WO2016158739A1

WO2016158739A1 - Inspection apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2016158739A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/059603
Authority: WO
Inventors: 信郎開
Original assignee: ブラザー工業株式会社
Priority date: 2015-03-31
Filing date: 2016-03-25
Publication date: 2016-10-06
Also published as: JP2016191577A

Abstract

Provided is an inspection apparatus with which it is not necessary to separately provide a mechanism that prevents revolution of a holder that holds an inspection chip. When locking a holder (61) against rotation centered on a first axis (A1), from a steady state, an inner shaft (40) ascends, a rack gear (43) also ascends, and a gear unit (76) is rotationally moved, thus rotating the holder (61), which makes a protrusion (64A) of the holder protrude outside a region of revolution. Therefore, the protrusion (64A) enters a box section provided in a side-surface section of a cover and engages with the inner side of a rear surface. Accordingly, the holder (61) is locked against the rotation centered on the first axis (A1) by the box section of the cover. When releasing the lock on the holder (61), the inner shaft (40) descends, thus reaching a steady state, which releases the engagement between the protrusion (64A) of the holder (61) and the box section.

Description

Inspection device

The present invention relates to an inspection apparatus for performing a chemical, medical, or biological inspection of an inspection object.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an inspection apparatus that inspects biological substances, chemical substances, and the like by centrifuging a test object receiver called a microchip or an inspection chip is known. For example, in the inspection apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, centrifugal force is applied to the inspection target receptacle by revolving a receiver holder that holds the inspection target receptacle. The specimen and the reagent injected into the test object receiver flow into the storage part via the flow path on the test object receptor and are agitated by centrifugal force. Thereafter, the light emitted from the light emitting part and extending in the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the flow path on the inspection object receiver passes through the storage part of the inspection object receiver. An inspection result is obtained by the light transmitted through the storage portion being received by the light receiving portion.

In addition, the analyzer disclosed in Patent Document 2 measures the concentration of various components such as glucose, albumin and calcium in addition to the number (concentration) of red blood cells and white blood cells in blood. These component concentrations and the like are measured by an optical method. More specifically, a color reaction when a sample is spotted on a reagent pad of a test piece impregnated with a predetermined reagent is measured by reflected light of light irradiated on the reagent pad. The analyzer includes a rotor that supports a container provided with an upper opening in a swingable manner and is rotated to apply centrifugal force to the container. The rotor includes a support wall as an evaporation suppression means for suppressing the separation target liquid contained in the container from evaporating when the rotor is rotated. The support wall includes a back wall positioned in front of the upper opening when the container is rotated by rotating the rotor. The analyzer rotates the rotor and centrifuges blood to precipitate blood cell components. The operator collects the supernatant with a pipette, places this on the reagent pad as a sample, and attaches the reagent pad to the analyzer for measurement. The spotting of the supernatant liquid on the reagent pad is performed in a state where the rotation of the rotor is stopped and the rotor is fixed at the target position so that the container holding portion of the rotor is at the target position. The rotor is fixed to the target position by inserting the pin of the stopper member into the locking hole of the rotor.

JP 2013-79811 A WO2006 / 046537

In the analyzer, in order to fix the rotation of the rotor, it was necessary to separately provide a mechanism for inserting a pin as a stopper member and a pin into the locking hole of the rotor. Therefore, since a mechanism for fixing the rotor is separately provided, the structure becomes complicated and the cost is high.

An object of the present invention is to provide an inspection device that does not require a separate mechanism for preventing the revolution of the holder that holds the inspection chip.

An inspection apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a holder that holds an inspection chip, a first rotation mechanism that revolves the holder around a first axis and applies centrifugal force to the inspection chip, and the holder includes A second rotation mechanism that swings about two axes and changes the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the inspection chip, and the rotation of the first rotation mechanism according to the swing of the holder by the second rotation mechanism And a locking mechanism for locking.

In the inspection apparatus described above, since the lock mechanism locks the rotation of the first rotation mechanism in response to the swing of the holder by the second rotation mechanism, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for driving the lock mechanism in addition to the second rotation mechanism. . Therefore, the structure of the lock mechanism is not complicated, and there is no risk of increasing the cost.

The inspection apparatus includes a cover member that covers a region of revolution by the first rotation mechanism, and the lock mechanism protrudes toward the cover member in response to the swing of the holder by the second rotation mechanism. And a contacted portion that is provided on the cover member and contacts the protruding portion and locks the rotation of the first rotation mechanism. In this case, since the protruding portion contacts the contacted portion provided on the cover member and locks the rotation of the first rotating mechanism, the rotation of the first rotating mechanism is positioned and fixed with respect to the cover member. The Therefore, the possibility that the lock position of the first rotation mechanism is shifted with respect to the cover member is reduced. Moreover, when attaching / detaching the inspection chip to / from the holder, the possibility of occurrence of failure of attachment / detachment of the inspection chip due to displacement of the holder stop position can be reduced.

