JP5844071B2 - Detection apparatus and detection method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a detection apparatus and a detection method, and more particularly to a detection apparatus and a detection method for detecting particles derived from living organisms such as microorganisms in the air.

  Conventionally, in the detection of microorganisms in the air, microorganisms in the air are collected by methods such as the falling bacteria method, collision method, slit method, perforated plate method, centrifugal collision method, impinger method, and filter method, and then cultured. Count the colonies that appear. However, this method requires 2 to 3 days for culturing and is difficult to detect in real time. Therefore, in recent years, as in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-38163 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Translation of PCT International Publication No. 2008-508527 (Patent Document 2), ultraviolet light is irradiated to microorganisms in the air, and fluorescence emission from the microorganisms is observed. There has been proposed an apparatus for detecting the number of pieces and detecting the number.

  In the conventional apparatus proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, as a means for determining whether the suspended particles are derived from living organisms, a method for determining whether to emit fluorescence by irradiation with ultraviolet rays is employed. .

JP 2003-38163 A Special table 2008-508527

  However, the dust that actually floats in the air contains a lot of chemical fibers that emit fluorescence when irradiated with ultraviolet light. Therefore, when the conventional apparatus proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 is used, dust that emits fluorescence is detected in addition to biological particles present in the air. That is, the conventional devices as proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a problem that it is impossible to accurately evaluate only biological particles present in the air.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and provides a detection apparatus and a detection method that can detect and separate biological particles from fluorescent particles in real time using fluorescence. It is intended to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, the detection device is a detection device for detecting biologically-derived particles, a light emitting element, a light receiving element for receiving fluorescence, and before and after heating. A calculating means for calculating the amount of biological particles collected by the collecting member by detecting a change in the amount of fluorescence received from the collecting member irradiated by the light emitting element; Cleaning means for cleaning the member for cleaning. The cleaning means includes means for heating the collecting member.

  Preferably, the detection device further includes a heater for heating the collection member, and the calculation means is based on a change in the amount of received fluorescence from the collection member before and after the collection member is heated by the heater. The heating unit included in the cleaning unit that calculates the amount of biological particles and heats the collection member at a temperature higher than the heating temperature for heating the collection member.

  Preferably, the heating means included in the cleaning means is disposed on the same side as the light emitting element and the light receiving element with respect to the collecting member.

More preferably, the means for heating is a light source with heat generation.
Preferably, the heating means included in the cleaning means is disposed on the side opposite to the light emitting element and the light receiving element with respect to the collecting member.

  Preferably, the cleaning means uses a heater to heat the collecting member, and the heater is disposed on the opposite side of the light emitting element and the light receiving element with respect to the collecting member.

  Preferably, the heating means included in the cleaning means heats the collecting member at 200 ° C. or higher.

  Preferably, the cleaning unit includes a member that can contact the collecting member in addition to the heating unit, and cleans the collecting member using the heating unit and the contactable member at different timings.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, the detection method is a method for detecting a biological particle, the step of measuring the amount of fluorescence of the collection member before heating under irradiation of the light emitting element, and after heating. The step of measuring the amount of fluorescence of the collecting member under irradiation of the light emitting element, the amount of fluorescence measured from the collecting member before heating, and the amount of fluorescence measured from the collecting member after heating Based on the amount of change, the step of calculating the amount of biological particles collected by the collection member, and further heating the collection member after the heating, the collection member And a step of eliminating the collected matter on the surface.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to detect biologically-derived particles separately from the fluorescent dust in real time and with high accuracy.

It is a figure which shows the specific example of the external appearance of the air cleaner as a microorganisms detection apparatus concerning embodiment. It is a figure which shows the basic composition concerning 1st Embodiment of the microorganisms detection apparatus part of an air cleaner. It is a figure explaining the other specific example of the light-shielding mechanism in a detection mechanism. It is a figure explaining a structure and operation | movement of a collection unit. It is a figure which shows the time change of the fluorescence spectrum of colon_bacillus | E._coli before and behind heat processing. It is a fluorescence micrograph of E. coli before and after heat treatment. It is a figure which shows the time change of the fluorescence spectrum of Bacillus bacteria before and behind heat processing. It is a fluorescence microscope photograph of Bacillus bacteria before and after heat treatment. It is a figure which shows the time change of the fluorescence spectrum of the blue mold before and behind heat processing. It is the fluorescence micrograph of the blue mold before and behind heat processing. It is a figure which shows the time change of the fluorescence spectrum of the dust which fluoresces before and behind heat processing. It is a fluorescence micrograph of dust emitting fluorescence before and after heat treatment. It is a figure which shows the comparison result of the fluorescence spectrum of the dust which fluoresces before and behind heat processing. It is a block diagram which shows the specific example of a function structure as a microorganisms detection apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of operation | movement in the microorganisms detection apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the correspondence of fluorescence attenuation amount and microorganism concentration. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of a detection result, and the display method. It is a figure which shows the basic composition of the microorganisms detection apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 19A is a schematic view showing the configuration of the collection unit, FIG. 19A is a plan view seen from the discharge electrode side of the collection unit, and FIG. 19B is a cross-sectional view. It is a flowchart showing the specific flow of the measurement operation | movement with the microorganisms detection apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment. The measurement result of the time change of the fluorescence intensity from the collection jig when the collection jig to which the mold is adhered is heated to 200 ° C. and further heated to 250 ° C. and when heated to 300 ° C. FIG. From the surface of the collection jig before the detection operation, the surface of the collection jig before the heating after the detection operation, the surface of the collection jig after heating to 200 ° C., and the surface of the collection jig after heating to 300 ° C. It is a figure showing the measurement result of fluorescence intensity. It is the figure which compared the measurement result of the case where a detection operation is repeated 5 times with a refresh operation, and 5 times without a refresh operation for every detection operation. It is a 450-times microscope picture before heating as a refresh operation. FIG. 25 is a photomicrograph at a magnification of 2000, showing an enlarged view of the blue mold part in the photograph of FIG. 24. It is a microscope picture of the collection jig | tool surface after heat processing as refresh operation | movement. It is a figure which shows the basic composition of the microorganisms detection apparatus concerning the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is the schematic of the experimental apparatus for confirming the effect of the microorganisms detection apparatus concerning the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is the microscope picture obtained as an experimental result for confirming the effect of the microorganisms detection apparatus concerning the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is the microscope picture obtained as an experimental result for confirming the effect of the microorganisms detection apparatus concerning the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is the microscope picture obtained as an experimental result for confirming the effect of the microorganisms detection apparatus concerning the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is the microscope picture obtained as an experimental result for confirming the effect of the microorganisms detection apparatus concerning the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is the microscope picture obtained as an experimental result for confirming the effect of the microorganisms detection apparatus concerning the modification of 2nd Embodiment. It is the microscope picture obtained as an experimental result for confirming the effect of the microorganisms detection apparatus concerning the modification of 2nd Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts and components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same.

  In the embodiment, the following description will be given on the assumption that the air purifier shown in FIG. 1 functions as a microorganism detection device, but it may be used as a single microorganism detection device.

<Device configuration>
Referring to FIG. 1, an air purifier as a microorganism detection apparatus 100 includes a switch 110 for receiving an operation instruction, and a display panel 130 for displaying a detection result and the like. In addition, a suction port for introducing air, an exhaust port for exhausting, and the like, which are not shown, are included. Furthermore, the microorganism detection apparatus 100 includes a communication unit 150 for mounting a recording medium. The communication unit 150 may be for connecting a personal computer (PC) 300 as an external device with the cable 400. Or the communication part 150 may be for connecting the communication line for communicating with another apparatus via the internet. Alternatively, the communication unit 150 may be for communicating with other devices by infrared communication or Internet communication.

[First Embodiment]
<Device configuration of microorganism detection device>
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a basic configuration of the microorganism detection apparatus 100A according to the first embodiment.

  The microorganism detection device 100A, which is a detection device portion of the air cleaner, includes a detection mechanism, a collection mechanism, and a heating mechanism. Referring to FIG. 2, the microorganism detection device 100A includes a collection chamber 5A including at least a part of the collection mechanism, separated by a wall 5C that is a partition wall having a hole 5C ′, and a detection mechanism. And a detection chamber 5B.

  The collection chamber 5A is provided with a needle-like discharge electrode 1 and a collection jig 12 as a collection mechanism, and the detection chamber 5B has a light emitting element 6, a light receiving element 9, and a condenser lens 13 as a detection mechanism. Deployed.

