JPH0439565Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to a weak light measuring device that measures weak light such as chemiluminescence with high sensitivity.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems] As is well known, many substances generate extremely weak light as a result of oxidation reactions, etc., and there is a need for equipment to detect and quantitatively measure this weak light. It has been put into practical use by the applicant.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show an example of the device. A drawer-shaped sample chamber 12 is provided at the lower front of the casing 11, which is shielded from external light. Inside this sample chamber 12 is a container 1 in which a sample is stored.
3 is provided, and this container 13 is connected to the housing 11 when the sample chamber 12 is housed inside the housing 11.
It is designed to be set at a predetermined position. Further, inside the housing 11, facing the container 13, a photoelectric converter 14 consisting of, for example, a photomultiplier tube is provided.
is provided, and this photoelectric converter 14 and the container 13
A shutter 15 is provided in the middle of the shutter. This shutter 15 is normally closed, the sample is accommodated inside the housing 11, and it is opened at the start of measurement. When the shutter 15 is open, weak light emitted from the sample contained in the container 13 is detected by the photoelectric converter 14, and the output signal of the photoelectric converter 14 is sent to the preamplifier 16. It is supplied to the counting section 17 via the counter. In this counting section 17, the input signal is, for example, A/D (analog/digital) converted and then counted to measure the amount of weak light emitted.

Incidentally, in the apparatus having the above configuration, the intensity of the weak light input to the photoelectric converter 14 varies greatly depending on the distance l between the photocathode 14a of the photoelectric converter 14 and the sample. However, in the case of the above device, the shutter 1 is closed for the purpose of protecting the photoelectric converter 14.
5, there is a limit to reducing the distance l.

[Purpose of the invention] This invention was made based on the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a weak light measurement device that can bring the photoelectric conversion means and the sample close to each other and improve measurement sensitivity. This is what we are trying to provide.

[Summary of the invention] This invention is based on, for example, a container in which a sample is stored,
It is provided in a driving means that can move toward and away from the photoelectric conversion means, and the distance between the sample and the photoelectric conversion means can be made close.

[Embodiment of the invention] An embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same parts as in FIGS. 4 and 5 are given the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1, a lifting device 21 is provided inside the sample chamber 12. As shown in FIG. This lifting device 21 is composed of a driving section 21a and a moving section 21b, and the moving section 21b includes a container 13 in which a sample is stored.
is placed. This elevating device 21 is an elevating controller 2
2, and under the control of this elevation control section 22, the moving section 21a is raised or lowered. Further, a shutter 23 is provided between the lifting device 21 and the photoelectric converter 14. This shutter 23
Aperture blades 23a are provided in the center, and the aperture blades 23a are opened and closed under the control of a shutter control section 24. This aperture blade 23
When a is opened, the container 1 faces the photoelectric converter 14, as shown in FIG.
An opening 23b is formed into which 3 can enter. Further, the lift control unit 22 is provided with a raise switch and a lower switch (not shown) for setting the operation of the lift device 21, and the shutter control unit 24 is provided with a shutter release switch (not shown) for setting the operation of the shutter 23. A shutter closure switch is provided.

In the above configuration, normally the shutter 23
The aperture blades 23a are closed to prevent light from entering the photoelectric converter 14. Moreover, the moving part 21a of the elevating device 21 is lowered. In this state, the sample chamber 12 is pulled out, and the container 1 containing the sample is moved to the moving part 21a of the lifting device 21.
3 is placed. The sample chamber 12 is connected to the housing 11.
When the shutter release switch of the shutter control section 24 is operated after being pushed into the interior of the shutter, the aperture blades 23a are opened as shown in FIG. After this,
When the lift switch of the lift control unit 22 is operated,
The moving part 21a of the lifting device 21 is moved toward the photoelectric converter 14. As the moving part 21a moves, the container 13 enters the opening 22b of the shutter 22, and the sample and the photoelectric converter 14 are brought close to each other. In this state, the weak light generated by the sample is detected by the photoelectric converter 14 as described above, and the output signal of the photoelectric converter 14 is supplied to the counting section 17 via the preamplifier 16, and the amount of light emitted is measurements are taken.

