sβ of the connection channel 120 at the channel inlet 401 is smaller than the second sectional area Sγ of the extraction channel 127 at the portion 1271 having the smallest sectional area in the extraction channel 127.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a portion connected to the residual liquid holding unit 121 in the connection channel 120 is referred to as a channel outlet 402. The flow path outlet 402 is a part of the connection flow path 120 in an imaginary line 462 drawn perpendicularly to the upper end of the first connection wall surface 411, that is, the upper end of the curved portion 414. The connection channel 120 is a channel between the channel inlet 401 and the channel outlet 402.

  As shown in FIG. 2, from the upper part of the separation part 124, the passage 125 extends diagonally to the left and the take-out flow path 127 extends diagonally upward to the right. The passage 125 connected to the separation unit 124 extends to the specimen surplus portion 126 provided on the lower left side of the separation unit 124. The specimen surplus part 126 is a part where the specimen 17 overflowing from the separation part 124 is stored.

  The extraction channel 127 connected to the separation unit 124 is connected to the second specimen holding unit 123. The extraction channel 127 is a channel through which the first separation component 17A separated by the separation unit 124 is extracted. The extraction channel 127 includes a first extraction wall surface 451 and a second extraction wall surface 452. As shown in FIG. 4, one end 1241 of the first extraction wall surface 451 is connected to the separation portion 124. The first extraction wall surface 451 is inclined so as to be positioned on the upper side, which is the opposite side to the lower direction in which the separation portion 124 is recessed, as it goes in one direction. The second extraction wall surface 452 is connected to the other end 1242 of the first extraction wall surface 451. The second extraction wall surface 452 is inclined so as to be positioned in the downward direction in which the separation portion 124 is recessed as it goes in one direction. The second extraction wall surface 452 extends in a direction along one direction from the first extraction wall surface 451.

  A sample quantitative unit 114 is provided below the second sample holding unit 123. The specimen quantification unit 114 is a part that quantifies the first separation component 17A, and is a recess that opens upward. The sample determination unit 114 is connected to the mixing unit 80 via a passage 117 extending to the upper right, and is connected to the second surplus unit 116 via the passage 115. The volume of the sample quantification unit 114 is the volume of the liquid channel 25 below the sample quantification surface 129 extending in the right direction from the end 119 on the second surplus part 116 side of the sample quantification unit 114. The sample quantification surface 129 is a virtual surface that is the position of the upper surface of the first separation component 17A when the first separation component 17A is quantified by the sample quantification unit 114. The second surplus part 116 is a part where the first separated component 17A overflowing from the specimen quantification part 114 is stored. The passage 117 is located above the inflow port 306.

  The mixing unit 80 is an area including a flow path on the right side of the inlet 306 that is connected to the passage 117 and extends downward. In the mixing unit 80, the first separation 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.

  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. 5 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. 5, the CPU 91 reads the motor drive information stored in advance in the HDD 95, sets the drive information of the spindle motor 35 in the revolution controller 97, and sets the 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 Vc based on an instruction from the revolution controller 97. When the turntable 33 is rotated at this speed Vc, a centrifugal force X of several hundred G acts on the inspection chip 2. The CPU 91 keeps the rotation speed of the spindle motor 35 at the speed Vc (S3). As shown in FIG. 6A, centrifugal force X acts on the test chip 2 from the left side 23 toward the right side 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.

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51 to rotate the inspection chip 2 to a rotation angle of 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 6C (S4). FIG. 6C shows a state in which the inspection chip 2 has been rotated to a rotation angle of 90 degrees, and FIG. 6B shows an intermediate state during which the inspection chip 2 is rotated from a rotation angle of 0 degrees to a rotation angle of 90 degrees. Shows the state. As shown in FIGS. 6 (B) and 6 (C), while the test chip 2 is rotated from the rotation angle of 0 degrees toward the rotation angle of 90 degrees, the reagent 16 is moved by the action of the centrifugal force X. From one holding part 132 to the reagent quantifying part 134 via the second holding part 133. In addition, the sample 17 flows from the first sample holding unit 112 to the separation unit 124 via the sample guide unit 113.

  In the state shown in FIG. 6C, the test chip 2 is rotated up to a rotation angle of 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. 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. 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 end part 147 on the passage 125 side in the separation part 124 shown in FIG.

