JP4368383B2 - Solid-liquid separation structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure for easily separating and measuring blood and other solid-liquid mixtures into a solid component and a liquid component, and a method for separating and measuring such a solid-liquid mixture. The present invention also relates to a blood component analysis chip used for blood analysis.

  Various techniques are used to separate a solid-liquid mixture into a solid component and a liquid component. A commonly used method for separating a solid-liquid mixture is a centrifugal separation method using centrifugal force. However, the normal centrifugation method requires a long separation time and requires post-treatment after solid-liquid separation, and therefore cannot perform continuous treatment. As a result, problems such as contamination may occur.

  For example, Patent Document 1 describes an analysis rotating device and a biological fluid analysis method using a solid-liquid separation technique. This analyzer separates blood into blood cells and plasma by a centrifugal force generated by the rotation of a disk (rotor), and analyzes each of them. However, in such an analyzer, a space for temporarily storing all the blood is required in the blood cell separator, so a relatively large space must be formed, and therefore the thickness of the rotor is reduced. Measures such as securing or otherwise increasing the surface area of the rotor must be taken. In addition, after all the blood is temporarily stored in the blood cell separator, a force other than centrifugal force is required to take out the separated blood cells, so an additional configuration for blood cell removal is required. In addition, the structure and handling of the apparatus are complicated, and an increase in manufacturing cost is inevitable.

Japanese National Patent Publication No. 5-508709

  The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art in the separation and measurement of blood and other solid-liquid mixtures, and to separate solid and liquid components easily and quickly at low cost. At the same time, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved solid-liquid separation / measurement apparatus and solid-liquid separation / measurement method capable of continuously performing reactions and measurements and preventing problems such as contamination.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a solid-liquid separation / measurement device, particularly a blood component analysis chip, in the form of an analysis chip that is easier to operate.

In one aspect of the present invention, a solid-liquid separation / measurement structure for separating and measuring a solid-liquid mixture into a solid component and a liquid component,
A substrate having a rotor structure made of a rotatable disc; and
A reservoir of a solid-liquid mixture formed at substantially the center of the substrate;
A moving flow path for moving the solid-liquid mixture injected into the storage section by centrifugal force, which is developed in the centrifugal direction at an inclination angle from the storage section;
Concentrating and precipitating solid components in the solid-liquid mixture by centrifugal force, a concentration and precipitation part installed on the centrifugal side of the moving flow path,
A solid-liquid separation / measurement structure for quantifying a liquid component separated from a solid component in the concentration and precipitation part, comprising a quantification part having a prescribed volume.

In another aspect, the present invention is a method for separating and measuring a solid-liquid mixture into a solid component and a liquid component,
The solid-liquid mixture injected into the storage part of the substrate having a rotor structure made of a rotatable disk is moved to the concentration and precipitation part by centrifugal force,
In the concentration and precipitation part, the solid component in the solid-liquid mixture is concentrated and precipitated by centrifugal force,
The liquid component separated in the concentrated sedimentation part is moved to the quantitative part while being controlled by centrifugal force,
The solid-liquid separation / measurement method includes quantifying the liquid component injected into the quantification unit.

  In another aspect of the present invention, a substrate having a rotor structure made of a rotatable disc, a blood injection portion disposed substantially at the center of the substrate, and the blood injection portion are connected to the substrate. A spiral distribution channel, a plurality of blood cell storage units provided to separate and store blood cells in the outer circumferential direction of the distribution channel, and quantitatively analyze blood components remaining without being stored in the blood cell storage unit The blood component analysis chip is characterized in that it comprises a reagent reaction part that is stored in and reacted with an internal reagent to cause color development.

  As can be understood from the following detailed description, the present invention continuously separates the solid component and the liquid component of the solid-liquid mixture in order to prevent problems such as contamination, and then continues the separated liquid component. The most important feature is that measurement is performed continuously, simply, at high speed and at low cost after quantification.

