JPS62217144A - Photometric part for chemical analysis - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve assembling workability by fitting a light source and optical sensors into a single block, thereby unitizing the titled photometric part. CONSTITUTION:A fitting hole 2A for the light source is formed at the center in the lower part of the block 2 and four fitting holes 2B are formed around said hole. The light source 3 such as tungsten lamp and the four optical sensors 4 are respectively fitted into the fitting hole 2A for the light source and the fitting holes 2B for the optical sensors and are mounted to the block 2. The need for making exact positioning of the light source and optical sensors for every photometric part is thereby eliminated and the assembling workability is remarkably improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of the Invention) The present invention irradiates a measurement surface of a chemical analysis slide containing a sample with irradiation light, and receives reflected light from the measurement surface with an optical sensor. The present invention relates to a photometric unit for chemical analysis that measures the reflection density of the measurement surface, and particularly relates to a photometric unit for chemical analysis that can be easily assembled.

(Specific Background of the Invention and Prior Art) In recent years, it has become possible to detect specific chemical components or organic components contained in a sample liquid, such as blood or urine, simply by drip-feeding a small drop of the sample liquid. Dry type chemical analysis slides capable of quantitative analysis have been developed (Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-2167γ, Jibun Sho 55-16435PQ, etc.) and have been put into practical use.

In order to analyze the chemical components in a sample solution using such a chemical analysis slide, the sample solution is dotted onto the chemical analysis slide and then kept at a constant temperature for a predetermined period of time in an incubator (incubator). Color reaction (pigment formation reaction) and its color forming optics! 1 degree optically, that is, a measurement irradiation light containing a wavelength preselected by the combination of the component to be measured in the sample solution and the reagent contained in the reagent layer of the chemical analysis slide is applied to the chemical analysis slide. The content of the substance to be measured is quantitatively analyzed based mainly on the principle of colorimetry.

The above reaction is carried out after the incubation is completed! )j The 6-degree measurement is performed by a photometer for chemical analysis. The photometry section is equipped with a light source that irradiates the measurement surface of the chemical analysis slide with irradiation light and an optical sensor that receives the reflected light of the irradiation light reflected by the measurement surface.Then, the concentration of the measurement surface is determined by the output of the sensor. It is designed to be measured.

In order to perform accurate concentration measurements in the photometry section, the light source and optical sensor must be positioned so that the irradiated light enters the desired position and the reflected light of the irradiated light is well received by the optical sensor. It must be done with precision.

However, the work of precisely positioning the light source and optical sensor one by one for each photometry unit is complicated;
Due to such positioning, there is a problem in that it is not possible to improve the workability as desired when assembling the photometric section.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a photometric unit for chemical analysis in which the positioning of the light source and optical sensor can be easily performed and the assembly work efficiency can be improved. The purpose is to provide

(Structure of the Invention) The photometric section for chemical analysis of the present invention is characterized in that the above-described light source and optical sensor are fitted into a single block to form a unit.

That is, according to the photometry section of the present invention, the light source and the optical sensor are fitted into the block, so if the block is made in advance with a fitting part for the light source J3 and the optical sensor, the light source and the optical sensor can be fitted into the block. Assembly is completed simply by fitting the optical sensor into the block, and there is no need to position the light source and optical sensor for each photometric section.

(Embodiments) Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The i-mode will be explained.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic side views illustrating the operation of a photometric section for chemical analysis according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The photometry section 1 is constructed by fitting a light source 3 and a plurality of optical sensors 4 into a single block 2, and is supported by a support member 6 with the top surface exposed. As shown in FIG. 2, the slide 5 for chemical analysis on which the temperature is measured by the photometer 1 is a dry multilayer film 5B, which is formed by laminating a support, one layer of sample, and a developing layer in a frame 5A. is accommodated, and a measurement surface 5a is formed on the back surface (upper surface in the figure). This slide 5 allows a sample (substance to be measured) such as urine or blood to be deposited on the film 5B through a circular hole (not shown) provided on the surface.
After a predetermined amount of the solution is dropped, the solution is kept at a constant temperature (incubation) for a predetermined period of time to allow a color reaction to occur. Further, a barcode 5b is written on the back side of the slide 5. The slide 5 is placed on the support member 6 so that its back surface is in contact with the support member 6.

As shown in FIG. 1A, a slide 5 is placed on the photometry section 1.
Prior to photometry, the reference white board 7W and the reference blackboard 7B for correcting errors in the measured reflection density values of the slide 5 are moved by the lever 8, and the photometry section 1 measures the reflection of the reference white board 7W and the reference blackboard 7B. Measure concentration.

Next, a slide 5 is moved onto the photometer 1 by being pushed by a lever 8, but before the anti-gA concentration is measured, the slide 5 is moved by a barcode reading means 9 provided in the support member 6. Accordingly, the barcode 5b attached to the back side
is read. When the reading of the barcode 5b is completed, the slide 5 is moved onto the photometer 1 as shown in FIG. 1B, and the reflection of the measurement surface 5a is ff1lI!
l[Measurements are taken. The structure of the photometry section of this embodiment will be further explained below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

Figure 3 J3 and Figure 4 are block 2 of photometry section 1, respectively.
FIG. The block 2 has a light source fitting hole 2Δ in the center of its lower part, and 4 holes for example around it.
Two optical sensor fitting holes 2B are formed. A light source 3 such as a tungsten lamp and four optical sensors 4 are attached to the block 2 by fitting into the light source fitting hole 2A and the optical sensor fitting hole 2B, respectively. The light source 3 emits illumination light suitable for measuring the slide 5, and this illumination light is
The light passes through the irradiation light path 2C in the block 2 and enters the measurement section 5a of the slide 5 perpendicularly to the measurement surface. Measuring part 5a
The reflected light of the irradiation light passes through a reflected light path 2D formed in the block 2 and heads toward each optical sensor 4. By the way, Hikari! 3 emits light over a relatively wide wavelength range, but the effective wavelength for measurement differs depending on the component in the sample in the slide 5 to be measured. That is, the wavelength of light at which the amount of reflected light from the measurement surface changes most significantly when the concentration of a certain measurement component changes varies depending on the measurement component.