  The CPU 91 keeps the rotational speed of the spindle motor 35 at the speed Vc 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 test chip 2 having a rotation angle of 90 degrees shown in FIG. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 7D and 8, the separation unit 124 separates the components of the specimen 17 into the first separation component 17A and the second separation 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 specimen 17 is separated into a first separation component 17A that is plasma in blood and a second separation component 17B that is blood cells.

  In the processes of S6 to S11 described below, a required amount of the first separation component 17A is taken out from the separation unit 124 via the take-out flow path 127. After the necessary amount of the first separation component 17A is taken out, at least part of the residual liquid 17C remaining in the separation unit 124 moves to the residual liquid holding unit 121. In the following description, the direction of the centrifugal force X when the sample 17 is separated in the separation unit 124 in the process of S5 is referred to as a first centrifugal direction. The first centrifugal direction is a downward direction orthogonal to one direction from the separation unit 124 toward the residual liquid holding unit 121. The centrifugal force X acting in the first centrifugal direction may be referred to as the first centrifugal force X1. The first centrifugal force X1 is a centrifugal force at the time of centrifuging the specimen 17, and has such a magnitude that the components of the specimen 17 are separated into the first separation component 17A and the second separation component 17B.

  Further, a tangent line in contact with the first connection wall surface 411 and the second connection wall surface 412 is referred to as a tangent line 471. A direction parallel to the tangent line 471 is indicated by an arrow 501. The angle formed by the tangent line 471 and the first direction is referred to as the extraction angle γ. As shown in FIG. 9, the direction perpendicular to the tangent line 471 that defines the extraction angle γ is referred to as a second centrifugal direction. The centrifugal force X acting in the second centrifugal direction may be referred to as the second centrifugal force X2. When the second centrifugal force X2 is applied in the second centrifugal direction, a necessary amount of the first separation component 17A is extracted from the separation unit 124 via the extraction flow path 127. The required amount is an amount that is greater than or equal to the capacity of the sample quantitative unit 114.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the direction in which the first connection wall surface 411 extends from the flow path inlet 401 is referred to as a connection direction, and is indicated by an arrow 502. The connection direction is a direction parallel to the extending portion 413 extending from the flow path inlet 401 to the upper right. An angle formed by the connection direction and one direction is referred to as a connection angle β. The connection angle β is larger than the extraction angle γ shown in FIG. A direction perpendicular to the connection direction is referred to as a third centrifugal direction. The centrifugal force X acting in the third centrifugal direction may be referred to as a third centrifugal force X3.

  Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the direction of the centrifugal force X parallel to one direction is referred to as a fourth centrifugal direction. The centrifugal force X acting in the fourth centrifugal direction may be referred to as a fourth centrifugal force X4. In S7 to S11, the CPU 91 rotates the test chip 2 so that the centrifugal force X acts in the order of the first centrifugal force direction, the second centrifugal force direction, the third centrifugal force direction, and the fourth centrifugal force direction. Perform angle change rotation. Hereinafter, the processing after S6 will be described.

  In S5, the first centrifugal force X1 is applied in the first centrifugal direction and the specimen 17 is separated, and then the CPU 91 controls the revolution controller 97 to drive and control the spindle motor 35 so that the rotation speed of the turntable 33 is increased. Decelerate from Vc to speed Vd (S6). Thereby, the centrifugal force X acting on the test chip 2 becomes smaller than the first centrifugal force X1 shown in FIG.

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51, and starts the rotation of the inspection chip 2 up to the rotation angle 0 degree shown in FIG. 7E (S7). That is, the angle changing rotation is started. While the angle changing rotation is being executed, the CPU 91 controls the revolution controller 97 to drive and control the spindle motor 35, and starts to accelerate the rotation speed of the turntable 33 from the speed Vd to the speed Vc. (S8). Therefore, the centrifugal force X acting on the inspection chip 2 gradually increases. The CPU 91 stops the rotation of the inspection chip 2 when the rotation angle becomes 0 degree (S9). Next, the CPU 91 stops acceleration when the rotation speed of the turntable 33 reaches Vc (S10). The CPU 91 continues the revolution at the speed Vc for the time T2 (S11).

