JP2014119319A - Inspection chip and inspection system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspection chip and an inspection system that is difficult to be clogged with a second component separated centrifugally.SOLUTION: In a flow channel from a first opening 112 to a first inflow entrance 117, a first recess opening in the inflow direction of the first inflow entrance 117 corresponds to a specimen holding part 113, and the number of the first recess is one. In a flow channel from a second opening 101 to a second inflow entrance 118, second recesses opening in the inflow direction correspond to the second opening 101 and the specimen holding part 113, and the number of the second recesses is two. In the flow channel from the first opening 112 to the first inflow entrance 117, a third recess opening in a direction orthogonal to the inflow direction corresponds to a flow channel 115, and the number of the third recess is one. In the flow channel from the second opening 101 to the second inflow entrance 118, fourth recesses opening in the direction orthogonal to the inflow direction correspond to a flow channel 105 and the flow channel 115, and the number of the fourth recesses is two. The number of the first recess is smaller than the number of the second recesses, and the number of the third recess is smaller than the number of the fourth recesses.

Description

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

  Conventionally, a test chip for testing a specimen such as a biological substance or a chemical substance is known. For example, the inspection chip disclosed in Patent Document 1 is formed by bonding a first substrate and a second substrate. A groove is formed on the surface of the first substrate, and a fluid circuit is formed from the groove and the first substrate side surface of the second substrate. The fluid circuit includes a centrifuge for separating the specimen into a first component and a second component having a specific gravity greater than that of the first component by centrifugal force acting on the test chip in the first direction. . Centrifugal force is applied to the centrifugal separator in the second direction, and the first component unnecessary for the measurement and an extra part of the second component are taken out from the opening of the centrifugal separator. And the remainder of a 2nd component is hold | maintained at a centrifuge part. When the centrifugal force is applied to the centrifuge in the third direction, the remaining second component is taken out from the opening of the centrifuge.

JP 2009-276143 A

  The centrifuge part of the test chip disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a storage part that stores a specimen. The bottom of the housing portion is a U-shaped bottom. In addition, the entrance of the specimen to the storage section is an opening having a narrower opening width than the storage section. As a result, when the second component such as blood cells separated by the centrifugal separator is moved, there is a problem that the second component is likely to be clogged in the opening having a narrow opening width.

  The objective of this invention is providing the test | inspection chip and test | inspection system which are hard to clog a 2nd component among the 1st component centrifuged and the 2nd component with larger specific gravity than a 1st component.

  The test chip of the first aspect of the present invention is connected to a sample injection port into which a sample is injected, and is connected to a first opening that opens toward the sample injection port, and a reagent injection port into which a reagent is injected, A first opening that is formed downstream of the second opening, the first opening, and the second opening that opens toward the reagent injection port, and is included in the sample supplied from the first opening. And a second component made of solid or semi-solid, a first component holding unit connected to the separation unit and holding the separated first component, and formed downstream of the separation unit And a first flow that opens toward the separation unit and is located in the flow path from the first opening to the separation unit. An inlet and an opening toward the separation part, from the second opening part to the separation part A second inlet located in the middle of the flow path, and in the flow path from the first opening to the first inlet, the number of first recesses opened in the opening direction of the first inlet is: In the flow path from the second opening to the second inlet, the number of second recesses opened in the opening direction of the second inlet is smaller, and the flow from the first opening to the first inlet is smaller. The number of the third recesses opened in the direction intersecting the opening direction of the first inlet in the path is the opening direction of the second inlet in the flow path from the second opening to the second inlet. The number of the fourth recesses is less than the number of the fourth recesses opened in the direction intersecting with the first inlet, and the separation part is formed in a concave shape in the range from the opening direction of the first inlet to the direction intersecting with the opening direction. .

  According to the test chip according to the above aspect, the number of the first recesses is smaller than the number of the second recesses, and the number of the third recesses is less than the number of the fourth recesses. to go into. Since the first component holding unit is connected to the separation unit, the first component separated in the separation unit flows into the first component holding unit in the process of injecting the reagent into the separation unit. Since the separation part is formed in a concave shape in the range from the opening direction of the first inflow port to the direction crossing the opening direction, the second component remains in the separation part in the process of injecting the reagent into the separation part. Since the reagent is injected into the second component remaining in the separation unit, the second component and the reagent are mixed in the separation unit. Therefore, since the separated second component is mixed with the reagent without moving to other than the separation unit, the possibility that the second component is clogged in the flow path in the test chip can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce a decrease in specimen inspection accuracy.

  The first inlet may also serve as the second inlet. In order to prevent clogging of the second component in the inspection chip, it is conceivable to increase the width of the flow path. However, if the first inlet also serves as the second inlet, the inspection chip becomes larger. . On the other hand, in the present invention, since the first inlet also serves as the second inlet, the second component can reduce the size of the inspection chip while reducing the clogging of the second component into the flow path in the inspection chip. Can do.

  The first recess may be the same as a part of the second recess, and the third recess may be the same as a part of the fourth recess. In this case, the inspection chip can be reduced in size while reducing the second component from clogging the flow path in the inspection chip.

  The value obtained by subtracting the number of the first recesses from the number of the second recesses and the value obtained by subtracting the number of the third recesses from the number of the fourth recesses may be one. In this case, the value obtained by subtracting the number of the first recesses from the number of the second recesses and the value obtained by subtracting the number of the third recesses from the number of the fourth recesses are 1, so that the sample is separated from the sample holder. The process can be simplified by adding one more step of sending the reagent from the reagent holding unit to the separation unit than the step of sending to the separation unit. In the separation unit, the reagent is supplied earlier to the separated second component. As a result, when the second component is a component that changes with the passage of time, such as deliquescence, the degree of change of the second component can be further reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce a decrease in inspection accuracy of the second component.

  A connection channel that connects the first component holding unit and the separation unit may be provided, and the connection channel may be along the inflow direction. In this case, it is possible to reduce the flow of the sample or reagent into the first component holding unit when the sample or reagent flows into the separation unit. As a result, it is possible to reduce the decrease in the specimen or reagent.

  A virtual line extending the extending direction from the separation part to the first component holding part in the connection channel and a virtual line extending the extending direction of the wall part extending downstream from the outlet of the separation part. The line may intersect at an acute angle. In this case, when the second component is taken out from the separation unit, it is possible to reduce the second component from flowing into the first component holding unit. As a result, it is possible to reduce the decrease in the second component. Therefore, it is possible to reduce a decrease in inspection accuracy of the second component.

  The connection position of the connection flow path in the separation unit may be a reference position for the quantitative amount of the second component. In this case, since the connection position of the connection channel is at the reference position of the quantitative amount of the second component, the second component can be more accurately quantified at the time of quantification. Therefore, the inspection accuracy of the second component can be improved.

  Of the wall surfaces on which the second inlet is formed, even if a straight line drawn from the front end of the second inlet intersects with the bottom surface of the separation unit, a straight line perpendicular to the wall surface on the measurement unit side in the intersecting direction Good. In this case, the reagent can be directly applied to the second component, and the second component and the reagent are easily mixed.