The protrusion may be provided on the holder. Thereby, since a protrusion part is provided in the holder which wants to prevent position shift, the stop position shift of a holder can be reduced more than a protrusion part other than a holder.

The cover member includes a cover opening for inserting the inspection chip into the holder, the holder includes a holder opening into which the inspection chip is inserted, and the protruding portion is the contacted portion of the cover member. When the rotation of the first rotation mechanism is locked in contact with the portion, the normal line of the opening surface of the holder opening may be along the direction away from the first axis. In this case, since the normal of the opening surface of the holder opening is along the direction away from the first axis, the attaching / detaching direction of the inspection chip from the holder is along the direction away from the first axis. Therefore, it is not necessary to attach or detach the inspection chip in parallel with the first axis, and the possibility that the user's hand touches the member defining the first axis can be reduced.

A control device for controlling the first rotation mechanism and the second rotation mechanism; the control device controls the first rotation mechanism to cause the holder to revolve and to control the second rotation mechanism. The control device executes a centrifugal process of swinging the holder within a predetermined first angle range, the control device controls the first rotation mechanism to stop the revolution of the holder, and the second By controlling the rotation mechanism and swinging the holder out of the first angle range, the protruding portion protrudes outside the revolving region during the centrifugal treatment, and the contacted portion of the cover member You may make it contact | abut.

The control device controls the first rotation mechanism to stop the revolution of the holder, controls the second rotation mechanism, rotates the holder outside the first angle range, and causes the protrusion to protrude outside the revolution area. Thus, the revolution of the holder can be locked. Further, during the swinging rotation within the first angle range of the holder, the projecting portion does not project outside the revolution region, so that the projecting portion does not hinder the operation during the centrifugal treatment.

2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an inspection system 3. FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1 and a perspective view of a test chip 2. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper part of the inspection system 3 with the upper housing 11 removed, and a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the inspection system 3. It is a flowchart of the main control in 1st Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the state of the holder 61 at the time of fixing, 90 degree rotation, and 0 degree rotation.

<1. Schematic structure of inspection system 3>
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The schematic structure of the inspection system 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. The inspection system 3 of the present embodiment includes the inspection chip 2 shown in FIG. 2 that can store a sample and a reagent that are liquids, and the inspection apparatus 1 that performs inspection using the inspection chip 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inspection chip 2 is supported by a holder 61 of the inspection apparatus 1. When the inspection apparatus 1 rotates the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 around the first axis A 1 separated from the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2, centrifugal force acts on the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2. When the inspection apparatus 1 rotates the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 around the second axis A2, the centrifugal direction, which is the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2, is switched with respect to the inspection chip 2.

<2. Structure of the inspection apparatus 1>
The structure of the inspection apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the upper, lower, right, left, front side, and back side of FIG. 2 are respectively the upper, lower, front, rear, left, and right sides of the inspection apparatus 1. And In the present embodiment, the direction of the first axis A1 is the vertical direction of the inspection apparatus 1, and the direction of the second axis A2 is the speed when the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 are rotated about the first axis A1. Direction. 3 shows a state in which the upper housing 11 and the pair of side housings 13 shown in FIG. 1 of the inspection apparatus 1 are removed. In the perspective view of FIG. 3, a measuring unit 7 described later is omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection apparatus 1 includes a housing 10. The housing 10 has a box-shaped frame structure. The housing 10 includes an upper housing 11 and a lower housing 12. The upper casing 11 has a hole 11A. The upper housing 11 rotatably supports one end of a lid member 11B that is a rectangular plate material. When the other end facing the one end of the lid member 11B approaches the upper housing 11 by rotation, the lid member 11B covers the hole 11A. An operation unit 94 including a power switch and a plurality of operation switches is provided on the right side of the upper portion of the upper housing 11.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the inspection apparatus 1 includes a cover 80, an upper plate 32, a turntable 33, an angle changing mechanism 34, a holder 61, and a control device 90 shown in FIG. Provided inside the body 10. The upper plate 32 is a rectangular plate material spanned between the front upper end and the rear upper end of the lower housing 12. The turntable 33 is a disk provided rotatably on the upper plate 32. An inspection chip 2 to be described later is supported by a holder 61 disposed above the turntable 33.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection chip 2 is mainly composed of a transparent synthetic resin plate 20. One surface of the plate material 20 is sealed with a sheet 291, and the other surface of the plate material 20 is sealed with a sheet 292. The

sheets

291 and 292 are transparent synthetic resin thin plates. Between the plate member 20 and the sheet 291 and between the plate member 20 and the sheet 292, a liquid flow path (not shown) through which the liquid sealed in the inspection chip 2 can flow is formed. The

sheets

291 and 292 seal the flow path forming surface of the plate material 20. The reagent and specimen injected into the test chip 2 are quantified or mixed in the process of flowing through the liquid flow path, and a mixed liquid is generated. The liquid mixture is stored in a measurement unit 293 formed in a part of the liquid channel. The inspection chip 2 is held by the holder 61 with the thickness direction extending in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction.