  The flow of the first separation component 17A and the residual liquid 17C in S7 to S11 will be described in detail. When the rotation of the inspection chip 2 is started by the process of S7 and the revolution of the inspection chip 2 is accelerated by the process of S8, as shown in FIG. 9, the second centrifugal force is applied to the inspection chip 2 in the second centrifugal direction. X2 acts. A required amount of the first separation component 17A is taken out via the take-out flow path 127. The second centrifugal force X2 is a centrifugal force when the rotation speed of the turntable 33 is between the speed Vd and the speed Vc. For this reason, the 2nd centrifugal force X2 which acts on the test | inspection chip 2 is smaller than the 1st centrifugal force X1 shown in FIG.

  When the CPU 91 further rotates the inspection chip 2, the state in which the second centrifugal force X2 acts in the second centrifugal direction shown in FIG. 9 changes to the state in which the third centrifugal force X3 acts in the third centrifugal direction shown in FIG. Change. Since the revolution of the inspection chip 2 is accelerated, the third centrifugal force X3 is larger than the second centrifugal force X2. Since the third centrifugal direction is a direction perpendicular to the connection direction, the residual liquid 17C flows through the connection flow path 120 to the residual liquid holding unit 121.

  The CPU 91 stops the rotation when the rotation angle of the inspection chip 2 becomes 0 degree (S9). Further, the CPU 91 stops acceleration when the rotation speed of the turntable 33 reaches Vc (S10). In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, the fourth centrifugal force X4 acts in the fourth centrifugal direction. The fourth centrifugal force X4 is larger than the second centrifugal force X2 and the third centrifugal force X3. The CPU 91 continues the revolution at the speed Vc for the time T2 (S11). For this reason, the fourth centrifugal force X4 acts on the inspection chip 2 during the time T2. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the residual liquid 17 </ b> C further flows into the residual liquid holding part 121 through the connection channel 120 by the action of the fourth centrifugal force X <b> 4. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 7E and 12, at least a part of the residual liquid 17C is held in the residual liquid holding part 121.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the path of the first extraction wall surface 451 is L1. The width of the portion 1271 having the smallest cross-sectional area in the extraction flow path 127 is W1. The depth in the portion 1271 having the smallest cross-sectional area in the extraction flow path 127 is d1. The distance between the intersection 472 between the tangent line 471 and the first connection wall surface 411 and the flow path inlet 401 is L2. The width of the connection channel 120 at the largest cross-sectional area is W2. The depth at the portion having the largest cross-sectional area in the connection channel 120 is d2. In the present embodiment, the portion having the largest cross-sectional area in the connection channel 120 is the channel inlet 401. In the case of the above conditions, the following expression (1) is satisfied in the present embodiment.
L1 / {d1 × (d1 + W1)} <L2 / {d2 × (d2 + W2)} (1)

  As shown in FIG. 9, the liquid level of the residual liquid 17 </ b> C located in the connection channel 120 is at the position of the tangent line 471, so the residual liquid 17 </ b> C does not flow to the residual liquid holding unit 121. For this reason, the residual liquid 17C flows into the residual liquid holding part 121, the liquid level 521 of the residual liquid 17C is lowered, and the possibility that a liquid shortage occurs in taking out the required amount of the first separation component 17A can be reduced. Therefore, the required amount of the first separation component 17A can be taken out more reliably, and the possibility that the inspection accuracy is lowered can be reduced.

  In the formula (1), L1 / {d1 × (d1 + W1)} is a flow path resistance received by the first separation component 17A, which is a fluid, from the extraction flow path 127. L2 / {d2 × (d2 + W2)} is a flow path resistance received by the residual liquid 17C as a fluid from the connection flow path 120. Since L1 / d1 × (d1 + W1) <L2 / d2 × (d2 + W2), compared to the case where L1 / {d1 × (d1 + W1)} ≧ L2 / {d2 × (d2 + W2)}, the extraction flow path 127 side When the first separation component 17A flows, the residual liquid 17C hardly flows to the connection channel 120 side. Therefore, when the second centrifugal force X2 shown in FIG. 9 is acting on the test chip 2, the residual liquid 17C is more difficult to flow to the residual liquid holding part 121 side. For this reason, the required amount of the first separation component 17A can be taken out more reliably. Therefore, the possibility that the inspection accuracy is lowered can be reduced.

