JPH09126988A - Particle analyzing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To analyze, in details, the information on particles which are dispersed in a liquid and hence cannot be individually analyzed and to easily classify the particles for every type. SOLUTION: A sample liquid 111 containing particles 1 is fed from a nozzle 212 to a flow cell 213 and the surrounding of the sample liquid 111 is surrounded by a sheath liquid 112. The sample liquid 111 within the flow cell 213 is irradiated with laser beams 314 applied from a laser beam source 311. When a particle 1 within the sample liquid 111 is detected, a particle discriminating circuit 313 outputs a particle detection signal 31 to a controller 7. The controller 7 outputs a valve control signal 71 based on the particle detection signal 31, sets neutral a channel switching valve 65, and blocks the channel, thus stopping the particles 1 at an observation region and picking up the image of the stopped particles 1 with an image pick-up device 533.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a particle analyzer for sequentially detecting and analyzing particles contained in a fluid in a flow path in which the fluid continuously flows, and particularly to identification / selection / selection of particles.
The present invention relates to a particle analyzer suitable for performing operations.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the field of oceanography and land hydrology, it has been common practice to visually analyze the number density and type of plankton contained in seawater and freshwater under a microscope. However, it takes an enormous amount of time to examine the condition, growth, and so on, and it is inevitable that the observer's subjectivity will enter.

In order to address these problems, flow cytometry technology developed in the fields of medicine and cytology has been applied. In flow cytometry, a sample solution containing fine particles such as cells to be analyzed is made to flow through the nozzle into the vitreous tube, and at the same time, a fluid (called sheath solution) is also made to flow through the glass tube enclosing the nozzle so that the sample solution is wrapped. To Then, light from a laser installed on the downstream side of the glass tube is irradiated onto this in a spot shape. The particles contained in the sample liquid differ in the degree of light scattering and absorption depending on the type, and the dye contained in the particles may be excited by the irradiation light to generate fluorescence. Therefore,
The size and type of particles contained in the sample liquid can be estimated by photoelectrically converting these lights with a sensor and obtaining the intensity distribution of those signals.

References relating to these technologies include "O
ptical Plankton Analyser: A FlowCytometer for Plank
ton Analysis, I: Design Cosiderations "Cytometry 10:
PP522-528 (1989) and "The Macro Flow Planktomete
r: A New Device for Volumeand Fluorescence Analysis
of Macro Plankton Including Triggered VideoImagin
g in Flow "Cytometry 17: PP109-118 (1994).

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional technique, the flow rate of the sample liquid is on the order of about 1 m / s, and information (signal) from a large number of fine particles can be obtained within a short time. However, it becomes difficult to classify particles having a large number of kinds or particles having a complicated shape. On the other hand, in order to classify large plankton such as zooplankton, images of particles are directly taken by a television camera. In this case, a particle image is obtained, which is advantageous for classification and identification of zooplankton having a complicated morphology, but there is a drawback that sufficient information cannot be obtained because only an instantaneous image is obtained from one direction. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a particle analyzer which can analyze in detail the information of particles which are difficult to analyze individually because they are dispersed in a liquid and which can select and collect particles by type. It is in.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a flow channel in which a transparent portion that transmits light is formed at least in a part, and a fluid drive source for flowing a fluid through the flow channel. A particle detection unit that is provided in the middle of the flow path and detects the particles contained in the fluid flowing through the flow path, and the particles detected by the particle detection unit are observed from the transparent unit on the downstream side of the particle detection unit. In the particle analysis device having a particle observation unit, a valve mechanism that opens and closes the flow path on the downstream side of the particle observation unit, and captures a particle detection signal that is output when the particle detection unit detects particles, At a predetermined timing based on the particle detection signal, a valve control signal that causes the valve mechanism to close the flow path, and a fluid drive source control signal that causes the fluid drive source to stop the flow in the flow path. By sending each, the particle detector It is characterized in the out particles that and a control means for stopping said transparent portion.

According to the above structure, the fluid containing particles is sent into the flow passage by the fluid driving source. Then, if particles are present in the fluid, the particles are detected by the particle detection unit, and at this time, the particle detection unit outputs a particle detection signal. The particle detection signal is taken into the control means, and the control means
At a predetermined timing based on the particle detection signal, a valve control signal is sent to the valve mechanism to close the flow path, and a fluid drive source control signal is sent to the fluid drive source to send the flow path. Stop the flow of fluid inside. As a result, the particles detected by the particle detection unit can be reliably stopped in the observation area of the transparent portion in the flow path, and the particles stopped in the observation area can be easily observed by the observation unit. .