  The solid-liquid mixture used in the practice of the present invention is not particularly limited, and can be any mixture containing a solid component and a liquid component to be separated. Useful solid-liquid mixtures are, for example, liquids containing biological components, for example, disrupted solutions such as blood and cells. Further, the solid-liquid mixture may be, for example, a mixed solution of particles and liquid such as waste liquid, food, medicine, and the like. A typical example of a solid-liquid mixture is blood. This is because blood is separated into blood cells and plasma, and each component is analyzed, and the analysis results can be used for medical examination, clinical medicine, and the like. For example, the analysis results can be advantageously used for blood biochemical tests, immunological tests, cancer diagnosis, infectious disease diagnosis, and the like.

  According to the present invention, the solid-liquid mixture can be separated into the solid component and the liquid component at high speed simply and inexpensively by simply injecting the solid-liquid mixture into the inlet of the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure and centrifuging it. In addition, there is an advantage that the liquid component can be continuously measured. In particular, the present invention is advantageous in that separation can be performed without adjusting the rotational speed of a disk used as a substrate.

  The solid-liquid separation / measurement structure, the solid-liquid separation / measurement method, and the blood component analysis chip according to the present invention can be advantageously implemented in various forms.

  As described above, the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure according to the present invention, that is, the solid-liquid separation / measurement apparatus, includes a substrate having a rotor structure, and a solid-liquid mixture reservoir formed substantially at the center of the substrate, The solid-liquid mixture injected into the storage part is moved from the solid flow component by the centrifugal force, the concentrated precipitation part to concentrate the solid component in the solid-liquid mixture by centrifugal force, and the concentrated precipitation part is separated from the solid component. And a quantification unit for quantifying the liquid component.

  The substrate having the rotor structure is preferably made of a rotatable disc. The disc can be formed from a variety of materials, but can be advantageously formed from a material that is lightweight and easy to process. Suitable materials for the substrate are not limited to those listed below, but include plastic materials such as PDMS, polystyrene, PMMA, polyacryl, and the like. Moreover, a board | substrate can be formed in the smallest possible size, and the diameter is about 10-40 mm normally, Preferably, it is about 20-35 mm. The thickness of the substrate can be changed in a wide range, but it is preferable that the substrate has a thickness sufficient to process the storage unit, the movement channel, the concentration sedimentation unit, the quantitative determination unit, and other necessary functional units. . The thickness of the substrate is usually about 2 to 10 mm, preferably about 3 to 5 mm.

  In the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure of the present invention, the rotational speed of the rotor is usually in the range of several hundred to several tens of thousands rpm, and preferably in the range of 4000 to 6000 rpm. The number of rotations of the rotor can be appropriately selected according to the thickness of the flow path and the like.

  The substrate is preferably used with its upper surface covered with a cover (lid). The lid can be formed of the same material and the same size as the substrate in accordance with the substrate. For example, the lid can be formed of a plastic material such as PDMS, for example, with a diameter of about 30 mm and a thickness of about 3 mm, as with the substrate.

  As will be described in detail below, the rotatable substrate is provided with a storage portion, a movement channel, a concentration sedimentation portion, a quantitative determination portion, and other necessary functional portions on the upper surface thereof. These functional parts can be advantageously processed using techniques commonly used for processing plastic parts, such as etching and cutting.

  In the rotatable substrate, a solid-liquid mixture reservoir (reservoir chamber) is formed substantially at the center thereof. Further, in the lid used in combination with the substrate, an injection port for the solid-liquid mixture is provided at a position corresponding to the storage portion in order to inject the solid-liquid mixture into the storage portion.

  The solid-liquid mixture reservoir is provided with a movement channel for moving the solid-liquid mixture injected therein to the concentration precipitation section (concentration precipitation chamber) by centrifugal force. This moving flow path led out from the storage part is developed in the centrifugal direction at an inclination angle from the storage part in order to obtain a centrifugal force for guiding the solid-liquid mixture. In addition, the moving flow path preferably has an inclination angle and a cross-sectional area that can be adjusted according to the moving speed of the solid-liquid mixture.