  The road L1 is the road of the first extraction wall surface 451. When the first separation component 17A moves along a road longer than the road L1, the first separation component 17A passes through the other end 1242 of the first extraction wall surface 451 and reaches the second extraction wall surface 452. Since the second extraction wall surface 452 is inclined so as to be positioned downward as it goes in one direction, the first separation component 17A that has reached the second extraction wall surface 452 is unlikely to return to the separation unit 124. For this reason, in Formula (1), the road L1 is used as the length to which the first separation component 17A moves.

  Further, it is assumed that a constant determined by the surface tension of the residual liquid 17C in the separation unit 124 and the contact angle R of the residual liquid 17C with respect to the flow path inlet 401 is B. In the present embodiment, since the first separation component 17A of the residual liquid 17C is located at the flow path inlet 401, the surface tension of the first separation component 17A and the contact angle of the first separation component 17A with respect to the flow path inlet 401 A constant determined by R is B. As shown in an enlarged view Z1 of FIG. 8, the contact angle R of the residual liquid 17C to the flow path inlet 401 is such that the liquid level 511 of the residual liquid 17C at the flow path inlet 401 is the first connection wall surface 411 with respect to one direction. Is the angle of contact with The liquid surface 511 is in contact with the first connection wall surface 411 with the right end curved upward to the right due to surface tension.

Further, it is assumed that V is a constant determined by the viscosity and density of the residual liquid 17C. As shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the width of the connection channel 120 at the channel inlet 401 is W3. It is assumed that the depth in the front-rear direction of the connection channel at the channel inlet 401 is d3. It is assumed that the width of the connection channel 120 at the channel outlet 402 is W4. It is assumed that the depth in the front-rear direction at the channel outlet 402 is d4. It is assumed that the channel depth between the channel inlet 401 and the channel outlet 402 in the connection channel 120 is d5. More specifically, the depth d5 is the depth in the front-rear direction in the flow path formed by the extending portion 413 and the extending portion 416. Assume that the magnitude of the third centrifugal force X3 shown in FIG. 10 is Fβ. Assume that the magnitude of the fourth centrifugal force X4 shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is Fθ. In this case, in this embodiment,
Fβ ≧ 2 × (d3 + W3) × B (2)
And Fθ ≧ 2 × (d3 + W3) × B + V × L2 / {d5 × (d5 + L2) ^ 2} + 2 × (d4 + W4) × B + 2 × (d2 + W2) × B (3)
Meet.

  2 × (d3 + W3) × B in the formula (2) is a force that holds the residual liquid 17C by the channel inlet 401 of the connection channel 120. That is, the retention force of the residual liquid 17C in the separation unit 124. Since Fβ ≧ 2 × (d3 + W3) × B, Fβ that is the third centrifugal force X3 is equal to or greater than the retention force of the residual liquid 17C in the separation unit 124. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 10, compared with the case where Fβ is smaller than the retention force of the residual liquid 17C in the separation unit 124, the residual liquid 17C can be flowed more reliably to the connection flow path 120 side.

  Further, V × L2 / {d5 × (d5 + L2) ^ 2} in Expression (3) is a force that the residual liquid 17C receives from the connection channel 120 due to the channel resistance of the connection channel 120. 2 × (d4 + W4) × B is a force by which the residual liquid 17C is held by the channel outlet 402 of the connection channel 120. 2 × (d2 + W2) × B is a force by which the residual liquid 17C is held by the flow path between the flow path inlet 401 and the flow path outlet 402. Since Fθ that is the fourth centrifugal force X4 is equal to or greater than the total of the respective forces, the residual liquid 17C can flow more reliably to the connection flow path 120 side than when Fθ is smaller than the total. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the residual liquid 17C flows to the take-out flow path 127, and to reduce the inspection accuracy.