  The test system according to the second aspect of the present invention is a test chip for quantifying and mixing a specimen or a reagent, and a centrifugal force is applied to the test chip by revolving the test chip around a predetermined first axis. And an inspection system configured to change the direction of the centrifugal force by rotating the inspection chip around a second axis different from the first axis, the inspection chip comprising: A first opening that is connected to the sample injection port to which the reagent is injected and opens toward the sample injection port; and a second opening that is connected to the reagent injection port to which the reagent is injected and opens toward the reagent injection port A first component that is formed downstream of the first opening and the second opening, and is included in the specimen supplied from the first opening, and a second component that is made of solid or semi-solid. Separation part to be separated, front A first component holding unit connected to a separation unit and holding the separated first component; a measurement unit formed downstream of the separation unit and measuring a second component separated in the separation unit; A first inflow opening in the flow path from the first opening to the separation section; the first inflow opening toward the separation section; and the separation from the second opening. A second inlet located in the middle of the flow path to the first portion, and in the flow path from the first opening to the first inlet, a first recess opening in the opening direction of the first inlet. The number is less than the number of second recesses opened in the opening direction of the second inlet in the flow path from the second opening to the second inlet, and the first inlet to the first inlet A third recess opened in a direction intersecting the opening direction of the first inlet The number of parts is less than the number of fourth recesses opened in the direction intersecting the opening direction of the second inlet in the flow path from the second opening to the second inlet, and the separation part is The first inflow port is formed in a concave shape in a range in a direction intersecting with the opening direction, and the inspection device includes a rotation control means for controlling the rotation, and a revolution control means for controlling the revolution. The rotation control means includes a first step of rotating the test chip in a direction in which the specimen is injected from the first inflow port into the separation unit by a centrifugal force generated by the revolution, and the centrifugal force, A second step of rotating the test chip in a direction in which the specimen is separated into the first component and the second component by the separation unit; and the centrifugal force causes the first component and the second component to be rotated. Part of the first component A third step of rotating the test chip in a direction in which the second component is quantified by a predetermined amount necessary for the measurement, and the reagent from the second inlet by the centrifugal force. And a fourth step of rotating the test chip in a direction in which the reagent is mixed with the quantified second component while being injected into the separation unit.

  According to the inspection system according to the above aspect, since the number of the first recesses of the test chip is smaller than the number of the second recesses and the number of the third recesses is less than the number of the fourth recesses, the specimen is ahead of the reagent. Enter the separation section. Since the first component holding unit is connected to the separation unit, the first component separated in the separation unit flows into the first component holding unit in the process of injecting the reagent into the separation unit. Since the separation part is formed in a concave shape in a range from the opening direction of the first inflow port to the direction crossing the opening direction, the second component remains in the separation part in the process of injecting the reagent into the separation part. Since the reagent is injected into the second component remaining in the separation unit, the second component and the reagent are mixed in the separation unit. Therefore, since the separated second component is mixed with the reagent without moving to other than the separation unit, the possibility that the second component is clogged in the chip can be reduced.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the test | inspection system 3 containing the test | inspection apparatus 1 and the control apparatus 90. FIG. It is a front view of the test | inspection chip 2 before a centrifugation process. It is the expansion part front view of the isolation | separation part 120 and its circumference | surroundings. It is a front view of the test | inspection chip 2 revolved in the autorotation angle of 0 degree | times. It is a front view of the test | inspection chip 2 revolved in 54 autorotation angles. It is a front view of the test | inspection chip 2 revolved in 90 autorotation angles. It is a front view of the test | inspection chip 2 revolved in the autorotation angle of 0 degree | times. It is a front view of the test | inspection chip 2 revolved in 54 autorotation angles. It is a front view of the test | inspection chip 2 revolved in 90 autorotation angles. It is a front view of the test | inspection chip 2 revolved in the autorotation angle of 0 degree | times.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a plane of the inspection apparatus 1 constituting the inspection system 3 and functional blocks inside the control apparatus 90.

<1. Schematic structure of inspection system 3>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described. A schematic structure of the inspection system 3 will be described with reference to FIG. The inspection system 3 of the present embodiment includes an inspection chip 2 that can store a sample and a reagent that are liquids, and an inspection apparatus 1 that performs an inspection using the inspection chip 2. When the inspection device 1 rotates the inspection chip 2 around the vertical axis A <b> 1 separated from the inspection chip 2, centrifugal force acts on the inspection chip 2. When the inspection apparatus 1 rotates the inspection chip 2 around the horizontal axis A2, the centrifugal direction, which is the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the inspection chip 2, is switched. In addition, since the inspection system 3 and the inspection apparatus 1 of this embodiment have a well-known structure as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-78107, the outline of the structure of the inspection apparatus 1 will be described in the following description.

<2. Structure of the inspection apparatus 1>
The structure of the inspection apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, the upper, lower, right, left, front side, and back side of FIG. 1 are defined as the front, rear, right, left, upper, and lower sides of the inspection apparatus 1, respectively. . In the present embodiment, the direction of the vertical axis A1 is the vertical direction of the inspection apparatus 1, and the direction of the horizontal axis A2 is the direction of the speed when the inspection chip 2 is rotated about the vertical axis A1. FIG. 1 shows a state where the top plate of the upper housing 30 of the inspection apparatus 1 is removed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection apparatus 1 includes an upper housing 30, a lower housing 31, an upper plate 32, a turntable 33, an angle changing mechanism 34, and a control device 90. The turntable 33 is a disk rotatably provided on the upper side of an upper plate 32 described later. The inspection chip 2 is held above the turntable 33. The angle changing mechanism 34 is a drive mechanism provided on the turntable 33. The angle changing mechanism 34 rotates the inspection chip 2 around the horizontal axis A2. The upper housing 30 is fixed to an upper plate 32 described later, and a measurement unit 7 that performs optical measurement on the inspection chip 2 is provided inside. The control device 90 is a controller that controls various processes of the inspection device 1.

  A schematic structure of the lower housing 31 will be described. The lower housing 31 has a box-shaped frame structure in which frame members are combined. An upper plate 32 that is a rectangular plate material is provided on the upper surface of the lower housing 31. A drive mechanism that rotates the turntable 33 around the vertical axis A1 is provided in the lower housing 31 as follows.

  A spindle motor 35 that supplies a driving force for rotating the turntable 33 is installed on the left side in the lower housing 31. A shaft 36 of the main shaft motor 35 protrudes upward, and a pulley 37 is fixed. A vertical main shaft 57 extending upward from the inside of the lower housing 31 is provided at the center of the lower housing 31. The main shaft 57 passes through the upper plate 32 and protrudes above the lower housing 31. 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 held by a support member (not shown) provided immediately below the upper plate 32. A pulley 38 is fixed to the main shaft 57 below the support member. A belt 39 is stretched over the pulley 37 and the pulley 38. When the main shaft motor 35 rotates the shaft 36, the driving force is transmitted to the main shaft 57 via the pulley 37, the belt 39, and the pulley 38. At this time, the turntable 33 rotates around the main shaft 57 in conjunction with the rotation of the main shaft 57.

  A guide rail (not shown) extending in the vertical direction inside the lower housing 31 is provided on the right side in the lower housing 31. A T-shaped plate (not shown) is movable in the vertical direction in the lower housing 31 along the guide rail.

  The aforementioned main shaft 57 is a cylindrical body having a hollow inside. An inner shaft (not shown) is a shaft that can move in the vertical direction inside the main shaft 57. The upper end portion of the inner shaft passes through the main shaft 57 and is connected to the rack gear 43. A bearing (not shown) is provided at the left end of the T-shaped plate. Inside the bearing, the lower end portion of the inner shaft is rotatably held.