  The movement path of the solid-liquid mixture is connected to a concentration precipitation section (concentration precipitation chamber) in order to concentrate the solid components in the solid-liquid mixture by centrifugal force. Moreover, in order to implement | achieve the concentration precipitation by centrifugal force, a concentration precipitation part is installed in the centrifugation side of a movement flow path. The concentrated sedimentation part can be formed in various forms, but it is preferably formed in the form of a convex chamber and installed on the centrifugal side with respect to the moving flow path through which the solid-liquid mixture moves. In particular, it is preferable to arrange a plurality of concentrated precipitation portions side by side and successively concentrate the solid components successively in each concentration precipitation portion while moving the solid-liquid mixture through the moving flow path.

  A quantification unit (quantitative chamber) having a prescribed volume is disposed downstream of the concentration precipitation unit in order to quantify the liquid component separated from the solid component in the concentration precipitation unit. The quantification unit may have only a quantification function, but it is preferable to add an additional function in order to further enhance the function of the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure of the present invention. For example, the quantitative unit is preferably a quantitative measurement unit that incorporates a mechanism for further measuring the liquid component separated and quantified in the region. For example, the quantitative measurement unit preferably further includes a reagent capable of reacting with the separated and quantified liquid component and other reagents. The reagent used here may be either liquid or solid. In addition, the liquid component can be injected into the quantification unit or the quantification measurement unit by various methods, but it is advantageous to perform the centrifugal force similarly to other processing steps. Further, the quantitative unit or quantitative measurement unit preferably further has a mesial air venting mechanism provided on the upper part thereof to assist the injection of the liquid component thereto. This is because the injection of the liquid component is promoted as a result of bleeding.

  Furthermore, the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure of the present invention preferably has a configuration including a spiral distribution channel and a plurality of particle storage portions provided in the outer circumferential direction.

  The solid-liquid separation / measurement structure of the present invention may be configured to connect a plurality of solid component containing regions in the outer peripheral direction of the moving flow path of the solid-liquid mixture formed in a spiral shape. By installing multiple convex solid concentration precipitation chambers on the side, the solid component can be continuously separated from the solid-liquid mixture, and only the liquid component can be moved and reacted and measured in the same structure. Therefore, it is possible to realize a simple, high-speed and inexpensive separation structure that is free from contamination and the like.

  In addition, the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure of the present invention has a rotor structure that performs solid-liquid separation by a constant centrifugal force, but in addition to the solid-liquid separation function, other functions can be arbitrarily set. Can be added. For example, a configuration for performing liquid component analysis or a configuration for performing analysis of a solid component may be added to an arbitrary position of the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure. Here, solid component analysis refers to, for example, when blood is used as a solid-liquid mixture, analyzing the deformability of blood cells, blood clots, etc., or having blood cells obtained by centrifugation with obstacles provided separately. It is possible to measure the elasticity of blood cells from the state of flow by flowing through the flow path. Regarding the solid-liquid mixture, not only biological components such as blood in particular, but also various solid-liquid mixtures such as waste liquids, foods, and pharmaceuticals can be similarly advantageously separated and measured.

  The solid-liquid separation / measurement structure according to the present invention can be preferably formed small and compact. More preferably, the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure of the present invention can be formed in the form of a chip. A typical example of a solid-liquid separation / measurement structure in the form of a chip is a substrate having a rotor structure made of a rotatable disk, a blood injection part disposed substantially at the center of the substrate, and the blood injection A spiral distribution channel connected to the unit, a plurality of blood cell storage units provided for separating and storing blood cells in the outer circumferential direction of the distribution channel, and remaining without being stored in the blood cell storage unit A blood component analysis chip characterized by comprising a reagent reaction part for quantitatively storing blood components and reacting with an internal reagent to cause color development.

