JP6146388B2 - Inspection device and inspection program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus and an inspection program for rotating a test chip and feeding a liquid by centrifugal force.

  Conventionally, an inspection apparatus for inspecting a specimen such as a biological substance or a chemical substance is known. For example, the microchip described in Patent Document 1 includes a mixing unit having at least a first wall and a second wall. One end portions of the first wall and the second wall are connected to each other. The first wall and the second wall extend in different directions. A centrifugal force X in a direction perpendicular to the second wall and a centrifugal force Y in a direction perpendicular to the first wall are alternately applied to the microchip. When the centrifugal force X is applied, the two types of liquid introduced into the mixing unit are pressed against the inner wall surface of the second wall and stretched. Next, when the centrifugal force Y is applied, the two types of liquid stretched on the inner wall surface of the second wall once gather and contract at the connection portion between the first wall and the second wall, It is stretched to the inner wall surface of one wall. Thereby, two or more types of liquids are mixed.

JP 2009-281799 A

  In the conventional microchip, two types of liquids are pressed against the inner wall surfaces of the first wall and the second wall by centrifugal force. At this time, two types of liquids may form a layer. The two types of layered liquids easily move in a layered manner while being pressed against the wall between the first wall and the second wall by switching the direction of the centrifugal force. Since the two types of liquid move in layers, there is a problem that it is difficult to uniformly mix the two types of liquid.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an inspection apparatus and an inspection program capable of uniformly mixing a plurality of types of liquids.

The inspection apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention rotates a test chip including a mixing unit in which a specimen and a reagent are mixed around a first axis that is a vertical axis spaced from the test chip , A first rotation mechanism that applies a centrifugal force to the inspection chip, and a second rotation mechanism that rotates the inspection chip around a second axis that is a horizontal axis and changes the direction of the centrifugal force that acts on the inspection chip. And by driving the first rotation mechanism, the first rotation means for rotating the inspection chip with the first rotation speed centered on the first axis as the first speed, and the first rotation means, In a state where the inspection chip is rotated with the first rotation speed as the first speed, the inspection chip is rotated by the second rotation around the second axis by driving the second rotation mechanism. Rotating means and the second rotating hand After said said analyte reagent are mixed by said at second rotation was stopped state, with the first Rotation control to accelerate to higher second rate than the first rate, and wherein control the centrifugal force acting on the test chip is decelerated to a third speed smaller than the gravity to repeat more than once, and stirring control means for agitating said reagent and the specimen to generate a turbulent flow in the mixing portion It is provided with. In this case, the specimen and the reagent are agitated by the generation of turbulent flow. For this reason, compared with the case where the laminar flow which a sample and a reagent move in a layer form occurs, a sample and a reagent can be mixed more reliably.

  In the inspection apparatus, the stirring control unit may extend the time for decelerating the first rotation from the time for accelerating the first rotation.

The test program according to the second aspect of the present invention rotates a test chip including a mixing unit in which a specimen and a reagent are mixed around a first axis that is a vertical axis spaced from the test chip , A first rotation mechanism that applies a centrifugal force to the inspection chip, and a second rotation mechanism that rotates the inspection chip around a second axis that is a horizontal axis and changes the direction of the centrifugal force that acts on the inspection chip. A first rotation step of rotating the inspection chip by setting the first rotation speed around the first axis as the first speed by driving the first rotation mechanism; By the first rotation step, the inspection chip is rotated with the speed of the first rotation as the first speed, and the second rotation mechanism is driven to perform the second rotation around the second axis. Inspection inspection A second rotation step of rotating the flop, after said said analyte reagent is mixed with the second rotating step, in a state of stopping the second rotation, preceded Symbol first rotation, the first control to accelerate up faster than the rate the second speed, and the control of centrifugal force acting on the test chip is decelerated to a third speed smaller than the gravity to a plurality of times repeatedly, turbulence in the mixing portion It is allowed to be executed and stirring control step of stirring the said reagent and said analyte. In this case, the specimen and the reagent are agitated by the generation of turbulent flow. For this reason, compared with the case where the laminar flow which a sample and a reagent move in a layer form occurs, a sample and a reagent can be mixed more reliably.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the test | inspection system 3 containing the test | inspection apparatus 1 and the control apparatus 90. FIG. It is a front view of the test | inspection chip 2. FIG. It is a rear view of the test | inspection chip 2. FIG. It is a flowchart of a centrifugation process. It is a state transition diagram of the test | inspection chip 2 in a centrifugation process. FIG. 6 is a state transition diagram of the test chip 2 continued from FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a state transition diagram of the test chip 2 continued from FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a state transition diagram of the test chip 2 continued from FIG. 7. It is a state transition diagram of the test | inspection chip 2 which shows a mode that the liquid mixture 26 is stirred in the centrifugation process.