  A stepping motor 51 for moving the T-shaped plate up and down is fixed in front of the T-shaped plate. The shaft 58 of the stepping motor 51 protrudes rearward, that is, downward in FIG. A disc-shaped cam plate (not shown) is fixed to the tip of the shaft 58. A cylindrical projection (not shown) is provided on the rear surface of the cam plate. The tip of the protrusion is inserted into a groove (not shown). The protrusion can slide in the groove. When the stepping motor 51 rotates the shaft 58, the protrusion moves up and down in conjunction with the rotation of the cam plate. At this time, the T-shaped plate moves up and down along the guide rail in conjunction with the protrusion inserted in the groove.

  The detailed structure of the angle changing mechanism 34 will be described. The angle changing mechanism 34 has a pair of L-shaped plates 60 fixed to the upper surface of the turntable 33. Each L-shaped plate 60 extends upward from a base portion fixed in the vicinity of the center of the turntable 33, and its upper end portion extends outward in the radial direction of the turntable 33. A rack gear 43 (not shown) fixed to the inner shaft is provided between the pair of L-shaped plates 60. The rack gear 43 is a metal plate-like member that is long in the vertical direction, and gears are respectively carved on both end faces.

  On the front end side in the extending direction of each L-shaped plate 60, a horizontal support shaft 46 having a gear 45 is rotatably supported. The support shaft 46 is fixed to the inspection chip 2 via a mounting holder (not shown). For this reason, the inspection chip 2 also rotates around the support shaft 46 in conjunction with the rotation of the gear 45. Between the gear 45 and the rack gear 43, a pinion gear 44 supported by an L-shaped plate 60 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis (not shown) is interposed. The pinion gear 44 meshes with the gear 45 and the rack gear 43, respectively. In conjunction with the vertical movement of the rack gear 43, the pinion gear 44 and the gear 45 are driven to rotate, and the inspection chip 2 rotates about the support shaft 46.

  In the present embodiment, as the main shaft motor 35 rotates and drives the turntable 33, the inspection chip 2 rotates around the main shaft 57, which is a vertical axis, and centrifugal force is applied to the inspection chip 2. The rotation around the vertical axis A1 of the inspection chip 2 is referred to as revolution. On the other hand, as the stepping motor 51 moves the inner shaft up and down, the inspection chip 2 rotates about the support shaft 46 which is a horizontal axis, and the direction of the centrifugal force acting on the inspection chip 2 changes relatively. The rotation around the horizontal axis A2 of the inspection chip 2 is called autorotation.

  In a state where the T-shaped plate 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. At this time, the inspection chip 2 is in a steady state where the rotation angle is 0 degree. Further, in the state where the T-shaped plate 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. At this time, the test | inspection chip 2 will be in the state rotated 180 degree | times centering on the horizontal axis line A2 from the steady state. That is, in this embodiment, the angle width that the test chip 2 can rotate is the rotation angle of 0 degrees to 180 degrees.

  The detailed structure of the upper housing 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper housing 30 has a box-like frame structure in which frame members are combined, and is installed on the upper left side of the upper plate 32. More specifically, the upper housing 30 is provided outside the range in which the inspection chip 2 is rotated as viewed from the main shaft 57 at the rotation center of the turntable 33.

  The measurement unit 7 provided inside the upper housing 30 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 and the optical sensor 72 are disposed on both the front and rear sides of the turntable 33 outside the rotation range of the inspection chip 2. In the present embodiment, the position on the left side of the main shaft 57 in the reciprocable range of the inspection chip 2 is a measurement position at which the inspection chip 2 is irradiated with measurement light. When the inspection chip 2 is at the measurement position, the measurement light connecting the light source 71 and the optical sensor 72 intersects the surface of the inspection chip 2 substantially perpendicularly.

<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, and a ROM 93 that stores a control program. Connected to the CPU 91 are an operation unit 94 for a user to input instructions to the control device 90, a hard disk device 95 for storing various data and programs, and a display 96 for displaying various information. As the control device 90, a personal computer may be used, or a dedicated control device may be used.

  Further, a revolution controller 97, a rotation controller 98, and a measurement controller 99 are connected to the CPU 91. The revolution controller 97 controls the revolution of 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 inspection chip 2 by transmitting a control signal for rotating the stepping motor 51 to the stepping motor 51. The measurement controller 99 performs optical measurement of the inspection chip 2 by driving the measurement unit 7. Specifically, the measurement controller 99 transmits a control signal for executing light emission of the light source 71 and light detection of the optical sensor 72 to the light source 71 and the optical sensor 72. The CPU 91 controls the revolution controller 97, the rotation controller 98, and the measurement controller 99.

<4. Structure of inspection chip 2>
With reference to FIG.2 and FIG.3, the detailed structure of the test | inspection chip 2 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. In the following description, the upper, lower, right, left, front side, and back side of FIG. 2 are the upper, lower, right, left, front, and rear sides of the inspection chip 2, respectively. 3 to 10 show front views of the inspection chip 2 with the sheet 29 removed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the inspection chip 2 has a square shape when viewed from the front as an example, and includes an upper side portion 21, a right side portion 22, a left side portion 23, and a lower side portion 24, and has a predetermined thickness. Mainly a resin plate 20. The front surface of the plate member 20 is sealed with a sheet 29 made of a transparent synthetic resin thin plate. Between the plate member 20 and the sheet 29, a liquid flow path 25 is formed through which the liquid sealed in the inspection chip 2 can flow. The liquid flow path 25 is a recess formed on the front side of the plate member 20 with a predetermined depth, and extends in a direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction, which is the thickness direction of the plate member 20. That is, the sheet 29 seals the flow path forming surface of the liquid flow path 25 formed in the plate material 20.

  The liquid channel 25 includes a first opening 112, a second opening 101, a specimen holding unit 113, a separation unit 120, a first component holding unit 126, a first inlet 117, a second inlet 118, a channel 105, The channel 115, the sample surplus part 124, the first reagent injection part 132, the first reagent holding part 133, the first reagent inlet 134, the first reagent fixed part 135, the first reagent surplus part 137, and the second reagent injection part 142 , A second reagent holding unit 143, a second reagent inlet 144, a second reagent quantitative unit 145, a second reagent surplus unit 147, and a measuring unit 150.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first opening 112 is a portion into which the sample 11 is injected from the sample injection port 5 formed in the sheet 29. The first opening portion 112 is formed between a wall portion 103 extending downward from the upper side portion 21 and a wall portion 111 extending obliquely upward to the right from the left side portion 23 and opens in both the vertical direction. . The specimen 11 of the present embodiment includes a first component made of a liquid and a second component made of a solid or semi-solid having a specific gravity greater than that of the first component. For example, blood, bone marrow, urine, vaginal tissue, epithelial tissue, tumor, semen, saliva or food. As an example, when the specimen 11 is blood, the first component is plasma and the second component is blood cells. The sample holder 113 is a part where the sample 11 injected into the first opening 112 flows and is held. The sample holder 113 is a recess formed between the wall 102 and the wall 111 and opening upward. The flow path 115 is a flow path connected to the upper side of the first opening 112 and extends obliquely to the left from the wall 114 and the wall 111 and the wall 114 extending downward from the upper side 21. It is formed between the wall 116. The flow path 115 is a supply flow path for the specimen 11 and the diluent 10 that extends downward along the wall 114 and the wall 116 and opens downward. The lower end of the channel 115 is connected to a first inlet 117 having a narrow channel. The first inflow port 117 allows the specimen 11 to flow from the flow path 115 to the separation unit 120. The first inlet 117 also functions as a second inlet 118 that allows the diluent 10 to flow into the separation unit 120. That is, the first inlet 117 is the second inlet 118.