The angle changing mechanism 34 is a drive mechanism provided on the turntable 33. The angle changing mechanism 34 rotates the inspection chip 2 by rotating the holder 61 around the second axis A2. The cover 80 is provided above the upper plate 32 and covers the turntable 33, the angle changing mechanism 34, and the holder 61. The measurement unit 7 shown in FIG. 3 that performs optical measurement on the inspection chip 2 is provided on the upper side of the upper plate 32 and outside the cover 80. The control device 90 is a controller that controls various processes of the inspection device 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 90 is disposed on the right side of the left side housing 13 shown in FIG. 1 and on the lower side of the upper plate 32. A drive mechanism for rotating the turntable 33 around the first axis A1 is provided at the lower portion of the upper plate 32 as follows.

As shown in FIG. 2, a spindle motor 35 that supplies driving force for rotating the turntable 33, and a spindle 57 that extends upward from the inside of the lower casing 12, closer to the lower part of the central portion in the casing 10. Is installed. The main shaft motor 35 is a DC motor. The shaft 36 of the main shaft motor 35 protrudes upward and is connected to the main shaft 57. The main shaft 57 passes through the upper plate 32 and protrudes above the upper plate 32. The upper end portion of the main shaft 57 is connected to the center portion of the turntable 33. The main shaft 57 is rotatably supported by a support member 53 provided immediately below the upper plate 32 and a support member 54 provided below the support member 53. The inner ring of the ball bearing 54 A provided inside the support member 54 contacts the main shaft 57 and rotates according to the rotation of the main shaft 57. The support member 54 holds the outer ring of the ball bearing 54A at the front end. The rear end portion of the support member 54 is disposed on the right side of a stepping motor 51 described later. When the main shaft motor 35 rotates the shaft 36, the driving force is transmitted to the main shaft 57. At this time, the turntable 33 rotates around the main shaft 57 in conjunction with the rotation of the main shaft 57.

The main shaft 57 is a hollow cylindrical body. The inner shaft 40 is a shaft that can move in the vertical direction inside the main shaft 57. As shown in FIG. 3, the inner shaft 40 has a quadrangular shape when viewed from above. The upper end portion of the inner shaft 40 extends through the main shaft 57 and extends above the turntable 33 and is connected to a rack gear holding member 41 that holds a pair of rack gears 43 described later. A pair of rack gears 43 and 43 are fixed to the rack gear holding member 41.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main shaft 57 is provided with a slit 57A extending in the vertical direction. A coupling portion (not shown) extending from the outside of the main shaft 57 to the inside through the slit 57A is provided on the inner ring of the ball bearing 54A. The inner end of the connecting portion is connected to the inner shaft 40.

A stepping motor 51 for moving the inner shaft 40 up and down is fixed near the rear of the central portion of the housing 10. The shaft 58 of the stepping motor 51 protrudes rightward. A pinion gear (not shown) is fixed to the tip of the shaft 58. The pinion gear meshes with a rack gear (not shown) fixed to the support member 54. When the stepping motor 51 rotates the shaft 58, the support member 54 and the ball bearing 54A move up and down in conjunction with the rotation of the pinion gear. At this time, the connecting portion provided on the ball bearing 54A moves up and down along the slit 57A. The inner shaft 40 moves up and down in conjunction with the connecting portion.

The detailed structure of the angle changing mechanism 34 will be described. The angle changing mechanism 34 includes a pair of rack gears 43. The pair of rack gears 43 are metal plate-like members. A rack gear holding member 41 is fixed to the upper end portion of the inner shaft 40. As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of rack gears 43 are fixed to surfaces of the rack gear holding member 41 that face each other. One rack gear 43 extends from the inner shaft 40 in one direction when viewed from above, and the other rack gear 43 extends in the opposite direction to the one direction side. As shown in FIG. 2, a gear 431 is formed in the vertical direction at the end of the pair of rack gears 43 opposite to the inner shaft 40 side. The rack gear 43 moves up and down as the inner shaft 40 moves up and down.

As shown in FIG. 3, support portions 47 are provided on the counterclockwise direction side of each rack gear 43 as viewed from above. The support part 47 supports the holder 61 rotatably. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the support portion 47 includes two cylindrical portions 471, an extending portion 472, and a support shaft 473. The two cylindrical portions 471 are arranged side by side along the rack gear 43 and extend in the vertical direction. The extending portion 472 extends from the upper end of the cylindrical portion 471 in a direction away from the inner shaft 40 along the rack gear 43, and the distal end fixes the support shaft 473. The support shaft 473 extends in the clockwise direction when viewed from above, and the tip thereof is disposed inside the gear portion 76 formed in the holder 61. The gear portion 76 meshes with the gear 431 of the rack gear 43. As the rack gear 43 moves up and down, the gear portion 76 rotates around the support shaft 473, whereby the holder 61 rotates. Therefore, the inspection chip 2 held by the holder 61 rotates around the support shaft 473.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, an opening 61 D into which the inspection chip 2 is inserted is formed on the upper portion of the holder 61. The opening 61D is provided with a holder lid 64 that closes the opening surface 61E of the opening 61D so as to be rotatable by a shaft 64B. The holder lid 64 is locked by a lock mechanism (not shown). A protruding portion 64A is provided on the outer side of the shaft portion 64B opposite to the first axis A1. In the holder 61, the end farthest from the first axis A1 is a protrusion 64A.

