JP7120067B2 - Cleaning equipment and cleaning method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning apparatus and cleaning method.

BACKGROUND ART Immunoassays are known for quantitatively analyzing the detection of diseases, the effect of treatment, and the like by detecting specific antigens or antibodies associated with diseases as biomarkers. In Patent Document 1, using an analysis unit having a plurality of wells, an antibody is immobilized on an analysis substrate, a substance to be detected is specifically bound to the antibody, and fine particles are specifically bound to the substance to be detected. and counting the fine particles to quantify the substance to be detected.

By injecting a buffer solution containing antibodies into the wells and incubating the wells, the antibodies can be immobilized on the analysis substrate. The antibody-containing buffer solution is sucked with a suction nozzle, and the inside of the wells is washed with a washing solution. After removing the washing liquid from the wells by sucking the washing liquid with a suction nozzle, a sample liquid containing a substance to be detected is injected into the wells and incubated. Thereby, the substance to be detected and the antibody can be specifically bound.

A sample liquid containing a substance to be detected is sucked by a suction nozzle, and the inside of the well is washed with a washing liquid. After removing the washing liquid from the wells by aspirating the washing liquid with a suction nozzle, a buffer containing microparticles is injected and allowed to incubate. As a result, the microparticles and the substance to be detected can be specifically bound.

A buffer solution containing microparticles is sucked with a suction nozzle, and the inside of the wells is washed with a washing solution. The washing liquid is removed from the wells by sucking the washing liquid with a suction nozzle. By the above process, an analysis substrate can be produced in which a substance to be detected is sandwiched between fine particles and antibodies.

JP 2015-127691 A

After washing the wells, the washing liquid that could not be completely aspirated may exist as a residue (absorption residue). Residues tend to form at or near the boundary between the bottom surface and the inner peripheral surface of the well. Residues adversely affect the detection sensitivity, such as inhibiting the specific reaction, and require time to dry the inside of the wells, thus prolonging the work. Buffers or sample solutions may also leave residue, as can wash solutions. The wash solution, buffer solution, and sample solution are collectively referred to as a solution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning apparatus and a cleaning method capable of efficiently removing a residue of a solution regardless of the position of the residue of the solution in the well.

The present invention provides a stage on which is mounted an analysis unit having a well having a hole shape including a bottom surface and an inner peripheral surface, a discharge nozzle for discharging a solution into the well, and a discharge nozzle for discharging the solution into the well. a plurality of nozzle units having suction nozzles for sucking the solution; a nozzle head to which the plurality of nozzle units are fixed; and the solution being discharged into the well from the discharge nozzles. a control unit for causing the suction nozzle to suck the solution, and for rotating the stage by a predetermined angular unit, wherein the suction nozzles of the plurality of nozzle units are positioned at different positions with respect to the well. and the controller controls the stage on which the analysis unit is mounted after the solution discharged into the well is sucked by the suction nozzle. Provided is a cleaning device that is rotated by a predetermined angle and sucks the residue of the solution by a suction nozzle corresponding to a position rotated by the predetermined angle among the plurality of nozzle units.

Further, in the present invention, the control section discharges the solution from the discharge nozzle into the well having a hole shape including the bottom surface and the inner peripheral surface formed in the analysis unit, and the control section discharges the solution into the well. The ejected solution is sucked by a suction nozzle, and the control section rotates the stage on which the analysis unit is mounted by a predetermined angle, and a plurality of nozzle units each having the ejection nozzle and the suction nozzle is operated. Among them, a cleaning method is provided in which the residue of the solution is sucked by a suction nozzle corresponding to the position rotated by the predetermined angle.

According to the cleaning apparatus and the cleaning method of the present invention, the residue of the solution can be removed with high precision regardless of the position of the residue of the solution in the well.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration example of an analysis unit; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the analysis unit cut along AA in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cartridge is removed from the analysis substrate; FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the well taken along BB in FIG. 1; It is a block diagram which shows an example of the washing|cleaning apparatus of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of relative positions of wells, discharge nozzles, and suction nozzles in the analysis unit; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of relative positions between a well and a plurality of suction nozzles; 4 is a flow chart showing an example of a cleaning method according to the first and second embodiments; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a residue of cleaning liquid is left in the well; It is a block diagram which shows an example of the washing|cleaning apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of relative positions of wells, discharge nozzles, and suction nozzles in the analysis unit; FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of relative positions between a well and a plurality of suction nozzles;

[Analysis unit]
An analysis unit of one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, and 3. FIG. FIG. 1 shows the analysis unit of one embodiment viewed from the cartridge side. FIG. 2A shows a cross section of the analysis unit taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 2B shows a state in which the cartridge is removed from the analysis board. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the well of FIG. 1 cut along BB.