  The second opening 101 is a portion into which the diluent 10 is injected from the diluent inlet 4 formed in the sheet 29. The second opening 101 is a recess that is formed between the left side 23 and the wall 102 that extends diagonally right upward from the left side 23 and opens upward. The flow path 105 is a flow path that is connected to the upper side of the second opening 101, and is between the wall 102 and the wall 103 and the wall 104 that extends obliquely downward to the left from the wall 103. Is formed. The flow path 105 is a supply flow path for the diluent 10 that extends downward along the wall 103 and the wall 104 and opens downward. The lower end portion of the channel 105 is connected to the sample holding unit 113.

  A separation unit 120 is provided diagonally to the right of the first inflow port 117. The separation part 120 is formed in a concave shape in the range from the opening direction of the first inflow port 117, that is, from the communication direction of the first inflow port 117 to the direction crossing the opening direction. That is, the separation part opens in a range from the opening direction of the first inflow port to the direction intersecting the opening direction. In other words, the separation unit 120 opens toward the first inflow port 117 and has a bottom surface 120C, a right side wall 120A, and a left side wall 120B and is formed in a concave shape. That is, the separation part 120 is a concave part that is inclined to the flow path 128 side and opens obliquely to the left. The separation unit 120 centrifuges the specimen 11 into a first component 11B and a second component 11A having a specific gravity greater than that of the first component 11B by the action of centrifugal force. The separation unit 120 is a part in which the diluent 10 is injected into the second component after the first component 11B has flowed out to the first component holding unit 126, and a predetermined amount of the diluted second component is quantified. . As an example, when the specimen 11 is blood, the first component 11B is plasma and the second component 11A is blood cells. As shown in FIG. 3, a virtual plane K extending horizontally from the bottom surface 120C, the right side wall 120A, the left side wall 120B, and the left upper end 123 of the separation unit 120 and the lower side 24 shown in FIG. The volume of the separation unit 120 surrounded by the second component is larger than the volume of the specimen 11 injected into the first opening 112 and is centrifuged at the separation unit 120 and quantified as described later, The volume is equal to or less than the amount mixed with the diluent injected into the two openings 101.

  A flow path 128 that extends diagonally to the left is connected to the first inlet 117. The channel 128 extends to the specimen surplus portion 124 provided on the lower left side of the separation portion 120. The specimen surplus part 124 is a part in which the specimen 11 or the diluent 10 overflowing from the separation part 120 is stored, and is a concave part extending rightward from the lower end part of the channel 128. The flow path 128 is bent when viewed from the front so that the formation direction of the flow path changes. Thus, in order for the sample 11 to move between the separation unit 120 and the sample surplus unit 124 in the flow path 128, it is necessary to apply external forces in a plurality of different directions to the sample 11. That is, the specimen 11 stored in the specimen surplus portion 124 is unlikely to flow backward to the separation portion 120 via the flow path 128.

  Further, the flow path 129 extends a predetermined length in the upper right direction from a portion where the first inflow port 117 and the separation portion 120 communicate with each other, bends and extends downward along the wall portion 114 for a predetermined length. A measurement unit 150 is provided obliquely below and to the right of the downstream end of the flow path 129.

  With reference to FIG. 3, the structures of the separation unit 120 and the first component holding unit 126 will be described. The separation part 120 is a concave part opened in an obliquely upward left direction, and includes a bottom surface 120C, a right side surface 120A, and a left side surface 120B. From the upper right end 121 of the separation part 120, a wall part 125 constituting the flow path 129 extends obliquely upward to the right, and from the upper left end part 123 of the separation part 120, a wall part 122 constituting the flow path 128 is provided. It is extended diagonally to the left. In addition, a connection channel 127 extends obliquely upward to the right from a connection position 120D located near the center of the right side surface 120A, and the tip of the connection channel 127 is connected to the upper end of the first component holding unit 126. . The first component holding unit 126 is a rectangular storage unit that holds the first component and the excess second component separated by the separation unit 120 when viewed from the front. The imaginary line B extending the extending direction of the connection channel 127 and the imaginary line C extending from the upper end portion of the right side surface 120A and extending the extending direction of the wall portion 125 constituting the channel 129 are formed. The angle θ1 is an acute angle. Further, the inclination angle θ3 of the connecting flow path 127 with respect to the horizontal direction H2 is larger than the inclination angle θ2 of the wall 125 with respect to the horizontal direction H1 in FIG. The horizontal direction H1 and the horizontal direction H2 are the left-right direction of the inspection chip 2, that is, the direction parallel to the upper side portion 21 or the lower side portion 24. In this case, since the angle θ1 is an acute angle, the inclination angle θ3 of the connection channel 127 is larger than the inclination angle θ2 of the wall 125. Accordingly, when the second component diluted along the wall portion 125 is caused to flow out from the separation portion 120, the wall portion 125 whose inclination angle θ2 is smaller than the inclination angle θ3 of the connection channel 127 is centrifuged before the connection channel 127. The relationship is perpendicular to the direction of force action. Accordingly, the diluted second component can flow out from the wall 125 to the flow path 129 before flowing into the connection flow path 127. Therefore, it can be reduced that the diluted second component flows into the first component holding unit 126 first.

  An imaginary plane E lowered downward from the connecting position 120D, which is a portion where the connecting channel 127 is connected to the right side surface 120A, perpendicularly to the horizontal direction H2 serves as a quantified surface of the second component that has been centrifuged. Details will be described later. In addition, a virtual plane K extending horizontally from the upper left end 123 of the separation unit 120 serves as a quantitative surface of the second component after dilution. The process of diluting the second component with the diluent 10 will be described later.

  With reference to FIG. 2, the structure of the above-described inspection chip 2 and the correspondence relationship from the first recess to the fourth recess will be described. In the present embodiment, the shape opened in the opening direction of the first inflow port 117 in the flow path from the first opening 112 to the first inflow port 117 will be described as a first recess. Here, the opening direction of the first inlet 117 is the direction of communication of the first inlet 117, that is, the vertical direction in FIG. The opening direction of the second inlet 118 is the direction of communication of the second inlet 118, that is, the vertical direction in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, in the flow path from the first opening 112 to the first inlet 117, the shape that opens in the opening direction of the first inlet 117 corresponds to the specimen holder 113. That is, the number of the first recesses is one. In addition, a shape opened in the opening direction of the second inlet 118 in the flow path from the second opening 101 to the second inlet 118 will be described as a second recess. As shown in FIG. 2, in the flow path from the first opening 112 to the first inflow port 117, the second opening 101 and the specimen holding unit 113 have a shape opened in the opening direction of the second inflow port 118. Equivalent to. That is, the number of second recesses is two. Therefore, in the flow path from the specimen holding unit 113 to the first inlet 117, the number of first recesses opened in the inflow direction of the first inlet 117 is equal to the number of flow from the second opening 101 to the second inlet 118. In the road, the number is smaller than the number of second recesses opened in the inflow direction. Specifically, the number of first recesses is “1” less than the number of second recesses.