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

<1. Schematic structure of inspection system 3>
A schematic structure of the inspection system 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The inspection system 3 of the present embodiment includes an inspection chip 2 that can store a sample and a reagent that are liquids, and an inspection apparatus 1 that performs an inspection using the inspection chip 2. When the inspection device 1 rotates the inspection chip 2 around the first axis A <b> 1 separated from the inspection chip 2, centrifugal force acts on the inspection chip 2. The first axis A1 extends in the vertical direction that is the vertical direction. When the inspection device 1 rotates the inspection chip 2 around the second axis A2 extending in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the first axis A1, the centrifugal direction that is the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the inspection chip 2 is the inspection chip 2. Can be switched. In addition, since the inspection system 3 and the inspection apparatus 1 of this embodiment have a known structure as described in JP 2012-78107 A, in the following description, an outline of the structure of the inspection apparatus 1 will be described. To do.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the liquid flow path 25 includes the sample quantitative flow path 11, the reagent quantitative flow paths 13 and 15, the first connection flow path 301, the second connection flow path 331, the mixing unit 80, and the measurement. Part 81 and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the reagent fixed amount flow path 13 is provided in the upper left part of the front surface 201. The sample quantitative flow path 11 is provided on the right side of the reagent quantitative flow path 13 in the front surface 201. As shown in FIG. 3, the reagent fixed amount flow path 15 is provided in the upper left part on the rear surface 202 side. The mixing unit 80 is provided in the lower right part of the front surface 201. The measurement unit 81 is a lower part of the mixing unit 80.

  A configuration common to the reagent quantitative channels 13 and 15 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the reagent quantification flow paths 13 and 15 include the injection port 130, the reagent injection part 131, the communication path 154, the first holding part 132, the second holding part 133, and the reagent quantifying part 134, respectively. 1st guide part 138, 2nd guide part 137, and reagent surplus part 136 are included. The reagent injection part 131 is provided in the upper left part of the test chip 2. The reagent injection part 131 is a recess that opens upward. The reagent injection part 131 is formed by a left side part 23 and a wall part 27 extending from the left side part 23 to the upper right. The inlet 130 penetrates the plate member 20 from the upper part of the reagent injection part 131 toward the upper side part 21 of the test chip 2. The inlet 130 is a part where the first reagent 18 or the second reagent 19 is injected into the reagent injection part 131. The reagent injection part 131 of the reagent fixed amount flow channel 13 is a part where the first reagent 18 injected from the injection port 130 of the reagent fixed amount flow channel 13 is stored. The reagent injection part 131 of the reagent fixed amount flow channel 15 is a part where the second reagent 19 injected from the injection port 130 of the reagent fixed amount flow channel 15 is stored. In addition, the 2nd reagent 19 of this embodiment is a reagent mixed after the 1st reagent 18 and the 1st separation component 17A mentioned later are mixed. In the following description, the first reagent 18 and the second reagent 19 are collectively referred to as “reagent 16” when not specified either.

  As shown in FIG.2 and FIG.3, the 1st holding | maintenance part 132 is a recessed part opened leftward. The first holding part 132 and the reagent injection part 131 are connected via a communication passage 154 extending in the left-right direction. The first holding part 132 is connected to the second holding part 133 through a flow path extending downward from the right side portion of the communication path 154. The second holding portion 133 is formed by a bent wall surface that opens to the upper left. A third holding unit 160 is provided on the right side of the second holding unit 133. The third holding part 160 is connected to the upper part of the second holding part 133 and extends downward. The third holding unit 160 is a part that holds the first reagent 18 overflowing from the first holding unit 132 when the first reagent 18 is injected from the reagent injection unit 131 to the first holding unit 132.

  A reagent quantitative unit 134 is provided below the second holding unit 133. The reagent quantification part 134 is a part where the reagent 16 is quantified, and is a concave part recessed in the lower left. The reagent fixed amount unit 134 is connected to the mixing unit 80 via the first guide unit 138 and the first connection channel 301, and is connected to the reagent surplus unit 136 via the second guide unit 137. The volume of the reagent quantification unit 134 is the volume of the liquid flow path 25 below the reagent quantification surface 146 extending in the right direction from the end 142 on the reagent surplus unit 136 side of the reagent quantification unit 134. The reagent quantification surface 146 is a virtual surface that is the position of the upper surface of the reagent 16 when the reagent 16 is quantified by the reagent quantification unit 134.

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

  In the following description, the reagent quantitative unit 134 of the reagent quantitative channel 13 is referred to as a reagent quantitative unit 134A, and the reagent quantitative unit 134 of the reagent quantitative channel 15 is referred to as a reagent quantitative unit 134B. As shown in FIG. 2, the first guide part 138 extends obliquely upward to the right from the upper part of the reagent fixed amount part 134 </ b> A and is connected to the first connection channel 301. The first guide part 138 of the reagent quantitative flow path 13 is a flow path through which the first reagent 18 quantified in the reagent quantitative part 134A moves. The first connection channel 301 is a channel formed on the front surface 201 and connecting the first guide part 138 and the mixing part 80. The first connection channel 301 extends obliquely downward to the right from the right end of the first guide portion 138 and further extends to the right from the lower end portion.