In the present embodiment, as the spindle motor 35 rotates the turntable 33, the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 rotate around the inner shaft 40 which is a vertical axis, and the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 are centrifuged. Force acts. The rotation around the first axis A1 of the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 is referred to as revolution. On the other hand, as the stepping motor 51 moves the inner shaft 40 up and down, the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 rotate around the support shaft 473 that is a horizontal axis, and the centrifugal force acting on the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2. The centrifugal direction of the relative change. The rotation around the second axis A2 of the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 is referred to as rotation.

In the state where the support member 54 shown in FIG. 2 is raised to the uppermost end of the movable range, the rack gear 43 is also raised to the uppermost end of the movable range (hereinafter referred to as “locked state”). At this time, the right holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 are in a state rotated by 17 degrees clockwise as an example around the second axis A2 from a steady state to be described later (see FIG. 5 (1), hereinafter “rotation angle− 17 degrees "). This state is a locked state of the holder 61 described later. Further, when the support member 54 is lowered by a predetermined distance from the uppermost end of the movable range, the rack gear 43 is also lowered by a predetermined distance from the uppermost end (see FIG. 5 (2)). At this time, the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 are in a steady state where the rotation angle is 0 degree. In addition, when the support member 54 shown in FIG. 2 is lowered to the lowermost end of the movable range, the rack gear 43 is also lowered to the lowermost end of the movable range (see FIG. 5 (3)). At this time, the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 are rotated from the steady state by 90 degrees counterclockwise around the second axis A2. In other words, in the present embodiment, the angular width in which the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 can rotate during the centrifugation process described later is a rotation angle of 0 to 90 degrees.

The detailed structure of the cover 80 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the cover 80 is a cylindrical member whose upper side is closed. The cover 80 has a side surface portion 80A and an upper surface portion 80B. The cover 80 is installed on the upper side of the upper plate 32. More specifically, the cover 80 is provided outside the rotation range in which the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 are rotated as viewed from the main shaft 57 at the rotation center of the turntable 33. The cover 80 covers the rotation range from above. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a cover opening 81 for inserting the test chip 2 into the holder 61 is provided from the upper surface 80 B of the cover 80 to the front side surface 80 A. FIG. 3 shows a state where the upper surface portion 80B of the cover 80 is removed. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a protrusion 80G is provided on the lower surface side of the upper surface portion 80B. The protrusion 80G is provided at a position facing a groove 42A formed between a pair of protrusions 42 described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, a hole 80D is formed on the diagonally right rear side of the side surface 80A of the cover 80. A hole 80E is formed on the diagonally left rear side of the side surface 80A of the cover 80. The measurement unit 7 that performs optical measurement on the inspection chip 2 includes a light source 71 that emits measurement light, and an optical sensor 72 that detects the measurement light emitted from the light source 71. The light source 71 is disposed on the right side of the hole 80D. The optical sensor 72 is disposed on the left side of the hole 80E.

In the present embodiment, the rear position of the spindle 57 in the reciprocable range of the inspection chip 2 is a measurement position where the inspection chip 2 is irradiated with measurement light. When the inspection chip 2 is at the measurement position, the measurement light 70 connecting the light source 71 and the optical sensor 72 intersects the

sheets

291 and 292 of the inspection chip 2 shown in FIG. A hole 61A is formed in the holder 61 at a position close to the measurement unit 293 in a state where the inspection chip 2 shown in FIG. The measurement light 70 emitted from the light source 71 passes through the measurement unit 293 of the inspection chip 2 at the measurement position, and further passes through the hole 61 A of the holder 61 and is detected by the optical sensor 72. As described above, optical measurement by the measurement unit 7 is performed.

2 and 3, the lower side of the rear side of the side surface portion 80A of the cover 80 protrudes in a box shape toward the rear. Hereinafter, the portion protruding in a box shape is referred to as a “box portion 82”. The box portion 82 has a rear surface 82A, a side surface 82B, and a side surface 82C. The rear surface 82A is a substantially rectangular cylindrical surface extending vertically and horizontally. The side surface 82B and the side surface 82C are wall surfaces that connect the side surface portion 80A and the rear surface 82A of the cover 80, respectively. The distance between the first axis A1 and the rear surface 82A is farther than the distance between the first axis A1 and the side surface portion 80A. Accordingly, the box portion 82 has a groove shape that is separated from the first axis A1. Further, the left and right widths of the rear surface 82A are slightly wider than the protrusions 64A of the holder 61. Accordingly, the protruding portion 64 A can enter the box portion 82.