  In addition, the shape that opens in the direction intersecting the opening direction of the first inlet 117 in the flow path from the first opening 112 to the first inlet 117 will be described as a third recess. As shown in FIG. 2, in the flow path from the first opening 112 to the first inflow port 117, the flow path 115 corresponds to a shape opened in a direction intersecting with the opening direction of the first inflow port 117. That is, the number of the third recesses is one. In addition, the shape opened in the direction intersecting the inflow direction in the flow path from the second opening 101 to the second inlet 118 will be described as a fourth recess. As shown in FIG. 2, the flow path from the second opening 101 to the second inlet 118 has a shape that opens in a direction intersecting the opening direction of the second inlet 118, and has a flow path 105 and a flow path 115. Corresponds. That is, the number of the fourth recesses is two. Therefore, in the flow path from the first opening 112 to the first inflow port 117, the number of the third recesses opened in the direction intersecting the opening direction of the first inflow port 117 is equal to the second flow from the second opening 101. In the flow path to the inlet 118, the number of the fourth concave portions opened in the direction intersecting with the opening direction of the second inlet 118 is smaller. Specifically, the number of third recesses is “1” less than the number of fourth recesses. In the present embodiment, the opening direction of the first inlet 117 and the opening direction of the second inlet 118 are the same.

  Next, the first reagent injection part 132 is a part into which the first reagent 13 is injected from the first reagent injection port 6 formed in the sheet 29. The first reagent injection part 132 is formed between a wall part 114 extending downward from the upper side part 21 and a wall part 131 extending obliquely upward to the right from the wall part 114, and is a recess that opens upward It is. The first reagent holding part 133 is connected to the first reagent injection part 132 and is formed between the wall part 131 and a wall part 151 extending downward from the upper side part 21. A first reagent inflow port 134 is formed below the first reagent holding unit 133 for allowing the first reagent 13 to flow into the first reagent quantifying unit 135 for quantifying a predetermined amount of the first reagent 13. The first reagent quantification unit 135 is formed in a recess having a capacity for quantifying a predetermined amount of the first reagent 13 which is an amount necessary for the inspection. That is, the predetermined amount is an amount based on the amount of the specimen or the diluted solution that has moved downstream from the separation unit 120. A flow path 136 is connected to the first reagent inlet 134. The flow path 136 extends to a first reagent surplus portion 137 provided on the lower left side of the first reagent fixed amount portion 135. In addition, from a portion where the first reagent inlet 134 and the first reagent quantification unit 135 communicate with each other, the flow path 138 extends a predetermined length obliquely to the upper right, bends, and extends downward by a predetermined length.

  The second reagent injection part 142 is a part into which the second reagent 14 is injected from the second reagent injection port 8 formed in the sheet 29. The second reagent injection portion 142 is a recess formed between the wall portion 151 and the wall portion 141 that extends obliquely upward to the right from the wall portion 151 and opens upward. The second reagent holding part 143 is connected to the second reagent injection part 142 and is formed between the wall part 141 and the right side part 22. Below the second reagent holding unit 143, a second reagent inflow port 144 through which the second reagent 14 flows into the second reagent quantifying unit 145 for quantifying a predetermined amount of the second reagent 14 is formed. The second reagent quantifying unit 145 is formed in a concave portion having a capacity in which the second reagent 14 is quantified by a predetermined amount, which is an amount necessary for the inspection. That is, the predetermined amount is an amount based on the amount of the specimen or the diluted solution that has moved downstream from the separation unit 120. A channel 146 is connected to the second reagent inlet 144. The channel 146 extends to the second reagent surplus portion 147 provided at the lower left of the second reagent fixed amount portion 145. In addition, from the part where the second reagent inlet 144 and the second reagent quantification unit 145 communicate with each other, the flow path 139 extends a predetermined length in the upper right direction, and is bent and extends a predetermined length downward.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the second opening 101, the first opening 112, the first reagent injection part 132, and the second reagent injection part 142 are along the upper side part 21 that is the upper wall surface of the test chip 2. In addition, the front surface of the plate member 20 is formed side by side in the left-right direction.

  The measuring unit 150 is a rectangular recess provided on the upper right side provided in the lower right portion of the inspection chip 2. In the measurement unit 150, the specimen 11 diluted with the diluent 10 flowing from the flow path 129, the first reagent 13 flowing from the flow path 138, and the second reagent 14 flowing from the flow path 139 are mixed. 10 is produced. The generated mixed liquid 15 is optically measured by measurement light passing through the measurement unit 150. In addition, the measuring method of the produced | generated mixed liquid 15 is not restricted to an optical measurement, Another method may be sufficient.

  In order to inject the sample 11 into the first opening 112, for example, the sample 11 accommodated in a tool (not shown) may be injected from the sample injection port 5 by a user operation. That is, the sample 11 may be injected into the first opening 112 through the sample injection port 5 using a known technique. A similar method may be used for the injection of the diluent 10, the first reagent 13, and the second reagent 14. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the specimen 11, the diluent 10, the first reagent 13, and the second reagent 14 are injected. The inlets 4, 5, 13, and 14 may have a shape in which the upper side portion 21 is opened.

<4. Example of inspection method>
An inspection method using the inspection apparatus 1 and the inspection chip 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the rotation, revolution, and rotation speed of the inspection chip 2 are controlled based on whether a predetermined reference time has elapsed. Information on the reference time is stored in advance in the HDD 95 of the control device 90. When the inspection chip 2 is attached to the spindle 46 and a processing start command is input from the operation unit 94 to the control device 90, the following measurement operation is executed. Note that the inspection apparatus 1 can inspect two inspection chips 2 at the same time, but the procedure for inspecting one inspection chip 2 will be described below for convenience of explanation. In the following description, the steady state of the inspection chip 2 shown in FIG. 2 is referred to as 0 degree of rotation, the state rotated 54 degrees counterclockwise from the steady state is referred to as “54 degree of rotation”, and 90 degrees from the steady state. The state rotated counterclockwise is referred to as “rotation angle of 90 degrees”. In addition, the test chip 2 is in a state where the sample 11, the diluent 10, the first reagent 13, and the second reagent 14 are injected.

<Liquid transfer step>
First, the spindle motor 35 starts driving the turntable 33 based on an instruction from the CPU 91 of the control device 90. 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 based on an instruction from the CPU 91. As an example, when the rotational speed reaches 3000 rpm, the spindle motor 35 maintains this rotational speed. Note that the rotation speed of the turntable 33 is not limited to 3000 rpm, and may be other rotation speeds. In this state, as shown in FIG. 4, centrifugal force F acts on the test chip 2 from the left side 23 toward the right side 22. The specimen 11 moves from the first opening 112 to the flow path 115 by the action of the centrifugal force F. Similarly, the diluent 10 moves from the second opening 101 to the flow path 105. The first reagent 13 moves from the first reagent injection part 132 to the first reagent holding part 133. The second reagent 14 moves from the second reagent injection unit 142 to the second reagent holding unit 143. The revolution time in this state is stored in advance in the HDD 95 as a sufficient time for the specimen 11, the diluent 10, the first reagent 13, and the second reagent 14 to move as described above.