  The revolution speed when the expressions (2) and (3) are satisfied may be stored in advance as drive information in the HDD 95 shown in FIG. In this case, the CPU 91 reads drive information including the stored speed in S1, and controls to match the speed of the turntable 33 with the speed read in S7 to S10. In addition, parameters d3, W3, B, V, L2, d4, W4, and d5 used in equations (2) and (3) may be stored in the HDD 95 in advance. In this case, the CPU 91 calculates the speed so as to satisfy the expressions (1) to (3), and controls the speed of the turntable 33.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, the path of the extraction flow path 127 is L3. The road L3 is a total road of the first extraction wall surface 451 and the second extraction wall surface 452. The path of the connection channel 120 is L4. The road L3 is longer than the road L4. In the present embodiment, during the angle change rotation, the time T1 during which the CPU 91 changes the direction in which the centrifugal force X acts from the second centrifugal direction shown in FIG. 9 toward the third centrifugal direction shown in FIG. It is longer than the time T2 during which the fourth centrifugal force X4 shown in FIG. 12 is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in order to take out the required amount of the first separation component 17A more reliably, the first separation component 17A needs to flow from the other end 1242 of the first extraction wall surface 451 to the second extraction wall surface 452 side. is there. Further, if the first separation component 17A taken out from the separation portion 124 remains on the second extraction wall surface 452, it is dragged by the first separation component 17A adhering to the surface of the first extraction wall surface 451, and the second extraction wall surface The first separation component 17 </ b> A remaining in 452 easily returns to the separation unit 124. Therefore, in order to extract the first separation component 17A more reliably, the first separation component 17A needs to be separated from the second extraction wall surface 452. The second extraction wall surface 452 is inclined downward, and the first separation component 17A is separated from the second extraction wall surface 452 at the right end of the second extraction wall surface 452. That is, the distance from the separation portion 124 until the first separation component 17A is separated at the right end of the second extraction wall surface 452 is L3. Further, when the inflow of the residual liquid 17C into the residual liquid holding unit 121 starts, the liquid level 521 is lowered, and the first separation component 17A cannot be taken out from the extraction flow path 127. The second centrifugal force X2 at the time of taking out is smaller than the fourth centrifugal force X4 at the time of flowing into the residual liquid holding unit 121. That is, the second centrifugal force X2 at the time of taking out is smaller than the fourth centrifugal force X4 at the time of flowing into the residual liquid holding unit 121. Further, since the second extraction wall surface 452 is on the outer peripheral side with respect to the residual liquid holding unit 121, the path L3 for moving the first separation component 17A is longer than the path L4. Therefore, since it is necessary to move a long distance with a weak force, it takes time to move the extracted first separated component 17A to a position where it is more reliably extracted.

  In the present embodiment, since the CPU 91 makes the time T1 longer than the time T2, the CPU 91 ensures the time for the first separation component 17A to move through the extraction flow path 127 compared to the case where the time T1 is equal to or less than the time T2. can do. Therefore, the required amount of the first separation component 17A can be taken out more reliably, and the possibility that the inspection accuracy is lowered can be reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 7E, the first reagent 18 quantified in 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. The first separation component 17A moves to the second specimen holding unit 123.

  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. 7F (S12). 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 first separation component 17A flows from the second sample holding unit 123 to the sample determination unit 114. Further, the second reagent 19 moves from the reagent receiving part 341 to the reagent receiving part 342. As shown in FIG. 13G, the first separated component 17 </ b> A remaining in the sample quantitative unit 114 flows to the second surplus part 116 through the passage 115. The centrifugal force X acts in a direction perpendicular to the specimen quantification surface 129. Thereby, the first 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, and as shown in FIGS. 13 (H), 13 (I), and 14 (J), the inspection chip has a rotation angle of 0 degree. 2 is rotated (S13). 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 centrifugal force X acts in the process of changing the posture of the test chip 2 from the state shown in FIG. 13 (G) to the state shown in FIG. 14 (J), as shown in FIG. The first separated component 17 </ b> A quantified at 114 flows into the mixing unit 80. Then, as shown in FIG. 13 (I), the second reagent 19 that has joined from the joining hole portion 351 flows into the mixing portion 80, and as shown in FIG. 14 (J), the liquid mixture 26 is generated in the mixing portion 80. The

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51 to rotate the inspection chip 2 to a rotation angle of 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 14K (S14). 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 liquid mixture 26 moves to the measuring unit 81.