<2-1. First Embodiment of Locking Mechanism of Rotation around First Axis A1 of Holder 61>
The first embodiment of the lock mechanism 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. The lock mechanism 6 is a lock mechanism that locks rotation about the first axis A1 of the holder 61 shown in FIG. The lock mechanism 6 according to the first embodiment includes a pair of projecting portions 42 and a projecting portion 80G. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pair of projecting portions 42 are provided so as to project from the rack gear holding member 41 fixed to the upper end portion of the inner shaft 40 toward the upper surface portion 80 B of the upper cover 80. Yes. The groove part 42A formed between the pair of protrusions 42 has a groove width in which a rectangular parallelepiped protrusion part 80G protruding downward from the upper surface part 80B of the cover 80 can be fitted.

As shown in FIG. 5 (2), a state where the normal A3 of the opening surface 61E of the opening 61D of the holder 61 is parallel to the first axis A1 is a steady state of the holder 61. At this time, the rotation angle of the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 is 0 degree. Further, as shown in FIG. 5 (3), the state where the normal A3 is orthogonal to the first axis A1 is the state where the rotation angle of the holder 61 and the test chip 2 is 90 degrees. In the centrifugal processing described later, the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 are swung in a range of the rotation angle from 0 degree to 90 degrees in a state where the turntable 30 is rotated and the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 are revolved. It is rotated. 5 (1) to (3), the region within the chain double-dashed line 60 is a region of revolution when the holder 61 is rotated within a range of swinging from a rotation angle of 0 degrees to a rotation angle of 90 degrees ( Hereinafter, it is simply referred to as the “revolution area”). The cover 80 covers the revolution area.

When the rotation of the holder 61 around the first axis A1 is locked, the inner shaft 40 is raised from the steady state of the holder 61 shown in FIG. Projecting from the region toward the upper surface 80B of the cover 80. Therefore, the protrusion 80G provided on the lower surface side of the upper surface portion 80B is fitted into the groove portion 42A between the pair of projecting portions 42. This fitting is an example of “contact”. Accordingly, the rotation of the holder 61 around the first axis A1 is locked. When the holder 61 is unlocked, the inner shaft 40 is lowered to a steady state shown in FIG. Therefore, the fitting with the groove 42A between the pair of protrusions 42 of the protrusion 80G is released.

<2-2. Second Embodiment of Locking Mechanism of Rotation Centering on First Axis A1 of Holder 61>
Next, a second embodiment of the lock mechanism of the holder 61 will be described. The locking mechanism of the second embodiment is configured by a box portion 82 formed on the side surface portion 80A of the cover 80 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and a protruding portion 64A of the holder 61. When the rotation around the first axis A1 of the holder 61 is locked, the inner shaft 40 rises from the steady state of the holder 61 shown in FIG. As the inner shaft 40 is raised, the pair of rack gears 43 are also raised, and the gear portions 76 meshing with the rack gears 43 are also rotated. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5 (1), the right holder 61 rotates in the clockwise direction and the left holder 61 rotates in the clockwise direction around the second axis A2. An example of the rotation angle is 17 degrees. In this state, as shown in FIG. 5A, the protruding portion 64 A of the left holder 61 protrudes outward from the revolution region indicated by the two-dot chain line 60. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the protruding portion 64A enters the box portion 82 provided on the side surface portion 80A of the cover 80 and engages with the inside of the rear surface 82A. This engagement is an example of “contact”. Specifically, even if the holder 61 tries to rotate clockwise around the first axis A1, the projecting portion 64A of the holder 61 comes into contact with the side surface 82B in the box portion 82, and the first axis A1 of the holder 61 Rotation around is prohibited. Further, even if the holder 61 attempts to rotate counterclockwise about the first axis A1, the protrusion 64A of the holder 61 abuts on the side surface 82C in the box portion 82, and the holder 61 is centered on the first axis A1. Rotation is prohibited. Accordingly, the rotation of the holder 61 around the first axis A 1 is locked by the box portion 82 of the cover 80. When the holder 61 is unlocked, the inner shaft 40 is lowered to a steady state shown in FIG. Accordingly, the engagement of the protruding portion 64A of the holder 61 with the box portion 82 is released.

As shown in FIG. 5 (2), both corners of the lower end portion of the holder 61 are formed in an arc shape, and a convex portion 61C is formed. A length ra from the second axis A2 that is the axis of rotation of the holder 61 to the protrusion 64A of the holder 61 is longer than a length rb from the second axis A2 to the tip of the convex portion 61C of the holder 61. However, during the centrifugal processing of the holder 61, which will be described later, the holder 61 is swung and rotated only within the range of the rotation angle 0 ° to the rotation angle 90 ° shown in FIG. There is no hindrance to rocking rotation.