As shown in FIG. 1, the analysis unit 100 includes an analysis substrate 110 and a cartridge 120. As shown in FIG. The analysis substrate 110 has, for example, a disc shape equivalent to optical discs such as Blu-ray discs (BD), DVDs, and compact discs (CDs).

The analysis substrate 110 is made of, for example, a resin material such as polycarbonate resin or cycloolefin polymer that is generally used for optical discs. The analysis substrate 110 is not limited to the optical disk described above, and an optical disk conforming to other forms or predetermined standards can also be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2A, or FIG. 2B, the analysis substrate 110 has a central hole 111 and a notch 112. As shown in FIG. A central hole 111 is formed in the center of the analysis substrate 110 . The cutout portion 112 is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the analysis substrate 110 . The cutout portion 112 is a reference position identification portion for identifying the reference position in the rotation direction of the substrate for analysis 110 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the surface of the analysis substrate 110 is formed with track regions 115 in which concave portions 113 and convex portions 114 are alternately arranged in the radial direction. The concave portion 113 and the convex portion 114 are formed spirally or concentrically from the inner peripheral portion toward the outer peripheral portion of the analysis substrate 110 . The concave portion 113 corresponds to the groove of the optical disc. The convex portion 114 corresponds to the land of the optical disk. The track pitch of the analysis substrate 110, which corresponds to the track pitch of the optical disk, is, for example, 320 nm.

As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2A, or FIG. 2B, the cartridge 120 has a plurality of cylindrical through holes 121 formed in the circumferential direction. The plurality of through holes 121 are formed at regular intervals so that their respective centers are located on the same circumference. The cartridge 120 has a convex portion 122 formed in the central portion and a convex portion 123 formed in the outer peripheral portion.

When attaching the cartridge 120 to the substrate for analysis 110 , the operator inserts the convex portion 122 into the central hole 111 of the substrate for analysis 110 and inserts the convex portion 123 into the notch portion 112 . Thereby, the cartridge 120 and the substrate for analysis 110 are positioned relative to each other.

As shown in FIG. 2A or FIG. 3, the analysis unit 100 has a plurality of wells 130 formed by the through holes 121 of the cartridge 120 and the surface of the analysis substrate 110 (track area 115). The well 130 has a hole shape defined by a bottom surface B130, an inner peripheral surface P130, and an opening A130. The surface of the analysis substrate 110 constitutes the bottom B130 of the well 130 . An inner peripheral surface, which is an inner surface of through hole 121 , constitutes inner peripheral surface P<b>130 of well 130 .

The opening A130 is formed on the surface of the cartridge 120 opposite to the bottom surface B130. The well 130 is a container for storing solutions such as a sample solution, a buffer solution, and a washing solution. Although 16 wells 130 are shown in FIG. 1 as an example, the number of wells 130 is not limited to this.

As shown in FIG. 2B, cartridge 120 can be separated from assay substrate 110 . The detection and measurement of the fine particles that label the substance to be detected are performed by the single analysis substrate 110 from which the cartridge 120 is separated.

[First embodiment]
The cleaning device of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the cleaning device 1 of the first embodiment. The cleaning apparatus 1 includes a stage 2 , a stage driving section 3 , a cleaning unit 10 and a control section 30 . The cleaning unit 10 includes a discharge nozzle 11 , a suction nozzle 12 , a nozzle head 13 , a cleaning liquid discharge drive section 14 , a cleaning liquid suction drive section 15 , a cleaning liquid container 16 , and a waste liquid container 17 .

The discharge nozzle 11 and the suction nozzle 12 are fixed to the nozzle head 13 . The ejection nozzle 11 and the suction nozzle 12 constitute a set of nozzle units 18 . When the analysis unit 100 has 16 wells 130 as shown in FIG. 1, 16 nozzle units 18 are fixed to the nozzle head 13 corresponding to each well 130 .

The controller 30 has a stage controller 31 , an ejection controller 32 , and a suction controller 33 . A computer device or a CPU (central processing unit) may be used as the control unit 30 . The analysis unit 100 is mounted on the stage 2 with the well 130 and the nozzle unit 18 positioned.