Even if the fluid drive source control signal is not sent to the fluid drive source and the valve control signal is sent only to the valve mechanism to close the flow path,
It is possible to stop the particles detected by the particle detector in the observation area of the transparent portion in the flow path.

Further, according to the present invention, a flow path in which a transparent portion which transmits light is formed at least in a part, a fluid drive source for flowing a fluid through the flow path, and a flow path provided in the middle of the flow path, The particle detection unit that outputs a particle detection signal when particles contained in the fluid flowing through the particle detection unit, and the particles detected by the particle detection unit are matched in timing based on the particle detection signal. In a particle analyzer including a particle imaging unit that captures an image from the transparent unit on the downstream side of the, a valve mechanism that opens and closes a flow path on the downstream side of the particle imaging unit, and the particle detection signal is captured, and the particle detection signal is acquired. Based on the above, the valve control signal for closing the flow path to the valve mechanism and the fluid drive source control signal for stopping the flow in the flow path to the fluid drive source are respectively sent at a predetermined timing based on By the particle detector It is characterized in the out particles that and a control means for stopping said transparent portion.

Even with the above-mentioned structure, the control means can block the flow path on the downstream side of the particle imaging section at a predetermined timing and at the same time stop the flow of the fluid in the flow path. The generated particles can be reliably stopped in the imaging region of the transparent portion in the flow path. Also in this case, the fluid drive source control signal may not be sent to the fluid drive source, and the valve control signal may be sent only to the valve mechanism to close the flow path.

Further, the valve mechanism includes a switching valve for switching and connecting at least one inlet side flow path connected to the flow path to each of a plurality of outlet side flow paths, and a switching valve based on a valve control signal. And a driving unit for driving. With such a switching valve, the flow path can be closed when the valve is switched. That is, when switching from one outlet-side flow passage to another outlet-side flow passage, there is a state in which the communication between the inlet-side flow passage and the outlet-side flow passage is interrupted, and therefore this interrupted state should be maintained. With this, it becomes possible to close the flow path.

The switching valve includes an outer peripheral member having an inlet side channel and a side channel and a cylindrical hole formed in the center, and a rotatably fitted into the cylindrical hole and rotated by a predetermined angle. There is a rotary type switching valve including an inner peripheral member having at least one passage for communicating one of the inlet side flow passage and one of the outlet side flow passages. Also, a first outer flat plate provided with an inlet-side flow path, a second outer flat plate provided with a predetermined gap from the first outer flat plate, and provided with an outlet-side flow path, the first outer flat plate · Sliding that is slidably fitted between two outer flat plates and has at least one passage that connects one of the inlet-side flow passages and one of the outlet-side flow passages when sliding by a predetermined amount There is also a slide type switching valve consisting of members.

The flow path is provided with a plurality of fluid inlets into which a plurality of types of fluids are individually introduced. The plurality of types of fluids contain different kinds of particles, and a fluid different from the fluid containing a certain particle contains a solute that interacts with the particle. For example, as the plural kinds of fluids, a sheath liquid containing particles and chemicals is used in addition to the sample liquid. When the flow in the channel is stopped, the sample liquid and the sheath liquid are rapidly mixed, and the particles contained in the sample liquid come into contact with the particles and chemicals contained in the sheath liquid. At this time, an interaction between particles occurs, or a drug acts on the particles. Immediately after the contact, this state is observed by the particle observation unit or is imaged by the particle imaging unit.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
Shown in In the present embodiment, the fluid 11 containing the particles 1 is
It is sucked from an inlet 21 of the flow path 2 by a fluid drive source 22 such as a pump, is further fed into the flow path 2, and advances in the flow path 2 at a constant speed. A particle detection unit 3 is provided in the flow path 2 and detects the particles 1 flowing in the flow path 2 and reaching the particle detection unit 3. When the particle detector 3 detects the particle 1, it generates a particle detection signal 31. The flow path 2 is provided downstream of the particle detection unit 3.
There is an observation region 51 formed transparent, and an observation mechanism 52 such as a microscope is provided facing the observation region 51. A valve mechanism 6 is provided in the flow passage 2 on the downstream side of the observation region 51, and the valve mechanism 6 opens and closes the flow passage by a valve control signal 71 from the controller 7. The flow channel 2 may be entirely transparent, or only the observation region 51 may be transparent.