  Although not shown in FIG. 14, after S <b> 14 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 (S15). Further, the CPU 91 controls the revolution controller 97 to stop the rotation of the spindle motor 35 (S15). 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 liquid mixture 26 stored in the measurement unit 81. The CPU 91 performs optical measurement of the liquid mixture 26 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 liquid mixture 26 based on the acquired measurement data. The test result of the mixed liquid 26 based on the measurement result is displayed on the display 96 shown in FIG. In addition, the measuring method of the liquid mixture 26 is not restricted to an optical measurement, Other methods may be used.

<7. Main effects of the present embodiment>
As described above, measurement using the inspection chip 2 is performed. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the first sectional area Sβ of the connection channel 120 at the channel inlet 401 is the second of the extraction channel 127 at the portion 1271 having the smallest sectional area of the extraction channel 127. It is smaller than the cross-sectional area Sγ. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 9, when the second centrifugal force X <b> 2 acts in the second centrifugal direction, the first separation component 17 </ b> A tends to flow closer to the extraction flow path 127 than the connection flow path 120. Therefore, compared with the case where the first cross-sectional area Sβ is equal to or larger than the second cross-sectional area Sγ, the first separation component 17A can be more reliably extracted from the separation unit 124. Therefore, the possibility that the inspection accuracy is lowered can be reduced.

  Here, since the first cross-sectional area Sβ is smaller than the second cross-sectional area Sγ, the third centrifugal force X3 shown in FIG. 10 acts as compared with the case where the first cross-sectional area Sβ is equal to or larger than the second cross-sectional area Sγ. The residual liquid 17C hardly flows to the connection flow path 120 side. For this reason, there is a possibility that the amount of the specimen 17 that additionally flows from the extraction channel 127 after the required amount of the first separation component 17A is extracted via the extraction channel 127 due to the action of the second centrifugal force X2. Yes, there is a possibility that the specimen 17 other than the first separation component 17A flows to the extraction flow path 127 side. In the present embodiment, the third centrifugal force X3 is made larger than the second centrifugal force X2, and the residual liquid 17C easily flows into the connection channel 120 having a small cross-sectional area. The liquid level 521 of the residual liquid 17C at 124 can be lowered, and the amount of the specimen 17 that additionally flows through the extraction flow path 127 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the second separated component 17B, which is a liquid other than the first separated component 17A, flows to the take-out flow path 127 side, and to reduce the possibility that the inspection accuracy is lowered.

  Further, when the first centrifugal force X1 acts in the first centrifugal direction shown in FIG. 8, the specimen 17 is separated into the first separation component 17A and the second separation component 17B. Then, when the third centrifugal force X3 acts in the third centrifugal direction shown in FIG. 10, the residual liquid 17C starts to move to the residual liquid holding part 121 through the connection channel 120. Since the first centrifugal force X1 is larger than the third centrifugal force X3, the specimen 17 is more reliably connected to the first separation component 17A and the second separation component than when the first centrifugal force X1 is equal to or less than the third centrifugal force X3. 17B, and the possibility of a decrease in inspection accuracy can be reduced.