The stage control unit 31 can move the stage 2 closer to or away from the nozzle head 13 by controlling the stage driving unit 3 . In a state where the analysis unit 100 is attached to the stage 2 , the stage control section 31 can move the analysis unit 100 closer to or away from the nozzle head 13 by controlling the stage drive section 3 . . The nozzle head 13 is arranged so that the tip of the suction nozzle 12 is located near the boundary between the bottom surface B130 and the inner peripheral surface P130 of the well 130 when the stage 2 and the nozzle head 13 are close to each other. A unit 18 is fixed.

By controlling the stage drive unit 3, the stage control unit 31 rotates the stage 2 in a first rotation direction by a predetermined angle unit, or rotates the stage 2 in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction. You can rotate it. That is, the stage control section 31 can rotate the analysis unit 100 attached to the stage 2 in the first and second rotation directions by a predetermined angular unit. The first direction of rotation is for example the clockwise direction and the second direction of rotation is for example the counterclockwise direction. The rotation angles of the stage 2 and the analysis unit 100 will be described later.

The cleaning device 1 may include the head drive section 4 and the control section 30 may include the head control section 34 . The head control unit 34 can move the nozzle head 13 closer to or away from the stage 2 by controlling the head driving unit 4 . In this case, the stage control section 31 controls the stage driving section 3 to rotate the stage 2 and the analysis unit 100 attached to the stage 2 in the first rotation direction by a predetermined angle unit, or Rotate in the direction of rotation 2.

The cleaning liquid container 16 is a container for storing the cleaning liquid CS. Pure water may be used as the cleaning liquid CS. The discharge control unit 32 supplies the cleaning liquid CS stored in the cleaning liquid container 16 to the nozzle head 13 by controlling the cleaning liquid discharge drive unit 14 . While the analysis unit 100 and the nozzle head 13 are close to each other, the cleaning liquid CS is discharged from the discharge nozzle 11 into the well 130 .

The suction control unit 33 controls the cleaning liquid suction driving unit 15 to suck the cleaning liquid CS discharged into the well 130 with the suction nozzle 12 . The cleaning liquid CS sucked from the well 130 is collected in the waste liquid container 17 . That is, the waste liquid container 17 is a container for storing the waste liquid WL. Pumps may be used as the cleaning liquid ejection drive section 14 and the cleaning liquid suction drive section 15 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , the centers of the wells 130 are arranged on the same circumference with equal intervals with respect to the center C100 of the analysis unit 100 . For example, 16 wells 130 are arranged in FIG. The center C100 of the analysis unit 100, the rotation center C2 of the stage 2, and the center C13 of the nozzle head 13 are aligned. In order to distinguish the 16 wells 130, the wells 130a to 130r are arranged clockwise.

The ejection nozzle 11 and the suction nozzle 12 are arranged corresponding to the well 130 . That is, 16 sets of nozzle units 18 are arranged in the nozzle head 13 corresponding to 16 wells 130 . In order to distinguish the 16 suction nozzles 12, the suction nozzles 12a to 12r are arranged clockwise.

In the analysis unit 100, for example, when 16 wells 130 are arranged on the same circumference at equal intervals, the stage control section 31 controls the stage driving section 3 to mount the analysis unit 100. For example, the stage 2 is rotated by 22.5 degrees in the first rotation direction or in the second rotation direction. Here, 22.5 degrees is an angle obtained by dividing the entire circumference of 360 degrees by 16, which is the number of wells. That is, the unit of rotation angle is the angle obtained by dividing 360 degrees by the number of wells.

When the stage 2 rotates 22.5 degrees in the first rotation direction, for example, the well 130a moves to the position of the well 130b shown in FIG. That is, the well 130a moves from the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12a to the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12b. When the stage 2 rotates further by 22.5 degrees in the first rotation direction, the well 130a moves from the position of the well 130b shown in FIG. 5 to the position of the well 130c. That is, the well 130a moves from the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12b to the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12c.

When the stage 2 rotates by 22.5 degrees in the second rotation direction, for example, the well 130a moves to the position of the well 130r shown in FIG. That is, the well 130a moves from the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12a to the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12r. When the stage 2 rotates further by 22.5 degrees in the second rotational direction, the well 130a moves from the position of the well 130r shown in FIG. 5 to the position of the well 130q. That is, the well 130a moves from the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12r to the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12q.

FIG. 6 shows wells 130 (130a) and 16 sets of nozzle units 18 when the stage 2 on which the analysis unit 100 is mounted is rotated 15 times in 22.5 degree increments in the first or second rotation direction. , relative positions to the respective suction nozzles 12 (12a to 12r). A plurality of suction nozzles 12 (12a to 12r) are arranged at different positions with respect to one well . Specifically, the plurality of suction nozzles 12 (12a to 12r) are positioned near the inner peripheral surface P130 of the well 130 and arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface P130. Also, it is fixed to the nozzle head 13 .