When the particle detection signal 31 is input from the particle detection section 3, the controller 7 issues the fluid drive source control signal 75 to stop the fluid drive source 22 and emits the valve control signal 71 after a certain period of time. To close the valve mechanism 6. The controller 7 receiving the particle detection signal 31 while the particle 1 is in the observation area 51 stops the fluid driving source 22 and closes the valve mechanism 6. As a result, the particles 1 can be stopped in the observation area 51. Then, the stopped particles 1 are observed visually or by a television camera via the observation mechanism 52.

When the observation is completed, the particle detection signal 31
Based on the result of observation through the observation mechanism 52 and the observation mechanism 52, a person inputs a command 83 to the controller 7 from an input means such as a switch, a keyboard, or a mouse (not shown), thereby opening the valve mechanism 6 and the fluid. The drive source 22 is started to restart the flow of the fluid 11 to prepare for new particles to flow.

The controller 7 outputs to the particle detector 3 a control signal 72 containing information such as the size and shape of a particle serving as a reference for detecting a desired particle, and an observation mechanism 52 such as a microscope. A control signal 73 for instructing driving of the stage, adjustment of the focus, and the like is output to the observation mechanism 52.

According to the present embodiment, the particles 1 detected by the particle detection unit 3 can be reliably stopped in the transparent observation region 51, so that the particles 1 are analyzed in detail by the observation mechanism 52. be able to. It is also possible to analyze the spontaneous movement of the particles 1.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
The embodiment of is shown. The characteristic part of this embodiment is that the particle imaging unit 5 is used instead of the observation mechanism 52 in FIG.
3 is provided. The particle imaging unit 53 images the particles 1 facing the transparent portion of the flow channel 2 and flowing in the flow channel 2 as an image signal 81 such as a television signal. The captured image signal 81 is digitized by the image interface 541. , Image information 82 is sent to the controller 7 for processing.

When particles 1 are contained in the fluid 11, the particle detector 3 detects the particles 1 and a particle detection signal 31 is generated. The particle detection signal 31 is a signal including information according to the size and shape of the particle 1. The controller 7 takes in the particle detection signal 31 from the particle detection unit 3 and
Based on the particle detection signal 31 and a preset reference, it is determined whether or not to execute the image pickup, and when the image pickup is executed, the image pickup command signal 74 is sent to the particle image pickup unit 53. The particle imaging unit 53 that has received the imaging command signal 74 images the particle 1 when the particle 1 reaches the imaging region of the particle imaging unit 53, and sends the imaging result as an image signal 81 to the image interface 541. Alternatively, the image interface 541 may capture the image signal 81 generated when the particles 1 reach the particle imaging unit 53 among the image signals 81 transmitted from the particle imaging unit 53 at regular intervals.

At the same time, the controller 7, which has received the particle detection signal 31, determines whether or not to stop the fluid 11 based on the information contained in the particle detection signal 31 and a preset reference, and the fluid 11 is discharged. When stopped, the fluid drive source control signal 75 and the valve control signal 71 are used to stop the fluid drive source 22 after a certain period of time and the valve mechanism so that the detected particles 1 are stopped in the imaging region of the particle imaging unit 3. 6
Is closed. When the particle 1 is stopped, the image signal 81 output from the particle imaging unit 53 is arbitrarily changed by the image interface 54.
It is taken into 1. Further, the image signal 81 or the image information 82 may be sent and displayed on an image display unit (not shown) so that a person can observe it.

The controller 7 analyzes the particles 1 based on the transferred image information 82, extracts the morphological information of the particles 1 and determines the type of the particles 1 and the like. When the series of processing is completed and the information from the particles 1 is acquired, the controller 7 issues the valve control signal 71 to open the valve mechanism 6. After that, the controller 7 starts the fluid driving source 22 to restart the flow of the fluid 2.

According to the present embodiment, the controller 7 can analyze the image of the particles 1 in detail based on the image information 82, so that the discrimination / classification of the particles 1 can be automated.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.
The embodiment of is shown. In the figure, a controller 7, a particle detector 3, a fluid drive source 22, and an observation mechanism 5
2 is the same as the case of FIG. 1 described previously. Also, the point that a transparent observation region 51 exists in the flow path 2 on the downstream side of the particle detection unit 3 is the same as in the case of FIG.