  Further, when the centrifugal force is applied in the third centrifugal direction, the CPU 91 applies a third centrifugal force X3 shown in FIG. 10 smaller than the first centrifugal force X1 shown in FIG. Since the third centrifugal force X3 is smaller than the first centrifugal force X1, when the third centrifugal force X3 is applied, the second centrifugal force X1 separated by the first centrifugal force X1 is applied to the lower portion on the first centrifugal direction side of the separation unit 124. The possibility that the separation component 17B can be retained is increased. That is, since the third centrifugal force X3 is small, the second separation component 17B having a larger specific gravity than the first separation component 17A is less likely to move, and as shown in FIG. The liquid surface 522 of the two separated components 17B is less likely to tilt toward the connection flow path 120. For this reason, when the third centrifugal force X3 is applied to the test chip 2, the first separation component 17A flows into the connection channel 120 before the second separation component 17B flows into the connection channel 120. As a result, the upper layer including the first separation component 17A in the residual liquid 17C can be flowed into the residual liquid holding unit 121 more reliably when the third centrifugal force X3 is applied. Therefore, when the liquid level 521 of the specimen 17 flowing out to the extraction flow path 127 side is lowered, the extraction of the first separation component 17A can be completed before the liquid level 521 reaches the liquid level 522 that is the separation interface. . Therefore, it becomes difficult for the second separation component 17B to flow to the extraction flow path 127 side, and the possibility that the inspection accuracy is lowered can be reduced.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the third centrifugal force X3 acts in the third centrifugal direction, whereby the residual liquid 17C starts to move to the residual liquid holding part 121 through the connection channel 120. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the movement of the residual liquid 17 </ b> C to the residual liquid holding part 121 is completed by the fourth centrifugal force X <b> 4 acting in the fourth centrifugal direction. Since the fourth centrifugal force X4 is larger than the third centrifugal force X3, the residual liquid 17C can be moved to the residual liquid holding part 121 more reliably than when the fourth centrifugal force X4 is equal to or less than the third centrifugal force X3. Can do. Therefore, the possibility that the residual liquid 17C flows to the take-out flow path 127 side can be reduced, and the possibility that the inspection accuracy is lowered can be reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the CPU 91 that controls the spindle motor 35 to rotate the inspection chip 2 around the first axis A1 is an example of the first rotation control means of the present invention. The CPU 91 that controls the stepping motor 51 to rotate the inspection chip 2 around the second axis A2 is an example of the second rotation control means of the present invention.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, A various change is possible. For example, the path L3 of the extraction flow path 127 may be equal to or less than the path L4 of the connection flow path 120. In the fourth centrifugal direction, the CPU 91 rotates the test chip 2 in one rotational direction so that the centrifugal force X acts in the order of the second centrifugal direction and the third centrifugal direction, and then rotates the same in the same rotational direction. It may be a direction in which the force X is applied, and may not be parallel to one direction. Moreover, in angle change rotation, time T1 for which the CPU 91 changes the direction in which the centrifugal force X acts from the second centrifugal direction shown in FIG. 9 toward the third centrifugal direction shown in FIG. 10 is shown in FIGS. It may be less than time T2 during which the fourth centrifugal force X4 is applied.

  Further, regarding the centrifugal force X applied by the CPU 91, the third centrifugal force X3 may be equal to or higher than the first centrifugal force X1. The fourth centrifugal force X4 may be equal to or less than the second centrifugal force X2. The fourth centrifugal force X4 may be equal to or less than the third centrifugal force X3. The fourth centrifugal force X4 may be greater than the first centrifugal force X1. The fourth centrifugal force X4 may be smaller than the first centrifugal force X1. Further, in the angle changing rotation, the CPU 91 may rotate the test chip 2 so that the centrifugal force X acts in the order of the first centrifugal direction, the second centrifugal direction, and the third centrifugal direction. The centrifugal force X does not have to be applied. Moreover, the condition of Formula (1) may not be satisfied. Fβ which is the magnitude of the third centrifugal force X3 may not satisfy the formula (2). Fθ which is the magnitude of the fourth centrifugal force X4 may not satisfy the expression (3).

1 Inspection Device 2 Inspection Chip 16 Reagent 17 Specimen 17A First Separation Component 17B Second Separation Component 17C Residual Liquid 18 First Reagent 19 Second Reagent 26 Mixed Liquid 91 CPU
120 Connection channel 121 Residual liquid holding unit 124 Separation unit 127 Extraction channel 401 Channel inlet 402 Channel outlet 411 First connection wall surface 412 Second connection wall surface 451 First extraction wall surface 452 Second extraction wall surface R Contact angle Sβ First Cross section Sγ Second cross section X1 First centrifugal force X2 Second centrifugal force X3 Third centrifugal force X4 Fourth centrifugal force Z1 Enlarged view β Connection angle γ Extraction angle

Claims (6)