An example of the cleaning method of the first embodiment (specifically, an example of a cleaning method for the well 130) will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. An analysis unit 100 is attached to the stage 2 . The cleaning liquid CS is stored in the cleaning liquid container 16 . The description in parentheses indicates the case where the nozzle head 13 is caused to approach or separate from the stage 2 by the head control section 34 controlling the head drive section 4 .

In FIG. 7, the stage control unit 31 (head control unit 34) controls the stage driving unit 3 (head driving unit 4) in step S11 to change the stage 2 (nozzle head 13) to the nozzle head 13 (stage 2). The nozzle unit 18 is thereby inserted into the well 130 . When the stage 2 and the nozzle head 13 are close to each other, the tip of the suction nozzle 12 is positioned near the boundary between the bottom surface B130 of the well 130 and the inner peripheral surface P130.

In step S<b>12 , the ejection control unit 32 controls the cleaning liquid ejection driving unit 14 to eject the cleaning liquid CS stored in the cleaning liquid container 16 from the ejection nozzle 11 into the well 130 . The suction control unit 33 controls the cleaning liquid suction driving unit 15 to suck the cleaning liquid CS discharged into the well 130 with the suction nozzle 12 . As a result, the wells 130 are washed with the washing liquid CS.

It is desirable that the tip of the ejection nozzle 11 is arranged at a position higher than the tip of the suction nozzle 12 with respect to the bottom surface B130 of the well 130 . By elevating the position of the tip of the ejection nozzle 11 , it is possible to prevent or reduce the adhesion of the cleaning liquid CS (waste liquid WL) that is contaminated by cleaning the well 130 to the tip of the ejection nozzle 11 .

In cleaning the well 130, the discharge control unit 32 and the suction control unit 33 may perform a washing process of sucking the cleaning liquid CS with the suction nozzle 12 for a predetermined time while discharging the cleaning liquid CS from the discharge nozzle 11. After discharging the cleaning liquid CS from the discharge nozzle 11, the cleaning process of sucking the cleaning liquid CS accumulated in the well 130 with the suction nozzle 12 may be performed a predetermined number of times. Also, these cleaning treatments may be combined. The ejection control unit 32 and the suction control unit 33 may repeat the cleaning process in step S2 a predetermined number of times.

After the cleaning of the wells 130 is completed, the ejection control unit 32 and the suction control unit 33 stop the ejection of the cleaning liquid CS by controlling the cleaning liquid ejection driving section 14 and the cleaning liquid suction driving section 15, and then stop the cleaning liquid CS. Stop aspiration. In step S13, the stage controller 31 (head controller 34) separates the stage 2 (nozzle head 13) from the nozzle head 13 (stage 2) by controlling the stage driver 3 (head driver 4). Let

As shown in FIG. 8, after the cleaning liquid CS in the well 130 is sucked by the suction nozzle 12 in step S12 (after cleaning), a residue RS (suction residue) of the cleaning liquid CS called liquid droplets is left in the well 130. may occur. The presence of residual RS in the well 130 adversely affects the detection sensitivity, such as inhibiting the specific reaction, and lengthens the time for drying the well 130, which is a factor in deteriorating work efficiency. The residue RS usually tends to occur at the boundary between the bottom surface B130 of the well 130 and the inner peripheral surface P130, and occurs irregularly in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface P130.

In step S14, the stage control unit 31 determines whether or not the stage 2 has rotated a predetermined number of times (eg, 15 times) in a predetermined direction (eg, the first rotation direction). If it is determined in step S14 that the stage 2 has not rotated in the predetermined direction by the predetermined number of times (NO), the stage control unit 31 controls the stage driving unit 3 in step S15 so that the stage 2 is rotated in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle (for example, 22.5 degrees) with the analysis unit 100 attached.

In step S16, the stage controller 31 (head controller 34) controls the stage driver 3 (head driver 4) to bring the stage 2 (nozzle head 13) closer to the nozzle head 13 (stage 2). Let

In step S<b>17 , the suction control unit 33 controls the cleaning liquid suction driving unit 15 to suck the suction nozzle 12 in the well 130 at the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12 or in the vicinity thereof. If the residue RS exists in the well 130 at the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12 or in the vicinity thereof, the residue RS is sucked by the suction nozzle 12 . The cleaning device 1 returns the process to step S14. If it is determined in step S14 that the stage 2 has rotated in the predetermined direction the predetermined number of times (YES), the cleaning apparatus 1 ends the cleaning process.