  The first connection channel 301 includes a reagent receiving unit 305. The reagent receiver 305 is provided on the lower side 24 side of the first connection channel 301 and is connected to the inflow port 306. The right part of the reagent receiving part 305 is formed by a wall part 304 extending obliquely upward to the right. The inflow port 306 is formed above the right end of the wall portion 304. The inflow port 306 is located on the left side of the mixing unit 80 and is a part for allowing the reagent 16 to flow into the mixing unit 80.

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

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first guide part 138 extends obliquely upward to the right from the upper part of the reagent quantification part 134 </ b> B and is connected to the second connection channel 331. The first guide part 138 of the reagent quantitative flow path 15 is a flow path through which the second reagent 19 quantified in the reagent quantitative part 134B moves. The second connection channel 331 is a channel that is formed on the rear surface 202 and extends from the reagent quantification unit 134B toward the merging hole 351, and connects the reagent quantification unit 134B and the merging hole 351. The second connection channel 331 includes two reagent receiving portions 341 and 342. The reagent receiving parts 341 and 342 are parts that receive the second reagent 19 quantified by the reagent quantifying part 134B. The second connection channel 331 extends from the upper right portion of the first guide portion 138 to the lower left and is connected to the reagent receiving portion 341, and extends from the reagent receiving portion 341 to the lower left and is connected to the reagent receiving portion 342. The right end portion of the reagent receiving portion 342 is connected to the merge hole portion 351 and is connected to the first connection channel 301 on the front surface 201 side.

  The specimen quantification channel 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the sample fixed amount flow path 11 includes an injection port 110, a sample injection unit 111, a first sample holding unit 112, a sample guide unit 113, a separation unit 124, a channel 125, a channel 127, a sample surplus unit 126, A second sample holding unit 123, a sample determination unit 114, a passage 115, a passage 117, and a second surplus unit 116 are included. The sample injection part 111 is provided on the right side of the first holding part 132 of the reagent fixed amount flow path 13. The specimen injection unit 111 is a recess that opens upward. The injection port 110 penetrates the plate material 20 from the upper part of the specimen injection part 111 toward the upper side part 21 of the test chip 2. The injection port 110 is a part where the sample 17 is injected into the sample injection unit 111. The specimen injection unit 111 is a part where the specimen 17 injected from the injection port 110 is stored. The specimen 17 of the present embodiment is a liquid containing components such as blood, plasma, blood cells, bone marrow, urine, vaginal tissue, epithelial tissue, tumor, semen, saliva, or foodstuff. The first sample holding unit 112 and the sample injection unit 111 are connected via a communication path 166 extending in the left-right direction. The first sample holding unit 112 is a recess that opens to the sample injection unit 111 side. The lower end portion of the first sample holding unit 112 is connected to the sample guide unit 113 that is a passage.

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

  The connection channel 120 extends obliquely upward to the right from the central portion in the vertical direction on the right side surface of the separation portion 124. The upper end of the connection channel 120 is connected to the upper end of the residual liquid holding unit 121. The residual liquid holding unit 121 is a storage unit that holds at least a part of the residual liquid 17C shown in FIG. The residual liquid 17C may be only the second separation component 17B or a liquid containing the first separation component 17A and the second separation component 17B. Further, the residual liquid 17C may include the specimen 17 that has not been separated.

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

  The passage 127 is connected to the second sample holding unit 123. A sample quantitative unit 114 is provided below the second sample holding unit 123. The specimen quantification unit 114 is a part that quantifies the first separation component 17A, and is a recess that opens upward.

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

  The mixing unit 80 is an area including a flow path on the right side of the inlet 306 that is connected to the passage 117 and extends downward. The mixing unit 80 is surrounded by a lower wall surface 80A, a right wall surface 80B, an upper wall surface 80C, and a left wall surface 80D. 80 A of lower wall surfaces form the lower end of the mixing part 80, and are extended in the left-right direction. The right wall surface 80B extends upward from the right end portion of the lower wall surface 80A. The upper wall surface 80C extends leftward from the upper end portion of the right wall surface 80B. The left part of the upper wall surface 80 </ b> C forms the upper part of the passage 117. The left wall surface 80D extends upward from the left end portion of the lower wall surface 80A. The upper end of the left wall surface 80D is connected to the upper end of the wall portion 304.