<3. Electrical configuration of control device 90>
The electrical configuration of the control device 90 will be described with reference to FIG. The control device 90 includes a CPU 91 that performs main control of the inspection device 1, a RAM 92 that temporarily stores various data, a flash memory 93 that stores parameters, a program ROM 95 that stores control programs, a revolution controller 97, and A rotation controller 98 is provided. As the control device 90, a personal computer connected to the inspection device 1 from the outside may be used, or a dedicated control device connected to the inspection device 1 from the outside may be used.

Furthermore, the measurement unit 7, the operation unit 94, the display unit 99, the lid lock solenoid 96, and the lid lock sensor 100 are connected to the CPU 91. The revolution controller 97 controls the revolution of the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 by transmitting a control signal for rotating the spindle motor 35 to the spindle motor 35. The rotation controller 98 controls the rotation of the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2 by transmitting a control signal for rotating the stepping motor 51 to the stepping motor 51. The measurement unit 7 performs optical measurement of the inspection chip 2. Specifically, the measurement unit 7 performs light emission of the light source 71 and light detection of the optical sensor 72. The lid lock solenoid 96 drives a lid lock member (not shown) to bring the lid member 11B into a locked state or a unlocked state. The lid lock sensor 100 detects whether or not the lid member 11B is locked. The CPU 91 controls the revolution controller 97, the rotation controller 98, the measurement unit 7, the lid lock solenoid 96 and the display unit 99.

<4. Revolution lock and inspection method around the first axis A1 of the holder 61>
Next, with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, an example of fixing and releasing the holder 61 and an inspection method will be described. When the inspection apparatus 1 is stopped and the lid member 11B is not locked, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 (1), the inner shaft 40 and the rack gear 43 are raised to the uppermost end of the movable range, Revolution about the first axis A1 of the holder 61 is locked. The holder 61 is locked in step S8 of main control described below. This will be described below.

When the CPU 91 shown in FIG. 3 detects that the power switch of the operation unit 94 is turned on, the CPU 91 starts the main control process shown in FIG. 4 based on the control program stored in the program ROM 95. First, the CPU 91 determines whether or not an operation for starting an inspection is performed on the operation unit 94 (S1). When the CPU 91 determines that the inspection start operation has been performed (S1: NO), it drives the lid lock solenoid 96 (see FIG. 3) to lock the lid member 11B with a lid lock member (not shown) (S2). Next, the CPU 91 determines whether or not the lid member 11B is locked based on a signal from the lid lock sensor 100 (S3). When the CPU 91 does not receive a signal indicating that the lid member 11B is locked from the lid lock sensor 100 (S3: NO), the display unit 99 displays, for example, “The lid member cannot be locked. The processing is terminated. Is displayed and a lid member lock error display is performed (S4). Next, the CPU 91 returns the process to S3.

When the CPU 91 determines that the lid member 11B is locked based on a signal from the lid lock sensor 100 (S3: YES), the CPU 91 unlocks the holder 61 (S5). Specifically, the CPU 91 sends a lock release command for the holder 61 to the rotation controller 98. When the rotation controller 98 receives the unlock command, it drives the stepping motor 51 to raise the inner shaft 40 and the rack gear 43 to the uppermost end of the movable range shown in FIG. Lower to the steady state shown.

Next, the CPU 91 performs centrifugal processing (S6). In this centrifugal process, the CPU 91 reads motor drive information stored in advance in the program ROM, sets the drive information of the spindle motor 35 in the revolution controller 97, and sets the drive information of the stepping motor 51 in the rotation controller 98. To do. At this time, the holder 61 holding the inspection chip 2 is in a steady state and has a rotation angle of 0 degree as shown in FIG. Next, the CPU 91 controls the revolution controller 97 to start driving the spindle motor 35. As a result, the inspection chip 2 having a rotation angle of 0 degrees revolves. The spindle motor 35 increases the rotation speed of the turntable 33 to the speed V based on an instruction from the revolution controller 97. The speed V is, for example, 3000 rpm. When the turntable 33 is rotated at this speed V, a centrifugal force of about several hundreds G acts on the inspection chip 2. Reagents and specimens move in the test chip 2 by the action of centrifugal force.