The present invention further resides in a solid-liquid separation / measurement method using the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure as described above. The process according to the invention can be advantageously carried out in various ways, but preferably
A step of moving the solid-liquid mixture injected into the storage part of the substrate having a rotor structure made of a rotatable disk into the concentration and precipitation part by centrifugal force;
A step of concentrating and precipitating a solid component in the solid-liquid mixture by centrifugal force in the concentration and precipitation part,
A step of moving the liquid component separated in the concentration and precipitation unit to a quantification unit having a specified volume while controlling with a centrifugal force, and a step of quantifying the liquid component injected into the quantification unit,
Can be implemented.

  In the solid-liquid separation / measurement method of the present invention, the step of moving the solid-liquid mixture by centrifugal force is, for example, from the inlet of the solid-liquid mixture installed near the center of the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure. The solid-liquid mixture is moved by centrifugal force with respect to the moving flow path installed in the centrifugal direction at a corresponding inclination angle.

  Further, the step of concentrating and precipitating the solid component in the solid-liquid mixture by centrifugal force is, for example, installing a convex chamber on the centrifugal side of the moving flow channel and concentrating and precipitating the solid component by centrifugal force. .

  Furthermore, the process of moving the liquid component separated in the concentration sedimentation part while controlling with centrifugal force is, for example, changing the inclination angle of the moving flow path in the centrifugal direction or the cross-sectional area of the moving flow path. The liquid component is moved while controlling the moving speed of the solid-liquid mixture.

  Furthermore, the process of injecting the transferred liquid component into a room with a specified volume and further quantifying it includes, for example, centrifugal force applied to a room with a specified volume in which the liquid component separated from the solid component is installed in the centrifugal direction. It is to quantitate after injecting it completely to make a structure that is worn out.

  In the method of the present invention, it is preferable that air is vented to inject the liquid component into the metering unit, which is preferably a metering reaction chamber. This air venting process is, for example, a mesial side above the metering unit. The air is vented by using an air vent mechanism provided toward the front.

  Furthermore, in the method of the present invention, it is preferable to further measure the separated and quantified liquid component. In this measurement step, for example, in the case of blood, a reagent is preferably injected in advance into a quantification unit that is preferably a quantitative reaction chamber. The reaction is measured by reacting with the injected liquid component (plasma component).

  Subsequently, the present invention will be described with reference to examples thereof. In addition, although the following example demonstrates with reference to blood as a solid-liquid mixture, this invention can bring a favorable result also in solid-liquid mixtures other than blood.

Example 1
1A and 1B show one embodiment of a solid-liquid separation / measurement structure according to the present invention. The figure shows a continuous structure in which the solid component is concentrated and precipitated while the solid-liquid mixture dropped near the center is sequentially moved in the centrifugal direction, and only the liquid component is injected into the quantitative reaction chamber for reaction and measurement. This example will be described with reference to an example using blood as a solid-liquid mixture.

  FIG. 1A shows a rotor substrate 1 constituting the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure of the present invention, and FIG. 1B shows a lid 2 used on the rotor substrate 1. Each of the rotor substrate 1 and the lid 2 is made of a plastic material such as PDMS, polystyrene, PMMA, polyacryl, and the like, and the overall size is about 30 mm in diameter and about 3 mm in thickness. The rotor substrate 1 and the lid body 2 include the reservoir 11 of the rotor substrate 1 and the solid-liquid mixture inlet 28 of the lid body 2, and the quantitative reaction chamber 23 of the rotor substrate 1 and the deaeration connection port 25 of the lid body 2. Are bonded with an adhesive or the like so as to overlap and communicate with each other.