For example, light after 510 rv* is most effective for measuring glucose. Therefore, the optical sensor 4 can most effectively measure the concentration of the component to be measured by selectively receiving only the light of the specific wavelength according to the measurement item. In order to make only the reflected light of a specific wavelength enter the optical sensor 4, it is sufficient to form an interference filter on the light-receiving surface of the optical sensor 4 that selectively allows only the light of a specific wavelength to enter. Since there are multiple types of items and the measurement items change, it is extremely troublesome to replace interference filters with different characteristics depending on the measurement items.

Therefore, the photometry section 1 is provided with interference filters 10 having different wavelengths of light that selectively pass through each other on the light-receiving surfaces of the four optical sensors 4. Detection is performed using only the sensor 4. If such a photometry section is used, it is possible to easily perform highly accurate measurements according to the item simply by electrically switching the output of each optical sensor 4. The output from the selected optical sensor among the four optical sensors is sent to the amplifier 13 and A/D converter 14 as shown in FIG.
The concentration of the component thus measured is displayed on an external display device (not shown) if necessary. Note that the photometry section of the above embodiment is arranged opposite to the slide 5 so that the reflected light of the irradiation light emitted from one light source 3 can be efficiently incident on the optical sensors 4 located at a plurality of positions. Therefore, in order to prevent the heat from the light source 3 from affecting the slide 5, a heat insulating filter 11 is provided on the portion of the slide 5 facing the measurement surface 5a.

By the way, the irradiation light is incident on the desired position of the slide 5,
In order for the optical sensor to efficiently detect the reflected light of the irradiated light, it is necessary to accurately position the light source and the optical sensor. Accurately positioning these parts for each measuring section is a very complicated task.
In particular, when a plurality of optical sensors are provided as in the photometric section 1 of the above embodiment, positioning thereof becomes even more troublesome. Therefore, in the photometry section 1 of this embodiment, the light source 3 and the optical sensor 4 are fitted into the block 2 to form a unit as described above, so that there is no need for complicated positioning. Since the light source fitting hole 28 and the light sensor fitting hole 2B are formed in the block 2, when assembling the photometry section 1, the light source 3.15
By aligning the optical sensor 4 with the block 2 along each fitting hole, the optical sensor 4 can be easily placed at an accurate position. Therefore, by creating a large number of blocks of the same shape, it is possible to assemble a large number of high-precision photometers extremely easily by simply fitting a light source and optical sensor into each block, without having to make complicated positional adjustments. .

The block 2 can be made of any material as long as it can reliably support the optical WA3 and the optical sensor 4, but the block 2 can be made of a material with high thermal conductivity such as metal. Then, since the light IQ3 emits heat as described above, the photometry section can also be used as an incubator by utilizing the heat of the light a3.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1B, the slide 5 placed on the photometer 1 may be kept at a constant temperature in an external incubator, but if the block 2 is made of metal or the like, may be incubated on the photometric section 1. When performing incubation on the photometer 1, for example, a temperature sensor is installed in the block 2, and the light source 3 is turned on and off according to the output from this temperature sensor to keep the temperature at which the slide 5 is held constant. A control circuit (which may be the CPU 15) is provided to maintain the slide 5 at a constant temperature for a predetermined period of time. Once this incubation has been completed, use light source 3 for the original irradiation as described above, and activate the optical sensor! Make sure to perform the measurement once. By fitting the light source into the block in this way, it becomes possible to complete the incubation on the photometry section, and there is no need to provide a separate incubator, which also has the effect of making the entire system smaller and simpler. In this case, the support member 6 is desirably formed of a heat insulating material so that the slide before reaching the photometric section 1 is not affected by heat and to prevent wasteful heat radiation.

Note that the number and arrangement of light sources and optical sensors in J3 of the photometry section of the present invention are not limited to those shown in J3 in the above-described embodiment, and may be any number as long as they can be fitted well into the block. Can be set to .

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the photometric section for chemical analysis of the present invention, the light source and the optical sensor are fitted into the block to form a unit. There is no need for precise positioning, and assembly work efficiency can be greatly improved. Furthermore, if the material of the block is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, the photometry section can also be used as an incubator.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1A and 1B are schematic side views illustrating the operation of a photometric section for chemical analysis according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a chemical analysis slide, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the block of the analytical photometry section. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the block. 1... Photometry section for chemical analysis 2... Block 3...
Light source 4... Optical sensor 5... Chemical analysis slide 5a... Measurement surface 1st Aj! ! Figure 7 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A light source that irradiates a measurement surface of a chemical analysis slide containing a sample with irradiation light, and a light sensor that receives reflected light of the irradiation light reflected by the measurement surface; A photometric unit for chemical analysis that measures the concentration of the measurement surface using the output of an optical sensor, characterized in that the light source and the optical sensor are fitted into a single block to form a unit. 2) The light source is provided opposite to the position where the measurement surface is arranged, and a plurality of the optical sensors are provided at positions where the reflected light can be received. Photometric section for chemical analysis as described in section.