<First step>
Next, by the drive control of the stepping motor 51 based on the instruction of the CPU 91, as shown in FIG. 5, the revolving test chip 2 is rotated by 54 degrees counterclockwise when viewed from the front by high speed driving. As a result, the rotation angle of the inspection chip 2 changes to 54 degrees. As a result, centrifugal force F acts in the direction of arrow F in FIG. The direction of action of the centrifugal force F due to this rotation is the direction from the first inflow port 117 toward the bottom surface 120 </ b> C of the separation unit 120. Accordingly, the specimen 11 is injected from the flow path 115 into the separation unit 120 through the first inflow port 117 by the action of the centrifugal force F. Here, since the volume of the separation unit 120 is larger than the volume of the sample 11, the sample 11 does not overflow from the separation unit 120. In addition, when the sample 11 is injected into the separation unit 120, as shown in FIG. 3, the sample 11 does not enter the connection channel 127 where the angle θ4 with respect to the right side surface 120A of the separation unit 120 is larger than the right angle, and Inflow into the one-component holding unit 126 can be reduced. In addition, the diluent 10 starts to move from the flow path 105 to the sample holder 113. The first reagent 13 starts to be injected from the first reagent holding unit 133 through the first reagent inlet 134 into the first reagent quantitative unit 135. The second reagent 14 starts to be injected from the second reagent holding unit 143 into the second reagent quantitative unit 145 through the second reagent inlet 144.

<Second step>
Next, by the driving control of the stepping motor 51 based on the instruction of the CPU 91, as shown in FIG. 6, the test chip 2 that is revolving by high speed rotation is rotated 36 degrees counterclockwise as viewed from the front. Thereby, the rotation angle of the test | inspection chip 2 changes to 90 degree | times. As a result, the centrifugal force F acts on the test chip 2 so that the angle formed by the upper side portion 21 and the direction of the centrifugal force is 90 degrees. The direction of action of the centrifugal force F by this rotation is the opening direction of the first inflow port 117, that is, the communication direction of the first inflow port 117. That is, the direction intersects the bottom surface 120 </ b> C of the separation unit 120. By performing the revolution in this state, the specimen 11 injected into the separation unit 120 is centrifuged into the first component 11B and the second component 11A having a higher specific gravity than the first component. Since the specific gravity of the second component 11A is larger than that of the first component 11B, the second component 11A accumulates on the bottom surface 120C side of the separation unit 120. For example, when the specimen 11 is blood, it is separated into plasma as the first component 11B and blood cells as the second component 11A, and the blood cells accumulate on the bottom surface 120C side of the separation unit 120. In addition, the diluent 10 moves from the flow path 105 to the sample holder 113. The first reagent 13 is injected from the first reagent holding unit 133 into the first reagent quantifying unit 135 via the first reagent inlet 134 and quantified. The first reagent 13 overflowing from the first reagent quantitative unit 135 is accumulated in the first reagent surplus unit 137. The second reagent 14 is injected from the second reagent holding unit 143 into the second reagent quantifying unit 145 through the second reagent inlet 144 and quantified. The second reagent 14 overflowing from the second reagent quantitative unit 145 accumulates in the second reagent surplus unit 147. The revolution time in this state is stored in advance in the HDD 95 as a time sufficient for the specimen 11, the diluent 10, the first reagent 13, and the second reagent 14 to perform the above-described movement and centrifugation of the specimen. .

<Third step>
Next, by the drive control of the stepping motor 51 based on the instruction of the CPU 91, as shown in FIG. 7, the revolving inspection chip 2 rotates 90 degrees clockwise as viewed from the front. As a result, the rotation angle of the inspection chip 2 returns to 0 degrees, and the centrifugal force F acts on the inspection chip 2 from the left side portion 23 toward the right side portion 22. The direction of action of the centrifugal force F due to this rotation is a direction that intersects the opening direction of the first inflow port 117. That is, when the centrifugal force F is applied so that the first component 11B flows into the first component holding unit 126, the second component 11A remaining in the separation unit 120 is quantified. Therefore, due to the action of the centrifugal force F, the first component 11B and a part of the second component 11A separated by the separation unit 120 flow into the first component holding unit 126 through the connection channel 127. Accordingly, due to the action of the centrifugal force F in the direction shown in FIG. 7, the virtual plane E lowered downward from the connection position 120D becomes the second component quantification surface that has been centrifuged. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the amount of the second component 11A necessary for the inspection is quantified. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the connection position 120D is a reference position for the quantitative amount of the second component. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, when the centrifugal force F is applied so that the first component 11B flows into the first component holding unit 126, the second component 11B remaining in the separation unit 120 is quantified. Therefore, the inspection process can be shortened. On the other hand, the diluent 10 moves from the specimen holding unit 113 to the flow path 115. In addition, the first reagent 13 quantified by the first reagent quantification unit 135 moves to the flow path 138, and the second reagent 14 quantified by the second reagent quantification unit 145 moves to the flow path 139. Further, the first reagent 13 accumulated in the first reagent surplus portion 137 moves to the right side of the first reagent surplus portion 137. The second reagent 14 accumulated in the second reagent surplus part 147 moves to the right side of the second reagent surplus part 147. On the other hand, since the first reagent surplus portion 137 and the second reagent surplus portion 147 are concave portions that are closed in the right direction, the accumulated liquid does not leak. It is stored in advance in the HDD 95 as a sufficient time for performing the above-described movement.

<4th step>
Next, by the drive control of the stepping motor 51 based on the instruction of the CPU 91, as shown in FIG. 8, the revolving test chip 2 is rotated 54 degrees counterclockwise as viewed from the front by high speed driving. As a result, the rotation angle of the inspection chip 2 changes to 54 degrees. As a result, centrifugal force F acts in the direction of arrow F in FIG. The direction of action of the centrifugal force F due to this rotation is a direction that intersects the opening direction of the first inflow port 117. That is, the direction is from the first inflow port 117 toward the separation unit 120. Therefore, the diluent 10 is injected from the flow path 115 into the separation unit 120 through the second inlet 118 by the action of the centrifugal force F. The injected diluent 10 is mixed with the second component 11A quantified by the separation unit 120 to become a diluted second component 11C. At this time, since the diluent 10 directly hits the second component accumulated in the corner 120E of the bottom surface 120C of the separation unit 120 through the route of the phantom line J shown in FIGS. The liquid 10 is well agitated with each other. As shown in FIG. 3, the imaginary line J is a virtual line obtained by drawing a straight line perpendicular to the wall 116 on the measurement unit 150 side from the tip of the second inlet 118 in the direction intersecting the inflow direction of the second inlet 118. Is a line. The imaginary line J intersects the bottom surface 120C of the separation unit 120.

<Determination step of diluted second component>
Next, as shown in FIG. 9, by the drive control of the stepping motor 51 based on the instruction from the CPU 91, the revolving test chip 2 rotates 36 degrees counterclockwise as viewed from the front. As a result, the rotation angle of the inspection chip 2 changes to 90 degrees, and the centrifugal force F acts on the inspection chip 2 from the upper side portion 21 toward the lower side portion 24. Due to the action of the centrifugal force F, in the separation unit 120, the virtual surface K shown in FIGS. 3 and 9 becomes the quantitative surface of the mixed liquid of the diluent 10 and the second component 11 </ b> A. Note that the diluent 10 overflowing from the separation unit 120 moves to the specimen surplus unit 124. Further, the first reagent 13 that has moved to the flow path 138 and the second reagent 14 that has moved to the flow path 139 move to the measurement unit 150. On the other hand, the surplus specimen 11 and diluent 10 remain in the specimen surplus portion 124. The surplus first component 11B, the first reagent 13, and the second reagent 14 remain in the first component holding part 126, the first reagent surplus part 137, and the second reagent surplus part 147, respectively. A sufficient time for performing the above-described movement is stored in the HDD 95 in advance.