  In the collection chamber 5A, the discharge electrode 1 side and the collection jig 12 are respectively provided with an introduction hole 10 and a discharge hole 11 for introducing air into the collection chamber 5A. As shown in FIG. 2, the introduction hole 10 may be provided with a filter (prefilter) 10 </ b> B.

  The introduction hole 10 and the discharge hole 11 are shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, respectively, as configurations for blocking the incidence of external light so that air can enter and exit the collection chamber 5A. Such a light shielding part 10A and a light shielding part 11A may be provided.

  Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, both the light shielding part 10A provided in the introduction hole 10 and the light shielding part 11A provided in the discharge hole 11 are spaced at intervals of about 4.5 mm. 10b has a structure in which the layers are alternately stacked. The light shielding plate 10a and the light shielding plate 10b have shapes corresponding to the shapes (here, circular) of the introduction holes 10 and the discharge holes 11 as shown in FIGS. It has a hole in the part that should not be. Specifically, the light shielding plate 10a has a hole in the peripheral portion, and the light shielding plate 10b has a hole in the central portion. When the light shielding plate 10a and the light shielding plate 10b are overlapped, the holes provided in the respective plates do not overlap. As shown in FIG. 3 (A), the light shielding portion 10A provided in the introduction hole 10 has a light shielding plate arranged in the order of the light shielding plate 10a, the light shielding plate 10b, the light shielding plate 10a, and the light shielding plate 10b from the outside to the inside. As shown in (B), in the light shielding portion 11A provided in the discharge hole 11, the light shielding plates are arranged in the order of the light shielding plate 10b, the light shielding plate 10a, and the light shielding plate 10b from the outside to the inside. With this configuration, air can enter and exit from the collection chamber 5A, but external light is blocked and stray light in the collection chamber 5A is suppressed.

A fan 50 as an air introduction mechanism is provided in the vicinity of the discharge hole 11. The fan 50 introduces air from the suction port into the collection chamber 5A. The air introduction mechanism may be, for example, a pump installed outside the collection chamber 5A and its drive mechanism. Further, for example, a heat heater, a micro pump, a micro fan, and a driving mechanism thereof incorporated in the collection chamber 5A may be used. Further, the fan 50 may be configured in common with the air introduction mechanism of the air purifier portion of the air purifier. Preferably, the driving mechanism of the fan 50 is controlled by the measuring unit 40, and the flow rate of the introduced air is controlled. Preferably, the flow rate of air introduced by the fan 50 is 1 L (liter) / min to 50 m ³ / min. The fan 50 is driven by a driving mechanism (not shown) controlled by the measurement unit 40, so that air outside the collection chamber 5A is introduced into the collection chamber 5A from the introduction hole 10 as represented by a dotted arrow in the figure. The air in the collection chamber 5A is exhausted from the discharge hole 11 to the outside of the collection chamber 5A.

  A known collection mechanism can be adopted as the collection mechanism. In FIG. 2, the case where the collection mechanism currently disclosed by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-214997 is employ | adopted as an example is shown. That is, referring to FIG. 2, the collection mechanism includes a discharge electrode 1, a collection jig 12, and a high voltage power supply 2. The discharge electrode 1 is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the high voltage power source 2. Electrically connected to the collection jig 12 and the negative electrode of the high-voltage power supply 2.

  The collection jig 12 is a support substrate made of a glass plate or the like having a conductive transparent film. The support substrate is not limited to a glass plate, but may be ceramic, metal, or the like. Moreover, the film formed on the surface of the support substrate is not limited to being transparent. As another example, the support substrate may be configured by forming a metal film on an insulating material such as ceramic. Further, when the support substrate is a metal material, it is not necessary to form a film on the surface.

  The film side of the collecting jig 12 is electrically connected to the negative electrode of the high-voltage power supply 2. As a result, a potential difference is generated between the discharge electrode 1 and the collecting jig 12, and an electric field in the direction indicated by the arrow E in FIG.

  Airborne particles in the air introduced from the introduction hole 10 by driving the fan 50 are negatively charged in the vicinity of the discharge electrode 1. The negatively charged particles move toward the collecting jig 12 by electrostatic force and are adsorbed by the conductive film, thereby being collected on the collecting jig 12. Here, by using a needle-like electrode as the discharge electrode 1, the charged particles are attracted to the discharge electrode 1 of the collecting jig 12 and adsorbed in a very narrow range corresponding to the irradiation region 15 of the light emitting element (described later). Can be made. Thereby, the adsorbed microorganisms can be efficiently detected in the detection step described later.

  The detection mechanism included in the detection chamber 5B includes a light emitting element 6, which is a light source, a light receiving element 9, and a light receiving direction of the light receiving element 9, and the suspended fine particles collected on the collecting jig 12 by the collecting mechanism. And a condensing lens (or lens group) 13 for condensing fluorescence generated by irradiating from the light emitting element 6 onto the light receiving element 9. In addition, a lens (or a lens group), an aperture, and irradiation light that are provided in the irradiation direction of the light emitting element 6 and make the light from the light emitting element 6 parallel light or have a predetermined width enter the light receiving element 9. A filter (or filter group) for prevention may be included. Conventional technology can be applied to these configurations. The condenser lens 13 may be made of plastic resin or glass.

  The detection chamber 5B is preferably at least internally subjected to black paint or black alumite treatment. Thereby, reflection of light on the inner wall surface that causes stray light is suppressed. The material of the collection chamber 5A and the detection chamber 5B is not limited to a specific material, but a plastic resin, a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel, or a combination thereof is preferably used. The introduction hole 10 and the discharge hole 11 are circular with a diameter of 1 mm to 50 mm. The shapes of the introduction hole 10 and the discharge hole 11 are not limited to a circle, but may be other shapes such as an ellipse or a rectangle.

  The light emitting element 6 includes a semiconductor laser or an LED (Light Emitting Diode) element. The wavelength may be in the ultraviolet or visible region as long as it excites the living fine particles of floating fine particles to emit fluorescence. Preferably, as disclosed in JP-A-2008-508527, it is 300 nm to 450 nm, which is contained in a microorganism and from which fluorescent tryptophan, NaDH, riboflavin and the like are efficiently excited. As the light receiving element 9, a conventionally used photodiode, image sensor, or the like is used.

  The light emitted from the light emitting element 6 is irradiated on the surface of the collecting jig 12 to form an irradiation region 15 on the collecting jig 12. The shape of the irradiation region 15 is not limited, and may be a circle, an ellipse, a rectangle, or the like. The irradiation area 15 is not limited to a specific size, but preferably, the diameter of the circle, the length of the ellipse in the long axis direction, or the length of one side of the rectangle is about 0.05 mm to 50 mm.

  The light receiving element 9 is connected to the signal processing unit 30 and outputs a current signal proportional to the amount of received light to the signal processing unit 30. Therefore, the light emitted from the light-emitting element 6 by irradiating the particles floating in the introduced air and collected on the surface of the collecting jig 12 from the light-emitting element 6 is received by the light-receiving element 9. The amount of received light is detected by the signal processing unit 30.

  A brush 60 for refreshing the surface of the collecting jig 12 is provided at a position in the detection chamber 5B that touches the surface of the collecting jig 12. The brush 60 is connected to a moving mechanism (not shown) controlled by the measuring unit 40, and moves so as to reciprocate on the collecting jig 12, as indicated by a double-sided arrow B in the drawing. Thereby, dust and microorganisms adhering to the surface of the collecting jig 12 are removed.

  The heating mechanism includes a heater 91 that is electrically connected to the measurement unit 40 and whose heating amount (heating time, heating temperature, etc.) is controlled by the measurement unit 40. A ceramic heater is preferably used as the heater 91. The heater 91 is a position where the suspended particles in the air collected on the collecting jig 12 can be heated, and is a position separated from the sensor device such as the light emitting element 6 and the light receiving element 9 at least during heating. Deployed. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 2, the collecting jig 12 is disposed on the surface far from the discharge electrode 1. More preferably, as shown in FIG. 4A, the heater 91 is surrounded by a heat insulating material. As the heat insulating material, a glass epoxy resin is preferably used. By configuring in this way, when the heater 91 which is a ceramic heater reaches 200 ° C. in about 2 minutes, the temperature of the portion (not shown) connected to the heater 91 via the heat insulating material is 30 ° C. or less. The inventors have confirmed that this was the case.