A separation part having a concave shape and separating the injected specimen into a first separation component and a second separation component having a specific gravity greater than that of the first separation component;
An extraction flow path connected to the separation unit and from which the first separation component is extracted;
A residual liquid holding unit that is provided on one side with respect to the separation unit and holds the residual liquid that is the specimen remaining in the separation unit;
A flow path connecting the separation part and the residual liquid holding part, the flow path including a first connection wall surface on the residual liquid holding part side and a second connection wall surface facing the first connection wall surface An inspection chip with
The first cross-sectional area at the flow path inlet which is a part connected to the separation portion in the connection flow path is smaller than the second cross-sectional area at the part where the cross-sectional area is the smallest in the extraction flow path,
The connection angle formed by the connection direction in which the first connection wall surface extends from the flow path inlet and the one direction is based on the extraction angle formed by the tangent line contacting the first connection wall surface and the second connection wall surface and the one direction. In an inspection device that can place a large inspection chip,
A first rotation control means for rotating the inspection chip around a first axis and applying the centrifugal force to the inspection chip;
A second rotation control means for rotating the inspection chip around a second axis and changing the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the inspection chip;
The second rotation control means includes
The direction of the centrifugal force when performing separation in the separation unit, a first centrifugal direction orthogonal to the one direction, a second centrifugal direction that is a direction perpendicular to the tangent that defines the extraction angle, and the In order of the third centrifugal direction, which is a direction perpendicular to the connection direction that defines the connection angle, an angle changing rotation is performed to rotate the inspection chip so that the centrifugal force acts,
The first rotation control means includes
In the case where the second rotation control means performs the angle changing rotation, a second centrifugal force is applied to the inspection chip when the centrifugal force acts in the second centrifugal direction, and the third centrifugal force is applied. An inspection apparatus that applies a third centrifugal force greater than the second centrifugal force when the centrifugal force acts in a direction. The second rotation control unit rotates the inspection chip in one rotation direction so that the centrifugal force acts in the order of the second centrifugal direction and the third centrifugal direction in the angle changing rotation, and further Rotating in the one rotational direction, causing the centrifugal force to act in the fourth centrifugal direction,
2. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first rotation control unit applies a fourth centrifugal force larger than the third centrifugal force when the centrifugal force acts in the fourth centrifugal direction. .   The first rotation control means applies the third centrifugal force smaller than the first centrifugal force acting in the first centrifugal direction when the centrifugal force acts in the third centrifugal direction. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2. One end of the extraction flow path is connected to the separation portion, and the first extraction wall surface is inclined so as to be located on the opposite side to the direction in which the separation portion is recessed as it goes in the one direction. A second extraction wall surface that is inclined so as to be positioned on the direction side in which the separation portion is recessed, as it is connected to the other end of the
L1 / {d1 × (d1 + W1)} <L2 / {d2 × (d2 + W2)}
(L1: Path along the first extraction wall surface in the extraction flow path W1: Width in a portion having the smallest cross-sectional area in the extraction flow path d1: Depth in a portion having the smallest cross-sectional area in the extraction flow path L2: The above The distance between the intersection of the tangent line and the first connection wall surface in the connection flow path and the flow path entrance W2: Width at the portion with the largest cross-sectional area in the connection flow path d2: Most cut off in the connection flow path Depth at a large area)
The inspection apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein One end portion of the connection channel on the side of the residual liquid holding portion is curved in the one direction side,
The first rotation control means includes
Fβ ≧ 2 × (d3 + W3) × B
And Fθ ≧ 2 × (d3 + W3) × B + V × L2 / {d5 × (d5 + L2) ^ 2} + 2 × (d4 + W4) × B + 2 × (d2 + W2) × B
(B: Constant determined by the surface tension of the residual liquid and the contact angle of the residual liquid to the flow path inlet V: Constant determined by the viscosity and density of the residual liquid W3: The connection flow path at the flow path inlet Width d3: Depth of the connection flow path at the flow path inlet W4: At the flow path outlet which is a part of the connection flow path in a virtual line drawn perpendicularly to the upper end of the first connection wall surface at the one end Width of the connection channel d4: Depth at the channel outlet d5: Depth of the channel between the channel inlet and the channel outlet in the connection channel Fβ: Third centrifugal force Fθ: The Fourth centrifugal force)
The inspection apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the inspection apparatus is rotated around the first axis so that The path of the extraction channel is longer than the path of the connection channel,
The second centrifugal force and the third centrifugal force are smaller than the fourth centrifugal force,
The second rotation control means has a time for changing the direction in which the centrifugal force acts from the second centrifugal direction to the third centrifugal direction in the angle change rotation. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the time is longer than the time during which the fourth centrifugal force is applied to the inspection device.

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