The characteristic part of this embodiment is that the observation area 51
The flow path switching valve 65 is provided on the downstream side of. The flow path switching valve 65 has one inlet 61 connected to the flow path 2 and a plurality of outlets 62 on the opposite side to the flow path 2, and one of the inlet 61 and the plurality of outlets 62. A passage 63 for switching and connecting the two is provided.

When the particle detection signal 31 from the particle detector 3 is input, the controller 7 issues the fluid drive source control signal 75 and stops the fluid drive source 22 after a certain period of time. At the same time, the controller 7 causes the valve control signal 7
1 is generated and the flow path switching valve 65 is held at the neutral position (the flow path is closed). The controller 7 that receives the particle detection signal 31 while the particle 1 is in the observation region 51 stops the fluid drive source 22 and holds the flow path switching valve 65 at the neutral position. As a result, the particles 1 can be stopped in the observation area 51. And this particle 1
Is visually observed through the observation mechanism 52 or by a television camera.

When the observation is completed, the particle detection signal 31
Based on the result of observation through the observation mechanism 52 or the observation mechanism 52, a person inputs a command 83 to the controller 7 from an input means such as a switch, a keyboard, or a mouse (not shown), and the controller 7 causes the flow path switching valve 65 to operate. Is driven to directly connect the flow path 2 to a specific outlet and to start the fluid drive source 22 to remove the particles 1 contained in the fluid 11 from the flow path switching valve 65.
Can lead you to a specific exit.

According to the present embodiment, the flow path switching valve 65 is variously switched according to the type of the particles 1 detected by the particle detection unit 3 to select the particles 1 and obtain them in different containers. Is possible.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
The embodiment of is shown. The characteristic part of this embodiment is that the particle imaging unit 5 is used instead of the observation mechanism 52 in FIG.
3 is provided. The particle imaging unit 53 images the particles 1 facing the transparent portion of the flow channel 2 and flowing in the flow channel 2 as an image signal 81 such as a television signal. The captured image signal 81 is digitized by the image interface 541. , Image information 82 is sent to the controller 7 for processing.

Fluid 11 driven by fluid drive source 22
When the particle 1 is contained therein, the particle detection unit 3 detects the particle 1 and generates a particle detection signal 31. The particle detection signal 31 is a signal including information according to the size and shape of the particle 1. Whether the controller 7 that has input the particle detection signal 31 performs imaging based on the particle detection signal 31 and a preset standard. If it is determined whether or not to take an image, the imaging command signal 74 is sent to the particle imaging unit 53. Imaging command signal 7
The particle imaging unit 53 that has received 4 sends out the image signal 81 imaged when the particle 1 reaches the imaging region of the particle imaging unit 53 to the image interface 541. Alternatively, of the image signal 81 transmitted from the particle imaging unit 53 at regular intervals,
The image interface 541 may capture the image signal 81 generated when the particles 1 reach the particle imaging unit 53.

At the same time, the controller 7 which has received the particle detection signal 31 determines whether or not to stop the fluid 11 based on the information contained in the particle detection signal 31 and a preset reference, and the fluid 11 is detected. When stopping, the fluid drive source control signal 75 and the valve control signal 71 are used to stop the fluid drive source 22 after a certain time so that the detected particles 1 are stopped in the imaging region of the particle imaging unit 3 and the flow path. The switching valve 65 is held at the neutral position (blocking the flow path). When the particles 1 are stopped, the image signal 81 output from the particle imaging unit 53 is arbitrarily taken into the image interface 541. Further, the image signal 81 or the image information 82 is displayed on an image display unit (not shown) so that a person can observe it.
May be sent and displayed.

The controller 7 analyzes the particles 1 based on the transferred image information 82, extracts the morphological information of the particles 1 and determines the type of the particles 1 and the like. When the series of processing is completed and the information from the particles 1 is acquired, the controller 7 issues the valve control signal 71 to switch the outlet of the flow path switching valve 65. After that, the controller 7 starts the fluid driving source 22 to restart the flow of the fluid 2. The particles 1 thus detected are guided to another outlet based on the image information 82, and the particles 1 are sorted and collected.

According to the present embodiment, the flow path switching valve 65 is variously switched according to the type of the particles 1 detected by the particle detection unit 3 to automatically select the particles 1 and separate them from each other. Can be obtained.