Next, the CPU 91 controls the rotation controller 98 to drive and control the stepping motor 51 to rotate the holder 61 holding the inspection chip 2 up to a rotation angle of 90 degrees as shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 5 (3), the holder 61 holding the inspection chip 2 is rotated up to a rotation angle of 90 degrees, and centrifugal force acts on the inspection chip 2 from the upper side to the lower side of the inspection chip 2. Reagents and specimens move in the test chip 2 by the action of the centrifugal force. In the centrifugal process, while the turntable 33 rotates, the holder 61 repeats the rotation between the rotation angle 0 degree and the rotation angle 90 degrees for a predetermined number of times, and finally, the rotation angle 0 degree shown in FIG. Stop at. As a result, a centrifugal force in a direction corresponding to the rotation angle acts on the holder 61 and the inspection chip 2. The specimen and reagent in the test chip 2 move along the liquid flow path by the action of the centrifugal force. The specimen and the reagent are quantified and mixed in the process of moving in the liquid channel. The liquid mixture moves to the measurement unit 293 by the action of centrifugal force and is stored in the measurement unit 293.

Thereafter, the CPU 91 controls the measurement unit 7 to perform measurement (S7). Specifically, the measurement light 70 emitted from the light source 71 passes through the measurement unit 293 of the inspection chip 2 at the measurement position, and further passes through the hole 61A of the holder 61 and is detected by the optical sensor 72. The As described above, optical measurement is performed by the measurement unit 7 (S7).

Next, the CPU 91 locks rotation about the first axis A1 of the holder 61 (S8). Specifically, the CPU 91 sends a lock command for the holder 61 to the rotation controller 98. When the rotation controller 98 receives the lock command, it drives the stepping motor 51 to raise the inner shaft 40 and the rack gear 43 from the steady state shown in FIG. 5 (2) to the uppermost end of the movable range shown in FIG. 5 (1). Raise to the state. As the inner shaft 40 is raised, the rack gear 43 is raised, the gear portion 76 is rotated, and the holder 61 is rotated at a rotation angle of −17 degrees. At this time, the normal A3 of the opening surface 61E of the opening 61D of the holder 61 is inclined in a direction away from the first axis A1.

In the case of the first embodiment of the locking mechanism, as shown in FIG. 5A, the pair of projecting portions 42 project from the revolution region toward the upper surface portion 80B of the cover 80, and on the lower surface side of the upper surface portion 80B. The provided projecting portion 80G fits into the groove portion 42A between the pair of projecting portions 42. Accordingly, the rotation of the holder 61 around the first axis A1 is locked (S8).

In the case of the second embodiment of the locking mechanism, as shown in FIG. 3, the protrusion 64 A of the holder 61 protrudes outward from the revolution region indicated by the two-dot chain line 60 as shown in FIG. 5 (1). As shown in FIG. 3, the inner side of the box portion 82 provided on the side surface portion 80 A of the cover 80 is engaged. Accordingly, the box portion 82 provided on the side surface portion 80A of the cover 80 locks the rotation around the first axis A1 of the holder. Next, the user opens the lid member 11 B and removes the inspection chip 2 from the holder 61.

<5. Main actions and effects of this embodiment>
As described above, in the inspection apparatus 1, in order to lock the rotation of the holder 61 around the first axis A 1, the protrusion 42 and the protrusion 80 G or the protrusion 64 A and the box as the lock mechanism 6. There is no need to separately provide a lock mechanism other than 82. Since the lock mechanism 6 locks the rotation of the spindle motor 35, the spindle 57, and the turntable 33 in accordance with the swing of the holder 61 by the stepping motor 51 and the angle changing mechanism 34, other than the stepping motor 51 and the angle changing mechanism 34 There is no need to provide a mechanism for driving the lock mechanism 6. Therefore, the structure of the lock mechanism 6 is not complicated, and there is no possibility that the cost will increase.

Further, the protrusion 42 is configured to lock the rotation of the holder 61 around the first axis A 1 by contacting the protrusion 84 of the cover 80. Further, the protrusion 64A engages with the box portion 82 of the cover 80 to lock the rotation of the holder 61 around the first axis A1. In any case, since the protrusion 42 or the protrusion 64A abuts the cover 80, the rotation stop position of the holder 61 around the first axis A1 is positioned and locked with respect to the cover 80. Therefore, the possibility that the lock position of the holder 61 is shifted with respect to the cover 80 is reduced. Therefore, the possibility that the holder stop position shifts with respect to the cover member is low, and the possibility that a failure due to the holder stop position shift occurs when the inspection chip is attached to or detached from the holder can be reduced.

Also, since the protrusion 64A is provided on the holder 61 for which it is desired to prevent displacement, the stop position deviation of the holder 61 can be further reduced as compared with the case where the protrusion 64A is provided in addition to the holder 61. When the inspection chip 2 is attached to or detached from the holder 61, the user's finger may come into contact with the inner part from the protruding portion 64 A of the holder 61. In the case of the second embodiment, since the protrusion 64A is provided on the holder 61, the distance from the first axis A1 to the protrusion 64A of the holder 61 rather than the distance from the first axis A1 to the contact location. Is long. Therefore, since the protrusion 64A of the holder 61 is locked to the box portion 82 at a position far from the first axis A1, it is possible to reduce the displacement of the stop position with respect to the rotation of the holder 61 about the first axis A1.