In the cleaning device 1 and the cleaning method of the first embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. They are fixed to the nozzle head 13 so as to be arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction of the surface P130. Even if the residue RS of the cleaning liquid CS is irregularly present in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface P130 of the well 130, every time the stage 2 rotates in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle (for example, 22.5 degrees), By sucking the residue RS of the cleaning liquid CS with the suction nozzle 12, the residue RS can be sucked with high accuracy. Therefore, according to the cleaning apparatus 1 and the cleaning method of the first embodiment, the residue RS of the cleaning liquid CS in the well 130 after cleaning the well 130 can be removed with high accuracy by the plurality of suction nozzles 12 .

[Second embodiment]
A cleaning apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of the cleaning device 201 of the second embodiment. In order to make the description easier to understand, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as in the cleaning apparatus 1 of the first embodiment.

The cleaning device 201 includes a stage 2 , a stage driving section 3 , a cleaning unit 210 and a control section 30 . The cleaning unit 210 includes a discharge nozzle 11 , a suction nozzle 12 , a nozzle head 13 , a cleaning liquid discharge drive section 14 , a cleaning liquid suction drive section 15 , a cleaning liquid container 16 , and a waste liquid container 17 .

The discharge nozzle 11 and the suction nozzle 12 are fixed to the nozzle head 13 . A set of nozzle units 218 is configured by one discharge nozzle 11 and two suction nozzles 12 . When the analysis unit 100 has 16 wells 130 as shown in FIG.

The controller 30 has a stage controller 31 , an ejection controller 32 , and a suction controller 33 . The analysis unit 100 is mounted on the stage 2 with the well 130 and the nozzle unit 218 positioned. The cleaning device 201 may include the head driving section 4 , and the control section 30 may include the head control section 34 .

The discharge control unit 32 supplies the cleaning liquid CS stored in the cleaning liquid container 16 to the nozzle head 13 by controlling the cleaning liquid discharge drive unit 14 . While the analysis unit 100 and the nozzle head 13 are close to each other, the cleaning liquid CS is discharged from the discharge nozzle 11 into the well 130 .

The suction control unit 33 controls the cleaning liquid suction driving unit 15 to suck the cleaning liquid CS discharged into the well 130 with the suction nozzle 12 . The cleaning liquid CS sucked from the well 130 is collected in the waste liquid container 17 .

As shown in FIG. 10 , the centers of the wells 130 are arranged on the same circumference at equal intervals with respect to the center C100 of the analysis unit 100 . For example, 16 wells 130 are arranged in FIG. The center C100 of the analysis unit 100, the rotation center C2 of the stage 2, and the center C13 of the nozzle head 13 are aligned. In order to distinguish the 16 wells 130, the wells 130a to 130r are arranged clockwise.

One ejection nozzle 11 and two suction nozzles 12 are arranged corresponding to the well 130 . That is, 16 sets of nozzle units 218 are arranged in the nozzle head 13 so as to correspond to 16 wells 130 . In order to distinguish the 16 sets of suction nozzles 12, the suction nozzles 12a to 12r are arranged clockwise.

In the analysis unit 100, for example, when 16 wells 130 are arranged on the same circumference at equal intervals, the stage control section 31 controls the stage driving section 3 to mount the analysis unit 100. For example, the stage 2 is rotated in units of 22.5 degrees in the first rotation direction or in the second rotation direction.

When the stage 2 rotates by 22.5 degrees in the first rotation direction, the well 130a moves to the position of the well 130b shown in FIG. 10, for example. That is, the well 130a moves from the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12a to the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12b. When the stage 2 rotates further by 22.5 degrees in the first rotation direction, the well 130a moves from the position of the well 130b shown in FIG. 10 to the position of the well 130c. That is, the well 130a moves from the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12b to the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12c.

When the stage 2 rotates by 22.5 degrees in the second rotation direction, for example, the well 130a moves to the position of the well 130r shown in FIG. That is, the well 130a moves from the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12a to the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12r. When the stage 2 rotates further by 22.5 degrees in the second rotational direction, the well 130a moves from the position of the well 130r shown in FIG. 10 to the position of the well 130q. That is, the well 130a moves from the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12r to the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12q.

FIG. 11 shows the relative positions of multiple suction nozzles 12 with respect to one well 130 . For example, focusing on the well 130a, the well 130a shown in FIG. 11 corresponds to the well 130a shown in FIG. 10 rotated counterclockwise by 90 degrees about the center of the well 130a. In order to make the explanation easier to understand, only the suction nozzle 12 is shown in FIG.