5 and 6 show the detailed structure of the flow path switching valve 65. The flow path switching valve 65 includes a fixed portion 67 (outer peripheral member) and a rotating portion 64 (inner peripheral member) as shown in the figure. The fixed portion 67 has an inlet 61 on the flow path 2 side.
1, an inlet 612 facing it, and two outlets 6
21 and 622, and a cylindrical hole is formed at the center. Further, the rotating portion 64 has a cylindrical shape, and the fixed portion 67
It is fitted in a cylindrical hole at the center and is rotatable about a shaft 641. Inlet 611 or 312 and outlet 621 or 622
Means two passages 651, 652 provided in the rotating portion 64.
Are joined by Then, the rotating portion 64 can be rotated by rotating the shaft 641 by the rotation driving mechanism 66 such as a stepping motor. In this case, the rotary drive mechanism 66 rotates the rotary unit 64 by a predetermined angle set in advance by the valve control signal 71 (drive pulse) from the controller 7.

FIG. 7 is a flow path switching valve 65 shown in FIGS.
This is a schematic description of the driving method. At the time when the flow of the fluid 11 is started, the inlet 611 on the side of the flow path 2 has the passage 65
1 is connected to the outlet 621, and the fluid 11 is collected from the outlet 621 to an external tank or the like (FIG. 7).
(a)). The particle 1 is detected by the particle detector 3, and the rotating unit 64 is rotated by about 45 degrees by the valve control signal 71 from the controller 7. As a result, the flow path 2 is closed by the rotating portion 64, and the fluid 11 in the flow path is stopped (FIG. 7 (b)). When the particles 1 are collected as a result of visual inspection or image processing, the rotating unit 64 is further rotated to a position of 90 degrees (see FIG. 7).
(c)). As a result, the flow path 2 is connected to the outlet 622 via the passage 652, the particles 1 move from the imaging region to the downstream side, reach the outlet 622 from the inlet 611 via the passage 652, and enter a container such as a test tube (not shown). Collected. When the collection is completed, the rotating unit 64 is rotated by 90 degrees and the inlet 651 is rotated.
And the outlet 621 are connected by a passage 652 to restart particle detection. A particle detection sensor (not shown) may be provided near the outlet to rotate the particles after confirming the discharge of the particles. Further, after the collection is completed, the rotating unit 64 is rotated in the opposite direction to make the same (c) in FIG.
The procedure may be returned from (a) to (a) and particle detection may be restarted.

When the flow path switching valve 65 shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 is used, the flow of the fluid is stopped by cutting the flow path, so that there is no backflow of the fluid and the stopping and positioning of the particles can be performed quickly and accurately. .

There is also a method of driving the flow path switching valve 65 as shown in FIG. The particles 1 detected by the particle detection unit 3 are imaged by the particle imaging unit 53 as shown in FIG. The imaging information at that time is sent from the image interface 541 to the controller 7 as the image information 82, and is image-processed in the controller 7. Then, when the particles 1 are collected based on the result, the particles 1 exist in the passage 651 after entering the passage switching valve 65 from the inlet 611 of the passage switching valve 65 as shown in FIG. 8A. In the meantime, as shown in FIG. 8B, the flow path switching valve 65 is driven and rotated by −90 ° to switch the outlet from the outlet 621 to the outlet 622. This allows
The particles in the passage 651 can be collected from the outlet 622 into a container such as a test tube (not shown).

By driving the flow path switching valve 65 as shown in FIG. 8, it is not necessary to stop the flow until the particles detected by the particle detecting portion reach the inside of the flow path switching valve 65.
Processing time can be reduced.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIGS. 9 and 10 show a fifth embodiment of the present invention, showing another example of the flow path switching valve 65. Flow path switching valve 6 in the present embodiment
5 is a flat plate-shaped fixed portion 68, a flat plate-shaped slide portion 69 that is sandwiched by the fixed portion 68 and slides into the fixed portion 68,
The linear movement mechanism 661 generates a driving force for sliding the slide portion 69, and the slide shaft 691 that transmits the driving force from the linear movement mechanism 661 to the slide portion 69. The fixed portion 68 is provided with several holes perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slide portion 69 at equal intervals.
These holes serve as entrances and exits in the fixed portion 68. Further, the slide portion 69 is provided with one hole perpendicular to the slide direction.