  More specifically, in the rotor substrate 1, the storage unit 11 is a small chamber for injecting a solid-liquid mixture and temporarily storing the solid-liquid mixture. The storage unit 11 communicates with the first annular channel 12, and the first annular channel 12 controls the solid-liquid mixture from the storage unit 11 while controlling the moving speed, and the first solid component concentrated precipitation. It is for moving to the part 13. The first solid component concentration / precipitation part 13 is a first concentration precipitation part of the solid component concentration / precipitation part installed in a plurality of stages (three stages in the illustrated example). The solid component concentration sedimentation section 13 is preferably provided with a step so that blood cells once accommodated do not return to the flow path, and is deeper than the annular flow path.

  The first annular channel 12 is connected to a first connection channel 14 that connects the first annular channel 12 and the second annular channel 15. Here, the second annular channel 15 moves the liquid component separated from the solid component to the quantitative / reaction / measurement channel while controlling the speed. The second annular flow path 15 has a second solid component concentration and precipitation portion 16 in the outer circumferential direction. The 2nd solid component concentration precipitation part 16 has shown the concentration precipitation part of the 2nd step of the solid component concentration precipitation part installed in multiple steps. In the case of this example, the total number of the solid component concentration precipitation units 16 is 134, and thus the total volume is (1000 × 1500 × 70) μm × 134 = 14.07 μL.

  The second annular channel 15 is connected to a second connection channel 17 that couples the second annular channel 15 and the third annular channel 18. Here, the third annular channel 18 moves the solid-liquid mixture while controlling the moving speed. The 3rd annular channel 18 has the 3rd solid component concentration precipitation part 19 in the perimeter direction. The 3rd solid component concentration precipitation part 19 has shown the concentration precipitation part of the 3rd step | paragraph of the solid component concentration precipitation part installed in multiple steps.

  The third annular flow path 18 is connected to the distribution flow path 21 via the third connection flow path 20. As shown in the drawing, the distribution flow path 21 is connected to a supply flow path 22 formed so as to protrude in the outer circumferential direction. The supply flow path 22 is for injecting a liquid component into the quantitative reaction chamber 23, and the quantitative reaction chamber 23 is a small chamber having functions of quantitative, reaction and measurement. In the case of this example, the total number of quantitative reaction chambers 23 is 12, and the total volume is (314 × 0.5 × 0.5 × 1.5) μm × 12 = 14.13 μL. is there.

  In the quantitative reaction chamber 23, a test solid or liquid reagent is sealed in advance, and it can be dissolved by plasma to cause a color reaction. The upper and lower portions of the quantitative reaction chamber 23 and, if necessary, the side surfaces are preferably formed of a light-transmitting member. By configuring in this way, it is possible to ensure the light transmission necessary for transmitting the inspection light from the outside and taking out the reflected and transmitted light to the outside, and perform the optical measurement easily and accurately. can do.

  The specific configuration of the lid 2 shown in FIG. 1B will be described with the same reference numerals when the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure of the present invention is described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. I will do it.

  Next, the operation of the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure shown in FIG. 1A will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B.

  First, as shown to FIG. 6A, after sticking the cover body 2 to the rotor board | substrate 1, blood B1 is inject | poured into the storage part 11 of the obtained rotor. The rotor is mounted on a rotating device (not shown) while blood B1 is temporarily stored in the storage unit 11.

  Next, the rotor is rotated at a rotational speed of about several thousand rpm. The blood B <b> 1 starts flowing through the first annular flow path 12 due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotor and then flows into the first solid component concentration / precipitation section 13 one after another. As shown in FIG. 6B, the blood B1 that has flowed into the solid component concentration sedimentation section 13 is further accumulated sequentially in the outer circumferential direction by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotor.

  Since the blood cell B2 accumulates in the outer peripheral direction of the solid component concentration sedimentation part 13 in the order of the inflow of the blood B1, the blood cell B2 enters the solid component concentration sedimentation part 13 from the storage unit 11 side as shown in FIG. 6B. Therefore, the blood B3 (the blood cell B2 gradually decreases) is sequentially pushed out in the blood traveling direction.