  A unit including the collecting jig 12 and the heater 91 is referred to herein as a collecting unit 12A. The collection unit 12A is connected to a moving mechanism (not shown) controlled by the measurement unit 40, and as shown by a double-sided arrow A in the drawing, that is, from the collection chamber 5A to the detection chamber 5B and from the detection chamber 5B. It moves to the chamber 5A through the hole 5C ′ provided in the wall 5C. As described above, the heater 91 is a position where airborne particles collected on the collecting jig 12 can be heated, and at least when heated, sensor devices such as the light emitting element 6 and the light receiving element 9 are used. Therefore, it is not included in the collection unit 12A and may be provided at another position. As will be described later, when the heating operation is performed in the collection chamber 5A, the heater 91 is not included in the collection unit 12A, and is a position of the collection chamber 5A where the collection unit 12A is set, and a collection jig. 12 may be fixed to the side opposite to the sensor device such as the light emitting element 6 and the light receiving element 9. Even in this way, the heater 91 is separated from the sensor device such as the light emitting element 6 and the light receiving element 9 by the collecting jig 12 during heating, thereby suppressing the influence of heat on the light emitting element 6 and the light receiving element 9 and the like. be able to. In this case, at least the collection jig 12 may be included in the collection unit 12A.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, a cover 65A having protrusions on the top and bottom is provided at the end of the collection unit 12A farthest from the wall 5C. An adapter 65B corresponding to the cover 65A is provided around the hole 5C ′ on the surface of the wall 5C on the collection chamber 5A side. The adapter 65B is provided with a recess that fits into the protrusion of the cover 65A, whereby the cover 65A and the adapter 65B are completely joined to cover the hole 5C '. That is, the collection unit 12A moves from the collection chamber 5A to the detection chamber 5B through the hole 5C ′ in the direction of the arrow A ′ in FIG. 4B, and the collection unit 12A is completely moved to the detection chamber 5B. At the time of entering, the cover 65A is joined to the adapter 65B to completely cover the hole 5C ′, and the detection chamber 5B is shielded from light. As a result, the incidence in the detection chamber 5B is blocked while the detection operation is being performed in the detection chamber 5B.

  The signal processing unit 30 is connected to the measurement unit 40 and outputs the result of processing the current signal to the measurement unit 40. Based on the processing result from the signal processing unit 30, the measuring unit 40 performs processing for displaying the measurement result on the display panel 130.

<Detection principle>
Here, an example of the detection principle in the microorganism detection apparatus will be described.

  As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-508527, it is conventionally known that fluorescence is emitted when particles derived from living organisms floating in the air are irradiated with ultraviolet light or blue light. However, fluorescent substances such as chemical fiber dust are floating in the air, and it is only from biological particles or chemical fiber dust that only detects fluorescence. Is not distinguished.

  FIGS. 5 to 13 are specific examples obtained by conducting an experiment in which changes in fluorescence before and after heating are performed by subjecting each of biological particles and chemical fiber dust to heat treatment. It is a figure which shows a measurement result. From this experiment, it was found that the fluorescence intensity of dust is not changed by heat treatment, whereas the fluorescence intensity of particles derived from living organisms is increased by heat treatment.

  Specifically, FIG. 5 shows measurement results of fluorescence spectra before and after heat treatment (curve 71) when Escherichia coli is heat treated at 200 ° C. for 5 minutes as biologically derived particles. is there. From the measurement results shown in FIG. 5, it was found that the fluorescence intensity from E. coli was significantly increased by the heat treatment. In addition, by comparing the fluorescence micrograph before the heat treatment shown in FIG. 6A with the fluorescence micrograph after the heat treatment shown in FIG. It has been clarified that the fluorescence intensity of is significantly increased.

Similarly, FIG. 7 is a measurement result of fluorescence spectra before and after heat treatment (curve 73) when Bacillus bacteria are heat-treated at 200 ° C. for 5 minutes as biological particles. 8A is a fluorescence micrograph before heat treatment, and FIG. 8B is a fluorescence micrograph after heat treatment. Moreover, FIG. 9 is a measurement result of the fluorescence spectrum before heat processing (curve 75) and after heat processing (curve 76) when the blue mold is heat-treated at 200 ° C. for 5 minutes as particles derived from living organisms, FIG. 10A is a fluorescence micrograph before the heat treatment, and FIG. 10B is a fluorescence micrograph after the heat treatment. As shown in these figures, it was found that the fluorescence intensity of other microorganisms significantly increased by heat treatment as in the case of E. coli.

  On the other hand, FIGS. 11A and 11B respectively show before and after the heat treatment (curve 78) when the fluorescent dust is heat-treated at 200 ° C. for 5 minutes. ) Fluorescence spectrum measurement results, FIG. 12A is a micrograph before heat treatment, and FIG. 12B is a micrograph after heat treatment. When the fluorescence spectrum shown in FIG. 11 (A) and the fluorescence spectrum shown in FIG. 11 (B) are overlapped, as shown in FIG. 13, it was verified that they almost overlap. That is, as shown in the results of FIG. 13 and the comparison of FIGS. 12A and 12B, it was found that the fluorescence intensity from dust did not change before and after the heat treatment.

  As a detection principle in the microorganism detection apparatus 100A, the above-described phenomenon verified by the inventors is applied. That is, in the air, dust, dust to which biological particles are attached, and biological particles are mixed. Based on the above-mentioned phenomenon, when dust that emits fluorescence is mixed in the collected particles, the fluorescence spectrum measured before heat treatment includes fluorescence from biological particles and fluorescence from dust that emits fluorescence. In other words, it is impossible to distinguish biological particles from chemical fiber dust. However, the heat treatment increases the fluorescence intensity of only biological particles, and does not change the fluorescence intensity of the dust that emits fluorescence. Therefore, by measuring the difference between the fluorescence intensity before the heat treatment and the fluorescence intensity after the predetermined heat treatment, the amount of biologically derived particles can be determined.

<Functional configuration>
In the following description, it is assumed that the microorganism detection apparatus 100A detects microorganisms in the air using the principle described above. Of course, the principle used to detect biologically-derived particles in the air is not limited to the above-mentioned principle, and the above principle is merely given as an example that is preferably used.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a microorganism detection apparatus 100A for detecting microorganisms in the air using the above principle.

  FIG. 14 shows an example in which the function of the signal processing unit 30 is realized by a hardware configuration that is mainly an electric circuit. However, at least a part of these functions may have a software configuration that is realized when the signal processing unit 30 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown) and the CPU executes a predetermined program. . In addition, an example in which the configuration of the measurement unit 40 is a software configuration is shown. However, at least some of these functions may be realized by a hardware configuration such as an electric circuit.

  Referring to FIG. 14, signal processing unit 30 includes a current-voltage conversion circuit 34 connected to light receiving element 9 and an amplification circuit 35 connected to current-voltage conversion circuit 34.

  The measurement unit 40 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, and a clock generation unit 43. Further, the measurement unit 40 executes an input unit 44 for receiving an input of information by receiving an input signal from the switch 110 in accordance with the operation of the switch 110, and a process of displaying a measurement result or the like on the display panel 130. For reciprocating the fan 50, the heater 91, and the collection unit 12A, the external connection unit 46 for performing processing necessary for the exchange of data and the like between the display unit 45 and the external device connected to the communication unit 150 And a drive unit 48 for driving a mechanism (not shown) for reciprocating the brush 60.

  By irradiating the particles introduced into the collection chamber 5 </ b> A and collected on the collection jig 12 from the light emitting element 6, the fluorescence from the particles in the irradiation region 15 is condensed on the light receiving element 9. Is done. A current signal corresponding to the amount of received light is output from the light receiving element 9 to the signal processing unit 30. The current signal is input to the current-voltage conversion circuit 34.

The current-voltage conversion circuit 34 detects a peak current value H representing the fluorescence intensity from the current signal input from the light receiving element 9 and converts it to a voltage value Eh. The voltage value Eh is amplified to a preset amplification factor by the amplifier circuit 35 and is output to the measurement unit 40. The control unit 41 of the measurement unit 40 receives the input of the voltage value Eh from the signal processing unit 30 and sequentially stores it in the storage unit 42.

  The clock generation unit 43 generates a clock signal and outputs it to the control unit 41. The control unit 41 outputs a control signal for rotating the fan 50 to the driving unit 48 at a timing based on the clock signal, and controls the introduction of air by the fan 50. Moreover, the control part 41 is electrically connected with the light emitting element 6 and the light receiving element 9, and controls those ON / OFF.

  The control unit 41 includes a calculation unit 411. In the calculation unit 411, an operation for calculating the amount of living organism-derived particles in the introduced air is performed using the voltage value Eh stored in the storage unit. A specific operation will be described with reference to a flowchart showing a control flow in the control unit 41 of FIG. Here, the concentration of microorganisms in the air introduced in the collection chamber 5A during a predetermined time is calculated as the amount of biological particles.