In operation, the particle 1 detected by the particle detector 3 is imaged by the particle imager 53, and the imaged information at that time is image-processed by the controller 7 as described above. Then, when the particles 1 are collected based on the processing result, while the particles 1 enter the flow path switching valve 65 from the inlet 611 of the flow path switching valve 65 and exist in the holes 692 of the slide portion 69. , The linear motion mechanism 661 is driven to slide the slide portion 69 with respect to the fixed portion 68,
Connect to another door. A fluid drive source (not shown) is connected to the inlet 612, and the gas or liquid driven by this fluid drive source flows in, and the hole 6 of the slide portion 69.
The particles 1 in 92 are extruded together with the fluid 11 toward the outlet 622 and collected in a container such as a test tube (not shown).

According to the present embodiment, the flow path switching valve 6 is selected according to the type of particles classified based on the result of image processing.
By switching the inlet and outlet of 5, it is possible to sort the particles by type into separate containers or to send the solution to another analyzer. When observing with particle 1 stopped,
The slide portion 69 is slid by the valve control signal 71 from the controller 7 so that the hole 692 of the slide portion 69 is inserted between the inlets 611 and 612 of the fixed portion 68 (the outlets 621 and 62).
2), the flow path can be blocked and the flow of fluid can be stopped.

(Sixth Embodiment) FIG. 11 shows a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a sample solution 111 containing particles is put in a sample container 211. The sample liquid 111 is guided from the sample container 211 to the nozzle 212 via a conduit, and is discharged from the tip of the nozzle 212 into a hollow flow cell 213 made of a transparent material such as glass or plastic. Flow cell 21
The sheath liquid 112 is introduced from the sheath container 222 to the upper end of the pump 3 by the pump 221. Since the sheath liquid 112 flows in the flow cell 213 so as to wrap the nozzle 212, the sample liquid 111 discharged from the nozzle 212 is wrapped in the sheath liquid 112 and flows downstream.

A light source 311 (including an optical system) such as a laser and an optical sensor 312 (including an optical system) are provided downstream of the flow cell 213 to form a particle detecting section. The light 314 emitted from the light source 311 is condensed by the optical system, passes through the sample solution 111 in the flow cell 213, and then enters the optical sensor 312. At this time, the optical sensor 312 generates an optical sensor signal 315. Particle 1 is sample liquid 11
If it is included in 1, the light 314 is scattered by the particle 1, the amount of light reaching the optical sensor 312 changes, and the optical sensor signal 315 also changes. The optical sensor signal 315 is input to the particle determination circuit 313, and the particle determination circuit 313 recognizes the pattern of the shape and size of the optical sensor signal 315. Then, when the optical sensor signal 315 corresponding to the preset pattern of the particles to be imaged is detected, the particle determination circuit 313 generates the particle detection signal 31. Needless to say, an optical waveguide such as an optical fiber may be used to guide the light 314 from the light source 311 into the flow cell 213 and the light 314 that has passed through the flow path 2 to the optical sensor 312.

The particle image pickup unit (see FIG. 2 or 4) installed downstream of the particle detection unit has a pulse light source 531 (including an optical system) which emits pulsed light in response to a trigger signal.
It is composed of a light source driver 542 that drives a pulsed light source, and an imaging device 533 (including an optical system) that images the particles 1 in the flow cell 213. The light source driver 542 which has received the particle detection signal 31 receives an arbitrary period of time (after the particle detection signal 31 is input to the light source driver 542, the particles reach the image pickup area of the image pickup device 533 and then exit from the image pickup area). Time interval until time point), pulse light source 531
And a pulsed light source 531 is caused to emit light.
As a result, the instantaneous image of the particles is photoelectrically converted by the image pickup device 533 and output as the image signal 81. The image signal 81 output from the imaging device 533 is taken into the image interface 541 when the particle detection signal 31 is emitted, digitized, and sent to the controller 7 as image information 82 (the image signal 81 is the image interface 5).
In 41, it is digitized to become image information 82, and simple processing such as binarization or partial clipping may be performed. Further, the image information 82 may be continuously sent to the controller 7 regardless of whether or not the particle detection signal 31 is generated).

A flow path switching valve 65 is provided downstream of the particle imaging section. The operation of the flow path switching valve 65 is similar to that shown in FIGS. The flow path is blocked and the particles 1 are collected by the valve control signal 71 from the controller 7. Thereby, the particles are observed and sorted.

According to the present embodiment, since the sample liquid is wrapped with the sheath liquid, the particles can be made to flow in the vicinity of the central portion of the flow path, and thus the velocity of the particles can be made substantially constant, and Focusing of the imaging device becomes easy.