  Thereafter, the blood B3 flows from the first annular channel 12 through the first connection channel 14 and through the second annular channel 15. Therefore, as in the case of the first solid component concentration / precipitation portion 13 described above, blood cells B2 having a large specific gravity are sequentially accumulated in the outer circumferential direction of the second solid component concentration / precipitation portion 16.

  Thereafter, blood B3 further flows from the second annular channel 15 through the second connection channel 17 through the third annular channel 18. The blood B3 flowing through the third annular channel 18 is only plasma B4 because the blood cells B2 contained therein are gradually accumulated in the third solid component concentration sedimentation section 19. Therefore, the liquid that leaves the third annular channel 18 and finally flows through the third connection channel 20 is plasma B4.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the plasma B4 that has reached the distribution flow path 21 via the third connection flow path 20 is sequentially supplied to and filled in the supply flow path 22, and finally reaches the discharge section 24. Although not shown, the discharge unit 24 may be provided with a waste liquid storage unit on the rotor in addition to the external container.

  Further, the plasma B4 that has passed through the distribution channel 21 is supplied to the reaction quantification chamber 23 via the respective supply channels 22 as shown in FIG. 7B. Here, since the reagent that can react with plasma and exhibit a color development reaction is already stored in the reaction quantification chamber 23, the plasma B5 in the reaction quantification chamber 23 and the reagent undergo a color reaction, and externally optical means ( The absorbance can be measured using (not shown).

  As described above, in this example, when the blood cells are separated from the blood, plasma can be obtained if the rotor is simply given a certain number of revolutions, so that the drive system can be simplified. .

  FIG. 2 shows a mechanism of concentration and precipitation of a solid component (blood cell) from a solid-liquid mixture, that is, a fluid (blood), in one embodiment of the present invention as described above. The step of concentration precipitation is shown more specifically. As can be understood, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion including the first annular flow path 12 and the first solid component concentration and precipitation section 13 in the first stage of FIG. 1A.

  In the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure shown in the figure, when the rotor rotates, the blood B1 on the first annular channel 12 flows into each solid component concentration sedimentation section 13, in which particles B2 having a large specific gravity are arranged in the outer circumferential direction. Accumulated at high density. Since the particles B2 are accumulated at a high density, the liquid B3 in which the particles are reduced is sequentially pushed out from the solid component concentration settling portion 13 and moves in the “moving direction of the solid-liquid mixture” (see arrow) in the figure. Go. What is not accumulated in the outer peripheral direction in the first solid component concentration and precipitation portion 13 flows into the next solid component concentration and precipitation portion 13 and is accumulated in the outer peripheral direction in this portion. When the solid component concentration / precipitation portion 13 does not accumulate, the solid component further flows into the next solid component concentration / precipitation portion and accumulates in the outer circumferential direction at this portion.

  Thus, according to the present invention, solid particles (blood cells) in a fluid (blood) are finally accumulated by the arrangement of a large number of solid component concentration sedimentation sections 13, and fluids (eg, plasma, Serum) is isolated. In addition, although the solid component concentration precipitation part 13 of illustration consists of a convex-shaped room | chamber, it does not need to be a square shape as shown in figure, and what kind of shape may be sufficient if it is convex shape. For example, the solid component concentration sedimentation section 13 may be an elliptical or circular room.

Example 2
This example is for explaining a mechanism for controlling the moving speed of the solid-liquid mixture in the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure shown in FIG. In the following, description will be made with reference to FIG. 3 which shows a movement / separation structure diagram of a solid-liquid mixture in which the volume of the solid component concentration precipitation part is adjusted by the blood volume.