  The mixing unit 80 is connected to the sample quantifying unit 114 via the passage 117. The mixing unit 80 is connected to the reagent quantitative unit 134A via the first connection channel 301. The mixing unit 80 is connected to the reagent quantification unit 134B via the second connection channel 331. In the mixing unit 80, the first separation component 17A quantified in the sample quantification unit 114, the first reagent 18 quantified in the reagent quantification unit 134A, and the second reagent 19 quantified in the reagent quantification unit 134B are mixed. . When optical measurement described later is performed, the measurement light is transmitted to the measurement unit 81 that forms the lower part of the mixing unit 80.

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

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

  The user attaches the inspection chip 2 to a mounting holder (not shown) and inputs a processing start command from the operation unit 94. As a result, the CPU 91 executes the centrifugal process shown in FIG. 4 based on the control program stored in the ROM 93. The inspection apparatus 1 can inspect two inspection chips 2 at the same time. For convenience of explanation, a procedure for inspecting one inspection chip 2 will be described below. In the following description, the steady state of the inspection chip 2 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is referred to as a rotation angle of 0 degree, and the state rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the steady state is referred to as a rotation angle of 90 degrees. In the following description, when the CPU 91 rotates the inspection chip 2 from 0 degree to 90 degrees, the inspection chip 2 rotates counterclockwise as viewed from the front. Further, when the CPU 91 rotates the inspection chip 2 from 90 degrees to 90 degrees, the inspection chip 2 rotates clockwise as viewed from the front.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the CPU 91 reads motor drive information stored in advance in the HDD 95, sets drive information of the spindle motor 35 in the revolution controller 97, and sets drive information of the stepping motor 51 in the rotation controller 98. (S1). At this time, the test chip 2 is in a steady state and has a rotation angle of 0 degree as shown in FIGS. Next, the CPU 91 shown in FIG. 1 controls the revolution controller 97 to start driving the spindle motor 35 (S2). As a result, the inspection chip 2 having a rotation angle of 0 degrees revolves. The spindle motor 35 increases the rotation speed of the turntable 33 to the speed Vc based on an instruction from the revolution controller 97. The speed Vc is larger than a speed V0 described later and smaller than a speed Vm described later. When the turntable 33 is rotated at this speed Vc, a centrifugal force X of several hundred G acts on the inspection chip 2. The CPU 91 keeps the rotation speed of the spindle motor 35 at the speed Vc (S3). As shown in FIG. 5A, centrifugal force X acts on the test chip 2 from the left side 23 toward the right side 22. The reagent 16 moves from the reagent injection part 131 to the first holding part 132 by the action of the centrifugal force X. Further, the sample 17 moves from the sample injection unit 111 to the first sample holding unit 112. In the following description of the processing from S4 to S8, it is assumed that the rotation speed of the turntable 33 is constant at the speed Vc, but the value of the speed Vc may be changed in the middle.

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51, and as shown in FIG. 5C, rotates the inspection chip 2 up to a rotation angle of 90 degrees (S4). FIG. 5C shows a state in which the inspection chip 2 has been rotated to a rotation angle of 90 degrees, and FIG. 5B shows an intermediate state during which the inspection chip 2 is rotated from a rotation angle of 0 degrees to a rotation angle of 90 degrees. Shows the state. As shown in FIGS. 5 (B) and 5 (C), while the test chip 2 is rotated from the rotation angle of 0 degrees toward the rotation angle of 90 degrees, the reagent 16 is moved by the action of the centrifugal force X. From one holding part 132 to the reagent quantifying part 134 via the second holding part 133. In addition, the sample 17 flows from the first sample holding unit 112 to the separation unit 124 via the sample guide unit 113.

  In the state shown in FIG. 5C, the test chip 2 is rotated up to a rotation angle of 90 degrees, and the centrifugal force X acts on the test chip 2 from the upper side portion 21 toward the lower side portion 24. The excess reagent 16 in the reagent quantitative unit 134 flows to the reagent surplus unit 136 via the second guide unit 137. The centrifugal force X acts in the direction perpendicular to the reagent fixed amount surface 146. Thereby, the reagent 16 for the capacity of the reagent quantification unit 134 is quantified. The excess specimen 17 in the separation unit 124 flows to the specimen surplus part 126 via the passage 125. Therefore, the sample 17 corresponding to the volume of the separation unit 124 remains in the separation unit 124. The capacity of the separation part 124 is the capacity of the liquid flow path 25 below the virtual surface 148 extending in the right direction from the end part 147 on the passage 125 side in the separation part 124 shown in FIG.

  The CPU 91 keeps the rotational speed of the spindle motor 35 at the speed Vc for a predetermined time (S5). As a result, the centrifugal force X acts from the upper side portion 21 toward the lower side portion 24 for a predetermined time on the test chip 2 having a rotation angle of 90 degrees shown in FIG. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6D, in the separation unit 124, the component of the specimen 17 is separated into the first separation component 17A and the second separation component 17B. For example, when the specimen 17 is blood, blood cells having a large specific gravity accumulate on the side in which the centrifugal force X acts, and plasma having a small specific gravity accumulates on the side opposite to the direction in which the centrifugal force X acts. That is, the specimen 17 is separated into a first separation component 17A that is plasma in blood and a second separation component 17B that is blood cells.