On the other hand, after the measurement is completed, when the lowering switch of the elevation control section 22 is operated, the moving section 21a of the elevation device 21 is lowered, and the container 13 is taken out from the shutter 23. After that, when the shutter closing switch of the shutter control section 24 is operated, the shutter 2 is closed.
3 is occluded.

According to the above embodiment, the lifting device 21 is provided inside the housing 11, and the container 13 is placed on the moving part 21a of the lifting device 21 in the open state.
The shutter 23 has an opening 23b through which the shutter can enter.
has been established. Therefore, when measuring the amount of light emitted from the sample housed inside the container 13, the shutter 2
3 is opened to form an opening 23b, and the container 13 can be inserted into the opening 23b. Therefore, the container 13 and the photoelectric converter 14 can be brought much closer together than in the past. This makes it possible to significantly improve the detection sensitivity of the amount of light emitted.

Incidentally, in the above embodiment, the elevation control section 22 and the shutter control section 24 are manually operated to drive the elevation device 21 and the shutter 23, but the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of this invention, in which the lifting device 21 and the shutter 23 are automatically operable. That is, a position sensor 31 that detects the position of the sample chamber 12 is provided inside the housing 11, and an elevation position sensor 3 that detects the moving position of the moving part 21a in the elevation device 21.
2 is provided. The output signal of the position sensor 31 is supplied to the shutter control section 24, and the output signal of the elevation position sensor 32 is supplied to the elevation control section 22.

In such a configuration, the sample chamber 12 is housed in the housing 11 with the container 13 containing the sample placed on the moving part 21b of the lifting device 21, and the shutter closing switch (not shown) of the shutter control unit 24 is activated. When operated, the shutter control section 24 determines the output signal of the position sensor 31, and
is housed in the housing 11 is detected. As a result, when the sample chamber 12 is not housed inside the housing 11, the shutter control section 24 keeps the shutter 23 closed. Further, when the sample chamber 12 is housed inside the housing 11, the shutter control section 24 sets the shutter 23 to the open state. Thereafter, a command signal is supplied from the shutter control section 24 to the elevation control section 22, and the elevation control section 22 drives the elevation device 21 to raise the moving section 21a. Moving part 21a
When detected by the elevation position sensor 32, this detection output signal is supplied to the elevation control section 22, which controls the elevation device 21 and stops the moving section 21a. In this state, the measurements described above are performed.

In addition, after the measurement is completed, for example, the elevation control unit 2
When the lower switch 2 (not shown) is operated, the moving part 21a is lowered by the lifting device 21, and the container 1 is lowered.
3 is taken out from the opening 23b of the shutter 23. When the moving section 21a has completely descended, a command signal is supplied from the elevation control section 22 to the shutter control section 24. In the shutter control section 24, the shutter 23 is controlled according to this signal.
is occluded.

With such a configuration, the shutter 23
It becomes possible to automatically perform opening/closing control of the lift device 21 and lifting/lowering control of the lifting device 21, thereby improving measurement efficiency.

Further, in the above embodiments, the shutter used as the aperture blade is exemplified, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to use a shutter configured to move a flat plate.

It goes without saying that various other modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

[Effects of the invention] As detailed above, according to this invention, it is possible to bring the photoelectric conversion means and the sample close together,
A weak light measurement device that can improve measurement sensitivity can be provided.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the weak light measuring device according to this invention.
The figure is a configuration diagram showing different operating states.
Figure 4 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of this invention.
5 and 5 each show an example of a conventional weak light measuring device, with FIG. 4 being a front view and FIG. 5 being a configuration diagram. 12... Sample chamber, 13... Container, 14... Photoelectric converter, 17... Counting section, 21... Lifting device, 2
3... Shyatsuta.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] In a weak light measuring device that uses a photoelectric conversion means to detect light emitted from a sample inside a casing from which external light is blocked, and measures the amount of light emitted from the detected light, the light emitted from the sample is a drive means for driving a container in which the is housed toward the photoelectric conversion means; and a shutter means provided between the drive means and the photoelectric conversion means, which is normally closed and opened during measurement to allow the container to enter. A weak light measurement device characterized by comprising: