JPH0548413B2 - - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simply prepare a flow cell, by polishing the surface forming one wall surface of a flow cell in integral relation to one end surface of the distributed refractive index type lens inserted into one unit before connecting the same to the other unit. CONSTITUTION:A distributed refractive index type lens 19, of which the refractive index changes in the diameter direction and the end surface is flat, is inserted into the hole part 22a provided to the central part of a second unit 22 to be welded thereto and the flat surface part in the side of constituting one wall surface of a flow part is polished so as to eliminate an uneven part. Subsequently, a first unit 21 is connected to the second unit 22 so that the center of the groove part 21a of the second unit 22 is coincided with the optical center of the distributed refractive index type lens 19 integrated with the second unit 22. By this method, a compact flow cell facilitated in alignment can be simply prepared.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention allows a blood cell suspension solution to flow at high speed in a flow cell during specimen testing, irradiates light from a direction perpendicular to the flow direction, and identifies and classifies blood cell types based on the scattered light characteristics. The present invention relates to flow cells for measuring specimens in the field of flow cytometry.

Cells are suspended in a high-speed water stream to form water droplets, and the water stream is irradiated with laser light from a perpendicular direction, with each floating cell placed one at a time, to calculate the amount of forward scattered light and side scattered light. It is known that the cells in the water droplet can be separated by successive measurements to examine the type, size, number, etc. of the cells, and to charge the water droplet and provide an electric field based on the output information of the scattered light.

Furthermore, it is known that similar tests can be performed on specific cells using fluorescent substances and the scattered light characteristics of the fluorescent light.

In other words, in Fig. 1, the incident light beam for photometry is focused and irradiated onto the cell particles C _L in the flow cell 4 by the lens 1.
Of the light scattered by the cell particles, the forward scattered light scattered in the opposite direction to the incident side is transmitted to the detector 3 by the lens 2a.
The light is focused on a. This forward scattered light provides information on the size of the cell.

Here, the cell sample is supplied to the thin tube from the direction 5 and enters the flow cell 4 along with the liquid in the sheath from the direction 6.

The sheath liquid is used to hydrodynamically focus the blood cell suspension solution, and focuses it near the center of the cell, which coincides with the optical axes of lenses 1 and 2a in the figure.

Cells flowing at high speed in the flow cell are irradiated with light and then transferred to the drain 7. Then, as described above, an appropriate electric field is provided to disperse each cell type.

Now, regarding such a flow cell, a side scattered light receiving system is provided in a direction perpendicular to the paper plane of FIG.
In general, it is desirable to improve the light gathering ability in a side scattered light receiving system, where the amount of scattered light is small, but the lens of the side scattered light receiving system is located outside the flow cell, just like in the forward scattered light receiving system, and the lens is located outside the flow cell. The distance between the lens and the lens is large, and there is a limit to the light gathering ability.
In order to increase detection sensitivity, it was necessary to increase the intensity of the irradiation light source. In addition, it makes alignment difficult and is not suitable for making the device more compact. A flow cell shown in FIG. 2 is proposed to solve the above problems. That is, the light beam from the irradiation light source 13 (for example, a laser) is focused by the lens 14 onto the cell particle C _L at the center of the flow section 18 in the flow cell 17, and the forward scattered light is focused via the lens 15 onto the detector 16. to receive light.

On the other hand, the side scattered light is integrated with the flow cell 17, and the distributed index lens 1 has a refractive index that changes according to the diameter in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, and whose end face is flat.
9 (trade name: Self-Oc), the light is focused on a detector 20 and received. Here, the end surface of the lens 19 constitutes one wall surface of the flow section. Note that the detector 20 may be joined to the end face of the distributed index lens 19 on the side far from the flow cell 17.

An object of the present invention is to provide a flow cell for measuring a sample that is easy to manufacture and can perform highly accurate measurements.

Examples of the present invention will be described below.

In FIG. 3, there is a first unit 21 which has a groove 21a serving as a flow part and is transparent in at least the portions constituting the measurement incident system and the forward scattered light receiving system, and the second unit 21 which has a hole 22a penetrating through the center. A unit 22 is prepared.

Into the hole 22a of the second unit 22, a distributed index lens 19 (trade name: SELFOC) whose refractive index changes in the radial direction and whose end face is flat is inserted, and then as shown in FIG. The flat part 22a on the side constituting one wall of the flow part is polished so that there are no uneven parts.

Note that the second unit 22 and the distributed index lens 1
It is desirable that the bonding 9 be carried out by locally melting with a gas burner or the like, so-called welding.

Next, the center of the groove 21a of the first unit 21 is aligned with the optical center of the distributed index lens 19 integrated in the second unit 22.
The first unit 21 and the second unit 22 are joined. Note that this joining is also desirably performed by welding.

5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the flow cell is provided with two side scattering light receiving systems vertically facing the flow section 18, as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, units of the same shape are paired to form a flow cell.

That is, as shown in FIG.
The above-mentioned distributed refractive index lens 19 is placed in the through hole portion of 3a.
A is inserted, and after integration, the surface that will become one wall of the flow section is polished.

Similarly, the second unit 23b and the distributed index lens 19b are integrated, and the surface that becomes one wall of the flow section is polished.

Then, it is welded together with the transparent glass plates 24a and 24b forming the measurement incident system and the forward scattered light receiving system so as to form a flow section 18 of a predetermined size.

As described above, according to the present invention, a flow cell that solves the conventional problems can be easily manufactured.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic diagrams of the sample test according to the present invention, FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams of the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams of the second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 4 and 17 are flow cells, 16 is a forward scattering light receiving system detector, 18 is a flow section, and 19, 19
a, 19b are distributed index lenses, 20 is a side scattering light receiving system detector, 21 is a first unit, 21
22 is a second unit, 23a and 23b are first and second units, respectively, and 24a and 24b are transparent glass plates.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A first unit in which a groove serving as a flow portion of a flow cell is formed, and a distributed refractive index lens for receiving light emitted from a sample passing through the flow portion is inserted into a hole penetrated therethrough. a second planar unit which is integrated with the first unit and whose surface, which becomes one wall surface of the flow part, is polished so as to eliminate irregularities, and the center of the groove of the first unit and the second
has a structure in which a flow part is formed by joining the first unit and the second unit so that the optical centers of the distributed index lens integrated into the flat unit coincide with each other. Flow cell for sample measurement.