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51, and as shown in FIG. 6E, rotates the inspection chip 2 up to the rotation angle of 0 degrees (S6). As a result, the centrifugal force X acts on the test chip 2 from the left side 23 toward the right side 22.

  When the posture of the test chip 2 changes to the state shown in FIG. 6E, the first reagent 18 quantified in the reagent quantification unit 134A moves to the mixing unit 80 and is stored. The second reagent 19 quantified in the reagent quantification unit 134B moves to the reagent receiving unit 341. In addition, the first separation component 17A moves to the second specimen holder 123 through the passage 127. As shown in FIG. 6F, a part of the residual liquid 17C including the first separation component 17A and the second separation component 17B remaining in the separation unit 124 is retained through the connection channel 120. Move to section 121.

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51 to rotate the inspection chip 2 up to a rotation angle of 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 7G (S7). As a result, the centrifugal force X acts from the upper side portion 21 toward the lower side portion 24. Due to the action of the centrifugal force X, the first separation component 17A flows from the second sample holding unit 123 to the sample determination unit 114. Further, the second reagent 19 moves from the reagent receiving part 341 to the reagent receiving part 342. As shown in FIG. 7H, the excess first separated component 17A in the sample quantification unit 114 flows to the second surplus unit 116 via the passage 115. The centrifugal force X acts in a direction perpendicular to the specimen quantification surface 129. Thereby, the first separation component 17A corresponding to the volume of the specimen quantification unit 114 is quantified. Further, the second reagent 19 that has moved to the reagent receiving part 342 joins the first connection channel 301 formed in the front surface 201 via the joining hole part 351.

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51. As shown in FIGS. 7 (I), 8 (J), and 8 (K), the inspection chip reaches the rotation angle of 0 degree. 2 is rotated (S8). As a result, the centrifugal force X acts on the test chip 2 from the left side 23 toward the right side 22.

  When the centrifugal force X acts in the process of changing the posture of the test chip 2 from the state shown in FIG. 7 (H) to the state shown in FIG. 8 (K), as shown in FIG. The first separated component 17 </ b> A quantified at 114 flows into the mixing unit 80. Then, as shown in FIG. 8 (J), the second reagent 19 joined from the joining hole 351 flows into the mixing unit 80, and the mixed liquid 26 is generated as shown in FIG. 8 (K).

  In the following description, the rotation of the inspection chip 2 around the first axis A1 driven by the spindle motor 35 shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as a first rotation. That is, the first rotation is revolution. The rotation of the inspection chip 2 around the second axis A2 by driving the stepping motor 51 shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as a second rotation. That is, the second rotation is autorotation. The CPU 91 executes S9 to S11, controls the acceleration amount and the deceleration amount for the first rotation in a state where the second rotation is stopped, generates a turbulent flow in the mixing unit 80, and causes the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 And stir.

  The CPU 91 accelerates the speed of the first rotation to the speed Vm with the second rotation stopped (S9). The speed Vm is higher than the speed Vc. As shown in FIG. 9A, the mixed liquid 26 is pressed against the right wall surface 80B by the action of the centrifugal force X.

  The CPU 91 decelerates the speed of the first rotation from the speed Vm to V0 smaller than the speed Vm in a state where the second rotation is stopped (S10). V0 is a speed at which the centrifugal force X acting on the inspection chip 2 becomes smaller than the magnitude of the gravity G. In the present embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that V0 is 0 rpm. That is, the CPU 91 stops the rotation of the spindle motor 35 and stops the first rotation. As shown in FIG. 9B, the liquid mixture 26 moves from the right wall surface 80 </ b> B of the mixing unit 80 to the lower wall surface 80 </ b> A side by the action of gravity G from the upper side 21 to the lower side 24.

  The CPU 91 determines whether or not the processes of S9 and S10 have been repeated a total of 5 times (S11). When the processes of S9 and S10 are not repeated a total of 5 times (S11: NO), the CPU 11 returns the process to S9. That is, the CPU 91 drives the spindle motor 35 to accelerate the speed of the first rotation from the speed V0 to the speed Vm (S9). As a result, as shown in FIG. 9A, the mixed liquid 26 moves from the lower wall surface 80 </ b> A of the mixing unit 80 toward the right wall surface 80 </ b> B by the action of the centrifugal force X. CPU91 repeats the process of S9 and S10 until the process of S9 and S10 is repeated 5 times in total.

  In the process of executing the processes of S9 and S10, after the speed of the first rotation is accelerated from the speed V0 to the speed Vm, the process of decelerating from the speed Vm to the speed V0 is repeated. The state of the inspection chip 2 is repeatedly changed to the respective states of FIGS. 9A and 9B. That is, the mixed liquid 26 reciprocates between the lower wall surface 80A and the right wall surface 80B of the mixing unit 80.