In order to reduce the possibility that the user touches the hand, the angle changing mechanism 34 such as the inner shaft 40, the rack gear holding member 41, and the rack gear 43 is covered with the upper surface portion 80 B of the cover 80. If the inspection chip 2 is attached to or detached from the holder 61 in the direction parallel to the angle changing mechanism 34, the user may touch the angle changing mechanism 34. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the normal A3 of the opening surface 61E of the opening 61D of the holder 61 is along the direction away from the first axis A1, the inspection chip 2 is attached to or detached from the holder 61. The attaching / detaching direction of 2 is obliquely upward away from the first axis A1. Therefore, the possibility that the user touches the angle changing mechanism 34 when the inspection chip 2 is attached to or detached from the holder 61 can be reduced.

The CPU 91 of the control device 90 controls the revolution controller 97 to stop the revolution of the holder 61, and also controls the rotation controller 98 to make the holder 61 a first angle range from 0 degree rotation angle to 90 degree rotation angle. The holder 61 can be prevented from revolving simply by rotating outward and projecting the

protrusions

42 and 64A outside the revolution region. Accordingly, the function of locking the holder 61 can be realized without providing a drive mechanism other than the revolution controller 97 and the rotation controller 98. Further, when the holder 61 swings and rotates within the first angle range, the

protrusions

42 and 64A do not protrude outside the revolution region, so that the

protrusions

42 and 64A do not hinder the production during the centrifugal process.

The main shaft motor 35, the main shaft 57, and the turntable 33 are examples of the “first rotation mechanism” of the present invention. The stepping motor 51 and the angle changing mechanism 34 are examples of the “second rotating mechanism” in the present invention. The

protrusions

42 and 64A are examples of the “protrusion” in the present invention. The cover 80 is an example of the “cover member” in the present invention. The protruding portion 80G and the box portion 82 are examples of the “contacted portion” in the present invention. A range from the rotation angle of 0 degree to the rotation angle of 90 degrees is an example of the “first angle range”.

<7. Other>
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the protrusion portion 80G is not fitted into the groove portion 42A of the protrusion portion 42, but the protrusion portion 42 abuts on a place where the frictional resistance of the inner surface of the upper surface portion 80B of the cover 80 is large, and the friction resistance causes the holder 61 to The rotation around the first axis A1 may be locked. In this case, one protrusion 42 may be provided. Further, the rotation locking mechanism around the first axis A1 of the holder 61 may be provided with both the first embodiment and the second embodiment. Either one of them may be used.

Further, the box portion 82 does not necessarily have a groove shape that is separated from the first axis A1, and may be locked by abutting against a high friction member provided on the side surface portion 80A of the cover 80. Moreover, although the protrusion part 64A is provided in the rotation part of the holder lid 64 of the holder 61, it is not restricted to this. For example, the convex portion 61C at the bottom of the holder 61 may be enlarged to replace the protruding portion 64A.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inspection apparatus 2 Inspection chip 3 Inspection system 7 Measuring part 33 Turntable 34 Angle changing mechanism 35 Spindle motor 42 Protrusion part 42A Groove part 51 Stepping motor 57 Spindle 61 Holder

64A Protrusion part

61D Opening part

61E Opening surface 80 Cover 90 Control apparatus 91 CPU
94 Operation Unit 293 Measurement Unit A1 First Axis A2 Second Axis A3 Normal

Claims

A holder for holding an inspection chip;
A first rotation mechanism that revolves the holder around a first axis and applies a centrifugal force to the inspection chip;
A second rotating mechanism that swings the holder about a second axis and changes the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the inspection chip;
A lock mechanism that locks the rotation of the first rotation mechanism in response to the swing of the holder by the second rotation mechanism;
An inspection apparatus comprising:
A cover member covering a region of revolution by the first rotation mechanism;
The lock mechanism is provided on the cover member and protrudes toward the cover member in response to the swing of the holder by the second rotation mechanism, and comes into contact with the protrusion and performs the first rotation. The inspection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a contacted part that locks the rotation of the mechanism.
3. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the protrusion is provided on the holder.
The cover member includes a cover opening for inserting the inspection chip into the holder,
The holder includes a holder opening into which the inspection chip is inserted,
When the protrusion is in contact with the contacted portion of the cover member and the rotation of the first rotation mechanism is locked, the normal of the opening surface of the holder opening is from the first axis. The inspection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the inspection apparatus is along a direction away from the inspection apparatus.
A control device for controlling the first rotation mechanism and the second rotation mechanism;
The controller controls the first rotation mechanism to cause the holder to revolve, and the second rotation mechanism to control the second rotation mechanism to swing the holder within a predetermined first angle range. Run,
The control device controls the first rotation mechanism to stop the revolution of the holder, and controls the second rotation mechanism to swing the holder out of the first angle range. The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the protruding portion is protruded outside the region of revolution at the time of the centrifugal treatment and is brought into contact with the contacted portion of the cover member.