<Measurement operation>
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a specific flow of the measurement operation in the microorganism detection apparatus 100A. The operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 15 is realized by a CPU (not shown) included in the signal processing unit 30 executing a predetermined program to exhibit each function shown in FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 15, when microbe detection apparatus 100A is turned on, in step S1, a collection operation in collection chamber 5A is performed for a time ΔT1 that is a predefined collection time. As a specific operation in step S1, the control unit 41 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 48 to drive the fan 50 and take air into the collection chamber 5A. Particles in the air introduced into the collection chamber 5A are charged to a negative charge by the discharge electrode 1, and are formed between the air flow by the fan 50 and the coating 3 on the surface of the discharge electrode 1 and the collection jig 12. Is collected in a narrow range corresponding to the irradiation region 15 on the surface of the collecting jig 12. When the collection time ΔT1 elapses, the control unit 41 ends the collection operation, that is, ends the driving of the fan 50.

  Thereby, external air is introduced into the collection chamber 5A through the introduction hole 10 during the time ΔT1, and particles in the air are collected on the surface of the collection jig 12 during the time ΔT1.

  Next, in step S3, the control unit 41 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 48 to operate a mechanism for moving the collection unit 12A, and moves the collection unit 12A from the collection chamber 5A to the detection chamber. Move to 5B. When the movement is completed, a detection operation is performed in step S5. In step S5, similarly to the microorganism detection apparatus 100A, the control unit 41 causes the light emitting element 6 to emit light and causes the light receiving element 9 to receive the fluorescence for a predetermined measurement time ΔT2. The light from the light emitting element 6 is applied to the irradiation region 15 on the surface of the collecting jig 12, and fluorescence is emitted from the collected particles. A voltage value corresponding to the fluorescence intensity F <b> 1 is input to the measurement unit 40 and stored in the storage unit 42. Thereby, the fluorescence amount S1 before heating is measured.

  The measurement time ΔT2 may be set in advance in the control unit 41, the operation of the switch 110 or the like, the signal from the PC 300 connected to the communication unit 150 via the cable 400, It may be input or changed by a signal from a recording medium attached to the communication unit 150.

  At this time, the light received from the reflection region (not shown) where the particles on the surface of the collecting jig 12 are not collected, which is emitted from a light emitting element (not shown) such as an LED provided separately, is received. Light may be received by an element (not shown), and F1 / I0 may be stored in the storage unit 42 using the received light amount as a reference value I0. By calculating the ratio with respect to the reference value I0, there is an advantage that fluctuations in fluorescence intensity caused by characteristic fluctuations due to environmental conditions such as the temperature and humidity of the light emitting element and the light receiving element and deterioration can be compensated.

When the measurement operation in step S5 is completed, in step S7, the control unit 41 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 48 to operate a mechanism for moving the collection unit 12A, and detects the collection unit 12A. The chamber 5B is moved to the collection chamber 5A. When the movement is completed, a heating operation is performed in step S9. In step S9, similarly to the microorganism detection apparatus 100A, the control unit 41 causes the heater 91 to perform heating for a time ΔT3 which is a predetermined heat treatment time. The heating temperature at this time is defined in advance.

  After the heating operation, a cooling operation is performed in step S11. In step S <b> 11, the control unit 41 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 48 to reversely rotate the fan 50 for a predetermined cooling time. It cools by making external air touch the collection unit 12A. The heat treatment time ΔT3, the heating temperature, and the cooling time may also be set in the control unit 41 in advance, or connected to the communication unit 150 via the operation of the switch 110 or the cable 400. It may be input or changed by a signal from the PC 300 or a signal from a recording medium attached to the communication unit 150.

  In step S7, the collection unit 12A is moved to the collection chamber 5A, and then the heating operation and the cooling operation are performed in the collection chamber 5A. After cooling, the collection unit 12A moves to the detection chamber 5B so The heater 91 is located at a distance from the sensor device such as the light emitting element 6 and the light receiving element 9 and is also separated by the wall 5C and the like, thereby suppressing the influence of heat on the light emitting element 6, the light receiving element 9 and the like. be able to. In addition, since the heater 91 is in the collection chamber 5A separated from the sensor devices such as the light emitting element 6 and the light receiving element 9 by the wall 5C and the like at the time of heating as described above, the heater 91 is disposed in the collection unit 12A. The surface far from the discharge electrode 1, that is, the surface far from the light emitting element 6, the light receiving element 9, etc. when the collection unit 12 </ b> A moves to the detection chamber 5 </ b> B does not necessarily exist. It may be on the side.

  When the heating operation in step S9 and the cooling operation in step S11 are completed, in step S13, the control unit 41 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 48 to operate a mechanism for moving the collection unit 12A. The collection unit 12A is moved from the collection chamber 5A to the detection chamber 5B. When the movement is completed, the detection operation is performed again in step S15. The detection operation in step S15 is the same as the detection operation in step S5. The voltage value according to the fluorescence intensity F2 here is input to the measurement unit 40 and stored in the storage unit 42. Thereby, the fluorescence amount S2 after heating is measured.

  When the fluorescence amount S2 after heating is measured in step S15, the refresh operation of the collection unit 12A is performed in step S17. In step S17, the control unit 41 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 48 to operate a mechanism for moving the brush 60, and reciprocates the brush 60 a predetermined number of times on the surface of the collection unit 12A. When this refresh operation is completed, in step S19, the control unit 41 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 48 to operate a mechanism for moving the collection unit 12A, thereby causing the collection unit 12A to move to the detection chamber 5B. To the collection chamber 5A. Thereby, the next collection operation (S1) can be started immediately upon receiving the start instruction.

  The calculation unit 411 calculates the difference between the stored fluorescence intensity F1 and fluorescence intensity F2 as the increase amount ΔF. As described above, the increase amount ΔF is related to the amount of biological particles (number of particles, particle concentration, etc.). The calculation unit 411 stores in advance a correspondence relationship between the increase amount ΔF and the amount of biological particles (particle concentration) as shown in FIG. Then, the calculation unit 411 uses the calculated increase amount ΔF and the corresponding relationship to obtain the biological particle concentration obtained in the collection chamber 5A during the time ΔT1. Calculated as the particle concentration of the origin.

The correspondence between the increase amount ΔF and the concentration of biological particles is experimentally determined in advance. For example, a type of microorganism such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus, or mold is sprayed into a 1 m ³ container using a nebulizer, and the microorganism concentration is maintained at N / m ³ , thereby detecting a microorganism. Using 100A, the microorganisms are collected for the time ΔT1 by the detection method described above. Then, the microorganisms collected at a predetermined heating amount (heating time ΔT3, predetermined heating temperature) are subjected to a heat treatment by the heater 91, and an increase ΔF in fluorescence intensity before and after that is measured. By performing the same measurement for various microorganism concentrations, the relationship between the increase ΔF shown in FIG. 16 and the microorganism concentration (cells / m ³ ) is obtained.

  The correspondence relationship between the increase amount ΔF and the biological particle concentration may be stored in the calculation unit 411 by being input by operating the switch 110 or the like. Alternatively, a recording medium in which the correspondence relationship is recorded may be loaded in the communication unit 150 and read by the external connection unit 46 and stored in the calculation unit 411. Alternatively, the calculation may be stored in the calculation unit 411 when the external connection unit 46 receives and transmits the data through the cable 400 that is input and transmitted by the PC 300 and connected to the communication unit 150. Alternatively, when the communication unit 150 performs infrared communication or Internet communication, the external connection unit 46 may receive data from another device through the communication performed by the communication unit 150 and may be stored in the calculation unit 411. Further, the correspondence relationship once stored in the calculation unit 411 may be updated by the measurement unit 40.

Calculation unit 411 increases the amount △ If F is calculated as the difference △ F1, by identifying the value corresponding to the increased amount △ F1 from the correspondence relation of FIG. 16, the particle concentration of the biogenic N1 (number / m ³ ) Is calculated.

  However, the correspondence between the increase amount ΔF and the microorganism concentration may vary depending on the type of microorganism (for example, the bacterial species). Therefore, the calculation unit 411 defines one of the microorganisms as a standard microorganism and stores the correspondence relationship between the increase amount ΔF and the concentration of the microorganism. Thereby, the microorganism concentration in various environments is calculated as a microorganism concentration converted with reference to the standard microorganism. As a result, various environments can be compared, and environmental management becomes easy.

  In the above example, the increase ΔF uses the difference in fluorescence intensity before and after the heat treatment of a predetermined heating amount (predetermined heating temperature, heating time ΔT3), but these ratios are used. May be.

  The concentration of organism-derived particles, that is, microorganisms in the collected particles calculated by the calculation unit 411 is output from the control unit 41 to the display unit 45. The display unit 45 performs a process for causing the display panel 130 to display the input microorganism concentration. As an example of the display on the display panel 130, for example, a sensor display shown in FIG. Specifically, the display panel 130 is provided with a lamp for each density, and as shown in FIG. 17B, the display unit 45 identifies a lamp corresponding to the calculated density as a lamp to be lit, Turn on the lamp. As another example, the lamp may be lit in a different color for each calculated density. Further, the display panel 130 is not limited to the lamp display, and may display numbers or display a message prepared in advance corresponding to the density. The measurement result may be written to a recording medium attached to the communication unit 150 by the external connection unit 46 or may be transmitted to the PC 300 via the cable 400 connected to the communication unit 150.

  The input unit 44 may accept selection of a display method on the display panel 130 in accordance with an operation signal from the switch 110. Alternatively, the selection of whether the measurement result is displayed on the display panel 130 or output to an external device may be accepted. A signal indicating the content is output to the control unit 41, and a necessary control signal is output from the control unit 41 to the display unit 45 and / or the external connection unit 46.

<Effect of the first embodiment>
As described above, the microorganism detection apparatus 100A uses the difference in properties due to the heat treatment between the fluorescence from the particles derived from the organism and the fluorescence from the dust that emits fluorescence, and is based on the increase after the predetermined heat treatment. It is intended to detect particles. That is, the microorganism detection apparatus 100A detects biological particles by utilizing a phenomenon that when the collected biological particles and dust are subjected to heat treatment, the fluorescence intensity of the microorganisms increases and the dust does not change. Is. For this reason, even when dust that emits fluorescence is contained in the introduced air, it is possible to detect biologically-derived particles separately from dust that emits fluorescence in real time and with high accuracy.

  Further, in this way, in the microorganism detection device 100A, the collection chamber 5A and the detection chamber 5B are separated, and the collection unit 12A moves back and forth between them to collect and detect. It can be done continuously. In addition, since the collection jig 12 is heated and cooled in the collection chamber 5A as described above and is moved to the detection chamber 5B, the influence of heat on the sensors and the like in the detection chamber 5B can be suppressed. .

  Furthermore, in the microorganism detection apparatus 100A, when the collection unit 12A moves from the collection step in the collection chamber 5A to the detection step in the detection chamber 5B, the cover provided on the collection unit 12A is the hole 5C ′ of the wall 5C. Shield. For this reason, the incidence of external light into the detection chamber 5B is blocked. As a result, stray light due to scattering by suspended particles during fluorescence measurement can be suppressed, and measurement accuracy can be improved.

  The microbe detection apparatus 100A includes a collection chamber 5A and a detection chamber 5B separated by a wall 5C. Each of the microbe detection apparatuses 100A includes a collection device and a detection device that are completely separated from each other. The structure which moves the collection unit 12A between them, or the structure which sets the collection unit 12A to each apparatus may be sufficient. In this case, the heating of the collection jig 12 may be performed at a place other than the detection device as a position separated from the sensor device such as the light emitting element 6 and the light receiving element 9. For example, as described above, it may be performed in the collection device corresponding to the collection chamber 5A, or other position that is neither the collection device nor the detection device (for example, movement of the collection device to the detection device). It may be performed on the way). The heater 91 may be included in the collection unit 12A, or may be provided at a location where heating is performed, which is a location other than the detection device. In addition to using the collection device and the detection device as a set, the collection device corresponding to the collection chamber 5A or the detection device alone corresponding to the detection chamber 5B may be used. In that case, the function corresponding to the signal processing unit 30 and the measurement unit 40 is included in the apparatus to be used.

  Furthermore, in the microorganism detection apparatus 100A, one collection unit 12A is provided and reciprocates between the collection chamber 5A and the detection chamber 5B by performing a reciprocating motion represented by a double-sided arrow A. However, as another example of the collection unit 12A, two or more may be provided on a rotatable disk, and may move between the collection chamber 5A and the detection chamber 5B with rotation. In this case, the collection operation and the detection operation are performed in parallel by positioning one of the plurality of collection units 12A in the collection chamber 5A and the other one in the detection chamber 5B. be able to. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to continuously perform the collecting operation, and it is possible to continuously perform the detecting operation in parallel therewith.

[Second Embodiment]
With the above configuration, the microorganism detection apparatus 100A according to the first embodiment can continuously perform the detection operation. At this time, the detection accuracy in the next detection operation is maintained by refreshing the surface of the collection jig 12 with the brush 60 provided in the microorganism detection apparatus 100A.

  In the second embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the detection operation can be continuously performed by refreshing the surface of the collection jig 12 by a method different from that of the microorganism detection device 100A.

<Device configuration of microorganism detection device>
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of a microorganism detection apparatus 100B according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 18, the same components as those of the microorganism detection apparatus 100A are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

  Referring to FIG. 18, the microorganism detection apparatus 100 </ b> B according to the second embodiment includes an inner hollow cylindrical shape having an introduction hole 10 at one end and a discharge hole 11 having a fan 50 disposed at the other end. The housing 5D has a needle-like discharge electrode 1 and a collection jig 12 as a collection mechanism. The introduction hole 10 may be provided with a filter (prefilter) 10B.

  The discharge electrode 1 is electrically connected to the positive electrode of the high voltage power source 2. Electrically connected to the collection jig 12 and the negative electrode of the high-voltage power supply 2.

  A driving mechanism (not shown) of the fan 50 is controlled by the measuring unit 40, and its rotation is controlled. As the fan 50 rotates, external air is introduced from the introduction hole 10 into the cylindrical housing 5D and exhausted from the discharge hole 11 to the outside of the cylindrical housing 5D, as indicated by the dotted arrows in the figure. Is done.

  In the example of FIG. 19, a diaphragm plate having a hole in the substantially center is provided at a position that blocks the height direction in the cylindrical housing 5 </ b> D, and the discharge electrode is installed so as to pass through the hole. As a result, the flow path of the air introduced from the introduction hole 10 is narrowed to the diameter of the aperture of the aperture plate, and is charged by the discharge electrode 1 when passing through the aperture plate. And since it reaches the collecting jig 12 with the narrowed flow path, the suspended particles are adsorbed in a somewhat narrow range on the collecting jig 12.

  Further, a light emitting element 6 and a light receiving element 9 which are light sources are arranged as a detection mechanism. The light emitting element 6 is preferably a semiconductor laser and irradiates a laser beam. The light receiving element 9 is preferably a photodiode, and receives fluorescence.

  18 shows an example in which the light emitting element 6 and the light receiving element 9 are arranged outside the cylindrical housing 5D. This is only shown as such for the sake of schematic illustration, and the light emitting element 6 and the light receiving element 9 may be arranged inside the cylindrical housing 5D.

  Or it is good also as a structure by which the light emitting element 6 and the light receiving element 9 were distribute | arranged to the exterior of the cylindrical housing | casing 5D with the structure represented in FIG.

  In the case of this configuration, as shown in FIG. 18, the irradiation light is introduced from the light emitting element 6 outside the cylindrical housing 5D to the surface of the collecting jig 12 in the cylindrical housing 5D. A guide 6A is provided. Alternatively, at least a portion of the wall surface of the cylindrical housing 5D that exists between the light emitting element 6 and the surface of the collecting jig 12 may be formed of a material having a high transmittance of irradiation light.

  Similarly, a guide 9A for deriving fluorescence from the surface of the collecting jig 12 in the cylindrical housing 5D to the light receiving element 9 outside the cylindrical housing 5D is provided. Alternatively, at least a portion of the wall surface of the cylindrical housing 5D existing between the surface of the collection jig 12 and the light receiving element 9 may be formed of a material having a high fluorescence transmittance.

  The light receiving element 9 is connected to the signal processing unit 30 and outputs a current signal proportional to the amount of received light to the signal processing unit 30. The signal processing unit 30 is connected to the measurement unit 40 and outputs the result of processing the current signal to the measurement unit 40. Therefore, the light emitted from the light-emitting element 6 by irradiating the particles floating in the introduced air and collected on the surface of the collecting jig 12 from the light-emitting element 6 is received by the light-receiving element 9. The amount of received light is detected by the signal processing unit 30. Based on the processing result from the signal processing unit 30, the measuring unit 40 performs processing for displaying the measurement result on the display panel 130.

  A heater 91 as a heating mechanism is disposed on the far side of the collecting jig 12 from the discharge electrode 1, and a unit including the collecting jig 12 and the heater 91 constitutes a collecting unit 12A. The heater 91 is electrically connected to the measuring unit 40, and the heating amount (heating time, heating temperature, etc.) is controlled by the measuring unit 40.

  FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the collection unit 12A. FIG. 19A is a plan view of the collection unit 12A viewed from the discharge electrode 1 side, and FIG. 19B is a cross-sectional view. .

  Referring to FIG. 19A, the collecting jig 12 is disposed on the heat insulating material, and both ends are pressed by the collecting plate pressing plate electrodes in the direction from the discharge electrode 1 side toward the heat insulating material.

  Referring to FIG. 19B, a heater 91 is disposed on the opposite side of the discharge electrode 1 of the collecting jig 12 without interposing a heat insulating material therebetween, and the periphery of the heater 91 is covered with the heat insulating material. Yes.

<Overview of operation>
In the microorganism detection apparatus 100B, the outside air introduced by the rotation of the fan 50 is charged by the ions released from the needle-like discharge electrode 1, and the potential difference between the surface of the collection jig 12 and the discharge electrode 1 is charged. It is collected on the surface of the collection jig 12. When the surface of the collecting jig 12 is irradiated with laser light from the light emitting element 6, fluorescence is emitted from the collected matter containing microorganisms on the surface of the collecting jig 12.

  The fluorescence is detected by the light receiving element 9 and detected by the signal processing unit 30. It is considered that the detected fluorescence includes fluorescence emitted from other substances in addition to fluorescence emitted from biological particles. Therefore, as an example, the microorganism detection apparatus 100B also detects biological particles using the same detection principle as that of the microorganism detection apparatus 100A described above. That is, as described above, fluorescence emitted from biological particles increases in intensity by heat treatment, whereas fluorescence from non-biological dust does not change in intensity before and after the heat treatment. Then, biologically derived particles are detected based on the difference in fluorescence intensity before and after heating.

  Such a detection method is based on the premise that airborne particles are adsorbed and collected on the surface of the collection jig 12 using electrostatic induction force. Therefore, when the detection operation is continuously performed using the microorganism detection apparatus 100B, the surface of the collection jig 12 needs to be refreshed.

  In the microorganism detection apparatus 100A according to the first embodiment, the brush 60 is physically brought into contact with the surface of the collection jig 12 to remove particles adhering to the surface. In the microorganism detection apparatus 100B according to the second embodiment, the particles adhering to the surface of the collection jig 12 are removed using heat treatment.

  The microorganism detection apparatus 100B has the same function as that of the microorganism detection apparatus 100A according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 14 as a function for performing this operation.

<Operation flow>
FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a specific flow of the measurement operation in the microorganism detection apparatus 100B. The operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 20 is generally the same as the measurement operation in the microorganism detection apparatus 100A shown in FIG. However, since the microorganism detection apparatus 100B does not include an operation of moving the collection unit 12A unlike the microorganism detection apparatus 100A, the microorganism detection apparatus 100B moves the collection unit 12A of steps S3, S7, S13, and S19 in the operation of FIG. The operation to make is unnecessary.

  That is, referring to FIG. 20, in the microorganism detection device 100B according to the second embodiment, after the same collection operation as that of the microorganism detection device 100A according to the first embodiment is performed in step S1, In step S5, the fluorescence amount S1 on the surface of the collection jig 12 is measured.

  Thereafter, in step S9, the collection jig 12 is heated by the heater 91 with a predetermined heating amount. An example of the heating amount here is heating at 200 ° C. for 2 minutes, for example.

  In step S11, the fan 50 is driven to cool the collection jig 12, and in step S15, the amount of fluorescence S2 on the surface of the collection jig 12 after heating is measured.

  Thus, the measurement of the fluorescence amount before and after heating is completed, and the refresh operation (step S17 ') is also performed in the microorganism detection apparatus 100B according to the second embodiment.

  However, the refresh operation in the microorganism detection apparatus 100B is not performed by physical contact with a brush or the like, but is performed by heating the collection jig 12. That is, in step S17 ', the collection jig 12 is heated by the heater 91 with a predetermined heating amount. The amount of heating here is larger than the amount of heating in step S9, specifically, a temperature equal to or higher than the temperature at which the fluorescence emitted from the biological particles disappears (fluorescence emission disappearance temperature). An example is heating at 300 ° C. for 2 minutes. Depending on circumstances, it may be 400 ° C. or 500 ° C.

<Effects of Second Embodiment>
By performing the refresh operation by heating at a high temperature in the microorganism detection apparatus 100B, the fluorescence emission from the biological particles adhering to the surface of the collection jig 12 by the previous detection operation can be eliminated. Furthermore, particles other than living organism-derived particles such as dust can be lost by heat. Thereby, the surface of the collection jig 12 can be refreshed when starting the next detection operation.

  Most of the fluorescence from the surface of the collecting jig 12 is fluorescence from biological particles and fluorescence from fluorescent dust. If the surface of the collecting jig 12 is not refreshed, when the detection principle described above is used, an increase in the fluorescence intensity after heating is input to the measuring unit 40 as a sensor output from the light receiving element 9. When the next detection operation is further performed, the newly collected increase is added to the fluorescence intensity after heating in the previous detection operation. Accordingly, as the detection operation is repeated, the base of the sensor output signal increases. The maximum value of the sensor output signal is determined by the sensor drive voltage. Therefore, an increase in signal base leads to a decrease in the number of subsequent sensor measurements.

  Since the surface of the collection jig 12 is refreshed with high efficiency by performing the refresh operation as described above in the microorganism detection apparatus 100B, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the number of sensor measurements. That is, even if the detection operation is continuously performed, the biological particles are detected with high accuracy.

  The microorganism detection apparatus 100A according to the first embodiment is also provided with the brush 60 as described above, and the collection jig is physically contacted by reciprocating the brush 60 on the collection jig 12. Twelve deposits are removed. Therefore, of course, the microorganism detection apparatus 100A can similarly perform the detection operation continuously and increase the number of times.

  However, when removing the deposit using physical contact, if a portion where the contact is not complete occurs, the deposit on that portion is not removed. Therefore, the deposit on the collection jig 12 can be more efficiently removed by performing a refresh operation using heat treatment as in the microorganism detection apparatus 100B.

  Further, although not shown, a brush similar to the microorganism detecting device 100A is further added to the structure of the microorganism detecting device 100B shown in FIG. 18, and refresh operation by physical contact with the brush and refresh by heat treatment are performed. By combining the operation, the deposit on the collecting jig 12 can be removed more efficiently. When a refresh operation by physical contact with a brush and a refresh operation by heat treatment are combined, these operations are not performed at the same time but at different timings. Preferably, the deposit on the collection jig 12 is first removed with a brush, and then heat treatment is performed. By combining both operations in this way, the deposits on the collecting jig 12 can be removed more completely.

<Explanation of experiment>
In order to confirm the effect of the microorganism detection apparatus 100B according to the second embodiment, the inventors measured changes in heating amount and fluorescence intensity using mold fungi as a sample.

  FIG. 21 shows the time of fluorescence intensity from the collection jig when the collection jig to which the mold is attached is heated to 200 ° C. and then further heated to 250 ° C. and when heated to 300 ° C. It is a figure which shows the measurement result of a change.

  FIG. 22 shows the surface of the collection jig before the detection operation, the surface of the collection jig before heating after the detection operation, the surface of the collection jig after heating to 200 ° C., and the collection jig after heating to 300 ° C. It is a figure showing the measurement result of the fluorescence intensity from the collector jig surface.

  Referring to FIG. 21, when heated at 200 ° C., the fluorescence intensity does not decrease significantly as the heating time elapses, and the fluorescence intensity from the collecting jig disappears after 20 minutes. It was measured that the level was not reached. Therefore, it can be seen that heating at 200 ° C. requires a considerable amount of time to reach the fluorescence disappearance level.

  When heated at 250 ° C., the fluorescence intensity decreases with the elapse of the heating time, but similarly, it is measured that the fluorescence intensity from the collecting jig does not reach the fluorescence disappearance level even after 20 minutes. It was done. Therefore, it can be seen that considerable time is required to reach the fluorescence disappearance level even when heating at 250 ° C.

  When heated to 300 ° C., it was measured that the fluorescence intensity reached the disappearance level in about 1 minute after heating. Moreover, with reference to FIG. 22, it was measured that the fluorescence intensity from a collection jig | tool falls by the heating after 300 degreeC from that after collection. This indicates that not only biological particles but also particles other than biological particles such as fluorescent dust have disappeared by heating at 300 ° C.

  From this experiment, it was considered that 300 ° C. is suitable for the heat treatment as a refreshing operation on the surface of the collecting jig.