  When accelerating the speed of the first rotation from the speed V0 to the speed Vm in S9, the CPU 91 accelerates from the speed V0 to the speed Vm over a first time. When decelerating the speed of the first rotation from the speed Vm to the speed V0 in S10, the CPU 91 decelerates from the speed Vm to the speed V0 over a second time longer than the first time. That is, the CPU 91 makes the second time for decelerating the first rotation longer than the first time for accelerating the first rotation.

  The first process and the second process, which are processes of the CPU 91 for generating turbulent flow in the mixing unit 80, will be described. When the CPU 91 performs at least one of the first process and the second process in S9 and S10, a turbulent flow is generated in the mixing unit 80, and the mixed liquid 26 is stirred.

  In the following description, F is the magnitude of the centrifugal force X acting on the inspection chip 2 at the end of acceleration in S9. Let g be the acceleration of gravity. The kinematic viscosity of the mixed liquid 26 is v. The width of the mixing unit 80 at the liquid level 261 of the mixed liquid 26 shown in FIG. 9A and 9B, the height at which the mixed liquid 26 moves is defined as H. More specifically, H is the length between the liquid level 261 shown in FIG. 9B and the position of the upper wall surface 80C where the upper end of the mixed liquid 26 shown in FIG. 9A is located.

The first process will be described. The first process is a process of executing acceleration and deceleration of the first rotation so as to satisfy the following expression (1) in S9 and S10.

  Expression (1) is a conditional expression for generating turbulent flow in the mixing unit 80. When the CPU 91 controls the acceleration amount and the deceleration amount of the first rotation in S9 and S10 so that the magnitude F of the centrifugal force X at the end of acceleration satisfies Expression (1), turbulent flow is generated. For this reason, compared with the case where it mixes by a laminar flow, the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 can be stirred more reliably. Therefore, the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 can be mixed uniformly.

The second process will be described. The second process is a process of executing the first rotation so as to satisfy both the following expressions (2) and (3) in S9 and S10.

  t is the time until the rotation stops when the first rotation is decelerated. “2300” in the equations (1) to (3) is a coefficient based on the Reynolds number. Expressions (2) and (3) are conditional expressions for generating turbulent flow. When the CPU 91 controls the acceleration amount and the deceleration amount of the first rotation in S9 and S10 so as to satisfy both the expressions (2) and (3), a turbulent flow is generated. For this reason, compared with the case where it mixes by a laminar flow, the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 can be stirred more reliably. Therefore, the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 can be mixed uniformly.

  Note that the speed Vm and the speed V0 when at least one of the first process and the second process is satisfied may be stored in advance as drive information in the HDD 95 shown in FIG. In this case, the CPU 91 reads drive information including the stored speed Vm and speed V0 in S1, and controls to match the speed of the first rotation with the speed Vm and speed V0 in S9 and S10. Further, F, m, g, v, W, H, and t, which are parameters used in the equations (1) to (3), may be stored in the HDD 95 in advance. In this case, when executing S9 and S10, the CPU 91 calculates the speed Vm and the speed V0 so as to satisfy the expressions (1) to (3), and executes acceleration and deceleration of the first rotation.

  The kinematic viscosity v of the mixed liquid 26 can be calculated in advance from the kinematic viscosities of the reagent 16 and the sample 17 and stored in the HDD 95 when the reagent 16 and the sample 17 to be injected are determined. Moreover, since the fixed amount in each fixed_quantity | quantitative_assay part 134A, 134B, 114 is decided, the position of the liquid level 261 can be determined previously. Therefore, the width W of the mixing unit 80 at the liquid level 261 can also be stored in the HDD 95 in advance. In addition, since the position of the liquid level 261 can be determined in advance as to the height H at which the mixed liquid 26 moves, it can be stored in the HDD 95 in advance based on the position of the upper wall surface 80C. The CPU 91 calculates F from these parameters and executes the process of S9.

  When the processes of S9 and S19 are repeated a total of five times (S11: YES), the CPU 91 accelerates the speed of the first rotation to Vc while stopping the second rotation (S12). Similarly to the case shown in FIG. 9K, the centrifugal force X acts on the test chip 2 from the left side 23 toward the right side 22. The mixed liquid 26 moves to the right wall surface 80B side of the mixing unit 80.

  Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51, and rotates the inspection chip 2 up to a rotation angle of 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 8L (S13). As a result, the centrifugal force X acts on the inspection chip 2 from the upper side portion 21 toward the lower side portion 24. Due to the action of the centrifugal force X, the liquid mixture 26 moves to the measuring unit 81.

  Although not shown in FIG. 8, after S <b> 13 is executed, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive the stepping motor 51. The CPU 91 rotates the inspection chip 2 until the rotation angle is 0 degree (S14). Further, the CPU 91 controls the revolution controller 97 to stop the rotation of the spindle motor 35 (S14). Therefore, the revolution of the inspection chip 2 is completed. Centrifugation is terminated.