(Seventh Embodiment) FIG. 12 shows a seventh embodiment of the present invention. A characteristic part of this embodiment is that the sheath liquid 111 also contains the particles 12 or dissolves a chemical agent. When the flow in the channel is stopped, the sample liquid 112 and the sheath liquid 111 are rapidly mixed by diffusion and convection, and the particles 11 contained in the sample liquid 111 and the particles 1 contained in the sheath liquid 112 are mixed.
2. Contact with chemicals. At this time, an interaction between particles occurs, or a drug acts on the particles. In this embodiment, the state is observed by the particle imaging unit 53 immediately after the contact. Further, the observed particles may be separated by the flow path switching valve 65, or the particles may be sent to a container in which a large amount of diluting liquid is present.

According to the present embodiment, the particles or the particles and the drug contact each other in the imaging region instantaneously, so that the interaction between the particles or between the particles and the drug can be observed immediately after the contact. Further, by sending a mixed solution containing particles to a large amount of diluting solution after a fixed time, the interaction time of particles and the exposure time of chemicals to particles can be made constant. This gives more information about the interactions between the particles and the effect of the drug on the particles.

For example, if the particles contained in the sample liquid are zooplankton such as Daphnia and the particles contained in the sheath liquid are phytoplankton such as cyanobacteria, whether the phytoplankton can be eaten by the zooplankton,
The state of predation when predating can be observed. This allows
It is possible to identify zooplankton that is effective in removing harmful plankton such as water-bloom. Further, the particles contained in the sample liquid can be biological particles such as Daphnia magna, the sheath liquid can be a solution containing the new drug, and the toxicity test of the new drug can be performed by observing the reaction of the biological particles. Further, by using the water of the water source as the sheath liquid, the toxicity of an unknown substance contained in the water source can be tested. Furthermore, by using the sheath liquid as a biological fixing liquid such as formalin, it is possible to prevent spontaneous movement of the biological particles and observe the biological particles in a fresh state immediately after fixing.

[0051]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since it is possible to reliably stop the particles detected by the particle detection unit in the observation area or the imaging area on the flow path, it is possible to accurately capture detailed information of the particles such as the shape when observing or imaging the particles, It is possible to analyze the particles in detail.

Further, by switching the switching valve of the valve mechanism based on the detailed information when the particles are observed or imaged, it is possible to easily perform the operation of sorting the particles by type and acquiring them in different containers. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a main part of a particle analyzer according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a main part configuration diagram of a particle analyzer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a main part configuration diagram of a particle analyzer according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a main part configuration diagram of a particle analyzer according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a switching valve.

6 is a side view of the switching valve shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the operation of the switching valve.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the operation of the switching valve.

FIG. 9 shows a configuration of a switching valve according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention and is a diagram of an initial state.

FIG. 10 is a view of the switching valve shown in FIG. 9 in a state where particles are collected.

FIG. 11 is an overall configuration diagram of a particle analyzer according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 relates to a seventh embodiment of the present invention,
It is the figure which showed the state in the flow path.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 particle 2 flow path 3 particle detection section 6 valve mechanism (flow path switching valve) 7 controller 11 fluid 22 fluid drive source 31 particle detection signal 51 observation area 52 observation mechanism 53 particle imaging section 61 inlet 62 outlet 63 passage (axis) 64 Rotating part 65 Flow path switching valve 66 Rotational drive mechanism 67 Fixed part 68 Fixed part 69 Sliding part 71 Valve control signal 72 Control signal 73 Control signal 74 Imaging command signal 75 Fluid drive source control signal 81 Image signal 82 Image information 83 Command 111 sample Liquid 112 Sheath liquid 212 Nozzle 213 Flow cell 211 Sample container 221 Pump 222 Sheath container 311 Light source 312 Optical sensor 313 Particle discrimination circuit 314 Optical 315 Optical sensor signal 531 Pulse light source 533 Imager 541 Image interface 542 Light source driver 651,652 Road 661 linear motion mechanism 691 slide shaft 692 hole