<Mixed liquid generation step>
Next, by the drive control of the stepping motor 51 based on the instruction of the CPU 91, as shown in FIG. 10, the revolving inspection chip 2 rotates 90 degrees clockwise as viewed from the front. As a result, the rotation angle of the inspection chip 2 returns to 0 degrees, and the centrifugal force F acts on the inspection chip 2 from the left side portion 23 toward the right side portion 22. Due to the action of the centrifugal force F, a part of the diluted second component 11C quantified in the separation part 120 moves to the flow path 139 on the measurement part 150 side via the flow path 129 and is diluted by the action of the centrifugal force F. The second component 11C, the first reagent 13, and the second reagent 14 are mixed to produce a mixed solution 15. The volume V0 of a part of the diluted second component 11C moving to the flow path 139 on the measurement unit 150 side is obtained by the following calculation. The volume of the region surrounded by the virtual surface H0, the virtual surface K, and the left side surface 120B shown in FIG. 3 is V1, and the volume of the region surrounded by the virtual surface H0, the virtual surface K, and the right side 120A is V2, and is shown in FIG. When the remaining space of the first component holding unit 126 and the total volume V3 of the connection flow path 127 are:
V0 = V1-V2-V3.
The volume of V0 corresponds to the diluted second component 11C in an amount necessary for inspection. V3 is an amount necessary for the examination quantified in the third step from the volume of the specimen 11 injected into the first opening 112 from the sum of the volume of the first component holding unit 126 and the volume of the connection channel 127. This is a value obtained by subtracting the volume of the second component 11A. In the process of rotating the inspection chip 2 from the rotation angle of 90 degrees shown in FIG. 9 to the rotation angle of 0 degrees shown in FIG. 10, the upper surface of the wall portion 125 is less than or equal to the centrifugal force F before the connection channel 127. Become a relationship. Therefore, the diluted second component 11C flows out from the surface side of the wall 125 into the flow channel 129 before the diluted second component 11C enters the connection channel 127.

<Stop step>
Next, the spindle motor 35 is decelerated and driven by the drive control of the spindle motor 35 based on an instruction from the CPU 91, and the spindle motor 35 is stopped. Therefore, the revolution of the inspection chip 2 is completed. The liquid mixture 15 accumulates in the measurement unit 150 by gravity.

<Measurement step>
After execution of the centrifugal process, the inspection chip 2 is rotated to the angle of the measurement position by drive control of the spindle motor 35. When the light source 71 emits light, the measurement light passes through the mixed liquid 15 stored in the measurement unit 150. Based on the amount of change in measurement light received by the optical sensor 72, optical measurement of the mixed liquid 15 is performed, and measurement data is acquired. Next, the measurement result of the specimen 11 is calculated based on the acquired measurement data. The test result of the sample 11 based on the measurement result is displayed. Thereafter, the main process is terminated.

<5. Main actions and effects of this embodiment>
As described above, according to the inspection chip 2 and the inspection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the number of first recesses is less than the number of second recesses, and the number of third recesses is less than the number of fourth recesses. The specimen 11 enters the separation unit 120 prior to the diluent 10. Since the first component holding unit 126 is connected to the separation unit 120, the first component separated in the separation unit 120 flows into the first component holding unit 126 in the process in which the diluent 10 is injected into the separation unit 120. Is done. Since the separation part 120 opens toward the first inflow port 117 and has a bottom surface 120C, a right side wall 120A, and a left side wall 120B, the separation part 120 is formed in a concave shape, so that the diluent 10 is injected into the separation part 120. The second component 11A remains in the separation unit 120. Since the diluent 10 is injected into the second component 11 </ b> A remaining in the separation unit 120, the second component 11 </ b> A and the diluent 10 are mixed in the separation unit 120. Therefore, since the separated second component 11A is mixed with the diluent 10 without moving to other than the separation unit 120, the possibility that the second component is clogged with the inspection chip 2 can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce a decrease in the inspection accuracy of the specimen 11. Further, since the first inlet 117 also serves as the second inlet 118, it is possible to reduce the size of the inspection chip while reducing the clogging of the second component in the inspection chip.

  In addition, since the first recess is the same as a part of the second recess and the third recess is the same as a part of the fourth recess, the second component is prevented from clogging in the test chip, and the test chip is Can be downsized. The step of sending the specimen from the specimen holding part to the separation part because the value obtained by subtracting the number of the first concave parts from the number of the second concave parts and the value obtained by subtracting the number of the third concave parts from the number of the fourth concave parts are 1. In addition, the process can be simplified by adding only one step of sending the reagent from the reagent holding unit to the separation unit. Further, in the separation unit 120, the diluent 10 is supplied earlier to the separated second component. As a result, when the second component is a component that changes with the passage of time, such as deliquescence, the degree of change can be further reduced. As a result, it is possible to reduce a decrease in inspection accuracy of the second component.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the connection flow path 127 that connects the first component holding unit 126 and the separation unit 120 is configured such that the angle θ4 with respect to the right side surface 120A of the separation unit 120 is larger than a right angle. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the flow of the sample 11 or the diluent 10 into the first component holding unit 126 when the sample 11 or the diluent 10 flows into the separation unit 120. In addition, the imaginary line B extending in the extending direction from the separation part 120 to the first component holding part 126 in the connection channel 127 and the extending direction of the wall part 125 extending from the outlet of the separation part 120 in the downstream direction. Intersects with an imaginary line C extended by an acute angle. Therefore, when the second component is moved from the separation unit 120 to the flow path 129, the second component can be prevented from flowing into the first component holding unit 126. As a result, it is possible to reduce the decrease in the second component. Therefore, it is possible to reduce a decrease in inspection accuracy of the second component.

  Since the connection position 120D of the connection channel 127 in the separation unit 120 is a reference position for the quantitative amount of the second component, the first component is allowed to flow from the connection channel 127 to the first component holding unit 126 during the determination and is separated. Since the second component remaining in the section 120 is a fixed amount, it is not necessary to add a separate step of determining the amount. Moreover, since a straight line obtained by drawing a straight line perpendicular to the wall 116 in the positive direction from the tip of the second inlet 118 among the directions intersecting with the inflow direction of the second inlet intersects the bottom surface 120C of the separation part, The diluent 10 can be directly applied to the second component, and the second component and the diluent 10 are easily mixed. Further, since the first recess is the same as a part of the second recess and the third recess is the same as a part of the fourth recess, the inspection chip 2 can be downsized.