The suction nozzles 12a to 12d are arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface P130 to form a first suction nozzle set. The suction nozzles 12e to 12h are arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface P130 to form a second suction nozzle set. The suction nozzles 12i to 12m are arranged at different positions with respect to the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface P130, and constitute a third suction nozzle set. The suction nozzles 12n to 12r are arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface P130 to form a fourth suction nozzle set. That is, four suction nozzle sets are fixed to the nozzle head 13 , and the suction nozzles 12 of adjacent nozzle units 218 are fixed so as to be arranged at different positions with respect to the well 130 .

For example, when focusing on the well 130a, by rotating the stage 2 by 22.5 degrees in the first rotation direction, the two suction nozzles 12b rotate about the center of the well 130a with respect to the two suction nozzles 12a. It will be placed at a position rotated counterclockwise by 45 degrees. Furthermore, by rotating the stage 2 by 22.5 degrees in the first rotation direction, the two suction nozzles 12c rotate 90 degrees counterclockwise around the center of the well 130a with respect to the two suction nozzles 12a. It will be arranged at a position rotated by only one degree. Furthermore, by rotating the stage 2 by 22.5 degrees in the first rotation direction, the two suction nozzles 12d rotate 135 degrees counterclockwise with respect to the two suction nozzles 12a about the center of the well 130a. It will be arranged at a position rotated by only one degree.

That is, by rotating the stage 2 on which the analysis unit 100 is mounted three times in 22.5 degree increments in the first rotation direction, as shown in FIG. It will be sucked at 8 points. Therefore, all the wells 130 are aspirated at eight points each by the corresponding aspiration nozzle set.

An example of the cleaning method of the second embodiment (specifically, an example of a cleaning method for the well 130) will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. An analysis unit 100 is attached to the stage 2 . The cleaning liquid CS is stored in the cleaning liquid container 16 . The description in parentheses indicates the case where the nozzle head 13 is caused to approach or separate from the stage 2 by the head control section 34 controlling the head drive section 4 .

In FIG. 7, the stage control unit 31 (head control unit 34) controls the stage driving unit 3 (head driving unit 4) in step S21 to change the stage 2 (nozzle head 13) to the nozzle head 13 (stage 2). The nozzle unit 218 is thereby inserted into the well 130 . When the stage 2 and the nozzle head 13 are close to each other, the tip of the suction nozzle 12 is positioned near the boundary between the bottom surface B130 of the well 130 and the inner peripheral surface P130.

In step S<b>22 , the ejection control unit 32 controls the cleaning liquid ejection driving unit 14 to eject the cleaning liquid CS stored in the cleaning liquid container 16 from the ejection nozzle 11 into the well 130 . The suction control unit 33 controls the cleaning liquid suction driving unit 15 to suck the cleaning liquid CS discharged into the well 130 with the suction nozzle 12 . As a result, the wells 130 are washed with the washing liquid CS.

It is desirable that the tip of the ejection nozzle 11 is arranged at a position higher than the tip of the suction nozzle 12 with respect to the bottom surface B130 of the well 130 . By elevating the position of the tip of the ejection nozzle 11 , it is possible to prevent or reduce the adhesion of the cleaning liquid CS (waste liquid WL) that is contaminated by cleaning the well 130 to the tip of the ejection nozzle 11 .

In cleaning the well 130, the discharge control unit 32 and the suction control unit 33 may perform a washing process of sucking the cleaning liquid CS with the suction nozzle 12 for a predetermined time while discharging the cleaning liquid CS from the discharge nozzle 11. After discharging the cleaning liquid CS from the discharge nozzle 11, the cleaning process of sucking the cleaning liquid CS accumulated in the well 130 with the suction nozzle 12 may be performed a predetermined number of times. Also, these cleaning treatments may be combined. The ejection control unit 32 and the suction control unit 33 may repeat the cleaning process in step S22 a predetermined number of times.

After the cleaning of the wells 130 is completed, the ejection control unit 32 and the suction control unit 33 stop the ejection of the cleaning liquid CS by controlling the cleaning liquid ejection driving section 14 and the cleaning liquid suction driving section 15, and then stop the cleaning liquid CS. Stop aspiration. In step S23, the stage control unit 31 (head control unit 34) separates the stage 2 (nozzle head 13) from the nozzle head 13 (stage 2) by controlling the stage drive unit 3 (head drive unit 4). Let After the stage 2 (nozzle head 13) is separated from the nozzle head 13 (stage 2), the suction control section 33 may control the cleaning liquid suction driving section 15 to stop the suction of the cleaning liquid CS.