  Next, the inventors measure the fluorescence intensity when the detection operation is repeatedly performed by the microorganism detection apparatus 100B with the heat treatment at 300 ° C. as the refresh operation and the fluorescence intensity when the refresh operation is not performed. did. FIG. 23 shows a comparison of measurement results for each detection operation when the detection operation is repeated five times with a refresh operation (with hatching) and with five times without a refresh operation (without hatching). FIG.

  In this experiment, a collection plate silicon wafer 15 mm is used as the collection jig 12 of the microorganism detection apparatus 100B, a laser diode is used as the light emitting element 6, and the collection jig 12 is irradiated with laser light. The fluorescence emitted from the collection jig 12 was detected using a photodiode. The fluorescence intensity from the collection jig 12 before the detection operation is measured as an initial value.

  Thereafter, the potential of the collecting jig 12 was set to the ground potential, 5 KV was applied to the discharge electrode 1, and the potential difference was set to +5 kV. Outside air was introduced into the microorganism detection apparatus 100B at a flow rate of 20 L / min by the fan 50A, and airborne particles were electrostatically collected for 15 minutes.

  After the completion of collection, the fluorescence intensity from the collection jig 12 was measured. After the collection jig 12 was heated and cooled by the heater 91 at 200 ° C. for 2 minutes, the fluorescence intensity was measured again.

  In the case of the detection operation accompanied by the refresh operation, heating was further performed at 300 ° C. for 2 minutes.

  Referring to FIG. 23, when the refresh operation is not performed, the fluorescence intensity from collection jig 12 is increased after collection than before collection. And the fluorescence intensity further increases by heating at 200 ° C. As described above, this is due to a change in fluorescence intensity from biological particles, and thus the amount of biological particles in the introduced air is detected by the difference in fluorescence intensity before and after heating at 200 ° C. Is done.

  If the next detection operation is performed without a refresh operation, the next detection operation is based on the fluorescence intensity obtained in the previous detection operation, and the increase in the fluorescence intensity due to the particles collected in this detection operation is , Will be added to the previous fluorescence intensity. That is, if the detection operation is repeated without the refresh operation, the fluorescence intensity is accumulated, that is, the base is increased, so that the number of times that the light receiving element 9 can be measured is limited.

  On the other hand, in the case of a detection operation involving a refresh operation, after confirming an increase in fluorescence intensity due to heating at 200 ° C., a heat treatment is further performed at 300 ° C. as a refresh operation. As a result, the biological particles out of the collected particles disappear, and thus the fluorescence intensity from the biological particles increased by heating at 200 ° C. for 2 minutes out of the measured fluorescence intensity. Decrease.

  From the experimental results of FIG. 22, it is known that not only biological particles but also particles other than biological particles such as fluorescent dust disappear by heating at 300 ° C. as described above. That is, it is considered that part of the collected dust disappears by heating at 300 ° C. in this experiment. Also from the experimental results shown in FIG. 23, it can be seen that by heating at 300 ° C., the fluorescence intensity is lower than that before heating at 200 ° C., that is, after collection.

  Therefore, when the next detection operation is performed with a refresh operation, the fluorescence intensity obtained by the previous detection operation is smaller than the fluorescence intensity at the start of the next detection operation, and the fluorescence base is lowered. It will be.

  That is, from the experimental result of FIG. 23, when the detection operation is repeated without the refresh operation, the increase in the base, from the fluorescence intensity measured in the previous detection operation to the fluorescence intensity measured in the next detection operation. It can be seen that the increase in the voltage is 1400 [mV], while the increase in the base is about 300 [mV] with the refresh operation. That is, it was found that the increase in the base can be suppressed to about 1/5 by the heat treatment at 300 ° C. as the refresh operation. Therefore, from this experiment, it was found that the number of consecutive detection operations that can be performed by the microorganism detection apparatus 100B can be significantly increased by performing the heat treatment at 300 ° C., which is a refresh operation.

  From the experimental results shown in FIG. 21, it can be considered more effective to set the heating temperature for the refresh operation to be higher than 200.degree. That is, by setting the temperature to 450 ° C. or 500 ° C., which is higher than 300 ° C., it is considered that larger collected matter disappears and further the increase in base is suppressed.

  Therefore, the inventors perform detection operation by introducing air containing green mold and pollen using the microorganism detection apparatus 100B, and the collection jig is heated at 450 ° C. to 500 ° C. The disappearance of the upper particles was observed. The size of blue mold spores is 2 to 3 μm, and the pollen is about 30 μm.

  24 to 26 are micrographs of the surface of the collection jig after the heat treatment. FIG. 24 is a photomicrograph of 450 times before heating as a refresh operation, that is, after heating at 200 ° C. FIG. 25 is a photomicrograph showing an enlarged view of the blue mold part in the photo of FIG. FIG. 26 is a 450 × magnified photo of the same location as the imaging location in FIG. 24 after heating at 450 ° C. to 500 ° C.

  From the photograph in FIG. 24, blue mold spores and pollen particles can be observed on the collection jig after heating at 200 ° C. From the photograph of FIG. 26, it can be seen that both the blue mold and pollen on the collection jig disappeared by heating at 450 ° C. to 500 ° C.

  That is, by heating at 450 ° C. to 500 ° C., fluorescence disappears, and at the same time, large particles of about several μm to several tens of μm that have not disappeared at 300 ° C. shrink or disappear. Thus, it is understood that the fluorescence intensity is further reduced by heating at 450 ° C. to 500 ° C. than when heating at 300 ° C. Therefore, it was found from this experiment that the number of continuous detection operations that can be performed by the microorganism detection apparatus 100B can be further increased by heating at 450 ° C. to 500 ° C. as the refresh operation.

[Modification of Second Embodiment]
In the above example, as shown in FIG. 18, a heating process as a refresh operation is performed using a heater 91 as a heating mechanism. In this way, it is not necessary to provide a refresh operation configuration separately from the heating mechanism.

  However, the heat treatment as the refresh operation is not limited to the method using the plate heater used in the heater 91 as the heating mechanism, but by irradiation light from a light source that generates heat, such as a halogen lamp (infrared lamp) or a laser. Heating may be used.

  However, when heating a collection jig using the irradiation light from the light source accompanied with heat_generation | fever, it is necessary to arrange | position above the collection jig | tool 12 and to irradiate the collection jig | tool 12 surface from the upper direction. That is, if the heater 91 is disposed at a position far from the surface of the collecting jig 12, the surface cannot be efficiently heated.

  Therefore, as a modification of the second embodiment, a configuration will be described in which a heat source for performing a heat treatment as a refresh operation is provided above the collection jig 12, for example, when heating by irradiating light. .

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a basic configuration of a microorganism detection apparatus 100B ′ according to a modification.
Referring to FIG. 27, the microorganism detection apparatus 100B ′ includes a lamp 92 for heating the collection jig 12 as a refresh operation, separately from the heater 91 for heating the collection jig 12 as a detection operation. Provided. A halogen lamp is preferably used as the lamp 92. Irradiation light sources such as infrared lamps can be considered in addition to halogen lamps. Further, the heat source from above is not limited to the lamp, and a plate heater similar to the heater 91 may be used.

  In the example of FIG. 27, as an example, an example in which the lamp 92 is provided in a cylindrical casing 5E different from the cylindrical casing 5D is shown. In this example, the cylindrical casing 5D is configured such that a part above the collecting jig 12 is detachable, and the cylindrical casing 5E has the same shape as that portion. In FIG. 27, the upper portion of the cylindrical casing 5D is detachable from the diaphragm plate, and the portion and the cylindrical casing 5E are joined with the rotating member 5E 'interposed therebetween.

  The rotating member 5E ′ is rotatable in accordance with a control signal from the measuring unit 40, and by rotating, there is a state in which there is an upper part of the cylindrical housing 5D including the diaphragm plate above the collecting jig 12. It switches to the state with the cylindrical housing 5E. Since the cylindrical casing 5E includes the lamp 92, the rotation member 5E 'rotates after collection, so that the lamp 92 is positioned on the collection jig 12.

  A driving mechanism (not shown) of the lamp 92 is connected to the measuring unit 40 and irradiates an irradiation amount of light according to a control signal from the measuring unit 40.

  In the microorganism detection apparatus 100B ′, after floating particles in the air are collected by the collection jig 12 and the fluorescence intensity before and after heating is measured by the heater 91, the upper part of the cylindrical housing 5D is replaced as a refresh operation. After the rotation member 5E ′ is controlled to rotate, the lamp 92 emits light.