  After execution of the centrifugal process, the CPU 91 controls the revolution controller 97 to rotate and move the inspection chip 2 to the angle of the measurement position. When the measurement controller 99 shown in FIG. 1 causes the light source 71 to emit light, the measurement light passes through the liquid mixture 26 stored in the measurement unit 81. The CPU 91 performs optical measurement of the liquid mixture 26 based on the change amount of the measurement light received by the optical sensor 72 and acquires measurement data. CPU91 calculates the measurement result of the liquid mixture 26 based on the acquired measurement data. The test result of the mixed liquid 26 based on the measurement result is displayed on the display 96 shown in FIG. In addition, the measuring method of the liquid mixture 26 is not restricted to an optical measurement, Other methods may be used.

<7. Main effects of the present embodiment>
As described above, measurement using the inspection chip 2 is performed. In the present embodiment, the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 are agitated by the occurrence of turbulent flow in the mixing unit 80. For this reason, compared with the case where the laminar flow in which the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 move in a layered manner occurs, the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 can be mixed more reliably. Therefore, the inspection accuracy is improved as compared with the case where the mixture is not uniformly mixed.

  Also, suppose that a turbulent flow is generated in the mixing unit 80 by the first rotation without stopping the second rotation. The liquid mixture 26 is accelerated by the centrifugal force X received by the liquid mixture 26 by the first rotation. In addition, the direction of the centrifugal force received by the mixed liquid 26 by the second rotation is perpendicular to the second axis A2, and the mixed liquid 26 is applied to the lower wall surface 80A and the right wall surface 80B as compared with the case where the second rotation is stopped. Since the pressing force increases, the vertical drag that the liquid mixture 26 receives from the lower wall surface 80A and the right wall surface 80B increases. For this reason, compared with the case where the second rotation is stopped, when the centrifugal force X acting on the test chip 2 is applied by the first rotation, the mixed liquid 26 is fed from the lower wall surface 80A and the right wall surface 80B of the mixing unit 80. As a result, the vertical drag applied to the liquid increases, and the liquid mixture 26 is not sufficiently accelerated, which may make it difficult to generate turbulence.

  In the present embodiment, the CPU 91 accelerates and decelerates the first rotation in a state where the second rotation is stopped, generates a turbulent flow in the mixing unit 80, and stirs the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 ( S9 and S10). For this reason, the liquid mixture 26 is not sufficiently accelerated by the centrifugal force acting on the inspection chip 2 by the second rotation, and the liquid mixture 26 is unlikely to receive vertical drag from the lower wall surface 80A and the right wall surface 80B of the mixing unit 80. Therefore, the inspection apparatus 1 can easily accelerate the mixed liquid 26 to a desired speed, and as a result, can easily generate turbulent flow. Therefore, the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 can be stirred by turbulent flow, and the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 can be mixed uniformly. Therefore, the inspection accuracy is improved as compared with the case where the mixture is not uniformly mixed.

  In S9 and S10, the CPU 91 accelerates and decelerates the first rotation in a state where the second rotation is stopped, so that it is not necessary to drive the stepping motor 51. For this reason, compared with the case where both the spindle motor 35 and the stepping motor 51 are driven, the motor load is reduced. Therefore, the sample 17 and the reagent 16 can be stirred while the load on the motor is reduced, and the sample 17 and the reagent 16 can be mixed uniformly. Therefore, the inspection accuracy is improved as compared with the case where the mixture is not uniformly mixed.

  Further, since the first axis A1 extends in the vertical direction, the centrifugal force that the CPU 91 accelerates the first rotation acts in a direction different from the gravity direction. When the CPU 91 decelerates the first rotation and the magnitude of the centrifugal force X acting on the test chip 2 becomes smaller than the magnitude of the gravity G (S10), as shown in FIG. The liquid mixture 26 in FIG. For this reason, the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 are agitated by the movement due to the action of the gravity G when decelerating the first rotation and the movement due to the action of the centrifugal force X when accelerating, so that the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 are made uniform. Can be mixed. Therefore, the inspection accuracy is improved as compared with the case where the mixture is not uniformly mixed.

Further, when the first rotation is accelerated, the centrifugal force X acts on the test chip 2, so that the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 can be reliably pressed against the right wall surface 80B of the mixing unit 80 even if the time is short. . On the other hand, when decelerating the first rotation, the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 move in the mixing unit 80 due to gravity smaller than the centrifugal force X, so that the movement may take time. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the CPU 91 increases the second time for decelerating the first rotation from the speed Vm to the speed V0 in S10 than the first time for accelerating the first rotation from the speed V0 to the speed Vm in S9. doing. By making the second time to decelerate longer than the first time to accelerate, the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 are moved more reliably at the time of deceleration, and then the turbulent flow is more reliably generated when the first rotation is accelerated. Can do. Therefore, the sample 17 and the reagent 16 can be mixed more reliably. Therefore, the inspection accuracy is improved as compared with the case where the mixture is not uniformly mixed.