As shown in FIG. 8, after the cleaning liquid CS in the well 130 is sucked by the suction nozzle 12 in step S22 (after cleaning), a residue RS (suction residue) of the cleaning liquid CS called liquid droplets is left in the well 130. As shown in FIG. may occur. The presence of residual RS in the well 130 affects the detection sensitivity by inhibiting the specific reaction, etc., and lengthens the time for drying the inside of the well 130, which is a factor in deteriorating work efficiency. The residue RS tends to occur at the boundary between the bottom surface B130 of the well 130 and the inner peripheral surface P130, and occurs irregularly in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface P130.

In step S24, the stage control unit 31 determines whether or not the stage 2 has rotated a predetermined number of times (eg, three times) in a predetermined direction (eg, the first rotation direction). If it is determined in step S24 that the stage 2 has not rotated in the predetermined direction by the predetermined number of times (NO), the stage control unit 31 controls the stage driving unit 3 in step S25 so that the stage 2 is rotated in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle (for example, 22.5 degrees) with the analysis unit 100 attached.

In step S26, the stage controller 31 (head controller 34) moves the stage 2 (nozzle head 13) closer to the nozzle head 13 (stage 2) by controlling the stage driver 3 (head driver 4). Let

In step S<b>27 , the suction control unit 33 controls the cleaning liquid suction driving unit 15 to suck the suction nozzle 12 in the well 130 at the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12 or in the vicinity thereof. If the residue RS exists in the well 130 at the position corresponding to the suction nozzle 12 or in the vicinity thereof, the residue RS is sucked by the suction nozzle 12 . The cleaning device 201 returns the process to step S24. If it is determined in step S24 that the stage 2 has rotated in the predetermined direction the predetermined number of times (YES), the cleaning device 201 ends the cleaning process.

In the cleaning device 201 and the cleaning method of the second embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. is fixed to The plurality of suction nozzles 12 (12a to 12d, 12e to 12h, 12i to 12m, and 12n to 12r) are arranged at different positions in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface P130.

Even if the residue RS of the cleaning liquid CS is irregularly present in the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral surface P130 of the well 130, every time the stage 2 rotates in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle (for example, 22.5 degrees), By sucking the residue RS of the cleaning liquid CS with the suction nozzle 12, the residue RS can be sucked with high accuracy. Therefore, according to the cleaning apparatus 201 and the cleaning method of the second embodiment, the residue RS of the cleaning liquid CS in the well 130 after cleaning the well 130 can be removed with accuracy by the plurality of suction nozzles 12 .

In the cleaning device 1 and the cleaning method of the first embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. As the number of suction points increases, the accuracy of sucking the residue RS improves. In the cleaning device 201 and the cleaning method of the second embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. Compared to the cleaning device 1 and cleaning method of the first embodiment, the cleaning device 201 and cleaning method of the second embodiment sucks the residue RS with a smaller number of times of suction, so that the working time for suction can be shortened. can. The location of suction, the suction nozzle 12, and the number of times of suction are appropriately set to conditions under which the residue RS of the cleaning liquid CS in the well 130 can be sucked with high accuracy.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In the first embodiment, the stage 2 is rotated 15 times in units of 22.5 degrees, and the suction operation is performed 16 times. For example, the stage 2 may be rotated seven times in units of 45 degrees to perform eight suction operations, or the stage 2 may be rotated three times in units of 90 degrees to perform four suction operations. That is, the angle by which the stage 2 is rotated may be an integer multiple of the angle formed by two adjacent wells 130 among the plurality of wells 130 . The angle formed by the two wells 130 is the center line (first center line) passing through the center of one well 130 (first well) and the rotation center of the stage 2, and the other well 130 (second well). well) and the center line (second center line) passing through the center of rotation of the stage 2 .

The suction nozzles 12a to 12r are not limited to the arrangement shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. position.

In steps S12 and S22, the cleaning apparatuses 1 and 201 eject the cleaning liquid CS from the ejection nozzles 11 into the wells 130, separate the stage 2 from the nozzle head 13, and rotate the stage 2 in the first rotation direction and the first rotation direction. It may be alternately rotated in two rotational directions.

Specifically, the discharge control section 32 controls the cleaning liquid discharge drive section 14 to discharge the cleaning liquid CS stored in the cleaning liquid container 16 from the discharge nozzle 11 into the well 130 . The stage controller 31 (head controller 34) separates the stage 2 (nozzle head 13) from the nozzle head 13 (stage 2) by controlling the stage driver 3 (head driver 4). The stage control unit 31 controls the stage driving unit 3 to alternately rotate the stage 2 in the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction for a predetermined number of times or for a predetermined time. As a result, the analysis unit 100 is shaken, so that the cleaning effect on the wells 130 can be improved.