  In the example of FIG. 27, an example in which the lamp 92 is installed outside the cylindrical housing 5D is shown. With this configuration, the lamp 92 does not interfere with the airflow during collection, and efficient collection is possible.

  However, the arrangement of the lamps 92 is not limited to the arrangement shown in FIG. 27, and may be installed in the cylindrical housing 5D in advance. In this case, it is preferably provided at a position other than directly below the hole provided in the diaphragm plate. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the airflow from being obstructed and to eliminate the need for the operation of replacing the lamp 92 as in the example of FIG.

<Effects of Modification of Second Embodiment>
In this way, heat is directly applied to the collecting jig 12 by arranging a heat source above the collecting jig 12 and heating from above with the microorganism detecting device 100B ′ according to the modification, Heating can be performed more efficiently than when the lower heater 91 is used.

<Explanation of experiment>
The inventors conducted an experiment for confirming the effect of the microorganism detection apparatus 100B ′ according to the modification of the second embodiment. That is, in order to confirm the difference in effect between the case where the collecting jig 12 is directly heated from above and the case where it is indirectly heated from below, a simple apparatus as shown in FIGS. The experiment was conducted using this.

  FIG. 28 (A) is a schematic view of an experimental apparatus for heating the surface of the collecting jig from above, and FIG. 28 (B) is an experimental apparatus for indirectly heating the surface of the collecting jig from below. FIG. The experiment using the apparatus of FIG. 28A is referred to as experiment (A), and the experiment using the apparatus of FIG. 28B is referred to as experiment (B).

  In Experiment A, the collection jig was supported horizontally or substantially horizontally by a silicon substrate with respect to the support column, and was installed at a position about 10 mm away from the collection jig using a 24 V, 75 W halogen spot lamp as a heat source. In Experiment B, a collection jig was supported horizontally or substantially horizontally on a support with a silicon substrate, and a ceramic planar heater was installed as a heat source on the lower surface of the silicon substrate.

  FIGS. 29 to 34 are micrographs of the surface of the collection jig in Experiment A and Experiment B. FIGS. 29 and 30 show the cases in which fungi are used as the collection sample, and FIGS. It is a microscope picture of the collection jig | tool surface in Experiment A and Experiment B at the time of using pollen as a collection sample.

  FIG. 29 (A) is a micrograph of the surface of the collecting jig after heating the collecting jig surface, which collected the fungus, directly at 200 ° C. for 7 minutes with a halogen spot lamp, FIG. 29 (B). ) Is a photomicrograph of 2000 times of the surface of the collecting jig after further heating at 450 ° C. for 3 minutes, and is taken at substantially the same position.

  FIG. 30A is a micrograph of the surface of the collection jig after heating the collection jig for collecting molds indirectly at 200 ° C. for 7 minutes with a ceramic sheet heater, FIG. (B) is a photomicrograph of 2000 times of the surface of the collecting jig after further heating at 450 ° C. for 3 minutes, and is taken at substantially the same position.

  Comparing FIG. 30 (A) and FIG. 30 (B), when heated indirectly by a ceramic sheet heater, there is no change in the mold before and after additional heating at 450 ° C. for 3 minutes. I understand that.

  On the other hand, when FIG. 29A and FIG. 29B are compared, when the surface of the collecting jig is directly heated by the halogen spot lamp, it is additionally heated at 450 ° C. for 3 minutes. Before and after, it can be seen that the bead-shaped fungi are detached or reduced.

  FIG. 31 (A) is a photomicrograph 50 times larger than the surface of the collection jig after directly heating the collection jig surface for collecting pollen at 200 ° C. for 7 minutes with a halogen spot lamp, FIG. 31 (B). Is a 50-fold micrograph of the surface of the collecting jig after further heating at 450 ° C. for 3 minutes, which is taken at substantially the same position. FIG. 32A and FIG. 32B are micrographs of 2000 times under the conditions of FIG. 31A and FIG. 31B, respectively.

  FIG. 33 (A) is a 50 × micrograph of the surface of the collection jig after indirectly heating the collection jig for collecting pollen at 200 ° C. for 7 minutes with a ceramic sheet heater. 33 (B) is a photomicrograph of 50 times of the surface of the collecting jig after further heating at 450 ° C. for 3 minutes, and is taken at substantially the same position. FIGS. 34A and 34B are photomicrographs of magnification 2000 times under the conditions of FIGS. 33A and 33B, respectively.

  In the micrograph of FIG. 33 (A), 32 pollens are measured in the photographing range, and in the micrograph of FIG. 33 (B), 30 pollens are measured in the photographing range, and indirectly by a ceramic planar heater. When heated, it can be seen that there is no significant change in the number of pollen before and after additional heating at 450 ° C. for 3 minutes.

  Further, when FIG. 32A is compared with FIG. 32B, the size of the photographed pollen is almost the same, and only the color is changed to black. That is, when indirectly heated by a ceramic sheet heater, it is understood that the pollen is blackened before and after additional heating at 450 ° C. for 3 minutes, and there is no significant change in size.

  On the other hand, in the micrograph of FIG. 31A, 77 pollens are measured in the photographing range, and in the micrograph of FIG. 31B, 36 pollens are measured in the photographing range. When the surface of the collecting jig was directly heated, it was found that the number of pollen decreased to about half when it was additionally heated at 450 ° C. for 3 minutes.

  32A and 32B are compared, when the surface of the collecting jig is directly heated by a halogen spot lamp, the image is obtained by additionally heating at 450 ° C. for 3 minutes. It can be seen that the size of the pollen was reduced to about 1/3.

  In other words, even under the same heating conditions, it is more efficient to heat directly from above using a halogen spot lamp or the like than indirectly using a ceramic surface heater or the like. It was found that can be heated.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  1 discharge electrode, 2 high voltage power source, 5A collection chamber, 5B detection chamber, 5C wall, 5C 'hole, 5D, 5E cylindrical casing, 5E' rotating member, 6 light emitting element, 6A guide, 9 light receiving element, 9A guide DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Introduction hole, 10A light-shielding part, 10B filter, 10a, 10b light-shielding plate, 11 discharge hole, 11A light-shielding part, 12 collection jig, 12A collection unit, 13 condensing lens, 15 irradiation area, 30 signal processing part , 34 Current-voltage conversion circuit, 35 Amplifier circuit, 40 Measuring unit, 41 Control unit, 42 Storage unit, 43 Clock generation unit, 44 Input unit, 45 Display unit, 46 External connection unit, 48 Drive unit, 50 Fan, 60 Brush, 65A cover, 65B adapter, 71-78 curve, 91 heater, 92 lamp, 100, 100A, 100B, 100B ′ microorganism detection device , 110 switch, 130 display panel, 150 communication unit, 300 PC, 400 cable, 411 calculation unit.

Claims (9)

A detection device for detecting biological particles,
A light emitting element;
A light receiving element for receiving fluorescence;
A calculating means for calculating the amount of biological particles collected by the collecting member by detecting a change in the amount of received fluorescence from the collecting member irradiated by the light emitting element before and after heating. When,
A cleaning means for cleaning the collecting member;
The said cleaning means is a detection apparatus containing the means to heat the said member for collection. A heater for heating the collecting member;
The calculation means calculates the amount of particles derived from the organism based on a change in the amount of fluorescence received from the collecting member before and after heating the collecting member with the heater,
2. The detection device according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit included in the cleaning unit heats the collection member at a temperature higher than a heating temperature for the heater to heat the collection member.   The detection device according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit included in the cleaning unit is disposed on the same side as the light emitting element and the light receiving element with respect to the collecting member.   The detection device according to claim 3, wherein the heating means is a light source accompanied by heat generation.   The detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit included in the cleaning unit is disposed on the opposite side of the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element with respect to the collecting member. The cleaning means heats the collecting member using the heater,
The detection device according to claim 2, wherein the heater is disposed on a side opposite to the light emitting element and the light receiving element with respect to the collecting member.   The detection device according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit included in the cleaning unit heats the collecting member at 200 ° C. or higher.   The cleaning means includes a member that can contact the collecting member in addition to the heating means, and cleans the collecting member using the heating means and the contactable member at different timings. The detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A method for detecting biological particles,
Measuring the amount of fluorescence of the collecting member before heating under irradiation of the light emitting element;
Measuring the fluorescence amount of the collecting member after heating under irradiation of the light emitting element;
Based on the amount of change between the amount of fluorescence measured from the collecting member before heating and the amount of fluorescence measured from the collecting member after heating, derived from the organism collected by the collecting member Calculating the amount of particles of
A step of eliminating the collected material on the surface of the collecting member by further heating the collecting member after the heating after the heating.