  In the above embodiment, the spindle motor 35 is an example of the first rotation mechanism of the present invention. The stepping motor 51 is an example of a second rotation mechanism of the present invention. The CPU 91 that performs the processes of S9 and S10 is an example of a stirring control unit and a computer according to the present invention. The process of S9 is an example of the stirring control step of the present invention.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, A various change is possible. For example, the second time during which the first rotation is decelerated from the speed Vm to the speed V0 in S10 may be equal to or longer than the first time during which the first rotation is accelerated from the speed V0 to the speed Vm in S9. In addition, the measurement unit 81 is a lower part of the mixing unit 80, but may be provided separately from the mixing unit 80.

  The second axis A2 only needs to intersect the first axis A1, and does not have to be orthogonal. Also in this case, the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 are agitated by the movement of the liquid mixture 26 due to the action of gravity when decelerating the first rotation and the movement of the liquid mixture 26 due to the action of the centrifugal force X when accelerating. The specimen 17 and the reagent 16 can be mixed uniformly. Therefore, the inspection accuracy is improved as compared with the case where the mixture is not uniformly mixed. The second axis A2 may be in the vertical direction that is the same direction as the first axis A1. In this case, the front surface 201 and the rear surface 202 of the plate material of the inspection chip 2 are parallel to the horizontal direction. The first axis A1 may not be in the vertical direction.

  Further, the CPU 91 controls the acceleration amount and the deceleration amount for at least one of the first rotation and the second rotation, generates turbulent flow in the mixing unit 80, and stirs the specimen 17 and the reagent 16. Good. For example, in the state where the first rotation is stopped, the acceleration amount and the deceleration amount may be controlled for the second rotation, and the turbulent flow may be generated in the mixing unit 80. In addition, the specimen 17 and the reagent 16 may be agitated by controlling the acceleration amount and the deceleration amount for both the first rotation and the second rotation to generate a turbulent flow in the mixing unit 80. Further, the CPU 91 may control the acceleration amount and the deceleration amount for at least one of the first rotation and the second rotation, generate a turbulent flow in the mixing unit 80, and stir. (3) may not be satisfied.

A1 1st axis A2 2nd axis 1 Inspection device 2 Inspection chip 16 Reagent 17 Sample 17A First separation component 17B Second separation component 17C Residual liquid 18 First reagent 19 Second reagent 26 Mixture 35 Spindle motor 51 Stepping motor 80 Mixer 91 CPU

Claims (3)

A first rotation mechanism that rotates a test chip including a mixing unit in which a specimen and a reagent are mixed around a first axis that is a vertical axis that is separated from the test chip and applies a centrifugal force to the test chip; ,
A second rotation mechanism that rotates the inspection chip around a second axis that is a horizontal axis and changes the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the inspection chip;
A first rotating means for rotating the inspection chip by driving the first rotating mechanism with a first rotation speed around the first axis as a first speed;
With the first rotation means, the inspection chip is rotated with the first rotation speed as the first speed, and the second rotation mechanism is driven to perform the second rotation around the second axis. A second rotating means for rotating the inspection chip;
After said said analyte reagent is mixed by the second rotating means, in a state of stopping the second rotation, with the first Rotation, accelerated to higher second rate than the first speed control, and, to the centrifugal force acting on the test chip is repeated several times a control to decelerate to a smaller third speed than gravity, stirred and the reagent and the specimen to generate a turbulent flow in the mixing portion And an agitation control means. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the stirring control means makes the time for decelerating the first rotation longer than the time for accelerating the first rotation. A first rotation mechanism that rotates a test chip including a mixing unit in which a specimen and a reagent are mixed around a first axis that is a vertical axis that is separated from the test chip and applies a centrifugal force to the test chip; The inspection chip includes a second rotation mechanism that rotates the inspection chip around a second axis that is a horizontal axis and changes the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the inspection chip.
A first rotation step of rotating the inspection chip by driving the first rotation mechanism with a first rotation speed around the first axis as a first speed;
By the first rotation step, the inspection chip is rotated with the first rotation speed as the first speed, and the second rotation mechanism is driven to perform the second rotation about the second axis. A second rotation step for rotating the inspection chip;
After said said analyte reagent is mixed with the second rotating step, in a state of stopping the second rotation, before SL about the first rotation, is accelerated to higher second rate than the first speed control, and, to the centrifugal force acting on the test chip is repeated several times a control to decelerate to a smaller third speed than gravity, stirred and the reagent and the specimen to generate a turbulent flow in the mixing portion inspection program for causing executed stirred control step and the <br/> to.

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