<6. Other>
In the above embodiment, the diluent 10 is an example of the “reagent” of the present invention. Further, the specimen holding unit 113 is an example of the “first recess” in the present invention. The second opening 101 and the sample holder 113 are an example of the “second recess” in the present invention. The flow path 115 is an example of the “third recess” in the present invention. The flow path 105 and the flow path 115 are an example of the “fourth recess” in the present invention. The wall portion 116 is an example of the “wall surface on the side where the second component flows out of the separation portion by the action of the centrifugal force among the wall surfaces formed with the second inflow port” of the present invention.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. The inspection apparatus 1 and the inspection chip 2 of the above embodiment are merely examples, and the structure, shape, processing, and the like of each can be changed. In the above embodiment, the CPU 91 performs the revolution control process and the rotation control process of the inspection chip 2, but the form of performing the process is not limited thereto. Each process may be shared by a plurality of CPUs. Further, each process may be processed by an ASIC. Furthermore, each process may be executed by a combination of one or more CPUs and one or more ASICs.

  Further, the first inlet and the second inlet may be provided separately. The first recess may not be the same as a part of the second recess, and the third recess may not be the same as a part of the fourth recess. For example, a flow path formed from the first opening to the first recess, the third recess, and the first inlet, and from the second opening to the second recess, the fourth recess, the second recess, the fourth recess, and the second The inlet and the subsequent flow path may be formed separately. The value obtained by subtracting the number of the first recesses from the number of the second recesses and the value obtained by subtracting the number of the third recesses from the number of the fourth recesses are not limited to 1 and may be 2 or 3 or the like. In addition, the rotation angle of the inspection chip 2 in each step is not limited to the above-described angle, and may be determined to a necessary angle in accordance with the flow path structure of the inspection chip 2 and the direction of action of centrifugal force. For example, the rotation angle of the inspection chip 2 when the second component 11A is quantified is not limited to 0 degrees. Other angles such as 5 degrees may be used. A virtual surface E that is perpendicular to the direction of the centrifugal force F acting at this time and that passes through the connection position 120D becomes the quantitative surface of the diluted second component 11C. The right side surface 120A and the bottom surface 120C of the separation unit 120 are formed so that the volume surrounded by the wall surface of the separation unit 120 and the fixed surface E of the diluted second component 11C shown in FIG. It ’s fine. Even in this configuration, 120D is a reference position for blood cell quantification.

  In the above-described embodiment, the first step and the second step are performed separately. However, the first step and the second step are performed at a time, and the sample 11 is injected into the separation unit 120 and centrifuged. May be performed at once. In addition, the separation unit 120 does not necessarily need the bottom surface 120C, and may have a V shape including the side wall 120A and the left side wall 120B.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Test | inspection apparatus 2 Test | inspection chip 10 Diluent 11 Specimen 13 1st reagent 14 2nd reagent 15 Mixed liquid 105 Flow path 112 1st opening part 113 Specimen holding | maintenance part 115 Channel 116 Wall part 117 1st inflow port 118 2nd inflow port 120 Separator 120D Connection Position 126 First Component Holding Unit 127 Connection Channel

Claims (9)

A first opening connected to a sample inlet into which a sample is injected and opening toward the sample inlet;
A second opening connected to the reagent inlet into which the reagent is injected and opening toward the reagent inlet;
A first component that is formed downstream of the first opening and the second opening and is contained in the specimen supplied from the first opening is separated from a second component made of solid or semi-solid. A separation unit;
A first component holding unit connected to the separation unit and holding the separated first component;
A measurement unit that is formed downstream of the separation unit and that measures the second component separated in the separation unit;
A first inlet opening in the direction of the flow path from the first opening to the separation unit, which opens toward the separation unit;
A second inflow port that opens toward the separation part and is located in the middle of the flow path from the second opening part to the separation part;
In the flow path from the first opening to the first inlet, the number of first recesses opened in the opening direction of the first inlet is the number of the first recesses from the second opening to the second inlet. Less than the number of second recesses opened in the opening direction of the second inflow port,
In the flow path from the first opening to the first inlet, the number of third recesses opened in a direction intersecting the opening direction of the first inlet is determined from the second opening to the second inlet. Less than the number of the fourth recesses opened in the direction intersecting the opening direction of the second inlet,
The inspection chip is formed in a concave shape in a range in a direction intersecting the opening direction from the opening direction of the first inflow port. The inspection chip according to claim 1, wherein the first inlet also serves as the second inlet. The first recess is identical to a part of the second recess;
The inspection chip according to claim 2, wherein the third recess is the same as a part of the fourth recess. The value obtained by subtracting the number of the first recesses from the number of the second recesses and the value obtained by subtracting the number of the third recesses from the number of the fourth recesses are 1. 4. The inspection chip according to any one of 3. A connection flow path for connecting the first component holding unit and the separation unit;
The inspection chip according to claim 1, wherein the connection channel is along the inflow direction. A virtual line extending the extending direction from the separation part to the first component holding part in the connection channel and a virtual line extending the extending direction of the wall part extending downstream from the outlet of the separation part. 6. The inspection chip according to claim 5, wherein the inspection chip intersects the line at an acute angle.   The inspection chip according to claim 5 or 6, wherein a connection position of the connection flow path in the separation unit is a reference position of a quantitative amount of the second component.   Of the wall surfaces formed with the second inlet, a straight line obtained by drawing a straight line perpendicular to the wall surface on the measurement part side from the front end of the second inlet in the intersecting direction intersects the bottom surface of the separation part. The test chip according to claim 1, wherein the test chip is a test chip. A test chip for quantifying and mixing a sample or a reagent, and a second force different from the first axis, wherein the test chip is revolved around a predetermined first axis to apply a centrifugal force to the test chip. An inspection system comprising an inspection device that changes the direction of the centrifugal force by rotating the inspection chip around an axis,
The inspection chip is
A first opening connected to a sample inlet into which a sample is injected and opening toward the sample inlet;
A second opening connected to the reagent inlet into which the reagent is injected and opening toward the reagent inlet;
A first component that is formed downstream of the first opening and the second opening and is contained in the specimen supplied from the first opening is separated from a second component made of solid or semi-solid. A separation unit;
A first component holding unit connected to the separation unit and holding the separated first component;
A measurement unit that is formed downstream of the separation unit and that measures the second component separated in the separation unit;
A first inlet opening in the direction of the flow path from the first opening to the separation unit, which opens toward the separation unit;
A second inflow port that opens toward the separation part and is located in the middle of the flow path from the second opening part to the separation part;
In the flow path from the first opening to the first inlet, the number of first recesses opened in the opening direction of the first inlet is the number of the first recesses from the second opening to the second inlet. Less than the number of second recesses opened in the opening direction of the second inflow port,
In the flow path from the first opening to the first inlet, the number of third recesses opened in a direction intersecting the opening direction of the first inlet is determined from the second opening to the second inlet. Less than the number of the fourth recesses opened in the direction intersecting the opening direction of the second inlet,
The separation portion is formed in a concave shape in a range in a direction intersecting the opening direction from the opening direction of the first inflow port,
The inspection device includes:
A rotation control means for controlling the rotation;
A revolution control means for controlling the revolution,
The rotation control means has a first step of rotating the test chip in a direction in which the specimen is injected from the first inflow port into the separation unit by a centrifugal force generated by the revolution;
A second step of rotating the test chip in a direction in which the specimen is separated into the first component and the second component by the centrifugal force by the centrifugal force;
Due to the centrifugal force, a part of the first component and the second component flows into the first component holding part, and the second chip is quantified by a predetermined amount necessary for the measurement. A third step of rotating
A fourth step of rotating the test chip in a direction in which the reagent is injected into the separation unit from the second inlet and the reagent is mixed with the quantified second component by the centrifugal force; An inspection system characterized by performing.

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