Multiple nozzle units 18 may be used to wash the well 130 multiple times. As a specific example, an example of a cleaning method for cleaning the well 130 multiple times will be described. The cleaning device 1 or 201 cleans (first cleaning) the well 130a using the discharge nozzle 11 and the suction nozzle 12a. The cleaning device 1 or 201 rotates the analysis unit 100 and cleans the well 130a using the ejection nozzle 11 and the suction nozzle 12b (second cleaning). Further, the cleaning device 1 or 201 rotates the analysis unit 100 and cleans the well 130a using the ejection nozzle 11 and the suction nozzle 12c (third cleaning).

When the well 130 is washed a plurality of times while the relative positions of the well 130 and the discharge nozzle 11 and the suction nozzle 12 are fixed, the tip regions of the discharge nozzle 11 and the suction nozzle 12, that is, the cleaning liquid CS is discharged or sucked. The substance to be detected, the microparticles, and the antibody captured on the substrate for analysis 110 may be peeled off by the cleaning liquid CS in the area where the substrate 110 for analysis is exposed. Peeling of the detection target substance, fine particles, and antibodies is a factor that deteriorates the detection accuracy of the detection target substance.

When the well 130 is washed a plurality of times using a plurality of nozzle units 18, the washing apparatus 1 and 201 and the washing method of the first and second embodiments allow the well 130, the discharge nozzle 11 and the suction nozzle 12 to The relative positions can be different for each wash. Therefore, compared to the case where the well 130 is washed multiple times while the relative positions of the well 130 and the discharge nozzle 11 and the suction nozzle 12 are fixed, peeling of the substance to be detected, the fine particles, and the antibody is prevented or reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the detection accuracy of the substance to be detected.

In the first and second embodiments, the washing solution is aspirated, but the present invention is directed to the aspiration of a buffer solution containing antibodies or fine particles and a sample solution containing or possibly containing a substance to be detected. can also be applied.

1,201 cleaning device 2 stage 11 discharge nozzle 12,12a~12r suction nozzle 13 nozzle head 18,218 nozzle unit 30 controller 100 analysis unit 130,130a~130r well CS cleaning solution RS residue

Claims (5)

a stage on which an analysis unit in which a well having a hole shape including a bottom surface and an inner peripheral surface is formed;
a plurality of nozzle units each having a discharge nozzle for discharging a solution into the well and a suction nozzle for sucking the solution discharged into the well;
a nozzle head to which the plurality of nozzle units are fixed;
a control unit that discharges the solution from the discharge nozzle into the well, causes the suction nozzle to suck the solution discharged into the well, and rotates the stage by a predetermined angular unit;
with
The plurality of nozzle units are fixed to the nozzle head so that the suction nozzles of the respective nozzle units are arranged at different positions with respect to the well,
After the solution discharged into the well is sucked by the suction nozzle, the control section rotates the stage on which the analysis unit is mounted by the predetermined angle, and the plurality of nozzle units are rotated. Among them, the suction nozzle corresponding to the position rotated by the predetermined angle sucks the residue of the solution;
cleaning equipment. The control unit moves at least one of the stage and the nozzle head so that they approach each other,
The nozzle unit is fixed such that the tip of the suction nozzle is positioned near the bottom surface and the inner peripheral surface of the well when the stage and the nozzle head are close to each other. ,
The cleaning device according to claim 1. A plurality of wells having the hole shape are arranged at equal intervals on the same circumference with respect to the center of the analysis unit,
The predetermined angle is an integral multiple of the angle formed by two adjacent wells among the plurality of wells,
The cleaning device according to claim 1 or 2. Each of the nozzle units has a plurality of suction nozzles, and the plurality of suction nozzles are arranged at positions different from each other with respect to the well from any of the plurality of suction nozzles of adjacent nozzle units, fixed to the nozzle head;
The cleaning device according to any one of claims 1-3. a control unit discharging a solution from a discharge nozzle into a well formed in the analysis unit and having a hole shape including a bottom surface and an inner peripheral surface;
The control unit sucks the solution discharged into the well with a suction nozzle,
The control unit rotates the stage on which the analysis unit is mounted by a predetermined angle, and one of the plurality of nozzle units having the ejection nozzle and the suction nozzle is rotated by the predetermined angle. aspirating the residue of the solution with a corresponding aspiration nozzle;
cleaning method.

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