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A flow channel having at least a part of a transparent portion that transmits light, and a fluid driving source for flowing a fluid through the flow channel,
A particle detection unit that is provided in the middle of the flow path and detects the particles contained in the fluid flowing through the flow path, and the particles detected by the particle detection unit are observed from the transparent unit on the downstream side of the particle detection unit. In the particle analysis device having a particle observation unit that performs, a valve mechanism that opens and closes the flow path on the downstream side of the particle observation unit, and captures a particle detection signal that is output when the particle detection unit detects particles, At a predetermined timing based on the particle detection signal, a valve control signal that causes the valve mechanism to close the flow path, and a fluid drive source control signal that causes the fluid drive source to stop the flow in the flow path. A particle analysis device, comprising: a control unit that stops the particles detected by the particle detection unit in the transparent unit by sending each. 2. A flow path, in which a transparent portion that transmits light is formed in at least a part thereof, and a fluid drive source that causes a fluid to flow in the flow path.
A particle detection unit that is provided in the middle of the flow path and detects the particles contained in the fluid flowing through the flow path, and the particles detected by the particle detection unit are observed from the transparent unit on the downstream side of the particle detection unit. In the particle analysis device having a particle observation unit that performs, a valve mechanism that opens and closes the flow path on the downstream side of the particle observation unit, and captures a particle detection signal that is output when the particle detection unit detects particles, At a predetermined timing based on the particle detection signal, by sending a valve control signal for closing the flow path to the valve mechanism, a control means for stopping the particles detected by the particle detection unit in the transparent unit. And a particle analysis device. 3. A flow channel having at least a part of a transparent portion that transmits light, and a fluid drive source for flowing a fluid through the flow channel,
A particle detection unit which is provided in the middle of the flow path and outputs a particle detection signal when particles contained in a fluid flowing through the flow path is detected, and the particle detected by the particle detection unit is the particle detection signal. In a particle analyzer including a particle imaging unit that images from the transparent unit on the downstream side of the particle detection unit, the valve mechanism that opens and closes the flow path on the downstream side of the particle imaging unit, A particle control signal is taken in, and at a predetermined timing based on the particle detection signal, a valve control signal that causes the valve mechanism to close the flow channel, and a flow in the flow channel for the fluid drive source are stopped. And a control means for stopping the particles detected by the particle detection section at the transparent section by sending respective fluid drive source control signals to the particle analysis apparatus. 4. A flow channel having a transparent portion which transmits light at least at a part thereof, and a fluid drive source for flowing a fluid through the flow channel,
A particle detection unit which is provided in the middle of the flow path and outputs a particle detection signal when particles contained in a fluid flowing through the flow path is detected, and the particle detected by the particle detection unit is the particle detection signal. In a particle analyzer including a particle imaging unit that images from the transparent unit on the downstream side of the particle detection unit, the valve mechanism that opens and closes the flow path on the downstream side of the particle imaging unit, Particles detected by the particle detection unit are transparentized by capturing the particle detection signal and sending a valve control signal for closing the flow path to the valve mechanism at a predetermined timing based on the particle detection signal. A particle analysis device comprising: 5. The particle analysis device according to claim 1, wherein the valve mechanism has at least one inlet side flow passage connected to the flow passage in each of a plurality of outlet side flow passages. A particle analyzer comprising: a switching valve that is switched and connected; and a drive unit that drives the switching valve based on the valve control signal. 6. The particle analyzer according to claim 5, wherein the switching valve includes an outer peripheral member having the inlet side flow passage and the outlet side flow passage and a cylindrical hole formed at the center, and the cylindrical hole. An inner peripheral member that is rotatably fitted and has at least one passage that allows one of the inlet-side flow passage and the one of the outlet-side flow passage to communicate with each other when rotated by a predetermined angle. Characteristic particle analyzer. 7. The particle analyzer according to claim 5, wherein the switching valve is arranged with a first outer flat plate provided with the inlet-side flow passage and a predetermined gap from the first outer flat plate. And is slidably fitted between the second outer flat plate provided with the outlet side flow passage and the first and second outer flat plates, and when the slide side is slid by a predetermined amount, A particle analysis device, comprising: a sliding member having at least one passage for communicating one with one of the outlet-side channels. 8. The particle analysis device according to claim 1, wherein the flow path is provided with a plurality of fluid introduction ports into which a plurality of types of fluids are individually introduced. Particle analyzer. 9. The particle analysis device according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of types of fluids contain different kinds of particles, respectively. 10. The particle analyzer according to claim 8, wherein, among the plurality of types of fluids, a fluid containing certain particles,
The particle analysis device, wherein the fluid different from the fluid contains a solute that interacts with the particles.