  FIG. 3 shows a path through which blood moves from the second annular flow path 15 to the third annular flow path 18, and the reference numbers in the figure correspond to the reference numbers in FIG. 1A, respectively. That is, while the blood moves through the second annular flow path 15, the solid component (blood cell) of the blood gradually precipitates and separates by the centrifugal force in the second solid component concentration and precipitation unit 16. The second connection channel 17 that connects the second annular channel 15 and the third annular channel 18 is blood that is close to plasma depending on the inclination angle and the size of the cross-sectional area of the channel installed in the centrifugal direction. On the other hand, the moving speed to the third annular channel 18 can be controlled. And the 3rd annular channel 18 carries out concentration precipitation of the unseparated solid ingredient further, and is separated.

  The 3rd solid component concentration precipitation part 19 has a structure that a volume becomes small according to the advancing direction of blood. In this example, since a plurality of solid component concentration sedimentation sections for storing blood cells are arranged and the blood cells are sequentially stored, the number of blood cells decreases in the last so-called third annular channel 18. This is because if the solid component concentration and precipitation portion 19 is large, the remaining plasma increases and waste may occur.

  The third annular channel 18 having the third solid component concentration and precipitation part 19 is preferably provided with a plurality of stages of solid component concentration and precipitation parts whose volume is adjusted according to the blood volume. Although the mixing ratio of the solid component decreases and the liquid component remains in the concentration and precipitation chamber of the solid component, the size of the concentration and precipitation chamber can be reduced according to the amount of the solid component by calculation in advance. In some cases, more liquid components can be separated.

Example 3
This example is for explaining the mechanism of venting (degassing) in a reaction quantification chamber in which a reagent reaction is performed. Hereinafter, this example will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 4 shows a structure in which the separated liquid component is injected into the quantitative reaction chamber by centrifugal force, and at the same time, the air is vented, and has approximately the same configuration as the lid 2 shown in FIG. 1B as a whole. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X ′ in FIG. 4.

  In the example shown in the figure, the liquid after the particles are separated flows into the third connection channel 20 that communicates with the final distribution channel 21. The distribution flow path 21 has a flow path structure connected to a liquid component quantification / measurement flow path. The distribution channel 21 has a structure in which the moving speed of the liquid component to the supply channel 22 for quantification / measurement is controlled by adjusting the inclination angle and the size of the cross-sectional area. Further, the supply flow path 22 for liquid component quantification / measurement has a structure in which liquid components are sequentially injected into the quantitative reaction chamber 23 by centrifugal force.

  The quantitative reaction chamber 23 has a degassing connection port 25. The degassing connection port 25, the degassing port 27 for extracting air from the quantitative reaction chamber 23, and the connection channel 26 have a communication relationship as shown in the figure. The deaeration port 27 is installed in the mesial direction.

  Referring now to FIG. 1B, the lid body 2 has a solid-liquid mixture inlet 28 penetrating the front and back surfaces thereof. The inlet 28 is configured to coincide with the portion of the storage portion 11 when the lid 2 is attached to the substrate 1 shown in FIG. 1A.

  The rotor provided with these flow paths is composed of a combination of the lid body 2 shown in FIG. 1B and the substrate 1 shown in FIG. 1A. The substrate 1 is bonded to the first substrate 11 and the second substrate 12 as shown in the figure. Formed from the body. By adopting such a configuration, a three-dimensional flow path in the rotor can be achieved.

  As can be understood from the illustrated rotor structure, in this example, after the solid component is separated, the liquid component can be continuously quantified and measured without stopping the centrifugal operation. Further, as understood from FIG. 5, when the liquid component is injected into the quantitative reaction chamber by centrifugal force, the air vent structure functions simultaneously, so that the quantitative reaction chamber becomes full and the air vent passage is opened. The amount of liquid component is determined and can be balanced.

  The solid-liquid separation / measurement structure and solid-liquid separation / measurement method of the present invention separates and quantifies a solid component and a liquid component simply by dropping the solid-liquid mixture onto the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure and centrifuging it. The reaction and measurement can be performed simultaneously. For example, when the solid-liquid mixture is blood, it is possible to perform blood biochemical and immunological tests, diagnosis of cancer, diagnosis of infectious diseases, etc. by continuous operation by dropping a small amount of blood. Suitable for bedside inspection, home inspection, etc. The structure and method of the present invention, which can be used simply, at high speed and at low cost, are therefore very useful in industry.

It is the top view which showed one preferable form of the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure by this invention. It is a top view of the lid used in combination with the rotor substrate of the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure shown in FIG. 1A. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing a mechanism for concentrating and separating solid components by centrifugal force in the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure shown in FIG. 1A. In the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure shown in FIG. 1A, it is an explanatory diagram for explaining a mechanism for controlling the moving speed of the solid-liquid mixture by changing the inclination angle and cross-sectional area of the moving flow path. In the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure shown in FIG. 1A, it is an explanatory diagram illustrating a mechanism for injecting the liquid component separated in the concentration and precipitation portion into the quantification portion by centrifugal force. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X ′ of the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 1B is a plan view showing a first stage of operation in the solid-liquid separation / measurement structure shown in FIG. 1A. It is the top view which showed the 2nd step of operation | movement in the solid-liquid separation and measurement structure shown to FIG. 1A. It is the top view which showed the 3rd step of operation | movement in the solid-liquid separation and measurement structure shown to FIG. 1A. It is the top view which showed the 4th step of operation | movement in the solid-liquid separation and measurement structure shown to FIG. 1A.

Claims (11)

A solid-liquid separation Hanare構 granulated body because separating minute solid-liquid mixture into a solid and liquid components,
A substrate having a rotor structure made of a rotatable disc; and
A reservoir of a solid-liquid mixture formed at substantially the center of the substrate;
For moving the solid-liquid mixture injected into the storage part by centrifugal force, a spiral moving flow path developed in the centrifugal direction at an inclination angle from the storage part,
A plurality of multi-stage concentration and precipitation sections arranged in parallel on the centrifugal side of the moving flow path for concentration and precipitation of solid components in the solid-liquid mixture by centrifugal force ;
Solid-liquid fraction Hanare構 Zotai, characterized in that it comprises a. 2. The solid-liquid separation structure according to claim 1, further comprising a quantification unit for quantifying a liquid component separated from a solid component in the concentration and precipitation unit, and having a specified volume. The quantification section, solid-liquid separation Hanare構 Zotai according to claim 2, characterized in that a quantitative measurement unit incorporating a mechanism for measuring the separated quantitative liquid component. Solid-liquid separation Hanare構 Zotai according to claim 3, wherein the quantifying section, characterized in that it further comprises a reactive reagent and separated quantitatively liquid component. The solid precipitation part according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the concentration sedimentation part consists of a convex room installed on the centrifugal side with respect to the moving flow path in which the solid-liquid mixture moves. liquid content Hanare構 Zotai. While the previous SL solid-liquid mixture moves the mobile channel, sequentially at each concentration precipitation unit, according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that to continuously enriched precipitate solid components solid-liquid separation Hanare構 Zotai. In the mobile channel, the inclination angle and the solid-liquid separation Hanare構 according to cross-sectional area in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that adjustable according to the moving speed of the solid-liquid mixture Concrete body. Solid-liquid separation Hanare構 Concrete body according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that injecting the centrifugal force the liquid component in the quantification part. The quantification section, solid-liquid separation Hanare構 Zotai according to any one of claims 2-8, characterized in that it further includes a mesial direction air vent mechanism in its upper part. The solid-liquid mixture, a solution containing biological components, waste, solid-liquid separation Hanare構 Concrete body according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it is a food or pharmaceutical. Solid-liquid separation Hanare構 Concrete body according to claim 10, the solution containing the biological components, characterized in that a lysis buffer such as blood or cell.

Images